The Ghost of a Guardian

Chapter Eight: Healing

Annabeth quietly walked through the dark tunnels that led to the cavern under the opera house. Erik was asleep, right where she left him when she walked in. She took this time to go up into the opera house. She took whatever baking skills she learned from her mother and put it to good use. She made a loaf of bread, pasta with a thick cheese sauce. She had mixed the fever-reducing remedy, hoping that would make it easier to consume. Then opened the bottle of red wine, that Erik told her to buy later that day.

She was amazed by her own work, making herself her own, non-medicinal meal as well. She balanced the bread tray on her head, she held two cups of the wine in one hand, she was not going to let him have all the fun, and in the other, she held the pasta. She walked into where he was sleeping and put the food in front of her. She lightly nudged his shoulder.

"Erik.... Wake up." His eyes slowly fluttered open.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked his voice was still a little hoarse. Annabeth smiled softly and scooted back.

"A few hours maybe, I'm not sure. How are you feeling?" She felt his forehead, still a little warm not as hot as before though.

"Cold." Was all he could manage to respond, before being interrupted by a fit of coughs. She sighed,

"I have something for you." She smiled. His eyes lit up quickly.

"And what may that be?" He asked coyly, making her laugh a little.

"A nice warm meal." She helped him sit up and watched him eat.

"you're not going to eat?" he asked as he put the pasta into his mouth.

"I just wanted to make sure it was good before I tried it." She sipped her wine, this made him chuckle.

"Though you're slipping into the wine very quickly." He joked.

"Can't afford to let quality wine go to waste, now can we?" she said holding out her glass for him to clink his glass against. "I also have this." She showed him the jar with the paste for his wound.

"My gods, what is that?" His face recoiled in disgust at the smell of the paste.

"I figured the cause of your illness might be due to an infection from the wound you received earlier from Christopher." She took another sip, also off put by the smell. "This is supposed to help. You have to apply it to the wound every half hour until it runs out." She instructed. "I'll help you if need be."

"Thank you." He subconsciously touched where he had been cut. There was a comfortable amount of silence between before Annabeth spoke again.

"Salud." She smiled.

"Salud?" He asked with a cough.

"Salud; it means to wish someone health." She clarified, while taking another sip.

He looked up and smiled at her, a smile she had never cross his face before, something that probably rarely happened.

"Annabeth, can I ask you a question?" He said slowly unsure of where he was going with this himself.

"Sure anything." She giggled, feeling the effect of the whine.

"Are you happy here with me?" He asked, almost embarrassed with himself for even thinking to ask the question.

Annabeth choked on her whine. She did not expect him to ask her that, well she kind of did, just not right at this moment. If she said yes, would he ask why? What if she said no? That only would that hurt him, no, it would probably be the death of him. That is how much she meant to him.

'Oh god what do I say!?' She screamed in her head.

"Annabeth, are you alright? You look a bit pale." He asked worried he asked too much of her. She snapped out of her thoughts.

"Yes, I'm quite alright, just lost in thought." She laughed softly. He waited for her response to his previous question. "...and yes I am happy here." She smiled slightly.

"Why?" He asked, rather confused on why she would want to stay with him.

"Freedom." She replied. "Here I have freedom." He looked as if she hit him with a ton of bricks. "What's wrong?" She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he moved it off his shoulder.

"As long as you're here, you are not free." He hissed suddenly.

"Erik, what are you saying?" She mumbled.

"And what did I say about the mumbling?!" He growled her.

"What the hell are you trying to do?!" She yelled. "All I've done is shown you basic human kindness. I may not know anything about your past experiences, but I'm positive that if I had wanted to leave I would have already." She was very close to tears. "You've given me plenty of chances to."

"Then why haven't you?" He spoke angrily.

"It's like you don't want me to stay!" She thought for a quick second. "That's what you're trying to do isn't? Make me leave because I gave you the wrong answer." She took a breath, letting a few tears fall. "No wonder why you're alone." She hissed. He went to lunge at her, but on an instinct, she pulled her hand back and slapped him. The contact was so hard, it managed to knock his mask off his face.

"Just go." He sighed, covering his face, and pointing toward the door. She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "Go now and leave me!" He shouted. She got up, grabbed her cloak and ran away like he wanted her to.