I Am Not Your Sidekick

Date gone wrong

I saw Annabeth almost everyday, but I never asked for my hoodie back.

It was my favourite hoodie though, so eventully I'd have to get me a new one. That's right, I had no intention of asking her to give it back. It was a gift, and gifts can't be taken back.

Tonight we were going to go to her place and order pizza. I was planning on officially asking her to be my girlfriend.

Was it normal to be nervous?

As usual, I was just walking down the street, having bought a bouquette of yellow roses for Annabeth who was waiting for me on a bench near the park, when Kaldur jumped out of a tree and I yelped in surprise.

"What do you think you're doing?" He demanded.

"Enjoying my life while I can. Why? Is there something wrong with that?" I growled.

"Yes, very much so. Percy, you know you don't have much time for this. I need your answer soon. "

The first time Annabeth and I parted ways, a few days ago, Kaldur caught up with me to check if I was okay and when I told him that I felt brilliant, he told me that his team wanted me to join in. There would be no trouble, no grudges, nothing. They had the room at their base for me. I told him I would think about it.

Ever since that day, he'd been asking me about it. The spot wouldn't be open for long, he said.

Whatever. I told him I'd think about it and that's what I'm doing.

"I know, Kaldur'ahm. I told you I would think about it. I'll tell you when I know the answer, okay?" I sounded annoyed, even to myself.

"Fine. I'll give you twenty four hours. After that, the offer is off the table."

"Fine." I growled and walked past him to where Annabeth sat.

"Aww, you're so sweet!" She exclaimed when I gave her the roses and she breathed in the faint, sweet fragrance.

"They're lovely." She commented. " who was the guy you were speaking to?"

"Just n old friend. He wanted to know if I wanted to hang out." I lied. Actually, technically it wasn't lying. Kaldur wanted me to join the team and that would involve a lot of hanging out with him and his buddies.

"Oh, and what did you say to him?" She asked, still kind of distracted by the fragile rose petals.

"I told him I'd think about it. I'm happy here."

She looked up and frowned at me.

"So you don't want to spend time with your friend?" She questioned.

"It's complicated. "

"Ah." She shrugged her shoulders like she understood and then stood up with the roses in her hand.

"I should get going back home. Still good for tonight?" She asked me.

I nodded. "Of course. Let me walk you back home."

Annabeth waved me off. "Thanks, but no, I need to make a few stops on the way back. Don't worry. I can get back on my own."

"Ok..." I said silently as I watched her begin walking, but then she turned around and pecked me on the cheek before walking away again.

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Hours later, I went to Annabeth's apartment and rang the bell.

Annabeth opened the door five seconds later, whisps of her curly blonde hair escaping her messed up ponytail. She wore jeans and my hoodie.

"Come on in." She said, breathlessly, as if she's been working. I shrugged the thought off and stepped over the threshold.

Soon we were sitting on her couch with a movie ready and the phone was in her hand.

"Ready for this?" She smirked.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Remember, this is dangerous. It's a stupid, in fact."

"Let's do it."

So she called and ordered two boxes of pizza and twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang and somebody from outside the door, shouted, "pizza delivery!"

The voice sounded familiar. I almost told Annabeth to stay while I look, but she beat me to it.

"Stay here. I'll go get it." She stood up and walked to the door before I could protest.

There was a shout and then a loud sound that sounded like a gunshot and a thud. I jumped up from my seat and began running for the door.

"Annabeth?!" I shouted when I saw the door wide open and a red liquid blossoming from Annabeth's stomach.

I crouched down next to her, my one hand covering my mouth in shock and the other shakily checking for pulse.

She was alive.

Thank gods!

"Help! I need help over here!"I yelled and my voice cracked.

"Anyone! Please! Help me!" I yelled desperately as I began applying pressure to her wound.

I collapsed onto the floor and felt the tears sting my eyes.

"Please...." I whimpered as five people ran toward us and one of them yelling, "I'm a doctor!" The other four people just stood there, gapimg at me and Annabeth. Tears were now flowing freely down my cheeks and I refused to let go of her hand even though the doctor needed to check her pulse.

"Check the other one! I'm sure you can." By now, my knuckles were turning white.

"We need to get her to a hospital. Right now. "

Luckily, somebody had already called an ambulance and more doctors already came running with a stretcher.

"Sir, you need to let go of her now." One of the doctors soothingly said after I explained to him what happened.

"No!" I shouted.

"Sir, I promise, I will do everything in my power to keep her alive and well, but for me to do that, you have to let her go and let me do my job."

I looked at him, my eyes shining with fear and despair. "You promise?"

"I promise. You can get into the ambulance and stay with her if you want to, but you are going to crush her hand if you keep holding it that hard." He chuckled as I loosened my grip.

"You think it's funny?" I growled. His smile dropped.

"No."

"Damn right, it isn't!"

"I'm sorry." The doctor looked away from me and at the other doctors putting Annabeth on the stretcher.

"Let's get her out of here." He ordered. The doctors put the stretcher up and began wheeling her out of the building and I hurriedly followed.

"Doctor, what is going to happen to her?" I asked worriedly.

"We're going to give her a X-ray scan and if we need to, she's going to have to go into surgery. Hopefully, the bullet didn't penetrate her spine."

"But you will do anything and everything in your power to make sure that she stays the way she was?"

"Of course. It is, after all, my job."

"Then make sure you do your job well. " I said as I climbed into the ambulance and sat next to her.