When It Fades To Black: Percabeth AU

She Knows

Annabeth POV 

A few weeks passed peacefully, me sleeping or on major pain meds for most of it. Percy, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Nico all took turns skipping school to hang out with me and give me my homework. Thalia and Luke stopped by any chance they had. I still wasn't allowed to talk, so I just listened. 

Luke told me stories of him and Thalia in the police academy and how they'd risen through the ranks to become special agents. He told any story he could think of that made Thalia look bad. There weren't very many. This led Luke to just impersonate her in an overly dramatic fashion. The whole high pitched thing, with some sassy hand gestures just because. 

Thalia told similar stories to Luke, but she told me the ones that made Luke look bad. Like the one time on a dare by his half brothers, Connor and Travis, he'd tasered the sergeant but he'd had a coffee in his hand, so he'd spilled it spilled all over a bunch of important documents. Luke had then spent the next two weeks scrubbing academy toilets with toothbrushes and retyping paperwork until his fingers turned numb. Thalia had helped him get retribution on the Stolls by planting a pepper spray bomb that awaited both of them at their apartments when they opened their doors. 

Piper always stopped by after school if she wasn't on skipping duty, and so did Percy. I had so many people who love me. And more importantly, I think that through them, I was learning to love myself. 

The nurse walks in, her name is Sileana Beauregard. I know that now that I've been here for almost three weeks. She smiles as she changes my IV and all that jazz. She asks, "Can you talk yet? The doctor's told me it should be safe now..."

I haven't tried to talk yet, but as soon as she asks, I open my mouth. "Hi, Sileana." I manage to rasp out, my voice scratchy after almost a month of disuse. It sounded like stones striking together, but it is my voice.

Sileana grins and says, "Hi, Annabeth."

Percy POV

I am in love. I think I've known for awhile now. I'm in love with Annabeth Chase. Everyday I see her at the hospital, as she drifts in and out of the waking and sleeping world, I tell her. I'm too much of a coward to say it to her face. I think she knows. 

I hope she knows.

Thalia POV

Annabeth was getting better, but she still looked like shit, pardon my French. Actually, I don't care about my French. I'm a cop, and I'm from Brooklyn. I cuss.

I'd talked to the doctor and the nurse, and they both said that Annabeth's body was at least 45% scar tissue. I felt guilty for not going after her dad the minute I got my badge. 

But then Sileana told me the worst part: someone had molested Annabeth. She told me they had run a DNA test against her father once they learned about his abuse, but it had come out negative. She told me she'd talked to Percy about it, and said he'd said that they hadn't even kissed.

That was good, because I hadn't wanted to ring Percy's neck, and Annabeth was too comfortable around Percy for anything to have happened anyway. 

I was going to find whoever broke her like this. I will not do this by the books. I am going to find them, and I will be the last thing they ever see. 

I hope she knows that I never stopped caring. That I never stopped thinking of her as my best friend. Annabeth always was smart, so she knows. 

I hope she knows.