Fragile Heart [Completed]

18

Rory raced through the woods, lungs and legs burning. She pushed herself, harder, faster. Her body screamed in protest, but determination forced her to keep moving.

The dining pavilion came into sight which renewed her hope. She ran faster, still, her feet thundering on the soft ground beneath her.

She practically crashed into the Poseidon table when she arrived. Percy glanced at her nervously.

"Annabeth," she gasped. "Where." Percy pointed to the other side of the pavilion. Once again, she forced herself to jog over to the other table.

She grabbed Annabeth by the shoulders and shook her. For a moment, Rory forgot why she had been running in the first place, all she wanted to do was kiss her. The worry in Annabeth's eyes made her remember.

"Memories back! Attack comming! Can't breath!" she spluttered, sinking down to the floor. Annabeth crouched in front of her.

"What do you mean? How? When?" Annabeth launched the questions at her. Rory shook her head and put her hand in the air, still recovering.

Leo, Piper, Calypso, Will and a few others had all gathered around the pair.

"Got electrocuted by the net. Hurt like a bitch. Memories came back," she rambled. Leo broke out in a smile.

"Oh thank the gods! Thank the fucking gods!" He wrapped his arms around her and laughed. "I can't believe it!"

"No time to celebrate. Attack comming, soon. Two days tops." Rory sighed and let her head hang.

A bout of nervous whispering broke out. Annabeth looked between Rory and Chiron, questions whirling in her mind.

"An attack?" Chiron asked, seeming just as puzzled. Rory nodded.

"My memories came back. I had a dream, but it was more than that. A huge fight. Two days from now."

"Do you know who's leading this attack?"

"Maybe? I don't know for sure. But it's the same person who took my memories." Percy mumbled something rude about Hera under his breath.

Ignoring the comment, Chiron began giving out orders. He told all the Apollo children to start preparing the infirmary. Athena children were start looking at defensive measures. With them would be the Hepheastus campers who would them up. Anyone from the Iris cabin was told to send a message to Camp Jupiter, alerting them of the situation.

Despite her duties, Annabeth stayed with Rory until she caught her breath.

"So... you remember everything?" she asked tentatively. Rory nodded, smiling nervously.

"Yeah, pretty much. Some of it's a bit murky and fuzzy, but it's all there." An uncomfortable silence settled over them.

"It's good to see you again. You know, now that I really know you again." Annabeth smiled. She felt nervous, like that first day she kissed Rory in the forge. What were they now? After Percy had gotten his memories back it had been so easy just to get back into where they left off, but Rory and Annabeth had only been together for a short while. They hadn't even labeled their relationship.

Rory stood up and offered Annabeth her hand. "C'mon Beth. We can't let them have all the fun without us." Grinning, Annabeth took her hand and chambered to her feat, stretching out her cramped legs.

"Yeah, let's go kick some monster ass."

*   *   *

The whole camp was buzzing with activity. Annabeth kept her mind off Rory by throwing herself into preparations. They planned to set up a large wall for sentries and archers. Camp Jupiter wouldn't be able to send immediate assistance as they would have to transport everything, but they had already started preparing extra troops and supplies to be sent. As soon as possible.

Rory was in the forge with all of her siblings. Everyone was given a task. Some people were creating arrows, others working on traps. Rory had grabbed her old net designs and started trying to replicate them. They would slow down at least a few attackers.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Leo couldn't help grinning like a mad man all the while he worked. Occasionally he would let a small manic giggle.

At Camp Jupiter, Reyna was giving out orders. Everyone who was able to help had to. They were preparing to send trucks with medical supplies and weapons, and lots of troops.

When everyone had been given their orders, she went to check on Thalia. She looked more uncomfortable, her brows furrowed, almost like she knew what was about to happen.

Throughout both camps, everyone was charged with nervous energy for the battle to come.

*   *   *

When the defence plans had been made and set in motion, Annabeth volunteered to take the schematics to the forge.

When she got within a five foot radius she could feel the heat. She could barely imagine what it was like inside. She didn't have to. After only being there for a few seconds she was already starting to sweat. After a minute of searching, she found Leo.

"Here are the plans," she started. "There will be a small wall surrounding the front of the camp, just behind Thalia's tree." He nodded and took them to show the rest of his siblings.

Annabeth turned to leave, but she saw Rory out of the corner of her eye. She was standing over a large pot filled with molten metal. Her hair was covering her face and her shirt was stuck to her skin. In all the time she had known her, Annabeth had never thought she had looked hotter.

Noticing her staring, Rory jogged over. "Hey," she said, panting.

"Wow," was all Annabeth was able to get out. "I mean, hi." Nice save, she thought to herself.

"What are you doing in here?" Rory asked.

"I came to drop off the plans, Leo has them now," she explained. The heat was starting to fry her brain, but somehow Rory didn't appear bothered by it.

"C'mon," she said, taking Annabeth's arm. "Let's get you out of here before you pass out from heat stroke."

The outside air was cool and refreshing. In the dying light, Rory's eyes were flecked with gold.

"You look...umm...you look really nice," she whispered, trying to start a conversation. Rory smiled.

"You do too. If there wasn't this whole thing," she waved her hand in the air, "going on, then I would have spoken to you about my memories in private."

"Oh...thanks?" Annabeth wasn't sure what to say. "How does it feel? Having all your memories back?"

Rory cast her eyes down. "I don't know. I know they're mine, but some of them don't feel like they happened to me." Her voice wobbled slightly as she spoke. "I remember all the stuff that happened, for the most part, and you." She let the statement hang in the air. "It's like I'm looking into a reflection of everything. It's all the same, but flipped somehow."

"I wish there was something I could do. I hate feeling this useless."

Rory held Annabeth's hands in her own. "You're not useless, not even in the slightest."

Annabeth became acutely aware of how close they were standing, and how easy it would be to kiss Rory. It would be just them, in that moment, nothing else. She almost did it. She felt herself leaning forward, inching closer. She stopped herself.

There is no time for romance in war.