𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒍

Chapter 14. Live Another Day

Sage
My face went pale and I rushed down the hall to room 100. How could she be losing her life, it's only been three hours!

I threw the door open and saw her coughing and holding her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and she was crying.

I rushed over to her and looked at her emotions. Her emotions were... blank. They were completely gone as if she wasn't alive... and yet... she was screaming and crying. I've never seen this happen before.

"Get as many healers as you can!" I exclaim. Asclepius nods and rushes out of the door.

After a minute or two the whole team of Sticklingtons rushes into the room and touches the girl's wound. She stops screaming but tears are still streaming down her face.

She gasps and coughs, looking around with uncertainty. "I need—" she starts then goes into another coughing fit. "New type of—"

"Poison." I finish for her.

I touch her forehead and her eyes close slowly. Afterward, I tell Asclepius to go get Prince Perseus.

Percy
"I wonder what that Sticklington told Sage that got him so scared," Alexander said. I shrugged and took a bite of the food George had given me.

"Prince Perseus!" Sage called. I turn my head to look at him. His facial expression was pure concern. I shoot up out of my seat and rush over to him, as does Alexander.

"What's wrong?"

"I need you to come with me, Prince Perseus," Sage said, looking apologetically and Alexander.

I nod and eat the last bite of my food. I follow him down the hallway until we reach room 100.

He opened the door and Annabeth lay in a leaf bed. I looked at Sage, confused. He points to her and mouths the word 'go'.

I walk up to Annabeth and look at Sage for guidance on what to do next. He mouths, 'Put your finger on the wound,'

I nod and do just that. Annabeth's eyes shoot open and she looks at me, then at her wound. When I remove my fingers the wound is... gone.

I look at Sage with shock, he's smiling at the floor. What just happened?

"You healed her," Sage said. "Yeah, I can see that. But how?" I asked. "You have something more powerful than any other person..." Sage starts. "What. The. Fuck." Annabeth states.

"He has the power of being one of the most important people in your life," Sage tells her. "Excuse me?" She asks. "You heard me,"

"What type of person am I to her?" I question. "Oh... that's for you two to figure out," Sage says snootily.

"No... no, no, no!" Annabeth says, her eyes widening.

"I have to get out of here," Annabeth whispers. She stands up quickly, faltering for a second. Then she runs.

"Wait! Annabeth!" I yell, running after her.

We get out of the hallway and she's running out of the other end of the forest. "If she leaves she won't live another day," Sage says.

I look at him with widened eyes then I sprint after her. She doesn't get far before she collapses. I run up to her and kneel in front of her.

"You okay?" I mutter. She shrugs and lets out a shaky breath. "I'll be okay..." she whispers.

"No, you won't," I say softly. I grab her hand caringly (A/N: idfc if that's a word or not).

She looks up at me, her eyes are full of despair. "Let's go back," I say. She shakes her head, letting out another shaky breath. "I—I can't go back to that place..." She mutters. "Why?"

"B-because... because I just can't," She murmurs.

I rub my thumb on her knuckles soothingly and she sighs. "We need to go back, Annabeth," I tell her.

She nods hesitantly and I stand up, still holding her hand. She gets up after me.

I let go of her hand and her eyes widen and she falls. I catch her quickly. "Why did you fall?" I ask.

"I—I don't know... I lost my balance and my knees buckled," She says. I let her go and grab her hand, leading her back to the village.

After we get into the village Annabeth seems to gain some strength. We walk over to where Sage and Alexander are conversing, Sage's face is full of worry.

"I brought her back," I say. Sage and Alexander look at us, their features filling with relief.

"Are you okay, Princess Annabeth?" Sage asks. She nods slowly.

I look down and see my hand still intertwined with hers, she seems to notice it too. Neither of us pull away. For the whole purpose of making sure she doesn't fall down... totally.

Right?

I shook my head and looked at Sage again. "You guys okay?" Alexander asks skeptically.

"Mhm,"

"When will we be able to leave?" I ask Sage. "Tomorrow,"

I nod and walk over to a log. There's a fire in the middle of the log. Annabeth sits down next to me and places her head on my shoulder. I look at her in surprise.

She smiles at me and I smile back.

☆☆☆✯☆☆☆

"Your rooms will be 8... and 18, we don't have a third room open other than 1993 and I assume you guys don't want to be that far apart," Sage tells us.

"I call not sharing!" Alexander says, rushing off to room #8.

"Are there two beds in room 18?" I ask Sage. He nods and lets Annabeth and I walk to the room.

It's a nice room, spacious. There's a bed under a window on the far side. The other bed is next to us.

"Which bed do you want?" I ask Annabeth. She shrugs and walks to the bed closest to us.

I walk over to the other bed and lay down.

"Goodnight, Annabeth,"

"Goodnight, Percy,"

Author's Note
Andddd... HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERCY. If you guys didn't catch on for the room numbers they're Percy's birthday. 8/18/1993.

Love you guys, the next chapter will be posted before tomorrow, I promise!
(Posted On: Friday, August 18, 2023)
(Word Count: 1078)