❝ If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. ❞
𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡- she stands on the precipice, bold and upright. in her eyes, a sparkle of wanderlust, A hunger for the unfamiliar, a thirst. She dreams of landscapes wild and free...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
chapter five:
UNDER THE DARKENED SKY, Leonidas escorted Kai and Annabeth to the Plaza Hotel, where the campers had established a makeshift headquarters. Silena greeted them with a mixture of concern and relief, her presence a comforting anchor amidst the chaos.
With gentle hands, Silena and Kai carefully guided Annabeth to a lounge chair on the terrace of the penthouse suite, where the rest of their half-siblings gathered anxiously. Worried murmurs filled the air, but they respectfully gave Kai and Silena space to tend to Annabeth's wound.
Kai's hands trembled as she assisted Silena in wrapping bandages around Annabeth's injury, her heart heavy with worry. Silena noticed her shaking hands and gently insisted that she step back, allowing Malcolm and herself to take over the task. Kai complied, her gaze fixed on Annabeth, pale and shivering, her pain etched across her features.
As Malcolm and Silena worked to staunch the bleeding, Kai and some of Annabeth's younger sisters fetched blankets from the linen closet, but Annabeth's shivering persisted. Determined to provide comfort, Kai wet a washcloth in the bathroom and knelt beside Annabeth, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Lost in the moment, Kai lost track of time, her focus solely on Annabeth's well-being. The offer made by the dark figure continued to haunt her thoughts, but she pushed it aside, reminding herself that Annabeth was not dying. She would not allow herself to believe otherwise.
Annabeth's trembling hand suddenly grasped Kai's, the gesture offering both reassurance and solace. Kai couldn't recall when Annabeth had taken her hand, but she held onto it tightly, silently vowing never to let go.
"I'll be okay," Annabeth whispered hoarsely, her voice barely audible above the distant sounds of the city.
Forcing herself to remain composed, Kai nodded in response, her mantra of "She'll be okay" echoing in her mind like a prayer.
Time seemed to blur as Percy and Will Solace pushed through the crowd of worried Athena campers. Will carefully unwrapped the bandages to examine Annabeth's wound, and Kai averted her gaze, unable to bear the sight of the injury.
"Annabeth..." Percy's voice caught in his throat, his concern palpable.
"Poison on the dagger," Annabeth murmured weakly. "Pretty stupid of me, huh?"
Will Solace breathed a sigh of relief as he examined the wound. "It's not as bad as it looks, Annabeth. The venom hasn't spread beyond the shoulder yet. Just lie still."
