Painful Goodbyes [Completed]

Chapter 3: Recovery

Annabeth's P.O.V.

---Three Months Later---

I watched as Percy stubbornly put himself through the torture of physical therapy. It didn't do anything. He still couldn't walk. All it did was hurt him. By the time he flopped to the floor and I came over to help him into his wheelchair, he was covered in sweat and unshed tears glistened in his eyes. It hurt me to watch him do this to himself. But he refused to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

"Percy, you can't keep doing this to yourself." I told him as I wheeled him back to his room.

"But, Annabeth, I need to walk. I'm a demigod. I have to." His voice had grown stronger over the last three months, no longer weak and broken. But still a little shaky. His blind gaze turned toward me, desperation shining in his eyes. "I have to, Annabeth." When we got back to his room, there were visitors waiting.

"Thalia! Nico! Grover! Piper! Leo! Hazel! Frank! Reyna! Rachel! Jason..." I called happily, all of our friends were there. Plus jealous Jason. He was rude to Percy a lot of the time, he was jealous of all that Percy is. Percy smiled in the chair in front of me.

(A/N Yes I did just do that. This is a jealous Jason fic, but he's not in it a lot. And besides, when he is, it gets pretty funny. All the ladies in his life like to tell him off about it. It's funny. You'll see. And no, I do not have anything against Jason. I just thought writing it like this would be fun...)

"Hey guys!" He said. They all called out greetings and rushed forward to hug him all at once. (Except Jason of course. That self-centered son of a bitch. He is really annoying.)

"Percy," Thalia said, her eyes shining with happiness, "You get released today!" Percy's face was a mask of horror for a second, but only for a second, then it was filled with fake joy. I think I was the only one to notice the moment of fear.

"Really!?" He said excitedly.

"Yeah!" Piper shrieked with joy. We all smiled. But I knew that Percy's and mine were fake. He was going back to love with that monster Gabe today.

"We have a surprise for you!" Leo squeaked excitedly, that mischevious grin on his face, and pulled something out from behind his back. Our friends' faces beamed as I stared at the two things in shock.

"Is somebody going to tell me what it is?" Percy asked, pretending to be annoyed, but his smile betrayed him. "Blind here."

"Percy, it's... It's a brace and a walking stick." I gasped out.

"You mean... A brace for my leg? I'll be able to walk!?" Our smiles were real this time and tears threatened to spill from my eyes as our friends nodded.

"Yeah! I even tricked out your walking stick so that it can sense monsters' vibrations; they won't be able to sneak up on you! It'll also be able to tell you where they are, what there doing, and what they are!" Leo beamed and handed me the brace and walking stick. Percy was all smiles. His crooked grin lit up the room, making our friends even happier. When Percy was happy, everyone was happy. When he was sad, everyone was sad. His moods were contagious like that.

I knelt down in front of him and began strapping the brace to his leg. "There. The brace is on. Try standing up." I said, standing up myself and handing him the walking stick. He held it tightly under his right arm, placing his left on the armrest to help himself stand. His right hand hung uselessly by his side. My heart constricted. Percy got to his feet and took the walking stick from under his arm. He was carefully keeping his weight off his left leg. Gingerly, he shifted his weight so that some of it rested on his mangled leg. He put more weight on it, slightly wincing, then took a step forward on his bad leg. He gasped and his eyes widened in pain, but when I rushed toward him and placed my hands on his shoulders to help him back to his wheelchair, he waved me off and took another step, grinning through the pain shown in his eyes.