TW: Angst, lore, and flashbacks.
Y/n's Pov:
I woke to the beeping sound of my heartbeat in a machine.
I don't remember falling asleep.
What's going on?
I opened my eyes, finding myself in a white room. My head hurt immensely, and my insides felt as if they had been ingredients in a milkshake, then microwaved. My T-shirt, sweatpants and converse had been replaced by a hospital gown, and my shoes were off. My arms were bandaged, all the way to my shoulder, and there was a little water sack connected to me through needles injected into my hand. I felt sore, and numb as if I had just run a marathon, and even though I had just woken up, I wanted to go back to sleep.
I turned to my right to find a sleeping body.
Percy.
His hair was dishevelled (more than usual) and there were eyebags under his eyes. He had plenty of new cuts, from the fight, I assumed, and a plaster on his cheek. His cheeks were sunken, his skin was paler, and he looked like he hadn't had a good meal or a good night's sleep, for weeks. He looked insanely tired, as if something had drained the life out of him. His hand rested on mine. It was about to slip out, but it stayed there, our fingers loosely interlocked.
I struggled to call his name. "Percy."
My voice was raspy, broken, and cracked. It sounded as if I had been screaming for eight hours.
Percy's head fell from his hand, waking him up. When he saw that I was awake, he hugged me fiercely.
His arms were cold, yet comforting. I hugged him back, as tight as he did, resulting in him shedding some tears.
Someone walked into the room. Her face was sad, and her grey eyes were puffy and lifeless. Her blonde, curly hair was up in a messy ponytail, and her face was paler than before. She seemed lifeless as if her soul left her body, and only the sadness and body remained.
In the door, stood an unrecognizable Annabeth.
"Percy," she sniffled. "George said visitor's time is over."
Percy pulled apart. I smiled at Annabeth. "Hi, Anna."
Annabeth frowned. "Y/n?" Our eyes met, and her spirit seemed to flood back. "Y/n!"
She ran over to hug me quickly. A few tears were shed, but nothing more. Annabeth seemed more alive now.
"I'll call Will," she said hurriedly. "And the rest."
And with that, she left. Percy sat on my bed, and we interlocked hands again.
"It's nice to see you too, Seaweed Brain," I forced out.
A warm tear fell on my hand as he kissed it. "I thought I lost you."
I combed his hair with my fingers. "You'll never lose me."
With that, I pulled him in for a kiss. It was short, but there were plenty of emotions happening. He held my waist as I pulled him closer.
A tugging feeling in my gut caused me to pull away. I started coughing harshly, the feeling I was about to choke nearing. Percy grabbed a bucket from under the bed, and I coughed into it.
What I saw in the bucket, was insanely strange.
With every cough, a bunch of sparkly dust came out into the bowl. I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't good.
The coughing died down. "What—"
"Will told me that may happen if you woke up," Percy told me.
"What do you mean by 'if I woke up'?"
"Well—"
The door burst open, revealing a paling Will. Much like Annabeth and Percy, he didn't look like he had got much sleep for weeks. His eyes were bloodshot, and bags made a nest under them. Unlike Annabeth and Percy, he looked like he ate, although his dining schedule seemed messed up.
"Y/n!" Will sighed, his eyes welling up with tears. "You're up."
Following soon after, came Nico, Annabeth, Grayson, and Grover. They didn't look much better than Will. Will ran over to my side, to check on me.
Grayson let out a scream. "Y/N LUNA HUNTER, HOW DARE YOU ALMOST GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"
He ran over to hug me incredibly tight. I squealed at the contact.
"Gray, my pomegranate, too tight," I croaked.
Grayson let go. "Sorry."
"How are you feeling?" asked Nico.
"Tired, drained, and I have a weird cough," I replied.
Percy clicked his tongue. "Ah—here, Will. I think you may wanna see this."
He grabbed the metal bowl which I had coughed the glittery dust into and passed it to Will. Will grabbed a spoon-like metal tool, and rummaged through it.
He hummed. "There's no blood, which is good. Some more days in the infirmary to heal will do just right. Of course, with a daily meal of ambrosia and nectar."
"Heal from what, exactly?" I asked him.
Will, Annabeth, Percy, Nico, Grayson, and Grover shared a look.
"First, you need to know what happened," Grover said.
~
Third-Person Pov:
~*~Flashbacks~*~
Y/n let out a heart-wrenching scream as she charged at the giant. Her expression showed nothing but pure rage.
"You'll pay for that!" she shouted. "You'll all pay!"
She started hyperventilating, and something in her expression changed.
Her eyes glowed silver, a silver so strong, and rich you might have thought her eyes were made of metal. Her hands twitched, creating a silver glow to emerge. Such intense anger radiated across the battlefield, that Nico became scared.
She rose, her silver glow never escaping, following her around like a lost puppy. She glared at the giant so much, that if looks could kill, the giant would be dying for the fifth time.
Y/n raised her hands and aimed them at the giant. With one, soft push, she threw all her power at him. The giant stood stuck in her newly-found power, unable to do anything. She pushed forward again, moving in on him. The giant struggled with all his might, trying to rid himself of the magic that was now moving closer and closer to his throat.
Y/n's smirk grew as her eyes glowed with more intensity. No one could stop her from getting her revenge. This would end now.
Once her magic was on the giant's throat, she forced it to choke him as she pushed down. The giant struggled to stay standing, as Y/n's magic pushed him farther into the Earth.
"No," he begged. "Please."
Mercy meant nothing to Y/n. "You shouldn't have done that. Now, you will pay."
With the strongest push she had done with her magic, Y/n pushed the giant so into the Earth, that it made a giant-shaped hole. The giant was well damaged and defenceless now, but for Y/n, it wasn't enough.
She wanted him dead.
Y/n tightened her magic grip around his neck. "You and your brethren will fall at my feet," she told the giant. "You will suffer at the hands of a maiden's daughter, and it will haunt you for life. Once you and your brethren arrive in Tartarus, you will remember the name of your slayer, Y/n Hunter, Artemis's heir."
With one last effortless swish of her hand, she decapitated the giant, watching his head roll off the giant-shaped pit.
~*~End of Flashback~*~
~
Y/n's Pov:
"And you were, like, so scary," Grayson told me. "Your eyes were glowing this weird glow, like a freaking glow stick."
Will and I winced. "Don't mention glow sticks, please," I said. "Just until we heal."
Grayson frowned. He was about to speak, when Annabeth stopped him, shaking her head.
Nico came back to the subject. "After that, you fainted. I—uh—called Will, and he took you here."
"He said you were fading," Grover explained.
"Fading into what?" I asked.
"What you were coughing earlier," Will said. "Moon dust."
I turned to look at him so fast I might've got whiplash. "Moon dust?!"
Will nodded. "Your powers are related to the moon. It was your first time using them, and you were led by anger and revenge. That combination is never good when you still haven't controlled your powers. They drained almost the life out of you. You're lucky your conscience remained, or else you might've either lost your life or your memory. You fell into a dreamless sleep for a long time, and you still haven't fully recovered."
"How long was I out for?"
Percy sighed. "Twelve days."
"What?!" I exclaimed. "And I still haven't recovered?"
Will grabbed my hand, then shook his head. "No. Your lungs are still in need of recovery."
I sighed in relief. "How much more do I have to stay here?"
"A day or so," Will said. "But only if you take your necessary medications and all."
I nodded. Will told everybody to go outside since visiting hours were over. My friends did as told, except for Percy, who stayed a bit longer.
He handed me a blue box. "For good luck."
I opened the box and gasped when I saw a beautiful red coral pendant inside.
Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "I—uh—I wanted to give you a blue one, but I don't know if you'd like it, and I don't know your favourite colour so—"
I interrupted him, kissing his cheek. "I love it. It's perfect. Thank you."
Percy smiled. "Yeah, no problem."
"Can you help me out?"
"Uh—sure. Help you out with what?"
"With the necklace, Seaweed Brain."
"Oh."
He grabbed the red pendant and motioned me to turn around. I did as told and grabbed my hair from the side (A/n: if possible). Percy adjusted the necklace, and once he was done with it, he spun me around and kissed my cheek.
He smiled. "You're beautiful."
"I'm in a hospital bed."
"Yet you still look like the most perfect woman I have ever laid my eyes on."
That comment made me smile for the rest of my time in the infirmary.