Chapter III
Percy
I darted forward, feeling panic rise in me and I knelt next to my son and I gently turned him around, almost completely ignoring Alpha as I gently pressed my two fingers by his wrist, looking for a pulse. I nearly cried in relief when I felt it, strong and steady.
"Is he alright?" Alpha asked, his voice worried and I looked up and nodded, gently pulling him against my chest so that I could pick him up. He stirred and nuzzled against my shoulder.
"His pulse is strong," I murmured quietly, "And he seems to be in reposal of some sort, but I can't tell for sure." Alpha nodded and I noticed in mild surprise that he did not have his hood up... actually, he didn't have his cloak at all. Okay, so that was more like a shock.
"Come on, then, let's get him out of here- I'm sure Annabeth and Bianca will be relieved that we've found him." The ex apprentice suggested and I nodded, taking it as an order. I gently stood up and he protested slightly against the sudden shift in position, but I soothed him. He settled down again, but I kept my hand in his hair, more to reassure myself that this was real.
"Yeah, Bianca especially- she hasn't seen him for five hundred years... not including the ten thousand that we went through." I stated in agreement and there was silence between the two of us.
"Father...?" A soft, sleepy sounding voice asked and I paused. "...is that you?" he asked, his voice hesitant and I nodded, blinking back tears.
"Yes, it's me," I whispered softly and Sam wriggled slightly, and I felt him smile into my shoulder. I began walking again.
"Please don't leave me again..." he whispered, before he relaxed and I heard his soft snores. I shook my head and I knew that there were tears in my eyes.
"I didn't want to in the first place..." I breathed, and he twitched. I hope he had heard what I said subconsciously and I saw Bianca look up, and then her eyes widened as she saw who was in my arms and she ran over to me.
"How is he?" she asked frantically, her eyes showing her worry.
"He woke up just a few seconds ago and then he went back to sleep, I think he'll be fine." She nodded, her eyes still frantic but to a lesser degree. She looked frustrated at the fact that she couldn't hold him, despite the fact that he was small for his age, but she walked with me anyways and I laid him down in one of the makeshift beds. She knelt next to him and lifted his hair out of his eyes, humming under her breath. I watched as he relaxed and smiled slightly. "I've got to go back out," I murmured regretfully, looking down at him. "There's still so many out there, you can stay here though."
She smiled up at me and nodded and I gently kissed his forehead before I left.
Annabeth
I saw Bianca sitting down by a bed and I instantly feared the worst. I walked over to her and she looked up, her eyes sharp, but then she relaxed and smiled at me, her eyes dancing with joy despite the situation.
I looked down at the person- child- beside her, and smiled out of relief and I knelt next to him. "Hello, Samuel," I murmured quietly and he stirred and opened his eyes. They showed his confusion at what happened.
"Wha'? Aunty Annabeth?" his eyes rested on Bianca and they widened. "Mom?" he whispered, his voice holding a note of disbelief and Bianca nodded gently, although I noticed that her eyes had tears in them. He smiled slightly and held his arms out, obviously wanting a hug. Bianca sniffled and wrapped her arms around him and he buried his head in her shoulder.
I smiled slightly and left the room. I was sure that they wanted to be with each other for a while.
Zoe
I pulled the last rock loose and winced as something crumbled. I glanced up at the mountains and watched another avalanche and I tilted my head.
"We can't stay here much longer," someone murmured next to me and I looked at Luke. "It's getting to dangerous for us to stay, and I'm sure that Percy knows that." I nodded, shifting slightly and I sorely wished I had my bow and arrows. Unfortunately, all of our weapons were in the palace except for Percy's sword/knife/pen, Alpha's weird weapon that I still didn't know what it was called (it was a sword, a javelin, a lance, a knife and so many other things...) and Annabeth's knife.
If we were attacked now, then we were screwed.
"I know, but Percy wants to try to get as many people out as possible before that happens, and Poseidon and Athena are somewhere on Earth." I replied shortly and Luke nodded in understanding.
"I didn't mean now," he explained softly. "I mean soon, because eventually, there will be no choice but to leave. The universes are unstable, and I can't really feel any peace around- only pandemonium." I smiled briefly at his choice of words, before I grew serious again and I nodded.
"Percy knows that, but he wants to wait until the last minute. I think he wants to get as many people out as possible."
Luke smirked briefly and kissed me on the cheek. "You're a genius, you know that, right?" I valiantly fought down a blush and nodded, forcing my features into a stringent expression.
"Now, get to work, or I'll be after you." I ordered firmly and he saluted me cheekily before he went back to moving the boulders. I sighed and shook my head fondly before I copied his motions.