Percy's POV
I needed to warn them.
I ran through branches and snow, trying to get away from the monster. I grasped the big, ripped wound on my arm trying to stop the bleeding. I stopped and the snow under me started to turn red. I made a small rainbow and tossed a drachma in, and the IM shimmered and showed Thaila. She glanced at me and narrowed her eyes.
"I thought you had no favors to ask me now."
I made frantic motions with my hands and she furrowed her eyebrows.
"What?"
The world dangerously tilted to the side. More frantic motions ensued.
Pain.
I looked down to see a spike protruding out of my chest. I heard Thaila yelling and the monster grabbed my throat with it's spiky tail and I fell into a blissfull darkness.
~
Thaila's POV
He had to be there.
I reconized the place- it was where we heard the manticore. I ran faster as the whole hunt followed me, eager to catch the manticore. I stopped abruptly.
Blood.
I looked foward to see more blood, and I saw the manticore with it's tail around Percy's chest. Blood dripped from a wound from his chest and arm. His face was pale and he wasn't moving. The manticore grinned as aimed our bows.
"If you shoot, this boy will-"
Of course, everyone shot except for me. I was horrified when I saw a few arrows hit Percy. One hunter killed the manticore eaisly and I rushed to Percy.
"Percy. Percy. Can you hear me?"
I shook him lightly. I felt his pulse and was reliefed to feel it. It was weak though.
"Becky. Help me out a bit."
The daughter of Apollo came a bit closer but hesitated.
"But-"
"I know he's a boy."
She stared at me.
"Just do it."
She knelt down beside him and paused before prodding him. Anger took over me and I kicked her into the snow.
"What are you doing! He's dying and you can't even help him!"
"Thaila."
Artemis looked down on us and at Percy, who was now shivering hard.
"Where did you find... It."
"He's not an it!"
She sighed and knelt beside him and touched his chest. Nothing magical happened. His body was still tense, pale, and cold. His throat was still bleeding profusely. She stood up.
"I cannot do anything. He will die soon."
"He won't!" I sobbed. "He's not dying."
Percy sat up slowly. He blinked twice and scanned his surroundings. I hugged him tight, hoping he wasn't as cold as he was.
"Percy Jackson....." Artemis mused.
He bowed his head to the goddess and stood up. Blood still poured out of his wounds. His bandaged hand gripped his dagger tight.
"Percy." I grabbed his arm. "You can stay at our camp for a while. You can't-"
He shook his head and slipped his arm out of my grasp. Artemis looked puzzled.
"You cannot speak."
It felt like all the blood was draining down to my feet. He nodded slowly. Thats why....
"How?"
Artemis conjured up a notebook and pen. He took it thankfully and wrote a word in his messy handwriting.
Temporarily.
I looked up at his face. "You're temporarily mute?"
He nodded. I looked down at his hand.
"Did you loose the hand that Leo gave you?"
He nodded.
"Percy, you can't go off like this."
I'm fine.
"You're going to die!"
I can't anyway.
I froze. "W-what do you mean?"
He handed the notebook and pen back to Artemis and bowed his head once more. His form started shimmering into mist and I grabbed him by the arm. He glanced at me slightly.
"
Can't you stay?"
He shook his head.
"Please?"
He shook off my hand.
"For Annabeth."
He paused.
"She's stressing over you a lot- it's not nice to just dissapear like that." I looked down.
"Please."
He looked back at the hunters and back at me, shaking his head.
"I don't care! Why do you have to go?"
He grabbed both of my hands with his, which were horrifyingly cold. I knew this was my last chance.
So I punched him in the face.
Of course, he was knocked out. He turned completely solid again and I hauled him up.
"Thaila. He cannot stay in our camp."
I glared at the goddess. "I don't care. He can stay in my tent."
"Our camp is a only girls camp."
I snarled in frustration. "You think he's a person to act like that? He's hero. And you know what Annabeth did to him."
"Hercules was a hero."
I glared into the crowd. "Don't you even dare call that piece of sh!t a hero."
"Thaila. You have to ask the hunters."
I stared at them.
"Can someone agree? Please?"
Of course, nobody raised their hands. I looked down. Blood stained my parka red as more blood flowed out of his wounds. I saw a small, pale hand rise.
Evelyn.
A few hunters stared at the mute daughter of Hermes for a moment.
And she spoke up.
"He helped me." she said quietly.
I was suprises by her words. I thought she couldn't speak at all. Evelyn's best friend raised her hand, and another- and more rose until most hunters had their hands in the air. I smiled in relief.
"Artemis. Can you teleport us?"
She smiled slightly and the world dissapeared in a flash.
~
I was definately freaking out.
I was pretty sure he was close to death. I knew that the hunters wouldn't help me. And I wouldn't anyway. I wasn't sure, but I assumed he broke a rib from the tail. There was also a few wounds on his head and now he was burning up. I felt a bit desperate. His chest heaved with the effort of breathing. I made up my mind and stepped out to come in face to face with Becky. She had a bag in her hand. She looked down.
"I'm sorry Thaila. You know.... I think that I can heal him."
I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much." I glanced at her, who was biting her lip as she was trying not to cry. I knew. She had joined because of sexual abuse. She extremely hated and feared men. I knew I was wrong for trying to force her to heal him.
"Will you.. Will you be okay?"
She nodded bravely and stepped inside. She took a deep breath and sat next to the bed. She propped him up slightly with more care than before and recoiled slightly. I put a hand on her shoulder. She swallowed and put a hand on his forehead for atleast three seconds. She took her hand away quickly, breathing hard.
"It's okay. He's not going to hurt you."
She closed her eyes once tight.
"I need a wet towel. And bandages." she took out the ambrosia and nectar from her bag and trickled some in his mouth. I brought a few wet towels and she placed them on his forehead. She pursed her lips.
"I... I need to take his shirt off. Did you bandage and clean his wounds?"
I shook my head and she looked like she was about to cry.
"Don't worry. I'll do it."
I glanced at my cousin and ripped his shirt off carefully with a knife. The wounds were worser than I thought. The edges were green. She handed me a pair of tweezers with a cotton ball.
"Clean it."
Her words were short. I carefully dabbed the wound and he flinched.
"Is it... Supposed to hurt?"
"Of course. I'm suprised he's not screaming."
I paused. "Can mutes scream?"
"Yes."
She bandaged Percy's arm, acting more calmly. Suddenly, she yelped. I looked over to see Percy grabbing her wrist tight. Becky tried to pull away but his grip was strong. I tried to pry off his fingers but he was too strong for both of us. Becky looked like she was about to cry. He sighed and his hand loosened and tightened again around her hand. She slipped out of it easily, but she was obviously shaken up.
"Thaila- I don't think I can do this I-" she took a shuddery breath and I hugged her tight.
"It's okay. You don't have to. Just tell me what to do."
She exhaled and pulled away. "No." she sighed again. "I can do this."
She did all of it- she bandaged and cleaned his wounds, all of them. She finally stood up and came to me.
"His ribs are broken. I have put a compression bandage, but let him take it off if he finds it hard to breathe. And this...." she fumbled with a packet. "Give it to him."
Painkillers.
I remembered when he overdosed on pain medication last year. He had slipped into a coma. I took it though and gave her a hug.
"Thanks a lot."
"No problem." she glanced at Percy. "I'll come again tommorow."
wow. Exactly 1500 words.
Extraaaaa.
Becky's POV
I despised men.
Hated them.
Feared them.
I couldn't understand myself. I didn't need to help him. I could leave him to die and nothing would happen. But I remembered.
My mother.
I was scared then- scared at her mangled body on the floor with blood pooling around her. I ran away. If I had helped her, she might of had lived. She didn't deserve it. And I knew it. Thaila was the same. She depised boys who were pigs. She liked her brother and her cousins, but not much more than that. And I had seen her cry over a boy.
He's a hero.
A hero. I had thought about that over and over in my head. Many thinks of a hero as a person who saves the world. Yes. He did. But I think a hero could be a person who helps others and actually cares for family.
And I heard his story.
His story.
His wings.
How he tried- how he tried so hard but just got pain in return for his work.
And so I decided.
I have to help him.
I was scared- close to tears when he grabbed my wrist. I remembered the first time my uncle raped me, dragging me in the room. But the way it loosened and slipped down to my hand.
I felt something.
I felt his pain- how desperate he was.
And how calm he was about dying.
Something told me, maybe not just the rough scars on his wrist told me he was not a person who deserved death.