The Recovery

Annabeth POV

"WISE GIRL, I'M SO BORED. I want to go home," Percy whined.

I shrugged while putting my book down and walking over to Percy. I came to the hospital as soon as school ended. I knew that Percy was bored out of his mind.

I took his hand in mine before turning his annoyed face.

"Doctor's orders are that you stay here for at least a few days. It's for your own good."

"I feel trapped here. First of all, the food stinks, and they won't let me eat anything that the guys bring. Secondly, there's nothing to do. Third, my stupid hospital gown is chafing, and it's very uncomfortable," Percy complained.

"First off, remove the hospital gown. It's fine." I smiled as his face flashed towards mine.

He was smirking. "You'd like that, won't you?"

"It wouldn't be the worst view, and you won't have to deal with chafing. Strip down if the gown is bothering you so much," I teased him.

Percy grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him. He still couldn't move much because the pain would flare in his stomach. However, he was doing a lot better.

Only a few inches separated our faces. Percy leaned forward and kissed me softly. It was a nice, sweet kiss.

"Seriously, Percy, you have to heal before they send you home," I affirmed.

Percy sighed. "I wish there was some sort of magical drink that will heal me faster. That would be so wonderful."

"Yeah, well, this is the real world."

"Don't remind me."

I rolled my eyes while grabbing my book again. I snuggled next to him in the bed as I continued to read Shakespear for English class.

"Oh the bright side, (at least) I don't need to do homework. I don't have to read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Ugh," Percy groaned.

"It's a classic love story," I expressed absentmindedly.

"It's such a stupid love story, Wise Girl. Rather than fight, they decided to perform suicide. Rather than change the system, they died. I'd never do that."

I set my book down and turned towards him.

His sea-green eyes sparkled. He was doing that player move with his eyes again. It was an irresistible gesture that he used on me from time to time. His piercing gaze is distracting enough to pull me away from my work.

"So, you won't die for me?" I asked softly.

"No," Percy answered honestly. "I wouldn't die for you, Wise Girl, because that would mean that we can't be together. Instead, I'd fight to keep you alive with me."

I got lost in his eyes. Somehow, what he just said was a hundred times for romantic than Romeo and Juliet. I love him for it.

"I love you, and I'd do the same," I whispered.

"I know," Percy expressed with a smirk. "You can't live without this hot piece of ass. I know that already."

"Shut up," I laughed heartily.

Only Seaweed Brain could make me laugh like this. He always managed to make me laugh and feel better. I knew that I could always rely on him to lift my spirits. Whenever I'm down, he'd raise me again.

Before we could kiss again, the Grace siblings barged in. I sighed as Thalia pulled me off the bed while shouting about not wanting to see a make-out session again.

It was embarrassing when she walked in on us kissing yesterday. In our defense, we weren't expecting Thalia's arrival for another hour. As such, it was her fault for coming to the hospital early.

"Bro, how are you feeling today?" Jason asked. He poses the same question every day when he arrives.

"I'm fine, dude. I'd be even better if I could go home," Percy exclaimed again.

"Agreed. We miss you at the house," Thalia expressed. "It's a lot quieter now, which doesn't feel too great. Without your balance, Jason is cleaning extra again."

"I AM NOT. Also, there's nothing with keeping your house clean."

"Percy and I are relatively clean. You just have OCD," Thalia countered. "Now, where is Grover?"

"He's picking up some fast food for Percy."

"But, I can't eat that," Percy complained. "It's useless. I'm stuck eating the nasty food that they serve here. It's SOO GROSS."

"What the doctors don't know won't hurt them," Thalia smirked. Jason and I shook our heads as Percy's face brightened. A smile graced his handsome features.

Grover and Piper arrived a few minutes later. The scent of burgers and fries permeated through the room. I didn't let Percy take the food until I got approval from Nurse Hestia. She kindly said that Peryc would be fine.

He just couldn't eat too much or too fast yet. Percy was practically cheering in his bed when the Big Macs were placed on the tray in front of him.

"I deserve this," he confirmed, eliciting laughter through the room.

Yeah. Percy deserves all the good things that the world has to offer. I couldn't wait for him to be out of the hospital and living life again.

"THIS IS THE BEST BURGER EVER," Percy cheered. I smiled.

Despite everything that life threw at him, he still maintained his childlike personality that was so endearing. I love his optimism and enthusiasm. Percy knew what life is like, yet he stayed positive and light.

I loved that quality about my boyfriend.

***

"Bro, I need more pancakes," Percy ordered.

Jason groaned while getting up from the table. "You're enjoying the fact that you were injured, and I'm willing to help you."

"It's called being a good friend, Jason," Percy commented. "Also, you didn't make the pancakes blue enough."

I stifled a laugh while continuing to eat my pancakes. Percy was making Jason's life a whole lot harder than it needed to be. However, he was having fun. If this was making him feel better, then we weren't going to stop him.

In fact, Thalia was encouraging Percy, much to Jason's disappointment.

"I have the strongest urge to spill this blue dye on your face and make you blue," Jason countered. "Here are your precious pancakes."

"Thank you, my dear friend. I think that my girlfriend wants more pancakes as well."

"All right, Percy. That's enough," I said firmly.

I got up from the dining table and cleared my plate. I was done eating breakfast, so I started doing the dishes that were piling in the sink.

Jason came over to help since he was done too.

Technically, Thalia was done long before us. However, there was no way that I expected her to help. She refused to do chores when other people could do them instead. That's Thalia for you.

Percy was laughing and joking with Thalia.

Because of Percy's one-week hospital stay, he missed Katie's birthday. Thalia was showing him pictures of the party.

Percy's required to stay one week on bed rest. This translated to Percy being on house arrest even though he wasn't staying in his bed. He was walking around the house, playing, and laughing like nothing was wrong.

I knew that Percy was still feeling some pain. During those times, I would help him. Painkillers aren't that effective against Percy. However, kisses were very effective. It's still astonishing how alternative pain relief helps him.

Don't get me wrong, we didn't have sex.

That wouldn't be good considering Percy's injury was a stab to his stomach. However, we did other things to help him out. Use your imagination because I'd rather keep our romantic activities private.

"Seaweed Brain, are you sure that you want to return to school this week? It's fine if you want another week of break," I acknowledged.

"I'm fine, Wise Girl. You guys don't need to worry. Yes, I still feel some pain, but that's usually near the end of the day due to fatigue. I'm doing much better."

"I want to get back to my life. I want to go to school and work."

"Parties too, I bet," Thalia said slyly. I rolled my eyes while Percy nodded in excitement. No surprise there. Percy was the life of the party.

"Well, we're holding a party here next week."

"Piper wants to celebrate you being okay. She's planning the whole thing with just the members of the gang. It'll be fun," I explained.

Percy brightened. "Yeah, I can't wait to hang out with everyone."

Psychologically speaking, Percy was doing much better. Jason and Frank made sure that Gabe didn't escape. The news greatly relieved Percy. The police arrested Gabe not just for domestic abuse but also for attempted murder.

Smelly Gabe's gonna spend a long time in jail. He deserves it too.

***

I decided to take Percy to the hospital for a checkup before he starts school again. It was Sunday evening, and we were visiting Nurse Hestia and Dr. Apollo.

It was a general checkup, so they were willing to help.

I just wanted to make sure that Percy was fine before he starts school and work again. The stitches were removed days ago, and Percy's stomach was healing nicely. this was just a cautionary thing.

"Wise Girl's just being too careful," Percy told them.

"Being too careful is a hallmark of a good girlfriend," Nurse Hestia expressed. "You should be grateful, Percy."

I smirked while Percy rolled his eyes. He was lying on the hospital bed without a shirt while Dr. Apollo was examing his abdomen. The location of the stab wound is obvious. There was a white scar that matched the shape of a knife stab.

"Does it hurt when I apply pressure?" Apollo asked.

"A little bit," Percy responded. "It was a lot worse a few days ago. Now, it feels more like stinging pressure than pain."

"And, that's the expected response at this stage in recovery."

Dr. Apoolo stepped away from Percy and smiled. "My professional opinion is that you're recovering just fine, Percy. You'll be back to normal in a few more days."

"See. I told you, Wise Girl," Percy exclaimed.

"There's nothing wrong with being careful, Seaweed Brain," I said.

I shared a kiss with Percy as he wore his shirt. I was so glad that he was okay. I just needed to hear it from the professionals because Percy was the type of guy to lie. He'd hide any pain to make everyone else feel better.

"So, Peryc, how are you doing with everything else?" Hestia asked softly.

"I'm much better, Hestia. Thank you for asking. Also, thank you for all your help over the past few years. It would've been much harder without you looking out for me," Percy expressed genuinely. I smiled in agreement.

Percy did have some good people with him throughout this journey. Technically, I joined him near the end of his traumatic lifestyle. I helped to put a stop to it.

However, people like Grover and Hestia were the ones who stayed by him during this terrible journey. They endured the pain and hardship with him.

They deserved so much credit for helping Percy through it.

"We'll always be there for you, Percy. You know where to find us if you need any help. Trust me on that."

"I do have one request," Percy started nervously.

I sodded while Percy continued to explain his request. I held his hand in support. While I didn't necessarily want Percy to do this, he needs closure from Gabe.

"I'll help you, Percy. We all will help you."