The Revivers

Chapter 25: The End

Percy POV

My head was pounding.

My mouth was dry.

My body felt like I had just run a marathon... twice. 

I blinked my eyes open slowly to see wood paneling above my head. The room was spinning, but as it slowly came into focus, I saw a tangle blonde curls in my peripheral vision. I opened my mouth to speak, but a rasping growl came out instead. And yikes, there was an awful taste in my mouth.

My mind was slowly piecing itself back together. The soft surface underneath me was a bed, the paneling above me was the ceiling of a room. I had no idea where I was, but it sure wasn't our base in the old hotel. The air smelled too fresh, and the room was too small. 

I turned my head slightly to get a better view of the figure lying next to me. Blonde curls, tan, muscular arms, a deep wrinkle in her forehead that signaled deep thought. I knew that if she opened those eyes, they would be a deep and stormy grey.

Annabeth. 

The moment I recognized her, relief flooded my system and the weight on my chest lifted. I took a deep breath, relishing in the air hitting my lungs. She stirred in her sleep, and those long lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. 

"Percy?" She murmured in the most beautiful, sleep-deprived voice I had ever heard. 

"Where, where a-are we?" I stammered out. My voice sounded crappier than a sixty year old chainsmoker. It made me want to cover my ears and sing lalalala, but Annabeth broke into the sunniest grin I had ever seen. 

"It worked," she whispered in disbelief, "It worked, it worked, IT WORKED!" She started sobbing and laughing at the same time, and jumped on top of me. 

"Ouch! Mother of --" She rolled off and knelt by my side.

"Sorry, sorry! I forgot, you're still healing." I looked down at my body and noticed a whole lot of bruising. I searched my memory for how I might have gotten them all, but I was coming up blank. 

"Healing? What happened?" Her beautiful brow furrowed in confusion. 

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Um, I dunno. Something about a grocery store? Blue candy?" I could see her brain working a mile a minute, as per usual. 

"I guess it would make sense that you wouldn't remember..." Annabeth stared me square in the face, and for a second I got really nervous that she was going to give me back the ring. Instead, she gripped my hand tightly in hers, and kissed my forehead.

"We'll talk about it later. I'll go get you some water, you're really dehydrated." 

Annabeth POV

Percy was alive again. 

Relief flooded my body, and I was able to relax for the first time in ages. Percy was safe. Percy was alive. I'd done it, I'd finally done it. 

Once I felt that heartbeat in his chest, I'd had to act fast to plunge that cure into his heart before Nico and Jason could get any closer to him. As soon as the serum had invaded his bloodstream, zombie Percy went down, and they stopped their attack, and agreed to wait it out. 

He'd been completely unconscious for about three weeks.

As I watched him each day, his skin gained more color, some of his worse gashes healed, and his body began to regain some of the life that it had been missing for so long. I still hadn't known if he would ever wake up.

But then he did.

I laughed to myself a little bit, rejoicing in the feeling. Thalia, Nico, and Jason hadn't spoken to me at all since the incident in the cabin. I couldn't tell if it was out of anger, or if it was out of guilt. Either way, I think I appreciated the space. But, now that he was awake, they deserved to know... I also couldn't wait to rub it in their faces, to be honest. 

After making sure that Percy was asleep and comfortable, I ambled down the hill towards the fire pit where the group was sitting quietly eating lunch. Thalia, Nico, and Jason all kept their heads down, but the others noticed my presence. Juniper and Hazel had been checking in on me every few days, just to make sure that I was eating/had not been eaten. They looked up immediately when I entered the ring.

"Hi... is everything ok?" Juniper asked, standing up slowly. I saw her grasp Daisy a little firmer. Nobody had seen me come out of the Big House for a few weeks, so I'm sure they thought this was some kind of warning signal. I tried to contain my joy, but I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Percy's alive." I burst out laughing and tears started streaming down my face. Saying it out loud made it so much more real. I fell down to my knees, and my head fell down into my hands.

"Wait, he's what?" Hazel asked as everyone else started looking eagerly towards the Big House, as if they expected him to come out doing cartwheels and backflips.

"He, he woke up. He said words, he's coherent, he's alive! He's my Percy again, he's alive!" I shouted with glee as they all began to absorb what I was saying. Piper and Leo began exchanging sideways glances at each other, and Thalia just started looking really concerned.

"Annabeth..." She said slowly. It was the first time she was speaking to me since trying to kill me, so you could cut through the awkward tension with a knife, "Are you sure? You haven't really slept for a long ti..."

"Guys?" Everyone snapped to attention as a groggy voice came sounding from behind us. Percy was slowly stumbling down the hill towards us, "Hey, there you are. I was wondering where everyone went." There was silence, and then squeals of joy and shock erupted in the silent clearing. Percy was okay.

We were all going to be okay.