The Fate of Olympus | Reynabeth [✓]

15. Healing Touch

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With one hand behind her back and one hand on her dagger, Annabeth snapped her fingers to make the Mist peel away from the flight attendant's form. 

Thanks to her ADHD brain, Annabeth noticed two things in the split second that the Mist dissipated.

One: the woman had no eyes in her empty sockets. Two: her name tag said Lamia in Ancient Greek.

Lamia lunged at the demigods in a bright blur of vermillion, gold, green, and blue.

Annabeth reflexively swung her dagger at the monster. She was sure she must have made contact. The monster's too-long body slammed into Annabeth.

The monster stopped hard, but Annabeth went flying across the building.

Annabeth's head hit something hard. Her vision went fuzzy. She stood too quickly and her vision went black. She felt like she was going to throw up. Instead of doubling over, she rushed the monster, blind, with her head rush.

It was stupid. She forgot all about self-preservation. Her only goal was to protect Reyna.

Her blade sank into the monster's cold hide. She heard something go crunch.

Her body went into shock.

I should get checked by a doctor, thought Annabeth.

She passed out for real.

~~~

Moments before Annabeth came to, she subconsciously noticed that there was a pain in her hand. It was a deep, sharp pain, and her whole hand was swollen. Pain radiated all the way to her shoulder.

Her eyes snapped open. Reyna was giving her a piggyback ride. Annabeth's hands were tied together and her arms were looped in front of Reyna's chest. Reyna was supporting Annabeth's weight by holding her legs. Annabeth had a binder headache, which was not helped by all the jostling.

Reyna was running at full tilt. Reyna's bag was on Annabeth's back somehow, but unfortunately Annabeth's own bag was gone. Somehow Reyna was hauling the weight of another demigod and a bag while running. Annabeth revised her opinion from earlier. Although she had spent every day running or training in the sword arena or lifting weights, compared to Reyna, she was definitely out of shape.

"Put me down!" Annabeth managed. Somehow she managed to not bite her own tongue off.

Reyna looked behind her, then she slowed down to a trot and paused long enough for Annabeth to hop off. Reyna grabbed Annabeth's arm and guided her to the cover of some trees. They collapsed together under the canopy in relative safety.

"I think...we're...safe now," huffed Reyna. She wheezed.

"What happened?"

Reyna put her hand up. She needed a minute. Annabeth took a moment to get her bearings. They were in the middle of an immaculately manicured public park. She studied her hands. They were bound together with rope and duct tape. Her right hand had swollen to almost twice the size of her left hand.

She was upset that she'd allowed them to be ambushed. She'd been distracted.

Reyna caught her breath. She unsheathed her dagger and cut through Annabeth's restraints like butter. Reyna examined Annabeth's hand while she talked. "This looks terrible. I'm going to splint it, then you can have some ambrosia."