93A couple of you asked me to continue Define Fate, but I also want to keep the Definition of Percabeth all one shots. This one shot is similar to Define Fate: they're all human, they go to Goode High, Percy and Annabeth walk home together, Annabeth's mom died, etc. You can think of this as a continuation if you want :)
This might be OOC and maybe a tiny bit boring at the beginning. After that, it gets kind of sad… Yeah, this isn't one of those happy one shots. It's also pretty long…
Strength (n): the state of being strong; moral power, firmness, or courage
"I'll be strong. I'll fight this for you."
I always knew. He didn't even have to tell me. We were boyfriend and girlfriend after all. I always knew that he would be there for me whenever I needed him. And through good times and bad, he always was.
But I never imagined that he would have to help me through something this big. I definitely didn't expect it to be something this bad.
Most people's lives can be divided into two parts: the Before and the After. There's always one major event that changes not only the way you've been living life before, but also who you are. It teaches you things you never thought you would learn. There's before and after that event.
I would say my life has two Before and After events. The first, and the more important, was meeting Percy. Meeting Percy taught me love. But there's one other event. I don't consider it as important and it wasn't all that enjoyable, but it's definitely worth mentioning. This is the story of the Before and After event that taught me strength.
The shrill ringing of the school bell jolted me from my sleep. Groaning, I realized I had fallen asleep in class again. First chemistry, now English. But if Ms. Gottschalk noticed I was asleep, she didn't show it. Then again, half the class always sleeps in English. It was always one big sleepover.
I raced out of class before I could get trampled by the stampede of students eager to get home. Squeezing my way through the crowds, I finally got to my locker. Making a mental list of all my homework, I grabbed all the textbooks I needed and slammed my locker shut. The chatting around me stopped as everyone turned to stare, but the silence didn't last long. It never does.
"What's wrong?" I looked up to see Percy leaning against the wall. His normally messy black hair was noticeably more tangled than usual. His face glistened with sweat and he was in a desperate need of a shower. Obviously, he just came from gym.
Normally, I would be happy to see him. Maybe even squeal and jump into his arms. Sure, that's not the normal Annabeth Chase, but we haven't been dating for long. For now, I could be as infatuated as I wanted.
Today wasn't one of those days. "What are you doing here?" I snapped, shoving past him to get to the door. "And go take a shower," I added.
Percy ran after me, grabbing my shoulders to stop me from getting away. "I always meet you at your locker so we can walk home together," he said. His forehead creased with worry. "Is something wrong? Did something happen in class? If someone hurt you, I swear I'll-"
I sighed, and cut him off, rambling about my never-ending list of homework. Maybe I just needed someone to complain to. Percy listened patiently as I talked.
When I finally finished, he said, "You'll do fine. You can usually handle twice as much homework easily." Giving me a grin, he continued, "And I promise I'll take a shower as soon as I get home." Wrapping his arms around me, he gave me a quick kiss on my forehead.
"You're right," I agreed, trying to smile. My attempt faded though when I saw the frown on his face.
"Do you feel alright?" He extended a hand and rested it against my forehead. I swatted it away. It felt like ice against my head. "You're burning up!"
"I probably need some sleep, that's all." He shook his head, the nest of black hair on his head flopping wildly, and he opened his mouth to give another argument. "I'm really tired. I stayed up last night to finish my homework. I'm pretty sure that's what's wrong," I said quickly before he could say anything. "Can we just go now?" Percy nodded uncertainly, but didn't say anything about it the entire walk home. We walked in silence. Somehow, I would have preferred him arguing.
That night was when the first hints were starting to show up. I was nearing the end of my second Before. The After was coming up far too soon.
Moonlight was streaming through my windows into my dark room when I suddenly woke up drenched in a cold sweat. I tried to sit up, but soon slumped back down in defeat, shaking uncontrollably. I clutched my head with my hands as I was overcome by a wave of dizziness.
"Mom!" I called out, starting to panic, then immediately clamped a hand over my mouth. But it was too late. I heard the loud thumping footsteps running to my room. My door flung open, revealing my dad wearing nothing but his boxers.
"Annabeth?" he asked. "Did you have another nightmare?"
I sighed, shaking my head. Four months ago, my mom was hit by a drunk driver. She died on impact. Everyone said it was better that way. My dad, friends, the doctors, everyone. She felt nothing. No pain. But I knew she did feel something.
Right before she died.
She felt fear.
"Dad, I haven't had one in a month. Don't worry," I said.
He nodded, but went to turn on the lights and sat down on my bed anyway. "Are you sure you're alright? You look rather pale to me." He stroked my cheek, then added, "You have a fever too. I think you might have the flu."
"Dad, can we just go back to sleep now?" When my dad didn't say anything in response, I said, "I'm really tired. Plus, there's school tomorrow."
"Alright," he said, nodding. As he left my room, he turned back around and, with a smirk on his face, he said, "You do realize I'm not letting you go to school tomorrow, right?" I groaned and resisted the urge to throw my pillow at his face.
The next time I woke up, it was sunlight streaming through my windows instead of moonlight. Remembering what my dad had said the night before, I grabbed my phone. Staying home didn't mean I had to fall behind.
"Percy?" I said after I heard Percy groggily murmur a soft hello. "I have the flu, and my dad's making me stay home," I said with a sigh. "Could you bring me all my homework? I don't want to fall behind."
"Sure, I'll be there right after school," he said. "So, how are you going to get through a day with no school?" I could almost hear his smirk.
"I don't know," I said with an overly dramatic sigh. "Hopefully, I won't fall behind. That's why I need you to bring me my homework. Now, shouldn't you get to school? You do realize you're already late. I don't think you want any more detention than you already have. You're already stuck in detention until you're fifty."
Percy groaned. "But I can't go to school. I have to come over and take care of you."
"Nice try. You're going to school and getting my homework." After the whole argument about who has to hang up first that pretty much all new couples do, we hung up and I went back to bed.
"So, what seems to be the problem?"
Four hours after I called Percy, my dad dragged me out of my bed to go to the doctor's. Apparently, he got me an appointment despite my numerous 'It's just the flu's. As my dad gave a highly exaggerated version of what had happened last night, making me sound like I was on my deathbed, I felt myself drifting off, dreaming about being back in my room sleeping.
"Annabeth, can you lean forward for me?" the doctor asked, picking up a stethoscope. "Take some deep breaths." I did as he said and waited as he walked over and pressed the stethoscope against my back.
I flinched away as soon as it touched my back. The doctor looked apologetic and said, "Sorry. Is it too cold?"
Shaking my head, I said, "No. It just itches a bit."
Frowning, the doctor peered at my back. "How long have you had this rash?" he asked. When he realized a confused face was the only reply he was getting from me, he said to my dad, "It's probably just the flu. I'll prescribe some medicine and send you off for some blood tests. No worries, it'll be a quick test. The rash is most likely an allergic reaction. It should go away soon. Come back if you don't feel better in around ten days. "
My dad nodded. "She's allergic to tree nuts. I guess that's what caused the rash," he said. He stood up and thanked the doctor. I did the same, and we left, both of us eager to get home.
I didn't know then that I would come back a lot sooner than ten days.
I definitely didn't know then that the appointment would change my life forever.
It was a single phone call that changed my life from pretty decent to a living nightmare. I was curled up on the couch reading when my dad rushed in. I glanced up from my book and almost wished I hadn't. My dad, who barely shed a tear when my mom died, looked like he would start bawling any minute. He looked at me like I was about to die. Almost like I was already dead.
Turns out, I wasn't that far off.
"What's wrong?" I asked him. When he didn't say anything, I asked again. "Dad? What's wrong?" He just stood there, shaking his head. His eyes glistened with tears threatening to fall. "Dad, just tell me what's wrong! Did someone die or something? Come on Dad, you're scaring me!"
He gulped, took a deep breath, and then barely choked out, "We have to go back to the hospital."
"Mr. Chase, Annabeth, I'm Doctor Solace." A blue-eyed doctor shook hands with both of us and motioned to two seats beside him. We sat down and waited for him to continue.
"I heard you haven't been feeling well lately," he said. I nodded, and he continued. "Your blood tests from earlier today showed that your white blood cell count is a little high, but you are highly anemic. Do you know what anemic means?" I nodded again while my dad shook his head.
"Her red blood cell count is low," he told my dad. "Critically low. We think this could be because of an infection, but we'll have to run some more tests to make sure."
Hours later, I was given a starch white hospital bed and was drifting in and out of an uncomfortable sleep. After what felt like an eternity of x-rays, ultrasounds, fine needle biopsies on some swollen lymph glands, and a couple other tests I've never even heard of, I was exhausted. I never knew before that it was possible for my body to hurt like it did then.
The entire time, my dad was right there, sitting by my bed. He held my hand, mindlessly drawing swirly patterns on it with his thumb. I think he even shed a tear or two. I tried not to let my own tears escape. If they started flowing, I wouldn't be able to stop them.
As I, once again, woke up and was trying to fall asleep again, I heard someone walk into my room. Whoever it was told my dad to wake me up.
"I'm already awake," I said, struggling to sit up.
Doctor Solace walked over to my bed. My dad had a blank expression on his face. I smiled at him, trying to reassure him that I was fine, but his eyes were on the doctor.
"The results of your tests came back. We were hoping it was just an infection, but we knew there could be many other possibilities. I'm afraid the results weren't what we were hoping for." My head bobbed up and down as he spoke and I had a small smile plastered on my face, but inside, I was having a panic attack. One question kept running through my mind.
What's wrong with me?
"What is it?" My dad asked the question that I was too scared to ask myself.
Hurry up, I nearly screamed at the doctor. I could feel the words itching up my throat, trying to escape. Hurry up and tell me.
The doctor looked at him sympathetically. "I'm very sorry Mr. Chase. Annabeth, I'm afraid you have lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma."
My dad looked at him blankly, not understanding what that meant. He never had much of an interest in the medical field. And for once, I wish I didn't understand either. But I did.
"Cancer?" I managed to croak out. A single word. Those six letters held so much power. They started my second After. My living nightmare.
Doctor Solace nodded, and I turned to see how my dad was doing. His eyes were like a kaleidoscope, showing a mix of different emotions. Shock. Pain. Sadness. Anger. Fear. He couldn't seem to decide on one.
"What now?" I asked. It was obvious my dad couldn't ask the questions for me this time.
"There are many different types of Non-Hodgkin's. We need to find out exactly which type you have and whether the cancer had spread or not. Once we know all that, we can figure out the best way to treat this."
"This means running more tests, right?" I said with a weak smile.
His voice was practically dripping with sympathy at this point. "I know you've already had far too many tests today, but yes. But you should know, most people with Non-Hodgkin's respond very well to treatment. A nurse will be here in a few minutes to get a cannula in and an IV running."
"Thank you Doctor Solace," I said. I glanced back at my dad. A look of horror was etched across his face. Other than that, he was completely unreactive, sitting like a statue in his seat. As soon as Doctor Solace left, I grabbed my dad's hand again. This seemed to shake him out of his silence, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.
"Annabeth…" his voice trailed off, his voice dying out on him. For once, I didn't push him away.
"Dad, I'm fine," I whispered. "Don't worry, the doctor said the type of cancer I have is highly treatable, right? I'll make it out of this fine." My dad nodded, but kept his arms around me anyway.
"Percy!" I suddenly yelled. When I saw that my dad was confused, I explained, "School ended hours ago. Percy was supposed to bring my homework after school."
My dad nodded. "I'll call his mom. Do you want me to tell her what happened?"
"Yes, but I want to tell Percy myself."
Gaping at me, he said, "Are you sure? I can ask Sally to tell him. You don't have to do it if you don't think you can."
I sat up straight, then said firmly, "I can tell Percy."
As I lay in bed, trying to soak in everything that had happened, my dad was standing outside the hospital, tears running down his face. Ignoring the fierce November winds, he took out his phone. He had an important call to make.
"Sally? It's Frederick." he said once he heard a cheery hello. Ever since Percy and Annabeth started dating and both of them insisted on meeting the other parent, Sally Jackson and Frederick Chase had become good friends.
The tears came faster and faster. Soon, he couldn't help but start sobbing on the hospital bench. When Sally realized he was crying, she asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"
He brushed away the tears on his face. People walking by were staring, but didn't say anything. He was standing right in front of the hospital after all. "Annabeth!" he cried out. "My baby has a life-threatening illness. She has cancer and there's nothing I can do about it."
A few minutes later, he hung up and came back. By that time the cannula was already in. The first of many tubes the doctors would stick into my body. He told me that Percy was coming soon with his mom and that no one would tell him what had happened except me.
Once my dad left to get some things from home, I started planning how I would tell Percy. Ten minutes later, Percy ran into my hospital room, his already white face even paler than usual. "Annabeth!" he said when he saw me in the hospital bed. "What happened?"
"Percy…" My mind went blank and I couldn't remember anything from my plan. I would have to improvise. For a moment, I wished I had agreed with my dad and just have gotten Percy's mom to tell him.
"I… Well, I…" Percy's eyes were on me, green pools of concern as he waited for my answer. "I really don't know how to tell you this."
"Then tell me when you're ready," he said gently. He pulled something out of his bag and handed it to me. "I brought you your homework. I still haven't done mine yet. We can work on it together if you want."
Percy pulled out two pencils and we got to work. Well, I got to work at least.
"Percy?" I asked for the billionth time. "What's your answer?"
"Huh?"
I sighed. "Your answer to question 23."
He looked confused. One look at his page showed me that, despite the fact that I had been giving him all the answers, he hadn't written a single one down. "Uh, 8?" he asked. I hit him on the back of his head. I didn't hit hard, but Percy glared at me with mock annoyance. "Hey!"
"The answer's Hamlet, Seaweed Brain. The play's name is Hamlet, not 8."
"I knew that." Percy looked down at his blank page. Despite the fact that I had been giving him all the answers, he hadn't written a single one down. Percy grabbed his pencil, finally deciding to write something down. "What's the answer to question one again?"
I looked into his green eyes once again. He had always been there for me. He was my first friend at Goode High, he comforted me when my mom died, and he was the only one who cared enough to get close to me.
I knew I had to tell him.
"Cancer," I said. When Percy wrote down the word beside question one, I said, "No! The answer is A Lover's Complaint. Shakespeare didn't even write a poem called Cancer."
Percy looked confused. "Then why did you say cancer?" he asked. I glared at him, though I knew it wasn't his fault I wasn't being clear, until realization struck him. "Cancer?" he repeated, his eyes growing wide. "Cancer?" His voice started rising and he stood up abruptly. The chair he was sitting on nearly got knocked over.
"Yeah," I said. I sat up straighter, trying to look confident. I tried to look like someone who could win a battle against a deadly disease. "Cancer."
He closed his eyes and, sitting back down, rocked back and forth in his seat. "Oh god," he whispered to himself. He looked down at his hands and I looked down at my English homework. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't watch him in pain. I was the one that brought the pain to him.
When I finally caved and turned to face him, his head was in his hands and he was shaking. "Percy?" There was no answer. "Are you okay?" He looked up at me. Tears poured freely from his eyes. The concern from before had turned into pain. Percy clung to me, holding me tight, like I was going to disappear any second. I returned his hug, trying to sooth him.
"No… You can't… Not you…" he said, breathless from crying so hard.
"Percy, I'm fine. The doctor said that the type of cancer I have is usually highly treatable. I'll be fine." I repeated what I said to my dad. Percy continued pouring out his shock, his devastation, his grief.
"I can fight this, Percy," I whispered into his ear. "I'll be strong. I'll fight this for you. Me against cancer. I can win this."
Percy gave me a sad, but brave smile. "No. You and me against cancer. We can win this."
People came to visit. Other than Percy and my dad, I had Grover, Thalia, Luke, and all the other friends I made at Goode High since meeting Percy. While everyone around me sobbed their heart out, I put on a brave face, smiling and comforting everyone.
I put on the façade until I was in the darkness alone. With the lights in my hospital room off and my dad and friends gone, I lost the smile on my face. My shoulders sagged down and I curled up in my bed. Clenching onto my pillow like it was the only thing I had, I cried.
"Mom?" I whispered into my pillow. "If you can hear me, help me. Please help me. Mom, I don't know what to do and I'm so scared."
As I started to wake up, I heard bits of the doctor's conversation with Percy and my dad. "Liver… tumours… central line…" I tried to remember what had happened. "Surgery…" I heard the doctor say.
Right. I had surgery. So that's why I felt so groggy.
I moaned, and the conversation around me stopped. "She's waking up," someone said. When my eyes flickered open, everyone beamed at me.
"Dad? I murmured. "Percy?" I looked around me and noticed I was surrounded by what looked like every machine the hospital owned. IV poles, morphine pumps, heart monitors, and other weird beeping things crowded around me.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty," Percy said. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine," I lied, trying to smile. I felt like I had been run over by a truck. And then maybe a train as well.
"Your surgery went wonderfully," Doctor Solace said. "We successfully removed the tumours that spread to your liver and placed in the central line."
"Okay," I said, closing my eyes. The only thing I wanted at that moment was sleep.
"Annabeth," Doctor Solace said as he walked into the room the day after my surgery. I looked up from the book I was trying to get Percy to read to see someone come in behind him.
"Hello Annabeth." The person behind Doctor Solace stepped out. "I'm Silena and I'll be your physiotherapist."
"Hi," I said.
Percy just looked at her blankly. "Physio- what?" he asked.
"Physiotherapist," Silena said. "It's nice to meet you two."
"Nice to meet you too," I said.
Chuckling, Silena said, "You'll be regretting ever meeting me in a few minutes. It's important that we keep you moving every day after the surgery, and we're starting today!" She walked up right beside my bed. "I'm going to help you sit up now. If you feel any pain, just tell me. You can take a break, okay?"
I nodded, and Silena slowly started to wind up the back of my bed. I could feel all my wounds from the surgery, but bit my lip and kept going.
"There you go," Silena said when I was finally sitting up straight. "We can take a short break now."
Percy grinned. "You're doing awesome," he said, kissing my forehead.
"Now, we're going to get you to sit at the edge of your bed. Can you go get some shoes for her to put on?" she said to Percy. He started digging through my bag for my slippers. "Just relax," Silena said. She put one arm under my legs and the other on my back and shifted me over so that my legs were dangling off the side of the bed. "Let your feet rest on the floor." I did as she said, tears streaming down my face despite my attempts to hold them in.
"Are you okay?" Percy asked. He put down my slippers by my feet and helped me put them on.
I nodded. "I can keep going," I said.
"We're going to get you to stand up now," Silena said. "What's your name?" she asked Percy.
"Percy Jackson."
"Well Percy, can you go support her on her other side? I'll support her on this side." I wrapped my arms around both their shoulders and, as slowly as they could, they started to hoist me up.
I thought sitting up and moving to the edge of my bed was painful. Standing up gave me a whole new definition of pain.
"You can do it," Percy whispered in my ear. "You're almost there." I didn't even bother trying to stop my tears. My legs were shaking so much that I had to sit back down.
"Let's take a short break," Silena suggested, but I shook my head.
"I can try again," I said.
Percy watched me with concern. "Annabeth, maybe a short break wouldn't be that bad of an idea."
"I'm trying again," I insisted. "If you're not going to help me stand up, then I'll do it on my own." I started to push myself off my bed. Well, I tried to at least.
Silena and Percy immediately rushed to my side. "Stubborn," Percy whispered, but he was smiling as he did.
For 3 seconds, I managed to stand upright before crumbling back down onto my bed.
"I feel so weak," I choked. Percy cupped his hands around my face and used his thumb to wipe off my tears before giving me a quick kiss.
"You're the strongest person I know," he said.
Silena stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether she should break the silence or not. Finally, she said, "We can try again tomorrow if you'd like."
"One more time." I couldn't just lie around in bed all day.
Percy shrugged. "Third time's the charm?"
I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. For the third time, I wrapped my arms around Percy and Silena as they hoisted me up. The entire time, I felt my legs shaking so badly I needed to sit down, but I ignored the urge to give up.
The entire time, Percy was whispering to me. "You're doing great. Just a little bit more."
My eyes clamped shut in pain. I tried not to pay attention to the throbbing in my legs. When I opened my eyes, I was standing.
One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten.
I counted in my head. Ten seconds. Eleven seconds. Twelve seconds.
I wasn't falling. I was standing.
"I'm so proud of you," Percy whispered in my ear. That was the only reward I wanted.
Chemotherapy. I hate that word.
That morning, Percy and my dad kept shoving food at me, insisting that I need my strength. I ate a bit of toast when I realized they weren't stopping until I listened to them. Looks like I'm not the only stubborn ones.
My dad pushed my wheelchair to audiology for my hearing test. After that, it was the day of my diagnosis all over again. Test after test after test. They tested my hearing, they tested my heart, and they tested my heart function. Oh, what fun.
As soon as school ended, Percy rushed to the hospital. I'm glad he did. I would never admit it, but I needed him there. I didn't want to face chemo alone.
A nurse appeared at my door as Percy was telling me what I was missing at school. "Is it time?" I asked. The nurse nodded and dragged in a syringe, anti-nausea drugs, and bags of some type of fluid. On them, there were bright purple stickers with the words Caution: Cytotoxic.
The nurse hung the bags of fluid and anti-nausea drugs from the IV pole. "I'm going to connect the chemo to your lines now." Then to my dad, she said, "The first bag will run for maybe about an hour. The second bag will last six. The third, I'm injecting directly into the line."
She turned back to face me. "There will probably be a weird taste in your mouth. Drink some water, it will help. If you feel like you're going to throw up…" she motioned to a bowl beside my bed.
"Be careful not to let her throw up on any of you two. The chemo will be in her bodily fluids. It will be very toxic." My dad and Percy both nodded to show they understood. The three of us watched as the nurse worked.
The life-saving poison started flowing into my body.
It wasn't that bad at first. Percy continued to tell me every bit of the school's gossip. Once I reached the two hour mark though, that all changed.
"Percy," I moaned, curling up on my bed, clutching my stomach.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "Annabeth, what's wrong?" Thankfully, my dad was much more observant than Percy was. He grabbed the bowl from beside my bed and held it under my mouth. I started throwing up, tears starting to prick my eyes when I couldn't stop.
Percy finally realized what was happening. He grabbed my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, rubbing my back the entire time. I couldn't help it. I started to cry, my tears mixing with the beads of sweat already adorning my face.
"Keep holding on, Annabeth," Percy said as I lied back down on my bed. "I'm right here with you. You're not fighting this battle alone."
"I was fighting Percy," I said to him, still crying. I clung onto his chest as he stroked my cheek, trying to wipe away my tears. "I was fighting so hard. I was trying to be strong."
"I know." He sat down on my bed beside me. "You're the strongest person I know. I'm proud of you, Annabeth."
This one shot was going to be about Percy and Annabeth fighting some type of monster. And that's exactly how it turned out. Cancer is a monster. So many precious lives are taken by this monster. More than any ancient Greek monster could kill. This was based on a friend's battle against Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I tried to add in as much as I could remember (she's been in remission for years now and I'm so thankful), but I know there's a lot that I forgot. For example, the surgery had something to do with her spleen too, but I have no idea what. I did no research, so I apologize for any mistakes.
So how was that? I tried not to make it too long, but there was so much stuff to put in this one shot... This is almost 5000 words, making it the longest one shot or chapter I ever posted :)
Review! If you still have any suggestions for one shots, tell me in your reviews. I'll try to do as many of the suggestions I get as I can!