"How's Jenny doing? She's due next month right?" Doctor Jensen smiled at the thought of his wife and their soon-to-be-born child.
"Yeah, on the 5th." Nurse Ashley grinned at him.

"You excited to be a Papa then?" She teased. He laughed.

"Nervous, but yes." His smile grew, "There's going to be a lot of sleepless nights, but it's going to be so worth it." Ashley chuckled at him.

"That's what you're supposed to think, at least until it's your turn to get up to change them!" They laughed together, but were interrupted by the hospital's intercom system.

'Doctor Jensen and all staff available, report to room B3 ASAP. Seizure alert.'

They swore and ran as the intercom repeated, sprinting down the hall and around the corner. Running past the worried stares in the waiting room and through the patient's door, grabbing equipment as the went.

Doctor Jensen understood the situation as soon as they ran in, he saw the screaming family and the teenage boy writhing on the bed, as if possessed.

"Get me the anti-seizure meds now and get the family out of here!" He jumped forward and prepped the meds that were handed to him as the nurses worked around him, bustling around the room. The screaming family were guided out of the door quickly and efficiently. "I'm going for 7 milligrams." He narrated as he gave his patient, a young boy called Perseus Jackson, the medication. Watching carefully as his patient's jerking weakened, then slowed to a halt, the boy lying exhausted on the bed-out cold.

"Tell the surgery team to prep the OR." Dr. Jensen was all business as he briskly ordered the nurses through what was needed. "He just rejected his meds: they're reacting with something in his blood, get the pharmacy to send me a report for when he's out of surgery." He kept talking as they quickly rolled the boy's bed from his room and headed to the OR, Dr. Jensen mentally ran through his plan of action as he pulled on his scrubs and washed then rewashed his hands.

"Everyone ready?" He asked, holding the scalpel above the boys skin before they started the emergency surgery, overhead lights glaring down. His support team nodded and the doctor prayed to whatever Gods were listening as they began the procedure.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was another four hours until the weeping and tense people in the waiting room were given any news. The shock had slowly subsided, leaving behind it only worry and fear and grief.

It was two hours into that, that the twelve year old arrived He ran in, out of breathe and quickly snapped to attention, saluting, when he saw the elder demigods.

"Harry!" Connor smiled, despite the circumstances, as he greeted his little half-brother. "What are you doing here?" The brown haired preteen grinned a gap-toothed grin as he answered.

"I'm a messenger, Con." He was very proud of the responsibility. Connor waited for a minute, grinning, before prompting him.

"So what was the message?" He asked with raised eyebrows. Harry's smile slipped as he stuttered out the almost forgotten words.

"C-camp's doing aright, our team won capture the flag and it's now in possession of the Athenians again," Annabeth smiled through her tears, "The assistant councillors have been taking care of things and keeping things running smoothly. We've only pulled three pranks since you left, but they were great and we only got caught in one of them and that was because the Ares Cabin changed the layout of their mine-field without telling anyone." He seemed personally insulted by that and Connor smiled at him.

"That's why the best pranksters plan for everything." He told the boy.

"And why the best aren't pranksters." Added Frank, earning a glare from all the Hermes kids present. The others laughed sadly, enjoying the brief distraction.

Harry continued with his message.

"Chiron says for you to send updates about Percy and that everything's going well on his end, but we just got two new campers, a new Hermes and an Aphrodite and they need a proper councillor to give them the introduction, so Chiron sent me to get you guys." He bit his lip as the older demigods started objecting.

"We aren't going to just leave Percy!"
"He can't just tell us to leave now!"
"No way am I going anywhere!"
"After what just happened?!"

"No way in Hades!"
"GUYS!" They were cut off as Jason shouted. "I know none of us want to go, but those campers need someone to show them the ropes and you know Percy would be the first in line volunteering if he could be, plus we can't all fit into his room or even talk to him at once when he wakes up, so there isn't much point in us all being here. We should send a few of us back and the remaining people will give Percy whatever messages the others want." He rethought that when he saw the smirks, "Within reason." He ammended. Annabeth sighed.

"It makes sense." She conceded. The others nodded, no one was going to fight with a decision if Annabeth backed it.

"Fine," Said Thalia, "But who's going to go?"

"We should." Travis indicated himself and his twin brother, "One of them's our sibling, they'll need a Hermes councillor and we aren't leaving one of ours." His mouth set in a grim line, just a slight upturning at he corners betraying his happiness at the thought of a new sibling.

"I'll go if they are and someone needs to tell Chiron and the others how Percy's doing; I think they'd prefer it in person." Katie spoke up.

"I should go for the same reason." Admitted Piper. Jason sighed.

"If she's going, I'm going." There was really no point trying to argue with a demigoddess once she made up her mind.

"We need to go check on the legion again anyway." Said Hazel.

"Yeah, it isn't fair to leave Reyna on her own any longer." Frank agreed.

"OK, so that's Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Connor, Travis and Katie going. Anyone else?"

Grover bleated sadly.

"I need to get back to the council and Juniper." His face was creased sadly by the thought of leaving his best friend's side.

"OK, that's Grover too."
"That's everyone." Jason clarified.

The demigods leaving sighed.

"Tell him we miss him and he'd better heal soon, OK?" Said Piper, her eyes glowing a sad blue.

Annabeth nodded at her friend.

"Of course."

"And we need him to prank the..." Travis trailed off, glancing at the suddenly suspicious councillors around the room, "place...as soon as he's back at camp."
Annabeth narrowed her eyes, suspicious.

"Fine." She bit out.

"I guess we're off them." That was Jason, "Lead the way, Harry." The boy grinned at being recognised by one of the Seven, the Ambassador even, and skipped out of the door with them following behind, grabbing weapons they'd strewn around the room as the did so.

The others watched them go quietly. It was only then that the mortals realised that every time they left each other's sights, the demigods never knew if they'd see each other again. At least, not before the Underworld.

Then a teacher spoke up. Miss Ladis this time.

"They have the right idea. Come on kids, we all need to leave as well, it's getting late and it's back to school tomorrow." The school had been shut for the police investigation and clean up.

Paul frowned.

"I-" He faltered, but Sally helped him, holding his hand in hers.

"I know, Honey. You have to go too. Don't worry, we'll be fine: we've got each other." Paul met her eyes, concern shining from his.

"Are yous sure?" Mrs Jackson smiled indulgently at him.

"Of course, Paul, now go." He sighed, Poseidon had had to go a few minutes before because of a crisis in Atlantis and the English teacher hated to leave Percy without a father figure to wake up to.

"Alright, but you have to tell me every bit of news as soon as you get it, OK?"
"Of course." His wife soothed him.

"Could you tell us what happens to him too please?" One of the students piped up.

Annabeth was the one who answered this time.

"OK," She allowed, "I heard that Percy's best friend from school, Sal or something, is coming tomorrow. We'll tell her and she can tell you, OK?" It was clear how hard this was for the young woman, but she remained firm; standing strong in a raging sea of fear and uncertainty like their small boat in the Sea of Monsters.

The mortals grinned in relief.

"Thanks." The tired daughter of Athena just nodded at him, dry tears still shining on her cheeks.

The mortals marched out, leaving just he few remaining demigods and Sally in the bleach scented waiting room, sitting on cheap plastic chairs, the clock ticking away in the background as if chipping at the great stone of time, as they waited for news on the beloved friend, son, cousin, brother and love.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later on, as the clock carved out the early hours of the morning, and the creeping sun emerged, an exhausted mother and a blond young woman with a tear stained face, sat on a hospital bed, stroking the occupant's head and hands as his breath rattled through his respirator and his complexion seemed to blend into the stark white hospital sheets while he slept.

He was going to be OK.