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Hazel’s hand hovered above the doorknob, quivering almost imperceptibly. This is silly, she thought to herself. I mean, it’s Percy. You know him. Right? Of course. She trusted him completely.

  But what if something happens…?

  She shook her head, deciding to take a chance, and grasped the doorknob firmly. At the same moment, a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. She gasped and turned around, feeling almost guilty.

  “Frank,” she breathed. “Gods, you scared me.”

  He frowned slightly, his babyish face morphing into a mask of concern. “What are you doing, Hazel?”

  “I was just going to see Annabeth—“

  “And Percy.”

  Hazel set her jaw, straightening up defensively in anticipation of an argument. “Well, yes.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

  “Why wouldn’t it be? He’s Percy. Our best friend. Remember?”

  Frank crossed his arms, matching Hazel’s defensive stance. “Remember? You know what I remember? What he did this morning, that’s what I remember.”

  Hazel’s shoulders slumped and she looked away, thinking about the morning’s events. Percy had decided that three days out of Tartarus was enough recovery time. He’d convinced Jason to spar with him on the deck, claiming that he didn’t want to lose any of his skill, but Hazel knew he just wanted to distract himself. It didn’t matter; Jason agreed, and they went over some basic forms to warm up before getting into the more advanced patterns. Hazel and the others watched in fascination. Jason and Percy were without doubt the two best swordsmen any of them had ever seen.

  Everything was going great and Percy seemed to be really enjoying himself, until they began to push each other harder. Percy’s face had gradually changed, becoming more determined, harder, more… desperate. In under three seconds, less time than it took for anyone to realize what was happening, Jason’s sword was lying on the deck and Percy was holding him by the throat, pushing him toward the edge of the ship.

  Piper was the first person to react. She leapt toward Percy, pulling him away as hard as she could while laying on the charmspeak as thick as possible. They didn’t succeed in pulling Percy off of Jason until Frank stepped in. It was about then that Percy realized his mistake.

  He looked horrified as Jason doubled over, rasping, trying to catch his breath. He apologized profusely and tried to explain that he’d just had a flashback. He’d forgotten where he was and had actually believed that Jason was some horrible monster or hallucination that was trying to kill him.

  Jason said he was okay, but the two parted uneasily. Percy retreated to Annabeth’s room, muttering something about wanting to be with her when she woke up, and no one had seen him all day.

  Hazel strengthened her resolve and glanced up at Frank. “I remember, too. But he’s still our best friend. He’s just… mentally… unstable, okay? And he needs our support.”

  “That may be true, but shouldn’t we at least give him some time to cool off?” Frank countered, his voice rising.

  Hazel was sure Percy could hear them through the door.

  “I just,” Frank stuttered, “I just don’t want him to… to have another flashback—“

  “He won’t.”

  “You don’t know—“

  “Yes, Frank, I do. I trust him.”

  Before another word was spoken, Hazel opened the door and rushed in, closing it hurriedly behind her. She took a deep breath but it caught in her throat when she saw how Percy was looking at her.

  He was sitting on a chair next to Annabeth’s bed, two of the only pieces of furniture in her sparse cabin. Percy’s chin rested on one of his hands, the other clung tightly to Annabeth’s. He’d turned and looked over his shoulder when Hazel had barged in. His green eyes were piercing, accusing and judgmental, yet somehow relieved. He didn’t say anything.

  Hazel brushed a strand of hair behind her ear awkwardly. “Uh, hi,” she started.

  “Hi,” Percy muttered into his hand, still staring intently at her.

  “Are you okay?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Am I okay? You should ask Jason. He’ll have bruises for weeks after what I did.”

  Hazel flinched at the bitterness in his voice. “Uh, Jason wanted me to tell you that if you still want to practice tomorrow or something, he’s up for it. He understands you just had a flashback.”

  Percy turned away, but not before Hazel saw the pain in his eyes. “Is that all?”

  “No.” Hazel wrung her hands and took a few tentative steps forward, stopping right behind Percy. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay, like I said. You’re going through a tough time and I thought that you might need a friend.” She placed her hand gently in his shoulder. “I’m here for you.”

  “I’m dangerous,” he whispered, and it wasn’t bitterness in his voice anymore.

  “I don’t believe that for a second.”

  She wrapped her arms around him from behind, but he stood up and turned around, holding her tighter. Percy was so tall that she had to stand on tiptoes to reach. She tried to ignore the shaking in his arms and the tears that fell from his eyes to the sleeve of her shirt.

  “It’ll get better,” Hazel reassured him. “It can only get better from here. I promise.”

  “When?”

  “Well, I don’t have all the answers. Most of them, but not all.” Percy laughed lightly in response. “It’ll take time, but I can help,” Hazel finished.

  Percy pulled away and set her down on her feet. He wiped the tears out of his eyes and managed a smile. “Thanks, Hazel.” He gave her one last squeeze. “Love ya, little sis.”

  “Love ya, big bro.”

  Annabeth sighed in her sleep from the bed, and Percy and Hazel turned toward her. “She’s been out for three days…” Percy said, worry creeping back into his voice.

  “She’ll wake up. She just needs time to deal with everything. Like you do.”

  Percy smiled and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Where did you learn all this?”

  Hazel shrugged. “Coming back from the dead teaches you a thing or two.”