Work Text:
Annabeth was walking home when the rain started, the droplets rolling down her face. She sighed. All she really wanted was to get back to her girlfriend, Piper. Today had already been far too long. Annabeth weighed her choices—she could walk home, or go catch the bus. The bus sounded like a drier idea, and then she could call Piper. Normally, she would have seen Piper all day at New Rome University (and on the way home), but today? Piper had a fever. Annabeth hoped it had decreased a bit...
The bus was full and wet. Annabeth thanked Apollo for having fixed demigods cellphone problems. That way she could call Piper. After drying her hands, Annabeth opened her phone (a flip phone, New Rome banned all others). Her fingers navigated to Pipers contact by muscle memory—Annabeth called her a lot. The phone rang loudly as Annabeth fumbled to turn the volume down. Even her, a child of Athena, never remembered to.
The bus stopped suddenly, spraying water onto passing pedestrians. It was vaguely amusing. Annabeth directed her attention to look at the phone (average ADHD person). She waited for what seemed to be a lifetime. The phone made that really annoying sound, like a grunt mixed with a beep. Piper hadn't picked up. Annabeths mind went immediately into about 200 different what-if scenarios—did a monster attack? Was Piper dead?
Annabeth thought she was probably sleeping, but she called again. Piper picked up on the first ring, her voice rough and strained. "Annie? Where are you?"
"I'm coming home right now, sweetie. You really don't sound good, have you slept at all?"
"I slept whi—cough—while you were gone, the phone woke me up."
"Just go back to sleep lovely, I'm coming as fast as I can." Piper agreed weakly and hung up. Now Annabeth was really worried. Piper sounded so small, so fragile—so different from the loud, commanding but sweet daughter of Aphrodite she usually was.
Finally, she saw the small bus shelter with the "HERA SUCKS" graffiti she totally didn't do. Annabeth was probably going to die in a Hera related way. Juno had forced Piper into believing in a relationship she never had. "Gods, I hope Pipers okay.", Annabeth thought aloud as she unlocked her apartment door, the key clinking in the old lock. After pulling off her wet hat, Annabeth rushed to her shared bedroom.
Piper lay there, her eyes shut tight and pushed into a ball.
"Piper?", Annabeth whispered as she touched her forehead caringly. It felt warmer than before... She went to get a thermometer from the bathroom when she noticed the vomit in the toilet. The girl flushed it down and hurried back with a trashcan, just in case. "Wake up, Piper," she said quietly while rubbing her back. Piper groaned and sat up, her face pale.
"Annie...what time is it?"
"Almost 17:00 [A/N: 5 pm], but let me take your temperature, ok?" It was higher than before, which was concerning. "Lie down and sleep, ok?"
"...can't sle'ep"
"I'll cuddle you." <3