Sophie

                                    

                                          
"Well, that was awful," grumbled Sophie, slouching next her also beaten up friends on the couch. 
                          
"Ugh, you can say that again," said Linh, rubbing her eyes with her palms. 
                          
Keefe propped up his feet on the coffee table and leaned back against the cushions. "Well, I dunno about that," he said. "It was pretty cool!"
                          
Dex groaned. "Only you would say that. We collected like, one apple, before you managed to get yourself dragged off to bandage all your injuries."
                          
Keefe only grinned. "For the record, we collected two apples. We only dropped it after you bumped into the wall. Then when everything exploded into flames, I forgot what else happened," he said. "But it was fun," he added.
                          
Sophie gave him a sideways glance. She could never understand how Keefe could find Harley's game enjoyable. She and Fitz had only gathered all three of the apples using telekinesis, a strategy which Fitz had pointed out after they'd found out that Sophie was not compatible with the game.
                          
"It was okay," agreed Fitz. "I thought that it was better than base quest." Fitz took a cookie (Hey, that rhymes!) from the tray in front of them.
                          
"I heard you guys did really well," Sophie told Linh.
                          
Linh shrugged. "Yeah, but only because of Percy. I probably only slowed him down."
                          
"Percy is really powerful," Tam remarked, speaking for the first time during the conversation. 
                          
"He is," agreed Sophie. "But we're getting side tracked. We should be trying to heal Annabeth. I think I have the right idea now."
                          
"Yeah?" asked Keefe. "That's great, because the sooner we heal her, the sooner our buddy over there will stop mopping around." He pointed at Percy, stationed in the corner, looking very depressed.
                          
"Well, he has lost his girlfriend," Sophie reminded them. "But I do think we should start healing her again."
                          
........
                          
"You sure you want to do this?" Fitz asked again. 
                          
Sophie nearly sighed in exasperation. "Yes, I do."
                          
"And you'll tell me when I can enter with you?" 
                          
"Yes, Fitz."
                          
"And you'll stop whenever you feel too overwhelmed? Or at any sign of danger? This isn't an elf mind, keep in mind," Fitz reminded her.
                          
"I know, I know," said Sophie, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to get started." She reached for Annabeth's temples.
                          
"And you'll tell me when I can help, right?" Fitz asked again.
                          
"Yes. I already told you before. Now can I start?"
                          
"Don't forget to back out at the first sign of danger." 
                          
"Okay, okay," said Sophie. Fitz squeezed her hand.
                          
Annabeth?  Sophie transmitted as soon as she had reached Annabeth's mind. Nothing had changed.
                          
But Sophie knew what to do this time. She sent in floods of images of peoples' faces. Of Percy. Of Leo. Of Piper. Of Jason. Hazel and Frank. 
                          
And a light began to grow. Sophie shielded it, as if protecting a candle from the wind, nourishing it with warm memories she'd seen in Percy's head. 
                          
Grover. Conner and Travis. Thalia. Tyson. Rachel.
                          
The light grew brighter.
                          
Nico. Will. Coach Hedge.
                          
And brighter.
                          
I don't really know you. But other people do. Other people like Percy, like Leo, Piper, Jason, Frank, Hazel. And these people need you. So please...Come back for them. Camp Half-Blood needs you. 
                          
Sophie kept feeding the light a stream of more and more memories, when at last, Annabeth's mind lit up completely, and Sophie pulled out of her mind.
                          
Annabeth's  gray eyes fluttered open.
                          
"I guess you didn't need my help after all," Fitz said, grinning.