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Percy was feeling relieved until he saw Annabeth's shaken demeanor as he came back her way.
"It worked" he assured her, hoping that her freaked-out expression was just because she was overthinking the logistics of his plan being able to properly protect the water. "The rivers are safe"
"Good" she replied with an exhale, though her expression didn't change. "Because we've got other problems" she continued. "Michael Yew just called. Another army is marching over the Williamsburg Bridge" she explained, and Percy felt anxiety uncurl in his gut again. "The Apollo cabin needs help and, Percy, the monster leading the enemy..." she trailed off and swallowed. "It's the Minotaur"
"What?" Percy asked in disbelief, his eyes widening. Realistically, he knew that the Minotaur would return eventually, but that didn't make him any less afraid. After all, his fight with the Minotaur and him believing his mom to be dead... Well, that was one of the more traumatizing things that he'd endured, particularly because it happened so early into his transition into the world of being a demigod.
Annabeth frowned in concern at his reaction and stepped forward towards him cautiously. He flinched back, his mind running a thousand miles an hour, and he tripped over a knocked-over cart, falling to the ground with a panicked expression.
"Percy" Annabeth said in a calm tone, holding her palms up where he could see them as she slowly sat next to him, allowing him to lean on her as the panic properly overtook his body. "It's okay. You don't have to fight it alone"
"I- I can't-"
"Breathe" she gently instructed. They'd all had their fair share of panic attacks over the years. It just sort of came with the territory of being a demigod, so they all knew pretty well how to help one another. "You're okay. You're safe"
"But-"
"Percy" Annabeth cut him off, firm. He shut his mouth and reached over to hold her hand, which she allowed, squeezing his hand fairly tightly. It helped to ground him a bit, and he was able to focus on bringing his breathing back down to a normal rate. "Just focus on calming down right now, and then we'll deal with it"
"I'm scared"
"I know" the blonde replied with a nod. "I am too. We all are. But you have us, and we have you. You're not alone this time"
...
"Thank you, Annabeth"
"No problem, Seaweed Brain"