A/N: Please note that italics are flashbacks. If there are any mistakes please let me know. I'm a bad editor and I have no beta. Thanks.
Talk to me on my tumblr hoesidon
"What do we have?" The ER doctors asked as the paramedics rushed in another patient.
"Male, seems to be in his late teens, severe car accident. He's been in and out of conciousness since we've arrived." The paramedics answered as they pushed the car crash victim to one of the available rooms.
"Any form of ID?" One of the doctor's asked.
"We found his driver's license. Name's Percy Jackson."
"Inform the next of ken."
"On it sir!"
"Mr. Jackson? Can you hear me?" One of the doctor's asked as they checked his airways.
"He's not breathing well on his own. Will, check for neuro damage and get me a breathing tube stat! His circulation isn't good either, his heart isn't pumping like it should be. Could be internal bleeding. He needs to get a CT scan, an x-ray, and an ultrasound on his abdomen right away."
Percy tried to focus on what the doctors were saying and what was going on around him, but he couldn't focus. All he felt was pain, lots and lots of pain. He wasn't sure where they were rushing him off to or what happened, but he was trying to focus on his mother. His poor mother at home with his step-dad Paul, blissfully unaware of what was currently going on and what happened. His amazing mother, who sacrificed so much for him, always putting his needs before her own, always doing what was best to keep him safe and out of harm's way, is sitting at home on a Friday night thinking he'll be returning home from college for the weekend and should be walking through the door any minute. She has no idea that she'll probably never see her only child again.
Every night before bed, Sally Jackson would tuck her son into bed and tell him stories about guardian angels and how they protect and watch over people. Sometimes she would even tell him stories about soulmates. But Percy never understood, if soulmates and guardian angels were real, then why didn't his mother have one? She of all people deserved to be happy and safe. She deserved all the happiness in the world and a better life, not a troublemaking kid like himself. But she always told him she didn't need anyone else, he was all she needed because he was her whole world and she'd do anything to protect him.
But he still didn't understand how she still kept believing in soulmates and guardian angels with how hard her life was. What kind of guardian angel let's a five year old little girl lose both of her parents in a plane crash? What kind of guardian angel lets her marry the scum that is Gabe Uglanio? What kind of guardian angel lets such an amazing woman go through the mental and physical abuse Gabe put her through for years? If guardian angels were real, her's deserved to be demoted to a lower status. And as for soulmates, Percy didn't believe in them and had no reason to, his parents are a fine example that soulmates don't exist. But of course, his mother believed in soulmates. Another thing Percy didn't understand. If soulmates were real, how could anyone leave their soulmate and child behind? Especially for someone else?
But according to his mother, soulmates are one of the greatest gifts you're given in life. They're supposed to bring out the best in you. They may not be perfect people, but they're perfect for you. They're your fresh breath of air, your reason to get up in the morning, the ones who makes the dark days better. Well, she used to believe that until she had Percy. She always said Percy was her greatest gift. His smile always made her day better and he was always the reason why she got out of bed in the morning. As long as she had Percy to come home to after a hard day of work, nothing else mattered. His happiness always made her happy.
After his father's leaving, Sally married the vile that was Gabe. He'd call him trash but that would be an insult to trash cans and dumpsters everywhere. After years of physical and mental abuse, Gabe thankfully mysteriously disappeared when Percy was twelve. Weird. And for a few years, it was just him and his mother. That is until she met the man that she calls her second-chance soulmate, her breath of fresh air, his step-dad and tenth grade English teacher, Paul Blofis. If guardian angels were real, they'd finally done something right.
Sally met him at one of her night classes and Percy knew instantly, by the look on her face when she talked about her night, that he would be her new source of happiness. A lot of things made his mother happy: baking cookies, puppies, babies, when Netflix uploaded more episodes and seasons of her favorite tv show, his friends Nico and his half-sister Hazel coming over. But her two favorite things were Percy and her night classes. True, her looking forward to her night classes could've been for her future book, but Percy suspected it had more to do with a certain Paul Blofis.
It was a little weird at first for his mom to be dating his English teacher, but the way her eyes would light up when Paul would walk in the room, the look on her face when she talked about him, the way they looked at each other with pure love and adoration, made Percy push all of his feelings on the matter aside. The only thing he cared about was his mother's happiness. If his mother was happy with dating Paul, he would suck it up and accept it. His English teacher or not, Percy would accept their relationship. It's not like Paul was a bad guy anyway, he treated Sally like a queen and always made sure that Percy never felt left out. So as far as he was concerned, Paul was a great guy and he had his blessing to marry his mother. And he did, even asked Percy's permission first.
"We're starting to lose him. Alert the OR that we're on our way. C'mon, Mr. Jackson, stay with us. Try and keep your eyes open."
He tried, he really did. But it was getting harder and harder to stay awake. He was growing more and more tired by the second. All he wanted to do was sleep and wake up from this dream. A quick catnap wouldn't be so bad. The voices and all the noises surrounding him seemed to be getting further and further away from him and now it was growing harder to fight off the sleep that was threatening to over take him. Last thing he noticed were doctors standing over him. Then his eyes closed and sleep over took him.
Percy woke up to an annoying beeping sound in his ears and some sort of tube down his throat. What the hell happened to him and where is he? Was he dead? With how much his body hurt he guesses it's possible. But he's pretty sure a person isn't supposed to feel pain when they're dead, they're supposed to be at peace or whatever. At least that's what his mother always told him. So maybe he isn't dead if the pain he's feeling is any indicator. So he's still alive. Great. That's one question answered. But still, what happened and where is he?
He tried to open his eyes but to no avail. He tried to move a limb but nothing happened. Perhaps this is one those sleep paralysis cases.
"He looks so lifeless." A masculine voice somewhere around him cracked. "This can't be happening."
"You can stay longer if you want." Another voice, much more feminine than the first, spoke quietly and soothly as if she was comforting the male. "I can wait for you down in the cafeteria if you want."
"I just need a minute. I'll meet you in the cafeteria." The voice sounded so broken Percy wanted to force himself awake and tell the voices he was okay. He wanted to comfort them but unfortunately, this sleep paralysis or whatever the hell it is, is currently preventing him from doing that. Percy heard some footsteps leaving the room and a door close quietly so he assumed the more feminine one of the two left to give the other some privacy.
The guy took a breath and Percy could tell he was on the verge of tears, the way his voice cracked when he spoke gave it away. What made the whole thing worse, Percy didn't even know who the hell this guy is or why he's so upset. Surely Percy can't be in that bad of a position. But then again, with his inability to move or open his eyes, maybe he's in worser shape than he thinks. But still, who is this guy and why is he crying over him like they're lovers or something? Percy doesn't know anyone with a California accent. And who was that girl? He didn't recognize her voice either.
"I didn't think I'd see you again this way." The guy spoke up after a moment's silence. "Actually, I didn't think I'd ever see you again." He took another breath. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you like this right now. You probably can't even hear me. Nor do you know who the hell I am. But if you can hear me, Percy, I'm so sorry. The next time I saw you, if I ever got the chance that is, I expected to see you when you were conscious and healthy. Not on your death bed looking lifeless." Percy heard what sounded like to be a chair being pulled up next to his bed and felt hands grab his. Damn, now he feels extremely bad for not knowing who the hell this guy is.
"I didn't even know you were back. I've waited years and years for you to return but nothing. So for a while, I gave up and I traveled. I moved around a lot, I didn't like staying in one place for too long. It was nice to see different cities and countries, but it got lonely after a while. So I moved back to the states and landed in California and decided to go back to school. Then I saw you. Well, I didn't actually see you, not exactly. I got stuck rooming with this guy and he had a picture of you hanging up. I knew immediately it was you. Did you know you look the exactly the same as you did before? Well you do. Then I got really excited and happy to see that picture. I remember just staring at it for what felt like hours, and just thinking to myself 'he's back..he's alive.' I had to see you. So I asked my roommate who the guy in the photograph was. He just looked the picture and smiled widely and said 'That's my boyfriend, Percy.' Then that's when everything around me stopped."
The voice sniffled. No matter who the hell this guy is, it broke Percy's heart. "At that moment I realized you weren't the same person. You were a completely different guy. You weren't the kid that I met on the playground all those years ago, you weren't the guy I grew up with, you weren't the guy I fell in love with. You weren't my best friend. You weren't Philip Cadoc-Caldwell. You were Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson. Captain of your high school and college swim team with a guaranteed spot in the Olympics for swimming. You were his boyfriend, not my best friend. That's when I realized I couldn't see you again, I wouldn't see you again. So, I avoided going to New York and anything to do with it. Every time you were on Skype or talking to him on the phone, I avoided being back at my dorm. I couldn't bare to see or hear you. It hurt too much. Every time he talked about you or mentioned you it felt like a gunshot wound.
Then one day, it stopped. All the mentions of you, all the nightly phone calls, the Skype dates, it all stopped. Then one day the pictures came down. So I asked him what happened. He told me it just wasn't working out and you two broke up. I didn't know how to feel. I wanted to see you but I knew I shouldn't. It wouldn't do either of us any good. You wouldn't remember me and I still wouldn't have the old you back. But after two or so months, I finally worked up the courage to see you again. I don't why. But I had to see you, I couldn't get you out of my head.
So I spontaneously booked a flight to New York. I went to your apartment and you weren't there. The neighbor told me you were in the hospital and you weren't doing too good." The guy squeezed his hand. "I didn't know what I expected when I came here. I guess I was hoping you'd be in better condition. That you would wake up and you would just remember everything. But I guess that's not how it's gonna work out for us. Nothing ever works out for us." The guy sniffled again and Percy heard what sounded like a door opening.
"Hey, you almost ready? I just seen his family on their way up. I can distract them for a moment." The feminine voice from before spoke up.
"I'm almost done." The guy said sadly. Percy felt a kiss being placed on his head. "Come back to me, Percy. Please." Then he and the hands holding his were gone and everything went silent again. Even that annoying beeping sound coming from some machine around him was gone.
"Be good at school today, Philip." A young blonde haired woman, who appeared to be in her mid twenties, fixed the navy blue beret on her son's head. "No talking back to the teacher."
"Yes, ma'am." The little boy mumbled. The woman kissed her son on the head and went on her way, pushing a stroller along with her. The small, dark haired seven year old, Philip, watched his mother and sister leave and looked away. He made his way to the small playground full of other children his age and sat down on the ground under one of the trees by himself just like he always did. The other kids his age didn't want anything to do with him and he couldn't understand why. The teacher didn't like him much either but that was only because he 'talked back' to her. He couldn't help it, honest.
Philip looked up to see a small circle of kids forming across the playground and his interest perked up. He stood up off the ground and dusted off his navy knee-length trousers and walked over to the circle of kids to see what was happening. Of course, like always, a tall, pudgy girl around the age of eight with stingy brown hair and brown eyes, was picking on a kid half her size and younger than her. Clarisse la Rue, the playground bully. This time, however, her target was a small blond boy who looked to be around the age of six, with frightened electric blue eyes. He was a small little thing and he was dressed similar to Philip, and all the other little boys their age; a suit jacket and tie, worn with knee-length trousers and ankle socks. Canvas shoes on his feet and a beret covering his small blond head.
Clarisse was holding the poor kid off the ground and was threatening to sit on him if he didn't give her whatever it was she wanted. For an eight year old girl, Clarisse la Rue was strong for her age, stronger than most boys her age.
Philip didn't know why he did it, pity maybe, but he pushed past the other kids and stood in front of everyone else. He was just making himself a target for a kid he didn't know and probably someone who'll probably tease him just like the other kids. But he hated to see another kid get bullied by Clarisse. "Let him go, Clarisse!"
Clarisse and the blond both turned their gaze towards Philip. The blond looked relieved but Clarisse looked angry. "Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do 'bout it Caldwell?"
Get my butt kicked was Philip's first thought but he chose not to say that out loud. There wasn't much Philip could do besides get his butt kicked. He wasn't as strong as Clarisse or even half her size. She could sit on him and he wouldn't be able to do much about it. It wouldn't really be much of a fight. "Let him go or else."
Clarisse dropped the blond on the ground and gave Philip a taunting smirk as she walked over to him. "Or else what Prissy? You're gonna fight me?" The blond looked at Philip with wide eyes. "Yes I am."
"I like to see you try." Clarisse grabbed him by his jacket and threw him to the ground. Philip tried to make a move to get up but Clarisse kicked him. Again and again and again. Next thing Philip knew, arms were pulling him up off the around and he was being turned around to come face to face with his teacher.
"Mr. Caldwell," the lady scolded, glaring at Philip. "Why every time I have to break up a fight on the playground, it's always between you in and Miss la Rue?" She looked away from Philip and over at Clarisse. "And miss la Rue, I'll be calling your parents, both of your parents," she looked back at Philip. "To let them know you two got into fight today. No recess for either of you two today."
"Yes ma'am." Philip mumbled.
The teacher huffed as she stood back up and smoothed out her dress. "Now off to class. All of you. C'mon let's go." The children all left the playground and into the school building. Clarisse shoved Philip to the ground as she walked past him.
Small hands helped Philip up off the ground and onto his feet. Philip dusted off his trousers and jacket again. The small blond dusted off Philip's beret and handed him too him, offering him a smile as he did so. "Thank you for sticking up for me."
"It's okay." Philip gratefully took hat and put it back on his head. "Clarisse is a bully. I wasn't going to let her bully anyone else."
The blond smiled and offered Philip his hand. "I'm Jason. Jason Grace." Philip took the outstretched hand and shook it. "I'm Philip Cadoc-Caldwell. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, Phil."
The second time he came around, he was able to open his eyes and his limbs didn't feel as heavy as they did before. Percy blinked his eyes open, wincing at the bright light. Once his eyes adjusted to the harsh light, he took in his surroundings. He was in a small white hospital room with all sorts of wires hooked up to him. The window shades were open and his 'marvelous' view of the outside world was a brick wall. Beautiful.
His left leg was in a cast and every time he took a breath his ribs felt like they were on fire. He tried to sit up but a hand stopped him. "Woah there." An almost cheerful voice said. "Don't try and sit up. You're still recovering from surgery. You don't want to mess up your stitches." Percy looked at the guy and was surprised to see how young he looked. He looked like a teenager still in high school rather than a doctor fresh out of med school. Dressed in navy blue scrubs, the small blond didn't look any older then seventeen. Could seventeen year olds work in a hospital? Percy wasn't sure but the guy looked like a ray of sunshine.
"What happened?" Percy croaked, his throat raw from lack of use. Sunshine, or whatever is name is, handed him a glass of water and wrote stuff down on his chart.
"You were in a car accident a few days ago. You've been in and out of consciousness. Do you remember anything?" Percy tried to think back to what he last remembered but shook his head. "I don't remember anything from the accident."
"Well you're pretty lucky to be alive. You almost bled out but you're gonna be okay. The doctor will be in here shortly to see you and explain things." Sunshine offered him a smile.
"So you mean you're not my doctor?" Percy asked.
"Nope. My dad is. I'm just his assistant. I'm a senior, I only work here for a few hours after school and on the weekends." Sunshine explained.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Jackson." Sunshine's dad, Percy guessed, said walking into the room, taking the chart from his son and looked over it. "Great to see you're finally awake. I'm Dr. Apollo Solace. This is my son Will. How you feeling today?"
"I hurt all over. I don't really remember anything from the accident."
"That's understandable. You did bang up your head pretty badly and suffered a concussion but you seem to be healing pretty well. You have a few broken ribs, a broken leg and your wrist is fractured. The cut on your head is healing up nicely. You did have a liver laceration but we were able to repair it. We want to run a few more tests on you just to make sure everything's okay then we'll talk about a date you'll be able to go home."
"When will I be able to swim again?" Percy asked.
Dr. Solace sighed. "Not anytime soon I'm afraid. Your mother mentioned you had a guaranteed spot in the Olympics for swimming. I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson, but I don't see that happening any time soon. Not with your injuries."
"But Dr. Solace, please." Percy begged. "I have to swim. I need this!"
"You were just in a very serious car accident and almost lost your life. I think your health is more important than being in the Olympics. Now, I'm sorry, but you won't be swimming anytime soon. That's the end of this conversation. Maybe in a year, but not now."
Percy sighed. "One more question."
"Yes?"
"Can you tell me who came in my room since I've been out?"
Apollo turned to Will. "You've been keeping an eye on him lately. Has anyone been in his room?"
"Uh, yeah." Will thought back. "Your mom and stepdad, a guy who claimed to be your friend Nico and his half-sister Hazel. And I think I remember a guy named Frank stopping by."
"Anyone else?" Percy asked.
"Not that I know of. Hoping for someone specific?"
"It's just," Percy sighed. "I thought I heard someone, a guy, talking to me while I was out of it. He seemed to know me but I didn't recognize his voice. I was just wondering if I dreamed it or something."
"Unless he stopped by while I was at school I haven't seen him. I'll ask the other nurses if they've seen anyone. You sure you didn't recognize the voice?"
"I'm sure. He had a California accent and he spoke kind of weirdly."
"Weirdly?" Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Weirdly how?"
"It was as if like.." Percy didn't know how to explain it. "It was like I hadn't seen him in years. He mentioned how I looked exactly the same as I did before but I wasn't the same guy as I was before when he knew me. He also called me another name; Philip Caldwell. I don't know who that is."
"You could've been dreaming." Apollo suggested. "Sometimes dreams can feel real. Will can ask the nurses if they seen anyone come in the room. But don't worry about it too much. Hopefully you'll get to go home soon and then you can worry about getting better. I hope you feel better soon, Percy. The nurses will be in here soon to take some more tests." Apollo offered him a smile and left the room.
"I think he thinks I'm crazy."
"I don't think you're crazy." Will said. "I've heard stories about coma patients being able to hear things around them. I'll check and see if anyone's been in here."
"Thanks, Will."
Will smiled. "Don't mention it."
