Percy POV
Starving. I didn't know that I was starving till I tasted you. That's how I was feeling about every single food on the planet. I was hungry to the point where it was painful.
It's been three days since the race and since I got the metal cuff on my arm. Everything hurt, and everything felt weak. I was simply laying in bed staring at the ceiling in defeat.
Only four others were currently in the room since it was lunchtime, and they left to eat.
My stomach hurt more than anything. My body was shaking with exhaustion and hunger, but I couldn't do anything about it. I wanted to cry, but I wasn't going to give Elysium the satisfaction. They didn't deserve to see me cry.
I've never actually starved in my life. My mother always made sure that there was food on the table. Gods, I missed her so much. I wondered how she was doing. I wondered if she was still alive.
I wiped the tears off my cheek. I was slowly breaking, and my stomach churned with pain.
"Percy, are you okay?" Rachel asked.
I tilted my head to look at her. She was standing next to my bunk bed, so our faces were at the same level. She had so much concern in her light green eyes.
"It hurts," I croaked. "And, I can't stop thinking about my mom."
"I'm so sorry," Rachel whispered as she reached forward. I happily accepted her touch against my cheek and reveled in her comforting nature. I appreciated her presence very much.
I didn't want to show people my vulnerable side, but I couldn't stop the pain. I was starving. I had been starving for two days. I didn't feel the hunger on the first day, but it hit like a tsunami later.
"Percy, are you sure that I can't bring you any food?" she asked in concern.
I held up my right arm to show her the metal cuff again. That female guard (who was somehow related to Annabeth) was explicit in her warning. I wasn't going to risk any debilitating or fatal shock.
"Right. Is there anything that I can do?" Rachel asked again. She genuinely wanted to help.
I shook my head as I turned back to stare at the ceiling. Her hand was still on my cheek, and it was helping a little. Not enough though. Then, Rachel did something unexpected.
She climbed onto the top bunk with me.
"It's all right, Percy. It's okay to be hurting. I'm right here for you," she whispered as she laid down next to me.
The bed was very small, but I greatly appreciated her comfort and warmth. I leaned into her and buried my teary eyes into her shoulder. Her head was elevated so I could feel her breathing against my hair. Her hands rubbed my hair, which was nice and relieving.
Rachel wasn't taking advantage or anything. She was genuinely trying to provide comfort. And, it did help to be in her comforting arms.
I didn't even care that Annabeth, Luke, and Nico were still in the room, staring at us. I was glad that Thalia wasn't here because she would feel worse than she already did. And, I didn't want that.
"Thank you, Rachel," I whispered as I took some deep breaths. She smelled of lavender and coconut (the shampoo they gave us).
I was too energy-deprived to stay functioning. If we had another phase today or tomorrow, I'd be utterly useless because of how tired I was.
As such, I fell asleep in her arms.
...
I woke up to someone shaking me. Rachel wasn't with me anymore. My stomach immediately churned as I turned to face Jason.
"What's going on?" I asked abruptly.
"Nothing. Everything's fine, bro. You've been asleep for a very long time. Will suggested that we wake you for a few hours before sleeping again," Jason explained.
I nodded as I rubbed my eyes and pulled out of the bed. I haven't been off my bed all day. I practically lost my balance and fell to the ground.
However, Jason caught me quickly.
"Thanks, man. I'm just feeling very dizzy and nauseous," I said as I held onto his arm.
"Hey, can someone get Percy some water?" Jason barked at no one in particular.
I sat down on Jason's bed as a bad taste entered my mouth. However, I couldn't throw up because there barely was any food left in me. I couldn't lose the limited supply that I was running on. My vision blurred as someone handed me a glass of water.
I drank the water quickly, and it did help in making me a bit better.
"Oh my god, why are you acting so dramatic?" Luke's voice snapped.
I glared in his general direction but refused to waste energy on him. Fortunately, Jason defended me and an argument started in the process. Several others joined into the conversation, but Annabeth came towards me.
"You should probably clear your head. Let's go to the pool," Annabeth stated.
She held out her hand. I stared at her welcoming hand before taking it. We walked out of the heated dorm room and towards the pool room.
While Rachel's hand was warm and comforting, Annabeth's held a deep connection. I liked the bond created by our intertwined hands. It made me feel rooted in this world.
"So, I see that you're getting closer to Rachel. She seems like a nice girl," Annabeth said quietly.
"Rachel is very kind, and she cares a lot," I said earnestly.
"She also seems to be your type," she commented. Something weird was in her tone. I couldn't quite place it though.
"Yeah, I haven't really thought about it, but I guess so. I don't know," I answered awkwardly.
Our hands were still connected when we walked towards the pool. We rolled up our pants and sat down near the pool. Our feet dangled in the water. Annabeth's thumb rubbed the top of my hand softly.
"What do you do outside of here?" Annabeth asked softly.
"I work. I've never been a fan of school, so I didn't bother. I work as a lifeguard part-time since it's high pay, and as a waiter in this Greek restaurant," I answered.
I liked talking with Annabeth. She was trying to distract me from the pain, and she knew exactly how to do so. She brought me to the pool and elicited a conversation.
I appreciated this more than falling apart (as I did earlier).
"What about you? What do you do?"
I wanted her to answer the question. Annabeth paused as her hand let go of mine. I sighed as I realized that she was shutting me down.
"Come on, Wise Girl. I shared mine," I expressed. "I'm literally starving and in pain right now. Can't you just tell me what you do?" I asked.
"When I graduated high school, I wanted to become an architect. I love the idea of designing something permanent for the entire world to see (like the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, or Empire State Building). Life took me on a different route though," she explained.
I wasn't expecting that response, but it was insightful and honest. I was intrigued, and I wanted to know more about her.
"Did you have a choice? Did you want to take that route?" I asked quietly.
She paused as she looked at me in surprise. She smiled sadly before responding, "no one's ever asked me whether I wanted the life that I lead. The answer is I fell into it. I didn't choose my life; it kinda just happened."
"Why did you change it then?"
"It's not that easy," Annabeth said while chuckling. "I haven't been this open with anyone for a long time."
"Hmm. I always told my mom everything. She's always so supportive of everything that I do, and I love her so much. Didn't you tell your parents?" I asked.
"Your mom seems like an incredible parent unlike mine," Annabeth expressed sadly.
The conversation halted as we both stared at the pool water. Light ripples spread around our dangling legs. My gaze wandered to the location of the secret door in the northeast corner.
"There's a secret door in this room. I noticed it while they abducted us for the race."
"A secret doorway is in the cafeteria as well. It can't be opened from our side," Annabeth said absentmindedly.
"How do you know, Wise Girl?" I asked firmly.
"I just know," she said carefully. She averted my gaze before standing up. "I hope that this was helpful, Percy. Just take it easy, okay?"
I nodded before watching her retreat. I definitely knew her a little better, and it only made me want to know more. I wanted to know Annabeth and be around her.
I wanted to escape and survive with her.
...
They dragged me through the building with a blindfold over my eyes. I didn't even have the energy to fight back. I knew why they were taking me. It's been five days, so they must be removing the metal cuff off of my arm.
Honestly, I didn't even get out of bed yesterday. Everyone did their best to make me feel better though.
Regardless, I was almost excited to see the guards come for me. I wanted this metal cuff off so that I could eat. Furthermore, I want to see if my right arm was okay under the cuff.
Their actions were quick. They easily threw me into a chair and strapped me in. I didn't bother fighting the restraints. My body was too tired.
Finally, the blindfold was ripped off my face. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the bright lights. I was in the same prison room as before. The white walls only emphasized the white lights that were flashing on me.
"Welcome back, Percy Jackson, I'm impressed that you've lasted the whole five days. However, of course, humans can live three weeks without food," Hera said calmly.
I smirked as I looked at her. She still had a bruise on her cheek. The smile faded from her face as she watched me smile.
"Do you have anything to say?" she asked sternly.
"Nothing much. I'm impressed that you're still bruising. I must've got a great hit on you," I expressed slyly.
The guards shifted uncomfortably, but Hera held up her hand. She moved closer so that she was standing over me. However, she kept a good distance away.
"You barely made it out of phase 4. You had less than ten minutes left," Hera said firmly.
"Yeah, but I still passed. That's all that matters."
Hera smiled as she moved closer. Suddenly, her hand moved on its own and slapped me across the face. I glared at her with scorching anger.
The skin on my cheek was stinging and burning. It was a hard slap, and it only made me hate Hera more. If that was even possible.
"Let's just say that I'm a sadist. I always get my revenge. I was going to do it in the next phase, but I couldn't wait," Hera expressed with a sick smile.
"At least, we both agree that you're a sadist," I snapped back.
Hera simply shook her head as she walked out of the room. Just as she left, the same female guard from before entered the room. Her black hair was shining to the white lights. Her mask obscured everything, but her obsidian eyes.
"Thanks for not breaking the rules, Percy," the guard whispered. "I know that you are generally a rebel."
"How would you know that?" I asked softly.
She was using a few tiny, metallic instruments to unscrew and remove the metal cuff. The process of removal was much slower and more intricate. The guard was being very careful as she worked on my arm.
"I'm watching you play this horrible game. Besides, you smashed that old witch's face. As I said, rebellious nature," she expressed.
She worked for a few more minutes before I spoke to her again.
"I told Annabeth your message."
"It probably wasn't very helpful, but I had to tell her. Sorry that you're getting stuck in the middle of our conversation."
I winced as a sharp pinch entered my arm. Then, she plied one-half of the cuff off. I stared at the light blood streaming out of a few tiny holes in my arm.
"Don't worry, your skin will heal in a few days. The needles aren't as invasive as you would think," she explained.
"How can I trust you?" I asked on purpose.
"My real name is Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. Names are valuable in my line of work. That's all I can provide to prove my honesty," she said firmly.
Then, She started to work on the other half of the cuff. My arm looked perfectly fine. There were microscopic holes in my skin that were barely showing now. They weren't even bleeding. In a few minutes, the entire cuff came off of my arm. The metal clanged against the floor as she moved closer to me. She was pretending to clean my arm.
I felt something cool slip into my palm. My fingers closed around what felt like a key. My gaze locked onto her black eyes.
"The blue room is not what it seems. This is the key to saving you from phase 5. Make sure that you use it right and use it first," Reyna whispered.
"Should I give it to Annabeth?" I asked.
"That's your choice. Not mine. Annabeth would be better equipped to use it, but I'm giving it to you. I don't have any other option."
Reyna nodded before stepping away. My fist tightened around the key. The guards unstrapped me and dragged me away. I didn't have the energy to fight them like last time. Besides, I was more focused on secretly clutching the oddly shaped key.
They dragged me to the Sector 3 doors and pushed me through them. The steel doors slammed shut behind me.
The others were waiting.
I quickly slipped the key into my pocket. Then, I happily let everyone usher me into the cafeteria for some food.
A few of them bypassed some of their food onto my tray. I protested even though I secretly loved them for giving up a few treats.
Everyone was having a good time as they welcomed me back to "the world of nourishment" as someone put it. Annabeth and Rachel were both smiling as they watched me eat.
I had confusing feelings for both of them.
But, at the moment, I only focused on the mac-and-cheese, mashed potatoes, chicken, steamed veggies, and chocolate pudding.
...