And… She's back! Welcome, dear readers, to the wonderful world of Cancerville in which vovo611 lives. All. The. Time. I have a sadistic imagination. Anyone here interested in a Harry-Potter-has-leukemia fic?
P.S.- Sorry about Frank's weird email address below, FF kept deleting mine until I put it in this format.
Enjoy!
Percy liked to pride himself on the fact that he was good at hiding his emotions. He had done it to his teachers about Gabe. He had done it to Chiron about his mother. And now he was doing it to the entire camp about chemo.
The Seven were the only ones who knew about the cancer. Will seemed to be the only outsider who was catching on. Thank the gods.
His flulike symptoms weren't so bad, yet. He was able to eat, most of the time, except on chemo days. He felt cold and clammy, but it really wasn't as bad as the one time he'd actually had the flu. He figured he could go on like this for a good long while.
In the meantime, he was discovering a new talent – music. He was a pretty good songwriter, if he did say so himself, and his tunes were catchy enough. Maybe it was a bit cliché, but he was able to lose himself in that world for a while and forget about life. When occupied by strumming, his right hand didn't hurt, and his needle-stuck left hand was enduring the slow callous-inducing chord fingering.
Yes, music was a relief.
"I just don't understand this," complained Hazel.
"Look," Percy told her gently, "It's a lot to take in at once, and you're… very new to this."
"But it's so confusing!" she cried in frustration. She picked up the first-generation iPad that Leo had plunked down on the table and pushed the button. The screen lit up. "And now what do I do?"
"It says it right there," Leo said. "'Slide to unlock', Hazel. Come on, muchacha, this is idiot-proof."
"Clearly not," Hazel ground out. "What is this email?"
"You send messages to people. It's very fast."
Hazel poked the screen. The Gmail app opened. She flinched. "What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing, Hazel," Percy said patiently. "You did it right. You opened the Gmail app."
"I thought it was email," she said petulantly.
"This is email from Google, so their name for it is 'g-mail'. Do you get it?" asked Annabeth.
"No!" she cried. "What is Google?"
Percy leaned over her arms and poked the button to close it. He opened Safari. "This," he said, loading the Google page, "is Google."
"And it… searches for things." Everyone nodded. "On the World-Wide-Web." They nodded again. "Which is the 'www' thing?" Again, they nodded.
"Okay, I got this."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Leo snuck a mischievous look at Frank. "So, Hazel, if a guy asks you for your email address, what do you say?"
Hazel opened her mouth, but Frank beat her to it. "Piss . off -at- ivegotaboyfriend . com," he said, to general amusement, which, of course, started a boy/girl war between the most horrible pick-up lines and the best comebacks.
"Where've you been all my life?" Jason asked.
"Hiding from you!" Annabeth shot back.
"Can I have your phone number?" Leo asked, smirking.
"Why, don't you have one already?" Piper returned.
"How'd you get to be so beautiful?" clichéd Frank, putting a moony look on his face.
"Must've been given your share!" chimed Annabeth and Piper together.
"Your body is like a temple," Percy sighed, trying not to laugh.
"Sorry," said Annabeth, "No services today."
"Haven't I seen you somewhere?" Leo asked, eyebrows furrowed and a sly expression on his face.
"Yeah," Piper replied, "and that's why I don't go there anymore."
"Hey, babe, what's your sign?" asked Jason.
"Do Not Enter," said Hazel quietly.
There was silence for a moment as everyone just stared at the old-fashioned girl, who stared defiantly back at them. "What?" she asked defensively.
Another moment, and then Leo gave a low whistle. "All right, Hazel, you're ready for the real world."
Percy was headed down the hill for his fourth chemo treatment when he heard someone shouting his name.
"Hey, Jackson, wait up!"
He turned around to see Leo running toward him. He inclined his head. "'Sup, Valdez?" he asked.
"You're going for chemo, right?" asked Leo, without preamble – or tact.
"Yep…" said Percy, unsure of where this was heading.
Leo didn't play guessing games, though. "Want some company?"
Percy furrowed his eyebrows at him. "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want to come see me get sick?"
"Why do you want to be alone and sick?"
Percy shook his head. "You don't want to come, Leo," he said, turning around and starting down again.
Leo jogged in front of him. "Yes, I do."
"No, you don't," Percy said, trying to maneuver around him, to no avail.
"Percy…" and the tone was so somber and un-Leo-like that Percy had to stop and listen.
"Yes?"
"When I was little, and I mean younger, not shorter, smart guy, I had this friend. Her name was Sara?"
Percy stopped and listened, dumbfounded, as the story poured out of Leo like water from a broken dam.
"I just… One of the worst parts of her death, after the funeral and whatever, was… I realized that I got farther from her when she was sick. I didn't spend time with her at all, and now, it's too late. I… Gods, I regret that so much," he said, passing a shaking hand across his brow. "I mean… I don't want that to ever happen again. I've always had a good memory… I remember how sick she was, and I'm seeing the same thing happening to you. And it's a hard déjà vu to handle… And you'd be doing me a favor if you'd just let me come. I like you, Percy, and I know that there are going to be times when you are going to feel so, so lonely. And I want to push those times off as far as I can. For you."
Percy just stared at him, unsure of how to respond. Finally, he started walking down the hill again.
"C'mon, Valdez, you're going to make me late."
"So this is your hospital."
Percy rolled his eyes. "Yes, Captain Obvious."
"If I'm a captain," Leo replied cheekily, "You have to refer to me as 'sir'."
Percy rolled his eyes again. "Yes, sir."
They made their way to the oncology ward where the same blond-haired receptionist with a name beginning with 'J' smiled at Percy and pointed him toward a room. Percy and Leo walked down the hallway in companionable silence.
When they reached the room, Percy took a seat in the larger, reclining seat while Leo sat in the hard, plastic hospital chair. The latter shifted awkwardly.
"Jeez, this is so uncomfortable."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "You won't be the uncomfortable one for long."
Leo blushed and stuttered while Percy watched in amusement. Finally, putting Leo out of his misery, Emma came in, pushing the cart with the big bag of Dantexronin. She smiled and nodded at Leo before turning to Percy.
"Your brother?"
"That midget?" Percy laughed, to Leo's indignation. "He's Hispanic, black-eyed and short. I am Caucasian, green-eyed and tall. Why would you think that we're brothers?"
Emma raised her eyebrows mysteriously. "It takes more than blood to make brothers," she said.
Percy met Leo's eyes for a second before yanking off his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and busying himself with his Hickman line. "Here," he said, handing one of the lumen to Emma.
She slipped the needle inside the red lumen and dropped it, letting it hang from Percy's bare chest. She hung the bag of Dantexronin from the IV pole next to the chair. She left the room.
Percy lifted his eyebrows at Leo. "And now we wait," he said, sitting cross-legged and leaning against the white-sheeted chair.
Leo didn't know where to look. Percy's face? Awkward staring. Around the room? Awkward ignoring. Percy's chest? Awkward perviness.
That left conversation.
About what? Cancer? Dying? Pink, fluffy unicorns?
"Um," he started (brilliantly). "What does it feel like?"
"What does what feel like? Being Percy?" He put a dumb expression on his face and felt his chest. "Hmmm… kind of warm and smooth."
Leo laughed. "You're an imbecile." And as an afterthought: "It feels so good to not be on the receiving end of that insult."
Percy laughed, too. "Really. What does what feel like? Chemotherapy?"
Leo nodded, feeling suddenly shy.
Percy tilted his head, thinking. "Well… It's cold, but it's only, like, a specific coldness for a minute or so. Then, it becomes cold all over. It makes you lightheaded. The last time it made me feel like I couldn't breathe. And then, when it's over, it's almost worse. The very first time I had chemo, I threw up during it, towards the end. Now, I throw up afterwards. Throwing up while you can't breathe… It's not an experience I'd recommend. Also, it hurts, but that might be psychological. 'Cuz, like, I know what it's doing to me, so I kind of imagine it doing it."
Leo bobbed his head slightly, in a contemplative manner. "Did you have anything else done? Like, besides chemo and that biopsy?"
Percy snorted. "Of course. PET scan, CAT scan, two biopsies besides the one you know about, a bone marrow aspiration and a spinal tap."
Leo frowned. "What's a bone marrow aspiration?"
Percy laughed awkwardly. "Figures you'd ask about that one. Uhhh… You lie naked on a table and the doctor puts a massive syringe into your hipbone and suctions out bone marrow. It feels like someone's pulling your entire bone out, which is not entirely pleasant."
Leo's eyebrows went up out of their own accord. "You don't say."
Percy laughed again, but the laugh got cut short with a quick, sharp intake of breath. Percy's left hand flew to the base of his neck, where he pressed hard on his collarbone. Leo started up. "Are you okay?" he asked frantically, looking for the nurse's call button.
Percy's right hand waved him off weakly as the son of the sea took quick, deep breaths, hand still pushing, his chest caving in each time he breathed out. Finally, he gasped, "Yeah. Hard to breathe. Like that. I'm fine. Really."
Leo narrowed his eyes at Percy. "You are such a liar."
Percy almost laughed, but he coughed first. "I am not."
Something beeped, a long, high sound, and Leo panicked. "What's that?"
This time Percy did laugh, in a strange, oxygen-deprived way. "It's the end of chemo, genius. It's fine."
"Eventually, I'll get used to that," grumbled Leo, "but not today, and probably not next week, or after that…" He trailed off as he noticed Percy's weird expression – a mixture of hope and foreboding, maybe? "What?"
"You're coming next week?"
Leo's heart sank. "Well, I… If you don't want me to, I won't…"
And then leapt back up again when Percy smiled. "No, no, I liked having you here. If you didn't mind or whatever."
Effectively stopping the conversation that would definitely have headed in circles, Emma stepped into the room. "Hey, boys. You're outta here, Jackson, um…" she inclined her head towards Leo.
"Valdez," he supplied, suppressing a grin.
"Valdez," she repeated. She unattached the tube from the lumen. "How are you getting home?" she asked as Percy yanked his shirt over his head.
"Subway," he answered casually.
The explosion, Leo was sure, could be heard miles away. "The SUBWAY? Are you insane, Mr. Percy Jackson? You just finished chemotherapy, you're new to it, you have a weakened immune system and you're going home on the germ-infested rat-crawling homeless-people-begging-for-money-full subway?"
"Yep," he replied, turning and vomiting into the sink.
Emma's eyes widened, the shock stopping her in her tracks. "I have never seen someone as good as vomiting as you are."
"Is that a compliment?" Percy grinned, grabbing his sweater and throwing it on. "C'mon, Leo, we're going to miss the train."
Emma sighed disgustedly. "You're an idiot, Jackson. A complete and total imbecile."
"You're too late on that one," he answered. "Leo just called me one fifteen minutes ago."
"He's a smart one, that one!" she called after them as they headed down the sterile halls.
On the germ-infested, rat-crawling homeless-people-begging-for-money full subway home, Leo watched Percy carefully. If he looked closely enough, he could see the cancer starting to take its toll. Bags under his eyes, pale visage, tiredness, and maybe even a tinge of green left over from the nausea of chemo.
Percy shot a glance at him. "You look like Annabeth."
Leo cut a glance to himself. "Last time I checked, I wasn't tall, hot, blond, or female."
"I mean the staring, you freak," Percy said, smiling. "This is how Annabeth watched me after that first biopsy."
"Yeah?" Leo asked, embarrassed at being caught. "Sorry. I'm done now."
Percy looked him dead on. "What do I look like?"
Leo started. "Um… what?"
Percy was serious. "Come on, Leo, what do I look like?"
"Uh… pale, tired, nauseous, sick? Like… the flu?"
Percy nodded, satisfied. "That's really what I feel like. Cold, too."
"So that's why you're wearing a sweater in July."
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Silence for a while, just the clickety-clack of the wheels and the mostly-empty non-rush-hour subway car.
"Leo?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for keeping me company."
"No problem."
The train rode on.
Guest Reviews:
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