Hello, again!
Chapter 18 is dedicated to Ren, aka Hidden Starlight, and Anne, aka Really You HAD To Do That, on their birthdays on June seventh! Happy birthday, awesome people!
Enjoy!
Jason and Piper were tiptoeing around Percy like they'd never seen someone sick before.
Frank and Hazel were pretending like nothing was wrong.
Chiron had seen many injured heroes in his day, and was treating Percy no differently than he would treat someone with a wound.
Leo and Annabeth were the only two that were acting normal and actually meant it.
And then Nico picked the worst day ever to show up.
When Nico made his visit unannounced, he was greeted by Jason and Piper, who were on guard duty for a while.
"How've you been?" Piper asked with her usual dazzling smile.
"Fine. I wanted to talk to Percy about some mess-ups we've had with the irrigation and filtering systems we have in Elysium. He available?"
Ah, Nico. Never one for small talk. Or politeness, either.
Piper and Jason exchanged glances. "He's... no, he's out of commission."
"What does that mean, 'out of commission'?" Nico asked, shaking his head. "C'mon, where is he?"
"He's at Jamaica Medical," Jason said.
Nico was aghast. "What? Why?"
Piper shook her head. "Let him tell you."
"Oh, I will," Nico said grimly. He melted into the shadows.
When Nico appeared in the shadow of the tall building alongside the Van Wyck, he stopped and paused for a moment.
Percy was injured. Okay, so why wasn't he at the infirmary? Too much for Will to handle. How bad could it have been?
Well, let's find out, he thought.
He pushed open the big glass doors and made his way to the front desk.
"I'm here to see a patient," he told the receptionist. "Name of Percy Jackson."
The woman snapped her gum. "Wawd?" she asked, with a heavy Brooklyn accent.
Nico shrugged. "Sorry, don't know."
The woman heaved a long-suffering sigh and turned to her computer. "Peh-cy Jaaackson. Ahn-cology wawd. Room four-oh-two. Elevay-tuh ovuh thay-uh." She thumbed a finger behind her.
Nico translated this and headed off.
Nico knocked on the door of Room 402.
"Entrez-vous," came the answer.
Nico poked his head in. "Since when do you speak French?"
"Pardon?" Percy asked in a mock-offended voice. "Je parlez - non, wait - je parle? Parles? Oh, forget it." He laughed. "Come in."
Nico entrez-ed and caught sight of Leo. His guard went up immediately. Leo always made fun of Nico. Not intentionally, of course, but Leo didn't know where to stop. Didn't have much of a filter.
Leo didn't seem as... immature now, though. "Have a seat," he said, pulling up a chair.
Nico remained standing. "What is this?" he demanded, indicating Percy, the Hickman line, and the bag of Dantexronin. "Why the hell are you in the oncology ward? You have cancer? Why didn't you tell me? Does everyone know? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Percy said. "I have a smidgen of osteosarcoma, but I'm dealing with it. Why didn't I tell you? Well, it's pretty much a secret. The Seven, Will, Chiron, Paul, and my mom know. That's it."
"And this didn't qualify as news that maybe you should tell me?" he cried.
"To be honest, you have your own agenda. How do I know where to find you?" Percy answered easily.
"What exactly is a 'smidgen' of CANCER?" Nico yelled.
Leo raised his hands. "Whoa, Nico, c'mon, man-"
Percy stopped him. "No, he's right." Looking Nico directly in the eye, he said, "I'm sorry. I should have IMed you. I was an idiot."
"I'll say," Nico scoffed bitterly. "Thank you."
The three of them stayed in their respective places awkwardly for a moment. Finally, Nico, drawing in a deep breath, said, "Okay. You want to explain this to me now?"
Percy gestured to no particular place. "It's bone cancer. Right arm. Chemo, radiation, voila, cured."
"Or you die," Nico noted drily.
"Or that," Percy shrugged.
The antisocialness radiated off of Nico in waves, now that his initial fury was gone. He got to the point, so he could leave. Looking at Leo and Percy, with their camaraderie, was actually painful to him.
He'd never be as close to someone as that.
"I came to ask you for help with the filtration systems in Elysium."
"Sure!" Percy said immediately. "Can I ask you why the dead need a filtration system?"
Nico rolled his eyes. "Some cook just died. I'm hoping she'll get more reasonable with her demands, but a filtration system is the least of the things she's asked for. I mean, this saffron garbage is mad expensive."
"Ask your sister," Leo said. "She's a natural."
"Hazel?" Nico asked incredulously. "Really?"
"Nico - Nico, Nico, can you lower your voice a teeny bit, please?" Percy whispered urgently.
Nico and Leo both peered closely at him. "What's wrong?" Leo asked, almost under his breath.
Percy winced. "My head," he whispered, barely audible.
"I'll get a nurse," Nico said, and wheeled around. He quit the room hurriedly and let the door slam, eliciting an expression from Percy that absolutely terrified Leo.
Percy was shivering madly, his face completely white to the point of a green tinge. He clutched his hands around his chest. Leo draped a blanket around his shoulders. "Percy?" Leo asked, forcing himself to remain calm. "Are you going to pass out?"
Percy didn't answer, but he seemed to be trying to prevent himself from doing that very thing.
"You were fine two minutes ago, Percy, what the hell?" Leo cried. Percy hissed at the loudness of his voice. "Siento, siento, siento," muttered Leo, wishing desperately to be anywhere but there at that very moment.
Emma walked briskly into the room, Leo on her heels. "You okay, Percy?" she asked. "What hurts?"
"My head first, but now more my chest," Percy murmured, in an almost sleepy way.
"Your chest. Can you breathe, Percy?"
"Mmm... little bit," and his voice was higher now.
"Crap," Emma whispered as Percy slumped in his chair. Whipping out the walkie-talkie from her pocket, she barked into it, "Code Blue in Room 402." She lowered the chair all of the way and, yanking the chemo line from the catheter, started thumping the heels of her hands on his chest.
Leo and Nico scrambled to the side of the room as two blue-clad nurses wheeled a massive machine into the room. A doctor followed.
"Begin artificial respiratory breaths," said the white-coated figure standing at the foot of the bed. The male nurse jammed what looked like a bag into Percy's mouth and squeezed, inflating his lungs.
"Set up monitors," the woman ordered. The remaining nurse moved quickly around the two others, attaching tubes and pads and lines and wires and a million things to his chest.
Leo's face was deathly white. "What's wrong with him?" Nico whispered.
"Cardiac arrest," Leo whispered back.
Nico's face now rivaled a corpse. "What?"
The nurses were moving faster, and it was obvious that Emma was panicking.
"Simon!" barked the doctor. "Do you need to switch?"
"Yes, please," panted Emma, her hands slowing.
"Smith, pause," she ordered. "Switch with Simon."
They swapped, the other female nurse pushing the heels of her hands on Percy's chest rapidly as Emma took a deep breath, composed herself, and went to man the machines.
"Heart rate found," she reported with relief. "Not steady, but there."
The male nurse stopped with the doctor's orders, followed by Smith. "Steadying," Emma said, sounding near tears. "Steady. Steady."
Percy drew in a shallow breath, and Emma lost it.
The doctor looked at her sympathetically. "Your first near-death?"
"Wait, what?" Nico gasped.
Emma nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Can I-"
"Go," the doctor said. And then to Nico, "Well, what do you call it when someone's heart stops?"
Nico was speechless.
Dr. Semmel came running awkwardly into the room, pregnant belly bouncing, introducing herself to the occupants before stepping to Percy's side. "It's the chemo he's taking. I got a call from the doctor at that camp about the nosebleed. It's reacting to another medicine he's on and messing with his blood."
"So what do you do?" Leo asked calmly, leaving Nico gaping at the swift change in demeanor. Um, hello? Percy just almost died?
"Take him off of the other medication, of course. You can't stop taking chemo."
"Can he come home tonight?"
"Are you kidding?" the doctor who had been there during the CPR asked incredulously. "No."
Leo groaned. "Annabeth's going to kill me."
"It's not your fault," said Dr. Semmel.
"She'll make it mine. Watch."
Percy coughed and opened his eyes. Dr. Semmel peered down at him.
"How do you feel?"
"Like an elephant wearing high heels is dancing on my chest," he replied in between tiny breaths.
"Take one big one, you'll feel better," she ordered, laughing in spite of herself.
Percy tried, but ended up coughing a hacking cough. The heart monitor wavered dangerously.
"All right, forget it." She took off most of the monitors and wires used for the CPR save for the heartbeat one. "Who's going to call your parents to tell them you're spending the night here?"
"I'll call Annabeth," Leo volunteered. Nico tossed him a cell phone. Dr. Semmel walked to the clunky computer in the corner of the room and started filling out a form.
Leo dialed. Annabeth picked up on the first ring.
"Nico?"
"No, Leo," he responded.
"Leo? Why are you on Nico's phone?"
"Um... Cos I don't actually have one?"
"Ok, fine. What's up?"
"Percy had a heart attack. He's not coming home."
Dead air.
"Annabeth?"
"Okay," she said, her voice thick. "Thanks for letting me know."
"Okay," Leo said absently, his eyes already roving the room for his next distraction. "See you." He hung up.
"You okay, then?" Nico asked Percy awkwardly.
"Mm-hm." Turning his head towards Dr. Semmel, he said, "I'm only three months into his whole cancer thing. Why is this happening to me?"
Dr. Semmel swiveled on her chair. "The engineered molecule inside your chemo - Dantexronin - reacted with the chemical compound of one of your pain meds. It's a relatively new compound - the chemo - and I just reported it to the makers of both medications. You'll be taking this instead." She placed a large bottle of pills on Percy's table.
He picked it up and eyed it. "Oxycodone? Wait, what? You're putting me on oxys?"
"Take the prescribed dose and don't leave it near anyone who might be tempted - whether to take it or sell it - and you'll be fine. It's perfectly legal," she assured him.
Percy didn't look too convinced, but he replaced the bottle. Just then, a light 'Ding!' sounded over the PA system.
"Eight o'clock, gentlemen, visiting hours are over," Dr. Semmel said, pointing to Nico and Leo. "Toodles."
"Yes," Percy said, in the worst impersonation of a British accent any of them had ever heard. "Everything's going swimmingly. Chip, chip, cheerio, old chaps!"
Leo rolled his eyes. "Need me to come pick you up tomorrow?" he offered.
"No, I'm going to take-" he stopped short with a glance at Dr. Semmel, remembering Emma's reaction. "Uh, I have a ride."
Dr. Semmel apparently missed the slip-up. Leo winked and left. Nico stared at Percy for a few seconds more before leaving as well.
Nico stepped out of JMC and walked absent-mindedly down the street.
Percy looked so little in that bed.
So helpless.
His crush had almost died.
He was insulted that Percy hadn't told him.
Nope.
Nico wasn't part of the Seven. The little clique that you could not break into no matter how hard you tried.
Percy had never been on a quest with him.
Percy would always think of him as that geeky little kid who asked too many questions.
Or maybe just as that anti-social introvert, the Goth with pale skin, despite the Italian nationality.
But ever as an equal.
But who was he kidding? He never stood a chance. Percy was head over heels in love with Annabeth.
Plus, Percy wasn't-
Wasn't-
He swallowed.
Well.
Annabeth's heart was breaking.
And every time she repeated it to herself, it broke a little more.
He's dead.
Dead.
He's dead.
He's dead and he didn't even get a battle.
He's dead because his body betrayed him.
He's dead and he'll never come to your prom.
He's dead and you'll never go to his.
He's dead and he'll never be your husband.
He's dead and he'll never father your children.
He's dead and he'll never hold you again.
He's dead and he's never coming back.
He's dead.
Dead.
Dead.
Dead.
She whispered it and Hazel's head shot up in alarm.
"What?"
"He's dead," she whispered, crestfallen. Heartbroken.
Holding up the phone as evidence, she said, "Leo just called me. He said, 'Percy had a heart attack and he's not coming home.' He's dead."
A silent tear escaped Hazel's eye as Frank came up behind her.
"What's wrong?"
Annabeth told him.
"But he only had three months..." he said, in a kind of stupor.
Jason and Piper approached, holding hands.
"Why is Hazel crying?" Piper asked.
"Percy's dead."
"W-what?" Piper gasped.
The floor of Annabeth's stomach felt like it had dissolved. Her chest ached.
"Leo just called. 'Percy had a heart attack. He's not coming home.'"
"Way to break it, Leo," mumbled Jason. He moved forward and embraced her. Annabeth broke down on his shoulder. No words, just a deluge of tears.
Dead.
The three others just stood there, in almost a daze.
Will walked up, took one look at their faces, and led Annabeth by the hand to the infirmary.
The infirmary was empty, and they all took a seat. Annabeth cried slow, silent tears, cross-legged, on the bed that Percy had always occupied.
The six of them grieved together.
Percy sighed and tried to make himself comfortable.
Dang hospital bed was so hard. And there was something in his Hickman line that was freezing cold. And it wasn't dark. Percy couldn't sleep unless the room was dark. And in a hospital room, there was always light, in case Percy decided to try and croak and they needed to rescue him.
Gods, he was so helpless.
His chest still hurt, but Dr. Semmel assured him that it was to be expected.
But still.
Ow.
There was something creepy about a hospital, Percy decided. And something creepy about the quietness and the sterileness and the weirdness. And the lonesomeness.
Gods, he couldn't wait to go back home.
Wish me happy birthday, everyone, it's tomorrow!
Guest reviews:
YourFavGuest: Yeah, Leo is an awesome friend. :)
Sabrina Alejo: Qué quiere decir que Percy no puede estar enamorada de Leo? No te preocupes, es un amor fraternal. Y aquí es Nico; Rachel, Thalia, y Calypso vienen después.
Guest: I didn't say anything. Did I say anything? :)
Guest: Thank you so much!
Lily: The Hickman line itself doesn't hurt; the chemo does. Well, induces nausea, anyway. I'm glad your PICC line didn't hurt, but I used a Hickman specifically because it was less conspicuous. It's inserted through your jugular and comes out your chest, so you can hide it under your shirt. I think it's a more long-term line.
As always, read, review, and enjoy!