Third person POV
The staff of Percy's hospital were, quite frankly shocked, they'd been amazed when a teenage boy ha been brought in with two bullet wounds an the story if a hero, now they were shocked to see him again. Almost dying from an attack, yet still managing to fight the pain, to keep going and recover. They felt sorry for him, but were also in awe of him. A young lad, a teenager, fighting pain worthy of hell itself and yet never complaining, still always trying to help others. It was unbelievable.
Everyone there vowed to make his stay as comfortable as possible and to help him as much as they possably could.
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At Goode, everyone was worried.
They'd only had the young hero back for a day and he was in hospital again. The boys who attacked him were beingseverley punished and facing possible jail time if Perseus chose to press charges and everone else was waiting with baited breath for news.
The coach had told them about the pain he was in, Nat had told them that he could barely speak and the doctors had told them to be careful with him, that he might hav trouble breathing and not to make him do anything he felt he couldn't.
It was terrifying.
They vowed to help him, to make sure he would be ok.
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Percy surprised himself with how profoundly happy he was when he could finally get around in a wheelchair. He still needed help, he couldn't really push it on his own much and he needed his oxygen mask every hour or two (well maybe a bit more regularly than that but who was keeping track...he thought about it...Annabeth). He was going back to school.
A month or two ago, that would have made him sad, he didn't particularly like school, but now; he was just happy to get out of bed. School would give him something to do. Somethign that wasn't the monotonous daily routine of physio, food and sleep. As much as he didn't like it, at least it was engaging.
So he had a pained smile on his face as Paul wheeled him through the school gates.
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"Now Percy," His step-father spoke as he pushed him through the gates, "You're under strict orders to take it easy, not to hide it if you need to take a break and not to push yourself too hard, got it?"
Percy took a deep breath.
"I know...Paul." Too many words at once still hurt a bit...
"Lets go then."
Once again, Percy was stared at as he came back, although this time, being pushed in his chair as opposed to hobbling on crutches, he was greeted with stares of people with the clear desire to help, instead of the morbid curiosety and just plain, rde staring.
It felt weird.
Paul rolled him into the office and started speaking to the office lady, "Hi Claire, I was wondering if you could assign someone to help Percy throughout the day. He isn't quite strong enough to push himself around the entire school yet and he can't carry his bags on his lap without pressing his wounds." Paul choked slightly on the last word and Percy shivered at the thought of the pain that would bring, he already felt like he was being slowly ripped apart, that would be pure agony.
"Of course, do you have a preferance as to who helps you Percy?"
"Yeah, can...Nat help...please." His face redened at his inability to speak properly.
"Of course dear." She smiled kindly at him. "Sindy, go get Nat to collect Percy's things!" She called to the other office lady, who ran off to get the boy. "Anything else Mr Blofis?"
"No thank you Claire, I'll just leave his bags here and go on up to my class room. When Nat comes tell him that Percy will need pushing around for at least a week yet ok?" The lady smiled sadly at the worried father.
"Of course, Paul. Go on up, we'll take care of him." She smiled sympathetically, trying to reassure the man.
"Thank you, be good Percy."
"Always...Paul." Percy smiled at him tightly.
"Love you Perce."
"You too...Paul." The man smiled to his step-son as he left the room.
Percy turned to the office lady.
"He's been...wasy too..stressed recently. He needs...a break."
"Don't worry about him Percy, worry about yourself, is there anything I can get to help you?" ercy thought about it. There was nothing she could do to help his pain but there was something that coul make him feel batter.
"Could you...get me...some water...please?" She smiled at being able to do something to help the pained teen.
"Of course Percy." Nat came through the door just as Claire came back with his water.
"Hey Perce, it's great to see you back here mate. How you oing?"
"Better than...last time you...saw me." Percy smiled at his friend, "There's just...no keeping me...own." Percy thanked Claire as she handed him his water.
"No way Perce, so I was told I'll be carrying your bags and opening doors and stuff for ya. I'l finally be able to push you around 'eh." Nat grinned, causing Percy to laugh.
"Argh!" He clutched his side as the laughter caused pain to rip through his body.
"Oh my God Percy, I'm sorry! I didn't think."
"It's...fine...just," He swallowed hard,"hurts...a...bit." He panted. Percy could just tell today was not going to be pleasant.
"Come on Perce," Nat tried to change the subject."I'll take you to homeroom, 'k?"
"Sounds..great." Percy clenched is teeth throught the pain. He tried to hide every cringe and hiss of pain as his friend pushed him through the halls and up the elevator, but some got through, causing Nat to cringe and apologise profusely every time.
"It's ok mate...really. It's not your...fault." The wounded hero tried to reasure him, but he still apologised every time.
Eventually, after an eternity of bumps and apologies, they arrived at homeroom.
Seven minutes after everyone else.
Styxe.
"Hello we're...late. The elevator was...slower than...anticipated." The teacher seemed shocked and slightly scared by the obviouse pain Percy was in and hurried to reasure him.
"It's ok Jackson, I know. Nat, if you just push him up to one of the desks and give him his things, I'll mark you off on the register"
"'k, sir." Nat did so and the teacher smiled at Percy as he rested his arms on the desk.
"So welcome back class, for another week at school." The students groaned."Yes yes, I know you don't want to be here, but tough. You don't have a choice. This week will be normal except I have to tell you some first aid procedures just in case." This earned him some confused loks. "In case he needs it, we all need to know how to help Percy." The hero loweded his head as his face flushed in shame and embarassment. "It's nothing to be embarassed about Percy." The teacher tried to help the poor teenager. "If he has trouble and can't do it himself, whoever is closest to him has to secure his oxygen mask and if you see him bleeding you are to alert a member of staff imediately. In addition to this, if he falls asleep, you are not to wake him, I know normal school rules dictate that sleeping is not alowed in class, Percy needs all the recovery time he can get, everyone else in the school has had these rules explained to them as well, so don't worry. Does everyone understand?"
Percy's face got steadily redder. Everyone knew his weaknesses and had been told what to do if he couldn't help himself. It was plain embarassing.
"Hey, it's ok Perce. You have nothing to be embarassed about." Everyone else in the room murmered in agreement as Nat tried to console his embarassed friend. "It's not your fault mate and we really don't mind."
Percy sighed and the teacher took that as his cue to change the subject.
"Ok kids, this morning we are going to be starting to plan our assembly..." Percy zoned out as the teacher talked aout an assembly he wouldn't be able to help with and started day dreaming about Penny (the little girl he saved) and camp. He wondered what they were doing now...
The teacher notied he was't paying attention but didn't say anything, he woudn't really be able to help anyway and he'd more than earne dthe free ass. Hell he'd more than earned a pernament freepass after what he'd done and what he'd been through. The teacher checked the time.
"Ok Nat, Percy, you should get going. First class starts in ten minutes." Percy couldn't beieve it took him that long to get to a class, to be pushed there no less and sat there helplessly as his friend gathered his stuff for him and started pushing his chair.
"Come on Perce, lets go."
Their first few lesson passed normaly, though Miss Chancey was nervous around him and went out of her way to accomodate him. Very embarassing. They were talking about the civil war, he thought, he kind of lost consciousness a bit half way through. He just couldn't seem to keep the blackness away. Eregh.
Nat was just taking him outside to go to his net class when he put on his oxygen mask for his every-other-hour top up.
"You ok, mate."
Percy raised an eyebrow, he couldn't exactly answer with a plastic mask strapped to his face.
"Oh yeah, tell me when you're done." He kept pushing Percy, they were in the elevator when he could finally take off the mask.
"Sorry about that...Nat. I've got to...put it on every...hour or...two. The bullet...and woujnd reopening...hurt my...lungs."
"Oh crap mate, I'm sorry. That must really suck." Percy shrugged and instantly regretted it, but he kept talking, gritting his teeth through the pain.
"It's...ok...it'll get...better...eventually."
"Good." That how the rest of the day went really, Percy had his top up every once in a while and they spent lunch in Paul's room to make sure his wound wasn't jostled but nothing overly exciting happened.
Until 5th period.
Then it all went to Hades, Percy should've known his luck wouldn't hold.
They were half way through the lesson when the kid working for the office that day came crashing through the door with a message, he tripped on the way in causing the door to snap and bang against the classroom wall.
It was funny, everyone was laughing at the poor kid's misfortune, even him.
But the sound was just too much like a gunshot.
Percy's breath caught in his throat, the class's laughter echoing around him, like that sadistic terrorist as he shot another innocent mortal in the head, blood spurting everywhere. He started to hyperventilate, but with his lungs so messed up, that resulted in gasping and choking.
One of classmates heard him and looked round.
"Oh my God!" Everyone stopped laughing and looked at them when they heard the fearful shout, they all started freaking out.
Percy couldnt breath. It was so much like the attack. Laughter. Fear. Pain. No. No. Nonononononono. He started to see black spots.
The teacher sprinted forward and tried to find his mask on his wheelchair.
The entire class had gone deathly quiet. The only sound in the room was the hero's terrified choking.
"Percy, it's ok. No-one going to hurt you. I'm getting your mask and you're going to be fine ok." But Percy couldn't hear him. He was too far gone for that. The blackness had almost completely taken his vision.
Just as he was about to pass out the teacher found his mask and quickly and carefully straped it onto his face.
"Deep breaths Percy. It's ok. Everything's ok. Is there anything I can give you for the pain Percy?"
The boy just stared for a minute, uncomprehending. Before slowly shaking his head. The teacher, Mr Odish, looked down sadly.
"You ok Percy? Can you breath on your own yet?" Percy shook his head again, much more slowly this time, looking slightly fearful. "Ok then, don't worry, I wont take it off you, I'm staying right here." The child looked so relieved Mr Odish's heart almost broke. "Blink three times when you're ok on your own." Percy nodded carefully. He closed his eyes for a few minutes. Taking deep breaths. One after the other. Carefully inhaling then exhaling. Before opening his eyes and blinking clearly, three times.
His teacher carefully took the oxygen mask off of him and looked him in the eye.
"Are you ok Percy?"
"Yes...thank you...sir. I just...panicked..." Percy looked ashamed.
"It's ok Percy. Can you tell me what happened?" The entire class was silent.
"The-the door. It...sounded like...the-the," His voice lowered to a scared whisper,"It sounded like the guns...the guns...the terr...orists...used." He breathed in and out painfully in between every few syllabels.
The teacher cringed sympathetically. It broke his heart to see such a young boy haunted by such terrible memories.
"Do you think you'll be ok now?"
"Yes-Yes sir. I think I'll...just go to...the office and...lie down for...a bit if...that's ok with you...please." The friendly teacher smiled at him.
"Of course Percy. I'll take you there." He started gathering percy's things as the boy focused on controlling his laboured breathing as much as possible. "Class, behave while I'm gone, I'll call for another teacher to cover but you'll be unsupervised for a few mintes. Can you be good while I take care of Percy?" The class nodded somberly.
"Actually, instead of calling: Jessica, could you run to the office, explain what has happened and ask them for a cover?"
"Of course sir." THe girl ran off and the teacher started wheeling Percy outside.
"Thank you sir." The damaged teen whispered. "You really...helped."
"I'm glad I could Percy. now come on, can you show me the way, I don't know which office youve been given?"
"Room 53 sir." Percy was quiet, his breathing still harsh.
"You sure you're ok, Percy? I can go slower if you want."
"No thanks sir, I'll just put the maks back on for a bit if you dont mind."
"Of course not Percy, whatever you need." The teen nodded thankfully, oxygen mask already in place.
Once they got to the office, Mr Odish helped transfer Percy to the bed that had been temporerily put in there and moved his oxygen tank to an easier position. Percy yelled in pain as he moved to the bed.
"Sorry." the boy breathed hard.
"It's...ok...not your...fauly...just...hurts." He replaced the mask uickly and lay down for a minute bufore briefly taking it off again.
"I think I'll...just go to...sleep for...a bit...ok?" He put the mask back on and blinked drowsily.
"Ok Percy. I'll be right here." The boy was already asleep.
"Poor poor kid."
A/n:
2,482 words of pure story. I am proud. And it's only half ten (pm). :D Hope you liked it. Tell me what you thought or future ideas in the comments, I'm gunna keep this story arc going for a couple more chapters then move on. I hope youre liking it. See you soon.
-Samantha2611