Percy's POV: Four Months Later, April

Something is definitely wrong here, and I'm not sure what it is - a subtle awareness of who I am under the ease of thoughts that are slowly connecting to my waking life. After a few moments more I begin to analyze them in a lazy way - huh my own thoughts are feeling strange to me, that's new. They pop up like the ideas that are formed in the shower or right before bed, some silly while others are just nonsense. In another moment they are gone leaving no trace. If they are still in my head there is no bread crumb trail back to them. My eyelids want to flicker open, but I refuse them that. No, I'm forcing myself to lay as motionless as possible. Even leaving my breathing unbearably calm. Because the idea of what I find when I do open them is terrifying.

I try to force my mind silent again, willing the carousel to return, for my mind to tumble back to dreams, but it won't. My mind doesn't want to. I am awake and there is no retreat. Almost like I am lucidly awake. Aware that I am, but nothing is getting to me. A thick fog clouding my nose blocking anything from getting through. Even sound sounds distant, like I am buried six feet below trying to listen to fish talk through glass. All bubbly and muffled. It is cutting in and out randomly. I can't even tell how much time is passing. A minute? An hour? A week? I can't distinguish anything from anything.

When there is no sound to hear my focus shifts. It's subtle, but my body feels numb. Is it always numb when I wake up? It almost like my body is sinking in water, a pressure on my back that's forcing me still. That doesn't sound right. There shouldn't be anything on my back. Should there? Even something as simple as trying to twitch my finger goes unanswered.

Everything is hazy. I mean it feels like I'm floating and tingly at the same time. And high. Yea, I know what it is like. And it only took one bad mushroom. But not like high high, just medicated? Ugh even my memories don't quite add up. I don't take meds. And I know better than to eat mysterious mushrooms now.

What the hell? Where am I? I feel like I should be somewhere. Where though? What am I forgetting?

I'm not opening my eyes until I know something. That is a mistake I'm not making again. Everything tasted yellow and looked like how the number seven felt, which is odd no doubt. It also doesn't make any damn sense. Best to keep my eyes shut.

Am I supposed to feel lightheaded? Is it even lightheaded? Gods I don't even know. I mean I feel okay - well as okay as I can at the moment. How exactly am I supposed to realize anything if I can't even see? Or make out anything around me? Am I dead? Is this what death feels like? Maybe I didn't do enough to make it to Elysium. Or Hades still holds a grudge against me. But, I know my name. I definitely know that and if my last trip to Hades realm taught me anything it is that the dead don't remember too much of anything.

I can feel my facial muscles itching to move. I'm experimenting trying to lift my eyelids, but it is too damn heavy to make any progress. Have my eyelids been shut so long that they're stuck? It certainly feels like it. One more go and I just barely manage to open my left eye.

The piercing agony of blazing light seared itself into my eye. It continued to dig itself further until it circulated into a small headache. In those lights my retinas became flooded and all I saw was white. Sometimes light can be so similar to the dark. Except the dark doesn't hurt as much as the light. Squinting my eye did little to alleviate the stress on my eye, but it helped drain the light to a more bearable level. And I saw - I saw... a ceiling?

A wave of nausea hits me with the force of a semitruck because - because I remember! My choice! My deal! It all came flooding back into me. I feel light, but I should feel like my spine is about to pop out of my mouth. My breathe quicken into short bursts that left me gasping for more air. My pulse quickens until it is hammering at my chest. I try to move, but my numb limbs don't respond. I quickly glance down and my eyes widen in response. Am I tied down!? Is that why I can't move!?

I thrash in place forgetting everything. I need to go! I need - oh gods my family! I have to get the hell out of here! I finally feel my arms moving in line with what I'm thinking. Without question I grab whatever wires tubes, I can feel and peel them off, ignoring the the pain that follows as I carelessly free myself. Who cares if the tape took a little bit of hair and who cares if it sting a bit. I'm trying to scream, but something is clogging my throat! All that came out was a gurgle and a gag. I grab the thing and wrench it out of my throat and buckle into a coughing fit.

My eyes continue to blur with the added mixture of tears as I roll out of the bed, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. I dug fingers into the wooden floor as a dull ache caressed my knees and elbows, which took the brunt of the fall. Now that I can orient myself, dizziness takes a drastic hold. Even though my eye is focusing on the ground and only the ground, the world around my is spinning. I fall to my side feeling cold all of a sudden. Goosebumps litter every piece of exposed flesh. Which turned out to be a lot, if that breeze is anything to go by. What the hell happened to my shorts!? Am I wearing a hospital gown?

My nausea won't go away, but I'm going to push past that. I need to push past that. I will. Even past the nude position I'm currently in.

I throw myself up until I'm standing, ignoring the slow and steady approach. My shoulders sag, my knees are weak and are shaking from just that. I'm gasping for breath, and my heart won't simmer down. This gods damn stomach of mine nearly leapt out of my throat. My right eye is just barely open now, but I'm still seeing double with the edges of my vision transitioning from black shadows to spotty at best. My entire body is swaying, twitching even, and I can feel sweat already forming. And to make things even better I can feel blood dripping from the various places I ripped those things out. The taste of copper blood at the tip of my tongue from the other tube too.

This is just great. So damn great.

I take a step forward and buckle under the strain. With nothing to grab my face hits the ground first, a flare of pain emits from my nose. I bite the inside of my cheek drawing blood. This is not going well. Everything is spinning again.

I groan out a bit, flexing my hands while digging my knees up from under me. And I begin to move. Crawling, like a damn wounded animal. That's what's become of me. How pathetic. I crawl forward scraping my knees against the wood, latching onto the first piece of solid furniture I feel. It couldn't even have been more than five feet, but it felt like a mile. I drag myself up trying and failing to keep my feet from slipping out from underneath me.

I steadily stand on my own, taking my second first step forward. Not falling. Good. I continue but sway and run into every cabinet, pot, and piece of equipment on the way towards the door. It probably looked like a tornado went through there, but I couldn't care less. The crashes felt so damn loud my ears rung like a shrieking siren.

As I continue my eyes blank out, but my body still moves. Somehow I would end up either ten feet from the last spot or a couple feet back. It was absolutely infuriating. I don't care. My eyes aren't helping. I don't even know where the hell I am, but my legs are still moving. I couldn't even tell you how many door posts I ran into, or how many times I stubbed my toes. At least the numbness was good for something.

Some time passed, don't ask me how much, before I push through what I think is a door and collapse down the stairs. Something sounded like it cracked, but if it were me or the stairs - I don't know. My shoulder taking it all the way down. All I feel is the dull ache. I sprawl onto my back and continue to heave. All the while clutching my eyes shut. My heart is hammering into my ears. My eyes tingle every time I open them and my ears are becoming so damn sensitive. Everything is shaking, but I can't stop. Not even to ease the ache building in my limbs. Which feel far too stiff for my liking.

I roll over onto my stomach spitting out my blood soaked saliva. I cough until my abs feel like the ran through a wood chipper. Gods, this feels bad.

So what? I force my legs yet again to stand up and push forward.

Keep going forward.

Don't stop.

Forward.

Until you know you can take a breather.

No choice.

Everything around all became one blur of yellows, greens and blues. I knew I would faint eventually, but not so soon. Except when my stomach gave out. It feels like my innards were being replaced by some kind of black hole. The nausea crept from my abdomen to my head and the world went black.

I know this is a short chapter, but you guys deserve something. I hope you guys enjoy and next chapter will definitely be longer. Also I love your comments because they make my day. Thank you!