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Percy Jackson couldn’t breathe.
Ironic, wasn’t it? The legendary son of Poseidon, able to inhale water like it was nothing, a halfblood with the ability to raise tidal waves and flood entire islands - and he was sitting with his back against one of Cabin 3’s wooden walls, knees curled up to his chest, gasping for air that wouldn’t fill his lungs.
It was pathetic. Percy had survived the black pits of Tartarus itself, had bore the weight of the sky on his shoulders, had fought in and helped bring an end to not one but two godly wars, had choked a goddess with her own poison, acid burning his fingers and her blood staining his face and -
He pressed his face into his arms, his hands desperately clawing at his hair.
He was a hero, a demigod meant to protect his friends in the heat of battle, and he couldn’t even breathe.
For the first time in his life, Percy’s lungs hurt.
Percy’s fingernails dug into his cheek. Distantly, he realised that something wet and metallic was pouring down the side of his face. He wanted to scream, to summon Riptide and strike at whatever invisible enemy was plaguing him, but he couldn’t breathe right and his chest hurt and he could smell blood and it was like he was back there…
Back in the empty streets of Manhattan, where the air was hot and heavy and smelled of death, running to find Luke, to save Annabeth, to save everyone, to stop the destruction and the dying all around him. And then a bridge had fallen, and he knew Micheal Yew was dead - if Percy just hadn't collapsed that bridge he would still be alive - it was Percy’s fault - it was all his fault, Bianca and Zoë and Lee and Beckendorf - their lifeblood was staining his hands.
Back in the streets, his stupid brain sparking with hope as Clarisse lead the Ares’s cabin onto the battlefield, wondering if maybe, just maybe, they might not all die today. Maybe they would actually stand a chance.
But then it wasn’t Clarisse, just someone wearing her armour, and oh gods it was Silena. He was back there, helpless as he heard Clarisse scream. That horrible, terrified scream that would haunt him for the rest of his days, the same grief-stricken scream he imagined Nico and Thalia and Will, who was just 12, and a hundred other demigods whose names he didn’t even know had yelled.
And then Ethan was falling, Luke was dead, Annabeth was still alive, and they got to go home but it wasn’t over, it was never over. There was always another quest, another war, another body. So many dead - so many lost - and Percy got to live and they didn’t and he knew it wasn’t fair but right now he just wanted to breathe.
Percy gasped. Rummaging through his pockets, he reached for something, a weapon, Riptide, anything that could protect him. His heart pounded in his chest, eyes darting around the room so fast yet seeing nothing but fuzzy darkness. Where was he? What time was it?
Where was Annabeth?
His hand landed on a metal box of some sorts, blissfully cold against his shaking hands. A memory flashed across his skull of Annabeth handing it to him, to all of them…
“It’s a phone - well, it’s a version of a phone. Leo and I made them so that we can actually text each other without, you know, dying. They don’t run the internet, so they don’t attract monsters.” Annabeth was explaining proudly.
A dark haired girl - Piper - raised an eyebrow. “That’s cool and all, but what do we need them for? We’ve gotten this far without needing to text all of a sudden.”
Annabeth smiled, her stormy eyes lighting up with an emotion he couldn’t quite place, but one that felt like home.
“That leads us to my proposal - I think we should have a code word of sorts, one that we can use if we’re seriously hurt or having a panic attack or anytime we need help. We say the code word, and everyone drops everything, no questions asked - got it?”
Percy looked up, panting as the room spun. The code word. That was right. He could say the code word and maybe someone would help him breathe.
He flipped open the phone, pressing random buttons until what he recognised as their group chat popped up on the screen. Clumsily, he punched in letters, salty tears obscuring his vision.
The Argo Gang:
Sent at 11:48pm
Percy Jackson: icarus
Percy dug his fingernails further into his cheek, focusing on sharp stinging sensation. His phone buzzed, once, twice, three times.
The Argo Gang:
Sent at 11:48pm
Percy Jackson: icarus
Jason Grace: Guys? That’s the code word, right?
Piper Mclean: oh my god it is
Frank Zhang: Percy? Are you okay?
Percy Jackson: i cant breathe
Leo Valdez: is he choking or something??
Hazel Levesque: Percy? Can you tell us where you are?
Percy Jackson: dont know
Hazel Levesque: I know it’s hard, but can you have a look around? We need to know where you are so we can get to you.
Percy Jackson squeezed his eyes shut, and then forced them open again. His fingernails pressed hard against his cheek. Where was he?
He took three panicked gasps, trying desperately to shove more air into lungs that didn’t seem to be working right.
Where was he?
His hand brushed the walls behind him. They were grainy and hard, smelling faintly of the sea.
The Argo Gang:
11:49pm
Percy Jackson: somewhere with wooden walls i think
Jason Grace: okay, that’s good! Your cabin, maybe?
Hazel Levesque: Nico’s shadow-travelling over there now to check.
Rolling shadows formed in the corner of the room, the pitch blackness of the cabin somehow becoming more dark. A familiar figure stepped forward.
Nico? What was he doing here?
He looked older than Percy remembered. More tired.
Little Nico, all grown up.
A voice screamed inside of his head.
“Where’s my sister?”
Where was she, Percy?
He heard his own voice - oh how he hated that sound.
“She might still be alive, Nico -”
“She’s dead. I can feel it.”
Dead. Bianca Di Angelo was dead, and it was his fault.
“You promised you would protect her! You promised!”
Yes, Percy. You promised.
“I hate you!”
“-Percy? You need to breathe, okay? You’re hyperventilating.”
That didn’t make sense to Percy. How could he be hyperventilating when he couldn’t breathe at all?
Nico looked around awkwardly. “I’m getting the others over here now…just…just try to match my breathing.”
Why was he helping him?
Nico should hate him for what he did. Last time Percy checked, he did.
Percy’s phone buzzed. The words on the screen meant about as much to him as straight-up zeros and ones did.
The Argo Gang:
Sent at 11:51pm
Nico Di Angelo: Percy’s in his cabin. I’m with him.
Jason Grace: Oh thank Hera.
Hazel Levesque: We’re coming over there now. Just hang on for a few more minutes.
Percy was vaguely aware of freezing cold hands gently grabbing his wrists, pulling them away from his cheeks. Something warm and sticky dripped from his fingernails onto the wooden floor.
The Argo Gang:
Sent at 11:52pm
Nico Di Angelo: Could you guys bring some Ambrosia, too? He’s hurt himself pretty bad.
Will Solace: Im omw with ambrosia and the first aid-kit.
Leo Valdez: me and jason r here.
Frank Zhang: Does anyone know where Annabeth is? I have a feeling we’ll need her here.
Piper Mclean: @Annabeth Chase get online right now
Percy’s lungs tightened.“Annabeth?”
Was she hurt? Missing? …worse?
Percy’s mind spiralled. He remembered the frantic search for her with Zoë and Thalia by his side. He would never forget seeing her there, head dropped, holding up the weight of the sky as her grey-streaked hair covered her face.
“Annabeth.” He said again, this time more urgently. If she was hurt, if Kronos or Gaia or Luke got her -
Nico looked up, one hand still holding onto Percy’s wrists. “She’ll be here soon. I promise.”
The Argo Gang:
11:54pm
Nico Di Angelo: Annabeth please get here
The cabin door burst open, and then Jason was by his side.
“Hey Perc. Looks like you’ve had a bit of a rough few hours, eh?”
Hours? How long had it been? He remembered smiling around a campfire with his friends and heading to his cabin to get ready for bed, but nothing else.
A faint glow emerged in the doorway as Will Solace walked in, squeezing Nico’s hand reassuringly as he kneeled down beside him. The son of Apollo’s voice was practised and unwavering as he pulled out some white bandages and a box of Ambrosia from the blue messenger bag half-hazardly strung around his shoulders.
“Okay, first things first: we need to get his breathing steady. We can’t do much if he’s still hyperventilating.”
Good. Percy’s brain was starting to go fuzzy from the lack of oxygen. It reminded him a little too much of drowning in that mud on his quest with Hazel and Frank. Drowning, drowning, drowning. Hadn’t he wished he could drown once?
Jason was placing a warm hand on his shoulder. “Percy? Can you copy my breathing? In and out, that’s it.”
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
In…
Slowly, Percy filled his lungs with lukewarm air, the quiet but steady rhythm of Jason’s breathing leading him away from those dark memories.
Percy felt something soft press against his hands.
“It’s okay - I’m just bandaging your hands.” Will said. He sounded far away, like Percy’s head was underwater.
Wait…why did his hands need bandages?
He must’ve asked the question out loud, because Jason was telling him
“You scratched yourself up pretty bad, Perc.”
Oh. Percy looked down, and, sure enough, there was a thin trail of blood on the floor below him.
That would also explain the stinging in his cheek.
Will placed a square of Ambrosia in one of his bandaged hands. “Eat this, okay? It’ll help with the pain.”
Percy nodded numbly, placing the Ambrosia on his tongue. It tasted like the cookies he made with his Mom and Annabeth one rainy afternoon - slightly burnt and far too sweet, but like home nonetheless. He closed his eyes.
A figure slipped through the door, pushing past the others crowded around the cabin.
“Percy?”
Annabeth was here.
Will moved out of the way so she could take his place kneeling by his side. Nico grabbed his hand as together they led the rest of the demigods outside to wait.
“Hey.” He croaked, lifting up his head to meet her grey eyes.
“Hey yourself, Seaweed brain.”
Percy Jackson took a breath. A wave of relief rolled over him - Annabeth was here.
****
Two weeks later, Percy was sitting in the big house, playing (and losing) a card game with Hazel, Frank, and Annabeth, when his phone buzzed. He took the opportunity to gracefully pause the game so he could at least attempt to stop getting pummeled by Annabeth and Hazel.
The Argo Gang:
Sent at 12:22pm
Leo Valdez: hey has anyone seen percy?
Hazel Levesque: Yes, he’s getting destroyed by us in cards, why?
Percy Jackson: how could you Hazel i thought we were friends??
Hazel Levesque: All is fair in love and war, Jackson.
Percy Jackson: i feel attacked
Percy Jackson: also Leo if this is about the fire vs. water epic battle take 2 @ 4, just know that im going to beat you obv
Annabeth Chase: Almost as bad as we’re beating you in cards, Seaweed Brain?
Piper Mclean: ooooh Burn
Leo Valdez: bro just got wrecked lmao
Nico Di Angelo: I believe that is what kids call ‘a major L’ these days.
Percy put his phone down with a laugh, turning back to their card game. Annabeth raised an eyebrow.
“Do I want to know about the ‘epic fire vs. water battle take 2’?”
Percy grinned. “No, you really don’t.”