Aroma ~ A Percabeth Story (ongoing): Book 3 - Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Chapter Nineteen ~ PERCY

Chapter Twenty
PERCY

Percy was weak. So weak. His leg, poisoned by the hydra acid, was heavy and useless. He sat in his wheelchair, wondering what he'd do without it.

Will had wanted to amputate it. In the end, he chose not to - but if Percy did not regain function in his leg in the next three days, Will would remove it.

Percy shuddered at the thought, which just caused his body to ache all over.

"Where's Annabeth?" he asked for what felt like the millionth time.

Will gave him the same look and reply he'd always answered with. "She's gone home," he said. "Her business needed her."

"You're lying," Percy snapped. "You know as well as I do that that's not true!"

Will scratched his head. "I'm not," he lied.

"Yes, you are. And if you won't tell me where she's gone or what she's up to, I'll just find out for myself."

Percy slammed his hands on the wheels and pushed himself out. Will watched him leave, saying nothing and not attempting to stop him. Percy returned to his cabin - the Poseidon one, crafted of fine seashell and coral.

The trident overhead gleamed at Percy, and for some reason he felt a surge of anger. Stupid god, he thought sulkily.

Even his own dad couldn't cheer him up.

Percy pursed his lips. "Come on, Jackson. You can do it. You're Percy Jackson. If you can defeat Kronos and make Annabeth Chase your girlfriend, you can definitely summon some water to push your wheelchair up some bloody steps."

He breathed in and felt the familiar tug in his gut as he searched for nearby water. He had to be careful not to draw any from the camp lake or the nearby ocean; he had to narrow his search to below him.

Clank. Percy grinned. He'd found the underground water pipes that led to the lavatories and showers, and provided them with clean fresh water. Using his powers, he froze the water and transferred it to the spot where he sat. It began to seep through the ground, raising the soil and lifting the wheelchair towards the steps.

Percy heard the groans from nearby campers as their showers suddenly turned cold and then completely stopped. In the distance, he could see kids wrapped in fuzzy towels moaning and shouting at each other. He saw the Stoll brothers - the counsellors of the Hermes cabin, who'd fought alongside Percy in the Titan war - getting blamed for what people believed to be yet another one of their unfunny, immature pranks.

Smirking, Percy raised his hands in a sweeping motion and the water burst through in huge splashes, creating a miniature wave. The wheelchair moved easily along the wave and landed with a thunk on the cabin landing.

He opened the cabin door and rolled his chair through. To his surprise, a young woman with chocolate-brown skin and a mass of cocoa curls perched on his bed, peering around the room. She settled her glorious eyes on him.

"Hey." Her smile was kind and friendly, and she looked at him with a sisterly sense of adoration. "It's been a while."

Percy grinned back and wheeled his chair over to her to hug her. "It has indeed, Hazel," he said, wrapping his strong arms around her.

Hazel laughed her sweet giggle in his ear. "I've missed you," she whispered.

"I've missed you, too," Percy admitted. It hurt how long he hadn't seen her. "Where have you been, these last three years?"

Hazel offered him a plastic cup full of blue Diet Coke. "I've been at Camp Jupiter," she said, "with Frank. There was an election four months ago - Frank is not only centurion and leader of the Fifth Cohort; he's now the new praetor!"