A Light In The Dark

A Light In The Dark Part Fifteen

The dizziness hit Percy without warning. One moment, he was sitting at the kitchen table, trying to focus on the homework Adam had set up for him. The next, the world spun violently, sending his stomach lurching as if he were on the verge of tumbling into nothingness.

"N-not a-again," Percy whispered under his breath, gripping the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white. His heart raced, panic rising in his chest as he closed his eyes, hoping it would pass quickly, like before. But when he opened them again, everything was gone.

No light. No shadows. No shapes.

Just nothing.

A wave of dread washed over him. He counted the seconds instinctively, like a mantra that he clung to to stay calm.

"O-one... t-t-two... th-th-three..." Percy murmured, trying to keep his voice steady despite the tremors rattling through his body. He heard Adam moving in the kitchen, unaware of what was happening. Percy didn't want to worry him — not yet, at least.

The numbers kept ticking by in Percy's head as he forced himself to breathe evenly. It was getting worse. The last time had been eight minutes, but this time... He was already nearing five and could feel that it wasn't stopping anytime soon.

He couldn't shake the fear gnawing at him. How long would it last this time?

"Percy, you okay in there?" Adam called from the kitchen. The sound of his voice grounded Percy momentarily, even though the fear still tugged at the edges of his thoughts. Percy could hear the concern in his friend's tone, and he didn't want to burden him.

"I'm—" Percy swallowed, his voice wavering. "I'm o-okay."

But he wasn't okay. The seconds passed, dragging out like hours. His vision was still a blank slate, with no signs of light or clarity returning. His heart hammered in his chest as he reached twelve minutes. The fear threatened to consume him entirely, but he forced himself to stay calm.

Stay calm. It'll pass.

By the time the dizziness finally faded, and his sight returned in small, blurry fragments, Percy was shaking more violently than ever. Adam rushed over to him, clearly noticing something was wrong.

"Percy, what happened?" Adam asked, kneeling beside him, his hands steadying Percy's shoulders. "You're pale as a ghost, man."

"L-l-lost my s-s-sight ag-gain." Percy said shakily."F-f-for t-twelve m-m-minutes. It's g-g-getting l-l-longer." Adam's eyes widened in alarm. "We need to tell your dad. You've got a doctor's appointment coming up soon, right?"

Percy nodded, feeling the exhaustion creeping in. "Y-yeah. T-t-two d-d-days f-from n-now. I-I'll... I-I'll t-tell him."

Two days later, Percy found himself back at the clinic, his heart pounding in his chest. Poseidon stood beside him, hand on his son's shoulder as they waited for Dr. Chang to enter the exam room. The air in the room felt thick with tension, and Percy struggled to keep his mind from racing back to the dizzy spells and bouts of vision loss.

He hadn't told Poseidon about the twelve-minute episode. Not yet. He didn't want to worry him more than he already was.

Dr. Chang walked in, a clipboard in hand. "Good afternoon, Percy, Poseidon. How are you feeling today, Percy?"

Percy gave a shaky smile. "S-s-same as l-l-last t-time. E-e-except... it's g-g-getting w-worse."

Poseidon frowned, looking at his son with deep concern. "Worse how?"

Percy glanced at his father, then back at the doctor. "Th-the v-v-vision l-l-loss... it's l-l-lasting l-l-longer n-now. Th-the l-l-last t-time w-was t-twelve m-minutes. I-I've b-b-been c-c-counting. An-and I g-g-get d-dizzy b-b-before it h-h-happens."

Dr. Chang's expression turned serious as he scribbled something on his clipboard. "That's concerning, Percy. I'd like to do a full examination today, especially now that the vision loss is becoming more frequent."

Just as Dr. Chang said the words, another dizzy spell hit Percy. Hard.

His head swam, the walls of the clinic seeming to twist and stretch around him. The familiar sensation of weightlessness swept over him, and before he could stop it, the world around him disappeared. He gasped softly, gripping the sides of his wheelchair as the panic began to rise.

"It's h-h-happening ag-gain,"  Percy said through gritted teeth, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I c-can't... see."

Dr. Chang's eyes widened, and he moved quickly to Percy's side. "You've lost your vision? Right now?"

Percy nodded, his breath coming in shallow bursts. "Y-yeah. Ev-e-everything's... g-g-gone."

"How long has it been?" Poseidon asked his voice tight with worry.

"I d-d-don't kn-know... th-th-thirty s-s-seconds?" Percy's voice shook, both from the tremors and the anxiety pulsing through him. "It's n-n-never h-h-happened at th-the d-d-doctor's b-b-before."

Dr. Chang wasted no time. He began examining Percy immediately, checking his pupils, taking his pulse, and speaking calmly but efficiently. "Percy, I'm going to monitor you closely during this episode. Try to stay calm. Breathe slowly."

Percy nodded weakly, still counting in his head. One hundred... one hundred five...

Poseidon's hand rested on his son's shoulder, the grip strong yet gentle. "You're okay, Percy. We're right here with you."

Minutes passed, and Percy kept counting, his heart rate slowly beginning to match the rhythm of the numbers. Four minutes. Five. Still no change in his vision. His pulse quickened again as panic nipped at the edges of his mind.

"Percy, your pulse is elevated," Dr. Chang said softly. "I know this is frightening, but try to take deep breaths. We're almost there."

"Al-almost wh-where?" Percy asked, voice strained.

"You're doing great. Just stay with us," Poseidon reassured him, but Percy could hear the tension in his father's voice. Poseidon was worried.

At minute twelve, Percy's vision was still absent, and the fear clutched at his chest. He forced himself to keep counting, knowing that panicking would only make it worse.

And then, at minute fifteen, the blackness lifted. Like someone flipping a switch, Percy's vision suddenly returned. The room was back, the faces of his father and the doctor clear once more.

Percy gasped in relief, sagging into his chair. His body trembled uncontrollably, and a tear escaped his eye. "F-fif-teen m-m-minutes..." he whispered, voice barely audible.

Dr. Chang exchanged a glance with Poseidon, then turned back to Percy, his tone serious. "That was the longest one yet, wasn't it?"

Percy nodded slowly."Y-yeah. F-fif-teen m-minutes... I c-c-counted." Dr. Chang took a deep breath, his expression thoughtful. "I'm going to run more tests, Percy. We need to get to the bottom of what's causing this. We can't ignore these episodes anymore."

Poseidon tightened his grip on Percy's shoulder. "We'll figure it out, son. I promise."

As the doctor began discussing the next steps, Percy felt drained, both physically and emotionally. He wanted answers, but he was terrified of what those answers might be. All he could do was hold onto his father's promise and hope that the truth, whatever it was, would come soon enough.