Alternatively

Golden Heart

For some reason, Percy wasn't surprised he ended up in a burning building. That's just how his life was going, it should be how he died.

Not that he wanted to die, because surviving would definitely be ideal. It just didn't seem likely when support beams crashed around him and the walls crumbled from the heat. His legs were stuck under a slab of concrete and he would scream in pain if the flames would allow him to breathe. Good thing was it didn't hurt as long as he stayed still, but that presented a whole other problem. The fire surrounded him, licking at his scorched arms and threatening his ripped t shirt. He had given his hoodie to the man he sent on ahead, the only thing that had filtered out the thick smoke.

Trouble seemed to find him, despite his best efforts. He hadn't been doing anything too extravagant that night, just running errands for the lady across the hall. She was a homebody with a vague fear of the outside and a peculiar taste for food. It led him to a hole in the wall Italian restaurant in Queens, but when he saw the fire, he decided the linguine would have to wait.

It blazed high into the night, devouring the poor apartment building. Such an old structure never stood a chance; it was mere kindling for the flames. Percy had about dropped the take out, staring in awe at the roaring inferno. A crowd of people stood across the street, most likely tenants of the building. They were in pajamas and clutching children and clinging to the few possessions they managed to snatch during their escape. The worried murmurs were interrupted by a wail. Two men held back an elderly woman who was attempting to cross the street, yearning for the apartment. Her husband was trapped, she said, he was trapped on the fourth floor.

"The fire department is on it's way," someone had soothed.

Percy flinched as a burst of fire blew the upper floor windows out. There were no sirens and there wasn't time to wait for protocol. In no time, he heroically dove through the door into Hell.

And that's where he was. Stuck under fallen debris, not knowing if the man got out, wondering which would get him first: the heat or asphyxiation. He could feel his arms bubbling with burns and he went through every dumb mistake he's ever made. There were a lot to choose from, so it kept him concentrated and awake as oxygen was sapped from the air. Once, in sixth grade, he fought that god awful redhead and pathetically lost. Didn't stop the dean from expelling him, though. Then in high school, around his freshman year, he had an altercation with some members of a not so welcoming welcome committee in the band room. Thousands of dollars worth of instruments were damaged, and who got blamed? That rotten Jackson kid.

The hole in the ceiling creaked as more debris fell through, flaming chunks hitting the ground around him with gusts of heat. He was finding it harder to breathe, the thought making his heart race even faster. The fire department had to be outside by then, but he couldn't hear anything beyond his own gasps and the crackle of the flames. All help would be below, battling the issue at the heart in order to put it out quickly. Being on an upper floor, Percy was secondary worry. That is, if they knew he was there at all. He didn't necessarily blame the department, they just follow orders and do their jobs.

Arbitrary thoughts began flitting across his mind. Poor lady in 4B would never get her Italian take out that night. His mother would be worrying about him being out so late. What would his work do when he didn't show up the next morning? Grover will have to do the coffee runs in his place.

He groaned laboriously, dragging his bloodied hand to cover his nose and mouth. What a hassle this was all turning out to be. But, as the saying goes, no good deed ever does go unpunished.

It felt like hours, but realistically, the door of the apartment was kicked in minutes later. A single firefighter, bulky in black and reflective material, stood in the midst of the blaze, looking around. He couldn't see much, but the visor of the helmet glared at him at last and he was never happier to see a city officer rush towards him. While he felt grateful, Percy found the only expression he was capable of was one of exhaustion. The firefighter was going to have to forgive him for that.