Coffee buddies

Chapter 49: The PAniC

This chapter was brought to you by a motivating snack of strawberries and crackers :)

------------------------Percy's pov:------------------------

The first thing I noticed was the strange feeling. Almost as if small electrical currents were warping through my body. It stung and pricked my skin like barbed wire. The next thing was the loud noise, it burr-ed in my ear like a loud cat, or like a sword constantly slashing through the air. I cringed as it beat against my ear drums making it hard to think or even breathe. I tried to stand up but my body screamed against my protests, causing a burning sensation to spread out from my chest and to my limbs. A sudden intake of cold air alerted me that I had gasped.

My body was tired, it begged to sleep again, to relax and not worry about my situation. I nearly agreed with it but I knew that I couldn't. I readied myself before I tried opening my eyes. It felt as if someone had glued weights to them as they drooped and threatened to close again. I continued to push them open until I could see around me. I was in a box of sorts, the walls were made of stone, no exit in sight. I tried to clench my fist but my joints ached as the cold became all too apparent. Another sharp breath filled my lungs as I tried once more. It felt like my skin was cracking as I put my hand into a fist. It burned and ached almost as if I was breaking out of a block of ice. Which I guess I was in a way.

I lifted my hand up, the pain multiplying. I chose to ignore it though as I started to move my other limbs. All at once the pain rumbled through me, causing my heart to squeeze like someone had grabbed it and my stomach to feel like it jumped into my throat. I kept quiet as I pulled my leg to my chest, pulling my arms in as well to wrap around myself.

It was weird, the burning sensation. I was so cold and yet with every movement the cold in my skin sent another round of flames coursing through me. After a while of being crunched into a tight ball I got some movement back, or at least some that wouldn't bring down Hephestus's fury. I gently set my hands on the ground as I pushed myself up, the rough stone below me digging into the palms of my hands. I let out a small grunt as I pulled myself into a standing position. I noticed almost immediately the change in clothes. I now had sweatpants and a hood on, though the hood was red and black.

I once again looked around to see if there was any sort of exit. The box I was in was around 10 feet in length and height. No where on these walls was any trace of an exit. A lightbulb dangled above me, though I couldn't tell where the power was coming from. I would try and tear it down but then I'd be stranded in the dark for who knows how long.

My heart started to race as I realized I couldn't sense water around me. The air was dry and hard to breathe, and even outside the box I could barely feel anything. It was almost like I'd been dropped back... my hand instinctively flew to my pocket as I felt the familiar outline of riptide. I had to calm down, think rationally.

I walked over to the wall and set my ear on it. Nothing. Not a single noise. Maybe the walls were really thick. I took a step back before sitting on the ground. It was useless. I was going to die in a stupid box.

I sighed as I pulled out the riptide. I ran my fingers over the smooth metal that was still warm from my pocket. It felt nice against my fingertips as a new feeling was introduced. I stared at the pen for a while until I felt my eyes well up. I gently reached up to find small tears running down my face. I smiled a little as I pulled the two droplets off my face and into the air. They hung there, suspended in mid air as I stared at them. I pulled the now massive droplet onto my finger, to which it plopped down and sat. There wasn't much but somehow the water was comforting, I was able to warm it up and the warmth spread throughout the finger like a small radiator.