Falling Through Portals

Blood in the Water

Chapter 29

Percy awakened groggily in a stark white room. His jaw hurt like heck and he could feel bruising all over his body. His arm was folded underneath him and had lost blood flow making it hurt painfully. He groaned. Using his other arm to push himself up, he looked around. Nausea hit him as he raised his head. While ignoring his feelings he looked at the thick glass door that was in front of him. His head pounded as he saw a guard through the glass. The room he was in was flooded with bright florescent lights that illuminated the white floors and walls all around him. His black clothes had been taken away leaving a flimsy hospital gown that tied in the back. The ground was freezing and his gown did nothing to keep the cold out.

He looked at his bare legs and saw that they were covered in purple blotches.

Seems they were really careful with me when they kidnaped me, Percy thought irritated. Unfortunately his being knocked out had done nothing to help his sleepless body. He felt even more tired than he had when Lorem got him up.

His mind swam, Lorem. She was the stones. It seemed so impossible, but the impossible was Percy's business.

After moving his arm he settled back onto the floor, too weak to do anything else. Sleep would come he knew. Despite his fear, he let his eyes drift shut and he began to sleep.

He opened his eyes and he was in the middle of a large lake. The lake had red water and the sand was red. On the bank of the lake was Lorem. Her white hair glowed against the red sky. She was saying something. She was shouting. Her voice must have been lost in the wind. Her eyes seemed to stop shining, even from far away he could tell that her eyes were turning to a rusty color. Percy still couldn't hear her. He began swimming for her. But the water was like molasses. The bright white hair of hers was falling out. Percy's eyes focused on her like a camera zooming in. he watched as her youthful skin became covered in wrinkles. The light began to fade from her eyes. She fell on the ground and seemed to be shaking.

The faster that he tried to swim the slower he was. Percy was so tired. He wanted to give up. His body seemed to respond. He began having trouble breathing. His limbs were suddenly very stiff. He was thirsty. So thirsty.

He couldn't remember what he had been looking at.

His eyes were closing. He was falling. Falling.

He jumped with a start at the falling sensation. But as he did so he felt the sting of the straps biting into his wrists, ankles, and torso. His heart rate sky rocketed and he twisted his head in panic trying to see.

"No, No, No," Percy said aloud. His eyes were wide. The bright lights stung his eyes. Then he heard the terroristic laugh at his side. He turned to see her, Annabeth. Her gray eyes looking down at him with such hatred and loathing. In her hand a scythe that shone in the lights. Her beautiful face full of glee as she thought about his suffering. "Annabeth," Percy begged wetting his lips, he was so thirsty, "Please." She looked into his eyes.

"You left me alone," she said and leaned down so that they were almost nose to nose, "you left me alone again," if it wasn't for the hate in her eyes he would have thought she would kiss him.

"You know I didn't want to," Percy tried to say. Then he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, the hot mess of blood began spreading.

"You see," Annabeth was whispering now, "it doesn't matter now," Percy could feel the blood spilling onto the cold metal table, "You think that you are something because you won battles. But really you lose." She drove the knife in farther and Percy began to gag, black dots danced before his eyes, "Because you will never stay long enough for someone to love you." Blood began clogging is throat. Percy coughed and red splattered everywhere, but she wasn't done.