The Recovery

Percy POV

Light surrounded me. I couldn't see anything but the light all around me.

It was a beautiful and magical place.

My body was floating in complete silence and the atmosphere was fluid. My hands were fluid as I was only composed of vapor and fog.

I willed my body forward slowly. I was flying high in the clouds, and the sunlight spread all around and through my hollow image. No wonder everyone wanted to come to heaven.

Everything was so peaceful and lighted compared to Earth.

I watched other spirits fly around. They clearly had more experience here than I did considering how freely they were moving. All of them were talking and laughing.

"Percy," a voice whispered from behind me.

I turned around, creating a whirlpool of vapor around me.

"Dad," I gasped in shock.

Of course, he was here. My dad belonged in the clouds of water.

My dad came forward. We couldn't embrace considering we were nothing but fog and smoke. Regardless, I could feel the warmth and comfort radiating off of him.

"I didn't think I'd see you here so soon, son," he said with a small smile.

"Dad, I missed you so much," I said earnestly.

"I know, son. I miss you and your mother as well," he said softly. "What are you doing here, Perseus?"

"I don't know, dad. I woke up here," I told him.

"Do you want to be here? Do you want to really stay here?" he asked seriously.

I simply stared at him. This place was beautiful and amazing. Any person would love to stay here forever. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to stay here.

But then, an image came into my mind. A person. Wise Girl.

Afterward, a cascade of images, objects, and people flooded through my system. My mom, Paul, Grover, Jason, Thalia, Piper, and the rest of my friends.

I couldn't be here. Not yet, at least.

Suddenly, I found myself falling out of the light and into the darkness. My father's smiling face was the last thing I saw.

***

"Shouldn't Percy be awake by now?" Annabeth's voice asked.

Everything felt numb. I couldn't even open my eyelids, let alone move.

"Anesthesia is a powerful drug, Annabeth. He'll wake up when all of it wears off," the doctor informed Annabeth.

"Thank you, doctor. I think we're just tense is all," my amazing mother said.

"Wait, he's waking up. His eyes are moving and so are his hands," Annabeth said in a rushed voice. Suddenly, I felt a hand clasp my own. The warmth, comfort, and ecstasy immediately rushed through my system in response to her touch.

I opened my eyes slowly.

The light blinded me for a few moments, but then, the images started to clear. My mother, Paul, Grover, and Annabeth were all looking at me with smiles on their faces.

I groaned lightly as my back ached.

"Who are you?" I asked softly.

All of their smiles disappeared. Concern and worry immediately flooded my system. It was a cruel joke, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling/laughing.

"Oh my god, you idiot, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth shouted as her smile recovered.

"You seriously freaked us out man. That's not funny," Grover whined as I continued to chuckle softly. Pretty soon, my laughter turned into coughing.

"All right, Percy. Here, have some water," my mother said as she held a glass and straw to my mouth. She poured the water into my mouth because I was still too tender to move.

"Did they get it all?" I asked softly.

Annabeth's smile grew.

"Seaweed Brain, you're officially in remission," she said happily. My cancer was gone.

I smiled brightly as each one of them embraced me with joy. Heaven might've been nice, but nothing beats this right here.

***

"Percy, bro, the doctor said that you have to use your crutches. Just because your cancer's gone doesn't mean you have permission to rush your recovery," Jason said firmly.

I sighed. Jason was a classic rule follower.

I took the crutches from him before getting up from my bed. I had been resting my leg in my bedroom for the past two weeks. I wanted to get outside, so I called Jason for help.

Honestly, I was feeling much better. My leg hurt a little, especially when I applied pressure, but the pain was largely gone now.

Yet, Jason wasn't letting me walk without crutches. Ugh.

We were just going out for a walk in the park. The same park that I had taken Annabeth to on our second date.

Walking with crutches was hard, but it was worth getting out of my apartment.

The fresh air was amazing, and it felt nice to talk with my friends: Jason, Thalia, and Piper. Annabeth couldn't join us today because it was her dad's birthday.

I appreciated my friends so much for how they supported me over the past two years. I pray to the gods that every individual has at least one friend like mine.

***

The recovery was slow, but I started my physical therapy pretty quickly.

There were literally chunks of metal in my knee and right leg, so I had to get used to walking normally again. Luckily, it wasn't too hard.

The pain pretty much disappeared completely by the end of the month, and I was so glad that all of my friends were having a party for Independence day.

It was at Piper's community pool. The one where Annabeth kissed me on the cheek for the first time. Gods, that was one of my favorite experiences in life. Annabeth's first kiss on my cheek.

Everyone was already in the pool.

I was sitting at the side of the pool. I knew I couldn't strain my leg too much yet, but I was allowed to be in the water and swim again.

Yet, I was hesitating. I couldn't quite shake the fear.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain, why aren't you in the pool, yet?" Annabeth asked as she swam up to me. Her arms came and gently rested on my thighs.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, completely fine. My leg doesn't hurt anymore," I said with a smile.

Annabeth relaxed her body as she used my legs as a support for staying above the water. I leaned down slowly and kissed her.

Annabeth smiled into the kiss as our lips moved in sync.

She was the one who pulled away first.

Annabeth held out her hand to me before saying, "Come on, Seaweed Brain. Take my hand."

I clasped my hand into her soft one. She smiled at me before gently pulling me into the water. The first thing that I felt was warmth and comfort from Annabeth's touch and presence. Then, I felt the relief from being in the water.

Everyone in the room started to cheer after my head bobbed out of the water.

I laughed as I waved them off.

Annabeth stayed next to me as I started to swim. I was always a strong swimmer, and it came back to me as easy as walking.

I finished a full lap before coming back to Annabeth. I hugged her from behind as my hands rested on her bare stomach. She leaned her head back against my shoulder before turning her head to face me.

"Are you happy, Percy?" she asked.

"Extremely," I said with a smile. "My cancer is gone, and I have an incredible family and group of friends."

Annabeth turned around. Her arms were around my neck as my hands rested on her waist.

"Is that all?" she asked softly.

I pulled her even closer to me as I smiled.

"And, I'm with an amazing Wise Girl, whom I love more than anything," I said softly.

"Yeah, you better," she said while laughing.

We kissed softly. I knew that Annabeth and I would always love each other. We could get through anything and everything as long as we were together.

I gently pulled her into the water.

My lips met hers again while we were still underwater. And, it was pretty much the best underwater kiss of all time.

THE END