Project Percy (Kotlc Meets Percy Jackson)

Chapter 35

"Don't try to speak yet, Percy," a familiar voice whispered as his eyes fluttered open.

He couldn't, even if he wanted to. His throat chafed like sandpaper and his tongue felt like a foreign object. His blurry eyes focused on the blond head hovering over him.

"Nod if you can understand me," Apollo ordered.

He nodded, surprised by how much energy the simple movement took.

"That's the first good news today." He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He held a small bottle against Percy's lips. "Can you swallow?"

Some of it dribbled down his chin, but he managed to get most of it down.

"That's good." He wiped Percy's face with a soft cloth and pressed a cold compress against his forehead. "Just rest for now, ok?"

He nodded again, exhausted from the effort.

The warm liquid soothed his dry throat and sent cool, tingling sensations rushing through his body. After a few minutes he could swallow normally again. "What happened?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Leo said you told him it was an allergy. He thinks it might be the limbium in a solution he gave you, because you'd never had it before."

Percy's fuzzy memories focused. "Where is Leo?"

"I made him, Sir Frank, and Annabeth wait outside till I had things under control. Things got a little too messy for spectators."

Annabeth?

Sir Frank?

He vaguely remembered stronger arms carrying him to safety. Had that been them? He was about to ask when he caught what Apollo said. "Messy?"

"Don't worry. I cleaned up all the vomit. But you need to change your shirt."

He bolted upright. "I threw up?"

"Everywhere. Never seen anything like it. It's always an adventure with you." He laughed. "Nike and Will are going to love this, so I don't mind. Neither does Annabeth. It was only her PE uniform."

He threw up on Annabeth?

"Oh no." He wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment.

"What's the matter? Are you in pain?"

"No," he moaned, trying to crawl under the blankets and disappear. He could smell the mess on his uniform  now and he couldn't decide which was worse, knowing it was on him or knowing it was on Annabeth too. "Why? Why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know much about allergies. Never seen one before, and I can't say I'd like to see another. Asklepios screamed his head off when you came in. Scared the wits out of me."

Percy cringed. "It was that close?"

Apollo bit his lip, looking surprisingly worried. "He's never done that before."

They both shivered.

"Who did you know what to do?" Percy asked.

"I didn't. I just took my best guess and hoped it would work. When Asklepios left you alone, I knew I was on the right track."

"Well...thank you." The words felt trite, since Apollo had just saved his life.

"Just don't ever do that again. I'm going to make a bottle of what I gave you, and I want you to keep it with you in case you ever have another reaction, and stay away from limbium."

"I'll try."

Apollo left Percy alone to change. His soiled uniform went into an airtight bag to block the smell.