Maelstrom

Seven

[post mortem]

With her friends by her side, Tessa stormed into the infirmary, her urgent footsteps like thunder. Despite her haste, she felt like she was running through molasses-like memories of when Chase Ferguson had first stumbled to her feet all those months ago.

And now, he was awake.

The Apollo campers working in the infirmary cleared out of the way as Tessa, Mark, Kaden, Reese, and Amelie barreled towards the locked room. It seemed as if they couldn't get the door open fast enough, but it swung open, revealing a bamboozled-looking Flynn.

"Flynn," Tessa exhaled in relief. "Can we come in?"

The son of Apollo nodded curtly, but suspicion glistened in his eyes as he glanced down the hall. "Yes. But hurry!"

The demigods filed in, and Flynn shut the door behind them.

For a moment, Tessa was disoriented. Her nerves and all the questions she wanted to have answered seemed to short-circuit her brain, and she couldn't focus. Everything seemed like a storm inside her mind, until her gaze fell upon Chase's cot.

And for the first time in a long time, Chase Ferguson was not lying as stiff as a board on top of it, unconscious and unresponsive. His heart rate was not a practically non-existent blip on a sad, illuminated screen. He did not seem like a corpse being brought back to life.

Now, Chase sat on the edge of his cot, elbows on his knees. His dark hair was ruffled, his muscles taut beneath the simple cotton clothes he was wearing. He seemed...normal.

"Chase?" Flynn asked, his voice soothing. "How are you feeling?"

The son of Nike looked up, and Tessa resisted the urge to take a step back in fright. His eyes were bloodshot, like he hadn't slept in days. There were no signs of the scars and bruises that had once dotted his skin, only a haunted, porcelain-like ruin of the boy he had once been.

Tessa wondered if this was what it was like to see a ghost.

"Tired," Chase's voice was ragged. "Thirsty. So thirsty."

Tessa walked over to Chase's bedside table, feeling rather than seeing Chase watch her as she went. She poured him a glass of water, and handed it to him. Slowly, Chase plucked it from her grasp.

He downed the first glass, the second glass, the third, until the pitcher of water was empty, and Amelie ran out to fill it back up again.

"Thank you," Chase said, avoiding Tessa's gaze.

"Of course," Tessa nodded. She tried snagging Chase's attention, but it was like no matter what she did, he wouldn't look her in the eye.

Kaden walked towards her and Chase, a puzzled look on his face. "It's good to see you awake, Chase. Do you mind if we run a few quick tests?"

Chase shrugged slowly, like the movement took up most of his energy reserves. "I guess."

Tessa walked back over to where Mark and Reese were standing in bewilderment. She cast a quick look at Chase, noting how when Kaden pulled up his sleeve to draw blood, there were no signs of the injuries he had endured.

"How'd he heal so quickly?" She muttered, careful to keep her voice low.

"That's probably what Kaden and Flynn are trying to figure out," Reese nodded to where his brother and his best friend were working, drawing different samples from Chase's frail frame.