Blind Swimmer

Chapter 16: Opposition

Annabeth POV

I grabbed Percy's arm and pulled him towards the edge of the pool. 

He was clutching his head tightly in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Also, his head was probably hurting a lot considering how fast he swam into the wall. 

"Percy, hey, Seaweed Brain," I said into his face. 

I was trying to move his hands. 

It was hard to get his attention because he was panicking a lot. I've never seen Percy curse before, so that was new. 

I was very worried right now. 

It took some effort to pull Percy out of the pool. He was sitting on the edge, and I was crouched next to him. Everyone else was hovering over us, but their efforts were useless in calming Percy down. His head must've really hurt. 

I placed my hands on Percy's cheeks. 

"Hey, hey, Percy. Listen to me. Hey, Percy, come on," I said pleadingly. 

"Wise Girl, I- I can't see," Percy said as his hands gripped my arms. 

My arms wrapped around him. I didn't care that he was soaking wet right now. I rubbed his back and hair softly. 

"Percy, it's okay. You don't have your eyesight. You know that," I said softly into his ears. 

"Annabeth, my head, ugh. I smashed into the wall," Percy said in agony. 

"I know. Just calm down, Percy. It's okay," I said. 

Percy's arms hugged me tighter. His breathing started to slow down as I continued to rub his back. I hoped that my touch was helping relieve some pain as well. 

"Annabeth," he murmured. 

I pulled back first. I felt the loss of warmth immediately. Even Percy seemed a little saddened about the increased distance. 

"What is it, Percy? Are you okay?" I asked with concern. 

Percy touched his head again. 

"I got you all wet," he said with a sigh. 

I simply stared at him. That was the last thing that I thought he'd say. Percy wasn't looking directly at my face, but we were close enough to be gazing at each other. 

"Oh my god, Seaweed Brain. Are you okay?" I asked again between chuckles. 

"I think that I'm fine, but my head hurts a lot," Percy said with a shaky voice. 

"Yeah, and you're bleeding as well," I said.

I looked up towards Frank, who immediately understood what to do. He went over and brought back a waste towel. 

I dabbed Percy's forehead by the cloth. Percy winced as he backed up a little. 

"It's okay, Percy. I got you," I said softly as I wiped his temple. 

"I know, Wise Girl. Thank you," Percy said with a soft smile. 

"Percy, are you all right?" Coach Hedge asked. Chiron was also waiting for Percy's affirmative response. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, Coach. I think that I missed the flip turn," Percy said. 

Both Coach Hedge and Chiron seemed unconvinced that Percy simply missed the flip turn, especially since he was doing perfectly fine in the past several practices. 

Percy had gotten accustomed to flipping as soon as he felt the tap on his back. 

I looked towards Luke once in suspicion. He was still staring at us in shock. While I didn't want to accuse anyone, I didn't believe that this was just an accident.