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.

I turned back to Percy.

We were sitting fairly close to each other as Percy let me wipe his injury. Frank was also helping out by gathering Percy's stuff. Percy was gazing at me as I worked. I knew he couldn't see me, but it felt like he could.

I noticed how soft his skin and lips were.

There were some swirling emotions in his eyes as he let me work on his injury. He looked down after a few moments.

Once again, he was closing off right when we were sharing a moment of connection. It bothered me that Percy was pulling away from me. However, I wasn't completely sure why.

Chiron also seemed to notice Percy's actions.

I sighed as I wiped his forehead again. I didn't realize that I applied increased pressure (due to agitation) until he winced.

"Okay, Percy, let's take you to the nurse and then home," Chiron suggested.

Percy and I both nodded in agreement.

As Chiron, Frank, Percy, and I walked out of the pool room, I noticed the serious look in Luke's eyes. My gaze met Coach Hedge's as he sighed. We both knew that something was going to come up soon due to Percy getting hurt while swimming.

***

Percy POV

"Mom, okay, stop. You're smothering me," I exclaimed as I blindly pushed her arms away.

My beautiful mother was freaking out about me getting hurt yesterday. However, any athlete would know that accidents and injuries were common in sports.

"Percy, I want to make sure you're okay," she said.

"Mom, seriously, I'm fine. My head is just sore. That's it," I said earnestly.

My head hurt like crazy yesterday, especially right after my injury. However, the pain subsided greatly overnight after taken some pain meds.

I was only sore now.

"Okay, do you need anything, Percy?" she asked yet again.

"Seriously, mom, I'm fine," I said.

"Okay, then, Jason is here to you," she said.

I sighed as I nodded. Of course, Jason would show up the day after I got injured. He would do that anyway because he was one of my best friends.

I heard my mom's soft steps walk away as Jason's harder footsteps walked in.

"Bro, did you have to come? I'm fine. It was just an accident," I said looking straight ahead.

"I'm over here, Percy," Jason said.

I turned towards his voice, which was coming from the right.

"Also, bro, it's Saturday, so I came to hang out. I couldn't care less about your puny little injury. It's literally nothing compared to football injuries," Jason said jokingly while laughing.

I couldn't help but laugh along with my best friend. Yup, Jason certainly knew how to make me feel better.

We kind of lousily hung out for the afternoon. Jason ended up playing my video games (which I don't touch anymore) as I listened and commented on his game. Jason wasn't the best at video games, so it was enjoyable to make fun of him.

"Anyway, Perce, the winder dance is coming up. Any plans?" he asked.

"What plans would I have?" I asked with a sigh.

"What do you mean? You can still go to the dance with someone," Jason said earnestly.

"Bro, I'm blind," I said sadly. "I don't think anyone should go with me. I'll probably just step on people's feet."

"You do that anyway," Jason said with a chuckle.

"But, seriously, just because you're blind doesn't mean you can't date anyone."

I sighed as I listened to him.

I knew that I could date again, but I wasn't sure if I should. I didn't know if I was worth it to any girl out there. After all, they deserved the best.

"Let's just not talk about this, Jason," I replied softly.

I heard his very loud and disappointed sigh as we went to playing video games.

***

I sat nervously in the principal's office. My mom and Paul were also here along with Coach Hedge. I already knew what was coming.

I was praying that it didn't, though.

Mr. Dionysus and Mr. Ares walked into the room sternly,

A strong scent of grapes came with Mr. Dionysus. On the other hand, Mr. Ares radiated toughness and anger. While Coach was also tough, he was understanding and nice, too.

Ares was in no way kind. He was only tough, and I was not a fan of Goode High's athletic director.

I could hear that Mr. D took his seat in front of us. Ares's loud footsteps stopped a few feet away from me. I could almost imagine his cold glare and crossed arms.

"Um, sir, why am I here?" I asked my principal.

"Our athletic director has told me that you had an accident in the pool," Mr. D said.

"So what?" Coach Hedge asked firmly.

I could hear Ares's chuckle as he stepped forward.

"The problem is that a blind individual got injured in your pool playing a sport that he shouldn't have been playing," Ares said roughly.

"Sir, injuries are pretty common in sports. What's the big deal?" I asked.

Ares quietened at my logical point. I heard Mr. Dionysus shifting uncomfortably in his seat. I knew that neither of them wanted me to swim, but this argument wasn't in their favor.

"I don't believe that it's a good idea for you to swim, Percy. You've already gotten injured, and I don't want the school to be liable when it happens again," Mr. D said firmly.

I sighed. This again.

"Principal Dionysus, my son is allowed to swim, and there's no restriction that you can place on him. At least, not for getting injured," my mom spoke up firmly.

I smiled gratefully at my mother's voice. She was sitting to my left.

"Percy Jackson should not swim," Ares said firmly.

"While I respect our athletic director, he has no say on who should and should not be on my swim team," Coach Hedge said.

"As for injuries, my son injured his arm two years ago after swimming quickly into a wall. Basically, what happened last week happened two years ago. However, Percy wasn't kicked out of swimming. So, he shouldn't have to stop swimming now," my mom said boldly.

The room quietened at her strong and logical voice.

"Sir, I refuse to stop swimming. I love swimming on the team so much, and I have done nothing wrong," I said firmly.

After a few moments, Mr. D sighed.

"You all are dismissed. Coach, you can take your swimmer back to practice," Mr. D said.

I smiled brightly, and we quickly started to leave the room before Mr. D could change his mind.

"But, sir-" Ares said gruffly.

"You cannot kick someone out of the team due to an injury unless they are physically or medically unable to compete," Mr. D interrupted.

The rest of their conversation was lost as we left the principal's office.

"Mom," I said softly.

"Yes, what is it, Percy?" my mother asked.

I followed her voice until I was able to wrap my arms around her. She hugged me back warmly.

"Thanks, mom. You're amazing," I said as I kissed her cheek. She simply laughed as she rubbed my arm.

"Go have fun, Percy. You still have a lot of practice in front of you," she said.

I nodded before happily walking towards Goode High's swimming pool.