The Last Breath

Percy POV

"PERCY, YOU NEED TO COME TO THE HOSPITAL NOW. IT'S AN EMERGENCY..."

My heart pounded crazily in my chest. The activity around me froze, and the music washed away. My gaze fixated on the wall in shock.

"Nurse, Hestia, what's going on?" I asked frantically.

"Just come to the hospital, Percy. Drive safe though. I'll be waiting for you. We can't afford to waste any time," Hestia expressed.

I could hear the excessive hospital noise in the background, but I couldn't decipher what was going on. Nurse Hestia seemed frazzled, which never happened. My lungs sank into my stomach as despair and stress coursed through my veins.

Before I could shout into the phone, Hestia hung up. Dam it.

I shoved the phone into my pocket while running towards the stairs. I didn't care that I was pushing people over in the process. I only had one goal in mind: get to the hospital as fast as I can. My mother was in danger.

I was at the base of the stairs when someone grabbed my arm. I whirled around to find Annabeth watching me with a closed expression.

"Is everything okay, Seaweed Brain?" she asked. Her eyes searched my own. I felt like she could see inside of me. She could see all my demons.

I pulled out of her gentle grasp.

"I have to go, Wise Girl. I can't talk right now," I blurted out.

Her confused face was the last thing I saw before I bolted up the stairs. I pushed myself through the crowd. My heart hammered in my chest as I ran to my car. I gripped my wheel for a few seconds and centered my breathing.

Just because I was in a hurry doesn't give me an excuse to drive recklessly. I calmed my mind before pulling out of Silena's street.

I drove quickly (past the speed limit for sure), but I stayed safe.

I arrived at the hospital in exactly 17 minutes. Normally, it would take a half-hour to get to the hospital from Silena's house. My vision was clouding near the end. All the stress and worry were pumping water into my eyes.

Please, gods, let her be okay. Please, I begged.

My legs carried me into the hospital and up the eight flights of stairs. I didn't have the patience to wait for an elevator or converse with the lobby hosts.

At one point, I slipped on the stairs and went tumbling down a few steps. That didn't stop me at all. I groaned while picking myself up. I ignored the flare in my chest and kept pushing.

The oncology floor was lined with white walls. The patient rooms were pale as well. Only the doors were a wooden brown color.

My heart pounded and my chest huffed as I walked towards my mother's room. It was near the end of the hallway.

I watched the various staff personnel entering and exiting her room.

For a second, I froze. The hallway was empty because the entire floor's medical staff seemed to be working on my mother. Something is seriously wrong.

I swallowed the knot in my throat while walking closer. Each stride felt like I was treading through quicksand. Every step became harder. I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I approached Nurse Hestia, who was guarding the door.

"Please, tell me what's going on?" I begged.

Nurse Hestia immediately wrapped her arms around my shoulders. However, I didn't have any more patience, especially with everyone else running around.

I pushed her away gently and rushed into my mother's room.

Several nurses and doctors were stomping around my mom's bed. Tubes and instruments were flying all over the place. I couldn't see her face due to the activity. However, based on the sounds, I knew what was happening.

"THREE, TWO, ONE. CLEAR," Dr. Apollo ordered. Everyone backed away as a pulse shot into my mother's chest. Then, they resumed touching her and injecting things into her IV.

A machine in the corner started beeping again.

"Okay, we got her back. This is the third time tonight. Please inform the family that her condition is serious. Tonight is the last day," Dr. Apollo said sadly. He put the CPR paddles back on the cart before his gaze fell upon mine.

"Percy, I'm so sorry. It's time," he said firmly.

I simply watched my mother in despair. She looked so pale and green. Her lips were blue indicating that she wasn't breathing adequately. Her heart stopped three times tonight. I couldn't believe it.

Water seeped out of my eyes as I blinked.

"Time for what?" I asked. "I'm not ready. You're doctors; you're supposed to save her. Please, I can't lose her."

Nurse Hestia gripped my arm. I leaned into her as my body felt light. The reality of the situation finally sunk in. My mother was dying. Hestia called me because she wanted me to have a final goodbye.

"No," I cried. "Please, NO."

"I'm so sorry, Percy. Your mother requested that if she codes more than three times within an hour. Then, we need to let her go. It's in her medical files. We're fulfilling her wish."

"The cancer has spread all over her body, and we knew that this day would come eventually. I'm so sorry."

Dr. Apollo and some of the staff distanced themselves from the bed. All of them looked so upset as they watched me. Tears bristled in their delicate faces.

I was frozen in place. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

I simply stared at my mother's still body. She was so small and pale. Her sickly visage practically camouflaged with the sheets. She was barely breathing, but her eyes did open. They begged for me to come closer, but I couldn't move.

"Percy, it's time to say goodbye. Help her. There is no other person who she loves more in the world than yourself," Hestia whispered. Her eyes burned with emotions.

"Stay with her in her final moments."

A sob echoed out of my mouth as I rushed towards her. I took her hand in mine while leaning close to her face. I was on my knees next to her bed.

"Mama," I cried.

"Percy, I love you," she whispered. Her breath hitched and cut her off. I gently stroked her head while leaning my forehead against hers.

"Mom, please, hold on. I still need you. I'll always need you."

I gazed into her brown eyes. We didn't share a lot of the same features. She would always say that I'm the spitting image of my father. However, I had her smile. She had a smile that could warm the coldest of hearts.

Of course, now, her heart was about to stop forever.

"I can't lose you," I cried.

The tears flowed down my eyes with no control. They sprinkled onto her cheeks, which were wet as well. However, my mother was smiling. She leaned closer to me, and I understood what she wanted to do.

I tilted my head so that she could kiss my forehead.

"Mama, please," I whispered. My hold on her hand tightened. As if holding onto her physical body would stop her soul from leaving.

"Be strong, my baby boy. I love you. I always will," she gasped.

I nearly freaked out as I looked around the room. Everyone knew what was coming. So did I. I hugged my mother while looking into her eyes.

I didn't want the smile to fade.

If she was going to die, then she'd die in the embrace of someone who loves her. She fought hard, but you can't win every battle.

"I'm going to miss you so much. Thank you for everything," I sobbed.

She gasped again. I could see the light fading from her eyes. The pure brown dulled into a dark hue. I was losing the most important person in my life. I was losing my person.

The heart monitor flatlined, and Dr. Apollo turned it off. Sally Jackson wanted peace now. Wherever she was going, she'll have peace and happiness.

I hugged her tightly while crying. I don't know how long I stayed like that. Kneeling on the floor with my arms wrapped around her lifeless body.

I love you, mama. Always.

***

Numb. That's how I felt. There were no tears left to cry.

I stayed at the hospital for hours as the doctors and nurses discussed everything. I didn't register anything they were saying.

How could I? I just lost my mom.

I couldn't sign anything either. I wasn't a legal adult, so I had no official say in how to handle my mother's funeral or anything. I knew that she wanted to be cremated though. We discussed it before, and she wanted her ashes to be released into the wind at Montauk beach.

That's where she met my dad.

Gabe came and signed a few papers at midnight. I barely even looked at him. However, I did notice that he longingly gazed at my mom for quite some time. Even someone like him had to be upset about her death. After all, she was his wife.

He left within the hour, but I stayed. I couldn't leave. I didn't want to.

Nurse Hestia remained by my side. She explained everything slowly even though I wasn't paying attention. She told me that Gabe approved cremation.

The urn with her ashes would be sent to our home in a few weeks. I simply nodded along to everything. After a few hours, they moved her body.

I sat in her room. The setting was all too familiar, yet it was so different without her laying on the bed. The room felt hollow and cold.

Or, maybe, that's how I felt: hollow and cold.

My eyes burned when I finally stepped out of the hospital. My body was gross, and my face was smeared with tears and sweat. The sun was starting to rise in the early morning.

The instant I got in my car, I lost it.

For the first time, I felt truly alone. Alone.

The word repeated in my mind, and I couldn't stop it. I broke down during the drive and had to pull over. It took several attempts before I reached my apartment complex. I locked myself in my silver trailer.

Who can I confide in now? Who can I rely on to always be on my side? Who would provide me with unconditional love?

I go to my mom for everything, so life without her seemed impossible.

Several texts and phone calls were vibrating my phone. However, I simply tossed my phone onto the small couch. They were from my friends who were curious about the deal and the party. I never imagined yesterday would end like this.

However, that's life I suppose.

I knew that I should probably call Grover, but I couldn't do it yet. I'll tell him Sally Jackson died after I was done crying. I'll also explain the end of Annabeth's and my proposal. He can carry out what I have decided to do.

For the time being, I wanted to be alone.

Everything ached, yet everything felt numb at the same time.

It's hard to put my emotions into words. I can't express all the feelings of despair, anger, and hopelessness. I guess actions speak better than words.

I shivered while laying on the metal floor of my dingy trailer. Tremors rolled up and down my body, and the agony wouldn't leave my eyes. This hurt way too much.

The death of a loved one. Of a mother. It's awful.

I cried myself to unconsciousness.