15: Panic

Coach Hedge POV

"Okay, swimmers, rally up," I exclaimed loudly.

I was standing on the stands in order to oversee the entire team. All the swimmers clustered into a group in front of me. Swimming practice was over today.

The team was looking better than at the beginning of the season.

"As you all probably know, Percy Jackson is rejoining the swim team," I said.

Cheering erupted around the team. Almost the entire school and town knew of the blind individual who was swimming again.

I noticed some members of the team not looking as excited.

"Coach, I get that this is good for Percy, but are you serious about him competing?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, Coach, how is that even possible?" another teammate asked.

"Percy is an awesome swimmer, and he should be able to compete," Frank said as a response.

"It's not about skill; it's about practicality," Luke said boldly.

"Listen up, team. Percy Jackson is a phenomenal athlete, and he deserves equal opportunity to showcase his abilities," I said boldly before pausing.

"I expect every team member to be a good sportsman," I said firmly.

"But, Coach, what about his disability?" Luke asked again.

I sighed as I stared at my team. I knew that certain members (while supportive of Percy) wouldn't want Percy to be back on the team. Many teenage jocks wanted to be the best rather than wanting their team to be the best.

Percy was a great athlete because he didn't care about fame or ranking. He did what he was good at and what he loved.

"I suppose that I understand all of your concerns. However, Percy and I are working hard to get around his vision impairment. I can assure you all that Percy will be very competitive after working out the kinks," I said firmly.

The team cheered as they started to pack up.

Most of the teammates were happy to have their star swimmer back, which I appreciated greatly.

There were some players that I'd have to keep an eye on.

***

"Coach, when can I start the flip turns?" Percy asked.

Despite swimming strongly for almost an hour, his breathing was fairly stable. Percy was leaning against the edge of the pool in the deep end.

There were a few other swimmers in the stands watching.

Right now, I was simply making Percy stop at the ends of the lanes when he heard my whistle. However, I had already figured out a preliminary mechanism to initiate the flip turn with Percy, but I had to make sure that he was ready.

"Are you ready, Percy?" I asked.

"Yes, absolutely," Percy exclaimed as he slowly made his way to the end of the pool lane.

I walked over to talk to him seriously.

In Paralympics, Coaches and teammates use a tapper pole to tap the swimmer on the back when it was time to flip turn. As soon as they felt the tap, they'd flip and push off of the wall.

I explained all this to Percy who nodded in understanding.

He was probably doing research about this on his own.

"Percy, while the tapper pole will definitely help you, you should also follow your instincts. You know how many strokes and how much time it takes to cross one length of the pool," I informed him seriously.

Percy nodded again.

"All right, go at a slower pace for now," I said. "We'll increase the speed to your normal, powerful, and incredibly competitive level with each practice."

"I got this, Coach. Thank you," Percy said excitedly.

"Okay, good. Go very slow for now, Percy," I told him again.

Then, I looked over to the stands and waved Frank over. Frank stationed himself directly at the other end of the pool lane with the tapper pole.

I took a nervous breath before letting Percy start his swim.

***

Percy POV

The slow pace was agonizing. It felt so uncomfortable to swim this slowly while in a competitive mindset.

Swimming blind was weird as well.

I knew how to swim straight, but swimming in darkness was sometimes alarming. However, the comfort from the water made it much better.

I glided through the water with each stroke.

I would usually stop when I hear the Coach's whistle, but I didn't hear anything. I felt like I was close to the edge of the pool even with my slow pace.

Suddenly, I felt it: a tap against my shoulder blade.

I initiated the flip turn. I breathed out to not let water into my nose. My feet planted against the wall, and I pushed off firmly.

My hands stretched out above my head. I glided through the water smoothly for several seconds (I was pretty good at holding my breath) before starting to freestyle swim again.

I heard the Coach's whistle, which forced me to stop swimming.

I was back in the deep end, so I had to tread water.

"I barely felt the tap, but I did feel it," I exclaimed as my hand brushed my hair back.

"You did good, Percy," Coach Hedge said.

I turned around to face in the direction of his voice. A small part of me hoped that Coach was smiling, but I doubted that. The tough cookie never smiled.

"Percy, you have to make sure that your flips are completely straight and firm. Otherwise, you'll lose alignment with the lane," Coach said seriously.

I nodded.

Even if I did lose alignment, I'd have to use the wall or lane dividers to quickly swim straight again.

"All right, Jackson, run it again," Coach Hedge barked loudly.

I sighed as I continued to swim. Frank was at the shallow end to tap my back while Leo and Connor were at the deep end.

I continued to practice my flip turns.

I missed some of the taps on the back because they were too light. My hands ended up banging against the wall. It was a good thing that I was going at a slow pace.

However, my teammates and I quickly realized what worked effectively, and we increased the speed slowly throughout the next few practices.

My confidence improved greatly in the weeks to come.

I was getting a hang of this. Thank goodness.

***

Chiron POV

Watching Percy swim was a pleasant sight. My pupil had been swimming for over a month now, and he was actually getting very good.

Sally and Paul had shown me some of his swimming videos from last year.

Percy was slowly getting back to that level.

"Hello, Chiron, it's good to see you here," Annabeth said as she sat next to me.

"You as well, Annabeth. I'm surprised to see you here," I said warmly.

"Percy asked for a ride home today because Jason and Piper have plans. Although, I usually give him a ride home on Fridays," she said with a smile.

"I've noticed that Percy and you have gotten closer," I observed slyly.

Annabeth froze a little. I noticed in her eyes that she was thinking about something that must've happened. However, she quickly recovered.

"Um, yeah, we're really good friends now," she said softly.

"And, that's it?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's it," Annabeth confirmed hesitantly.

"I don't understand your hesitation," I said firmly.

Annabeth simply sighed as she shook her head. I felt that Percy and Annabeth had something very special. However, neither of them seemed to be accepting it.

Maybe, I'd have to have a conversation with Percy.

Our attention turned back to Percy.

He was like a shark in the water: fast and powerful.

It was honestly awe-striking to watch him swim, especially given that he is a blind individual. Regardless, he was incredible in the water.

A teammate named Luke Castellan was holding the tapper pole at the shallow end today. Frank was at the deep end.

Luke didn't seem to have much experience with this.

Nonetheless, Percy was using the taps on his backs as cues for his flip turns.

Annabeth huffed a little next to me. She seemed a little uncomfortable, and for some reason, I also got an eerie feeling today.

"Chiron, I don't know why, but something just feels off," Annabeth said.

"I'm with you, Child. I feel the same way, but I can't place it. It's just a bad feeling," I said. Annabeth and I continued to talk with each other, but it was very short-lived.

Suddenly, a bang and a shout interrupted us.

Frank and Coach Hedge were running towards the shallow end. Luke was simply staring into the pool in shock.

Percy was standing in the shallow end in pain. His one hand was tightly gripping the edge of the pool while his other hand pressed against his head.

Annabeth and I quickly ran towards Percy.

He was breathing very heavily as he cursed in pain. His head had a nasty scrape along the side of his forehead. It was bleeding, too.

The flip turn had missed.

"Percy, Percy," Coach Hedge was shouting, but Percy couldn't hear.

He was clutching his head tightly as his panic intensified. I've seen this before in blind individuals. After a blind individual underwent trauma, the darkness was alarming even for those that were used to it.

Panic was common for anyone after a hit.

Percy gripped his forehead tightly, but the blood was dripping through his fingers.

Oh god, he had smashed his head against the wall hard. After all, he swam right into it. Either he flipped late or the tap to his back didn't come.

My eyes critically scanned Luke Castellan before turning back to Percy. Percy wasn't really responding to anyone at the moment.

Annabeth went to the side of the pool, grabbed Percy's arm, and pulled him closer to her.

Annabeth seemed to know what to do for Percy.