blockquote
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"After House of Hades; One day after Tartarus; Nico and Reyna stayed the night; /strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""And then my stepmom started yelling about how I always endanger my little brothers, and they're not even my brothers! So, I got really mad and started screaming at her- "Jason cut off Annabeth./p
p class="MsoNormal""At least you're on good terms now! At least you have parents! At least your dad loves you and you have a home!" he said hotly. Everyone stared at him. "I never even knew my mother! I grew up training, since I was four!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""But- "Annabeth began, but Jason interrupted again. "No, you don't understand! Yes, you ran away, but you were seven! I was only two!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Bro, Jase, chill," said Percy calmly. Jason turned on him enraged./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, don't you start! Mr. Perfect, who grew up with his loving mother his whole frickin' life! You never had a single problem, apart from being expelled! But that's nothing compared to Roman training!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I didn't have the perfect life, Jason." Percy gritted his teeth./p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure, you were expelled a few times. Sure, you got in trouble. But that *#% is nothing compared to what I had to go through. A monster a year doesn't seem big to you does it? Well, it is to a four-year-old!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""For the last time, I did not have the perfect life!" growled Percy. He pushed his chair away from the table and stormed out of the room./p
p class="MsoNormal""What the hell, man?" Leo stared at Jason. "Just because you didn't have the perfect life doesn't give you the rights to shout at people like that."/p
p class="MsoNormal""No, but I probably had the worst life out of everyone here!" shouted Jason, heatedly. "You and Annabeth ran away willingly. Frank and Percy grew up with their moms! Piper and Hazel both had neglecting parents. Nico and Reyna didn't know grow up with their parents, but they had their sisters! I didn't have a choice to join the legion. I didn't even know my *%# *$ mother! It was your fault your mom died anyway."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What the hell had gotten into you, man?" asked Leo, tearfully. He shot Jason a disgusted look before bolting out the door. Hazel stalked over to Jason./p
p class="MsoNormal"In a quiet voice she said, "You aren't the same Jason I know. I used to look up to you, as a leader and a friend. Everything you just said was mean and cruel."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Why should you get to say anything?" snarled Jason. "You're supposed to be dead anyway."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hazel's face went pink. She slapped Jason in the face before leaving the room. All the remaining demigods glared at Jason./p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you dare talk to my sister like that, Grace."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nico silently walked over, withdrew his fist, punched his older cousin in the gut then followed his sister. Frank made to follow him, but Piper stopped him./p
p class="MsoNormal""No, wait, Frank," she said, lacing some charmspeak into her voice. "Give them some time. Meanwhile, let's deal with my em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"boyfriend/em."/p
p class="MsoNormal"All the rage Jason was feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. He looked at the ground. "I-I'm really sorry. I don't know what happened. Just with all the bad things that've been happening to us, i-it was just too much. I'm really sorry. I'll g-go find the others and apologize if it makes things better."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Annabeth and Reyna watched the son of Jupiter's face. He was being sincere. The two girls met each other's eyes and nodded at Jason simultaneously. The remaining Seven and Reyna left the mess hall. They walked to the first guest room, Nico's temporary room. Empty./p
p class="MsoNormal""He's probably with Hazel," said Piper. "Let's go to her room." Hazel's room was empty. The five demigods went to the boys' corridor. They knocked on Percy's door. No answer./p
p class="MsoNormal""Percy?" called Annabeth. "Seaweed Brain?" She opened the door. The blue room was covered in dirty laundry and the bed sheets were thrown on the floor, but Percy was nowhere to be seen./p
p class="MsoNormal""So, for some reason they're all in Leo's room, the engine room, or on the deck?" asked Frank. Jason nodded, "Yep."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Leo's room was the room closest to the engine room. As far as anyone knew, his room had never been used. From inside the room was hurried whispers and soft music./p
p class="MsoNormal""Leo?" said Jason, uncertainly knocking on the door. The whispers stopped. He waited a few second before knocking and calling again. There was a muffled reply. "What?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I want to say I'm really sorry for all of that crap. I want to apologize for everything. I was imprudent, angry and overall just a complete ."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The door opened a little. Leo's face appeared in the gap. His eyes were rimmed red. He smiled. "You are excused for everything."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks. Umm… Are the others in there?" asked Jason. "I want to apologize to them too."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Leo opened the door completely to reveal a plain white room. Hazel and Nico sat shoulder to shoulder on Leo's bed. Leo sat back down on the chair he was probably sitting on before. The demigods scanned the room for Percy. How did he get up there? Percy was hanging by his legs on Leo's cupboard, a guitar in his hands. He glanced at Reyna, Frank, Annabeth, Piper and Jason before looking down. Jason strolled over to Hazel and Nico. He knelt down./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm super sorry, that was really mean, and I didn't mean it. I was being an idiotic idiot. Will you forgive me? Please?" Jason said in one breath./p
p class="MsoNormal"Nico replied first, "I will if Hazel does."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hazel threw her arms around Jason. "I knew you didn't mean it! Of course, I'll forgive you, Jason."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Jason stood and walked over to the upside-down Percy. The other demigods followed him. Percy was facing away and didn't seem to notice the half-bloods approaching. He was strumming a song on his guitar and whispering the lyrics softly./p
p class="MsoNormal""Percy, bro, I'm sorry for everything and I completely respect you. I don't have anything against you. I was kind of jealous and stupid."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Percy pulled himself up onto the cupboard. He jumped down gracefully, landing i a crouching position. He stood, facing Jason. When they had just began their voyage, Jason had been half an inch taller than Percy. Now Percy stood at an incredible height of 6 foot 3, which was three inches taller than Jason. Tear tracks stained his tanned face./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, I forgive you," Percy replied shakily. Jason sighed in relief. "But you have to answer this question truthfully: What were you jealous of?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Jason felt he eyes of everyone on him again. "I guess just that you had a great childhood."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You really think I had a great childhood?" asked Percy incredulously./p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, yeah. You were only introduced into the Greek-Roman world when you were twelve. You fought your first monster when you were twelve."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Firstly, why does everyone get that wrong? I was eleven, not twelve. And also, I didn't fight my first monster when I was eleven. I fought it for nine years when I was three."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How do you fight a monster for nine years?" wondered Leo out loud./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not all monsters are from the pit. You, of all people should know that, Leo," said Percy darkly before dropping his guitar on the floor and shoving his way through the puzzled demigods and out the door./p
p class="MsoNormal""What was that all about?" Piper asked. "And what did he mean about Leo knowing something?" Everyone turned to the Latino elf./p
p class="MsoNormal""Umm… I don't know, maybe…" stammered Leo. A memory popped into his head. "Oh, crap. I know."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" "What?" "What?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""This time when we'd just left Camp Jupiter, Percy and I were talking in the engine room when you guys were all asleep. And my shirt caught fire and I wasn't ready, so it burned to ashes. And then Percy saw this scar I have on my shoulder." Leo pulled his sleeve back to show the thin two-inch long line. "He asked me about it. And I told him that not all monsters are from mythology. It's from my second foster home. The father was a drunk and he threw a bottle at me. One shard of glass nicked my shoulder. Then I ran away. You don't think Percy was abused for, like, nine years?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The shocked looks on everyone's faces was enough for Leo./p
p class="MsoNormal""We need to find him. NOW," ordered Annabeth. They ran to the deck and there he was. Percy. Tears streaming down his face. He had Riptide uncapped and the blade sliding across his wrists. Two bloody lines already lay on his left wrist./p
p class="MsoNormal""Percy, STOP!" commanded Piper. Percy froze, and looked up. His eyes were terrified as he struggled against Piper's charmspeak./p
p class="MsoNormal""Why would you do this to yourself?" asked Hazel, horrified. More tears slipped down Percy's face. Annabeth sobbed, running towards the son of Poseidon. He broke free the charmspeak and held up Riptide which was lined with its owner's blood./p
p class="MsoNormal""No, Annabeth. Stop." Percy's voice was hoarse. Annabeth suppressed another sob./p
p class="MsoNormal""Talk to us, then. W-Why?" enquired Frank, failing to keep his voice even./p
p class="MsoNormal"Percy dropped Riptide and lowered his hands. Blood dripped down his left hand. "It hurts. Memories."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What hurts? What memories?" whispered Reyna, speaking for the first time in ages./p
p class="MsoNormal""Memories of him. Memories of the pit. Memories of all of them."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who is he? Who are they?" Piper urged Percy./p
p class="MsoNormal""He is my ex-stepfather. Gabriel Ugliano."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Smelly Gabe," breathed Annabeth. "Did he hurt you? Or Sally?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Both. He used to hit my mom, and I only found out when I was five. I told him to never touch her again and he could have me."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Did he hurt you bad? Or was it just like mine? A scratch here and there," Leo pointed at his scar./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not like yours." Percy pulled his shirt off. The other demigods gasped. Scars from burns, cuts and bruises painted Percy's chest./p
p class="MsoNormal""But aren't some from fighting monsters?" Jason stared disbelievingly. Percy shook his head./p
p class="MsoNormal""No. If you get ambrosia or nectar fast enough there is no scar. So, I only have a few monster fighting scars. This one from a pit-scorpion and a couple more from the pit. But most of these are from him."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How did you get those?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Percy pointed at the long scar that stretched from his right collarbone to his left hip. "This one's from a knife, because I ran out of cash for his poker funds. Got it when I was ten. Then this one," He pointed to a burn that covered his right ribs. "Because I screamed while he was cutting me."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Are they the worst ones?" Reyna didn't really want to find out the answer. Percy shook his head./p
p class="MsoNormal""On my back." He turned around. Annabeth sobbed again. Hazel, Piper, Reyna and Frank gasped. Leo and Jason just stared, aghast. On his back in a messy scrawl, carved by a knife, were the words:/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This worthless idiot is property of G/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Brain-boy. Don't scream and don't call,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Otherwise… I'll come back for more./em/p
/blockquote
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"After House of Hades; One day after Tartarus; Nico and Reyna stayed the night; /strong/p
p class="MsoNormal""And then my stepmom started yelling about how I always endanger my little brothers, and they're not even my brothers! So, I got really mad and started screaming at her- "Jason cut off Annabeth./p
p class="MsoNormal""At least you're on good terms now! At least you have parents! At least your dad loves you and you have a home!" he said hotly. Everyone stared at him. "I never even knew my mother! I grew up training, since I was four!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""But- "Annabeth began, but Jason interrupted again. "No, you don't understand! Yes, you ran away, but you were seven! I was only two!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Bro, Jase, chill," said Percy calmly. Jason turned on him enraged./p
p class="MsoNormal""Oh, don't you start! Mr. Perfect, who grew up with his loving mother his whole frickin' life! You never had a single problem, apart from being expelled! But that's nothing compared to Roman training!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I didn't have the perfect life, Jason." Percy gritted his teeth./p
p class="MsoNormal""Sure, you were expelled a few times. Sure, you got in trouble. But that *#% is nothing compared to what I had to go through. A monster a year doesn't seem big to you does it? Well, it is to a four-year-old!"/p
p class="MsoNormal""For the last time, I did not have the perfect life!" growled Percy. He pushed his chair away from the table and stormed out of the room./p
p class="MsoNormal""What the hell, man?" Leo stared at Jason. "Just because you didn't have the perfect life doesn't give you the rights to shout at people like that."/p
p class="MsoNormal""No, but I probably had the worst life out of everyone here!" shouted Jason, heatedly. "You and Annabeth ran away willingly. Frank and Percy grew up with their moms! Piper and Hazel both had neglecting parents. Nico and Reyna didn't know grow up with their parents, but they had their sisters! I didn't have a choice to join the legion. I didn't even know my *%# *$ mother! It was your fault your mom died anyway."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What the hell had gotten into you, man?" asked Leo, tearfully. He shot Jason a disgusted look before bolting out the door. Hazel stalked over to Jason./p
p class="MsoNormal"In a quiet voice she said, "You aren't the same Jason I know. I used to look up to you, as a leader and a friend. Everything you just said was mean and cruel."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Why should you get to say anything?" snarled Jason. "You're supposed to be dead anyway."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hazel's face went pink. She slapped Jason in the face before leaving the room. All the remaining demigods glared at Jason./p
p class="MsoNormal""Don't you dare talk to my sister like that, Grace."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Nico silently walked over, withdrew his fist, punched his older cousin in the gut then followed his sister. Frank made to follow him, but Piper stopped him./p
p class="MsoNormal""No, wait, Frank," she said, lacing some charmspeak into her voice. "Give them some time. Meanwhile, let's deal with my em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"boyfriend/em."/p
p class="MsoNormal"All the rage Jason was feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come. He looked at the ground. "I-I'm really sorry. I don't know what happened. Just with all the bad things that've been happening to us, i-it was just too much. I'm really sorry. I'll g-go find the others and apologize if it makes things better."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Annabeth and Reyna watched the son of Jupiter's face. He was being sincere. The two girls met each other's eyes and nodded at Jason simultaneously. The remaining Seven and Reyna left the mess hall. They walked to the first guest room, Nico's temporary room. Empty./p
p class="MsoNormal""He's probably with Hazel," said Piper. "Let's go to her room." Hazel's room was empty. The five demigods went to the boys' corridor. They knocked on Percy's door. No answer./p
p class="MsoNormal""Percy?" called Annabeth. "Seaweed Brain?" She opened the door. The blue room was covered in dirty laundry and the bed sheets were thrown on the floor, but Percy was nowhere to be seen./p
p class="MsoNormal""So, for some reason they're all in Leo's room, the engine room, or on the deck?" asked Frank. Jason nodded, "Yep."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Leo's room was the room closest to the engine room. As far as anyone knew, his room had never been used. From inside the room was hurried whispers and soft music./p
p class="MsoNormal""Leo?" said Jason, uncertainly knocking on the door. The whispers stopped. He waited a few second before knocking and calling again. There was a muffled reply. "What?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""I want to say I'm really sorry for all of that crap. I want to apologize for everything. I was imprudent, angry and overall just a complete ."/p
p class="MsoNormal"The door opened a little. Leo's face appeared in the gap. His eyes were rimmed red. He smiled. "You are excused for everything."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Thanks. Umm… Are the others in there?" asked Jason. "I want to apologize to them too."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Leo opened the door completely to reveal a plain white room. Hazel and Nico sat shoulder to shoulder on Leo's bed. Leo sat back down on the chair he was probably sitting on before. The demigods scanned the room for Percy. How did he get up there? Percy was hanging by his legs on Leo's cupboard, a guitar in his hands. He glanced at Reyna, Frank, Annabeth, Piper and Jason before looking down. Jason strolled over to Hazel and Nico. He knelt down./p
p class="MsoNormal""I'm super sorry, that was really mean, and I didn't mean it. I was being an idiotic idiot. Will you forgive me? Please?" Jason said in one breath./p
p class="MsoNormal"Nico replied first, "I will if Hazel does."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Hazel threw her arms around Jason. "I knew you didn't mean it! Of course, I'll forgive you, Jason."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Jason stood and walked over to the upside-down Percy. The other demigods followed him. Percy was facing away and didn't seem to notice the half-bloods approaching. He was strumming a song on his guitar and whispering the lyrics softly./p
p class="MsoNormal""Percy, bro, I'm sorry for everything and I completely respect you. I don't have anything against you. I was kind of jealous and stupid."/p
p class="MsoNormal"Percy pulled himself up onto the cupboard. He jumped down gracefully, landing i a crouching position. He stood, facing Jason. When they had just began their voyage, Jason had been half an inch taller than Percy. Now Percy stood at an incredible height of 6 foot 3, which was three inches taller than Jason. Tear tracks stained his tanned face./p
p class="MsoNormal""Okay, I forgive you," Percy replied shakily. Jason sighed in relief. "But you have to answer this question truthfully: What were you jealous of?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Jason felt he eyes of everyone on him again. "I guess just that you had a great childhood."/p
p class="MsoNormal""You really think I had a great childhood?" asked Percy incredulously./p
p class="MsoNormal""Well, yeah. You were only introduced into the Greek-Roman world when you were twelve. You fought your first monster when you were twelve."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Firstly, why does everyone get that wrong? I was eleven, not twelve. And also, I didn't fight my first monster when I was eleven. I fought it for nine years when I was three."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How do you fight a monster for nine years?" wondered Leo out loud./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not all monsters are from the pit. You, of all people should know that, Leo," said Percy darkly before dropping his guitar on the floor and shoving his way through the puzzled demigods and out the door./p
p class="MsoNormal""What was that all about?" Piper asked. "And what did he mean about Leo knowing something?" Everyone turned to the Latino elf./p
p class="MsoNormal""Umm… I don't know, maybe…" stammered Leo. A memory popped into his head. "Oh, crap. I know."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What?" "What?" "What?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""This time when we'd just left Camp Jupiter, Percy and I were talking in the engine room when you guys were all asleep. And my shirt caught fire and I wasn't ready, so it burned to ashes. And then Percy saw this scar I have on my shoulder." Leo pulled his sleeve back to show the thin two-inch long line. "He asked me about it. And I told him that not all monsters are from mythology. It's from my second foster home. The father was a drunk and he threw a bottle at me. One shard of glass nicked my shoulder. Then I ran away. You don't think Percy was abused for, like, nine years?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"The shocked looks on everyone's faces was enough for Leo./p
p class="MsoNormal""We need to find him. NOW," ordered Annabeth. They ran to the deck and there he was. Percy. Tears streaming down his face. He had Riptide uncapped and the blade sliding across his wrists. Two bloody lines already lay on his left wrist./p
p class="MsoNormal""Percy, STOP!" commanded Piper. Percy froze, and looked up. His eyes were terrified as he struggled against Piper's charmspeak./p
p class="MsoNormal""Why would you do this to yourself?" asked Hazel, horrified. More tears slipped down Percy's face. Annabeth sobbed, running towards the son of Poseidon. He broke free the charmspeak and held up Riptide which was lined with its owner's blood./p
p class="MsoNormal""No, Annabeth. Stop." Percy's voice was hoarse. Annabeth suppressed another sob./p
p class="MsoNormal""Talk to us, then. W-Why?" enquired Frank, failing to keep his voice even./p
p class="MsoNormal"Percy dropped Riptide and lowered his hands. Blood dripped down his left hand. "It hurts. Memories."/p
p class="MsoNormal""What hurts? What memories?" whispered Reyna, speaking for the first time in ages./p
p class="MsoNormal""Memories of him. Memories of the pit. Memories of all of them."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Who is he? Who are they?" Piper urged Percy./p
p class="MsoNormal""He is my ex-stepfather. Gabriel Ugliano."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Smelly Gabe," breathed Annabeth. "Did he hurt you? Or Sally?"/p
p class="MsoNormal""Both. He used to hit my mom, and I only found out when I was five. I told him to never touch her again and he could have me."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Did he hurt you bad? Or was it just like mine? A scratch here and there," Leo pointed at his scar./p
p class="MsoNormal""Not like yours." Percy pulled his shirt off. The other demigods gasped. Scars from burns, cuts and bruises painted Percy's chest./p
p class="MsoNormal""But aren't some from fighting monsters?" Jason stared disbelievingly. Percy shook his head./p
p class="MsoNormal""No. If you get ambrosia or nectar fast enough there is no scar. So, I only have a few monster fighting scars. This one from a pit-scorpion and a couple more from the pit. But most of these are from him."/p
p class="MsoNormal""How did you get those?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"Percy pointed at the long scar that stretched from his right collarbone to his left hip. "This one's from a knife, because I ran out of cash for his poker funds. Got it when I was ten. Then this one," He pointed to a burn that covered his right ribs. "Because I screamed while he was cutting me."/p
p class="MsoNormal""Are they the worst ones?" Reyna didn't really want to find out the answer. Percy shook his head./p
p class="MsoNormal""On my back." He turned around. Annabeth sobbed again. Hazel, Piper, Reyna and Frank gasped. Leo and Jason just stared, aghast. On his back in a messy scrawl, carved by a knife, were the words:/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"This worthless idiot is property of G/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Brain-boy. Don't scream and don't call,/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Otherwise… I'll come back for more./em/p
/blockquote