293, by gdocs
Everyone at school stares.
It's understandable; he's missed most of the eleventh grade, no one knowing where he was for months on end. There have been hundreds of stories that circulated, but wherever Percy Jackson went, it made a noticeable difference. It was slight things, as first; his eyes are a darker shade of green, he carries himself differently. He also jumps at small noises and snaps at people who accidentally sneak up on him.
Percy normally wouldn't have been able to return to Goode, but Paul talked to the principal, told him that Percy suffered a mental health break and needed to take some time off.
It isn't that far off from the truth, really.
Percy worked for a month straight, hardly sleeping, to catch up on eleventh grade. Even if he didn't need to catch up, Percy probably wouldn't have slept anyway; the nightmares still haunt him.
So Percy returns to Goode for his senior year.
People stare and people question him—until he nearly chops a sophomore's arm off for being the tenth person to ask him where he was. From then, people know not to mess with Percy Jackson, to leave him be.
He could be popular; he's talented, good-looking, funny, but he rejects all of that, sitting alone during lunch, not talking to his classmates.
The few people who show kindness to him can also see how much he needs it, how broken he is inside. His hands shake, he has a million tics and fidgets.
Something happened to Percy Jackson during his nine months of total absence, but it also left him broken, scarred.
Something happened to shut off a part of Percy, and he's learning to slowly open it, while others are learning to leave it alone.