Title: Unpretty

Author: FlamboyantlyBiBoy

Feedback: Yes please

Summary: Andromeda was never a normal child. Her mom worked all the time. Her dad had left. Her step-dad hated her. She just hated being a girl.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the characters

Spoilers: Nope.

Pairing: One-sided Percy/Luke, possible Percy/Nico

Warnings: Slash, transgender, attempted suicide.

Author's Note: This is a topic that really means something to me, and I'm extremely excited to finally write something with it.

ENJOY!

I wish I could tie you up in my shoes

Make you feel unpretty too

I was told I was beautiful

But what does that mean to you

Look into the mirror who's inside there

The one with the long hair

Same old me again today

I stood in front of the mirror that cold December day. My mom was yelling something at her husband (no my dad. He would never be my dad), and Gabe was yelling right back. They thought I was still safe and sound in bed since I didn't have to go to school. They didn't know that I hardly ever slept anymore.

My whole body was numb, but still moving. Absentmindedly, I was brushing my waist length, black hair until it shone. I hated my hair, but mom wouldn't let me cut it. She said that I could get it short once my body started to mature. She didn't want me to look like a boy. I never bothered to tell her that I was a boy. There was already signs of puberty on my naked, eleven year old body. Pubic hair, acne and slightly budding chests were the most obvious.

An hour later, I stepped into our living room fully dressed. Gabe's poker buddies were already there, but I paid them no mind while walking to the kitchen.

Mom was standing there beautiful as ever. Her main of dark brown hair was pulled back in a ribbon and she had on her Candy Counter work clothes. As soon as she saw me there was a smile on her lips, "Good morning, Ann."

"Morning, mom." I answered as brightly as I could, "Are you working today?"

That was a stupid question that she didn't even need to answer; mom was always working. I'm sure that's one of the reasons she sent me to boarding schools. There I didn't have to put up with Gabe when I got home.

"You're looking very pretty today." Mom set down a plate of blue, chocolate chip pancakes for me, "Are you going anywhere?"

"My friend from school is suppose to be in the city today and I was hoping to hang out with him." I answered, and had expected what mom had said next.

"A boy?" She wore a childish grin now, "What's his name?"

"Grover Underwood, and he's just a friend." I answered quickly, and it was true that I had no feelings for Grover beyond brotherly, "We were just going to go to the park."

"Alright, make sure you have your phone with you." Mom seemed almost disappointed that my relationship with Grover wasn't anything more.

"Got it." I told her as I finished eating, and headed out the door. My phone was always with me, even though I was only allowed to send mom texts that were normally horridly misspelled because of my dyslexia.

My outsides are cool

My insides are blue

Everytime I think I'm through

It's because of you

I've tried different ways

But it's all the same

At the end of the day

I have myself to blame

I'm just trippin'

Grover was waiting for me at Time square. We were planning on walking down Broadway so he could see what shows were playing. If my mom had known where we were going, then I would be stuck at home all day. Luckily, I had turned into an expert on lying to her.

"There you are." Grover's voice was already deepened and he was growing facial hair. The only sixth grade boy to have any. I always found myself jealous of Grover being such a…male.

"Sorry, mom wouldn't let me leaving without eating and started bothering me when I told her I was hanging out with a boy." I laughed like the idea was insane.

Grover just smiled. He was wearing jeans and his foster home slash camp t-shirt. Camp Half-Blood. I never bothered to ask about it since he never talked about it, and I wasn't one to open up an emotional conversation.

We'd only known each other for a semester, but he was already the closest friend I had. I had told him everything, and now Grover was the one person besides myself to see the male in me. That had been the one emotional talk we'd had, but I knew it wouldn't be the last.

"Have you talked to your mom about it yet?" Grover spoke was we started down Broadway. It was like he was reading my mind.

"No, I can't do it, dude." I was watching my feet, "How am I suppose to say that your little Andromeda is actually the Perseus in her story?"

"Like that," Grover suggested while his eyes darted along the street, "But without the alliteration."

I shrugged, and we kept walking. The wind was ripping through my jacket and there was snow on the ground. As we got to the end of the street, the two of us agreed to slip into a Starbucks to get hot chocolate.

The drink was making my throat blister, but I didn't care. Eventually, we ended up at the park. Guess I didn't lie to mom.

You can buy your hair if it won't grow

You can fix your nose if he says so

You can buy all the make-up that M.A.C. can make

But if you can't look inside you

Find out who am I to

Be in a position to make me feel so damn unpretty

At noon, me and Grover parted ways. I decided to stop at mom's work on the way back to our apartment. The shop always smelled sweet, and inviting.

"Hey, Ann." Mom smiled at me, "How'd your date go?"

"It wasn't a date. We were just hanging out." I protested.

"Alright, but I wanted to talk to you." That was never a good thing coming from my mother.

"About what?" I asked, sitting down on one of the bar stools.

"You're getting older, and turning into a beautiful young woman," This was going to be a fun talk, "I was just thinking that we should go make-up shopping before you go back to school."

Of course make-up! In mom's mind, every girl should wearing it by that age of twelve and die with that stuff still on. I should have know this talk was coming. Unluckily for me, we were the only ones in the shop.

"I-I don't need any." I muttered.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ann, every little girl dreams of getting her first batch of make-up. It's a sign of growing up." Mom argued.

That's the moment when my heart and mind finally connected in a single sentence, "Maybe I don't want to be a girl!"

"Andromeda, you don't know what your saying." Mom looked around the empty shop like she didn't want somebody to see her freak daughter.

"I know exactly what I'm saying." My feet landed on the tile floor, "I'm not a girl." In that moment, I turned and ran.

I feel pretty

Oh so pretty

I feel pretty and witty and bright

My heart was pounding. My lungs were broken. My eyes stung. Still, I ran. I ran until I fell on the outskirts of the city. I tried to keep the tears back, but they came still. I knew I couldn't stay there. I couldn't move. Fear was gripping me to my place.

I lay for…I don't even know how long, before the sounds of a car stopping reached my ears.

Never insecure until I met you

Now I'm being stupid

I used to be so acute to me

Just a little bit skinny

Why do I look to all these things

To keep you happy

Maybe get rid of you

And then I'll get back to me

Footsteps came toward me in the crunching snow. I panicked for a second, before relaxing in hope that whoever it was would go away.

"Percy?" Grover's voice came drifting to me in the wind. I was thinking that I was hearing things. There was snow seeping through my jeans, and I was started to shake. My body going numb.

"Percy!" My best friend's voice was more earnest this time, and I actually looked up. There he was above me. Grover's brown, curly haired head wasn't staying still.

"I-I told my mom." I murmured, "I-I just ran off."

"Oh, Percy." Grover glanced back at a white van, "Come on, we'll give you a ride back to your apartment."

"We?" Suddenly, I realized that somebody much be driving.

"Luke was taking me home, but there's a storm coming and you shouldn't walk back to your place in it." My friend's voice had a tone that sounded like he wanted to take care of me. Normally, I'd feel weird about it, but right then I couldn't care less.

I took Grover's offered hand, and he helped me into the van. A blonde boy was in the driver's seat. He looked about eighteen, and was…handsome to say the least.

"Hey, kid." The boy, Luke, turned around, "Where am I taking you?"

I told him the address quickly, and we set off. After a few minutes, Grover asked, "How'd it go? Telling your mom."

Everything came spilling out. I talked without end, and by the time I finished, we were pulling up outside the apartment complex. Grover gave me a gentle hug, before I got out of the van.

As the door closed, I could hear Luke's voice, "That's the demigod you found?"

I saw Grover nod just before they drove off. Luke…he had just caused me to question myself yet again. Was I gay? Sure, the boy's beautiful, but could that really mean that I was attracted to him?