Percy:

With a sigh I closed my eyes, hoping for sleep to take the pain away. It never did though. I sat up in bed, trying not to moan from the pain in my side. Without turning any lights on, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from under my bed. I unscrewed the cap and took a gulp of the sharp drink. Searing pain burned my throat and stomach, but it felt better than the emptiness that I had learned to get used to. I'm not sure how much longer I was awake, but I drank all my fears away. And that was all that mattered.

I woke with a start. Bright light cut into my sea green eyes and I yelped. "What the heck!"

My mom looked at me with a soft look in her ever changing eyes. Her eyebrows crinkled in depressed disappointment when she saw the empty bottle by my bed. "Percy, how many times do I have to tell you not to drink?"

My mom tried to be a good mother, but it was hard when my step-dad, Gabe, was a drunk bastard who took his anger out on both of us. I loved her so much, though. She was always trying to protect me, ever since the abuse started when I was eleven. I was now seventeen, and I was getting tired of his constant beating. Last night I had decided enough was enough. I fought back. That was my worst mistake yet. Even in Gabe's drunk state, he was still bigger and stronger than me. He had thrown my mom against the wall and she lay slumped against the wall, knocked out. I had charged over to him, but he was ready and he took a broken bottle and sliced across my ribs and chest. I winced in pain at the memory, but my mom snapped my out of it.

"Percy!"

I looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"I know you don't feel like it, but you need to go to school. If your step-father finds out that you didn't go he'll hurt you more…." She looked off to the side. I could tell that she blamed herself for that monster. She married him because of me though. I was four and I needed a father to teach me how to be a man. Gabe acted like the perfect guy, and he tricked my mom. She married him quickly, but she soon realized that he was nothing like he had first appeared to be.

I slowly rolled out of bed. "I know," was all I could reply with. I walked over to her. "Mom, it's not your fault. And one of these days I'm gonna get us out of this." I smiled at her. "Don't worry." I placed a light peck on her cheek.

With tears in her eyes she smiled at me. "Please stop drinking."

I knew why she was telling me that. She didn't want me to become him. But I needed the pain to go away, and alcohol was the only relief I found. I told myself that I was different than Gabe and that I would never be like him. But I knew the truth.

Annabeth:

I smiled at myself in the mirror. It was another day of school in my junior year, and I wanted to die. I had so much homework with all my AP classes and I hardly had time for my best friends, Piper, Thalia, and Hazel. With a grunt I pinched my cheeks lightly and ran downstairs. I normally didn't wear any makeup, but I had added a little bit of mascara today just to make it look like I wasn't quite as dead as I really was.

Breakfast was with the family and I plopped down into my seat, next to my eight year old half-brothers, Bobby and Matthew. They were twins, and not that bad considering the fact that they were boys. My dad was already sitting at the table, his eyes glued to his phone. I sighed at the normality of the day. My step-mom, Cassy, waltzed in, grinning from ear to ear. The second she looked at me, her smile faded and a look of scorn replaced it. "Annie, really? No makeup?"

I stared at her. I hated it when she called me Annie. "No…. I never wear any, but I did add mascara today."

My step-mother cringed. "Well, if that's the best you can do...I suppose it works." She placed a plate in front of everyone, except me. "Sorry darling, I couldn't carry all five plates out. Yours is still in the kitchen." She smiled at me fakely.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Seriously?"

Cassy assumed a look of shock. "Annabeth Minerva Chase! Don't talk back to me!" She glanced at my dad and waited for him to say something to back her up. When he didn't, she cleared her throat. "Fredrick! Your daughter was rude to me. Do something!"

My dad looked up. "Ah, um, Annabeth, your grounded."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm gonna be late for school. I'm sleeping over at a friend's house tonight."

My dad waved his hand in an okay as he stared back down at his phone. Cassy humphed in reply, but she let it go. I stood up and ruffled the twins hair before snagging a piece of toast from Matthew. I gave Cassy one last glare and left, slamming the door behind me.

"Well, today is off to a good start," I groaned.