"Okay next joke. What does a skeleton ask for dinner? A t-bone!" Laughter erupted from the lunch table. Percy Jackson was hanging out with his few mortal friends. It had only been three months after the Second titan War and Thanksgiving was just around the corner. Jacob, the prankster of the group had received a joke book for his birthday and enjoyed telling the clan all the cheesy gags.

"Dude you have got to let me borrow this!" Emily exclaimed. She had just transferred to Goode High from North Carolina and had already claimed her spot in the group of five; besides Percy, Jacob, and Emily, you had Mason the artist and Sage the science dork. "Annabeth would hate this," Percy mumbled. "Not stimulating enough for you kelp brain." He mocked, sounding like the daughter of Athena. Sage jumping into the conversation agreed, having previously met the blond hair, gray eyed beauty.

"Let me see it." Mason demanded, snatching the book from Jacob much to his protest. Flipping to the back of the book, he began. "What do you say to a boy with no dad? Bas**** the cops are here!" Percy looked down at his food. "How do you get the dishwasher to work? You beat her!" Percy paled. "Okay not this is a good one." Mason commented, clearly enjoying the vulgar jokes. "What do you call a Benedict Arnold? Dead!" Percy stood up, snatched the book, and ran out of the cafeteria with tears streaming down his face. "He took my book." Jacob commented.

Percy arrived at Camp Half-Blood later that day in tears. He walked past Thalia's Tree, climbed down the hill, and straight to his cabin. For the rest of the day, Percy refused to come out. Even Nico couldn't get in by shadow travel. There was just no getting the son of Poseidon to communicate with the outside world.

Annabeth never begged. Not when she was on the run. Not in the labyrinth. Not even during the war. Sure she would ask, but never beg. However she was getting desperate.

Percy had arrived at Camp three days ago in tears. As far as anyone knew he hadn't left his cabin. Nico couldn't even get in via shadow travel. He said that it was like running into an invisible wall. Walking up to Cabin Three's shell door, Annabeth knocked for the twentieth time in the past ten minutes.

"Percy open up this gods forsaking door!" She called. "This is so not funny Seaweed Brain!" After repeating the process for another five minutes to no response, Annabeth kicked the door hard with her gray high tops in a fit of rage. Seeing the door spring open a crack, she walked in.

Percy's cabin was black. Sea green curtains hung over the windows and the bed was unmade. Everything looked pretty normal. Coke cans peaking from under the bed. Jolly rancher wrappers strewn across the room. Even dirty clothes from last summer were laying in a heap on the floor. The only thing missing was her boyfriend stressing over geometry homework like he normally was on breaks. In fact, the son of Poseidon wasn't in the cabin at all! Knowing the one other place Percy would be, Annabeth ran out the door to the lake.

For the first time in three days, Annabeth laid eyes on her boyfriends body. He was sickly pale and had lost a lot of weight, tear marks laid clear on his face. A crumbled book laid dormant in his hands. Seeing his distraught face, Annabeth ran over to the black-haired boy and engulfed his in a hug.

"People find these funny." He whispered, his voice hoarse and strained. "Why don't I find this funny? Why?" He looked down at the book with hatred causing Annabeth to pry it out of his hands. Opening the book. Opening it up to a crumbled page in the back, she read the jokes. After she finished, her eyes were misty. "Oh Percy."

"You know when I was in 4th grade, some of my class mates found out my real dad abandoned me. They carved bas**** on my locker." He said, staring out into the ocean. "My mom was abused for years on my behalf by Gabe. He would only hurt me if my mom wasn't home, and she always was. And Luke and Selena..." He trailed off and burst into gut wrenching sobs.

"Percy, I'm so sorry. I know the war was hard on you more so than anyone else and your life wasn't as grand as it should be, but you have me, Thalia, Nico, Chiron. We are all behind you. You'll be okay."

"No." He stated in between sobs. "II will never be okay. Life is hard. The fates are cruel. Never again..."

Author's Notes:

FINALLY sat my little butt down with my notebook and a computer to post this *cue cheers*

Yes I know I said the b word. Please don't point that put because I am aware. I did it on purpose. I'm also going to apologize if anything offended you. I had to imagine something that would really effect Percy. I mean what does?

I was going to maybe make this a multi-fic. However I have absolutely NOOOO ideas. PM or review if you do. I'm completely open.