Percy POV
All I remembered was Luke's fist hurdling towards my body before I plunged into the darkness.
I woke up to find myself shoved in one of the foster house lockers. My head was throbbing and I was covered in dried blood, bruises, and scars. I painfully remembered Luke and his friends beating me up bring me back to that night.
FLASHBACK
"Gabe stop," my mom shouted as my nightmare of a stepfather closed the space between her and him. Did I mention he was holding a knife with which he was threatening to murder my mom with? I felt the urge to scream for help but I knew doing that would get us both killed. I had no choice but to cower under the couch. "Gabe, you don't have to do this," my mom choked out between gulps and tears. "You should've thought of the consequences before you mouthed off, whore." My mom opened her mouth to speak but before she could get a word out, Gabe lunged forward with the knife and sliced open her throat. He then scurried out the door. When I saw that he was gone, I crawled out from under the couch and started bawling. I held my mom's hand as she took her last breath and said her last words. "I love you Percy," she gasped before her eyes rolled back into her head. I sat next to her for hours until the police got there, feeling numb.
END OF FLASHBACK
That was the night that got my put in this hellhole. I wouldn't be shoved in a locker covered in bruises right now if that night hadn't happened. I also wouldn't have met Annabeth, my only reason for living. She's my best friend in the whole world. We have nicknames for each other. Ever since I can remember she's called me Seaweed Brain, and I've called her Wise Girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I met her. She was beautiful. I loved the way her blonde hair fell down her shoulders. Her eyes were a vivacious, stormy grey. They were like staring into a tornado.
