This is a new idea, so I hope it's good. I just want to that cutiepututie and SakuHanaMusic for helping me with this and giving me advice. Now, on with the story!
Warnings: implied rape (later on), cutting, suicidal themes, MxM, slow updates
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.
-PJO—PJO—PJO-
Percy's POV
Apparently there would be someone new joining the ward today. I wondered what they would be like, what they would look like, what their story was. I know, I may seem nosy, but it had been a few months since anyone had joined our particular ward. You see, our ward was for those suicidal cases that the doctors in the other ward gave up on, the ones that seemed hopeless.
I was one of those people that they gave up on (obviously), but only because I wouldn't tell them anything about why I started cutting myself or why I attempted to kill myself. Twice. Those thoughts, those memories that haunted me every day, were mine and mine alone.
Well, they used to be. But I found friends on the ward that I could trust with those thoughts without worrying about them telling Apollo, the doctor on our ward who refused let go of the fact that we probably couldn't be helped. We'd come to an agreement that I wouldn't tell any of their secrets if they didn't tell mine.
So here I was, five years on the ward, and still, they hadn't been able to get me to open up to the people trying to 'help' me. Not that I needed their 'help' in the first place. All they would do for me was send me home with some drugs that would change me and tell me to try my hardest out in the real world. After that, I would be forced into going to support groups and therapists. It would be absolute hell.
I drew myself out of my morbid thoughts when the doors of the ward, which were to my right, opened. I glanced up with an emotionless gaze to see a pale, black haired boy walk through the metal white doors with two male nurses flanking him.
The teen looked to be about fifteen, maybe sixteen, and a couple of inches shorter than me. His black hair was slightly long and unruly (almost as much so as my own), and his clothes were all black.
His chocolate brown eyes darted around the room, taking in all the details, and I noticed him twisting a skull ring around on his right ring finger. Probably a nervous tick. I'd been observing people for long enough to know that.
To tell the truth, he was very handsome. I felt a small prick in the back of my mind, as though I should recognize the teen, but I couldn't place who it was. The head nurse, Will, led the teen around, showing him the whole of the ward.
It only took about ten to fifteen minutes, accounting the fact that the ward was pretty small.
"Poor kid. He's got a dangerous guy targeting him," Luke said from behind where I was in my recliner.
I looked up at him. "I targeted you and you turned out fine," I told him.
Luke scoffed at that. "Yeah, well, you got bored of me in within a couple of days and let it go. I get the feeling you won't let this one go so easily." It was true. I'd given up on him, but only because he was straight, and I wouldn't force anyone into a relationship if they didn't want it.
I grinned at him. "You know me so well," I said.
"I've had to live with you for three years," he responded blandly. "I'd be worried if I didn't." I let out a short laugh at that, which I noticed startled the new kid, who was leaning by the window across the room, looking out at the busy street by the hospital.
I motioned for him to come over, standing. He did so reluctantly.
"Hey, I'm Percy Jackson. It's nice to meet you," I said to him, holding my hand out.
He was once again reluctant to come near me, but shook my hand with his surprisingly warm one. "Nico di Angelo," was all he said. My eyes widened in shock. A face flashed into my mind, bright and happy and innocent, and I couldn't believe how much he'd changed. What could've happened?
I brushed my shock off and pulled my hand away, which seemed to relieve him. "So, what do you think of our humble abode?" I asked him as though it were my home, smiling.
"It's . . . a lot less depressing than I thought it would be. The one down stairs seems like a funeral compared to this," he said. I wasn't surprised. Everyone who came here for the first time said that.
"I understand. That's the impression everyone gets at first," I responded, chuckling. "But trust me, there's more to it. We're the hopeless ones, after all." Nico looked puzzled by my statement, but I didn't say anything else.
"Shall we make introductions, then?" I asked. I didn't wait for him to answer, though. I pointed to the corner of the room, where there was a ceiling to floor bookshelf. "Over there, reading the huge-ass book, is Annabeth. She may seem kind of cold at first, but you get used to it." True to my words, Annabeth looked up and glared slightly at us, before going back to her book.
I gestured to Luke, who was still behind me. "That's Luke. He's a bit of a jerk, so I'd watch out for him." And I went on, introducing everyone to Nico.
"And that's everyone," I finished.
Nico looked dazed. I didn't blame him. It was a lot to take in on the first day, but it was better to get it over with quickly instead of dragging it out.
Nico was quiet for a few moments, then asked, "How long have you been here? You seem to know your way around well."
I stiffened slightly, but quickly relaxed and smiled bitterly. "I've been on this ward for five years, and the other one for one year before that. And before that I was forced to go and see therapists practically every day. I've been in this world for a long time."
Nico looked kind of surprised by my answer. "You seem so laid back, though? So happy."
"Don't you know?" I asked him, and he shook his head. "There's a name for this ward. One that I think describes it pretty well. They call this the Hopeless Ward. It may seem happy and laidback, but that's just scratching the surface. Get underneath, and you realize just how fucked up all of us really are. It's not nearly as nice as people make it out to be."
"Then what's your story?" he asked me. "What made you so hopeless that you were placed here?"
The bitter smile that graced my face disappeared behind my blank mask that I'd perfected over the years. "There's a deal we make here, just between us patients. I'll keep your secrets if you keep mine. Meaning, if I tell you my story, you tell me yours. And if you're not willing to do that, then I can't say anything."
Nico was silent, thinking about that. "What happens if you tell the doctor, or a nurse?"
"No one knows. It's never happened before," I answered. Nico's eyes widened in disbelief. "We've all gained trust in each other over the years. We're like a family. And family doesn't betray each other. That's all."
"B-but," Nico stuttered, seemingly shell-shocked at our absolute trust in each other. "Don't you want each other to get better?"
I started laughing then. I laughed until I was crying. When I finally calmed myself down, I told the raven haired teen, "The fact that you can say that at all tells me that you're not completely hopeless. All of us here, there's no helping us. Because we don't need help. There's nothing wrong with us. We all believe that, so we don't tell."
"I don't get you," he muttered, a look of disbelief still on his face.
"Yeah, well, don't feel bad. I get the feeling not many people get me," I responded. I opened my mouth to say more, but a call from the other side of the room made me pause.
"Seaweed Brain! Your mom is calling. She says it's important this time," Annabeth called, holding the black phone out to me.
I scowled at it. "She says that every time, and every time it's nothing but disappointment from her." I could see that Nico was put even more off-balance at my sudden change of mood. When Annabeth only glared at me stubbornly, I gave in and took the phone from her, twirling the cord casually around my finger.
"Hey, Mom," I greeted indifferently.
-PJO—PJO—PJO-
That's the first chapter. Pairings are open for suggestions. Requests and such. Favorite, follow, review, PM, the usual. Until next time—
~O'Malley out . . .