A/N: THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! Oh my gods, that was quick. Thank you to everyone, again, who reviewed and favourited and followed. This is the end of my first story and I am actually really proud of this and I hope I just get better and better as I keep writing. I was thinking of starting a little spin off that is this story for several other POV's (eg. Annabeth's thoughts on Percy's strength and Jason's thoughts when Percy passed out) so let me know what you think. So for the final time in this story, let's get on with the chapter. (Rick owns Percy Jackson and all the characters)

The next few months were painful to say the least. I healed slowly but it was bearable, because all of my friends refused to leave my side.

I remember waking up the day after I had confessed, gasping and shaking from a nightmare, only to be pulled into my girlfriend's arms with soothing words spoken into my ear.

"It's okay. You're okay. We're here."

I had managed to calm down in record time and yet she still held me for another ten minutes, just to make sure I was alright.

I remember walking out of my room and into the kitchen where my mother pulled me into a soft embrace. (I learnt later on that they had told her everything after I had fallen asleep on the couch. I thought I would feel angry but for some reason it only made me feel more loved.)

I ate my small breakfast, trying to get my stomach to react normally to food, all the while talking with the rest of the seven about anything and everything.

I remember curling into a ball on the floor after Leo had accidentally smashed a plate, being pulled into a flashback that I would have much rather not relived. They had all sat on the floor with me, keeping one hand on me each, making sure to not over crowd me.

Once the flashback was over I had leaned on Jason for a good half an hour to calm myself down and managed my first real laugh in weeks when Piper handed everyone a spoon and opened a tub of blueberry ice cream.

We sat on the floor then for hours, just soaking in the presence of everyone around us.

I remember falling asleep on the floor, just one massive clump of people and waking up to a nightmare. But this time it wasn't mine. Nobody else had woken up and so I merely pulled Piper a little closer to me and told her everything was okay, waiting until she calmed down so I could pull her into a hug.

After everybody had woken up and we finally decided to move from the floor, Piper had kissed me on the cheek and thanked me quietly, almost as if nothing had changed.

And that's the way it was. We helped each other through those times of need. One day I would need comfort and the next day Leo was breaking down. Some days we all needed comfort, in which we would all bunker down where ever the hell we were at the time and just hang out together. We would comfort each other from the sadness that would consume us, and protect each other from the horrors that came from behind our eyelids.

We also protected each other from those horrors that attacked us from outside our heads.

One of the days after my breakdown, I had woken up late and everyone else nowhere to be seen. Just as I had started to panic they had come in the front door, laughing and pushing each other around.

Annabeth had smiled at me and pulled me into a soft hug.

"Where were you guys?" I had asked, trying to sound casual and not at all as if I was scared they had abandoned me.

"Nowhere important, baby." Annabeth had responded and as she pulled away from me I saw some dark blue shading on her knuckles. Quickly glancing at everyone else, I realised they all had it and I let my eyebrows knit in confusion.

Jason just shook his head at me as he walked past me, warning me not to ask.

Of course, it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened when I spotted my school bag in the corner and Nicolas arrived at school the next day with more than a few bruises on his face and a terrible limp. He also seemed to have fewer goons than usual and people were snickering when he limped past.

I had braced myself for seeing my locker again, because I had promised my friends a full day at school (which meant most of the day without them), and I knew I couldn't handle anymore flashbacks.

I froze when I saw it and tears welled in my eyes, but for entirely different reasons.

My locker was no longer the dull grey colour of everyone else's. Stuck over all the insults and covering the entire locker were pieces of blue paper, all different shades, making it look like the ocean. On the paper were more words.

Smart was written along the side, where retard used to be.

Loved was up in the corner, taking over the space bastard used to take up.

Around them were smaller words like Friend, Handsome and Protective.

Right across the middle, in capital letters, taking over the space murderer used to reside in, was: LEADER.

Down in the right hand corner they had written: Don't pay attention to anything these people may say or write. We love you so much Percy. Show them that you are way more awesome than they could ever be.

It was signed The Seven – 1.

When I had gotten home that night I had collapsed in their waiting arms, crying and laughing at the same time, thanking them over and over again.

And so I guess I was wrong. I don't have to be strong for everyone. Heck, I don't even need to be strong for me. And neither does anybody else. Looking at my friends now (who had been prompting me for months to write all this down and refused to take their eyes off me the entire time), I can tell we are all broken, but together we are whole. Together we are strong. And I guess there is room for sadness, because sadness is a fact of life. If Love and Friendship and Happiness can exist, I think I can bear with the sadness. No, scratch that. I think WE can bear with the sadness.