Don't look up.

Head down, straight to your locker.

Don't look up.

"Percy!" He hears a voice call from behind him but he ignores it. He fixes his backpack on his shoulder and starts walking faster hoping to avoid contact with whoever it was who had called him. He should have known it was to good to be true that he would get it his way when a hand placed itself on his shoulder making him stop in the middle of the hallway. Jason walks to place himself in front of him a large smile on his face.

"Hey man!" Jason greets him but Percy takes a step back. Because of them… because of their party… he had gotten the worst beating in his life by far. Yes it was partially his fault, he had agreed to attend the party but… they had convinced him. Gabe had been careful not to hit his face but his entire body still ached and hurt from his beating. He didn't want to blame them, really he didn't but it was easier to distance himself from them if he did blame them. If he was attached, he'd probably be invited to more parties and more outings… which would lead to more beatings. Distance. He needed distance.

"You okay?" Jason asks him noticing the fact that he still hadn't answered. Percy nods rubbing his neck.

"Um… yah, yah I'm fine. I just… I have a thing." Percy mumbles before quickly walking away towards where his class was leaving Jason standing there, wondering what had just happened.


Lunch was an even harder time. He had decided to eat outside and avoid everybody who might want to talk to him. That was unfortunately not the right strategy for him to have because they found him anyway and sat around the tree with him all at once.

"Hey Percy!" Piper chimed smiling at him. He didn't return the smile and stood up making her and everybody else frown.

"Percy what's wrong?" Annabeth asks looking up at him. He almost felt bad for what he was about to say next.

"Nothing except for the fact that I just want to be left alone. I was perfectly fine before you all came along." He said, talking mostly to himself but also to them. And he wasn't talking about today, he was talking about the party they had. But from the look of confusion on their face, he knew they didn't get that but he honestly didn't care. Instead off enlightening them, he simply decided to walk away. Percy ignored them as they called after him. He felt a pang in his chest but told himself not to look back. He yearned to have them as friends, Saturday night had, after all, been one of the best nights of his life. But it had also been one of the worse. So why put himself through that again? Why live that high only to be put back so low when he was away from them. It made it all so much worse. Back at the tree, they all watched him walk away frowning. Jason was the first to speak up.

"He did the same thing this morning when I saw him. What the hell happened, I mean we had so much fun on Saturday!" He says leaning back against the trunk of the tree. Leo shrugged as Calypso lay her head on his lap.

"Maybe he was drunk and now that he's sober he realized he doesn't actually like us." He suggested but that didn't sit right with any of them.

"But he never picked up a single drink... he was sober the whole night." Annabeth corrects him. Percy was a mystery wrapped within another mystery and just when you think you have him figured out, he makes you realize that you never knew anything about him in the first place.

"There's something else about him though... something familiar I can't quite put my finger on." Nico says frowning and looking at his cousin who nodded along at his statement.

"He's right. And I guess that's why this is bothering me so much." Jason says before sighing.

"Why don't you try to talk to him Annabeth? I mean, you're the reason he was there on Saturday in the first place right? Maybe he'll open up to you, or at the very least, you'll get him to see reason." Piper says looking over at her best friend. Annabeth sigh nodding.

"I'll see if I can try and get him to talk to be but right now, chances look pretty slim"


Percy knew his mother would be home that night so he headed straight to his crap hole apartment. As soon as he walked in, he was greeted by the sweet smell of his mothers chocolate chip cookies which brought an instant smile on his face. His mother poked her head out of the kitchen as she heard the door close and smiles brightly at her son.

"Hey mom" He says walking over to her. She immediately wraps him into a hug and he just melts in her arms. His mother was his greatest comfort and nothing could be wrong when she was around. She runs her hands through his hair a small smile on her face.

"How was your day?" She asks softly as they pull out of the hug. He offers her a tight smile.

"We had a pop quiz in one of my classes but I think I did okay, at least good enough to pass." He says as his eyes wander towards the tray of cookies sitting on the stove. His hand reaches out for one, only to get slapped away by his mothers own hand.

"Not yet Perce, they just came straight out of the oven." She says, a smile on her face.

"Make any new friends yet?" She asks as he frowns up at her, since he wasnt able to get the cookies he so desired. He shrugged slightly as he let his backpack slide off his shoulders and onto the floor.

"Not really." Was the only response he gave her. Now it was her turn to frown at him. Sally knew and understood that the troubles Percy got into where never of his own volition. He had always been pushed until he was at a point where he couldn't help but push back. Sometimes, kids would do things and blame Percy and it was hard for the school board to believe in Percy's innocence considering the "record" he had accumulated and the "eye witnesses" of those troublesome events. It killed her to see her son act the way he did now because of what others had done to him in the past. He was too scared to open up because that might, for whatever reason, lead him into more trouble and he knew that this school was possibly his last chance. It killed her to see her son so withdrawn and upset. She leaned in and kisses his head while rubbing his back.

'Why not honey? I know... I know you've been through a lot but you can't just close yourself off from the world. You are such an amazing boy and you have such an amazing heart..." She says stroking his hair, concerned.

"You always say that mom, but the thing is... it's just easier this way." Percy mumbles. He knew he couldn't hide much from his mother. She could see right through him, knowing that it wasn't easier. It was a big emotional toll on him to seclude himself from everybody. He didn't want to be alone, but he felt like he had to be.

"Is it really? What is the worse that could happen Percy? If you are scared of losing all that you have, you shouldn't have that fear. Because you wont. I will always be here for you Percy and if you make friends that are worthy enough to understand you and get to know you and love you like I do, then they so would they. You have nothing to fear from gaining friends. If trouble finds you then who cares. Isn't all that joy worth a little bit of pain? Isn't it worth knowing you'll have friends who will stick by you through it all? Percy I know it's hard... I know you don't want to get into any kinds of trouble... that you don't want to disappoint me... but honey I could never, ever, feel that way about you. You are my little boy and you are my world... I just want to see you happy... no matter what." Sally says just letting it all out there. She wanted to see her son happy. She wanted him to have everything he could have ever wanted. That was why she had stayed with Gabe all this time. Because despite the fact that he was a terrible man, he helped pay the bills. Despite the fact that he beat her every night because he was too drunk and to angry to think like a decent human being, she endured those beatings for the sake of her son, to protect him and allow him to be able to go to school. Without Gabe's financial help, despite all his gablings, she doubted that she would even be able to afford anything and she was scared that social services would have taken him away. Her first husband, Poseidon, had never left a will, not anticipating his early death and his possessions and money were repossessed by the state until Percy turned 18 because as his son, he was entitled to his fathers possessions when he reached maturity. So Sally only had to put up with Gabe until Percy was able to go out on his own at the age of 18. Only until then. But she wasn't going to let her son suffer and be unhappy.

Percy looked up at his mother, who looked more pensive then he had ever seen her before sighing. He knew that she was right, she was always right. But she didn't know how much pain, she didn't know that Gabe was his pain, that Gabe beat him up. She didn't know... but she was still right.

"I'll try mom, I promise." He whispered hugging her again. She hugs him back tightly, blinking back tears. She kisses his head quickly wiping her eyes before he could see her tears and pulls back smiling at him.

"Let's have some cookies then okay?"


A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry for the long update and this kind of shitty chapter I'm quickly dropping. School started so soon and I got crazy overwhelmed by it and work. This is really just a filler and I'm going to have a lot of stuff going on, more Percabeth for sure, Jason and Percy interactions, so don't even worry about it. Ill have it up within the next two weeks, probably next weekend hopefully. Thanks for reviewing and letting me know how Im doing. I cherish all my supporters. Thank you all so much.