A/N:~ Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. High school is being mean and my college class is killing me~ ANYWAY! Hope y'all enjoy! As a side note, I'm sorry if the writing in this chapter is overly formal but I just turned in my first super duper in-depth research paper and the MLA writing style is still stuck in my head. ^-^

Percy's POV

I. Am. Pissed. So unbelievably pissed. At the father, the bullies, and just every human being who has injured the girl lying down on the cot in front of me. I didn't have a great childhood either with my abusive step father, but he's gone and I don't have to deal with him anymore. But Annabeth... she's pretty much... Alone. Stuck. Got no place to go at the moment. It's so frustrating that if I reach out and try to get her some help she will deny it. The moment she finished telling me what was going on, I wanted to go to the police and tell them what is going on but then I realized Annabeth wouldn't trust me anymore if I did. They would take her away from her family and might be put in foster care or something. By some miracle she might be allowed to live with Thalia but with the tensions between my lovely cousin and her step-mother Hera at the moment, I don't think Hera would be too pleased adding another "troublesome teen" to her household.

I reach out and tuck a golden strand of hair behind Annabeth's ear and comb my hand through it as small, little puffs of air exit her lips. She smiles briefly as I massage her head and turns her body towards me while curling up in a small ball. We sit like this for a while until the nurse renters the room.

"I'll sit with her for a few minutes. Go ahead and get yourselves something to eat for lunch and get The work you need from your classes for the rest of the day. I don't want her going back to class, so I'll get the principle to excuse you two from classes the rest of the day," the nurse says, pulling up a chair near the cot and pulling out her phone to play a round of Angry Birds before her lunch break starts.

I guess I had been sitting there for longer than I though as a few minutes after I walk out the nurse door, the lunch bell rings. Immediately, the halls are crowded with a bunch of teens crowding the hallways and pushing each other out of one another's ways to get first pick at the better choices the cafeteria is offering for lunch today. Papers are thrown all over place and I see a few freshmen frantically pushing themselves against the lockers to get out of the stampede known as high school lunch period.

I just push through the thinning crowd of teens and make my way to each of Annabeth's and my classrooms and retrieve the work that we've missed and will be missing through the day. Exiting from my last stop, I see the hallways are empty of most all people excluding Thalia who is running around like a maniac grabbing poor unsuspecting people who are still in the hallway and asking them if they've seen a gold haired girl with creepy eyes.

"Thalia! Annabeth's fine!" I shout at her from across the hall.

"She better be Kelp Head, or I will reap the souls of those who laid a hand on my dear childhood friend!" she yells back, striking a stupid pose that somehow looks a little less stupid than normal with the death glare she is giving the world around her.

We head to the nurses office and right as the nurse hears us come in she lifts her head from the game on her phone.

"She hasn't woken up yet so feel free to stay in here while I'm on my lunch break, but DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING," she says with a fierce glare, exiting the room.

"God she was uptight!" Thalia whines as she walks over to Annabeth.

She sighs as she looks down at her best friends sleeping body.

"That b**** Drew is gonna pay," she growls out between clenched teeth, her hand curling to fists at her sides.

Not just Drew, a whole lotta bastards have to be punished for what they've done to her in the past, I think angrily.

The two of us sit by Annabeth in silence until the bell signaling the end of lunch rings and the nurse renters the room. Thalia gets up and leaves to go to her next class while the nurse supposedly checks to make sure we didn't destroy anything in the short period of time she was gone.

Apparently she finds everything as she left it, so she shrugs and walks back into her office. Now all I have to do is wait for Annabeth to wake up.

Ten Minutes After School Is Out (A/N:~ Because I didn't have any more ideas of what Percy could contemplate while Annabeth was passed out.)

I wake up Annabeth after bell rings so I can walk her home. She wordlessly rises out of the cot and gets her stuff together before we are out of school and walking the twenty minute trip back to her house. Its awkward for the first few minutes before I finally break the silence.

"I don't like the idea of you going back to your house... I'm worried for you," I say quietly, although, it sounds painfully loud compared to the awkward silence we were just in.

"I'll be fine," she replies before finishing somewhat bitterly," it's not like I haven't had to deal with all this before.

Something inside me snaps and I stop abruptly, turning to grab her shoulders until she is looking in my eyes which are most-likely showing the vast amount of anger and frustration I am currently feeling.

"Listen to me dammit!" I shout. "I don't care if you're used to all of this or not! I care about you and your families issues aren't an excuse for them to push all their frustrations on you!" Continuing in a quieter tone and pulling her into a hug, I say, "If there are any issues tonight I want you to call me. I made sure you have my number on your phone (A/N:~ Happened in the time I skipped.) so please PLEASE call me if anything, no matter how significant you deem it to be, is wrong."

Annabeth's POV

I pull back slightly from Percy's embrace, my eyes softening as I look into his which now full of worry and pain. The anger and frustration present in them only moments ago seem to have vanished in the blink of an I. I hesitantly lift my right hand to cup his cheek, wondering how the two of us have gotten so close in such a short period of time. We only met this morning for god's sake.

"Hey, I'm gonna be fine," I say to him.

The statement is most likely a lie, and he knows it, but he doesn't push the issue any further which I'm thankful for. We go back to walking and this time it isn't as awkward as it was before, just more heavy and laced with a tinge of worry and sadness.

When my house (more like prison) is finally in sight, I turn towards Percy. I see that my dad and stepmother's cars are n the driveway and immediately know that if they see Percy with me, I'll really regret letting him walk me home. My father would have an excuse, not like he needs any, to make my life more of a hell than it already is.

"Percy, I think we should stop here. If my dad sees you with me... it probably won't end well for either of us," I say in a bitter tone, my eyes on the sidewalk instead of staring into his which I know have not lost the worry in them; I then peak up at him slightly.

He runs a calloused palm through his messy black hair and then brings his hands to rest in his pockets, a sigh leaving his lips as he does so. He looks up at the sky briefly before bringing his gaze back down to rest on me. I quickly move my gaze back down to stare at my beat up converse. I need another pair, I think briefly before realizing how stupid it is to have a thought like that in a situation such as this.

"Annabeth," Percy calls softly, causing me to raise my head and look him in the eye for what seems like the twentieth time today. "Be safe, please," he begs.

I try to smile in answer, but it turns out more like a grimace. He accepts it though as he walks away, heading to an apartment complex about five or ten minutes away from my house. I sigh as I turn away as well and start walking to the building I have to now call my home. My feet feel as heavy as lead as I walk up the steps and open the door. A few steps in and I am immediately greeted by a hard slap to the face which sends me flat on the floor clutching my now bruised cheek.

"Well look who finally decided to arrive home," I hear a voice comment sarcastically, a dark tone underlying it.

My breath freezes in my throat as I bring my head up to look into the furious gaze of my so-called father.

Well sh*t, I think, swallowing thickly. God why do you hate me so?

A/N:~ That's all for this chapter guys! Thanks for reading and remember, reviews are always welcome and appreciated! I'm probably going to be updating more frequently so expect to have the next chapter up later next week! ^-^