Chapter 10- It's Hard alright!

Percy sat on the windowsill as he looked over the grounds of the hotel. He looked up to the sky and saw the moon shimmering and thought of his Mum and what she might be doing now. He guessed hunting.

He thought back to what had happened on the first day of their quest and how Mathew had nearly destroyed their cover sometimes.

Luckily they hadn't come across any monsters that might want to wish them harm, yet.

Percy could feel the presence of someone behind him and hoped to his Mum that it wasn't Mathew as he was the last person he wanted to see right now.

"Hey" came the voice of Annabeth behind him.

"Hi" replied Percy without looking behind him.

"You look down" stated Annabeth, observing him.

"No, just thinking about things, the day we just had, what days we will have" corrected Percy, still looking out the window.

"Mathew wasn't so bad today."

"Suppose so" said Percy with little emotion.

"What is your problem with him?" Asked Annabeth with a little annoyance slipping into her tone.

"He's an arrogant little" started Percy but was cut off.

"Don't finish that statement. I required an answer without foul language" interrupted Annabeth with a frown.

"Yes Mother" muttered Percy under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing" said Percy as he remained looking out the window.

"Now, another answer without swearing please" coxed on Annabeth with a caring expression.

"He's just like all the other boys apart from Grover who I have ever met. He's arrogant and always seems to think he is the best at everything and never gives anyone else credit. You watch. One of these days in this quest he's going to squeal and run back home" snapped Percy as he finally wiped round to look Annabeth in the eyes.

"Your perception of him is all wrong, Percy. I think that it's rather hypocritical of you to say all those things" reprimanded Annabeth.

"Well, feel free to correct me."

"Alright, I will. He is a caring person who liked to learn new things and give people a chance in life. He is maturing and doesn't judge people on personal experiences what should be left in the past. In other words, the opposite of you" ranted Annabeth.

Percy looked at her as he was lost for words. He had basically just been insulted by her without him seeing it coming.

"You have no right to say that" came the low and clam voice of Percy.

"I think I do, in the last few days I have been getting to know you and I think that you should be letting go of the past and moving on to the present and maybe even the future" added Annabeth, making sure that Mathew or Grover couldn't hear their conversation.

"Try living the life I have" muttered Percy but it was overheard by Annabeth.

"There you go again, bringing up the past when it shouldn't be. I'm all for one talking about the past but I think you need to let it go. I have no idea what you went through but maybe if you talked about it, more people could help you" said Annabeth with a caring and worried look towards Percy.

"It's hard alright, I can't just let it go, it's all I've ever known and was basically what I was brought up with" replied Percy with tears starting to fall.

Annabeth moved in and placed her arm around his shoulders in a comforting gesture.

"Percy, I can't imagine what they did to you. They obviously did something but it would make a huge difference if you told someone the full extent as to what they did to you, it would feel like a weight of the shoulders" reassured Annabeth as she gazed at Percy with a worry filled expression.

"I have always tried but never succeeded, I have started to tell people but have never brought myself to do so" whispered Percy as he gazed at the moon.

"I'm always hear to listen to you if you ever want to get it out" offered Annabeth.

Percy gave her a half-hearted smile and went back to his star gazing out the window.

"How about giving Mathew a chance, like you did Grover, yeah?"

"I will try" stuttered Percy like it was hard for him to say.

"But don't expect me to change completely, that will take time, but I will try and treat him like an equal but not a friend yet" conceded Percy.

"Alright, I hope that you two can be friends but that will be an improvement" said Annabeth as she rose and gave one last squeeze of the shoulder to Percy and left him looking out the window.

"How am I supposed to change, Mum? How can i? I could use your help right now, now more than ever" whispered Percy up at the moon.

"Take it easy, take time to mend and then the rest will follow, my child" said a voice inside Percy's head. Percy had no idea what Artemis sounded like but assumed that it was her who was speaking to him due to the last comment of 'my child'.

"Thanks Mum" thanked Percy as he took one last glance up at the moon and went to the bed which was beside Grover's in their hotel room.

"Why were you on the windowsill for that long?" Asked Grover from his bed.

"Thinking about stuff."

"We saw you and Annabeth muttering but didn't know what it was about and then saw her place her arm around you, what was that about?"

"Oh, we were just sharing a little joke and she just did it as a playful gesture" brushed of Percy.

Grover didn't look convinced but went to sleep anyway.

Percy looked up at the ceiling and wished he could see the night sky like he could in the cabin. How could he change as fast as Annabeth wanted him too? Maybe he had been too harsh to Mathew when he hadn't done anything wrong?

Percy went to sleep that night with all of these questions whirling around in his head.

A/N- This took a lot longer to get up then I had originally hoped but now it's up. Percy is changing and it won't be an overnight change but a gradual change through the story.

Please review,

Sighing off,

Chaser10

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