I am so very sorry for the amount of time this has taken.
I just want you all to know how much I appreciate all the reviews I have gotten! They really do mean a lot to me. I just really didn't expect this much attention for a story I thought about for like three weeks before I finally started writing. Thank you guys so much!
This is a pretty heavy chapter, so:
TW FOR SUICIDE AND DEPRESSIVE THOUGHTS! This is based a bit loosely on an experience I had a year or two ago, and if anyone needs anything just PM me:).
Disclaimer is in the second chapter. Enjoy!
Please read the TW posted up above.
Percy wasn't really sure where they were headed next. Dean didn't tell him and he didn't ask.
No matter how much he wishes for Amaris to contact him, it won't happen if she's decided to stop talking to him. Or if something happened to her..
Well, his birthday was in about three and a half hours and they were still on the road. He may have been watching the road for the entirety of the trip, but that didn't mean he was paying it any attention.
The feeling of anxiety that has been building up inside him since the first week of radio silence has reached its peak. Amaris wouldn't ever do this to him. She wouldn't.
His thoughts of his friendship with Amaris carried on until he drifted off to sleep.
And time slowly droned on.
Eventually, Dean reached to the back seat of the car and nudged Percy's shoulder. It was about 30 minutes until midnight and they finally arrived at their destination. They were going to find out about Amaris, and Percy was going to spend his birthday with his best friend.
Sam ended up carrying Percy into the motel they checked in to. It was very unusual as Percy was customarily a light sleeper. It worried the tall Winchester that the adopted Winchester wasn't getting enough sleep.
xxx
Some background information on Amaris and Percy's relationship.
For the few months that they stayed in town, Percy and Amaris were inseparable. It started in school when there were kids picking on Percy for his dyslexia. Yes, I bet right now you can practically hear Dean's outrage.
Amaris Gabel was pretty well known in the school. She was very friendly to all newcomers and managed to make friends really easily. The past couple of years had been rough on her mental state, but she still managed to keep her outgoing personality.
At her old school she had a lot of trouble making friends because everyone knew everything about everyone. She had grown up in a small town, so it was hard to live down anything that was remotely embarrassing because no one seemed to forget it.
Even at an age where the most she was supposed to worry about was learning how to do math with letters, she was struggling with unknown emotions and thoughts.
When she met Percy, they clicked immediately. Amaris had opened up to him in ways she had never done before. She told him all about these thoughts racing through her mind that she couldn't stop thinking. Even though he hadn't ever experienced anything like this personally, he was very attentive and comforting. It was a lot of pressure to put on his shoulders, but he would bear it for the one girl who didn't look at him with a sneer.
Sure he had friends in other schools that swore on their last Jolly Rancher that they would write to him and keep in touch, but he never got anything from them. Not even their last jolly rancher.
Even though it was only a limited amount of time that he stayed, their friendship progressed faster than anyone thought it would.
He helped her through a lot of her problems and talked through them with her parents, who were clueless to what was going on with their beloved daughter. She was an only child and her parents had nothing but love for her, and they got her the help she needed.
Sure, she would forget to take her medicine at home so she kept it in her backpack, so there was no reason for anyone to question her if she went to the bathroom in the mornings and came back shy and embarrassed.
Percy kept an eye on his sister-figure everyday (and don't listen to her if she brags about the fact that she's four months older than him. don't.) and looked forward to every moment he had with her. And she was just as thrilled to see him everyday to make those intrusive thoughts just a little bit quieter.
xxx
It was Thursday afternoon. His birthday! He decided to get an early start out of the motel and start heading to the school. It was the one school he hadn't gotten kicked out of (to John's delight) and Dean had called in ahead of time to let them know of his arrival. Of course, neither of the brothers, not even Sam, had the willpower to get out of bed this early in the morning.
The post office that was a few blocks away from the motel was in his peripheral, and he saw a figure on the steps, huddled down. Percy squinted a little closer, the figure was almost familiar..
He slowed his gait and made his way to the shadowy figure of his best friend. He sat down next to her, mimicking her position with his arms on his knees. The only difference was that her head was in her hands, sniffles erupting from her figure frequently.
"Amaris." Percy murmured quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder to warn her that he was there. She jumped, looking up at him with her tear-streaked face. Her beautiful face morphed into a smile and she threw herself at him, hugging him. The letter he noticed was clenched in her fist was only a couple of pages long.
He wrapped his arms around her figure, "Hey, what's wrong? Could you sense I was in town and just couldn't figure out how to get rid of me? I have a few things in mind, if you want."
She pulled her face back and frowned at him, "You're annoying." And then plopped her face on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for not writing."
"No, I can't forgive you. You know some people would kill to have a conversation with me." He chuckled to tell her he was joking, rubbing circles on her back, "Don't worry about it, Ris. I don't blame you."
This time she pulled back all the way and smacked him on the shoulder, frowning at him.
"Ow! What was that for?" He rubbed the sore spot, squinting at her. She smacked him again.
"You don't blame me?" Amaris questioned, "I didn't write to you because I didn't want to."
"Oh," Percy bit his lip. "Then why didn't you?" He asked in a quiet voice.
Amaris sighed, looking at her hands and the letter in them. Her nails had been bitten quite often since he left, her emotions having been everywhere with no way to control them until she started writing to him. "Well for one, uh, I was grounded." She smirked at him, "I snuck out of the house to meet this girl. Which is how my parents found out I am not completely straight."
Percy rolled his eyes at her, "Well clearly you didn't think that through. Tell me about this girl." He waggled his eyebrows and smiled.
She scrunched up her nose, looking him in the eyes. She looked at a sign in the distance behind him, squinting. Before he could turn around to see what she was looking at, her eyes widened and she grabbed his face with both of her hands. "Oh my God! Happy birthday Perce!"
Percy tried to smile through the hands squishing his face, "Thanks, Ris. Hey, stop," He grabbed her hands and brought them back down, "the girl."
Amaris rolled her eyes at him, "It's nothing, it didn't work out."
He frowned at her, she was taking this harder than she wanted him to see. "Who's the letter to?"
She paled, "Oh, uh.." She glanced down at it in her shaking hands. "It was to you, but I can just give it to you later."
Percy didn't want to put any stress on her, no matter how much he wanted to see what was in it. "Alright then."
He learned pretty early on to be as patient as he could with her. It was already hard enough, he could imagine, to be overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions she wasn't used to, so there was no reason to make her any more anxious than she already was.
Amaris threw on her best smile, "Ready to go to school?" Percy nodded and sent her a small grin, standing up and reaching a hand out to her. She gripped it and stood up.
They didn't let go until they got to the school.
xxx
Amaris ended up giving him the letter at lunch time. She made him wait outside the bathroom as she took the medicine that she forgot to take that morning.
It was basically a morning ritual they had done since they met.
Except once again, Percy was the target of the school's nicest crowd.
I'm sure you understood the sarcasm presented.
He tried to keep his head down, of course. Not that the group of guys that came by really cared. They were just there to get their laughs. Now for every stereotypical group of dudes that had no human decency, there was a girl with no human decency.
This girl was 5 feet and 7 inches. She didn't necessarily have a fake tan, but Percy knew for a fact that the tan lines this girl had was monstrous. She was a basketball player.
Now, in Percy's experience, basketball players have always been chill. However, there's always an outlier (he did pay attention once or twice in math class).
This outlier's name was Logan. The worst part about her was that she was good at basketball. What kind of person is better at playing basketball than being a good human being? This one. This one right here.
Logan's boyfriend was the main problem here. His name was Austin.
Now you're probably expecting this to be some high school jock who's the starting QB on the school's all star football team. Good thing he's only the team's showoff shortstop on the all star baseball team with a mom who hypes him up more than he's worth.
He wasn't very tall, and Percy as a 12 year old could probably take him on. Seventh grader against an 8th grader. The only reason he wouldn't take him on is because this is the one school that he finds it very important to stay at. He wouldn't want to leave his best friend again so soon.
Enough rambling, back to the story.
The other two eighth graders next to Logan and Austin stood back, on the lookout for teachers. Logan leaned against the wall next to Percy, putting a finger on his cheek and moving his face towards hers. However much the bruise disappeared from that weird dude, it still felt like one.
His face crinkled and he grabbed her wrist and removed it from his face. He was about two seconds away from just walking into the women's bathroom.
It really didn't sound like a bad idea.
Like, at all.
His mind was pretty much made at this point.
He did a quick turn and shoved the door open, trying to get inside. He fought the supernatural, for goodness sake. A couple of bullies wouldn't get the best of him.
"Amari-" Is all that came out of his mouth before he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and yanked out of the bathroom.
xxx
Amaris paused, her shaky hands pausing at the sound of her best friend yelping her name. She couldn't do this. But it was too late now.
xxx
The door of the girl's bathroom opened as soon as it closed. Percy was pinned up against the wall by one of the unnamed eighth graders, him laughing nervously as he tried to talk himself out of the situation he was in.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" Amaris snapped, shoving Logan out of the way and gripping the arm of the guy that was holding Percy's shoulders. "Let him go."
No one really knew what made her so intimidating. It wasn't like she was 6 foot tall and really muscular. She was actually quite short and scrawny.
No, Amaris was one of the nicest people in her class. She was always nice to everyone, no matter who it was. When she got mad, she became really intimidating.
There was no reason for anyone to really be afraid of her. Maybe it was the fact that her parents had so much power in the small town. Maybe people really were afraid of her small stature.
Percy grinned at the guy in front of him, pointing at his best friend, "You should listen to her."
xxx
"Why do you let people push you around so much?" Amaris muttered, leaning her head on his shoulder during lunch time. "I know you can handle yourself, so why don't you?"
Percy pursed his lips, staying silent.
She frowned, lifting her head and nudging him. "Hey."
He looked at her for a moment, "Everytime I seem to fight back I get kicked out of the school."
Amaris sighed and stood up, stumbling a little bit. He quickly followed and steadied her, "You alright?"
She nodded. Yes, it will all be alright. Smiling at him, she ruffled his hair, "Go to class, I'll see you after school." And slipped the note into his pocket.
xxx
He didn't see her after school. In fact, as he was walking the halls looking for her, he stuffed his hands in his pocket and found a piece of paper.
A piece of paper that had just about ruined his life. As his eyes read the words that she made sure would reach his brain, his heart beat faster with every word. He shoved the note back in his pocket and sprinted back to the bathroom they were in the same morning.
xxx
He no longer cared just how awkward it was to barge into the girl's bathroom. He looked under the stalls and found a pair of feet that belonged to his best friend.
Percy crawled under the door, tears burning in his eyes, lungs expanding and contracting rapidly. He grabbed the phone out of her backpack and dialed 9-1-1.
Amaris looked at him, eyes dull and body blissfully numb. He tried to keep her focused.
Time flew by so slow yet so fast at the same time. He thought everything had been going somewhat okay. He hugged her to his chest and rocked, sirens getting louder and louder in the background. His eyes squeezed shut.
xxx
He didn't know what happened from the time he was on the bathroom floor to when he got to the hospital. He wasn't allowed to ride in the ambulance with her. Percy didn't even realize he was with his brothers until Sam rubbed his back every time his breathing quickened. Dean kept hold of his hand.
They knew how important she was to him.
xxx
She survived.
The doctors saved her with ease. She was expected to be unconscious for another half hour or so, and he was waiting anxiously by her side. Her parents were pacing the room, muttering to themselves and shooting glances at the two every now and then. Sam stood above Percy, hands on both shoulders while Dean went out to get food for the two families.
Percy really wished time would go by faster.
xxx
When she woke up, she was greeted by nurses who were scarily nice to her. They asked her how she was feeling, and they made sure to check every single machine that she was connected to.
When they left, she turned towards her parents. They both smothered her. They really did love her. Percy watched in silence, his brothers making a silent exit out of the room to give them space. They didn't know her too well, not well enough to be there for a moment like this.
As her parents cleared off of her, she met the tearstained and bruised face of her best friend, Percy Jackson. She gripped his shirt and pulled him in, murmuring in his ear 'I'm so sorry.'
He held her as tight as he could, thanking whatever god there was out there that she was alive.
xxx
About a couple weeks later she returned home. She had, as she put it, 'taken a field trip' and made many friends in this psychiatric hospital. Percy made sure to call her for as long as he could, which was maybe ten minutes a day.
Her homecoming was one to remember, all three of the Winchesters there with warm smiles. Percy looked wrecked, like he hadn't been sleeping well, and his pale face almost made it seem like the bruise was still there. She had been meaning to ask about that, but hadn't gotten the chance because he always directed the conversation to her.
He was a sweetheart, and she hadn't meant to hurt him so bad. It was something she wished she could take back as soon as it happened.
xxx
It was impossible for them to stay any longer. Dean was anxious to get to the Jackson household. Percy and Amaris had finally gotten to spend about a month and a half with each other, and they were finally ready to say their goodbyes. It was a time that would never be forgotten, a time that would probably be replayed over and over again for a long time.
The two best friends had left with their scars.
xxx
Percy hadn't slept a full night's sleep for way too long. Sam and Dean took turns staying awake and comforting him. It was full of nightmares. Some were of Amaris, and some were of this deep dark pit that was consuming him from the inside out.
The car ride to New York was a long one, with Percy staring out of the window for a majority of the ride..
Dean pulled over to a gas station, Sam passed out in the passenger's seat. "Hey, Perce?"
Percy jerked out of his near catatonic state, "Yeah, Dean."
His older brother sent him a small smile, "When I was younger, I used to have to take these tablets to help me sleep when my mom died. It's nothing special, just over the counter. Can you take one?"
The younger brother frowned, mind muddled. "Tablet?"
"It dissolved in your mouth. It's your favorite flavor, grape." Dean smirked.
Percy wrinkled his nose, "I hate grape."
Dean rolled his eyes, "Good thing you're not that much of a wimp."
Ignoring the whiny 'hey' that was sent towards him, he passed two tablets over to his little brother, thankful that he was going to get some sleep. And very thankful that they didn't pass on the 'too good for help' attitude that WInchesters were so fond of.
Percy slept for 16 hours. Just in time for them to pull up to the Jackson household and be welcomed with open arms.
This chapter is not one I'm proud of. I really hope you guys read the trigger warning at the beginning of the chapter. This is the last chapter about this subject, so you don't have to worry about expecting things like this every time I post.
Once again, I am so sorry for making you guys wait so long. It's been one of those times where you really want to write something, but can't find the willpower to do so.
The next chapter is going to start the demigod chapter of Percy's life somewhat. And then back to hunting! I'll see you then!