Heres Percy's half of the chapter. Enjoy!
*Completely a line break. Screw my dumb computer and all of its components.*
Percy restrained from yelling at his cousin. He knew Nico just wanted to help, but this was something only Melody knew about and she only found out on accident. He'd never actually told anyone this. But Nico understood Tartarus. He understood an even deeper level of pain.
"He carved into my back." Percy admitted quietly.
Disgusted, Nico asked, "Carved what?"
"His name."
There was a moment of silence as Nico fit some coincidences together in his head. They weren't coincidences now.
"Is that why no one ever sees you with your shirt off?"
"Yeah."
"It's okay to want to hide it," Nico assured him.
"I just wish it hadn't happened sometimes," his cousin lamented.
"Have you tried using water to heal it?"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, it was set in long before I discovered I could do that. I wish I knew earlier."
"Have you tried since?"
"Several times."
"And no cigar?"
"What?"
"I mean, no luck?"
"Nada."
"That's horrible. I'm glad he's dead."
Percy snorted.
"Yeah… Me too."
"Perce?"
"Yeah?"
"You're amazing."
"What?"
Percy turned to look inquisitively at his cousin. The look an Nico's face was part admiration, part shame, and part envy.
"What're you thinking Neeks?"
"You're so strong. You went through all that and you're still; Percy Jackson, everybody's golden hero. Me… I'm not."
"What do you mean? You're one of the strongest people I know."
"It's just… When I lost Bianca, I lost any strength or heroic qualities I had. I hated everyone. Even you two. Everybody loves you, but somehow I managed to make that almost everybody. I made myself a pariah."
"I don't know what a pariah is, but I'm assuming you're talking about when you left camp and refused to talk to anybody."
"Yeah, but you, you're amazing."
"Not so amazing. I couldn't face Gabe."
"But Gabe was like twice your age and weight, and often drunk right?"
"I should have been able to protect at least myself. But I couldn't protect either of us."
"Percy, you were young. I'm sure you'd have no qualms about beating Gabe up now, but he's already dead right?"
"Yeah."
"What other, 'different punishments' did old fatso have for you? If it's okay for me to ask."
"Well, you unearthed the biggest secret my sister's ever kept from me, so you might as well know some of what I'm hiding. Follow me."
Nico followed his cousin quietly to the Poseidon cabin, where Percy sat on the bed and removed his shirt. Now, Nico had scars. He knew scars. But not this kind. His scars were from a werewolf, from Tartarus. And though his cousin had scars from Tartarus too, and monsters he'd faced. Percy had scars that could have only come from a true human monster. Percy turned, displaying his back to Nico, hiding his head in his hands. Faded white scars showed the word 'Gabe' on his upper back. There were semicircular marks and lines, all faded with age, but Nico could tell that the emotional pain was probably just as fresh. The two boys sat there for hours, Nico would politely ask about a scar and Percy would describe what had happened when he'd gotten it. In some cases Percy couldn't even bring himself to speak. Nico noted that many came from sneaking out, defending himself or Melody, or Gabe being an angry, drunk, arse. Late in the night, they realized that if Nico left then, the cleaning harpies would probably get him, and he wasn't in the shape to shadow travel when he'd had to do it in broad daylight earlier. Because there were several empty bunks, Percy said that he didn't mind if Nico spent the night in the cabin with him, and hopefully at some point in the night, Melody. So Nico picked a bunk and settled in.
"Goodnight Neeks."
"Night. Oh, and Perce?"
"Yeah?"
"I think you're really strong."
"Glad someone does. Night."