What I Didn't Know.

Paul's POV:

I was a teacher and so I prided myself in knowing every type of teenager there was but the moment I met Percy Jackson that all came into a new light because he was not like any teen I had ever met before.

I had been dating Sally Jackson for almost a month and I had never ounce seen her infamous son. She seemed to think of him without fault but from what I had heard he was nothing more than the typical delinquent. He didn't have many friends in school but I had seen several kids around his own age come to the apartment looking for him.

What confused me the most about the situation was that nobody seemed to know where he was but then again nobody ever ounce called the police or notified anyone of a missing child. When I had asked Sally she had simply replied that he was at summer camp. This had only confused me more, I had countered that it was, in fact, not summer but she always had an equally infuriating answer.

I hadn't brought up the situation again but on multiple occasions I had caught Sally in Percy's room starring at the wall or silently crying over a picture of him. She would always wipe her eyes and say sadly that she just missed him.

One night Sally had been forced to go away for some writer's conference and I had promised to watch the apartment. I had sat down on the couches and turned the TV on, hoping to hear more reports on the freak explosion of Mount St. Helen's. I was startled out of my sleep when a knock at the door echoed throughout the snug apartment. I looked at my watch and knit my eyebrows together, it was 11 at night, who would be at the door at this hour?

I carefully walked to the door and looked through the peep hole, all I could see was a dark blue shirt and black hair. Whoever it was could come back later, I decided, but as soon as I sat back on the couch they knocked again. Finally after about 5 minutes I sighed and yanked open the door.

"Yes?" I asked, annoyed.

The kid looked up and raised his eyebrows "Who are you?" he asked, there was an edge to his voice that made me shiver. "I am the caretaker of this house while its owner is away. Who are you?" I tried to seem imposing but the boy didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

As he turned to study me closer the light from the door caught his face and I saw dark bruises and scratches everywhere. Scars peppered his arms, not to mention a few burns. He looked me from head to toe. Suddenly I felt defensive "Look, it's late and I'm tired." I made to close the door but with surprising agility he reached forward and stopped the door with his hand just as it was about to snap shut. He was starting to scare me and even though he didn't look like much I was unable to close the door.

"Wha-" I began but without effort he yanked the door out of my grasp and pushed past me.

I looked around the room for a weapon, finding none I turned to the boy who was now making himself at home in the kitchen. "Look, I don't know who you are but if you don't clear out now I'm calling the police!" again I tried to sound frightening but all he did was turn and stare at me.

"Hmmm." he said, while taking a bite out of a blue cookie. In the harsh kitchen light he looked even worse for wear. He was badly cut and bruises were forming on every visible part of his body. Suddenly his dark eyes lightened and his posture became relaxed. He smiled, a real smile, although guarded. "My mom was always good at making cookies." he said, grabbing another from the counter.

I frowned "huh?"

"Sorry about scaring you but I was surprised to see you here. You must be Paul, I'm Percy." he offered me a dirty and bloody hand.

I was too confused to return the gesture but he looked down at his hands and grinned sheepishly. "You probably don't want to touch that."

I must have looked baffled because he laughed. I stood there for a moment before getting my composure back "What happened to you?" I asked.

For a moment his eyes flashed a dark blue before a smile was back on his face. "Ran in to some trouble on the way here, nothing much." He stuffed a third cookie in his mouth before opening the cabinet above his head and pulling out a brown bottle.

He poured some of the clear liquid onto a rag and gingerly began wiping at the cuts on his face. "What's that?" I asked as it began to bubble.

He winced "it's hydrogen-peroxide. Will you get the bandages from underneath the sink?"

I bent down and riffled through the contents; a bottle of Windex, a feather duster, a box of sponges and underneath it all a very heavy red box with a large, white cross on the front. When I stood back up I almost dropped the box on my bare toes. Percy had taken off his tattered shirt and was now poring the bottle of peroxide on a large gash that went from his left shoulder, to right pectoral. "We need to get you to a doctor!" hurriedly rushing towards the phone.

"No! Don't." he said through clenched teeth.

I hesitated but couldn't help feeling queasy at the site of Sally's son casually dumping hydrogen-peroxide on a very deep gash where I had made blue pancakes with her just two days ago. "I can't just let you bleed out in the kitchen, that needs medical attention!" he was bleeding but the flow was beginning to stem... never the less.

"I'm taking care of it, It's really not as bad as it looks." He was finished with the peroxide and screwed the cap back on before stashing it back in the cupboard and throwing the bloody cloth in the sink.

Percy telling me that… this was nothing didn't make me feel any better; it only served to convince me that he was no good. Sally deserved better than a son who had been missing for nearly six months, because I had decided that he was missing, he wasn't at camp, I just didn't believe it, and then showed up in the middle of the night obviously beaten up. Was he involved in gangs? Who else would give him such drastic injuries? Maybe an attempted robbery? But if that was so then how come he didn't say anything.

"Look, if you're worried that my mom will be mad at you for not taking me to the hospital, you have nothing to worry about. She's used to it," I couldn't be sure but I thought he grumbled something like "unfortunately." Percy was wrapping a strip of white gauze around his wound, two more cookies stuffed in his mouth, hanging at an almost comical angle.

"Alright…" I was lost, I had no idea how to handle something like this "do you need anything?" I asked hesitantly. If I couldn't take him to a doctor I would at least try to help.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." He tapped the bandage securely and stashed the first aid kit back under the cleaning supplies. "I'm goanna go take a quick shower and go to bed." He stood awkwardly by the kitchen door "Nice meeting you Paul."

"Goodnight Perseus." I weird look flashed across his eyes and he shivered.

"Just Percy, I hate when people call me Perseus." As we waved goodnight I couldn't help but overhear him grumble something about people only calling him Perseus if they were "giving him detention or about to kill him." I shook my head, assuming I hadn't heard correctly, this was all just too weird to take on in one night.

I stifled a yawn and turned off the flickering TV before going to bed. I hoped to god that Sally would be home tomorrow, it was just too awkward to try and make conversation with Percy. Maybe Sally could explain to be how this was all so normal to them.

I heard the shower turn on and sighed. This would have to wait until tomorrow, I was just to tired.