[Percy]

Chiron drugged Luke.

That single sentence kept running through my head as I yelled at him.

Luke's panic attack was no surprise, he'd gone through more than enough to earn one, but when he couldn't respond to Annabeth's and I's attempts to calm him down, I got worried.

Bianca left to grab Chiron, and that's when all Hades broke loose.

Chiron didn't seem to understand that it was a panic attack and not some other form of madness, and went to restrain him. Mom stepped in front of him, trying to stop him. Annabeth pulled Luke away from the centaur and cradled him (just like on Olympus), both of us yelling that he's not being violent, but in a blink of an eye he had a syringe of something ready to knock Luke out.

Lee started shouting too, telling Chiron not to, but he did so anyways.

Bianca was furious, grabbing my forgotten knife to wave at him, shouting loudly in Italian (I believe she said 'Who trusted you with children?' at him, and I had to refrain from telling her it was our stupid uncle.) Nico hovered at her side, glaring silently at him.

Mom started cursing him out loud enough to grab the attention of several other Apollo cabin members working in the Infirmary when she realised Luke had completely passed out. Lee happily joined her, asking about how a thousand year old centaur didn't know how to deal with a panic attack and chose one of the worst possible options to stop it.

I watched the chaos, still yelling at him, as Mom and Lee managed to viciously bully him out of the Infirmary.

Huh, I really should not do anything medically stupid in front of them. I wonder how'd they would react if I told them about the time I got shot by a mortal when rescuing a half-blood and then let said eleven year-old half-blood dig the bullet out? Probably freak out.

I turned my attention back to Luke and Annabeth, still panting in anger.

My wife's expression was stormy, fury written plain on her face as she cradled the man she once called a brother.

I put my hand on her shoulder.

"He can't stay here."

I blinked. "What?" I said stupidly.

Annabeth still didn't look up from where her and Luke's hands were intertwined.

"He can't stay here," she intoned. "There's too much pain and loss; he hurt too many people here, he won't be able to cope."

I ran a hand through my hair in distress. "Where will he go? We can't exactly ship him off to New Rome!"

"I don't know!" She hissed, looking up at me.

Her eyes, although stormy, were shiny with unshed tears.

"I don't know where he can go, but if he stays here- without help- he won't get any better. He needs therapy, less responsibility, no… no ghosts of everyone walking around!"

I sighed, sitting down next to her.

"I understand," I started. "After all, I'm the one who dragged 'Pollo and Neeks home. But right now, what we have to do is not push him away. If we just send him away, he's going to think we're blaming him, and then he might do something stupid or…" I hesitated, "drastic."

She wiped her tears away. "So then what do we do?"

I kissed her temple. "As soon as this summer ends, we're going to help him move out of camp, preferably with me and mom, find a therapist, and enroll him into a college. Help him move on from this world and into the mortal one- he'll need that change like us and Apollo did. Until then, we can support him in Camp."

She nodded, sniffling. "I should tell his dad what happened."

"Yeah." I agreed unthinkingly.

Wait, what?

"Huh? Why would you do that?" I asked, confused.

She gave me a crooked smile, "You weren't there. Lord Hermes came for a visit, heard about Luke from Apollo and freaked out because he thought it was just like his mother. Gave Luke a phone with express instructions to call him often and if he ever needs any help."

"Well, that's going to be helpful," I remarked.

As I said that, Lee and mom returned with more medical equipment and a certain glint in their eyes that I knew meant we were all going to be forced to get a check-up, ASAP.

I groaned. I hate check-ups.

I nudged Annabeth, "I'll stay with him. Go call Hermes. Escape before they fuss over you too."

She chuckled lowly, nudging me back, but stood up.

"See you in a bit, Seaweed Brain."

"Of course, Wise Girl."

[Luke]

Waking up is apparently cursed for me now, since I woke up to a pounding head and a dry throat.

Especially because of the heart attack I got when I opened my eyes to see two gods quietly arguing beside my bed.

Oh no, Annabeth didn't believe me, she called my Father, I'm about to get divinely punished, IDeserveItButOhGo-

"Oi, Anakin Skywalker here is awake. Stop arguing!"

Did Percy just call me Anakin Skywalker? What the fuck?

Both gods turned to me, opening their mouths to speak at the same time.

"Are you okay-" Father spoke.

"Sorry about that-" Apollo said over him.

Both fell silent, glancing at each other, before Father spoke again.

"Luke, you gave me a fright. Are you okay? Annabeth and Apollo explained everything to me. I'm so, so sorry, but you're safe now, He won't-"

Everything went numb, I couldn't hear my Father's voice over the panic welling up in me again.

"You know?" I croaked, horrified.

My father knows. He's going to kill me. I have to see his disappointmentAndAngerAndBetrayalOhNoImSoSorry!

"Whoa there, Luke!" My Father gripped me by the shoulders, "I'm not angry! It's okay, calm down."

I was surprised to look at his face and see that he wasn't lying. Sadness yes, but no anger…

"Why?" I asked. "Why?"

He shared a look with the Sun god. "Apollo explained everything that happened to you, and I don't blame you. He is called the Crooked One for a reason, he's known to manipulate gods easily to his side."

I never stood a chance. That's what he was saying.

Why does that make everything worse?

Apollo cleared his throat, drawing our attention.

"You're not the only one to fall to deception. We're here to help." He told me gently.

A flash of rage came over me. How could he know what happened to me? Why would he care? All the gods are the same, saying they care then disappearing!

"How would you know?" I snapped at him, "Why would you care?"

Apollo reeled back, hurt on his face, but smoothed it over as if he's used to it.

I felt a tinge of regret.

"I know, because I came back too." He told me calmly. "I care because it happened to me too, I know what it feels like- the helplessness and fear, the feeling that anything you do will just fail, that they can maybe, just maybe, fill that hole up inside you with something else, but all they give is just pain. But you don't care, pain is better than numbness, isn't it?"

I wanted to punch him. How dare he know? How dare he tell me what I feel, but don't want to acknowledge? How dare-!

"The only reason that I'm not dead from my own self-destructing nature is because my friends dragged me to therapy and gave me a home. Taught me how to live again. This is what we want to help you with. The numbness will lessen and the hole will grow smaller, just let us help."

From Dad's shocked face, he didn't know this either.

My eyes burned with unshed tears, stinging with the truth.

I hate the truth, I'm the child of lies- lies don't hurt me as much.

Percy stepped in. "Thanks 'Pol, but I think we best let them talk this out. Hermes, you and Luke need to talk through this properly. Luke, I'll be just outside that door, just yell if you need me."

I couldn't even process what he said, I was still sluggish from the anesthesia. One second Percy was there, chiding two gods, the next he'd dragged Apollo out of the room.

Wait a second, why did Apollo look like a normal mortal? I thought his hair was blond?

My Father cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him.

"Luke." He began, a deep sadness in his eyes. "I think it's time for us to have an actual discussion about everything."

Everything? How can I explain everything?

I wanted to cry as our eyes- the exact same shade of blue- met.

How can I explain everything knowing that I'll be damned for it?

A/N

Notice how there's not a lot of action in this fic? That's because I'm prioritising their reactions and the stark difference in characterisation between the time they're in and their future. There is no plot to this story. If there ends up being a plot, I'll be just as surprised as all of you. You can request stuff to happen in the future chapters, but be aware that I might not listen to you at all.