Even when he removes every flaw, (trust me, every flaw, he checks twice.) he still isn't flawless.
Oh, Percy Jackson, yeah that Percy, shy, self conscious one? Wait 'til you see what he is self conscious about.
Yes, he gets it, it's wrong and disgusting and he is never entirely pleased with his skin but somehow it is, just the slightest bit satisfying when he picks off that freckle. Oh and that one. Look, a blackhead on your neck, better squeeze it.
And indeed that is dead skin and blood under his fingernails, and yes that is always there.
He can't do one thing normally anymore. Whether he's trying to read the newspaper and his fingers are itching to scrape at those scabs on his arms, or he's eating and he can't resist using his spoon as mirror, checking no new pimples have appeared.
"Disgusting, you're disgusting, you have to be perfect."
That's what he tells himself every time he does it. It doesn't help one bit. He knows that this won't make him perfect. But he can't help the need to pick his skin every time he catches sight of his reflection.
The moment he is left alone, his nails dart to the back of his neck, rome his scalp, looking for the slightest bump, any indication that he should scratch there. He's constantly looking for every excuse to dig his nails into his skin.
The worst feeling it when you can't break the skin. Or can't find any skin to break.
Squeezing, prodding, picking, scraping and popping. It's what he lives for.
The pain doesn't affect Percy. The pain is constant, not just when he is picking. When your clothes rub against raw skin, when you bump into something that knocks a scab or two. Either it stopped hurting after a while or he got used to the constant ache.
Honestly, it was mostly a subconscious force of habit. Like his mind reacted to being left alone by instinctively clawing at his body. Amazing, isn't it? What you don't realise you are doing until it's too late to stop yourself?
Percy could be half asleep and still his hand was scratching that tiny blemish on his cheek and suddenly he would wake up to a small patch of blood on his pillow. Nothing new.
It only got worse when he was particularly anxious.
I supposed it smoothes him in a way. If he's stressed, he'll drop everything and stand in front of his mirror, completely naked. So he can see every tiny detail about himself that he might've missed previously.
If he was angry and he tried to release his tension by skin-picking, it could end up quite nasty. Being furious and all doesn't make you careful, and Percy's torn out a fair few chunks of skin before.
This little "problem," who knows when it started? It could've been when he was a teenager, because God knows he had bad acne then.
When he left it alone, it spread but when he prodded it, it's worsened. Slowly the acne inched it's way down his back, across his stomach, leaving it's mark on his chest and neck. Leaving not one spot untouched.
So neither would Percy.