Summary: He didn't want it to happen, it just did. Everything that meant something to him just left. Vanished. Disappeared. He threw everything meaningful aside. He ignored society, the community and his 'so-called-friends'. He ruined his own life, built up a mask to protect himself, to protect others. But he wasn't happy. Not at all.

DISCLAIMER: YET AGAIN, I DO NOT OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND/OR THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS CHARACTERS. ALL THE CREDIT GOES TO RICK RIORDAN.

Harsh Words

She Who Cares

As soon as Annabeth had left, Percy let out a sigh of relief and slid down on a swing. He wasn't supposed to do that. He wasn't meant to fix her. But she just got him so angry…

"Goddamn it!" He slammed his fist on the chain of the swing.

Percy's feet hurt like hell. His legs were burning and his body stung like bees had just zapped him. A patch of blood was forming on the left knee of his jeans and he was feeling a little light headed. Percy knew he should call the ambulance but like hell would he do that. He was going to do everything on his own and he didn't need anyone's help. Besides, no one would dare to help a juvenile delinquent like him.

So he stumbled to his feet and began dragging himself towards his house, which was about a couple blocks down from the park. Many passersby just stopped and stared at him, probably thinking he was playing a joke or doing some kind of early Halloween trick. Of course he wasn't but they didn't know that. They just left him. Just the way he liked it.

Once he had arrived at his house, he opened the door immediately and ran – dragged – to the kitchen. He scrambled to get the first aid kit then sat down by the kitchen counter. Surely there were no guests at home or that his step-dad had come back so he stripped himself down to only just his shorts. Scratches, burns, bruises and cuts were seen on his arms, legs, chest and – because he could feel it – his back.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bi—"

He let out a loud yell when he moved his numb leg, which wasn't numb anymore. A shard of broken glass found its way into the open wound of his calf and laid there like it was napping. Percy cursed at the sky – it was a habit – and breathed in as calmly as he possibly could.

"Argh!" He yelled out again.

The shard dropped on the counter with a nice and sharp scraping noise. Blood spilled on the surface of the kitchen counter and droplets of it were forming on the tiled floor. He was losing blood—no, he lost some already on the journey home. This was just more of it leaving his body. His head became light and unbalanced, letting his vision blur. Then he was seeing it again. The blood. The sobs. The man. The man who kept appearing in his dreams—nightmares.

THUD!

~O.O~

A gentle and subtle hum echoed through the room. It was an unfamiliar song that was being heard, and yet it was so calm and felt like home. This person had a nice voice. He was probably dreaming or hallucinating or something like that because when he opened his eyes, all he could see was a girl staring down at him. Staring down with almond eyes. Her hair was caramel and the room smelt like it too.

"Oh thank the gods! You're awake!" The girl screeched in excitement. She seemed to look pissed yet relieved at the same time.

Percy became aware of her existence, right in front of him. It threw him off and he thought she broke into his house— He quickly grabbed a pillow on the couch he was lying on and shoved it at her.

"Who the heck are you?"

The girl in front of him gazed down with a peachy face, unfazed by his growling. This was a different reaction to what he usually got. She just hushed him, dropping a towel on his face and turning away. The reaction was really confusing.

"Your front door was open." She sound, loud and clear but the surprise was just too much that Percy had to ask again.

"…What?"

The girl sighed, leaning back a little. The smell of her hair blew into his face, an aroma stronger than the smell of the room. Cinnamon. "I said, your front door was open."

Though the response was immediate in his mind, Percy had to hesitate a little – obviously because it's easily shown that she treated him. He tried getting up and she didn't stop him. The pain in his leg lessened than before but it was still there. A bandage was carefully wrapped around his leg, a small patch of blood appeared on it.

"So you just walked in? Like it's normal?" Percy said with an aggressive tone, not even being thankful.

Even if the girl might have been annoyed, she sure knew how to hide it. All she did was shrug and tap the table. On it was a glass of water and a peanut and butter sandwich. Doubting that she was going to answer, Percy went ahead and asked:

"Is that drink for me?" He was not sure why he was being more polite to her than the old man that has looked after him for years.

She just nodded, picking the drink up and tilting it, as if she was trying to feed him some baby food. Maybe it was the fact that she was pretty. Maybe she kind of reminded him of someone. Maybe it was just the radiance that glowed around her that didn't make him complain at all. It was weird, though. Never in his life was he ever this nice to someone as to let them feed him. Yeah, he was pretty stubborn as a child in the foster home.

After taking a couple of sips of the lukewarm water, the girl lowered the drink to the table and stood up. Percy didn't want to say anything. He was either afraid or she might have some kind of magic up her sleeve.

"I must go." And before another word left her mouth or his, the girl left Percy's front door.

It almost felt like a dream to wake up with someone nursing him – a pretty girl at that – someone who fed him water, someone who didn't speak much or complained about his attitude. But, it kind of felt like a nightmare or an illusion. She came and left like a ghost. She had more maturity built on her looks than Percy ever did in his life. She was just plain…beautiful. That was the only word to describe her as. Maybe the girl was an intern to become a doctor, but she looked too young, then again there was the theory of people not ageing in look but in mentality.

With those thoughts, Percy stood up and started to pack away, remembering he had just bunked school and the old man would be back soon to check on him. Paul wasn't even old but with the grey hairs and his sentimental voice, he fit into that description perfectly. Even his actions are slow and careful.

Pacing around with a pain in the leg wasn't really speeding things up. Percy knew that just from trying to get up and not strain it. The girl did it carefully, from how she presented it and the drink that she gave him was very soothing. It didn't even taste like water but it looked like it, which was weird. After a moment's thought, Percy slowly walked upstairs to his room. He can shower when Paul gets back, just so that he didn't have to talk to him.

~O.O~

It turned out that the girl who came into the house lived in the opposite house from Percy's. He found this out after having an hour's worth of lecturing from Paul about what happened. Apparently the girl – Calypso – just moved in a couple of days ago with her guardian and sisters. Paul decided to warm up to them and out of the family, Calypso was the nicest and interactive. The reason why Calypso just-so-casually entered his house was because Paul called her, worrying after Percy. Typical.

It was already night time when Percy finally showered, ate and got out of his dirty and seared clothes. Paul was working on some kind of "book" in his study so Percy took this opportunity to get out of the house for some fresh air. He walked out of the front door and looked up at the sky. Since he was near to the city, he could only see several shining stars in the night sky.

He made his way over to the swing. It was right next to the flowers and gardening gnomes. The swing was a 3-seater swing, cream coloured wood with striped cushions. The front yard was beautiful, filled with healthy plants and decorative gardening things that Percy didn't know what it was called. Sitting on the swing also gave a good view of the street he lived on. He could also perfectly see Calypso's house—

"GET SOME MILK TOO, CALY!" A really high and screeching voice shouted as the door opened.

After thinking of her, Percy saw the girl herself step out of the house in a blouse and jeans. She had a shopping bag in her hand and a purse in the other. Percy hadn't noticed her looking straight at him until he squinted, seeing her eyes on his. He thought she was going to approach him until she turned on the pavements towards the convenience store.

Normally, Percy would just have left her like he did so to a lot people, but his brain forced him up and after her. This sudden urge to talk to her was new, strange and yet, thrilling. She wasn't like the kids who made fun of him at middle school, like Annabeth or Luke. She was one for herself, observant and patient. This part of him, the part that wanted to make her an exception to his rules was turning him into someone good, someone familiar to him.

"Wait!" A wavering sound left his mouth and as soon as he saw her turn her head around to him, he smiled.

Calypso had an identical expression as he stopped in front of her. It was obvious that she knew he'd go to her, it was obvious that he knew too. It would have probably been an easy guess for others as well.

"I'm guessing you're here to pay me back for babysitting you?"

Percy scoffed when she said that and shook his head. Sarcasm was hard to be identified with her. Calypso's voice was hard and sharp, so serious, but her face told a different story. She gave him a cheeky grin, which he returned.

"In your dreams, Titan." Percy mumbled as he looked ahead.

Calypso chuckled at her surname and nudged him, like they've been friends since they were young. That was the thing about Calypso that Percy noticed. She made him feel young again, like he hadn't aged for years. It shocked him. Shocked him to think that within the short period they've actually talked, he wanted to know more about her. He strangely trusted her. It was his gut feeling, and he always trusted his guts.

"Why are you out? It's the first time I've seen you step out of your house – unless you're going to school." Calypso asked him that, giving a look as if she's known him for so long.

Percy shrugged at her question. "I guess…I just needed a breather? Today's been a heck of a day."

"You're not going to tell a stranger what your day's been like, are you?"

He made a face at her and shook his head. "Heck no!"

They walked in silence for the journey to the 7-Eleven. Percy could feel his heart beating so loud in his ears; his hands couldn't stop clenching and unclenching, and when he saw Calypso trying and failing to come up with a starting conversation, he'd immediately look away. It was a weird feeling that he had. It was one of those feelings where you can't explain what's going on.

"What are you buying, anyway?" Percy asked, just to break the silence once he saw the sign of the store in view.

Calypso stared up at him before dumping her bag into his hands, which on instinct he took. She walked ahead, biting her bottom lip before humming a tune.

"Shampoo and milk." She replied.

Percy blinked then shook his head, sighing. "Going out at night just to get shampoo and milk…"

"You don't know how important milk is in my family."

Calypso started speed walking at this. Percy had to pick up the pace just to catch up to her. She laughed at him when she saw how agitated Percy had looked and her laughing made him laugh too. She was probably the first person in ages who've made him feel like a normal guy and that was enough to make him happy.

Is Jackson really developing romantic feelings for Calypso or is it just relief that she's okay with him?

At least he's made a new friend, right?

Too bad the next day isn't going to be joyful as today (even though it wasn't that fun for Percy).

Thanks for reading and waiting for this chapter to come out, guys! I really like the support! :D

R&R

ThinkStupid (~.~)