Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter 4

Percy opened the door to his apartment and flinched at the thought of the whip. It would not be a good experience to feel, even if he had felt it before. He shook out of his thoughts and looked around, searching for Smelly Gabe. No one was home. So maybe if I just take this small step towards my 'room'... Percy thought.

Percy took a small step forwards but then felt himself stumble. He looked down to see what he stumbled over. There, laying one the floor he saw a beer can. He swore he could hear a person snickering but he ignored it. But after a few more stumbles he heard a voice.

"It's not nice to ignore your elders." Smelly Gabe came out from behind him, and next to him was...

Oh god it was his 'special' belt, Percy thought. The belt had spikes all around and it looked ready to kill.

"Better appreciate it punk," Gabe continued, "its leather. I bought it just for you."

"You want me to appreciate it?" Percy stood up for himself.

Wait. He never stood up for himself before. It was a strange feeling, and apparently Gabe thought so as well.

"Look like the punk's finally growing up!" Gabe insulted. "But talking back gets you nowhere with me."

His already taken out belt stood there, dangling from his fat belly. The spikes all gleamed in the sunlight. Percy was still looking at it but the belt disappeared from his view. He was confused until he heard a sound. CRACK! The belt had finally made contact with his bare skin.

(Don't read if you don't like the abuse but it's not extreme. Sorry for A/N.)

Percy yelped in surprise but the sound turned to a scream. Blood gushed out of his left arm. It trickled down his dark shirt like a waterfall. His once dark shirt turned into a blood red shirt that Clarisse always liked to wear. Although he doubted that it was actual blood. Maybe he would give this shirt to her as a birthday present.

SNAP! CRACK! CRUNCH! All the spikes sunk into his skin, but as quickly as they had come, they left. Percy screamed in pain. Imagine you had a hundred needles put into you, and then taken out at the next second. And that was exactly what he was feeling as Gabe did that repeatedly.

"Stop... It..." Percy hissed throughout his deep breathing.

"Hurts don't it?" Gabe laughed like a madman. "That's what you get when you don't respect your elders."

"I... Bring... You... Beer... Don't... I?" Percy gasped, talking cost him his energy.

Gabe's gaze turned cold, and he hit Percy again.

"You were late!" Gabe yelled at his outburst.

"S-so?" Percy didn't stutter but could only take another breath of air as he talked.

The leather belt had taken up most of his air. Not literally but mentally. He was tired, and in a lot of pain.

"YOU DON'T TALK BACK!" Gabe roared.

Percy could swear he heard the window shatter. He rolled his eyes without thinking, but Gabe took it the wrong way.

"You think this is funny don't you?" Gabe hissed.

Percy gulped, and quickly shook his head silently. Why did he have to roll his eyes? Or more importantly. Why did he talk back?

"Well this is what you get!" Gabe bought his belt down once more.

Percy felt that the spikes were growing scarier every second. Time seemed to slow down for him as the belt was bought down the last time as he lost consciousness.

(Anyone who didn't look can look.)

Meanwhile Annabeth was still silently fuming in the Gym. Her annoyance at a particular sea green eyed boy had taken over and she had punched the wall. Her knuckles were bleeding but she didn't care. She knew he was lying. The barbed wire fence had seemed believable but that was just another reason for it to be a lie.

Percy had seemed in a hurry to get away. Almost as if he was scared that something might eat him. Or beat him for that matter. Annabeth saw that he looked so desperate and in need to be home. She sighed and swung her backpack over her shoulder. She would figure out all this tomorrow. In the meantime she would have to fix that knuckle.

"What happened to your knuckle Annabeth?" That was the first thing her dad asked when she unlocked the door.

"Punched a wall." Annabeth replied smoothly.

She too had family problems. Her dad had been ignoring her ever since he got a new wife and two twins.

"Why?" Her dad asked worriedly.

"None of your business. Or in other words, personal and classified." She responded and went to her room.

If she stomped or stormed over to her room then her dad would know that something was wrong. And she didn't want that happening anytime soon. If Percy Jackson had thought that she hadn't seen his outburst then he was wrong. She had seen it alright, but just kept it inside. She was good with bottling up her emotions up. Perhaps a little too good.

Even if people hadn't figured it out yet, she was also keeping up a facade in a way. She ran away when she was seven. There she met Luke and Thalia. Of course she had to come back. A spy had convinced them that there was a camp near for runaways like them. Naturally he was lying. He had led them right to the police station, where they got caught. Thalia moved away but came back when she was sixteen. And Luke...

Annabeth ran her fingers through her hair as she thought about him. She had had a crush on him but... He had gone to the Titan's side. The Titan's were basically the worst people in the school. Drugs, alcohol, out of control parties, it was all them. And Luke had been the leader of them all. She sighed again, and checked if anyone was looking before going in her room. When no one was there, she took out her darts and taped a picture on the wall.

It was a picture of Luke. He was smiling and had the scar that he had gotten in a gang fight. Annabeth angrily placed a dart in her hand and threw it at the picture. BAM! She threw it with too much force so that the picture ripped. She smiled, her mood lifting up. She took out another dart and hit it with less force.

Bulls eye. The dart hit him right between the eyes. She smiled again before throwing another. And another. All until her father was about to open the door.

"Annabeth?" Her dad asked. "I'm going to come in now so..."

Annabeth's eyes widened and she grabbed the picture and darts and hid them under her bed. All that happened just as he opened the door.

"What was that?" Her dad questioned her suspiciously.

"Sticks," Annabeth lied smoothly. "I was throwing sticks at a calendar."

"What made you that angry that made you throw sticks?" Her dad quizzed.

"Because you won't get me that dog for Christmas!" Annabeth whined, but it was fake whine.

"I'll consider it," her dad sighed and went downstairs.

When he was gone, Annabeth frowned. She wasn't being herself. She had never been herself after she had been caught running away. Maybe that was her facade. An artificial Annabeth.

A/N: So it has been decided. Annabeth is going to be a friend due to a popular demand. I decided to give her a kind of messed up life as well if you guys don't mind. Meanwhile, thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I really appreciate them.