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Chapter 4

Percy opened his eyes slowly. His wrists stung, and it took him a few minutes to push past the conversation he'd had with his darker self, to remember why he was hurting.

He'd cut himself.

The monster that he'd seen...had cut him. Cut too deep. Or was it all him? Percy groaned, as the thought gave him a headache. Instantly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Percy, are you okay?"

Percy opened his eyes from where they'd slid shut, and looked over to find Sally watching him with worry in his eyes.

"M-" Percy sat up quickly, coughing loudly. After he calmed down, he cleared the tears out of his eyes, and looked up to find his father holding out a glass of water.

He accepted it gratefully, and drank greedily, not saying anything until he was finished.

"What happened?" he said softly, deciding to play dumb for a few moments. Sally bit her lip.

"You tried to kill yourself, sweetheart. Do you...do you remember anything?"

Percy shook his head, deciding to continue pretending that he didn't know what they were talking about.

"Why?" Sally's voice broke, and Percy felt tears fill his own eyes. He shook his head.

"You wouldn't believe me," he whispered. Sally and Poseidon shared worried glances, before Sally finally sat down next to her eighteen year old son, and pulled him into her chest.

"You're the son of a God," she said softly. "One of your best friend's is a satyr. Your camp counselor is a Centaur, adn you think I wouldn't believe you? Try me."

Percy chuckled, but shook his head. "This goes far beyond what you can believe."

"Son, I have been alive for hundreds and thousands of years," Poseidon began. "I have seen everything."

"Have you seen Tartarus?" Percy asked. Poseidon nodded.

"I have."

Percy shook his head. "No, I mean have you seen it without the protection? Have you seen it the way Hades and Nico see it?"

Poseidon was silent, before shaking his head.

"I...I haven't."

"Then you haven't seen anything," Percy decided firmly. Poseidon sighed.

"Percy, we just want to help you. No, we didn't see what you saw. No, we haven't been through Tartarus like you have. But we love you, Percy, as much as that might be hard for you to believe. We love you, and we're scared for you. Please, just let us in your mind."

Percy shuddered, and closed his eyes for a few seconds, before shaking his head.

"No one should ever be in my mind," Percy whispered. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes slowly, and looked up at Poseidon. "I don't want to talk. I...I can't. I'm not ready. Please, don't make me."

"Okay," Sally said softly, glaring at Poseidon when he opened his mouth. "We won't make you."

Percy licked his lips, which were suddenly dry, but before he could say anything, a young doctor walked in.

"I see the sedatives wore off," he commented, walking up to Percy's bedside, and shaking his hand. It was at that moment that Percy noticed the white bandages wrapped around his wrists. "How are you feeling Mr. Jackson?"

"Tired," Percy answered after a second. "Kind of sick too. And lightheaded."

"The lightheadedness most likely alludes to the amount of blood you lost. Tired though...how have you been sleeping?"

"I haven't been," Percy admitted, keeping his gaze away from the shocked looks of his mother and father.

"Because you've been cutting yourself," the doctor supplied, and Percy instantly hated him. There was something about the man that rubbed Percy the wrong way.

"That's how I've been handling it."

"Mr. Jackson, are you aware that you have a small amount of schizophrenia?"

"What?" Sally asked, shocked. Percy's lips twitched slightly.

"Yeah," he answered, and Sally turned her wide eyes to her son. "I figured it out when I was eight. What's your point?"

"Where you ever on medication for it?" the doctor asked, grabbing Percy's clipboard from the end of the bed. Percy shook his head.

"We couldn't afford it," he admitted. "And anyway, my mom had a lot on her plate at that time. I didn't want my mental problems to add to that."

"Were there any other adults living with you?"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "My step father, but he abused me, and I'm almost certain he caused it."

"Schizophrenia can't be caused by abuse," the doctor said simply, and Percy had the strange urge to punch the man in the face. "Mr. Jackson, are you seeing anyone in the room aside from myself, and your mother and father?"

Just beyond the doctor, leaning against the bathroom doorframe, the monster from before smirked at Percy, and crooked its finger in a beckoning gesture. Percy bit his tongue, and forced himself to pay attention to the doctor.

"No," he lied, and he heard the monster chuckle. "No. It's just me, you, my mom, and my dad."

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked, leaning slightly closer. Percy narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," he answered forcefully, in sync with the monster by the bathroom. The doctor pursed his lips, before nodding.

"Alright," he said simply, standing, and taking Percy's chart with him. "I'm going to stop by the pharmacy and get you a prescription. Ma'am, I would suggest he has a nurse or yourself in the room with him at all times."

"Of course," Sally breathed. "I'm not leaving him."

Percy remained silent, until the doctor left. As soon as the unnerving man was gone, Percy turned to his mom.

"Where's Annabeth?" he asked. Sally gave him a gentle smile.

"She went home with Paul to help take care of Anna."

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Percy whispered.

"Oh, no, honey. She doesn't hate you," Sally crooned. Percy's eyes filled with tears, as he looked up at his mom, and spoke in a broken voice.

"Then why isn't she here?"

Why isn't she there guys? If Annabeth really loves Percy, why isn't she there with him?

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