Authors Note! Hi guys! I am back! I have been working on my own book and I just couldn't get this out of my head so here we go! I am back in my Percy Jackson era since the show started on Disney Plus and it's hockey season so here is a hockey fic that no one asked for.
Please note: This fanfic has the following trigger warnings: Substance Abuse, mentions of child abuse, death, withdrawal, mentions of suicide and occasional cursing. I have had family members struggle with substance abuse and this is based off of my own experiences.
As always, I like to put the crisis hotlines and if you know anyone who is struggling please have the following number: 1-800-662-4357
Disclaimer: I do not own the PJO characters
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Percy Jackson sat at the dining table, his hands tapping against his thighs as Paul tore through his bedroom. Gods, they never had a sense of privacy. Percy didn't blame them. He's been arrested multiple times for vandalism, possession of drugs, and trespassing. Hell, he's been caught way too many times stumbling inside the house.
Not to mention, he had failed the mandatory drug test his mom and coach started enforcing when he was arrested again for drug possession. So now they were looking for the rest.
"Got it!" Paul yelled victoriously. As he marched back into the kitchen, he slammed the pills down on the table, "Are there more?"
Percy rolled his eyes, "no." There was a brief moment of silence before his mom sighed.
His mom knew better, "empty your pockets now."
"You seriously don't believe me?" He yelled, and his mom held her ground.
"Now Perseus!" She slammed her hands on the table, her eyes wild with anger.
Percy shrank in his seat. She only used his full name when he was in trouble. And he was definitely in trouble. Percy met her stare. He knew he was going to get the disappointed, and this isn't you speech. But he couldn't lie to her. Percy sighed and pulled out the last two pills he had been saving. Hopefully, his stash in the bathroom was still there.
His heart sank as his mother, the most amazing woman in his life, cried. "I'm sorry, Mom." He loved his mom, and he tried to get clean, but being sober meant feeling the emotions that threatened to drown him.
It wasn't until he was 14 when his mom met Paul, and he helped them get away from the abusive ass. At the time, he got oxycodone for a broken arm, courtesy of Gabe. The high made him feel like himself before Gabe. However, he had turned out to be just what Gabe had called him: a disappointment and worthless. His coach kicked him off the team, which was good anyway. He lost weight and could barely bench what he used to.
He loved Paul and his mom, and all he was doing was holding them back. Those drugs were the only thing keeping the pain at bay. It made living tolerable. Percy stared at the center of the table, wishing she could just fade away from this situation.
"Percy, I called your dad."
Percy's head snapped up, "you did what!" That man hasn't seen Percy since he was like six. Why would he suddenly care now?
"Look we all agree you need to get out of New York. We have tried rehab, therapy, and for gods sake I left you in juvenile detention for a week in hopes you'd hit rock bottom and want to get clean! You've been kicked off your hockey team and I don't know what else to do."
Percy clenched his jaw, "so you want to send me away? Am I that much of a problem for you to deal with? I'm almost 17 and only one more year where I won't be your problem."
Paul placed his hand on Sally's shoulders as she cried. That only made him feel worse. He hated seeing her cry. "That is enough Perseus!"
Percy scoffed, "Please, you're not my dad. I'm done with this conversation."
His mother stood, her blue eyes hard as steel, "sit. Back. Down." Percy sat, his eyes meeting hers. She was terrifying when she got angry, and he's only seen her this livid three times.
"You will pack for San Francisco and be on the first flight Saturday morning. I already made sure your father had your prescriptions ordered for withdrawal and you will go to your father's home. Now apologize to Paul."
Percy just stood and went to his room, slamming the door behind him. Paul had no right to scold him like a child. His own father should be here doing it, but he is not. He ran off to California to start a new life and left his mom and him to fend for themselves.
He paced. He hated going through withdrawal. Percy cracked his door, listening to his mom and Paul.
"I just don't know what to do Paul. It's my fault for not leaving Gabe sooner."
"Sal, you can't blame yourself."
He heard his mom sniffle, "I know. It's just, he's not my son. He no longer smiles and he always has that distant look in his eyes. I called the pharmacy, Poseidon will have Lofexidine for the symptoms and-" she took a deep breath, "and he will have Naloxone in case he overdoses again. I can't lose him. I can not go through that again."
Percy closed the door as Paul was encouraging her that he'd be okay. He rushed to his desk, praying that the bag was still there. He almost cried in relief when he unfastened the bag that was taped beneath his desk. Between this and the bathroom bag, he had enough to get him to California.
He crept out of the bedroom when his mom and Paul were finally in their room. Percy hated rationing, but he'd take it if it would help ease him into the inevitable withdrawal. He did try cold turkey once, and it was the worst experience of his life. Now, he just hoped he could get through this year without going back to rehab.

One thing about Percy was that he hated flying. His hands shook as he walked through the terminal, waiting for his bag. At least he's starting the school year fresh, so he wasn't going to be joining at a random time. He had two weeks before school and a year of sobriety unless he could figure something out. Plus, he will get to see his cousins again. Thalia, Jason, and Nico used to visit on the holidays, but when Gabe got violent, his mom pushed them away. The last time they saw each other was when Percy was in the hospital after he had overdosed. Even his own father didn't visit.
They were finally invited over again once Paul came into our lives. His mom wanted to protect them the best she could. Percy sighed when he grabbed his suitcase guitar and hefted his backpack on his shoulder. He looked around and noticed the hideous Hawaiian shirt on a man who looked just like him but older.
"Perseus!" Poseidon bellowed and pulled Percy into the most awkward hug. Percy didn't return it and pulled away as quickly as possible.
Percy scowled, "it's Percy."
Poseidon nodded, obviously uncomfortable, "right, sorry. Your mother told me that. Look at you though! You've grown so much since I've seen you."
Percy followed Poseidon to the parking garage, "that's what happens when you don't see your kid after 10 years."
"I-it was for the best Percy. I'm sorry." Percy didn't say anything as they continued the agonizing walk. He knew why he left, and it wasn't because of him but for someone they both lost. No one was the same after that.
They stopped at a blue Tesla, and Percy's eyebrows rose, "this is yours?"
Poseidon nodded, "Yup, now get in." Percy tossed his stuff in the back seat and bucked himself in. His knees bounced as the anxiety kicked in. He's never been in such a nice car. Sure, Paul made money, but he was definitely not rich. Percy rested his head on the window, watching the scenery pass by.
"Now your mother told me why you are here, and honestly, Percy, what on earth were you thinking? Getting arrested for vandalism is one thing, but drugs? For gods sake you overdosed!"
Percy scoffed, "and where were you when I was in the hospital?" Percy didn't wait as he looked over and continued on, "what I do is none of your business."
"I'm your father!" Poseidon raised his voice and Percy noted his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel.
"Oh, that's rich. If you actually wanted to be my father, you would have been there when I almost died." The rest of the ride was silent. Gods, when was the last time he had a hit? Percy looked around as they entered a gated neighborhood. His mouth dropped open as they passed by nice-looking houses, and they pulled into the sixth house down.
"I didn't come to the hospital because I was terrified that you were using because of me. I should have been there but I thought it would make it worse."
Percy looked over and felt guilt settle in his stomach. "You not being there was worse. Now can we go inside?"
Poseidon sighed and unlocked the car doors, and Percy immediately got out of the car. He pulled his bag out and hauled his suitcase behind him. When Poseidon opened the door, he gestured toward the inside, "Are you going to gawk all night or come in?" Percy shook his head and quickly entered the house. The wood flooring seemed to have recently been cleaned, and there was a light gray sofa in the living room. Percy noticed the open-concept living and kitchen room with an actual dining area.
"Would you like to see your room?"
Percy looked over at him, "I have a room?" It still felt odd to have a bedroom in New York to call his.
Poseidon smiled, "of course you do. Come on, let me show you." Percy followed Poseidon, and two doors down was his, "My room is right down there on the right, and your bathroom is next to your bedroom." Poseidon opened the door and flicked the light on.
Percy tried to hide his surprise as he took in the deep blue sheets, and he even had a laptop on the desk. The gray desk matched the dresser and bed frame.
"You still like this shade of blue right?"
Percy smiled, "I do." Percy fidgeted with his hands as they fell into an awkward silence.
"I do care about you, you know? Now your mom warned me what to expect when you begin withdrawal and you have a mandatory AA meeting at least once a week per your court order. You are lucky they let you come here."
"Right I'm lucky." Percy pulled his phone out, and Poseidon took it. "Hey!"
"No phone until you're clean. I also took the liberty of no locks, even in the bathroom, so we have a knocking policy here." The no-lock policy took effect when he overdosed, and Paul had to break the door down. The memory had his stomach twisted as the dread threatened to overwhelm him.
"Fine." Percy wanted to groan as Poseidon held out the test. "I hope you've had water because I need to know if you are currently on something."
Percy knew he was going to fail, but he took the test and strode to the bathroom. "Can I at least shut the door?" Poseidon nodded, and Percy slammed the door. After washing his hands, he looked at his bloodshot eyes. Gods, he needed a haircut and, well, a new life at this point. He wanted to be back in New York with his mom and Paul, watching Friends reruns on TV. He always made an effort to be there for his mom, but since his addiction, he felt like he was drifting away from her.
He opened the medicine cabinet and found two brand-new prescriptions with his name on them. He already felt nauseous thinking about withdrawal. He had his last bit of Oxy the day before the plane ride, and he knew no one in California who could re-supply him.
Percy shoved the test into Poseidon's hands, "you could have just asked. I took Oxy yesterday. It can be detected for four days in urine, so don't bother with another test." Percy closed his door, leaving Poseidon to open and close his mouth like a fish. He didn't even take his shoes off as he crashed into bed. He could at least try to get some rest for the impending doom that is called withdrawal hit him.
Poseidon sat on his bed, hands running through his hair. He had no idea what he was doing, he barely knew his son. Perseus was far from the little kid who wanted to spend time on the beach with his dad because he was his hero until he screwed it up. Sally had told him to leave and so he did out of anger. They tried to fix things after Tyson but nothing was ever fixed. They were permanently broken after that night, and Poseidon left unable to look at the same streets where his family was whole. He looked at the test Percy shoved in his hand, and the idea of seeing his kid like this is going to destroy him.
Poseidon woke at the sound of Percy getting sick. He rushed to the bathroom and squatted down, "Here, let me help."
Percy shoved him away, "I don't want your help!"
Poseidon sighed, his heart heavy. "Percy, you may not want my help, but you need it. This is going to be tough, and I want to be here for you."
Percy glared at him through bloodshot eyes. "You don't know anything about me. You abandoned us, and now you want to play the concerned father? I don't need you."
Poseidon stood up, his frustration evident. "I left because I thought it was best for everyone, including you. I messed up, Percy, and I can't change the past. But I want to help you now. Your mother is worried sick, and I won't stand by and watch you destroy yourself."
Percy scoffed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Destroy myself? I was doing just fine before you barged into my life. I had my own routine, my own way of dealing with things. Now, suddenly, I have to play by your rules?"
Poseidon's voice was firm. "These rules are for your own good, Percy. You can't keep running away from your problems. It's time to face them."
Percy groaned, sinking back against the bathroom wall. "I don't need a lecture, especially not from you."
Poseidon took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. "Fine, no lectures. But you need to understand that you're not alone in this. We can face it together. I'll support you through withdrawal, through the meetings, through whatever it takes to get you back on your feet."
Percy looked away, his expression a mix of anger and resignation. "Why do you even care? You barely know me." He started shaking, his teeth chattering.
Poseidon knelt down, his eyes meeting Percy's. "You're my son. I might not have been there for you, but that doesn't change the fact that you're my blood. I care because it's never too late to try and make things right."
There was a moment of tense silence before Percy finally spoke, his voice low. "Just leave me alone."
Poseidon stood, "Let's get you cleaned up and I'll set up the couch so I can keep an eye on you. I promise to leave you alone unless you need me." He grabbed his prescriptions, "Take this." He held out the pill and water to Percy who silently took it without complaining.
Poseidon laid blankets on the couch and brought the trashcan to the side. If he was about to be insulted while also taking care of Percy, he was going to do it in the comfort of his living room so he'd at least get to sit down on the recliner. Percy only grumbled as he lay down on the couch and pulled the soft blankets over his shoulders.
"Do you need another blanket?"
Percy shook his head, "No."
As the night wore on, Poseidon kept a watchful eye on Percy, occasionally nodding off. In the quiet moments between Percy's restless movements, Poseidon couldn't help but reflect on the shattered fragments of their relationship. The distance that had grown over the years, the wounds inflicted by his absence—all of it weighed heavily on his shoulders.