Chapter 5 || Percy

The moment English class was over, Annabeth had grabbed Percy's arm, marching straight out of the cafeteria, where everyone was gathered.

"What the heck are you doing?" he exclaimed, trying to wrench his arm free.

"You're going to have an explanation to give me," Annabeth muttered, pushing him under the little hollow bush they found in the beginning of the year.

She forced him to take a seat on the dirt floor, staring into his eyes with a fierce gray gaze.

"What's going on?" she asked, "Why are you so distant and why are you always wincing when Thalia punches you? Are you still mad about what happened with Thalia calling you a crybaby? And why--"

"Annabeth, you're going too fast," Percy groaned.

"Maybe it's too much for your brain of seaweed to handle!" she snapped, catching Percy by surprise. "What's upsetting is the fact that you can't see that all your friends are worried about you! What are you, a dummy?"

Dummy... Dummy... Dummy...

"I don't know how you can't tell the difference between us not caring and caring! It's like you're born with no brain! Sometimes I wonder how you managed to pass first grade!"

Dummy... Dummy... Dummy...

Percy knew he was being sensitive. He was being way too sensitive for his own good. But hearing Annabeth call him dumb directly to his face... It hurt.

-FLASHBACK-

"Ugh!" Percy threw his pencil onto his desk, watching as the led snapped and made a small silver dent on the notepaper.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Annabeth exclaimed, taking the pencil away before he could throw it. "What's wrong?"

"I'm never gonna get this equation!" Percy groaned, "I can't! I'm just too dumb!"

Annabeth grabbed Percy's arm, positioning him so that he was gazing directly into her gray eyes.

"Listen to me, Percy. You're not dumb. You're smart. It's not your fault you haven't learned YET. You've still got time and you'll learn that you're smarter than you think you are. Way smarter."

"Says the nice girl," Percy muttered, but Annabeth didn't stop.

"Percy, I'm not the nicest girl. If you're dumb, I'm not gonna be shy about shoving it in your face. It's just... pride. I don't know, but my mom said I was born with pride before she left us. And let me tell you... you're not dumb. So don't you ever believe that you're stupid for a second."

"You call me Seaweed Brain," Percy blinked a couple times.

"It's a joke, Percy," Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Seaweed is a smart plant."

"Promise you're not lying?"

"Promise."

-FLASHBACK SWITCH-

Percy cowered under Gabe's glare.

"I ASKED FOR MEDIUM RARE! NOT RARE! DID THEY EVER TEACH YOU ANYTHING?!"

"Y-You... You told me--"

"I told you nothing!" Gabe gave a hard slap across Percy's face. "You're a dummy! A worthless dummy who probably shouldn't even be living right now! Because you don't even know how to make me a decent slice of steak!"

"I'm... I'm eight!" Percy shivered and Gabe roughly slammed him into the wall, satisfied when he heard a thump.

Gabe was beating him with his belt, the metal scraping against Percy's skin.

"Stop!" Percy flailed, "Please..."

"NO!" Gabe punched Percy in the chest, hearing a crack as a rib broke.

Percy let out a scream of agony only to be silence by Gabe's sweaty, stinky, dirty hand. Did the dude even wash his hands after his trips to the restroom?

"Let me tell you one thing and one thing only..." Gabe breathed, his breath rancid in Percy's nostrils. "You are nothing. You are nothing but a boy who can't do anything but serve. Because you've got no brain. If you were smart, I wouldn't be your stepdad and your mom wouldn't be working her ass off so she can support you."

"She's doing it... So you..." Percy started but Gabe pressed harder, successfully causing Percy's lip to start bleeding from the pressure against Percy's teeth.

"She's working so you won't be homeless when you turn eighteen. Because you're useless dumb shit."

With that, Gabe slammed Percy's head to the floor and blackness took over Percy's vision.

-FLASHBACKS OVER-

Now, looking at Annabeth's gray gaze, the same one that had told him that he wasn't dumb... The one who promised she was telling the truth... was lying to him in first grade. Her breath seemed to slow down as she realized what she said. Regret flashed through her gaze, mixed with alarm when Percy stood up.

"Aw... are you a crybaby?"

"Dummy!"

"You killed Bianca!"

"Percy--" Annabeth started but Percy had already run away.

He didn't go back to the classroom. He ran off the campus, past the gates.

"PERCY!" he heard Annabeth's yell behind him.

When it was gone, he sank to his knees in an abandoned alley. With each tear that dropped came each remark. Each moment that Percy was reminded he was a loser. A failure. A person who was worth nothing. Percy furiously wiped his tears with his sleeves, watching as the blue shirt he was wearing turned a darker shade from the tears.

Normally, Annabeth or his mother would rub circles on his back. Thalia would be there, her electric blue eyes comforting as she said words that would only be soothing to him when he was upset. Nico, as much as Nico blamed Percy, would be there to hug Percy before pulling away, saying awkward phrases. And Percy knew he didn't deserve that attention.

He didn't deserve anything.

"Oh, look who ran away!"

Percy's head snapped up and he felt his eyes widen in fear when he saw Mark and his goons. He was cornered. Trapped. The alleyway was no spot for him to sit. He should've known that! Percy backed away, but he was going nowhere. Pretty soon, he felt Mark grab his shirt, knife drawn.

"What the heck do you want?!" Percy squirmed while the goons laughed.

"Your life," Mark smirked, pulling the knife closer to Percy's throat.

That's when it occurred to Percy. Mark was going to slit his throat. Percy let out a scream of terror.

"HELP!" he screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Mark yelled, making a cutting motion on Percy's cheek.

He could feel the blood drip down. That's when the goons were all knocked down to the ground, Mark was pulled off of Percy, and the knife was taken away.

"Go away," the person said firmly as Mark and his goons scrambled away, muttering something about the person ruining their plans.

Percy stared in shock at the person who had just saved him. The person turned and that's when Percy realized the person was on a wheelchair.

"Hello, Percy."

"How... How do you know my name?" Percy stuttered.

"I've always known your name. Always been looking out for you. But if I know what those people were talking about... you're not safe by yourself."

"What... What do you mean?"

"Grover! It's Chiron!"

A boy walked over, grabbing Percy.

"Hey! What are you--"

"Sh!" Grover hissed, looking anxiously out of the alley.

"Stop!" Percy tried to wrench free of the boy's grasp, but the boy had a strong grip.

That's when Percy spotted Mark and his goons racing towards them, more goons behind him. His eyes widened.

"Do you wanna get mauled by them or saved by us?" Grover asked.

The answer was obvious.