We Olympians (A Percy Jackson AU) || BOOK 1

Chapter 51 || Percy

Percy was freaking out when Annabeth was about to get killed. But now, he was literally gonna have a panic attack.

He looked over Piper's unconscious body, praying to the gods that she was okay. When Jason explained that she had been choked, Percy felt a flood of anger rising in him before he felt something in his stomach. He frowned as a small dot of pain appeared. Putting his finger on it, he felt blood getting onto his finger. The small dot of pain was like the tip of a pen as it drew all the way across Percy's stomach.

Looking down, he saw no knife or nobody there to gash his stomach, but he could already feel blood soaking his shirt. Fear pelted him like it was rain. What was going on? Why was he getting this gash? He almost cried out when an unexpected wave of pain came crashing down on his neck. But again, there was no one to create the pain. He grabbed his neck and he finally heard someone calling his name.

"Percy?"

His head snapped up and when he saw Hazel's concern, he immediately wanted to tell her what was going on. But looking at Piper's body, he didn't wanna be a burden by making other people worry for him. So he just grinned. Like he always did. Because he was hiding so much.

Sitting up on the couch, he saw that everyone was asleep. Getting up slowly so that he didn't wake anyone up, he tiptoed into the bathroom to get a better look of himself. He still looked the same. His grin was still the same. Nothing on the exterior changed. Percy winced as he looked away, remembering the fear as the gash appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He bit his lip as he thought about the reasons why it could've happened.

Was it himself? Did he cause it by accident? What did the gashes mean?

"I guess I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep," a voice said behind Percy as he whipped around, hand already creeping to his pocket for Riptide.

Thalia.

"Oh, it's just you." Percy sighed in relief, relaxing.

The two cousins walked past the area where everyone else was sleeping and sat down at the food tables.

"What's keeping you up?" Thalia asked, grabbing a paper cup and placing it under the coffee machine.

"I can't sleep on my back, I can't sleep face-down, and I don't like sleeping on my sides," Percy replied. "Also, when you're in darkness like you were when you were dying... It's a little traumatic." Of course, he left out the mysterious gash and the weird pain in his neck. He didn't want anyone knowing about that yet.

"I'd lie to you and say I understood." Thalia chuckled. "But I'm not gonna. Hey, you know you can talk to me, right?"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, can I? Or will I get skewered by one of your holy arrows?"

Thalia laughed, staring at him.

"What?" Percy frowned. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, it's just... I missed you." Thalia sighed, biting her lip and looking away, her face red with embarrassment.

"You missed... me? Why? We always butt heads!" Percy said, bewildered.

"Even if we butt heads... I like it. You are one of the most important people in my life--and if you dare repeat that you will have an arrow stuck through your head--and I'm just glad to have you back."

"Oh..." Percy finally said. Idiot. Thank the gods that Thalia knew he was a Kelp Head or he'd be run through by her spear. "T-Thanks?"

Thalia sighed, rolling her eyes. "Seaweed Brain."

"Not so bad yourself, Pinecone Face."

"Shut up!" Thalia scoffed, her face red from the embarrassing memory.

They were on a class field trip, hiking through the mountains.

"...and Dylan was just like 'AH! DON'T HURT ME!'." Thalia laughed, taking a bite of her apple.

That's when a pinecone came and whacked her in the face.

"Ouch!" she glared up at the large pine tree.

"Thalia, are you okay?" the teacher called.

Everyone turned to her and Percy bit back a snicker.

"Y-Yeah. A... A pinecone hit me."

The teacher raised an eyebrow but said nothing, though the rest of the class kept looking back at her with those crazy eyes.

"Luke..." Thalia finally said, startling Percy.

"W-What about him?" Percy winced, remembering the person he used to be a brother to.

"He's on Kronos's side... but he looks like the person sent to grab me and Jason all those years ago."

"You still remember?" Percy asked, wide-eyed with surprise. "You were literally just a baby, Luke said."

"Wait... how have you talked to Luke like that?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"Luke was... Luke was just like my brother." Percy's gaze darkened. "But he betrayed us. He killed so many of us. He killed his own siblings. And I never figured out why. All he's ever said was how the gods didn't deserve power and how they didn't deserve anything... But he's killing us for it."

It was silent for a moment, the painful memories of blood and gory images flooding back into Percy's mind.

"Just when I thought there was someone who actually cared for me after I was forced to leave you guys... he left me, too. Like everyone else did." Percy fought back tears, but it was hard as one trickled down his cheek.

He felt arms wrap around him and to his horror and surprise, he saw Thalia hugging him. Thalia had never hugged a person in her life unless it was Annabeth.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

"For what?" Percy asked, puzzled.

"For all the mean things I've said to you in the past." Thalia had a tear rolling down her cheek and to her chin. "I've called you a dumbass, I've called you a shithead, I've called you an idiot... and I've called you a crybaby. I'm sorry, Kelp Head."

Percy wrapped his arms around his cousin.

"I'm sorry, too, Pinecone Face." For leaving you, for hurting you, and for fighting in this war that you wouldn't be fighting if it weren't for me. I'm sorry, Thals.