Percy Jackson

I was ready to fucking drop everything when I got the call a week after I found out about Jason's death for Piper to tell me that Annabeth was attacked on her way back to camp and it was a horde.

And she was dead. Nico went to help his dad for the day and saw her in line for judgement on his way and apparently she apologized that he never got his chance with her because everyone thought he liked her.

So he told her he was gay.

I didn't sleep that night and it pissed me off that I couldn't tap into the mental link because it's there and I can feel it but it's so weak because we haven't seen each in so long and I blocked it off for Grover's sake falling into Tartarus.

The next morning, I didn't want to get our of bed but Paul would kill me if I wasn't in school and not throwing up. He's a cool step dad, but he gave me a few days when I first got back and he won't let me stay home if I'm not throwing up or have like, strep. If I'm not super contagious, I go to school.

I can't just say he didn't see me, he's one of my teachers.

Well considering Mom wakes me up on her way to work, now that she's back at work at the bakery, and Paul was already at school by 6:30, I'm alone and there's nobody to talk to about it because I found out at like, midnight. I was about to fall asleep when Piper called. She was staying home today.

It fucking hurt. They're putting Jason's funeral back another week and just combining the funeral because they died so close together. Hopefully the gods would fly me out because we can't afford a way to get to California right now.

Before I left, I cried in my car for like ten minutes and went to school, getting a Starbucks on the way because I fucking deserved it.

It made me like two minutes late, but the teacher wasn't even there yet so really, I wasn't late.

For most of the day, I was able to suck it up and just played off that I was tired. Paul believed it. I had him second hour, he probably figured that I got a call at midnight, I'm tired.

It was my sixth hour teacher. History. Because that's my good subject. I had Ms. Willows last year, I have her for independent study to make up for second semester and hopefully all of this year. It's just whatever history we want to do, so she said she'd give me some sort of project to do next semester or whatever to make it up. To catch me up.

So normally I'm fine in her class. She has two prep hours, I'm in one of them.

And I just couldn't do anything. My laptop was open for the tab it needed to be and I wasn't retaining any information because my dyslexia was so fucked up because I was trying to not be upset because I have to go to swimming. We're in build up right now, I can't miss practice.

I was just staring at the screen that was something to do with WWI. I don't really know. But it wasn't... I love history, but I couldn't do anything. At least in my other classes I could zone out and the teachers didn't care because it's lecture.

This wasn't. And normally I hate lecture, because it's harder for me to learn. But it...

All day I've been blocking it out by just listening to teachers and not thinking about what happened or about what they were saying. I'll take a D, I don't give a shit. I don't need to go to college, I just can't fail. One more F and I'm expelled and Paul would kill me if I got expelled because on thin ice. I don't even know if I'm allowed to miss a week because Paul will be here. It's not 'family.'

But I can't just not go. It was my friend. Jason was my friend.

Annabeth was my best friend. She was my girlfriend. The only person I'm closer to than her is Grover.

I could feel the water in my eyes and was praying that she'd just leave it alone. But Ms. Willows isn't like that. She cares about like, 90% of her kids. And I'm not in that 10%.

She walked back into the class maybe twenty minutes after it started. Told me that she was getting copies and what not when I walked in and told me that the plan was on her desk, like it always was.

But she got back and I had opened the tab and nothing else done.

"Hey, how far have you gotten?" Ms. Willows asked me, and I felt bad that she could see I've done nothing for ⅓ of the class time. "Do you need help with the concept or a listening version, because I have—"

I closed my eyes, trying to stay calm. Trying to be okay. I could hear her walk around towards her desk, which I sat by, so she saw my face and it hurt so much.

"Percy?" Ms. Willows asked me, and I hated how genuinely concerned she sounded when she saw me. "hey, what's going on? If you need a break, it's okay, you're like, way ahead of the plan with a 94%."

But I just shook my head because I can't let myself stop and fall behind. I'll be gone for a week, give or take a day or two. The funeral is Wednesday afternoon.

"Percy, hey," she said, wheeling her chair towards me and she must've been across from me but my eyes were closed. "It's okay, you've been working really hard lately."

My history teacher moved my laptop and that barrier was gone, leaving me feeling more open and vulnerable.

I have one more hour after this, and I couldn't do that.

"What's wrong, Percy?"