My eyes stayed on Percy even as Dionysus complained and drawled. She hadn't eaten. I'd hoped it was a rare case of a stomach bug that would pass among the children, but it had been well over a week. Really, it had come to a point where I needed to talk to her days prior. Only her father's presence held me back. He should've noticed. Should've been able to get her to eat.

But he didn't, and once again I had to step in.

The harpies descended on the tables, sweeping up plates and glasses. Percy stood, prepared to slink out like she had so many other times. I grabbed her shoulder. She tensed.

"I need to talk to you," I said. It wasn't a good sign how she glanced up at me, that she tensed more, or how she plastered a smile onto her face. Too big, too bright without reaching her eyes.

"Sure, what about?"

My hand dipped to between her shoulder blades. "Perhaps it would be best to talk about this in the Big House?" Cabin Nine and Cabin Four kids stared at us. Katie leaned over to whisper to her sister. I fought the urge to sigh. We'd need to have a meeting without Percy involved, just so I could nip this in the bud. Divisions weren't something to be fostered here.

They would lead to another Luke.

And it wasn't fair of me to have that as my first thought. Percy was a sweet girl. A foal (Poseidon would be upset to hear me call her that, but she's my niece) who'd done too much. The way the others were acting needed to be addressed, because she didn't deserve it.

Percy stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room as I draped Seymour's sleeping towel over him.

"Does that work?" Her voice was almost too quiet to hear.

"Surprisingly well. You can sit, if you'd like." The couch creaked. I closed the door and locked it, then slipped into my wheelchair. We sat. Percy didn't fidget. Her knuckles were white as her tendons strained against her skin and as her nails bit into her worn blue jeans. "I--" I began. "I'm worried about you."

Her eyes darted to me, wide. "Why?"

I leaned forward, resting my arms on my knees. She was scared. Not good. My heart skipped a beat or two. How bad was it? "You've barely touched your food. You haven't eaten a full meal in the last few weeks." A sigh escaped me despite my best attempts. "Honestly, I have no idea how you haven't passed out yet."

"I'm fine, Chiron. Trust me."

"When was the last time you ate a good meal?"

That damned smile fell. She looked at her hands, lacing her fingers together and twisting them. "I just--- I don't have much of an appetite anymore. I'll eat when I'm hungry, but it really hasn't been lining up with mealtimes, so I've been keeping a bunch of food in my cabin. So if I get hungry in the middle of the night, I can eat something."

The brazenness to lie to my face over and over again--- No. Don't reinforce her avoidance. If I wanted her to give me the slightest chance of helping her, I'd have to let her make the choice. She was too much like Poseidon for anything else. Letting her think she has me fooled would allow me to keep a better eye on her.  I rubbed her head.

"You should've said something. I can keep some food set aside for you each day, or perhaps I could arrange to put an enchanted plate in your cabin?" Even if she was lying, giving her access to food outside of meal times would be smart. For all I knew, it could be as simple as feeling self-conscious eating in front of others. My breath hitched. Or maybe she felt better hoarding food? She hadn't had access to food for a while on the last quest.

I doubted she was sacrificing as much food as it seemed. A few plastic bags in her pockets could stash away a decent amount.

"No!"

I snatched my hand back. "Perseus."

"Sorry, I'm sorry. I just-- I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine." She mouthed those two words over and over, rocking slightly.

"Percy, I need you to look at me."

Silence.

"Perseus," I stressed. "Look at me." Percy didn't react. When I grabbed her chin with a couple fingers curled underneath, she seized up. "My girl"--Softness was key-- "I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong."

Choked gasps broke the silence. She curled up, heels on the cushions. I should've scolded her. But sometimes rules could be broken. Her hands shook as they hovered grasping in the air, like she didn't know where to put them. I gently pushed them down.

"Percy, my girl, I need you to listen to me. You're having a panic attack." This was worse, so much worse than I thought. Nails dug into the delicate skin behind her ears. Cartilage bent as she pulled down. My eyes widened. I grabbed her wrists. She fought me, whining and crying, trying to pull free.

"Sh. Sh, you're okay. I just don't want you to hurt yourself." Her wrist bones were too noticeable. They felt brittle, breakable, delicate. I let her go, turned off the lights, and draped a thick blanket over her shoulders. 

Food. She needs food.

"Stay here as long as you need. I'll be back with some food. Mr D is on the porch if you need him, though I would suggest you ask anyone else for help first. He's still upset he lost our pinochle game earlier." The kitchen wasn't far enough to warrant it, but I needed to give her options. It wasn't something she had a lot, so maybe it would be enough.

Apparently not, I thought, when I stepped back into the still dark living room. Percy laid on her side, head covered.

"Are you calm enough to eat?" I asked.

"Not hungry."

I lowered myself. Red tinted eyes peered at me. "Are you okay?" No. She wasn't, but she nodded and sat up anyway.

"Yeah, that was"--Pause--"Weird. Sorry about that." She grinned and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Do you know what triggered the attack?" I had my guesses, but it would be so much easier if she'd tell me. I could help her, see about pulling favors with some of the gods to get her help. Poseidon could back it, but with how he sees his children...It might be worse for him to get involved.

"Don't think it was really a panic attack, but," She twisted her hands in the blanket. "I get really oversensitive to everything when I'm tired and I haven't been sleeping well and---" She whimpered. I swallowed. She's close to panicking again.

"I see what you mean." The chuckle I managed was forced. Percy didn't notice that. "Try to eat as much as you can, okay? We don't want you doing this in front of the others." Was that what she wanted to hear? Confirmation that she wasn't doing anything wrong by hiding these?

I'd give her a few days to come to me, but after that...I'd have to get her father involved.

Have a chiron chapter, because WIESL doesn't really show him in a good light thanks to Percy's skewed interpretations of some of his actions, like such things as her zoning out and sometimes mishearing things

Anyway my computer is almost dead,

See yah