Percy's POV

    I'm Percy Jackson. Survivor of two wars. Two wars I wish I could save my friends who have died in it. Two wars I served as a pawn of the gods but I didn't really care. I was never the hero of any war but people call me so. I don't understand why.
    I'm here in my cabin with all the doors, windows, secret entrances were locked. I can't bear it anymore. The past few months, I was acting like I'm happy. Key word: acting. But now I can't hold it in anymore. Sure I've tried to kill myself some other times but my family was always there to stop me. Even myself.
    But now, I was sure. By sunset, I would be gone for good. None of them can change my mind because none of them knows how much pain I feel. None of them know what I have gone through. None of them know how I feel about a specific person.
    I've realized it on the break up of me and Annabeth. It's been killing me slowly every time I see that person. I realized I was falling for that person, real hard. But I couldn't help but think that we were still on really bad terms ever since the incident. I want everything to end just so that I can be at peace. Away from everyone. Away from him.
    He knows what I'm going through but not what I am. I'm going through depression with a side of PTSD. He doesn't know I love him and I just can't face him in this state of mind I have. I just wrote a letter for him to read as soon as I'm dead.
    Right now, I know everyone's outside my cabin trying to pull me out of taking my own life. The thing is, everyone's yelling and this is really pushing me to do it sooner.
    That's when everyone quieted down to the yell of a girl's voice strangely familiar. "EVERYONE SHUT UP! YELLING AT HIM WON'T DO ANYTHING BUT PUSH HIM T-TO DO IT SOONER."
    "WE HAVE TO AT LEAST TRY!" I heard Piper's voice shouting at the mystery girl. "NOTHING ELSE IS WORKING! AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW IF IT WILL PUSH HIM?! YOU BARELY KNOW PERCY!"
    I silently crawled closer to the door to hear their conversation.
    The mystery girl sighed. "I may have been an invisible camper, but I know what he's going through. He may not know me, but I want him to be safe. He was my own hero. Believe me, I wanted to do it one too many times. Until now."
    I was shocked. This girl sounded like a mere thirteen year old.
    Jason's voice then came. "He's our friend. I just don't know what went wrong. He was fine then-"
    "He's drifting away." The mystery girl said. "I know. He's more than a hero to all of us. The fates pretty much messed up his life-" I smiled to myself. "-but he was holding on to be strong for the camp. I can see it in him. How he carries himself in times of great loss. He's a hero to all of us but that's not the important thing." I don't understand. Being a hero to them is what I knew is important for the camp.
    This time, Leo's voice came into the scene. "What do you mean?"
    The mystery girl held in her breath like she was trying to keep herself from crying. "I grew up with my mother, Athena, leaving me on my dad's doorstep. My father loved me so dear but he left to work when I was four. I lived with my foster parents because the government thinks since my father works far away, I needed a new family. Two years, I lived with a terrible foster family. The next two, I spent with my friend Ash who is a huntress. The next two, I lived with my step mother who was terrible to me and tried to murder me in my sleep but her plan backfired so she and two of her three children got trapped in the burning house. In the end, I got them out while they still tried to kill me in the burning house. But I'm alive. Then they killed Ash and were sent to prison. The next three years, I spent it alone until people captured my father. They forced me to kill my father who was really the only family I had."
    Then came a confused Hazel's voice. "What does this have to do with Percy?"
    "Percy is not a hero but a brother and friend. I grew up with no one to pull me out. You shouldn't treat him like he saved the world twice. You treat him as a brother who needs to talk."
    Tears came down fast on my cheeks as I crawled away onto my bed. She was right. I want to talk to someone but I didn't want to talk. I only have an hour to go and I hoped it would go fast so I can leave. Knowing Apollo, he would probably keep the sun up for as long as he can.
    After what seemed like hours, I had thirty minutes left. That's when I heard a three soft knocks on the door.
    "That's a first," I mumbled under my breath. The past hours, they have been consistently BANGING on the door.
    Then what surprised me was the voice of the mystery girl. "Percy?"
    I didn't answer. I knew she would try to force me into opening the door.
    Twenty-nine minutes.
    Then her voice came again. "Percy, I know you can hear me and I'm not gonna tell you to open the door. I just need you to listen."
    Twenty-eight minutes.
    I silently walked to the door and sat down with my back to it so I could hear what she was going to say.
    Twenty-seven minutes.
    "Percy, I know it's hard. I wasn't in the war but I had my own battles. I lost the only two people I cared in my life. I've been cursed for doing something I really needed to do. I was abused when I was a kid." The mystery girl said.
    I leaned my head on the door.
    Twenty-six minutes.
    I could feel my eyes brimming up with tears.
    "You barely know me but I know how much you have changed camp. Many people envy your achievements but I know all we demigods ever want was peace. Peace between the gods. Peace between demigods in this camp. Peace between worlds. Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse." Wait, how did she know?
    Twenty-five minutes.
    I heard something slide downwards against the door. I guess she was in the same position I was.
    "I know something's bothering you Percy and I want to help. I'm not forcing you to stop on killing youself. I just want you to know how worried your friends are. They left around five minutes ago because they are preparing for the worst."
    Twenty-four minutes.
    "Piper is really trying hard to keep a positive attitude. Jason is trying his best to calm the campers down. Leo is trying to make everyone crack just a bit of a smile even if it was hard to make his own. Hazel and Frank are in charge of keeping the Romans calm. Nico isn't doing too well. He made a pretty big crack that ran through half of camp." I tensed up.
    Twenty-three minutes.
    I heard her stifling a sob. "Percy, your not just a hero. If I died, no one would care. They'd mourn for about a mere day but if you died-" she gave a laughed sob "-camp would destroy itself."
    Twenty-two minutes.
    "You set the example of being a loyal brother. A brother who cares. I can't lose you Percy. I saw how you carried camp. How you would do anything to save your home. It inspired me to bear with my own crappy life. The day I met you and your fake smile made my day. You were being strong. I-I knew that smile was fake but it seemed to fool others. I admired that f-from you." Why was she sturttering? Maybe she was trying to suppress her sobs.
    Twenty-one minutes.
    "Percy, I just want you to know, -sob- many people here don't want to lose you. I-I-I'm inspired by you so let me help you, please. I w-w-was c-cursed to be c-cold and mean. You're the only one who has m-made me actually let my em-motions out. I-I-I can't lose an-n-nother pers-son I care for even if they n-n-never knew me. I would never f-f-forgive myself if you killed yourself. Y-y-you're n-n-not the only one who wants to kill, t-t-themselves. I-I'm sorry I can't pull you out of this." Her stuttering was now more evident but I guess she was sobbing. "I-I rather die than have you kill yourself."
    There was a loud thump but I ignored it.
    Twenty minutes.
    Silence.
    Nineteen minutes.
    I was worried. What if this was all a trick so I could open the door.
    Eighteen minutes.
    Silence.
    Seventeen minutes.
    I am beyond worried. Not a word for the past three minutes.
    I paced back and forth thinking about what she said.
    Sixteen minutes.
    Oh gods I'm freaking out. Why would she just up and leave like that? It's unusual.
    I stood up and unlocked the window so I could see who was outside. No one was outside except a slumped figure on the door. Oh and IT WAS FREAKING SNOWING.
    It looks like the slumped figure was passed out from the cold weather.
    Crap. This girl wasn't just sobbing, she was freezing. She also helped me realize some things. She gave me a talk I really needed to here from someone new. Should I continue?
    Fifteen minutes.
    I hastily opened the door and carried her slumped figure to my bed. I locked the door once more and heated some water so I could dab some hot towels it on her skin to keep her warm. No one noticed I actually opened the door. They actually left to give this girl a chance?
    Fourteen minutes.
    Now I could see her clearly. She clearly didn't mind the cold because she was wearing a tank top, checkered button up shirt and some shorts for the summer. She had silver hair that was tied up into a ponytail.
    I dabbed the towel over her forehead not wanting to go to the infirmary yet.
    Thirteen minutes.
    I had the need to tell some body how I feel before I left. I looked over the unconscious figure. She looked really bad. She looked like she hasn't eaten in days or maybe weeks. Like me.
    Twelve minutes.
    Her arms and legs were littered with cuts. Cuts that seemed to be done by herself. Like me.
    Eleven minutes.
    I decided to at least voice my feelings out to someone even if they're unconscious. So I decided to speak to her even if she was unconscious.
    Ten minutes.
    "If you could here me now, I'm happy you saw me as your personal hero. But I just can't accept myself. I can't open up to other people that I'm-" this is it. "-Gay. I can't face him. I just can't." I cried into my hands. My voice sounded cracked. I haven't spoken for so long. "I love Nico di Angelo. I love him but I lost that chance on him, I can't bear to see him with Will. I just want everything to go away but it doesn't seem to go away. I requested the gods to kill me but they wouldn't. Not even Aphrodite knows about this."
    Nine minutes.
    I felt a hand on my back and realized that my guest was awake but right now, I didn't mind that I was crying my life out to this fourteen year old girl. "Mom, Paul, everyone would be disappointed in me if they knew I was gay. I can't come out. Please don't force me to."
    Eight minutes.
    "I won't, Percy. I'm just happy we got to talk and you opened up to me." I looked at her and she was deathly pale but she was smiling. Her silver eyes staring at me. "I'm willing to be your friend if you let me. I'll be here for you. I know how you feel. I'll be the one to understand you when things go wrong."
    "You're not mad?! You won't shun away from me? You accept me?"
    Her silver eyes looked confused. "Why would I be mad for who you are? I haven't been with you long enough to judge you. You're a great person Percy, why on earth would I shun away from you? You are who you are. Who says I can judge you? Of course I accept you." I really trusted her. I really do.
    "Thank you."
    She looked around and sighed. "You of all people remind me how to get along with life. It's been a tough ten years of my life."
    Seven minutes.
    I took her arms and ran my hands over her scars. "Why do you cut?" I saw different words on her skin. Worthless. Murderer. Filthy mudblood. Weak. So on and so forth.
    Six minutes.
    "I just do it to make all the emotional buildup disappear to only one spot, physical pain." She sighed. Same here.
    Then I remembered her deathly pale complexion as if she hasn't eaten. "How about eating disorders?"
    Five minutes.
    "I barf up anything I eat. Except ambrosia which dissolves quick enough for me to even barf it all up. Though I barf blood if I got nothing to let out if I eat ambrosia." She said shivering. Same here except the blood thing.
    I put a blanket over her. "I don't know why but I really do trust you."
    Four minutes.
    Mackenzie looked me in the eyes. "Please don't kill yourself Percy. You're like a brother figure to me. I can't afford to lose you because I'll lose myself too. I just can't. I never told anyone how you motivated me. It was a secret in my heart."
    I hugged her tightly with tears coming down my face. "You told me who I am. And that you accept me. Thank you. I don't know if I can be the same Percy everyone knows. Depression's pretty shaken me up. I still can't face them. It brings up too many memories."
    Three minutes.
    "Then I'll be there when I can." She simply stated with tears running down her face and I stopped my countdown.
    "And I'll be there when you need me." She hugged me back.
    When we seperated, I finally asked. "I didn't get your name. I've seen you somewhere, haven't I?"
    She nodded. "Let's start our introductions. I'm Mackenzie Blue, daughter of Athena. I had a rocky childhood then I figured out my mom gave me as a settlement price between Artemis and her arguments, so I'm now a lieutenant of Artemis. We met in Britain."
    I smiled. "I'm Perseus Jackson. Son of Poseidon. Two time savior of Olympus. I had a fair share of a rocky childhood."
    Mackenzie looked away. "So, you wanna watch the sunset?"
    "By the beach? I don't think we'll make it in time." I sighed. This was an important day. The day I found a new friend who was just like me. "Though knowing my cousin Apollo, he would probably slow the sunset down 'cause that was the time I was supposed to you know myself by sunset." I flinched at the words 'you know myself'.
    Mackenzie smirked. "Then I think we can make it in time."
    "We'll be surrounded by campers. There's no way we can get past them. Even with Vapor Travel since my dad's here." I sighed. It was useless.
    Mackenzie stood up and stumbled to the floor. "I'm okay." I helped her up to her feet.
    "So," I said in a sad tone. "I guess we'll miss the sunset. Plus it's freezing outside."
    Mackenzie looked at me. "Percy, I may be an Athena kid but I have a surprise. Take my hand and hold tightly." I did as she told me and I felt like we were shadow traveling.
    *_*_*_*_*_*
    My face was greeted by some soft sand. We're on a beach.
    "What the..." I stood up and looked around. This beach didn't look like Long Island Shore. And it isn't snowing.
    I looked around for Mackenzie and she was just calmly sitting beside me. "Aloha." She greeted as I copied her sitting on the soft sand.
    I looked at the horizon and saw the beautiful sun setting into the oceans. "Where are we?"
    "Remember when I said I have a surprise?" Mackenzie asked keeping her eyes glued to the sun.
    I nodded. "Yeah. Then I grabbed your hand and we shadow traveled." I looked over what I said. "Please don't tell me you're a kid of Hades and Athena."
    Mackenzie doubled over. "No, Kelps. That way of traveling is way less exhausting than shadow travelling. It's called apparation."
    "Appa-what?" I asked keeping my eyes on the sunset.
    Mackenzie placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm a wizard. Apparation is one form of travel for us." Wizards? Like people who wave sticks around? "And yes Percy, I have a wand."
    This got my head thinking. "So, how did you know I was in trouble? I mean, I never saw you in camp for the past month."
    Mackenzie looked down. "Your sister was panicking and asked me to come since I had a fair share of what you've gone through. I apparated all the way from England." She went all the way from England just to help me?
    My mouth made and 'o' shape as the sun was completely out of sight. Then a big realization dawned on me. "That means you would have to leave soon?" I was devastated.
    Mackenzie frowned and tears formed in her eyes like tears formed in mine. "I'll be in your heart Percy. I'll stay as long as I can but Minerva McGonagall won't let me stay too long." She started sobbing as I hugged her again.
    "I think I can manage." I said whispering to her as tears dropped to my cheeks. "Thanks for being there for me."
    Mackenzie wiped her tears and replied. "Thanks for being there Bubba." I loved her nickname to me. "Oh, and welcome to Hawaii."
    WAIT WHAT?
    She grabbed my hand and apparated us back to my cabin. I looked at Mackenzie and she had a cold demeanor plastered to her face as we heard several worried knocks on the door.
    I couldn't help but put on a depressed face as I went to answer the knocks. No one could still take my heartbreak away. No one except Mackenzie knew about Nico. No one except myself.
    I opened the door glaring at them. I didn't say a word as they all cried out worried things to me.
    I said two words harshly. "I'M FINE." And they all dispersed whispering among themselves.
    Mackenzie slipped beside me and we went out to take a walk. "Wanna spar?" Mackenzie asked me. "I need some help with using a sword. Pretty bad at it."
    I smirked and pulled her with all my might. We ran and ran and ran until we reached the sword arena. "I'll try my best to make you the second best sword fighter in camp."
    I heard Mackenzie mutter. "Uh oh." As I pulled her to choose from the stack of swords. This is gonna be hectic. "If you train me so hard my arms fall off, I'm gonna hex you into a frog." Uh oh.