Percy's POV

I sneaked through our dark living room. I didn't dare turn on the lights; I couldn't risk waking him up before the first day of school.

I looked around, somehow avoiding the broken bottles scattered across the floor. I picked up my backpack from it's place against the wall.

I got to the door and quietly opened it, careful not to make a sound. I closed it silently, and I did a relieved victory dance in my mind. I had made it!

And with that, I turned and ran all the way to school.

~°~

I walked into the classroom. I was one of the first ones there. I sat in the back, not wanting any attention, but I already knew that that wouldn't be my seat for long.

Everyone chose seats and sat down. I took out a book and started to read it, because I needed something to hide behind.

Also, it was a very interesting book.

Everyone eventually got into the room. The bell rang, and class started.

The teacher introduced herself as Ms. Erwin.

Predictably, she moved me to the front of the class. It's not that I was misbehaving or anything- it's because I was short. I was the shortest in the class and wouldn't be able to see the front of the classroom. But who needs to see the front of the room when the teacher just says everything out loud anyway?

I was the shortest student because I was the youngest student. I had skipped three grades and was three or four years younger than any of the other students. Not to mention the fact that my birthday was in the summer. I was eight, but this was sixth grade.

I went to my new seat and sat down. Then, class started.

The first day is always boring. I just read my book the whole day, pretending to be listening to the rules.

I know the rules. Even if it is the first year of middle school, they're kind of obvious.

By the end of the day, I was finished with the book. I went home, and tried to open the door quietly. But he was already awake, and he heard the door open. He looked over, and I froze like a deer in headlights.

I tried to turn and run back out the door, but I tripped and fell as I tried to. I tried to stand back up, but was knocked back down painfully by a hard blow to the back. My chin hit the ground, and my mouth filled with the taste of blood.

He dragged me back inside and slammed the door. Then, he pulled me to my feet, which I looked down at.

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered, swallowing the blood in my mouth. "I-I was just a-at-" I was interrupted by a hand hitting my cheek, hard.

"I know where you were," he snarled. I looked up at Gabe, in all his pig-like might.

He was a disgrace to pigs.

I didn't respond. Being the socially awkward person that I was, I didn't know how.

The pig punched me in the side. I stumbled into the door and gasped. He kicked me and I fell to the ground, my now injured leg unable to hold me up. I looked at it. It was bleeding badly.

I was punched in the head, and my head hit the door from the blow. I rolled to the side, narrowly missing the next blow, then rolled again, missing another one. I scrambled around, dodging blows. But he still managed to hit me or kick me a few times, and each one seemed to break a bone or rip open some skin or knock out a tooth.

I never got enough time to even be able to stand up. I was getting tired, fast, but the pig didn't seem to be getting very tired. I was getting dizzy from blood loss and pain, and my vision swam. I couldn't see very well, and I started getting hit more and more often. I was barely able to make out where the pig was.

Darkness started to creep in from the edges of my vision. No, I thought, not now. I tried to force the darkness away, but all I could do was slow it down.

My vision was almost completely black. I couldn't make out anything, not really, and my movements were slow. Gabe grabbed me.

I don't know exactly what happened next, but I remembered a feeling of flying through the air, and my vision being overtaken by darkness.

A/N I hope you liked that chapter!!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson books or characters. I own this chapter though, for sure.

~ShatteringThe4thWall