Nancy

Where Percy was for this show was beyond me.

Until he was on stage.

Like 5 of us were freaking out. Because we know him or at least saw him earlier.

That part of the show was amazing. But halfway through the concert, the sound was cut off and of course on stage you can't panic. You go on and assume it's a technology thing.

Then the lights were cut and maybe give minutes if dead silence went by and the lights turn back on. Everyone from the one band, Thalia, Annabeth Chase, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and a few others were on stage.

Tied up and gagged. One including a Latino Elf that appeared about 16 or 17. Reminded me of my dead cousin, Leo. Leo Valdez. Dad's side. So I don't really see Aunt Rosa or any of them a whole lot. Its been a few years since I've spoken or even seen her and her fiance. In Texas.

Then I recognized one other person.

Grover. From sixth grade.

The doors were sealed in and out. Nobody comes in and nobody leaves.

And everyone on the stage that was tied up was also gagged so there goes that. But everyone was terrified.

These people on the stage who had we guessed tied them up, they had guns, knives, swords. Explosives. The whole deal.

Somebody who was tied up got the gag off and spoke.

They were shot in the head immediately.

Everyone else trying to get their gag off after that immediately stopped.

Everyone but Percy.

And he got it off.

Being the smartass he was. First they asked.

"Do you have something to say?" One of the guys asked. "Hero?"

"3."

This confused everyone. And I mean everyone.

And then I remember he's aggressive and the Latino Elf looks at Percy like are you insane?

They shoot Percy in the head. And it went in. Or at least made a hole. And in 3 seconds the hole closed itself.

Scaring us.

"2."

Why is he counting down.

A shot to the heart and he didn't even bat an eye. Instead he broke the chain holding him and held a knife to this guys throat.

"You will leave." Percy ordered. "And you will us the hell alone. But if I even see your face ever again."

He throws the knife into a book on the ground.

"Next time I won't miss."

The 18 year old shoved him off and untied everyone on stage as they ran away in fear.

Not after too long I was speaking with Grover.

"What in the hell was that?" Grover asked me.

"Just another Tuesday." He commented.

"No, not what happened." I rephrase. "What Percy did. A bullet to the head and to the heart and he didn't even flinch. He broke chain and nearly killed a guy, Grover. What the hell?"

"He..." Grover tells me, glancing over at his old friend. "Ever since Yancy Percy's gone through a lot. Who... What he turned into is nothing like you knew him to be. He used to be terrified of everything. And now all it takes is somebody he somewhat even sort of cares about to be killed and he will end them. Not a second thought about it. For him to kill is nothing at this point. Its just another person gone. If a thousand or so people weren't staring, he would've killed them. All of them. He's forgotten peace. What it is. He's turned suicidal but he knows if he kills himself we will notice instantly and we will somehow bring him back. So instead he takes his self anger out on others. Because he's pissed that people care so much about him. Because in his mind they should. In his mind, he doesn't deserve that. And it's sad. It really is. But we can't do anything about it anymore. We tried everything. We did. But there's nothing else to try."

°=°
Grover

The funeral was about 3 hours later. And the person who was killed was Pollux.

First Luke showed up. And that did not go down well with many people.

And then Castor showed up.

Let me explain that Percy was chained up in another room with the strongest of metals, covered in a coat of Styngion Iron. Because he wasn't calming down. If he saw Luke walk through that door with everyone else, somebody would have died.

Whatever the hell happened to him last summer I don't know. If it was because of the amnesia or whatever. I don't know. But he isn't himself. Not anymore. And for awhile, he was. For most of this summer he was. But I don't know. And I wish I did.

Of course they both asked where Percy was. Everyone else was here and they knew this wasn't his funeral. They ran into Pollux's ghost on the way here.

"He's in a different room." Annabeth simply answered.

"Why?" Was a very good question.

"To put it simple." I explained. "If he wasn't in there somebody would be dead. And not Pollux. Somebody else."

"Its Percy..." Castor pointed out. "I'm pretty sure we're fine."

"Yeah, I don't know why you would-"

Luke was interrupted by something crashing in the room Percy was in.

Nico peeked in.

"He's fine." Nico told us. "It was just a book got knocked over. Or a few of them."

At least the shelf didn't fall over. Right?

,_,
Luke

After everyone left but Percy, I decided to go into the room he was in. And yeah I saw once or twice in the past 4 or so years but... Not really ever since he first came. That first summer. My last. But... He's changed.

And I don't mean that in a good way.

All life in his eyes, all of his will. It was gone. It was lost. His eyes were red and puffy. Swollen. He had scars on his forearms and he drew blood simple enough by clenching his fist too hard and beating the cement floor with bloody knuckles.

Whatever happened to him after I left. Whatever became of him.... Whatever happened at all.

It took him, beat the shit out of him, took everything from him, took his will to live, killed him. And left him alive.

The worst thing you can do to somebody isn't killing them. Its letting them live.

And they, whoever they are, is playing puppet.

He's 18.

18.

My phone started vibrating and I step out of the room to answer.

"Hello." I answered. Unsure of who this was.

"Luke." The voice I knew too well spoke. "You answered."

My brother. Half brother. On my mom's side. He's my older brother. By two years. He's the reason I decided to leave. He turned 13 and forget about being a big brother or anything close to a decent son. When I left 3 years later he'd bring girls home every night. Not the same typically. And bang them, and give them empty promises that would never be kept. Ever since I turned 11 and he was 13 I promised myself I would never turn into him. I would never turn my back like that.

But I did anyways.

"What do you want?" I snapped at him. Lucia. That's his name.

"I... Um..." He said. "First of all, you at home."

"I don't-" he interrupted me.

"Luke, you haven't been home in over 10 years." Lucia tells me what I already know. When we saw the post about the body in Italy I stopped going to class. Mom didn't leave her room for three days. She went mad trying to find you. And now for one second did she ever give up. 12 years. Where the hell-"

I stopped him.

"Before you interrogate me." I tell him, not wanting to hear this at any time ever. "Consider maybe why I would ever leave. I was 14."

"And stupid." He finished wrong.

"I was a kid." I correct him. "Who wanted an older brother and a mom. Not a mother. A mom. Somebody who actually cared. Not just a woman that brought me into this world. But somebody that was there. Because you sure as hell weren't and neither was our mother. So yeah I left. And I found my own family. Because family is not blood. It does not start there and it sure as hell doesn't end there. I made friends. I had a family that cared about me and I cared about them. And I got to watch one of them die. And many friends after that. Don't ask me for one second. Don't ever think you have no idea why I left, because you know exactly why. And you have no idea what I've seen. I have watched people tortured and tormented and watched their will go live be taken from them but be let to walk away. There is nothing worse than watching that. Watching them turn into that."

"I'm pretty sure nightmares and flashbacks and all of that shit is far worse." My older brother comments.

"Funny." I remark. "Because I get those every night."

He hangs up on me.

Whatever. I really don't care right now. I don't have time to deal with him.

I walked back into the other room. Percy now having a split lip from biting down on it so hard.

And he tried screaming. He did. But nothing came out as he hoped it would.

It broke my heart. If I hated leaving anybody at that camp, it was Percy and Annabeth. Being Thalia was a tree at the time. Grover, too. But mainly the other two. Especially Percy. Annabeth would be fine on her own at Camp. I raised her so that if I died she would be fine. Not to be too dependent.

Percy on the other hand. He didn't let on a lot. But I read him as soon as I saw him. I saw his file. He was abused. In every sense of the word. He never knew what peace was. Diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Camp was supposed to be his safe haven. His home away from home.

And I fucked it all up. I ruined that for him. I cared about him. I still do. Hell, I love him.

But I fucked it all up. Well beyond repair.

Of course my brother and my mother decided to show up then.