Percy

"We need you here." Nico told me. Almost begging.

"I would..." I was honest. "I really would, Nico. And it's not because of college. I don't trust myself right now to go back. I know what happens if I dare step into that place right now in my state. I barely spoke this last week because of that. If I go in, its a suicide mission."

"So is everything else you've done." The son of Hades points out.

"Not like that." I try explaining. "I mean suicide, Nico. If I go in and even try fighting again, I will kill myself. The nightmares are getting worse every night. Flashbacks during the day. And as it is, Chiron wouldn't allow any of us in there even if the whole world is at stakes. We'd meet out of camp. The only one allowed is in RED and that's because she's the Oracle."

"How would you know?" Nico of course questioned as I got into my mom's apartment. Not knowing if anyone was even home.

"Nico, I was head of that place for 6 years." I tell him. "That rule was one of the many drilled into my head just like the rest of them. But I have to go. Talk to you later."

I hang up.

"I'm home!" I announced, if anyone was home.

And my mother was home.

Of course she's almost overly concerned if I'm okay. After what happened at the school.

"I'm fine, Mom." I assured my mother, noticing somebody walk into the living. But it wasn't Paul. Too short to be Paul. Paul is taller than me. He's 6'3". This guy was about 5'6". Big difference there. About... 9 or so inches.

°=°
Gabe

Percy was home. For whatever reason. I'm not complaining. At least we get this out of the way sooner, because I know he will be mad.

He used to be shorter than me.

He has to be like 6 feet tall now.

He was intimidating.

Like if he looked like that 6 or so years ago I'd be afraid of him hitting me. And I'm a retired Navy officer.

What the hell?

One of my old friends. Not a really a friend anymore. But he showed up. Sober. And pissed.

I don't know why. But he was pissed at me and he jumped me. We were having a peaceful meal together. And of course he has me in a position where I can't do shit. I'm stuck.

Sally was smart and stayed out of it.

Percy... Oh Percy.

He got up and ripped this guy off me, bitch slapped him, kneed him in the gut, and shoved him down on the couch.

I can't even do that.

"Boy, you don't know what you're doing, do ya?" Jordan asked Percy, and I knew that Jordan could just get up and run straight into Percy.

And he tried.

But Percy has changed. He's gotten confident and he's gotten strong.

He grabbed Jordan as Jordan tried to pin him. Or he did pin him to the wall, but Jordan didn't hold onto him.

Percy grabbed a butter knife.

"I know exactly what the fuck I'm doing." Percy corrected him. "You can be smart and leave. Or you can stay. I'm not anywhere near afraid to kill you, whoever the hell you are. But if you leave and show up here again, I will make sure your death looks like an accident."

As Percy's step father for 10 years this terrifies me. Whatever happened after... Whatever happened to me, ending up in that almost like alternate universe, it changed him. And it's not like he's fought legit wars before... He's barely old enough to now.

I guess Percy was here for the weekend and of course I get small nightmares. Nothing I can't handle. Every here and there I wake up. But I go, maybe get a drink of water or something, and then go back to bed. Or if it's like 5, I just stay up.

I woke up. It was around 2:30. And walking to the kitchen it was out of nowhere. I thought I imagined it for a second.

It was shriek. And it wasn't anything quiet. And I was thinking maybe a robber got in, saw me, and freaked out.

Nobody else in the house but the 3 of us.

I peek into Percy's room. The door cracked open and he's wide open, on his bed. Hugging his knees, and rocking back and forth. Breathing pretty heavily.

It was like 10 minutes later he came out of his room and into the kitchen.

"What are you doing up?" The 18 year old asked me.

"Nightmare." I tell him. "Small one, but enough to wake me up. Sometimes forget about that shit having an affect but... What about you? I heard a scream earlier. But I have no idea where that came from so."

"That was me." Percy assured me. "They do suck. I can agree on that. Its to the point where Mom sleeps through me screaming in the middle of the night. You were... Navy, right?"

"I'm surprised you remember." I confirm. "What about you? You're obviously not in the military, but..."

"I might as well have been." Percy told me. "Shit the past few years... It got insane."

It was quiet for a moment. And then he realized something.

"Did my mom ever tell you about my dad?" Percy asked. "I mean, we told Paul. But then again I knew and I was the one who told him."

"Um... Sort of." I explain. "She explained the situation. But never who he actually was. All I know is that you look like him.

Suddenly two guys showed up and then we were at the strawberry Fields. But the side nobody is allowed at for who knows what reason.

Sally was also here. Now awake.

Ever since Percy was about 8 or 9, Sally and myself have had this bet going in. I've been seeing little signs ever since he little that he doesn't like girls. Sally doesn't see that. We still don't have an answer 10 years later.

We were not allowed to go back to bed.

So Sally and myself decide to take a walk and this is how we found out the answer.

And I noticed something I didn't notice earlier. Being he had a sweater on earlier, and he doesn't now. On his forearm.

Scars. What brought my attention to it was that he was scratching his forearm and I looked at yeah.

I'm not assuming anything. But they do look like cutting scars. Just saying.

He was talking with somebody. A guy not too much younger than him. A Latino Elf.

>(^^)>
Leo

Percy and myself didn't really break up. But we also weren't really dating. I overreacted like hell to what happened. How he responded to the whole thing at Cal. And now that we're both here, why not figure it out.

I apologized about every single thing for about 5 minutes.

"Leo." Percy cut me off. "Calm down. Its okay."

"No its not."

More sternly this time.

"Yes. It is." The son of Poseidon said, looking me in the eye.

That lasted about 5 seconds before I wrapped my arms around him, into a hug I really needed. I've been tearing myself apart about this for the past week and a half just about. And when Jason asked why I couldn't tell him why. Or anyone that asked.

Nico asked. It got that bad.

"I missed you." I tell him. And I felt him smile.

"I missed you, too." My might as well be boyfriend replied. "How the hell will you survive me going to college in California for the next two years?"

"Camp Jupiter."

〜(￣▽￣〜)
Nico

And Jason is trying to get me to ask out Percy.

"I don't even..." I try pointing out I don't like him anymore. "Jason, you know this. Plus: One, he's about as straight as if gets. Two, he's Percy."

Hazel walks in, talking with Thalia, Beckendorf, and then Frank and Piper.

Jason... Oh Jason. Special Jason he is, asked them how straight they thought Percy was.

Pipers reactions.

"I don't give a shit what is said about him and Annabeth." Piper instantly came up with. "He's gay."

"Is bisexual not a thing?" Frank asked her.

"No, he's gay." Beckendorf told us. "Did nobody tell you guys?"

"No!" Everyone but Thalia said.

"How do you know?" Was my question.

"Truth or dare: 2006, 4th of July." He answers. "That was a weird night."

"It was..." Thalia agreed. "It scarred me for Life."

"It scarred everyone."

"What happened?" Hazel probably shouldn't have asked but she did anyways.

"The Stoll's rigged the Aphrodite Cabin while everyone was at dinner." Beckendorf started. "And did all of the cabins but theirs. And the Big House. So they were nearly killed. Like 8 people got together. I think 2 of them got pregnant. They were like 20 but still. And on a dare... I won't say the two who did it. They don't go here anymore. But it was a dare for one of guys to stand in the middle and accept a blowjob. From another guy. And at the time there were 3 people, guys, in the camp that were gay. Percy one of them, and two others. The other guy went up and just... Eh. That was one of their last summer's. The other died the next summer. We found out many disturbing things that day."

A few days went by and we took care of the mortals in the camp.

Reyna suggested we play Truth or Dare.

"If were playing, were doing it the old fashioned way." Somebody remarked.

"And that would be?" Will asked.

Castor was glaring at him so hard. At Luke.

"Let's get dirty."