Grover Underwood

After helping Leo and Frank clean up some stuff that toppled over thanks to Leo's clumsiness, I ran down to where Percy was, because I don't know if he was just already anxious or if the crash triggered something, but it was even getting to me, so it couldn't be good.

Knocking on the door, I heard somebody say that it was open, and I let myself in to see something I probably should've expected, but was still caught off guard by.

Percy was in bed, passed out, absolutely dead to the world.

The person who said I could come in?

Nico. Who was sitting up in bed, doing something with a little notebook of sorts, as Percy's head was basically in his lap and his arms were wrapped around one of his legs, almost using it like a body pillow.

It was cute. Once we went from just standing around and talking to then going to lunch at Camp Jupiter, though, I forgot that they are literally a couple and that they've been dating for almost a year at this point (even if Percy was missing for six of those months), so it took me a second to register the situation and then just realize that Percy's just being touchy with his boufri be.

"Oh, hey, Grover," obviously, Nico didn't move from where he was. He seemed kind of stuck, but he also didn't seem to mind. "What's up?"

"Hello," I said in return. "Um, one: sorry for the loud crash earlier. Leo's clumsy, he wanted me to pass the message on that there wasn't an attack, it was just big boxes that fell and one that spilled open. But two: I can see that he's asleep now, but... Was Percy alright before he fell asleep? I was getting anxious, but it wasn't my normal kind of anxiety, so..."

Nico opened his mouth and quickly shut it again, shaking his head.

"He seemed okay most of the night," Nico i think tried to reassure me that I didn't miss anything. "He just crashed really hard really fast and he misses home and doesn't want to do a long quest and he's also having like, suicidal thoughts and it's going to be a bad few days recovering, I can feel it."

"Okay, uh... Okay, good to know," I figured, trying to think of what we were doing the next few weeks, but we don't have a detailed plan yet. Just... Get to the doors to death to close them and then go to Greece. "Yeah. Sorry that I never really like, checked in with you after Percy went missing, I probably should've. Are you doing alright?"

"Grover, it's fine, I had Rachel and also like, Hazel and Reyna," he reassured me. "plus, I was never at camp until like, the end chunk these last few weeks. It sucked, but I got through it. I'm good now. I was anxious this morning because I was worried he wouldn't be at camp now, but I'm okay right now."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Grover, I'm okay."

"Okay," I said in return. "Well if you like... Need anything, tell me. Okay?"

Nodding his head, Nico told me that he'd keep me updated, and I figured that it was close enough for my shift to head up and actually get to know Leo since we're on shift together for the next like, few hours at least.

"Hey! You didn't get lost!" Leo said sarcastically as I made my way above deck. "everything good in Grover-land?"

"I mean it'd be pretty hard to get lost," I figured, shrugging. "and yeah, I'm good. Just stopped to check in on Percy since I was feeling anxious."

"Oh, shit, fair enough," it almost surprised me that Leo didn't follow up to ask if Percy was okay or not. "He seemed kind of anxious at dinner, today's probably been a lot for him. I haven't really talked to him yet, but..."

Leo shrugged.

"Yeah, it can take him a while to warm up to people," I clarified as Leo pulled out a deck of cards and asked if I wanted to play go fish to pass the time. "He has really bad anxiety, so it's always been hard for him to make friends because he's always worried that people don't actually like him or that something will happen and they'll discard of him."

"Oh, yeah, I'm the same," the son of Hephaestus insisted. "well, I used to be back in like, middle school. My anxiety isn't that bad anymore. I could smell it on Percy a mile away, though. I was half expecting him to have a panic attack at Camp Jupiter."

"The adrenaline and excitement got him through most of today, Nico just said he crashed really hard tonight," I said. "He'll get through it, he always does. This last year has just been really hard, and getting his memories back probably sucks because of everything that happened and just... He went through a bad episode last August and September and was finally getting better when he went missing so..."

I sighed.

"We're back to square one." I continued, putting down another pair I had. "It's just weird because we all know that he won't die because if he dies, it won't last long for a few reasons, but he's still unwell and just... Tired of quests and everything. I'm shocked he came with."

"I mean, it's not like he had a choice," Leo reminded me, which was true. Percy had to be one of the seven, for whatever dumb reason. Him and Jason had to be 2 of them. "I guess I'm kind of excited, but it's also scary. It's also my first quest, though, so... Has he been on one besides the one he went on with the other two?"

I nodded my head.

"This is quest number... Like 6? 7?" I figured, thinking out loud. "Yeah, sounds about right. Anyways, do you have an 8?"

•••
Percy Jackson

Fuck the nightmare I had at like 4:30am that woke me up at a time where my body wouldn't let me go back to bed.

Dumb as hell. I hate my brain.

And knowing Nico, he probably didn't fall asleep until at least midnight, so he wouldn't be up soon, so I had to entertain myself.

Getting up, Nico barely moved once I was out of bed, but I threw a shirt on that wasn't gross, put some pants on (I'm very happy that Nico got me some clothes before they left New York, I missed my normal clothes), and then I realized something very quickly.

I don't have any foundation.

Or concealer.

Or any makeup, for that matter. And I'm sure the only person on this ship that might wear makeup is Piper and there's a few reasons why I'm not asking her for it.

Firstly, I'm 95% our shades wouldn't match. Neither of us are white, but my skin is warmer than hers.

But more importantly, I don't want to explain to her why I'm asking to borrow her concealer and foundation at not even 5am.

Water won't even heal it, either, because my dad's a bitch. He'll let water cure like, most wounds.

Self harm wounds and scars on the other hand?

I have to live with those, and I put on a sweater but it lasted literally 30 seconds before I knew I'd have a heat stroke if I continued that.

Just hoping nobody would ask about it, I wandered around the ship for a while before actually going up on the deck, which is where I discovered that it must've been Leo and Pipers shift.

Which, I think I remember Leo saying that he'd take a long shift tonight, so it wasn't the most surprising pairing for watch.

I haven't really spoken to either of them without people I know being there, though, so...

Hearing me walk had their attention, though, because they had just been sitting on deck and talking, maybe playing cards or something.

Either way, both of them knew the time and knew that it was ridiculous for anybody else to be awake enough to be on deck yet. Which, it is ridiculous, but I tried for like a half hour to fall back asleep and it didn't work.

"Wh— oh, Percy, hey!" Leo had more energy than he needed at this time of day, though. "you're up like... Very early. What's up?"

"Just... Wandering around," I told the two newer demigods, shrugging, wishing I had more energy despite how restless I was. "Woke up from a dream, couldn't fall back asleep. Now I'm here. Might make food soon, if you guys want any."

Because why would anything keep my awake if not for my anxiety?

"Ooooh what would you make?"

I shrugged.

"Depends on what we have, but probably a smoothie bowl or just something lighter. I haven't been in the kitchen yet so I don't know. I could make pancakes, too. It's been a long time since I've had a pancake."

I wonder if we have food coloring.

"Ooooh those are both good options," Piper said. "Also! I didn't get to actually introduce myself yesterday with how crazy everything was, but I'm Piper! My mom's Aphrodite."

"Oh, yeah!" Leo seemed to recall that I haven't really spoken with either of them yet. "I'm Leo, as you probably know already. Um... Built this boat. Dad's Hephaestus, but we've never met, so..."

He shrugged.

"Yeah, you may never," I said mostly ass comment because I assumed they'd gotten that speech, but no.

Apparently that was just a thing Luke did. Not that Chiron did.

Figured it out pretty fast based on their confused reactions.

"What do you mean we may never meet our godly parents?" Piper asked, but it seemed pretty simple to me.

"Well I guess if you're a year round camper it's more likely because sometimes they'll do a field trip to Olympus for the winter solstice," I continued to explain, sitting down with them. "But a lot of kids don't get claimed, even now when they're supposed to, and it's even rarer to actually converse or meet or talk to your parent. They're gods, they don't have time to be a parent."

"Have you not met your dad, then?" Leo asked as if this wouldn't unlock my really bad bias towards the gods to them that I'm not sure they wanted to hear yet.

"Have I— yes, I have," I wasn't going to lie about my dad. Especially since he's shitty at being just that. "That was almost given when Zeus accused me of stealing from him for my dad before I even knew I was a demigod and it was an entire ordeal that ended up with me meeting him but... It's not like we talk or have father son time or anything like that. If we talk, it's probably related to the world possibly ending or the gods going to war so he needs to me to do something to stop it because apparently there is nobody else that the gods want to have do their shit for them. Which, is stupid, because half of them don't even like me."

Now, I'm aware that that sounds bad that there are gods that don't like me.

And it is, it is bad. So the look that Leo and Piper shared was warranted.

"You... Which gods don't like you?"

But I don't think they were ready for the list that was about to come with that question.