Swapped (HP/PJO+HOO)

Chapter 3

Percy's eyes opened as he heard a knock at his door. The sky was barely lit and his mind was groggy with sleep. He sighed and closed his eyes again. The knock sounded and roused him from his rest once again. Percy had hoped that whoever was at the door would leave him alone, but apparently not, so he hopped up, pulled on a random pair of pants and a shirt and walked towards the door.

The person, whoever it was, knocked again, this time more insesantly, and Percy called, "I'm coming, I'm coming."

When he reached the door, he pulled it open and met a dark haired girl.

"Thalia," Percy sighed with a smile. He reached out to hug her, and she granted him a short embrace.

"Hey there, Seaweed Brain," she said, a bright smile lighting up her electric blue eyes. "Miss me?"

"Oh, I never miss you. You always seem to pop up before the need arises." Percy smiled wider, a sign that he had missed her, and didn't care to admit it.

"Well, I got Annabeth's distress signal," Thalia said smoothly, stepping out and gesturing for him to do the same.

"Distress signal?" Percy asked immediatly, following her out of the cabin and reaching for his back pocket.

"The Percy Alert," Thalia explained with a smirk. Percy stopped in his tracks and sighed, turning around to go back to his cabin. "Ah, ah, ah, not so fast, Fish Boy." Thalia grabbed his arm and made him stop walking. "She's worried about you."

"And she thinks you can help?" Percy asked disbelievingly.

"Well, she doesn't exactly know I'm here." Percy shot her an exhasperated and incredulous look. "Look, she thinks that she can deal with you on her own, but I know you, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh, so, you know me? You know me better than my girlfriend?" Percy asked, crossing his arms. He couldn't believe what was happening. An intervention? Really?

"Yes, I do. Because you and I are more alike than I care to admit." Percy furrowed his brow. "I know that you take everything to heart, that you take responsibility for everyone. I know you've probably turned to some kind of substance to cope with this war. You try to hide it, but I can see what this war has done to you."

Percy scoffed. "Whatever."

"Scoff all you want, Percy, and lie away your pain. But take it from me, it doesn't go away in the long run. I'd be the one to know, don't you think?"

When Percy declined an answer, staring resolutely at the grass, Thalia turned to leave. Percy thought about what she said in a moment that seemed to stretch for an hour. She was right, of course she was right. Everything she'd said had been right on the money. That didn't mean he had to like it, or that he wanted to talk about it, especially to her.

"If you'd be the one to know, then I shouldn't have to explain myself," he said in a quiet voice that seemed to echo over every blade of grass. Thalia stopped to hear what he had to say, so Percy continued. "It hurts," he said simply. "It hurts to talk about. And I'm not talking about heartache or emotions. It physically feels like someone has ripped open my chest everytime I let myself think about what happened. So, no, I can't talk about it."

"The pain won't go away-"

"I know!" Percy shouted suddenly. He saw her flinch. Dammit, Jackson, you've worked on this. Control your anger before you make a fool of yourself. He took a deep breath. "I know," he repeated in that same quiet voice used by snakes and lions. "Annabeth keeps telling me the same thing. But if I think about it for too long, I feel like my heart will never heal. So if you have any ideas that don't involve a shrink or a heart to heart with someone, I'm all for it. If not," Percy shook his head, "then please, just leave me alone."