The boy with the seaweed brain {Pernico}

Part 1:

Grover's POV:

We haven't seen or heard from Percy for 2 weeks now. The only way we know he's alive is because our empathy link is still strong. We thought about sending someone to check on him but he never answers their knocks. At the moment, the only person that'll get even a 'Go away' is Nico. No-one, not even Nico, knows why that is. Annabeth is always anxiously fidgeting when the subject is brought up. She always looks at Nico then at the ground. She knows.

Percy's POV:

I lay in bed, my back was too sore this morning to sit up. I wish Annabeth would just tell them. I hate keeping secrets from my friends but Annabeth said it was for the best if I kept quiet...

Annabeth's POV:
I sigh. I know it'd be easier for us to just tell them but if Percy wants to be held by the same respect as he has before, it's best he stays quiet. I'm trying my best to avoid speaking up about it but I think the others are catching on. I excused myself from the table and go to check on Percy.

Knock knock

Silence.

"Perce, It's me!" I call in.

I hear bedsprings creak and footsteps approaching the door. The lock clicks and it opens for me to see a groggy, half-dressed Percy.

"Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." I joked, hoping to liven his mood.

"Hmm..." He grumbled, standing aside so I could walk in before relocking the door behind me.

"So how have you been managing?"

"Barely but...yeah..."

"I have your weekly update!" I say, hoping for him to liven up. He did.

"Go on."

"She's great! She's looking good and she says she's feeling better than last week. She still wishes you'd comeout though... she's worried..."

"Let me guess: She's trying to act like it doesn't bother her but in reality it majes it more obvy?"

"Yep."

She/her was a cover-up. For the person they were acctually talking about.

My mother, Hades and Poseidon know both of Percy's sea-crets so he could talk to them openly. Hades swore not to tell Hazel, Nico or any of his children and my mother knows better than to gossip. Poseidon, however, rants to others about it but changing Percy to Emily and using she/her pronouns so they're none-the-wiser.

"How's repairs going?" He asked.

"They're...going. Well...There was a bit of a complication..."

"Go on..."

I thought of how to phrase this as to not freak him out more than he normally was.

"So. The Hephaestus cabin got a letter asking why they were asking for 139,306,997 dracma worth of marble.(I did the math) They said they hadn't. They then got another letter asking if not who did but that got intercepted by Leo and he replied saying it was the Athena cabin. So, I'm out in the woods..."

We talked until it was time for dinner.

"Please concider coming out tonight...it isn't even that noticable and the minute you feel like you can't do it any longer, you can come back. If you want, I can come up with excuses for why you were holed up in your room."

"Wise girl, it's fine. I want to tell atleast one of the others. So you don't have to keep it quiet from everyone and I can know that I don't have to be worried about everyone knocking."

"Are you sure?" I ask, worried.

"I'm sure. I'll have a quick shower and get changed and meet you there."

"Ok Perce. Be careful."

"I will!" Percy called as I walked out.

I closed the door and made sure to lock it before heading to the pavilion.

As I sat with the group, they looked at me suspiciously.

"What's got you so happy? Did a new type of building material get discovered that's cheeper than that fucking marble?" Leo said through gritted teeth.

"Well...I was talking with someone and we organized
something. So as long as you don't ask them any questions, they'll stay."

"...Is the person Percy?" Nico asked tiredly as if expecting a straight up 'No'

"Sorry I'm late!" Percy said cheerfully from behind Nico, who jumped.

"Percy?!" They all said in unison. Quiet so that no one heard them.

"Surprise?" He said, doing a sort of Jazz Hands befire sitting next to me and laying his head on my shoulder, obviously tired from walking farther than his bathroom.

I saw Nico's face go dark before he turned back to talk to Percy.

"So Annabeth was telling us that you weren't feeling well. How are you?"

"Uhh...Good enough to be here, not enough to stay..."

So he's already stressed. I suppose it's from the loud noise of chatter from the other tables.

"Do you want headphones? Earplugs?" I whispered to him.

He shook his head no and went to talk to Leo.

"So. Annabeth's been telling me about the marble situation."

At the word 'Marble' Leo's face went red and his teeh clenched as if competing with his fists for who would bleed first.

The table began to laugh, including Percy.

I haven't seen him laugh since before...Well, for a while...

It was time to eat and I got my usual. Leo got his comfort food, Nico got McDonalds, Grover just reached into his pocket and grabbed a piece of tin to nibble on. Percy, however, got spicy mac and cheese, pickles and blue cookies. We gave our offerings and dug in. Percy ate with gusto as Grover stared.

All was well until the end.

Percy's POV:
I walked up to the dark figure and tapped him on his shoulder.

"Can we talk?"

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{Hee hee cliff hanger!}
Any theories?