Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1 : The Lightning Thief - MISSING SCENES

We've All Been There (Between Chapters 7 & 8)

It was Percy's second night at Camp Half Blood. The first night, he had been far too exhausted to fully let everything sink in, and the next day he was so busy trying activities and meeting people that he didn't really get any time to himself. But, that night, when he should've been sleeping, he instead laid awake, staring up at the ceiling.

So much had happened in such little time. His mother was dead. Even if the Underworld did exist, she was still dead, and lord knows when Percy would see her again, if ever. That was another thing. Allegedly, all the things Percy had learned to be ancient Greek myths were actually real and his dad was actually one of the Gods!? And he couldn't even entirely think that these people were crazy, since he witnessed many "mythical" things happen with his own two eyes.

He didn't know which God was his dad either. Sure, he was currently staying in the Hermes cabin, but his actual cabin was yet to be determined, if it ever even would be. His dad had to send a "sign", but that could potentially never happen. The Hermes cabin was overcrowded for a reason, after all. There were whispers of him being "Big Three material", but that didn't help much since no one would give him a clear answer on what that meant.

It was dark outside, almost everyone in the cabin was asleep aside from Luke and a few other boys who were playing a card game in a different corner. As Percy was finally processing all of the things that had happened, he felt a weight grow in his chest and needed air, so he got up and stumbled out of the cabin, passing by a concerned Luke as he did so.

Once outside, he collapsed against the wall, anxiety fully taking over his body. He couldn't breathe. Your mom is dead. He felt nauseous. Your dad is a god. His heart was racing a mile a minute, so intense he could hear it. Mrs. Dodds was real. A sharp feeling of adrenaline rushed through his veins as he cried. Grover and Chiron were keeping secrets from you the whole time. He was shaking.

Everyone lied to you

He flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay" a familiar voice reassured. He looked up to see the all too familiar scar leading up to his eye. It was Luke, and he seemed concerned. Percy was so freaked out, he just latched on to the older boy like a koala. Luke just held him, reassuringly rubbing his back.

"You're having an anxiety attack, buddy" Luke said gently as he felt the young boy shaking in his arms. "It's alright, we've all been there. Nothing to be ashamed of" he continued. "I need you to try and focus on your breathing though, you think you can do this?" he coaxed gently before taking deep breaths to guide the younger demigod. Percy shakily followed and soon began to calm down.

Eventually, Percy stopped shaking and Luke put him down to sit against the wall. The next few minutes were quiet as Percy fully calmed down, taking deep breaths to relax his heart rate as much as he could. Luke just sat next to him, not making any physical contact. Sure, demigods could be touchy. They were all sort of family, after all. But he knew better than to put an arm over a boy who just came down from an anxiety attack.

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Luke asked cautiously after Percy's breath returned to normal. "I..." Percy trailed off, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck. He felt a bit embarrassed to have been found by someone he looked up to in such a panicked, messy state. "Just, a lot has happened" he settled on, not elaborating more on the subject. Luke didn't push it, instead just standing up and walking to the door of the cabin.

He slapped the door frame to get the younger boy's attention. "Let me know if you need anything, yeah?" he asked. Percy just nodded and Luke began to walk inside. "Luke, wait" Percy stopped him. "Thanks" he said quietly. "Yeah" Luke responded.

"You're welcome"