Why is Everything so Loud?! (Fem. Percy)

Family Dinners, Family Matters Pt. 2

"Will you shut up?!" Kym snapped at me, hair lashing. A long strand struck my arm. My fingers curled, but I didn't make a sound, even as red crawled up my skin. It burned. Wire dragged over my skin, sharp, jagged, grating. Blood flooded my mouth.

"Kympoleia!" Dad rose from his chair, hand on the edge of the table. I froze and folded my hands in my lap. My lap was far more interesting, especially the cream napkin with embroidered fish. The stitching was tight, and the floss was almost pearlescent. Looking at Dad was too much of a risk, especially if he was as mad as I thought. Doing that would draw attention. But, if he wants me to look at him, it'll make him angry to avoid doing that.

"Poseidon," Amphitrite scolded, voice harsh and grating and loud.

I whimpered. My hands pressed against my ears. Loud. Loud, loud, loud. They couldn't block everything out. Each sound made my skin crawl, made me dig my nails further into my scalp. Wetness gathered around the tips of my fingers. Part of me wanted to cry, another part to scream, and another still wanted to curl into a tight, little ball and die. Dying would be good. I wouldn't be able to hear their screaming anymore.

Something pressed against my foot. Bile rose in my throat. I wanted to throw up. My heart fluttered, rapid, pulsating. Dropping my grip on my ears, and wincing at the increase in sound, I slinked my hands onto the table. One grabbed my water. A mistake. It almost came back up after a sip.

The other thing was better. No one noticed the knife slip under the table. The cold edge rested on my thigh, then the point. I'd been stabbed before. If the knife stayed in, it wouldn't bleed as much. Just one sharp movement----

Triton stared at me, head tilted to the side. I offered him a wavering smile, but couldn't swallow. No. It would be noticeable. Puncture wounds were hell to treat, if or when they found out. My shoulder burned at the reminder. I'd need something easier to pass off.

My fingers wrapped around the blade, pressing it in. And as blood slicked my hand, my breathing picked up. It wasn't working. Why wasn't it working? It didn't push it away like it should've, didn't calm the anxiety and dull everything else. The pain---the pain just piled on.

"She is my daughter." Dad slammed his hands down. Dishes rattled. The pitcher fell over, drenching my lap in water. The knife slid deeper. "That alone gives her more than enough right to be here, and even if it didn't, I'm lord of this house. If she doesn't have a right as my child, then I still have the right to have who I want dine with us."

Had it been me, I'd have bowed my head. Made myself small. Nodded. Don't piss him off. Don't make him want to hurt you. And I knew that wasn't fair to Dad. He's not Gabe.

Right?

The conversation seemed too far away to make out things. There were snippets. "You shouldn't even care about her." and "It'll just lead to destruction." She was right. And wrong. He shouldn't care enough to have me eat with them. But he didn't care enough to be upset if I died, no matter what he said. Demigods are meant for battle. I swayed. We're meant to die. Blood dripped onto the napkin. I debated moving the knife back to my leg. What better way to prove her wrong? Stab myself in an artery, bleed out while no one notices.

Triton's eyes burned into me like embers. I sliced the base of my fingers. My gaze drifted up, over his shoulder. The wall was eighteen stones high. Twenty long. Three of them in the fifth row up were a darker grayish-green. My breathing steadied. Another slice through my palm. The handle slipped. The knife clattered on the floor.

Triton said something. It went unheard.

"Father," Triton said, voice firm. The arguing stopped. "Maybe you should take her back to her room."

Hands rested on my shoulders. I didn't look up. They eased me out of my chair. 

"We will be talking about this later, Kym." His voice was firm, scary. Part of me wanted to grab his shirt, but he was mad. Don't make him more upset. Don't, don't, don't. I mouthed the words, wanting to repeat them out loud. They didn't come out.  One of his hands pressed between my shoulders. His footsteps were too loud even for the short walk to the hallway. How bad would they be in an area with more echo?

"Are you okay?" he asked. A blink, a breath. I stared at him. I heard myself swallow. I watched him grab my hand and peer at the cuts. "What happened?" Soft, but still angry.

"Dropped a knife. Again." My smile was weak, my words hollow. Both fell. He brushed his thumb over the second cut. "I can walk by myself." There's a way outside near here. Rainbow could give me a ride. How far away could I make it before he noticed?

He sighed and rested his head against mine. "I'll walk with you."

I stumbled into a walk, feet catching on the floor and each other. Dad kept pace beside me, and each footstep made my stomach twist. Not even halfway down the hall, I slid down the wall, grabbing and pulling at my hair. Everything was still grating. I couldn't figure out why. The halls? Silent. Light? Not too bright. Texture? Soft, not itchy. The tags had even been cut out.

Dad hesitated before picking me up. A whine slipped through my lips.

"Sh, you're okay." He moved me so my head rested on his shoulder. "Sh, sh. I've got you. We'll get your hand patched up, then we can see about your arm too." My arms dangled around his neck like I was a little girl. "Baby, why'd you do that?"

Any words I had were trapped in my head. They didn't even make it to my throat

The blood that dripped onto the floor swirled into the water when it closed in behind the air bubble. It made me hesitant to wrap my arms around his neck. What if I stained his shirt? His heart beat quick in his chest, slowly coming down to a normal pace as we got closer and closer to my room.

"Here we go," he cooed, pushing the door open. The bed creaked. When his grip relaxed, I pushed and shoved at him. Cold stone pressed against my back. Headboard, my mind whispered. Safe. Nothing could come up behind me. A large hand reached out. I hissed, a cornered snake. Electricity danced over my skin. Was it better or worse than the wire?

Dad's hand fidgeted in his lap. "Talk to me." His voice was low. "I need to know what to do."

Stop talking. Stop touching me. Stop, stop, stop.

He blew out a breath, the sound of water rushing over sand. "Okay. Okay, you don't have to say anything, Percy. That's fine, but you need to tell me if you want me to stop doing something." Soft, but too rough, fingers brushed my cheek. Tension. Fire. Burning.

His hand fell away. "I'm going to use some water, okay? Sh, I'm right here. Daddy's right here. It will only take a minute and then you'll feel better." I shook my head, and he sighed. "Kym's hair is--" The fire spreads down my throat. Into my chest. All I forced out was a gasp. Blood covered my neck."Shit, baby, calm down! Calm, calm down. Look at me, look at me, little one." He grabbed my hands, pulled me tight to his chest. Don't scream. Don't scream. He ran his fingers through my hair. Cold. Wet. The scream bubbled in my throat. Could I hit my head on the headboard? Make it stop. I threw my head back, it banged against the stone. Dad cursed.

He yanked me away. I tried to scramble back, but he grabbed me again. He forced me to sit with my back against him. "Sh, sh. Daddy has you." He braced his arm across my shoulders. "Daddy's got you, little one. Daddy will keep you safe." I struggled against him. Let go, I want to scream. Stop touching me. Hurts. It hurts. "Baby," he cooed. "I need you to stop, okay?"

I bit him.

"Fuck!" he cursed, and I shoved away from him. My eyes darted around the room, landing on the bathroom. There's a lock. And that's all I needed.

Fun fact, there's still like another thousand words that were originally part of this chapter which was meant to be with part one. Also, new cover!

Anyway, happy new year! We're starting out with some angst

See yah