Why Would The Hero Need Saving?

At Yancy.

   Hello! This is prequel stuff to be mentioned later! This is not a ship. This is just Grover helping the already traumatized son of the sea god!

      Percy hated having to study. Whether it be for math, science, history, et cetera. His dyslexia made it extremely hard to read the text books as well.

      He was already struggling to stay focused because of his adhd, and the words on the page were getting jumbled about in his brain until they were nearly impossible to understand.

    This made him think of when Smelly Gabe had to help him with his homework. It usually led to the usual slap or insult after he got something wrong. Now, he found himself getting anxious whenever he got an answer wrong in class, or whenever Grover helped him with his late assignments.

    He told himself he needed to focus if he was going to do well on his Latin test the next day.

    Percy continued to study. That was, until he nodded off at the desk in his and Grovers tiny dorm room.

                               ~~~

    He found himself at the tiny dinner table with Gabe. Gabe was watching him with a disgusted glare on his face, while Percy let the tears flow down his.

      He was doing a missing ELA assignment, and Gabe had just called him a useless brat, followed by slapping  him across the face with his gross, meaty hands.

    His breath smelled like alcohol, specifically the trashy beer he spent all of Percy's mother's money on.

     Percy tried to make his way through the page, but it was to hard to read and understand. 

     He looked up to Gabe for help, but he knocked Percy out of his chair. Then, he dropped a glass beer bottle on his head. It shattered, leaving Percy with a stinging sensation in his scalp.

     Percy got up and ran to his bedroom, locking the door and keeping the lights off. He cleaned himself up, and he then laid down on the bed, content with crying himself to sleep.

                                 ~~~

     "Percy! Wake up!" Percy heard someone say.

      Percy opened his eyes. He saw his text book covered in droplets of tears. He was gripping the edges of the desk, holding onto it so strong that his knuckles were white.

      He sat up and wiped the drool off of his face. Percy wiped the tears off of his cheeks.

      "I'm awake," Percy croaked. "I promise."

      "Percy," the voice Percy now realized was Grover's said gently. "Percy what's wrong?"

       "Nothing's wrong," Percy said. After he said this, he sniffled, proving he was, in fact, not okay.

      "Percy, I can tell that your not okay. It is okay to not be okay. I promise. Now, be honest with me, what's wrong?"

      "Nothing is wrong!" Percy snapped at Grover. Grover's eyes widened, and then Percy's did too, filled with tears.

      "W-wait!" Percy said. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" Percy gasped for air, seemingly unable to breath. "Please don't hurt me-"

      "It's fine, Percy. Why would I hurt you?" Grover said, cutting him off.

      At this point, Percy was hyperventilating, and the tears in his eyes were getting heavier, about to fall.

      "It's okay, Perce. You can tell me."

      Grover had been slowly chipping away at the walls Percy had spent years putting up. All of his emotions burst forth, like water flowing out of a broken dam.

      The many tears that had been held in Percy's eyes finally flowed out. He pulled his hood over his head and stood up. He tried to make a run for his bed, but Grover stopped him.

      Grover put one of his hands around Percy's shoulders, the other around the smaller boy's waist.

      Percy was stuck there, losing all of the respect he had earned from Grover. At least, that is what he thought. This made Grover love his best friend even more than he had before, because he was finally opening up a bit.

      They stayed like this for a while, Percy quietly sobbing into his shoulder.

      When they finally broke the embrace, Percy went to the wardrobe and grabbed some clothes before heading to the bathroom to shower.

      Grover made a quiet vow on the River Styx to ask Percy about what made him so upset when he was more stable and willing to open up.

                               ~~~

      "Huh," Percy said quietly to himself. "I wonder why Grover swore on a mythological river."

      Is anyone even reading this? Probably not. But if for some reason someone is, thank you.