Percy Jackson: Paranoia

Chapter I

TW: Suicidal Thoughts

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The dying rays of the reddish sun lit up Percy's face in an almost evil glow. His jaw was set grimly, eyes glaring straight ahead in a thousand-yard stare as he walked.

'Why am I taking this so seriously?' He asked himself, 'It's not like she'll be gone forever. Just a three-month break, right? Then we'll be back on track, and we'll live happily ever after..."

But he knew it wasn't that simple. He doubted he could survive so long without Annabeth. She was a constant source of comfort for him. The person who had braved the horrors of Tartarus by his side, who had become the center of his life. Someone who would listen to all his nightmares and understand them. And yet, it wasn't like that for her. She was... scared of him.

How many times would he break his promise to her? Even though she'd made him swear to never harness that power again, he just couldn't stop. It was addicting. It made him feel strong. He knew, that if he mastered the technique, he would never be weak again.

But she wanted him to stop. Did she not want him to be strong? Did she want him to remain helpless, to be so weak, to be unable to protect anyone, to protect her? Couldn't she see that she was the reason he was doing all this? Did she want him to suffer, to be stranded without her presence for months on end? How was he going to survive?

'Should I just end it all?' Percy wondered. Then he shook his head to clear that terrifying thought. He would make it through these three months, and then he would wake up and see Annabeth back with him. He would fix all the flaws she saw in him and be perfect for her. None of it was her fault, after all. He was too loyal to think that anything could be wrong except him.

He was pulled out of his inner monologue as he reached the dining pavilion. It was eerily quiet, since almost all the campers had left. Few lingered, helping the dryads with menial tasks such as cleaning up and whatnot.

Percy fiddled with Riptide in his hand, chewing on the Celestial Bronze end of the pen. It was a nervous habit he had picked up since the Second Giant War. Really, it couldn't be very good for his teeth. He felt a light tap on his shoulder. Already on edge, Percy whirled around and flicked the cap off Riptide with his index finger.

He was greeted with the face of a terrified-looking teenager, looking cross-eyed at the three- foot-long sword in front of his nose, his bottom lip trembling slightly. He looked around fourteen or fifteen, probably just over the threshold that would force his godly parent to claim him. The kid had ocean blue eyes and sandy blonde hair and pale skin dotted with acne. Wispy beginnings of a moustache rested above his lips. If Percy had to guess, he was probably a son of Apollo. Maybe a son of Zeus? While he did have similar hair and eye colour to Jason, his features just didn't match...

"Oh, sorry, are you new here?" Percy asked, setting his thoughts aside to address the matter at hand. He slowly capped Riptide again, the sword shrinking almost instantaneously back into a pen. The kid looked confused, then amazed at the transformation. Then he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Uh, yeah, mynameisNathanielbutyoucancallmeNatealsoI'mfifteenand it's nice to meet yOU?!"

Even Percy cringed at that horrendous voice crack, "Woah, kid, slow down. Could you repeat that? Also, have you been given the tour yet?"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I'm Nate, and I'm fifteen. And the horse guy - I mean Chiron- told me to talk to you and that you're supposed to tour me?"

Percy winced slightly at the mention of Chiron - the old centaur had been the only witness to his breakdown. He made a mental note to apologize to him for damaging the Big House; Chiron did live there after all. He gave the kid a friendly smile.