fragile things

001

PERCY JACKSON, a newcomer to camp half-blood, utterly confused and attempting to come to terms with what had just happened to his mother.

first, he gets expelled. secondly, he finds out his best friend, more like his ONLY friend, is half goat and then watches his mother perish right before his eyes. After all that, he found out he's now a demigod, yet his 'father' refuses to claim him.

he rushes through the campgrounds, his thoughts bouncing back and forth in his boggled brain, his thoughts echoing louder and louder each time: expelled, goat, death, demigod...expelled, goat, death, demigod. he can feel the intensity rising in his brain, his mind now yelling those same four words to him: expelled, goat, death, demigod. he can feel the excruciating pain beginning to form, the insanity taking over. the four words repeated like a broken record, percy walked faster with his body swaying and staggering with each step. the words repeated louder and louder, creating a powerful migraine. his heart thumping as he stumbled through the crowd of teens, often bumping into broad shoulders, almost knocking him to the ground. EXPELLED, GOAT, DEATH, DEMIGOD, the words screeched deep inside him with imperceptible pain sinking into his body, making his knees slowly buckle beneath him with his hands shaking, and legs crippling. the agony became more noticeable now, almost excruciating like a bullet. EXPELLED, GOAT, DEATH, DEMI-

his vision blurred, and the world tilted. he clutched his head, the pressure building like a storm inside his brain.

"out of the way!" someone shouted as he veered into a group of campers, their faces a blur. he couldn't stop, couldn't think. the words pounded in his ears, a relentless drumbeat of insanity. he can't take it anymore. his skull felt like it was about to burst. however, the four words held no mercy. they relentlessly continued at a skull-crushing volume. expelled, goat, death, demigod. he held his head harder, and his shaking hand attempted to soothe his forehead. it felt like a drill pushing out of his bones, instantaneously he let out a desperate cry, collapsing into the first body he came into contact with, hugging his head and taking the other soul down with him.

percy heard a soft oof beneath him, almost breaking the chaos. percy blinked, the world slowly coming back to his focus. he gave a questionable look to himself, eyebrows scrunched as he looked down, realising he'd taken down a small, brunette girl with him. he stared at wide, green eyes for what felt like an eternity, until reality began to sink in. he was on the ground, a small figure pinned beneath him.

"oh my god..i-i am so so sorry," he stammers, desperately trying to reach his feet. his hand still holding his head, it throbbed, but the intensity was fading, leaving a dull ache in its wake.

the girl below him lets out a tiny giggle and slowly sits up, "it's okay," she said, her voice a soothing balm to his frayed nerves.

his body shuddered, trying to ignore the way her voice affected him, he couldn't help but ask questions inside though, why did he like the sound of her voice so much?

he reaches out a hand, which she accepts gracefully and gently pulls her up. The brunette looks down at what she once was holding now on the floor. percy follows her eye-line, looking at the mess that he caused.

"oh god! a-all your stuff! i a-am so so sorry, i wasn't paying attention a-and, of course, i had to knock someone over." he stutters while bending down, quickly grabbing everything, dropping a pen a couple of times and cursing under his breath, dammit.

this is just what he needed, to cause even more disarray.

she giggles at his attempt to retrieve her belongings, watching him slip and fall slightly while chasing a rouge pen, "it's okay, don't worry. it's just a couple of books," she says, bending down and helping him grab the last couple of pages.