trigger warning (Percy Jackson au)

Chapter 22: Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You

Chapter Text

XXII

Thank You, Thank You, and Thank You

Warning: strong language, mentions of suicide.

"Has anything changed?" The blonde leaned back into the couch, sipping her tea quietly.

The boy sitting on the carpet in front of her looked... tired, if not old. Worn. Barely breathing. He took an audible breath and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "It's been a month and I still don't feel any better." He brought his own cup to his lips to mirror her action.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe the whole thing was a bad idea?"

"Every minute of every day." Again, he proved her wrong.

She studied him for a minute. "You know, I knew someone like you." He blinked up at her. "I mean, she always walked with a slight slouch. Didn't talk to anyone unless she had to, and she didn't like touching people." Her eyes felt like they were burning through him. "Sounds exactly like you, huh?"

"What are you trying to say?" Because he couldn't see it.

"You carry yourself like someone who's been abused," She had to give him credit for not flinching, "so I kind of guessed at your situation before I knew about the details. And it's my job to know, so it wasn't long before I found out."

He sucked in his cheeks. "It never said anything like that in any legal documents."

"Like I said, Percy. I could tell when you walked through the Lodge's doors." She tapped the side of her face, gesturing to his. "Of course, it only became clearer when you started showing these off. I mean, what reason would a fifteen or sixteen year old have to get inked all over?"

"Maybe I was just rebellious."

"I'm pretty sure that your rebelliousness would be expressed in ways like coming home late, or sneaking out at night to go to meet your girlfriend, or something." It was amazing how good she was at observing people. He felt a little bare.

"Why is Thalia going to a suicide support group?"

The question was so sudden that her train of thought tripped. Annabeth blinked owlishly at him before fully understanding his question. "Isn't it obvious?" She knew that wasn't the answer he was looking for. "She doesn't seem the type, right?"

"I wouldn't know," He answered slowly.

"You should ask her. Soon,"

Percy frowned. "Did something happen?"

"No, no. Nothing bad. She's moving in with Reyna."

Now it was Percy's turn to take a moment to comprehend the undoubtedly good news. "Out of the Lodge? She can?"

"She stopped going to group last Thursday and she isn't planning on going back. That huge apartment Reyna bought is way too big for just one person."

"That's awesome," He smiled down at his cup. "That's really, really good."

She returned the smile. "She's started painting again, too. Right now she's got this huge project that she's working on, and told me it'll take a few months for her to finish."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to find that out for yourself when you decide to get better." She knew she'd worded that in an insensitive way, but Percy had never seemed the type to sit well with pity. "Things can only get better from here."

"So I've hit rock bottom?"

She shrugged. "Close enough." They both laughed. "Have you unpacked your things?"