trigger warning (Percy Jackson au)

Chapter 29: You Can Only Tread Water For So Long

XXIX

You Can Only Tread Water For So Long

Warning: strong language, mentions of strangulation, mentions of arson.

"My mom told me I've been swimming since I was three and a half years old," Percy was saying, pulling Jason out of his thoughts. He sat across the boy on the ground, passing him half a dragon fruit and a spoon. After taking a mouthful, he continued. "Apparently I fell in the pool once but started treading water by the edge. My mom pulled me out and told me that I could 'only tread water for so long'.

"And then I spent the next thirteen years of my life doing nothing but swimming, all the time. Swim, swim, swim, because water is like the world's best stage to me." That was an analogy that Jason could understand. "I think it was the second thing I ever loved, the first being my mom."

Percy stopped talking for a second, his eyes spacing out at Jason's crossed legs with a trace of a half smile on his lips. "Well, so. On the morning I set the state record for the medley relay, July 3rd, it was a super hot day and everyone got let out early. My mom and I had a little party, cake, candy, all that. Gabe wanted a bath, so it was my chore to go fill it for him while mom went upstairs to do the laundry."

He stopped talking. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

"Um, so. I was sitting and then, Gabe came in," he rubbed his mouth and Jason wanted to tell him that he didn't have to say anything, but didn't. Because saying that might have shut Percy up forever. "And he kicked me in. And held me under the water. And for the first time in my life, I felt what it was like to drown."

Everything hit Jason in bursts. He couldn't even process what he was hearing because it couldn't have been real. But proof was sitting in front of him, was spilling all his secrets to him.

"Mum pulled me out and performed CPR, and I lived. Barely." He ran a hand through his hair. "The next day I got home just in time for news to break and interrupt my stepdad's poker channel. I guess the anchors were new because they seemed really flustered when reporting the story - young unidentified woman jumps off main bridge, body still unrecovered. He was upset he missed the best part of the game. I was a little sad, but. I mean. I've seen the same story reported a few times already."

He took a deep breath and exhaled. Jason gave him nothing but his full attention.

"Mom didn't come home that night, but they found the body at around two in the morning. I was the first contact on the list - her almost sixteen year old son, not her piece of shit husband." He clenched his jaw. "And that was it. I went down to the station alone, waited alone, identified the body alone, filled out the paperwork and waited and waited and waited. Alone.

"Later, I remembered that I'd missed the meet that day that would determine whether or not I could go to nationals for swimming," He shrugged. "But. Whatever. Gabe never showed up at the station, and when I got home he'd dumped all of our stuff on the front yard. He didn't want to 'take care of her shitty brat anymore'," It was more than a little disturbing how little emotion Percy put into every statement.

"I went into the house and found him passed out on the couch, covered in alcohol. Maybe he was grieving or whatever - I didn't know, I didn't care." He paused. "I started smoking when I was fourteen, by the way. So I had my lighter on me."

Jason gasped quietly despite himself. Percy smiled through a pained shrug.

"And it just destroyed the whole house. And I watched it. When the ceiling started coming down, I turned to leave. It was around then that he woke up, and threw his scotch bottle at my back." That explained the wings. "And then I just. Left. Turned myself in, told them there was a fire, let them do whatever. Pled guilty to murder."