Collapsing As It Sees The Pain (Percy Jackson)

Provoke Outrage

Clarisse

Nobody can sleep, apparently.

I walked back inside, shocked at what Sally said about her kid and the kids. Which, it's not wrong. Luke died because he didn't believe what the gods sort of stood for was right. He believed in some of it. But other stuff...

After Luke, we all kept our mouths shut.

The three of us were awake. Percy and I both gave up on our speech and decided to wing it. Nico wasn't speaking tomorrow. But all three of us were up.

"Well that was quick." Nico remarked as I said I was going to see if there was anything to drink in the cooler outside yet. I didn't get that far. "Empty?"

I shrugged.

"I don't know," I answered. "I stopped when I heard Alex and your mom talking, Percy. And they were... I don't think your mom is fond of the gods."

Let's appreciate that I heard Percy laugh an actual laugh for the first time since... Before he was 16. Found that funny.

It was a weird sound. A good one. But weird. Like watching Nico smile. He does now. But he used to never smile after his sister died. He started to around the time Percy stopped.

"Really?" Percy didn't sound like he believed a word from my mouth. "Because last I checked, my mom still looks like she wants my dad and vise versa."

"Well maybe not your dad," I explained to them. "But the gods in general. She talked about how Luke tried to change things and died doing so and how we all sort of can't do much because they have that over our heads. We can't do anything because we'll end up like Luke. That seemed to sort of piss her off."

"Hmph." Percy remarked. "I'll have to ask her about that."

Percy

The funeral the next day sucked. Nico, Clarisse, and Peter stayed behind at Camp. So it was just me that went back to the cabin. I just really didn't want to deal with camp. It was too much.

When I got back it was raining so they ate I side. It was dinner, I had already ate at the funeral. I didn't have much of an appetite after seeing her body anyways. It was an open casket. The hole in her head was now clean. She was paler than ever and her hair lost that princess curly effect to it. Color drained.

I've done it a million times. Gone to a funeral and a burial for demigod. And no matter who it was, I always cry. I always go through it. This was just worse because she was my friend. Nobody expected it.

But when I got back, everyone was staring at me. Everyone aside Alex and my mom, that was. The kids ran out of their seats and came over to hug me. I hadn't seen them since I left this morning.

"You're back already?" My grandpa asked as if it was only 3.

It was 9:30 at night. I left at 7 this morning. That's 14½ hours.

"Uh, yeah," I confirmed for him. "I left at 7 in the morning. I don't think I said I was staying overnight anywhere."

"We just figured once 8 hit, you weren't coming until tomorrow." Grandma explained to me in a nicer way than grandpa managed. "Getting late and what not after we were all up late last night."

"No we didn't!" My aunt insisted. "We thought he got into a crash or something. Sally and Alex assumed he was staying somewhere. We thought you got into a crash or something. Like Alex."

Confused, I moved on with my life and put my kids to bed. Normally they're only up until 9 at the latest. Nico said he tries to at least have them calm by 7 so they'll be willing to go to their rooms at 8 and try to sleep. So this was a lot for them.

I didn't know my grandparents were listening in on this conversation.

I had gotten them in pajamas and what not, their diapers changed and all that fun stuff. I was going to grab a story to read to them when Paris and Patrick both walked up to me and Patrick pulled on my pants leg.

"You guys need to lay down." I told the two of them. "It's really late, Daddy's even getting tired."

"Can sleep with you, Daddy?" Patrick asked me. "Auntie say that you gone for a really really long time today. Like REALLY long time."

I rolled my eyes and kneeled down to their height. Which was basically sitting down. Somebody must've found out about my depression and that's why they assumed ac accident.

So, of course, my aunt had to bring it up to my kids that I might never come home. That I could be dead.

Apparently she doesn't have any faith in me as a kid of my mother or as a father of two little kids. Two kids that don't really want much to do with their Mom. She doesn't want them, so that's probably why.

"Well if Auntie or anyone tells you that Daddy isn't coming back," I assured them as they both stood in front of me. "Unless I said I won't be back, tell them no. Okay? Daddy loves both of you more than that. Daddy would never put either of you through that. Okay?"

"Okay!" They both said.

"So we sleep in your room?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled at them.

"As long as you promise to sleep really extra good tonight."

They looked at each other and nodded before nodding at me and promising to sleep really super extra good.

Both of them started sleeping on the ground after they made a little blanket bed for both of them which consisted of 7 blankets and one for both of them to put over themselves. But they both got bad dreams and ended up with me by the time I had to get up. Which was, of course, when they decided it was time to wake me up because they were hungry and they couldn't get into my mother's room.

Kids.

They're exhausting. But somehow they're worth it.