Collapsing As It Sees The Pain (Percy Jackson)

First Day, Senior Year

Percy

A few months went by, life wasn't that bad. My family got over the fact that I have depression and I was learning to just deal with everything. Having kids and Nico helped me and the kids out a lot for a while until we broke up. And he still helps, he's still amazing. It just didn't last in the sense of it being a romantic thing.

But like I said. Were friends. He helps me if I feel shitty and he'll willingly watch the kids if I can't. They've adapted to calling him Uncle Nico. Which works with me.

September comes back around. Senior year of high school. Luke, having not graduated, was also a senior. He's going to be 19 in March so it wasn't like he was an old man here.

Most kids stopped caring that I was gay or anything like that. They didn't say anything. Just the hi in the hallway or in class. Everyone stopped caring about everyone. And I found out why during lunch of my first day. Luke was new here, so he hasn't found the cafeteria quite yet. It's in a weird spot. Wasn't here yet.

"Well at least people don't agree with me anymore." I remarked as were talking about just the changes from then to now. "That's a relief."

"Do you know why?" Miranda asked me. She was a friend of mine. Lived in Minnesota with her dad in the summers. So our schedules worked with one another. I'm not around then. "Like why they're being so nice?"

"No," I remarked, as if there really needed to be a reason. Just be decent it's not hard. "I didn't think there was one."

"They're all being nice because of Blowfish." Isaac told me. "He told Mike this morning about what happened to you over the summer. He asked. I don't know why. But Blowfish told him about the whole thing that happened at the end of June with trying to kill.yourself and suddenly that one girl came back and claimed you had two kids and a lot of shit. Which happened. But Mike sort of spread to the entire grade to just be a decent person. You had a shit summer."

I could agree to that. June was just my personal hell. I'd have to find Mike later and thank him. He was... He never was mean to me, but he never cared to do anything nice to me, either. I didn't know him until the end of 10th grade. And he's been in Goode longer than me.

Luke made it down after another ten minutes. We don't have any classes together. So when he told me to meet him by the flagpole after school this wasn't weird to me at all. I didn't consider that I wasn't at camp and he still was. I have my own apartment. My mom pays half of the fees, I pay the other half. Just until I graduate because I do have two kids. It's not easy.

Well turns out, I had my last class with Mike. And he wanted to talk with me, so it wasn't hard to find him at all.

Mike, or Micah is his real name. But he's a nice dude from what I've heard. He doesn't get involved in a lot aside I think he's in art club and maybe a sport? I don't know. But he had the whole goth look going for him.. it suited him, though. He was cute. He didn't have the long hair, he actually had an undercut. But he was cute.

"By the way," I said before walking out of class. "thanks for what you said to everyone. Hopefully it'll make my life easier. I didn't think he'd tell you anything. He kind of walked out on us after everything went down. So yeah. What did you want to tell me?"

"Oh, yeah!" He recalled. "And no problem. He just had like a weird look when somebody had mentioned you in class about how he never said anything about you and normally he will. But I asked after class and yeah. It uh... That wasn't what I was going to say. That's what happened earlier today."

Mike looked down for a second, as if he was embarrassed now.

"Are you alright?" I asked him, now a little concerned. "I'm not an ass. I promise. Or I don't think I am, at least. I try not to be."

"I know," Mike told me, as if he was scatter brained at the moment. Which doesn't make sense to me. "But uh, I asked Blofis about it and he didn't say anything. I was just sort of wondering how you would uh... Maybe like how you came out to your parents as gay? I know my parents won't care. It's just... They've been waiting for me to bring home a girlfriend. Because they know I have interest in people now."

Oh...

I made an O shape with my mouth and just kind of felt bad for him. Because I never went through that. My parents found out. They know. They knew I dated Nico.

But yeah. It was a very... Unique situation. One resulting in a panic attack by me.

"Um..." I tried to explain this to him without freaking him out. "Funny you ask. I never actually came out to my parents. I was in court for a charge against someone else and and they got mad at me and so this guy knew I was gay and as they were dragging him away, he was guilty, he called me a gay freak that deserved to rot in hell. Something like that. And so I had a panic attack because this guy tried to also attack me physically and I was already not having the best of days. So I was bright into the hospital and got to tell everyone I was gay and that the dude wasn't lying. It was um... Unique."

Nodding, Mike could agree to that. We had made our way to my locker by now. The halls were completely vacant.

"Maybe to help you," I suggested. "Who do you like?"

That totally threw him off and he was a stuttering mess.

"What... I mean I don't... You wouldn't... It'd... What?"

I laughed. I had to just to lighten the mood a little.

"Yeah," I went with. "who do you like? Depending on how decent they are at like first impressions you could have them over as a friend to your parents and like a date to you and tell them that way."

The fact that his phone went off saved him.

He gave me a letter with my name on it and left. So when I went to meet Luke, he told me he had to leave and gave me an envelope with my name on it. Said to read it later.

So I figured whatever.

Grover and Thalia came over. Well, Thalia came over. Grover watched my kids today because he's done with school. He just went year around and finished a year ago with Chiron teaching him. I pay him. Not a lot. But I also will buy him dinner or something instead. He has never complained. I tell him if he wants a raise or a bonus or whatever to just write a note or tell me.

So they're there, the kids are asleep. We throw in a movie and as the starting ads and credits are playing I open these letters. Luke's first.

Luke's told me that he bi. Which I knew for the most part. I figured he was bi. But it told me that and then it went on this long rant about how he's put me through so much and all of this crap until he straight up confessed that he likes me and was wondering if I'd go out with him on Saturday.

I read this out loud to Grover and Thalia, mind you. Thalia recorded it as proof to Luke that I did read it.

And what would you know, Mike's said the same thing. But Micah is gay, not bi. Micah didn't ask me out, either. It was basically just him saying he's gay, likes me, and has no idea how to tell his parents he's gay. Or his friends. Or anyone that he doesn't know is gay.

"Percy," Thalia teased as Octovain walks in. He's gotten better since Annabeth died. Nicer and what not. Were friends now. "Hot damn, you're getting around again."

"When have I ever gotten around?"

Grover rolled his eyes.

"Please." My best friend told me. "Nico liked you right away. So did Bianca before she died. Calypso. Rachel. Annabeth for the longest time until she died. Castor had the biggest crush on you for a couple years until he left camp and moved on. And Reyna. The girl you had children with. You've gotten around. Even if it's not literally. Half of camp has wanted you. And now a mortal! And Luke!"

"Oh, please." Octovain cut into the conversation. "That's not new, guys. Luke has talked about you for hours on end before, Percy. Almost literally. I had to tell him to shut up because he would wake you up he said your name so much. It was after the Gabe thing happened and everyone who didn't know found out you were gay. So after he found out, he never shut up. I beg of you. Go out with him so he'll shut up."