Perfect Little Blue Boy (Percy Jackson)

Chapter Fifteen

Nico

I didn't sleep for two days straight because he just about tried to kill himself. Leaving him with Grover, I reported it to Chiron and Mr. D. Chiron assured me that, being he was asleep, he'd talk to Percy in the morning. But he was always to have somebody with him.

He's suicidal, he can't be left alone in his cabin. That's what it came down to.

And the only reason I slept after those two days was that Clarisse kind of noticed I was sleep deprived and told me to sleep, she'd watch him. Even if I don't leave the cabin, I had to sleep.

My life has turned into making sure he does not kill himself. We've tried talking the gods into letting him go home. He was happier there. He wasn't very suicidal. He would have a day here or there. But he'd talk to me or Grover or his parents or anyone and they could talk him into doing something and getting his mind off it until he went to bed.

The point is, he can't be here. But Poseidon and Zeus won't let up. Nobody else agrees to it. But Zeus's word is final. Overrules all.

Percy stays.

We've kept Sally and Paul updated. They're worried sick, too. Sally actually called up Poseidon and lectured the shit out of him. Twice.

Paul did it once.

Because you don't mess with Paul's stepson. If somebody made him not happy, you will hear from Paul and from Sally.

Paul can use a sword, too, I believe.

I wouldn't want to be on his bad side.

Luke

I was punished. Alive at camp. The alive part was great.

At camp, not so much.

Annabeth was pregnant. She was being bitchy and wanted nothing to do with me. After a long series of questions, Thalia was fine. Grover was happy to have a friend.

"What'd happen to Percy?" I asked.

He shrugged. Which worried me.

"I don't know, man." The satyr tried to explain. "He... Isn't Percy anymore. He has depression and anxiety and they've just gotten so bad and I can't watch him anymore. He's not allowed to be alone anymore. And I used to offer all the time. But after two days of it... I couldn't handle it."

"Why doesn't he just go home?"

Grover sighed.

"Like you," he tells me. "Percy, Thalia, and I are all punished to be here until summers end. We can't leave. The border is messed up, won't let us. Zeus and Poseidon are the only gods that agreed to it. But Zeus's say overpowers, I guess. I didn't really care. But Annabeth turned bitchy and she's been spreading a lot of shit. About Percy. And kids are gullible, they believe it. He's afraid to come out of his cabin because of it."

So I decided to swing my Cabin 3 later that day. As much as I probably couldn't help him, I wanted to at least try.

Heading inside, Thalia told me that he was awake. Laying on his bed. Nico, son of Hades, was in there. But Nico was asleep. Apparently, Nico normally watches him. But he lost a lot of sleep after Percy apparently hit his rock bottom and so Clarisse demanded he sleep. That was ten hours ago. Thalia took over. Now I can .

This was going to be an adventure. Because I once did talk a demigod out of killing himself. He was gay. And kids just didn't like that. Some didn't. Others didn't care.

He killed himself anyways.

That's the background I had walking into Percy's room. Where he was laying in bed, as Thalia told me. But the reason he stayed there, I imagine, was because Nico was cuddled up against him.

I smiled.

He's suicidal but he wouldn't dare move and risk waking someone up.

"You haven't changed one bit," I told the son of Poseidon. "You're just honest about it now."

Yeah, Percy told me he had depression a long time ago. I was talking to him about his mom and he told me everything. The abusive step dad. Anxiety. Depression. The terrible schools. Self harm. Him having a lot of suicidal thoughts.

I knew about it all. But I honored his request and kept my mouth shut. He wanted to play normal, happy, teenage kid.

And it's gotten too bad for him to even try. Because he did that. Because he ignored it.

"Yeah, I got tired of my dad and this is what happened." He told me. "They threw me back here. I was having a nice summer at home, too. I wasn't suicidal. Now I can't even leave my cabin because somebody will either shoot me or tell me to do it and I will lose my self control."

"You got tired of your dad?" I questioned. "What?"

"Yeah," Percy explained. "Him and Zeus weren't happy I wasn't camp. I explained that I wanted a life and I was helping my parents out at home. My mom remarried. They have a baby girl. I was helping them out with her. Zeus backed off when he heard that mostly. My dad didn't and he pushed me too far and I snapped at him and then I had an anxiety attack, remember nothing during it, and passed out. Woke up here."

"That sounds like a nightmare."

"It is."

"And there's a guy sleeping in your bed because?"

"Oh!" Percy remarked. "This is Nico. He's the son of Hades. He came around a year and a half after you left. He had a sister. She died. He lives here."

"Why is he in your bed though?" I asked. "Thalia told me his name was Nico and that he's Hades kid."

"Oh, I don't know. He needed sleep. I went to use the bathroom and he was asleep when I got back." The son of Poseidon elaborated. "I don't complain. He's a human heater. He normally watches me because like being suicidal I can't be left alone an right now I'm doing really good, that might change in ten minutes. But I hit rock bottom a few days ago and tried killing myself and it didn't work because he stopped everything and yeah. He didn't sleep for a long time. Clarisse forced him to sleep. He was too tired to go to his cabin."

"And he's cuddling with you?"

Percy shrugged.

"Again, he's a heater. And I've been emotionally dead for like a week. I'm not complaining."

"He's your boyfriend."

"Yeah, don't tell anyone." Percy requested. "Please. Most people probably won't care. Nico and will have both been out for a long time. But I don't know. Everyone already hates me now. If people figure it out, I have lost my ability to care."