Perfect Little Blue Boy (Percy Jackson)

Chapter Twenty

Nico

Did I know how to respond?

No.

Because on one hand, they figured it out. But on the other hand, I'm not doing that to Percy if he doesn't want them to know for sure.

"Um..." I started, pretending to be stumped. "Hold on a second."

I perked my head into the hall, where Percy was, and asked about it. Because I wasn't doing this without his permission. Hell no. I felt bad enough telling Jason about our date and Jason already knew about Percy's sexuality.

"Why are they asking about it?" Percy asked, as this was out of context.

"For being let out of camp." I told him. "will said that that might be a reason. He probably figured from the gashes..."

"Oh."

He paused.

"Did they figure it out on their own?"

So I put the phone back to my ear.

"Hey, Hazel." I said. "Where did you guys get that idea?"

"Well," Will said, being put on speaker. "Between the gash on his arm, and Chiron telling me that he had been there for longer than what we knew, he had just never left his cabin... I've met suicidal people before, Nico. Plus he said he had anxiety and anxiety and depression go hand in hand a lot."

"Okay," I responded. "Gimme another second."

I put the phone by my shoulder again.

"Will figured it out on his own." I assured my boyfriend. "Mostly. Chiron told him how long you were actually at camp, but... They're starting to get a little impatient for an answer."

Percy sighed.

"You know what," he told me. "I don't care. Grover knows, Clarisse, Thalia, they all know. I don't care. It's not like I'm going back there any time soon as it is."

I gave him a thumbs up and returned to the call fully.

"Okay, I'm back." I told my sister. "Now repeat the question so I don't confuse everyone."

"Should I have you on speaker?"

"It doesn't matter."

"You're on speaker, then." My little sister clarified for me.

It was silent for a minute, aside the small things I heard here and the radio there. Which was turned down.

"Okay," Jason was the one who asked the question. "Why was Percy able to go home before summers end and nobody else was?"

I sighed.

"Okay, it's a long story." I started off. "None of which I knew about until the last time when I stayed with Percy for those few days."

"It doesn't matter, why is he home?" Piper insisted.

"Like Will said," I explained. "Percy does have anxiety. He got that when he was like 4. And before Paul, before Sally was married to the guy you guys met, she was married to a guy named Gabe. I never knew him. Grover or Annabeth might have met him. Bottom line, he was an asshole. He drank, smoked, and gambled away all of their money. The friends he had over weren't any better. And the rumor that started? About Percy being raped?"

"Yeah, it's bullshit." The son of Hephaestus responded.

Everyone kind of agreed.

"It's not bullshit." I cleared up. "It just wasn't recent. When Sally wasn't home, as a kid, if Gabe or one of his friends wanted something, Percy was cornered and forced into it. So it happened. Happened a lot, according to him. But when he was... 8? Around 8 or 9, Percy was diagnosed with depression. He wasn't surprised, kids hated him at school, he didn't have his dad, he didn't have that male role, and the one he had abused him in like every way possible."