Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Percico)

Chapter Five

Percy

We had gone out for ice cream and McDonald's before going to a nice patch in Central Park to eat that food. The ice cream had been gone for fear it would melt (he had to lick some off my nose, whoops), but we still had our 20 piece and a shit ton of fries to eat.

Hey, I can't eat like this forever. I'm not allowed to have candy during swim season.  Or pop or any sorts.

It's an adjustment, but it's worth it.

Just like this will be for both of us. I'm not out at camp. I mean, a few people probably know. I just haven't dated a guy at camp before. I've dated guys. A guy. One. He uh, broke my heart when I was in 9th grade. We went to formal and what not together, had been together for six months almost. And he broke up with me the night of formal, after formal.

Through a fucking text, too.

I was really hoping here, though. Nico seems really happy, and that makes me happy. I hate to see him feel like shit, to not be okay. It kills be to see him feel exiled because he's not. I love him and like...

I just really want to make sure he knows that.

Because right now, Mom is going through her second divorce because it just didn't work out. They tried, they fucking tried marriage counceling and everything they could do. They just can't live together. They can get along when they're not constantly around each other and sleeping together. They just can't be together.

I don't want that to happen to me. And as much as they're not torn apart about it, Estelle will be. Paul is moving a ways away. A few states, I think. So it's kind of like me.

She won't have her dad. Not often, at least.

And I'm just praying that I won't do that to my kid, because it's a terrible thing and I'd never do it again.

I'm hoping.

We went out for a movie, and it was kind of cliche. He ended up giving me his jacket when it started to rain until I reminded him that Poseidon is the guy who is my father. Hold my hand and we won't be affected.

But fuck it. You only live once, and you might as I well have fun. And it was a lot of fun dancing around in the rain to nothing but the music in our heads and sharing a sweet kiss at the end to seal the deal.

Grover

Nico and Percy weren't at dinner.

That was sketchy to us.

But we let it go, figuring that they were old enough. They're fine on their own. The two of them can take care of themselves.

But they missed dinner. When they showed up at Campfire, we all just figured they went out. But we're talking with Nico as Leo was showing Percy something that was probably really stupid, but funny.

"Do you at least know his parents?" Frank asked Nico. "I mean, aside Poseidon."

"Oh, yeah!" Nico assured the son of Mars. "Sally's a sweetheart. Gabe uh... Kind of scares me. He didn't threaten me, I'm.njsr afraid that he will if I ever, gods forbid, hurt Percy. I feel like he'd kill me."

"Gabe?"

I hadn't heard that name in years.

"Who's Gabe?" Clarisse hadn't ever heard it.

"Percy's 'dad.'"

"What?" Piper knew better than to believe those lies. "No, that's Paul..."

"No, I know Paul." The son of Hades assured us. "It's Sally's like ex-husband or something."