Mystery Iris Messenger

Two

The night was sleepless. Thoughts flooded his mind, reminding him of everyone who died. He remembered Leo. He remembered Bob and Damasen and how they sacrificed themselves for who knows how long in Tartarus so that he and Annabeth could escape. Even Octavian was able to make the list. None of them deserved what happened to them, and yet, they're not here.

Percy watched the sun rise from his cabin window. He heard the conch blow for breakfast, but he didn't go. People knocked on his cabin door. He didn't answer it. People shouted from outside the Poseidon cabin window, telling him he should have died instead of those who did. He didn't get up to close the curtain.

The conch blew for lunch. He didn't so much as budge from his bed. The first day he always did this; laid in bed and didn't do anything. Percy didn't eat or get up other than for a few things. By the time lunch was over, the sounds of people yelling through the window were simply hollers from a mile away. His body was numb, lost in its own world.

As he watched the sun go down out the same window, the dinner conch blew. Percy still didn't get out of bed. More frantic knocks, probably from Nico. Even more insults tossed his way. Though his body refused to acknowledge them, Percy heard every word of every insult. He could tell who said it based on their tone of voice and who they were blaming him for killing. The hardest were hearing the rest of the seven come by and tell him that he should be dead instead of Leo.

Percy didn't notice when the ongoing knocking stopped. He was too busy off in his own world, staring at the ceiling, to notice Renya and Nico shadow travel in. His body was so numb that he didn't realize when they grabbed him by his arms and led him out of his cabin. Mind so dazed that he couldn't fully respond when Will Solace was asking him what happened. All he could process was Will telling him that he was exhausted. The next thing he knew, the world was black and he was asleep.

A blinding light met Percy when he woke up. His head hurt, his stomach was growling, and the voices were lingering in his head. Nico and Will were in the room also, but they were having their own conversation. Percy cleared his throat to get the attention of the two.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Will clasped his hands together. "So now will you tell us why we found you basically half dead in your cabin after not coming out for the entire day? From what Nico told me, there's food in your cabin, but all of it is untouched. Now, I'll tell you the same thing I tell Nico here: I might be the son of Apollo, but I will force the food down your throat if I have to."

"Will, stop," Nico said, putting his hand on Will's shoulder. "Let him tell us at his own pace. If he won't Renya already said that she had some information that could help us understand." Will huffed in surrender before giving Percy the go ahead to explain.

Percy did explain. He told Will how the other campers blame him for the deaths of everyone who died during the war. He explained how this happened after the last war, too. He said that he never ate on the first day because he accepted that the deaths were all his fault. The only part Percy left out was about his mom choosing Estelle over him.

By the end of his story, Will and Nico both looked furious. Nico more than Will. After a second after processing what Percy had said, Nico shadow traveled away, making Will sigh. "Maybe you should take a summer away from Camp Half-Blood, Percy," he suggested. Percy's face dropped and his body slowly became numb again. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. So instead, he simply shook his head. "Why not?"

This time, Percy forced himself to talk, needing to get the weight off of his shoulders. "My mom and step-dad have a baby now," Percy began, feeling a tear run down his cheek. "After the celebrations last night, I tried to Iris Message my mom. She cut the connection after a few seconds because Estelle was crying. It was the first time she actually cut the connection, usually I'm the one who does it because she doesn't want to."

"I'm sorry, Percy," Will apologized sadly, wiping away the strands of tears that had formed. "I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I don't. My mom has another daughter too, but she had her when I was 4. I've grown up with her like my actual sister. I can't imagine being 18 and getting a step-sister."

"I can't stay at Camp, though," Percy muttered just loud enough for Will to hear him. "The campers will just continue blaming me. Home was supposed to be my safe place."

Will thought for a moment before answering. "How about you stay in your cabin until all of this blows over. Nico and I will keep you company as much as we can and bring you food. We can get a silencing charm over--"

"I already have a silencing ward," Percy cut him off, "but it only works at night."

"Then how about we make it stronger," Will suggested. "Then you can have it up anytime someone is trying to blame you for the people who died. How does that sound." Percy only nodded in agreement. "Okay, great. I'm going to go find Nico, make sure he didn't do anything dangerous after hearing your story, and let him in on the plan." Not waiting for a response, Will jogged out of the infirmary.