Star | Percabeth AU✔️

Half Truth- 4

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, these characters and photos don't belong to me.

Percy's POV
October 26th, Friday, 2018

The scariest thing to me was that I was relieved I hadn't seen my mom this morning. Don't get me wrong, I love her and everything, but I wouldn't have able to stand the look on her face once she saw what Gabe did. My face was covered in dry blood from the other parts of my body. I had lost so much blood, doctors would've been worried.

Gabe often tried to avoid my face, seeing as it would get too suspicious. But apparently, that didn't apply to last night. Around my right eye was completely black and blue. Unfortunately, not with a marker, the Stoll brothers used if you fell asleep first.

The black eye would've hurt worse if the rest of my body wasn't burning with pain. I knew for a fact that I had at least a cracked rib from Gabe's kicks. My back was stiff and sore from all the tossing. My entire body was littered with bruises and cuts from the bottle.

However, nothing could compare to the lettering scars on my upper arm. The cuts ran deep enough to where I would have a permanent reminder of what a lot of people thought of me. A single word that even I called myself at times:

FAILURE

I felt my eyes water and stifled a sob. I took in a deep breath and lined the razor blade with my wrist. Cutting was the only way I could control the pain inside. Chiron knew I did it, but my mom didn't. I didn't want her trying to convince me not to do it because she would and I would be forced into a mental battle. I didn't harm myself because I wanted to die. I did it because I was trying so hard not to.

When I was done adding eight new lines, I bandaged and cleaned up every injury. I was going to have to make sure I wore long sleeves and pants today. Maybe I could get Chiron to write me an excuse from gym class, so I wouldn't pass out and be taken to the nurse.

Before he became a teacher, Chiron worked as a nurse in the Navy, where he met my father. Chiron met me before Gabe and my parents' divorce, leading him to find out about the abuse.

I know that I should get help, but Gabe was a master at manipulation. It was possible that he could turn everything on me or my mom.

I was nearly done with the bandaging and all I needed to do was hide the bruise around my eye. Whenever Gabe didn't follow the no-hitting-Percy-in-the-face policy, I used makeup to cover it up.

"Shit!" I whisper-shouted, not wanting to wake up the monster. Gabe hadn't been following the 'policy' lately, so I'd been using makeup to cover it. I guess I ran out and didn't realize it. My fingers ran through my scalp. I didn't want Annabeth or anyone else seeing my black eye.

Wait a second. Annabeth!

Whenever she got embarrassed or something, she would put up her hood and it cast a shadow across her pretty face, hiding it from everyone around her.

Wait what? I just called Annabeth pretty in my mind. What in Hades? Okay, it's not that she isn't pretty. She is, but why did I say that?

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and went back on topic.

I threw on black Adidas sweatpants and my hoodie from the swim team. I brushed my teeth and headed to school, pulling up my hood. Most days, I take the bus, but today I didn't want to risk getting my hood pulled down.