Favorite : Change for the both of us

Chapter 13

"I panicked," I say glumly. "I...I was somewhere else for a few seconds. Reliving a few memories,"

Poseidon's face is pale. He isn't dumb – he's piecing it together. "Why did you freak out at home?" he asks. "Why...why wouldn't you just show me your back, Percy? You know I wouldn't have hurt you,"

I don't know what to say. I bite my lip and wipe away a few more tears. "I know that. I...I don't know why I didn't show you," I admit, cursing mentally when I hear the state of my voice. "I wanted to show you...but I couldn't. I panicked. I-I had to run-,"

"Careful," Poseidon interrupts before my heart can start racing once more. "Don't panic on me again. That was scary,"

I can see by the look on his face that he's telling the truth. "Sorry," I say with a sigh. "For panicking, I mean. And running away. And hitting you when you were trying to help. And...everything else,"

Poseidon is quiet for a few seconds, like he's thinking about something.

"You don't have to show me your back," he says after a while. His voice is heavy with guilt. "Not if you're uncomfortable with it. I just saw the, uh, things on your back and I had to know where they came from,"

I shrug, head down. "You had a point, I guess. There are marks there; I'd have been curious too,"

"There are...marks?" Poseidon repeats, gulping. It's like he doesn't want to believe it. "As in scars?"

I nod hollowly.

"...Please tell me that they were from a pack of rabid squirrels,"

I manage a small smile. "That was one of the excuses I was tempted to use," I say with a light chuckle. "No, they're not from squirrels. I think you know what they're from, don't you?"

"I don't want to believe it," says Poseidon, confirming my suspicions.

We're still for a few seconds. I move away from Poseidon, who's had his arm wrapped around my shoulders for the past few minutes, and tug off my shirt. I want nothing more than to throw it back on because it's so ridiculously cold, but I turn around anyway so my back is facing him and rest my chin on my knees.

"Percy..." Poseidon breathes. "Are these...?"

"Welts," I nod. "From belts. And...other things. These aren't the only marks,"

I feel his hands brush them delicately. My eyes sting with more tears and I hold back a sob. The memories – they're too much. And telling someone for the first time in years...it's making me go into another panic mode. Poseidon only looks at my back for a few seconds before pulling me into another hug.

"Who did this?" he asks quietly.

"A...A few people," I reply.

"Who? I want their names,"

I hesitate. What will happen when I tell Poseidon the names of mom's boyfriends who did this to me? There are a lot of them. Most of them did more than just whip me with a belt. I feel the urge to run away again, but I stay still and silent.

"Percy," Poseidon says again. "Tell me at least one name. Who...caused the most damage?"

"Hugh," I whisper, so quiet even I almost didn't hear it. His hug reminds me of him somehow, except Poseidon's is more comforting and nice. Whereas Hugh's...well, let's just say those are memories that I never want to think about. More than any. "Hugh...he did a majority of it, I guess. I did know him longest,"

Poseidon stiffens. He holds me tighter. I guess he's remembering what happened in the bathroom at the aquarium a few weeks ago – how Hugh had me pinned against the wall. How differently would that have ended if Poseidon had known what Hugh did to me in the past?