Shattered

Percy

"How you feeling man?" Jason asked, as the blond sat down at the kitchen table to the bowl of Captain Crunch he had made for the blond.

"Could be better," he yawned, blinking his eyes rapidly trying to get them to focus. "Could be worse," he added before shoveling a spoonful of the sweet puffed cereal into his mouth. It took him a little longer than usual to chew it up and the taste didn't seem as appealing as it used to be, but he was sure that was due to his mood. Though it being a generic cereal may have contributed slightly... Some god of wealth! He's too cheap to buy the name brands! When Nico is in charge he lets us get the good stuff!

"You sure Perce?" The son of Jupiter asked, using his spoon to push the cereal down into the milk. "I think you could stay home one more day. I mean, it is Friday."

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I really need to get out of this house anyway. I'm going crazy just sitting around in my bed all day trying to move a single drop of colored water. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want to go to school."

"Wow, that is bad," Jason laughed.

"Yeah, yeah it is," he yawned, stretching his arms over his head. The muscles in his right arm still were a bit sore from George's sadistic attack and he would be lying if he said the large scar that replaced his brand didn't make him sick when he looked at it. "But what are you going to do?"

"That seems to be the question anymore," Jason hummed, tapping his spoon against his bowl. "But are you absolutely sure you're okay?"

He bit his lip to stop himself from snapping at the son of Jupiter. He knew Jason was only asking because he cared, but he didn't want to talk about his little episode.

"It's okay. You know that right Percy?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't make it any less embarrassing," he huffed, shoving another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. "I'm seventeen for god's sake..."

Percy had woke up in the early hours of the morning alone in his bed. Not that being alone in his bed wasn't natural, what with Nico's training knocking the poor kid out the second he hit his pillow, but he had just felt so lonely. And he could handle that, really he could, and he probably would have dozed off back to fitful sleep if he hadn't had looked at a small World of Warcraft calendar on their night stand that Jason had purchased. It was such a small insignificant thing, but somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that Estelle would have been born by now.

And he absolutely lost it.

He never really understood the term of ugly crying, but he knew what it meant at that moment. He wailed in absolute pain as his sinuses decided to open up at maximum flow, snot pouring from his nose that leaked into his mouth. He couldn't see through the tears and he could only take deep painful breaths when his body absolutely couldn't go without air any longer. He screamed his throat raw until someone pulled him against their chest and began to rub his back while whispering reassurances in his ear.

He had continued to cry until he was thoroughly dehydrated, ruining the shirt he was pressed against in the process. He was going to apologize to Nico for waking him up and ruining his shirt, but it wasn't Nico who was holding him.

It was Hades.

To make matters even more embarrassing Demeter and Persephone were in the room as well, Demeter in a nightgown and curlers in her hair, while Persephone was in the scant remains of a gown and her hair absolutely wild. Jason was sitting up in his sleeping bag looking at him with a mix of concern and pity, while Nico was sitting next to Percy on the bed holding a glass of water for him. Without a word he took the offered water and chugged it down in one go, then averted his eyes from everyone in the room.