Haunted (Percy Jackson fanfic)

Chapter 13

"You can't really get mad at me for this." I scoffed, holding up another pact of cigarettes, which Chiron took from me right after, and I grumbled.

"Why can't we?" Annabeth asked angrily.

"I-" I started, but my mind went blank, I really couldn't think of a reason they shouldn't be mad at me. "You guys are right, you should all be pissed at me, but I couldn't handle all the ghosts, Jason and Leo saw how bad it got, and when I found out my mom and Paul died, I, I just-" I stumbled, rubbing my face.

"Needed an escape?" Leo said suggestively and I nodded, pointing at him.

"Exactly. Their voices were in my head, telling me what to do and cheering me on, and then it became a schedule, and then a habit, and now, clearly a pretty bad addiction. The last thing I ever wanted to do was drink or smoke, I've always feared I would become like Gabe." I sighed sadly, standing up shakily, throwing whatever alcoholic beverage or drug I had on me in the garbage, which was more than earlier.

"You will never be like Gabe." Hazel said quietly and I sighed.

"What if I do? I'm halfway there! I'm already like half his friends were, just encourage the pain of others and I'm no better than them!" I shouted slightly, starting to pace slightly. I was finished with the ghosts, with this addiction, with everyone worrying so much about me.

"But you aren't like that! You were mourning and hurting! Get yourself help and you will be so much better than them all." Annabeth said in determination, and anger swelled in me, I understood that she was trying to help, but it wasn't working.

"And then what would happen! Mourning is no excuse for what I did and neither are ghosts! I could get rid of this addiction but I would relapse! As long as Gabes spirit is here, I'm not going to be okay! Anybody could try all they want to fix this, to fix me and they will get the same result! I'm a lost cause at this point!" I screamed, and everyone looked at me in bewilderment, I wasn't the Percy they used to know before these ghosts came.

"Perce," Annabeth started.

"No!" I shouted, fire still burning in me. "I don't want help! I'm sick and tired of this all, of you trying to help and nothing actually working! It's all wasted effort! Just give up on me because now, nothings going to change!" I yelled, directly at her, and tears sprung in her eyes.

"Back off, Percy!" Jason yelled, shoving me back lightly. "Your clearly more intoxicated than you thought, go to your cabin for a while!" Jason ordered, and I growled, but I listened, sparing one quick glance at Annabeth, who had tears running down her face, and guilt instantly took over me.

I walked shamefully towards my cabin, everybody giving me pitiful looks, everybody knew of my addiction, it's pretty obvious, i reek of drugs and beer, and everybody's seen me smoke. Once I got into my cabin, I sat down on a chair, and once again, like it's been this last month, drugs and shit appeared on the table in front of me.

"Stop it!" I yelled, throwing a wine bottle against the wall, collapsing, and I took out the list of things I had to do to get rid of them, and I was surprised.

Hurt someone you love ✔️

I hurt her, I had hurt Annabeth. Fuck, why'd I yell at her like that? It was wrong, my brain told me to shut up, but I had so much pent up anger, I needed to let all my frustration go, but in the process, I hurt the love of my life! More anger swelled up inside me, but it vanished in seconds when realization dawned over me.

"This is exactly what happened to Gabe." I whispered, and suddenly everything disappeared, all the glass, the bottles, the pills and the needles, gone. I looked at the list, number 5 was crossed off, all I had to do was kill myself. "I'm sorry." I whispered, I wasn't sure who I was sorry to, or why, but I was.

I sat alone until I sobered up, and cleaned up, and I looked like my old self for the first time in a while, stress free and relaxed. Rushing out of my cabin, I rushed to the big house, where I saw everyone still was, Annabeth kept her head down, nobody was talking from what I saw, so I knocked on the door.

"Perseus, come in, you didn't have to knock, my boy." Chiron smiled at me, and everyone looked at me in surprise at how decently I cleaned up.

"Annabeth." I said clearly, I was nervous, but I walked straight up to her, I wasn't sure if I should hug her, or ask to talk to her in private or what. "I'm so sorry, for everything I've done, for everything I said." I said to her, and she looked up, her eyes were red and puffy, which caused dread to swell up inside me. She looked beyond pissed.

"Your sorry!" She growled, but nobody said anything, they only watched. "That fixes everything!" She said sarcastically, but I didn't speak up, I will hear what she has to say, because she did nothing but support me. "All I've done is try to help you and you reject any help offered! Your ignorant, your an addict, and your stupid!" She yelled, fury building up within her and it was clear as day. "Beyond stupid! You haven't even realized how worried everyone has been for you!" She yelled.

"Annabeth, calm-" Piper started, but I gave Piper a look, she stopped talking.

"You deserve hell for what you put everyone in this room for! Your childhood isn't an excuse, Poseidon not being your actual father isn't an excuse! There's no reason or excuse for becoming an insolent addict! You say you don't want help but that's all you've been begging for because your weaker than you actually care to admit because you like playing everyone's hero!" She yelled even more.

"Annabeth! That's enough." Jason said, standing up.