MELANCHOLY [1]

TWENTY-SEVEN

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twenty-seven
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WORDS TUMBLED OUT OF HER MOUTH until Via had told her friends every single detail about what happened. By the time she was done, tears were threatening to spill, but Via stubbornly held them back.

"Oh god, Via," Piper whispered.

"Don't." Via said stiffly. "Don't give me those pity looks. I've had enough of those to last a lifetime."

Via took off her jacket, exposing her arms and her back. Piper and Jason gasped. Leo closed his eyes and looked away, his face contorted in pain.

Via had looked enough times in the mirror to know exactly what her friends were seeing.

There were scars all over her body. They weaved in and out, the tissue dark and mangled. But the one that stood out was the one on her back, running from the top of her shoulder to the starting of her waist. Her arms were filled with purple scars, standing out against her pale skin. She put the jacket back on, ignoring the horrified looks her friends were giving her.

"How on earth did you survive?" Jason asked carefully, as Via would break if he said something wrong.

Via shrugged casually. She gripped her hands, effectively stopping the shaking. "I almost didn't. When I woke up, I couldn't move. I'd lost too much blood. The harpies had broken one of my arms, cracked most of my ribs, and had broken all the bones in my legs. All. And they—and they weren't even clean breaks. My legs were shattered. I couldn't do anything. I didn't eat, didn't sleep, didn't drink. The healers had to force me, and every time they did, everything just came back out. I just—I just didn't want to live anymore." She faltered, but forced herself to continue.

"When Percy came back from his quest, I broke down. I told him everything. And—" Via laughed bitterly, "—he was so, so angry. He'd curse himself for not being there, but what could he have done, honestly? He was what, 13 at the time? He was ready to go down to the Underworld and killl Tantalus himself." She touched her brooch. "Percy and Annabeth designed my brooch, and my half brother Tyson made it. It's designed to never get lost, never fall off. It'll automatically transfer even if I change clothes. Percy said it was so that even if he wasn't there to protect me, I'd have something to protect myself with."

Via realised tears were rolling down her face. She cursed and rubbed them off.

Leo took her hand and gripped it tightly. He didn't look at her, knowing she wouldn't want to see his pity-filled face. Via was relieved he didn't. She went on. "It was only a couple of weeks after my accident that Luke sent me the letter. I was at my most vulnerable, and he knew that. I couldn't get out of bed without help for a month or two. I was in a wheelchair in a long time, and crutches for sometime after that. Ambrosia and nectar helped, but to an extent. That's why I was in crutches during the battle for Camp Half-Blood."