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“How bad is it?” Percy asked nervously as Will assessed his eye.
Percy had been third-wheeling on a quest with Will and Nico. The quest thankfully wasn’t anything major (despite two quest members being big three kids), yet Percy still managed to get himself badly hurt when they got ambushed.
A blade had cut over his right eye.
That was five days ago.
Ugh, Percy had promised Annabeth he’d be careful on the quest and look at him now.
“Here,” Nico handed Percy a square of ambrosia which Percy took thankfully and started nibbling on it. He winced, because the movement from talking and eating had made the pain worse, but it soon faded thanks to the ambrosia.
“I did the best I could,” Will answered Percy. Will took a breath, “But that’s going to scar.”
“What?” Percy asked. “But what about the ambrosia? Won’t that lessen the scarring or maybe even prevent it?”
“I’m afraid we took too long,” Will explained. “We were out of ambrosia at the time since we lost it all on the train. Since the time you got hurt and when we were able to thankfully get more ambrosia, your wound has already started to heal on its own.”
They had only found a safehouse with the supplies they needed to treat their wounds yesterday.
“Oh,” Percy said.
“Uh, can he still see?” Nico asked, concerned.
“It’s hard to say,” Will answered. “I think at the very least the vision in the right eye won’t be as good as it used to, but I think there’s a likely chance you’ll be blind in that eye. We’ll have to wait a week or two more to know for sure.”
Will finishes unwrapping the bandages and sets them down next to the bag of ambrosia on the table. “Nico, love, can you go find some clean bandages?” Nico nods before getting up and leaving. Will rummages through a drawer and pulls out a mirror, handing it to Percy. “I think you’d want to see the damage for yourself.”
Percy stared intently at his own reflection. There was a line that started just above his eyebrow and led all the way down to just above his top lip.
A memory tried to make itself known.
This felt… familiar.
He looked like someone from long ago.
Luke.
What would Annabeth say when she saw him like this?
She would be reminded of him , no doubt.
Will she now think of Luke every time she sees Percy?
Will she only ever see Luke in him?
She’d hate Percy, wouldn’t she?
“-ercy!” said a muffled voice, snapping Percy back to reality. Percy soon realizes he is no longer holding onto the mirror. It now lays on the desk innocently, next to the ambrosia and the dirtied bandages.
“Stay with me,” the voice, which Percy now recognizes as Will, says. “Breathe with me. In. Out.”
Percy manages to keep up with Will’s exaggerated breathing.
Will hands him a cup of water. “Better?”
Percy nods.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Will says. Percy looks away. “I was there for the war too, you know that. Percy, you’re not him.”
“But-”
“No buts. Doctor’s orders,” Will cuts him off. “You are your own person aside from Luke. So what if you both got eye scars, that doesn’t mean you’re gonna do what he did! C’mon, tell me how an injury will cause you to become someone you’re not? An injury like this won’t change who you are.”
Percy couldn’t think of a reason.
But there was still…
“Annabeth-”
“If Annabeth doesn’t see you the same then that’s her problem,” Will cuts Percy off yet again. “But knowing her, she’ll still love you all the same. She cares about you as a person, your appearance doesn’t matter as long as you’re okay.”
Percy sighs as he thinks about Will’s words.
Crash !
Italian swearing soon filled the silence.
Will chuckled. “Better go check on Nico,” Will says, getting up. His expression turns into something more serious. “But we’ll talk more about this later. You’re not alone in this, Percy.”
Will exits the room, leaving Percy alone with his thoughts.
There is silence.
But the thoughts are loud.
Percy stands up, walking over to the desk. He picks up the mirror once again, staring into it.
He doesn’t recognize the person that stares back.
Who even is Percy Jackson anymore?