Chapter Text
My name is Percy Jackson, and I've done a whole lot of things I didn't know I was doing.
Or it's a while before I realize, maybe I didn't even realize there were things I was doing that I didn't KNOW I was doing. Because how can you realize something you don't know about?
I do know I was never the cool kid. I was the bad kid- with bad grades, bad behavior, a smart-aleck, never paying attention, never going with the crowd. Sure, people like Nancy Bobofit sucked, there were bullies and assholes and actual monsters, but there were also friends and girl- people who LIKED me and I was too stupid to figure it out. And I know that, y'know? It's not like I'm secretly some genius with powers whose mind just doesn't work like everybody else's.
Nope. I just have the powers.
Grover has tried more than once to tell me there are other things, and I think that's proof that after everything that's happened, he's still my best friend, because I didn't even ask him about any of it. We were just sitting together, after I had to go over my transcript and all the stuff I would need if I actually want to go to college and graduate high school. After I basically snuck off to talk to a public school guidance counselor. Because that's my mission in my mortal life, to go back to school when every year something has happened to get me kicked out of one. Over and over again, but sure, send the kid who's barely gotten a single C on his records to college. Sure it's a demigod college, but it's Roman so it's super strict for sure. My girlfriend is going to do great. She always does, but that's because she's actually smart along with being dyslexic. I just have the dyslexia without the brain.
"Percy," Grover says to me seriously, after I've asked him how he's doing, how're things going with Juniper and the Pan stuff, he asks me the same thing, and after I toss out a couple of jokes, he sort of does that sad bray sound of his and says "...you know you're not actually stupid, don't you?"
"C'mon, Grover," I say with a little huff of a laugh. "You might not remember, but I got Ds the entire year I was at Yancy, at least until I got Fs and then I was expelled and sent home..."
Grover shuffles and looks down. He has this guilty expression and then he's saying "Well, I'd say me and Chiron basically trying to convince you that you were going insane didn't really help..."
"Yeah, well, I was already missing a lot. I'm lucky I actually wasn't losing my mind. But now," I shrug. "I don't know. After everything - I'm almost nineteen years old, man. And I'm thinking about college like it's impossible when I've almost died, what, probably more than a hundred times now?" I put a question on it because it's a ballpark figure. I'm hoping he'll laugh with me at the absurdity. The - dramatic irony, Annabeth says it's called. Or maybe situational. I don't know, she's the one who was in the honors English classes until she got advanced placement and accomodations to help her read tons of stuff. Because she somehow loves to read. Sometimes I can't sleep and just lay there in bed with her reading next to me.
(Okay, to all the Karens: yeah, we live together. No, we're not married- not yet, and maybe won't be because Annabeth isn't a huge fan of that institution, which I think is pretty fair. No, we didn't move in together until we were both eighteen, and it was also technically after high school.)
We've been here in this tiny apartment together for almost two months now. Technically we've spent time together before then, but this is the first time it's been JUST us and not Annabeth staying over with me at my mom's place. I still think of it as hers, even with Paul. I guess if it's anyone's, it's my little sister's, because she runs the place. And not even like Mom can't get anything done, it's more like Estelle is just In Charge. Like Stella is the Godfather and so Mom's bringing home all the book writing money to her.
Because she's written things with the help of our scribe at camp - at first, at least; it's how she got published through a small company. But her fans are loyal, and her books have gotten a serious following by now. She's written close to ten, which is most of the reason I even have this little apartment with Annabeth. Mom got it for us and basically made us take it, she started tearing up and saying we've been through a lot and even though most people don't know it, or realize how much it is, she does.
"You saved the world," she said. "You deserve so much, I want to keep you safe forever, Percy -it's the least I can do to get you both a place you can call home."
I tried to, but I couldn't argue with her. Not when Annabeth started looking at me intensely the way she does that's intimidating but also kind of hot, but then she let my mom hug her and I could tell what Mom said was a lot because Annabeth got quiet, and not in her regular thinking about everything way. It was more of an 'Annabeth is being emotional and Percy doesn't quite get it' way. I try explaining this to Grover, about there being all these things I don't get. He shakes his head at me.
"I don't think that's you being stupid, Percy. Annabeth is tough - she's closed up, even now. Especially now, after everything that's happened to her. You are too, I can tell that." Through the empathy link, I think- it's still there. I look at him and wonder if he felt what I was feeling even in Tartarus. If he could, that would be shit and truly suck.
"Oh yeah?" I say.
"Yes," he's nodding at me, his curls bobbing and his eyes kind and crinkled, but I notice some lines on his face. It's like there's this...shadow, and it makes me wonder just how much he's been able to feel about me and of what I'm feeling.
And then he gives me a hug. It's tight and sudden, and it's only because of the fact that it's Grover that I'm able to catch myself and not immediately flinch away. As it is, I close my eyes and drop my face into his shirt on his shoulder, kind of clutching onto him if I'm being honest. He's warm, and broad - definitely not as skinny as he used to be when I was twelve. Of course that was almost seven years ago, but. I kind of can't believe that I always used to look out for him at school. Even if it was while he was actually protecting me from monsters. I shudder a little, holding on tighter. Grover doesn't do anything except keep up the hug, which in the moment I'm super grateful for.
He rubs my back and I think we're both a little misty when we eventually stop hugging, though I didn't really want to let go. Or I guess it's like, I would have been cool with the hug lasting longer. It's been a while since I've hugged anybody other than Annabeth. Or my mom. Or Stella when she runs over to hug me with her arms flung out, because how can I say no to that?