It's been a few weeks since (as Trition put it) Percy's dramatic exit.

And things have been better...

With Poseidon anyway.

In the past few weeks Poseidon had actually made a effort to know Percy.  Every Friday they'd go to a movie or to dinner or even once Poseidon took Percy to the docks to see a massive cruise ship being build for Poseidon's company.

Poseidon had learned that Percy liked to draw and could play the piano. He had learned that Percy loved everything and anything blue. And he even learned (though Percy didn't elaborate on why) that the smell of a alcohol made Percy nauseous.

In turn Percy learned that Poseidon like the color green and yellow and liked old movies and would only listen to music that was at least 50 years old. That Poseidon loved to swim and fish and most of all talk shit about Percy's uncles even though he grudgingly loved them.

But with all this time bonding they had stayed clear of anything they probably should discuss.

Like the trial

Or Percy's abuse.

Or how Triton still hated Percy and now hated Poseidon for spending so much time with Percy.

Or Percy's doctors appointment Hestia had set up a few months ago.

Dr. Grace (who preferred to just be called Apollo) was flying in from Los Angeles to give the lawyers the official account of the abuse that happened to Percy.

Dr. Grace (other than being related to the family) was one of the best in his field. He dealt with a lot of patients that had PTSD or had been in an traumatic experience. Usually he only stayed in L.A. But he wanted to do this for his uncle and his new cousin.

And, he had to admit to himself, he was curious about him.

Apollo had heard a lot about Percy, but mostly from his father who liked to filter everything about the boy in the most scrutinizing light ever.

He wanted to see for himself what his mystery cousin was really like.

Percy was dreading going to this. He didn't know why it was necessary, didn't they already have enough evidence.

When the cops got to his house all those months ago, Percy was litterally bleeding to death.

Apparently someone at the hospital had been an on the spot donor.

And yet months later he was paler now than he had been after losing  pints of blood.

It's not that Percy was afraid of doctors. He didn't mind needles or stitches or even the weird way too clean smell they had.

What he minded were the scale and the physical.

He hated looking at scales. He was way too skinny but he felt fat. And he knew that if this doctor told Poseidon he was underweight Poseidon would make Percy eat more and then Percy would get fat.

And he hated physicals. You know, the part where they make you take off your shirt.

Now usually, the doctor would let you cover up all parts except for your back to be sure you don't have scoliosis, but today, not only would Percy have remove his clothing, he would have to do it in front of a random guy who would photograph every scare.

Every single one.

Percy couldn't help wonder how long that would take.

There were just so many.

Would they need to see all of them?

Would they make him take of his pants too or just the shirt?

Would they notice the self harm scars too or would they wright it if as one of-

No. No they would notice. And they would know what Percy was. A freak. They'd see it, Percy knew they would. How could they not.

Even now as he was sitting in the waiting room his freshly cut wrist were sending small droplets of blood deep into the black fabric of Percy's shirt.

He wondered how much you'd have to bleed for blood to show in black.

He didn't have to wonder long, he already new.

Poseidon stood up nest to Percy when the name Jackson was called.

They were greeted through the door by a very tan muscular dude who Poseidon called Apollo.

Percy thought Apollo was a pretty stupid name which made him feel better about the fact that Apollo looked like some Olympic god compared to Percy.

Poseidon and Apollo were talking about the trail. How Poseidon had gotten the best Lawyer (Hades Di'Angelo) who by the way was not giving his half brother a discount, and how they were absolutely sure "this son of a bitch would be going away for life."

But Percy couldn't focus on all of that because there was the scale.

Right now it was at a perfect zero.

Percy didn't want to mess that up.

Apollo truly saw Percy's face for the first time that day.

How his eyes were wide and frightful. How his cheeks were hollow and his skin pale. How his lips were cracked and nearly trembled when he looked at the scale.

And in seeing Percy's face was when Apollo became Percy's doctor instead of Poseidon's nephew.

Apollo leaned over into Poseidon's ear as he asked him to step back into the waiting room. Poseidon looked confused but after a look from Apollo he walked back through the door in which they had come.

"So Percy, you aren't gonna make me wait all day are ya cause I got a date tonight I don't wanna miss."

Percy looked at Apollo as if stepping out of a trance before stepping upon the scale.

He only weighed 89 pounds.

Apollo was taken aback by the number yet chose to say nothing.

He jotted down Percy's height of 5'4 next to his weight and then headed into a room in which Apollo closed the door behind him.

"So Percy, I'm speaking to you as your doctor here not your cousin so your going to have to be honest with me. Do you think you can do that?"

"I guess." Percy said quietly

"Alright. When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, how often would you say you eat a day.?"

"I'm not sure."

"Estimate."

"It just depends on if I'm hungry or not."

"How often are you hungry."

Percy didn't answer

"Listen Perce, I know you've just met me, but I need you to be honest. Are purposefully starving yourself or are you just never hungry?"

"I'm not starving."

"Oh really? Percy since your last hospital visit you've lost 34 pounds. You weigh less than what you did when living with that man and I know from your records he didn't feed you right. Now I'll ask you again are you purposefully starving yourself."

"I-I don't know. Maybe. Sometimes I'm just not hungry, but others...
I don't like to eat with his family."

"Alright. I'm going to prescribe you some vitamins your going to have to take twice a day. They are going to increase your energy and keep you healthy until we can work on gaining that weight back. Okay?"

"Fine."

"Now I know for a fact you aren't sleeping right so- oh don't look at me like that, your dad pays more attention to you than you'd think. Anyway I'm going to prescribe you some sleeping pills. Now one should do the trick, but if it doesn't work you can always take two but no more than that or else you could get sick.
Now for the part I can tell by your posture your not looking forward to, strip. Take off everything but your boxers and don't be shy this is my job I see people all the time."

And so Percy striped. He turned around and closed his eyes as he began to pull off his shirt.

As soon as the fabric lifted above his belly button Percy felt exposed. Like his brain had been cut open to reveal all his dark and most locked away thoughts.

As Percy pulled the shirt over his head and began lifting the shirt off his arms he started to shake and could feel tears threatening to come loose from his tightly shut eyes.

He wanted to put the fucking shirt back on. He wanted to wish the horrible memory's creeping up on him away.

As Percy loosened his belt he couldn't help but remember the way to sounded when Gabe did it at night.

In Percy's room.

With Percy there.

Tied to the bars of the bed he'd often share with his mother when she was too high to walk to the other side of the apartment where her and Gabe's room stood.

And as Percy slid his pants down his thighs his mind forced him to remember Gabe's sick hands on his body.

How he made Percy tell Gabe how good it felt when really Percy was in the worst pain of his life.

How Gabe's hands left fingertip shaped bruises on his hips and bite marks on Percy's thighs.

And how with each thrust Gabe got closer

And finally, finally when Gabe was done would loosen the bindings and leave Percy a crying mess on the cot.

How Gabe would be sure to tell Percy what a good girl he had been for him.

How Percy was such a good girl.

Those thoughts numbed Percy so much that he could hardly notice the snap and flash of the camera.

The numbness invaded Percy's wrists and legs and stumbled into his brain so that Percy could hardly hear Apollo curse under his breath or see the look Apollo gave Percy when seeing the extent of Percy's self harm.

He hardly heard the "we will talk about this later." Apollo gave him as he wrapped up Percy's fresh cuts.

He didn't notice the wetness in Apollo eyes or the worrying look Apollo gave Percy as Percy began to dress.

No, Percy just did what he did best when remembering what Gabe had put him through, go numb.

Okay I know it's been forever but I don't have a lot of time with school and stuff so be prepared for less frequent updates but I'll promise I'm finishing this story

And I really like comments cause they remind me to update and I really like to hear what y'all think.

As always thx for reading.