Sorry for the slow updates, there are just too many books I'm ready right now.
     Contains Abuse, alcohol, swearing and mental illness. Most of this chapter is a flashback.

        Nico's POV,

         A month later and everyone still doesn't seem to know who Percy is. Just the other day he walked up to Hazel and started talking to her but she acted as if he wasn't there. Right now, it was happening again.

        Piper was chatting with Frank about Canada (Piper has traveled there with her Dad) when Percy walked up. I watched silently from the shadows. The pair didn't seem to notice the son of Poseidon as he walked up to them.

       "Frank, I was wondering if you could teach me how to use a bow and arrow better." He said. Frank remained deep in conversation with Piper, completely ignoring Percy.

      "Frank?" Percy waved his hand in Franks face. "Dude, you there?"

        Piper got up and walked past Percy with Frank by her side. I looked in horror at Percy's hurt expression. He stared at where his former friends were standing before. I watched his fists clench before he took of running to his cabin.

         I felt sick to my stomach. How could they just ignore him like that? How is it that they could simply act like he didn't exist?

         That night at dinner is happened again, and again, and again. Every time someone passed Percy it was like he was t even there. One person, a daughter of Hephaestus, ran into him and then looked around to find what she'd bumped into even though he was right there.

         "What the Hades guys!" I yelled at the seven-rather what's left of them- and slammed my fist on the table. They looked at me in alarm. "What's with all this ignoring Percy crap!"

        "Nico," Annabeth said and rested a hand on my shoulder. "We're really worried about you. This Percy Jackson person you keep talking about... he's not real."

        I stared at her in shock before shoving her hand of my shoulder. "What?"

      "This May come across harsh," Hazels soothing voice came, "but he's not real. He's just a figment of your imagination."

        "No..." I muttered. "No. He has to be real. He was my friend! He was your friend!"

        I sat down and Hazel wrapped her arms around me. I sat there for hours just pondering. He couldn't be fake... could he?

        That day I was told Percy Jackson didn't exist... and I believed it.

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One month later...

         Percy's POV,

This is harder than I thought. I had hope that perhaps I could fix things between He everyone but over the past month things have just gotten worse. If I try to talk to anyone they just walk past me, I'm non-existent.

You may say that's impossible or perhaps I'm overreacting. I wish.

       I sat staring out at the campers around me. Their chatter a numbing buzz in my ears. People shuffled around my table mindlessly, not meeting my gaze. I glanced at a particular group laughing and smiling at each other. Her smile was bright as she mocked another member of their group. His blue eyes were wide with joy and her brown hair flung widely as she made move to jump on the blondes back.

         I could be there, I thought distantly. I was there. No longer am I their friend. No longer an I anybody. A long time ago, I was in a very similar situation, people ignoring me, had no friends. A long time ago, I was a nobody... and like a circle, I'm back.

——-Flashback———

I scrambled to get to my feet and ran around to the other side of the couch. I crouched down and tried to steady my breath so he wouldn't here me.

Please don't let him find me. Please don't find me.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight. My arms hurt and felt like they were going to fall off. I hugged my knees and attempted to silence my whimpers.

"Where are you, you little brat!" His voice called from across the room. "I'm not finished with you!"

Please don't find me. I bit back tears and focussed in breathing in and out. It hurt so bad. If he finds me he'll hurt me. I don't wanna be hurt, my nine year old self thought. It's either you or your mom.

"Where did you go, Brat!" I winced at the sound of a bottle smashing. Not the bottles, please not the bottles. Just the sound of glass breaking sent a memory of pain flash through me. He always loved the bottles.

I heard another smash and sparked in fear. I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth. No no no! Stupid Percy, don't make a sound!

My heart rate spread up and I could feel the tears welling in my eyes. I knew he had heard me. I pulled my knees tighter against my chest, fear grasping at me like claws digging into my chest. My breathing grew frantic as I heard his lumbering steps near me and my hiding spot behind the couch.

"There you are, brain boy," he snarled. His breath stank of alcohol. His pot belly swelled out from his stomach and I had to press my back against the couch to keep from touching in it.

The man who tortured me leaned forward and breathed in my face. I whimpered.

"What was that!?" He snarled and gripped my by the collar only to slam me against a wall. "Real men don't whine! You are pathetic." He added and punched me in the gut. "So pathetic and weak not even your own father wanted you. I don't have time for you today."

He dropped me and through a bottle at me. The glass tore into my skin and I tried not to cry. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, I guess I'm just to weak.

"Get off the ground and get me some beer, you wimp," Gabe called over his shoulder. I slowly got up.

Wimp, brat, Weak, worthless. A waste of time, failure, troubled, an outcast, baby, pathetic, dumb, all the words people have said to me swirled through my mind. The worst part... they were true.

That night I went to bed with tears in my eyes. I fell asleep outside in the apartment buildings lawn. The cold breeze of New York calmed me down enough to drift into sleep.

One day, I thought as my eyes drifted shut. One day, he'll be gone.

-:-

"Hey loser!" I met the eyes of the boy who shouted at me. "Nice hoodie! Where'd you get it? The trash?"

I looked down at my outfit and frowned. I wore a dark blue hoodie and loose jeans. Loose strings hung from the hem of the hoodie and the cuffs of the sleeves. It's blue fabric was stained a darker cookout in some places, some stains from blood. My mom had slaved over it and ran it through the washing machine dozens of times but the stains never came out. I wore it to cover the bruise on my arm. Usually Gabe only hit places where I could hide the injuries. He accidentally hit my arm last night. Luckily I could cover that up since it was a colder day.

     "Whatever," I mumbled and walked past the bully's. What did they know? Who cares about them?

       "Hey, Jackson!" One of them, Mack, shouted. "I was talking to you!"

      I stopped in my tracks. I bit back any snarky comments. Come on, just one year. Make it through one year of school without being expelled.

       I clenched my fists, took a deep breath and kept walking. They're not worth it, Percy. Ignore them. Ignore them, ignore the-

       A scream interrupted my thoughts. I spun around and stared in a mix of horror and anger. Mack and his posse had a younger girl held by her red pigtails. Her eyes were squeezed shut in agony. I stormed towards the group.

      "Leave her alone, Mack," I said but the jerk seemed to be just as deaf as he was dumb. The little six year old screamed as Mack tugged harder on her pigtail and his friend- Jordan- pulled the other one in the opposite direction.

      "Leave her alone!" I shouted but they ignored me again.

       "You want your teddy, Elle?" Mack questioned. "Do you need your wittle toy?" He yanked on her again and I noticed the brown stuffed bear in his hand, held high out of reach. "Well you don't get it."

        "Mack! Stop it!" I exclaimed. "Leave her alone!"

       "Shut it, Jackson!" Jordan snapped back. Anger boiled up inside me and I stepped forward grabbing Jordan by the shoulders.

       "I said, leave her alone!" I screamed, enraged, as I ripped him off the girl. Once Jordan was down I went for Mack. I pulled the girl free from his grip and punched him in the face.

     Of course, my dumb nine year old self missed by a mile which only made Mack laugh. He hit me in the face right on the nose. My eyes watered even though the pain was minimal. Jordan had gotten back to his feet and grabbed me by the arms. I wailed and kicked in attempt to get him of me. Mack smirked and kicked me in the shins. I crumbled to the ground and held back a whimper.

        Real men don't whimper you brat.

        Here I was again, in an all to familiar situation. All I could think about was him. At least these jerks didn't have glass bottles, right?

        Mack glared at me, his nose scrunched up and mouth twisted into a sneer. I tried for a grin. "What's wrong? Forgot to put yourself out back when your mom told you to take out the trash?"

        That little comment earned a kick to the gut. Iwinced. Yup, defiantly deserved that one.

       "Back off, Prissy," Mack snarled.

       "No can do. I don't really tolerate watching jerks pick on little girls who-" I was cut off by another kick, this time to the face. Lovely. Nothing's more attractive then a black eye and a few missing teeth, am I right?

        Several more punches later, the two finally left and I lay there groaning in the ground. Welp, I'm definitely getting expelled before the year ends.

        A head of red hair came into my view and I spotted the little girl sitting curled up- hands wrapped around her legs and head resting on her knees- next to me. She stared in horror at my bloody lip. I groaned as I sat up.

       "Sorry..." she whispered in a quiet, reserved voice. I offered a weak smile.

       "There's nothing to apologize for." I reached towards her than thought otherwise. I drew my hand back and took in her appearance. Her amber hair had been yanked out of its pigtail and rested in a frizzy mess that framed her grass green eyes. Her lips were glossed with a sparkly chapstick that matched her sequence shirt. She looked like a young more modern Gaelic princess.

        "Elle, right?" I asked and she gave a shy nod. I moved to sit next to her ignoring the pain in my side. The cut on my lip hurt every time I spoke but nevertheless, like an idiot, that didn't stop me. "I think this is yours."

        I pulled a small brown stuffed bear out from behind my back. Elle's eyes lit up and she reached for it before pulling it right to her chest. I smiled and she beamed at me through her tears eye. I frowned at her pigtails.

       "Those got a little messy, huh?" I asked and she nodded. "May I?" I said reached for her hair. She turned her back to me so I could easily braid the frizzy red-orange curls.

        "That's better," I said and draped the pigtails over her tiny shoulders. "Isn't it?"

         She turned and smiled a toothy grin. I noticed her left canine tooth was missing- it gave her sort of an innocent vibe.

        Unexpectedly she kept forward, wrapping her arms around my neck, and hugged me. I was shocked at first but then eased into the embrace. I ignored the pain from the pressure on my bruises and grinned. Slowly Elle pulled away. I helped her to her feet and pointed of to the school with my chin.

        "Better get going," I said in a cheery voice. "Wouldn't want you to be late to class."

          She beamed and ran off into the school, her teddy bear tucked in her arms. Once I was sure I was out of her sight, I let out a sob and curled in on myself, finally letting the pain come crashing through my walls.

                                        -:-

I sat in class and stared at the teacher. They were teaching something about multiplication or whatever. My mind couldn't seem to catch up and I groaned in frustration.

I tapped my foot impatiently on the floor and picked at the scab on my lip.

"Percy," my teacher asked making my head snap up in surprise. "Do you have the answer?"

I frowned before squinting at the board. The numbers seemed to swirl together. Even after I figured out what the equation said I couldn't figure it out. "Erm... 12?"

An echo of laughter and snickering spread through the class room. My teacher shook her head and clicked her tongue in disappointment. She wrote the proper answer- 36- down in the white board and I hung my head in shame.

"You're pretty dumb,"the kid next to me asked, "aren't you?"

"I guess," I mumbled and waited for the lunch bell to ring. Finally the familiar ring that dismissed our class to lunch filled my ears. I hung back in my seat as all the other kids rushed out the door. I learned it was easier to sit back and wait before leaving.

I made my way to the court yard and forced on a bright smile. Some kids smiled in return but kept going down the hallways. That's the thing with kids, we don't need to talk to anyone if we don't want to.

I sat down at my usual table and suddenly wish I had gone inside the apartment this morning to grab some food. I knew Mom had stayed up late at work last night so she probably didn't know I didn't sleep at home last night.

I looked around at the dozens of kids around me. That only reminded me of how weak I was. They didn't have bruises or scars because they were good kids. They didn't scream when they were hurt... I did. I was weak. I was a wimp and a brat. I deserved every hit that came my way. Heck, I can't even stay in one school for more than a year.

The other kids shuffled around me, their chatter a wordless buzz in my ears. They walked around my lonely table as if it didn't exist. I sat still staring out into the crowd. Here I was, all by myself... alone. I was a nobody.

-:-

I opened the door and shut it, careful not to make too much of a noise. Gabe was standing- arms crossed- in front of me.

"Brain boy," he taunted.

"Smelly Gabe," I replied. He snarled and turned back to the TV.

"Get me a beer," he said and I rushed off to find one of the bottles. Last night had been one of the worst nights. Gabe didn't normally hit me, he mostly just attacked me verbally. I mean he was just telling me the truth no one else wanted to admit.

I wasn't entirely afraid of my stepdad. I was more so ashamed of myself. He wouldn't have to say those things or hit me if I wasn't such a bad kid.

I handed Gabe his beer and sulked off to my room. I sat down on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

One day, he'll be gone. One day I might have a home. One day...

        Till then I'll wait. I'll be the friendless trouble kid who can't not get expelled from every school. I'll be weak. I'll be the loser.

        One day...

———Flashback Ended———

         I stared out at the seven and all the other campers I once called my friends, my family. That one day had came... but it could only last so long. Things would always go back to this- sitting alone at a table while everyone ignored me, the loser.

        I rested my head on the table. My fingers played with the beads in my camp necklace. What did it matter? Did any of it really matter? Was it all just a facade? Did any of them ever really care?

        Who was I? Why am I here if no one cares? This place was starting to feel more like hell then home.

         I pushed myself to me feet and started marching off. Why should I stay if know cares either way. I didn't need to be here. That's when I decided...

         I was going to leave and never come back.

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         *shrieks inhumanly* that was a whirlwind of a chapter for me to write guys.  Sorry I haven't updated in almost two weeks... *nervous laughter*

         A note on the flashback. I am not abused, I am not bullied in the way Percy is in this and a bunch of other stuff. Since I have no experience in those areas I did not know how to write those scenes. I am terribly sorry if this is unrealistic or inaccurate. This is how I imagine that type of thing would go.

         Also, I am not Rick Riordan, only he can truly know how Percy would react to that stuff. I am aware Percy is very OOC, this is again just how I imagine he would deal with that stuff.

          Stay healthy!
         Last update: 11/06/2020