ϟ ψ ΡΣΓCY JΔCΚSΘΝ GΘΣS ΤΘ ΗΘGΨΛΓΤS ψ ϟ

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕋𝕖𝕟- 𝕄𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕟 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕘𝕖𝕤

Percy sighed as he looked up into the mirror, really taking in the sunken figure he had become, a ghost of that bright, happy child he could hardly remember being. She had haunted his dreams for the whole night, her fearful face as he turned Akhyls's poison against herself shattering Percy's heart in pieces. Self-destroying thoughts rattled around his mind as he paced up and down in the bathroom, not a single soul to be found at this ungodly hour of night. He was useless, worthless. He had let so many of his friends die before his eyes, let so many young demigods die in wars that would never have even begun if he simply didn't exist. He tried to shake the images from his mind, tried to stop seeing all those corpses strewn all over the battleground after Gaea's defeat, blood pouring out of every fatal would and staining everything it touched. His nosebleed had started that whole disaster, however ridiculous that sounded out of context. Perhaps all those bullies that had harassed him through his whole childhood had been right all along; he'd be better off dead.

Tears streamed down his face as he sat slumped in the corner. It wasn't like anyone would miss him. Annabeth didn't love him anymore; why would she? She was amazing, intelligent, incredible, and what was he? A wreck. A monster. A looser, a loner, and possibly the biggest idiot the world had ever seen. He was worthless. Nobody loved him.

But somebody did. Someone who couldn't stand losing him again. Someone who baked the most incredible blue cookies in the world. Someone who meant more to him than the world itself. Sally, the best mother in the whole universe, the one person that would never betray him.

You have to stay strong for her Percy, he told himself, trying to steady his breathing as tears streamed down his face. He took a deep breath, standing up and walking towards the exit. He lumbered half heartedly out of the bathroom, closing the door softly behind him and making his way to the haven of his comfortable bed. He was just about to let sleep overcome him once again and throw himself into the clutches of his terrible dreams when he noticed an envelope lying at the foot of his bed, barely visible in the faint moonlight. He picked it up carefully, trying to tilt it towards the window in an attempt to distinguish who it was addresses to, even though he had a feeling he knew already. With no such luck he glanced around desperately for a source of light that wouldn't disrupt his sleeping housemates. There wasn't a torch of any description to be found from where he stood, and all the lamps were far too bright. He couldnt go to the bathroom again; the floorboards were far too creaky and he didnt want to sacrifice anyone else's peaceful slumber due to the absence of his. That was when he noticed the wand lying on his bedside table, and he remembered the beginners spells Hermione had tried to teach him to pass time back at Grimmauld Place.

He slipped under the bedcovers, letter clasped in one hand, wand in the other. He held the wand out in front of himself, before whispering, "lumos." The tip of his wand lit instantly and he smiled, a sort of satisfaction filling him. The glow was just bright enough for him to see, but muffled enough by the covers hiding him so that it wasn't disruptive to anyone else. He lay the wand down right beside him on the bed, it's light still illuminating the area as he held the letter with his two hands, reading the address.

Perseus Jackson,
Gods only knows where, presumably on Earth

He stifled a laugh at that, mind running through the possibilities of who it was from. The writing was familiar, and in Greek. He wondered for a moment how it had reached him, until he noticed the cadecus stamped on the back. Who'd be sending me a letter? he thought, ripping off the envelope and revealing the folded paper underneath.

Dear Percy,

I don't know if this will even reach you. You probably don't want to even hear from me, and you have good reason. Gosh, I'm not even sure why I'm writing this at all, it's not as if I expect you to forgive me, but I guess I just want to try make things right, even if I probably can't after being as stupid and cruel as I've been.