He's Back (Percico)

Chapter Five

Nico

I really didn't think he was that unstable. To the point of which he relies on me being here so he doesn't kill himself.

It hurt to see him like this. But it was so raw and so real that there wasn't a way that anyone could fake it.

Either way, though, it worked. Like as soon as he brought up the whole suicide thing I realized that leaving really wasn't an option. Not if I wanted him alive.

And frankly, I'd like that.

"You're not going to kill yourself," I told Percy, walking back over to him and grabbing his hands. I think he kind of went past the whole friendship boundry enough that this wasn't the worst thing that could be done. "okay? If I really mean that much, I'll stay. I also won't let you out of my sight for the next 72 hours outside you changing and using the bathroom because now that I know you're suicidal, I'm not letting you kill yourself. I always thought if this ever happened it'd be the other way around."

"I'm always full of surprises." Percy told me, giving me a really broken smile and I pulled him into a hug, holding him with my left arm and running my fingers through his hair with my hair. He could use a shower. He smiled fine, but his hair was kind of greasy.

"You are," I agreed, calming him down. "But it's going to be okay. I'm staying here. I promise on the River Styx that I'm not walking out on you like that again."

________________

Grover

Was I genuinely worried that Nico was actually going to leave and thus make Percy a fucking mess again? Yes. It stressed me out until dinner. When both of them showed up.

Everyone was a little pissed off that Percy sat with Nico and Leo rather than everyone else. I always get to meals a little later so everyone is seated when I get there. And based on the tone from the table, I went and sat with my best friend, Percy Jackson.

"Hey, you're back." I commented. "Did therapy go well today?"

"Yeah, it was productive," Percy told me, and the whole therapy thing threw Leo off. "I think it was pretty good. I uh... I heard about what happened at lunch. I yelled at them for it and now they hate me, so it's just like school."

"What...." Leo said and we looked at him. "That's where you go? I thought you went to Olympus or something for like leader bullshit. You.... You go to therapy? What fucking for?"

"Yeah," Percy confirmed for him. "Twice a week normally. It's just like some stuff that happened when I was a kid and I mean some stuff from here that happened. It just like stops me from like becoming too depressed or suicidal or whatever because according to doctors, it runs in my family and there's like an 89.2 or whatever percent chance I have either anxiety or depression or both but we haven't done the actual testing yet so we don't actually know. It's like not great but at same time I haven't killed myself get so it's fine. I should probably be on like 9 drugs right now. I have a lot of problems."

That about summed it up.

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Percy

That night, I had just gotten changed into my shirt and boxers when I went out to get a glass of water. And then was reminded that I'm not alone in my cabin anymore.

"I didn't think you'd be a guy to sleep in your boxers," Nico remarked as he walked by and I jumped, not expecting him for some reason. "Sorry. Are you going to get okay tonight?"

"I mean, probably." I told him. "I think I'm too tired to have a break down. The other one sort of wore me out. Plus, yelling at the others was fun but it also kind of took it toll on me."