Say You'll Remember Me (Lukercy)

Chapter 1

Luke had been put in charge of the camp's latest "refugee" as he liked to call them. The boy was passed out for over a day before finally waking up. Luke wasn't surprised,the kid had impressively managed to hold off a hydra single-handedly for over 2 miles.

It's been two days since the kid -Percy he chided himself, Chiron said his name was Percy- had woken up, and Luke has yet to hear a single word come out of his mouth. The kid just sat there like a ghost, breathing lightly, never eating, barely drinking. Percy didn't even turn his head to take in the surrounding room, he just stared straight ahead, yet not at Luke, his watchman, somehow beyond him. The boy was searching, but whatever he was searching for, it was clear to Luke that he already knew he wouldn't find it.

Most people who make it here experience a loss of some sorts- gods know he did. Still, for this boy to be this shut off, that loss had to be something truly awful. Unfortunately for Luke, he couldn't learn what it was until he got the boy talking.

Luke didn't mind watching after the boy; it was an easy job, and Percy was kind of cute. With his choppy dark hair and tan skin, Percy belonged on a beach in San Diego playing volleyball and winking at the girls who stop to watch, not wasting away here in this infirmary bed. The boy wasn't much younger than Luke, he'd like to get to know him better, but again, not until he got the boy talking.

"Alright Percy, I'm gonna go get your dinner. I'll be right back, don't go anywhere," he said with a wink, trying to coax a smile from the dark haired boy. But who was he kidding, Percy wasn't going anywhere, he hasn't moved, and he definitely hasn't ate.

~

The food had sat on the dresser by Percy's bed for half an hour; the soup cold now, the drink warm. Luke couldn't stand seeing the boy act like this any longer. It had been three days, what was the point in saving the kid if he was just going to starve himself. No, Luke had to do something. He got up and went to sit on the side of the bed. Percy made as if to look towards him, but gave up before starting, dropping his eyes back to their normal position, staring towards the now empty chair.

"Come on Percy, you know that you need to eat, you can't get better if you don't," Luke pleaded with the boy, but Percy just continued as if he was the only person in the room, maybe the only person left at all.

"Come on, Percy, you seem like a cool guy, and I really want to help you," he tried again , placing his hand on Percy's shoulder, "but you have to tell me what happened out there. Please, Percy."

To his amazement, a sigh left the boy's mouth, followed by a small voice, weak from disuse, "She told me we were going on vacation, a trip to the beach to celebrate me finishing the school year with no trouble." His voice quivered and for a moment Luke thought he wasn't going to be able to keep going. "We both knew it wasn't true; I'd gotten into a lot of trouble, and they probably weren't going to let me come back to the school, but she wanted me to think everything was alright. Mom was always trying to do that, trying to keep me from feeling the hurt I always brought back for us. She took off work, rented a cabin right by the beach, and we were gonna spend the weekend together."

"What happened after that?" Luke asks, shifting in to hear the small boy a little better.

"The second night there—it had to be about midnight—there was a noise, loud enough to shake the whole cabin. My mother ran into my room and screamed at me to get up and get to the car. She said I didn't need to get dressed, there wasn't enough time. I didn't know what was going on, but I'd never seen her look so scared, so I did exactly what she said. I hoped out of bed, and we left everything there; the phones, the wallets, everything. I was in my pajamas and some sandals that I thought to grab before we got in the car.

She was driving so fast, but I don't think we were going anywhere, she just seemed to be trying to get as far away from the cabin as she could. There was another screech. Whatever was making it had to be getting closer, I could hear it over the engine. I tried to find out what was going on, but mom wouldn't answer any of my questions, she just focused on driving.

We were going so fast, at least 85, and we didn't stand a chance. We went around a bend, and in the middle of the road was this giant dinosaur thing with like 8 heads, I didn't think it was real, nothing like that could be real, but we ran straight into it," Percy let out a small sob.

Luke leaned over and put his arm around Percy, in case the boy needed to cry, "Percy, you can stop if want, I don't want to push you."

"No, I'm fine, I need to finish," he seems to get a little more under control. "After we hit the monster, the car flipped and slid right into a ditch. I don't know how, but I was alright, just upside down and still in shock, but no injuries. I looked over to see if my mom was alright, and I guess, in our rush to get away, she didn't put on her seat belt. She was a few yards away from where the car landed. I could only see her back, but I... I knew she was gone. I didn't want to see what she looked liked." He started crying and didn't hesitate to accept Luke's embrace.

"I didn't have time to say anything, I didn't even have time to think. We were going so fast and we hit the monster so hard, I assumed we'd had killed it, but it seemed unfazed, like the accident that just killed my mother was no more serious than a gnat that just happened to fly by. But it saw me crawl out of the car, and it roared so loud, louder than I thought possible. So I ran, I didn't know where I was going, but I knew that if I stayed, that thing would kill me. It wasn't very fast, but it caught up everytime I stopped to rest. I barely made it to the campgrounds before I collapsed. I thought I was dead for sure, but it just stopped at the top of the hill and then ran off. I just want my mother back."

Luke had heard some intense arrival stories—hell, his own was no cakewalk—but nothing the ordeal this kid had just gone through. Percy continued to cry while Luke hugged him, rubbing light circles on his back, doing anything he could to soothe the boy. "I know it's hard Percy, nobody should have ever had to go through what you did, but you're safe now. There are people here who are like you, people who can keep you safe, and if you need anything, even just a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you."

Percy didn't respond, but Luke knew he'd heard him. It was going to be rough, the boy lost his mother and his entire life, but he could relate, and he could make sure he built a new one here, a safe one. Luke could help this kid.