In which Percy breaks his ankle and Thalia learns something new about the son of Poseidon / Tartarus flashbacks

Rated T for language

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

"Alright, blue team, you're going down." Annabeth said, eyes narrowed, dagger at her hip.

"In your dreams, Wise Girl." Percy called, and for once Thalia agreed with him. The red team didn't stand a chance against both herself and Percy. But then there was the issue of actually teaming with him.

Sure, Thalia and Percy had gotten much closer over multiple quests, wars, and near-death experiences, but they still had trouble agreeing on much of anything.

They were all set up - the Stolls and some kids from Apollo would guard the flag by Zeus's fist, while another group crept through the forest, in search of the flag. Annabeth got increasingly creative in her hiding spots every time they played, so the job was important.

"I'll get the flag," Thalia said just as Percy did. They made eye contact and a (smart) Demeter kid backed away slowly.

"Perce, I can run the fastest. I'm used to hunting down prey and-" Thalia started, but Percy interjected.

"Why don't we just go together?"

Thalia blanched. This wasn't like Percy, backing down from a good old-fashioned argument. At least, the old Percy. New, post-Tartarus Percy was quieter- and he rarely challenged anyone.

Percy stared at her questioningly with eyes the color of the sea, and she rolled her eyes.

"Alright. But when the time comes, the flag's mine!"

Percy walked past her, uncapping Riptide.

"Whatever, Thals."

(The Demeter kid let out a sigh of relief.)

They were deep in the forest, so deep they could no longer hear the shouts of the campers and the sound of Chiron's horn. It was silent as the two crept along the thick layer of pine needles on the forest ground.

"Ughh," Thalia exhaled. Annabeth went all out this time. The flag is nowhere."

"It's gotta be somewhere," Percy said, using Riptide to whack his way through the undergrowth.

Thalia stumbled over a root, cursing to herself.

"You alright back there?" Percy chuckled. Just as the words left his mouth, Thalia saw his foot catch on another stray root and twist as he came tumbling down.

"Well fuck." Thalia stated, walking over to him. "Really, Percy? I mean-"

She stopped when she saw his eyes. They were wide and blown with fear, his expression one of horror. He started gasping, short, shallow breaths. He was staring at his ankle in a surprising display of unadulterated horror. It was rather gruesome, twisted at an odd angle, so profoundly his foot was horizontal with the ground. It was swelling like crazy, but Thalia knew Percy had seen, had felt worse. She was so confused, she almost didn't hear Percy's terrified whisper

"No, no, stop. Please!" Percy breathed, eyes so wide he resembled a doe.

Thalia knit her brow. "Percy, what in Hades?"

Percy's chant continued to rise, getting more and more desperate until it became a shout and his voice shook with the effort.

"No, no, no, please!" he screamed, scrambling for purchase on the uneven ground.

"Percy It's fine, it's fine, you're safe!" Thalia yelled, panic rising in her throat.

"Don't hurt her, don't hurt her, stay away!" he keened, eyes still locked on the twisted limb. And that's when it all clicked into place.

Thalia remembered Annabeth's broken ankle, how it still hurt her and how much trouble it had caused her in Tartarus. Tartarus. Percy thought he was back in Tartarus and she had no idea what to do.

"Percy, Percy, it's okay." Thalia said, squeezing his shoulder and wincing as he flinched back. "We've gotta get you back to Chiron. Camp, Percy, we're at camp."

"No, don't hurt them. Leave them alone! Not camp, not them too, no," Percy acted like he couldn't hear a word Thalia said.

Thalia ripped off part of her pants and swallowed hard, knowing what she had to do. She had to set his ankle so they could get back to the camp and get help.

"Percy, this is gonna hurt, but then it'll be better and we'll be back. You're safe," she tried, cursing herself for not being better, for not being Annabeth or Nico or someone who understood.

Percy didn't even seem to notice when she snapped his ankle back into alignment. She started wrapping it with the bit of material she had and winced at his heaving chest and his terrified eyes.

"Percy you gotta stand up. C'mon. We're going to get help." Thalia said, hating the edge of panic that was creeping into her voice. She had never seen Percy like this. He was always in control, always the leader, and always the first to laugh. She didn't even think she'd ever even seen him cry.

Thalia put Percy's arm over her shoulder and tried to help him up, but it was really no use. Even with the weight he had lost in Tartarus, he was still much taller than Thalia and she couldn't drag him all the way through the forest. He wasn't trying to walk at all this at this point. Percy's green eyes had glazed over and he seemed locked in some kind of unseen terror that Thalia would never know.

"Stay back, stay back, stay back, don't hurt me, no, no, no," he cried. Thalia didn't know what else to do, so she sat next to Percy and enveloped him in a hug, running her fingers through his hair and trying to calm him down.

It was like she wasn't there.

"I- I can't keep doing this anymore, Annabeth. I'm not strong enough. I've let everyone down, Wise Girl, they need me but I can't." he moaned. "I- I can't."

Thalia never thought of what it was like to be Percy Jackson. With an entire league of demigods relying on you, solely on you. She couldn't imagine it.

Just then, Travis Stoll burst through the trees.

"Thalia, thank gods, where the fu-" He stopped when he saw Percy, curled in a ball and shaking like a leaf. "I'll go get Chiron." he said, eyes wide in shock.

"Hurry." Was all Thalia said.

Thalia isn't really sure what happens next, and in what sequence, but before she knows it Chiron is beside Percy, brow creased in concern and Annabeth is kneeling over him, trying to show him that she's here, she's here, she's here and he's safe.

Percy isn't screaming anymore, he's just staring at his ankle with a broken look in his eyes, shaking, eyes dazed. This scares Thalia more than the screaming.

Chiron somehow gets all three of them to the infirmary without a hitch, and before Thalia can blink an eye Percy's sitting on a cot with his ankle properly set and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

He only snapped out of it when Annabeth slapped him in the face.

He's shivering now, even though it's probably 100 degrees outside and the infirmary doesn't have much in the way of air conditioning. (Isn't there a god for that?) Annabeth went to get him some water, so Thalia sits on the cot across from him.

Percy looks up at her with empty eyes and says, "I'm sorry" his voice scratchy and rough.

"Percy-" Thalia starts, but he holds up his hand.

"Don't, Thals. I wanna say sorry. You don't need this shit. I- I don't know what came over me." He runs his hand through his hair, further messing up the black locks, sighs.

Thalia sits, silent for once around her cousin.

"I guess, I saw the ankle and something in me just… snapped. I thought I was back there Thalia, I really did." he says, eyes searching her face, brimming green. "It felt like years in there, y'know. Everytime I close my eyes I…" he takes in a shuddering breath, then forces a smile, green eyes unreadable.

Thalia thinks, again, what it's like to be the son of Poseidon. What it's like to have to hide all of your insecurities, all of your doubt, all of your pain.

Percy's mouth quirks into a rueful grin.

"Who won capture the flag?"

A/N: I'm aware it switches from past to present tense, but I don't know. I noticed the mistake and now I like how it reads.

Thanks for reading :)