Title: A Little Bit of Help
Author: KatieArtemis
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, also some Humor

A Little Bit of Help

„Geez, that looks painful" the Apollo kid said. He leaned over Percy's arm again, trying to think about the best method to heal it.

"I think it might be broken" he added.

"Oh, really?" Percy winced. "Wouldn't have thought."

Annabeth just shook her head. "Don't act so tough, it's okay if it hurts, you know?"

"Really" Grover affirmed. "If I were you, I'd be crying and screaming by now."

"Duh. I'm used to pain. It's alright. I don't want to play Capture the Flag for a while, though" Percy joked. The others chuckled.

"I guess this means Clarisse still doesn't like you, huh?"

Percy grimaced. "She put a spear through my arm. That's a pretty clear sign."

The Apollo camper sighed. "Okay, I know what to do now. Prepare, 'cause this is really gonna hurt."

Even when the Apollo boy straightened his bone with a painful cracking sound and sewed it with eleven stitches, Percy didn't even wince.

Later that night, Percy was lying awake in his cabin. His arm was throbbing from the pain that still coursed through his veins and bones, but it was slowly starting to get better.

He was thinking about what Annabeth and Grover had said. About the thing with the crying. He had joked about it, but only to hide the real reason why he never cried.

He had been very young when Gabe had started hitting him.

He remembered the first time he had come home and his stepfather's wrath had turned against him eleven years ago. His mom had not been home that day.

Six-year-old Percy came into the kitchen in order to look if there was something left to eat. As usual, his mother had left him some food, but by the time he came home from school it was long gone. Smelly Gabe was always faster than him when it came to eating.

Percy looked at the clock that hung above the door. It would be another two hours before his mother came home and he didn't know where she hid the money from Gabe so he couldn't go out and buy something.

His stomach roared. He suddenly remembered how Gabe had been eating some chips the other night. If he was lucky, there were still some left in the living-room. He turned and walked into the room next door. Indeed there was a Pringles tube. He took it without second thought and stuffed some potato chips in his hungry mouth.

Huge mistake.

The young boy had not noticed the person lying on the couch. Usually, Gabe snored when he'd passed out. This time, unfortunately for Percy, his stepfather had not knocked himself out yet. Instead, he was only taking a nap and woke up from the boy's steps next to the sofa.

"What'cha think you're doin', brat?" he mumbled angrily as he realized what the child was holding in his hands.

Percy spun around immediately. He grew panicked and put the tube back where he had taken it from.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION" Gabe roared, standing up. He had obviously drunk a lot. "You damn little thief! How dare you take what's mine?"

Six-year-old Percy took a couple of steps back when Gabe stomped towards him. His stepfather was about six times his size and angry as hell. Percy noticed how there were some sweat marks in his armpits. Apparently, that guy hadn't taken a shower for numerous days.

"ANSWER!" Smelly Gabe shouted, towering over him.

"S-sorry" he managed to stutter. He took one more step back and felt his back hit the TV.

There was no place to hide. He could smell his stepfather's breath, he was so close. Gabe stunk.

By now, Smelly Gabe was grabbing the collar of his shirt. His swine like eyes were staring into his with a stupid expression in them. Normally, Percy probably would have laughed at that. But right now he could also see madness in that gaze, in both senses of the word.

He was so scared that he started crying.

"Stop whining, bloody bastard!"

Then he kicked him in the stomach. He hit him, over and over again. Percy begged him to stop and screamed how sorry he was. Gabe just grunted in response:

"I'll hit you till you stop crying, you little miscreant!"

Ten minutes later, Percy had been lying on the floor, curled up to a ball, and not one tear was leaving his eyes anymore. All that remained was the bittersweet feeling of hatred that started to unleash on a little boy's heart. Hatred against a monster that was cruel enough to hurt a helpless child and another one that was lost at sea after having abandoned its own son.

The next few weeks, he had to wear long-sleeved shirts to cover the bruises.

But he learned to always swallow his pain, no matter how great it was, without a single tear shed.

After some more hours in which he was unable to sleep, Percy stood up and pulled on a hoodie and some jeans. Especially the hoodie was a painful thing since he had to somehow pull it over the cast on his arm. He ignored his protesting nerves that sent shivers of pain up his spine. He knew he had to get out of that cabin right now.

Percy strolled around camp for a while, knowing he wasn't allowed to do that. Still, he had to clear his head and distract his thoughts from his anger. He assumed his temperament was something he had inherited from his father, just like Nico had inherited Hades' resentment or Thalia Zeus' habit to jump to conclusions too quickly.

There were many half-bloods he knew had not had a happy childhood. In fact, most had had a way worse one than Percy. Luke had grown up with his insane mother and Annabeth without any person who loved her, Thalia with a mother who hadn't cared and Nico all alone with his sister who had died a couple of years ago. Percy had at least had his mother, still had, and for that, he was grateful.

Still there were those particular nights in which he realized he still carried those scars that were never going to heal. Sometimes the pain became too much for him to bear.

Of course he knew he could talk about all that with his friends – but still he felt like he couldn't. They just hadn't been unhappy in the same way; he doubted they would understand what it meant to be scared of someone who had the power to beat you to crap. And Percy just had to admit he was scared of Gabe, even though he was long dead. Even though he had always acted tough towards him, especially when he'd gotten older and more aware of how that pig had harassed his mother.

Percy couldn't understand how his father could have let all that happen.

Even though he by now thought Poseidon was alright, that was a thing he had never been fully able to comprehend. He knew Gods hadn't been allowed to stay in touch with their children until just a year ago, but somehow he couldn't let that excuse count. He just couldn't. Poseidon was a God, he was almighty, and he must have seen at least some of that crap that had happened to his only mortal son. There were only two possibilities as to why he hadn't helped them. Either he hadn't watched Percy much in the first place or he just hadn't cared.

Percy shook his head. He knew it was unfair to direct his hatred against Smelly Gabe against his father. Still he couldn't help it.

He walked aimlessly around the beach. Then he noticed a figure sitting on the sand, watching the waves hit the shore. Percy came to a sudden halt. He somehow had a feeling he knew this person, but he couldn't quite determine who it was. Was it an enemy who was waiting for a chance to attack? It seemed unlikely, but as a half-blood, you could never be careful enough.

Percy pulled Riptide out of his pocket as he approached the supposed stranger.

"Hi, Percy" the person said without even turning his head. "Have a seat. And put that sword away, please. I could easily disarm you anyway."

The voice sent shivers through Percy's body.

"… Luke?"

He turned to look at Percy. It was a blonde young man with a scar crossing his face. His blue eyes twinkled mischievously in the dark.

"Are you afraid, Percy?" he asked.

"Of what? Encountering a dead person alone on the beach at midnight who has tried to kill me, like, five times? Nah, not at all."

Luke chuckled. "You have a strange way of putting things the way they are. Now that you say it, it is kind of strange, right? I'm sorry for all those times I tried to kill you, though…"

"Oh, that's okay." Without second thought, Percy sat down next to him and put Riptide back in his pocket. It didn't matter that he had to put his sword away. They were sitting so close to the ocean that an attack would end with Percy throwing tons of water on Luke's head.

"How can you be sitting here, Luke?" he asked, eyes directed to the sea.

"Well, I'm just kinda hanging."

"Figures."

"You didn't seem too surprised to meet me here" Luke said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, that's because I really am not surprised" the son of the sea god replied and lay down in the sand. It was still slightly warm since the sun had been shining on it the whole day. "I take things the way they come. There's no use fighting the fact that my life's completely weirdo."

Luke smiled at that.

"Very true."

For a while, they just sat around and said nothing. After some time, Percy shifted and looked up at him.

"Since you are not going to tell me how you can be here… Could you at least tell me why?"

The son of Hermes did his thief like grin. Again, Percy noticed how Luke and the Stoll brothers looked very much alike.

"I'm here to say I'm sorry. I did."

"No you're not."

Luke sighed. "Alright, alright. I came because you looked lonely today. I know that feeling well enough to know that it's not healthy to be alone in times like those. It makes you… vulnerable."

Percy looked at the boy who was neither friend nor enemy. Suddenly he understood.

"You noticed my anger against Poseidon?"

"Yeah" he said, smiling sadly. "I just wanted to make sure you're gonna be okay. It's not good to hold a grudge against your godly parent. And don't deny it. We demi-gods have got serious daddy-issues."

Percy was silent for a moment. "Do you do this often?"

"Do what?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Make sure Kronos doesn't meddle with lonely half-bloods anymore."

He smiled again. "I guess I do. Yes. The way the gods keep behaving the way they do it will happen all over again, but I don't want that. I've found peace."

"I'm happy about that" Percy said and he really meant it.

"So… Do me a favour and just let your anger out before it becomes hatred. Yell at your dad or something."

"What? You want me to yell at my father? You're still trying to get me killed, right? He'd blast me to smithereens!"

Luke chuckled as he stood up. "No, he wouldn't. Whatever. But don't make me visit you again! It's not too great that I had to suspect you of becoming like me" Luke added, pointing a finger at Percy's face. "Think about Annabeth. You don't want to put her through that again."

Percy's expression turned solemn. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Luke. A year ago I would've laughed if someone had told me you'd give me advice in anger management."

"No prob. Almost claiming world domination kinda outweighs that one. So, class dismissed. Have a nice life. If you want to end up in a closed facility, you can greet Annabeth from me."

"Will do."

After that, Luke attempted to go. Percy held him back. "Wait."

"Hm?"

"Don't blame yourself because of Kronos anymore, okay? It wasn't you fault. He manipulated you, everyone knows that… And I really admire you for what you did…"

Luke forced a smile. "Thanks, same here. … Was that all?"

"I have one more question."

"Shoot."

…

"I NEED to know how the heck you got here, you freak! I'm dying here" he burst.

Luke just grinned.

"Farewell, Percy. Take care. And remember what I said. Go get'm."

As Luke had vanished, Percy kept standing there for some time. Suddenly he felt something hot in his eyes. Confusedly, he reached out to find out what it was. A single drop of liquid lay innocently on the tip of his finger. He smiled as he made a choice.

Poseidon sighed as Hermes started to read out Zeus' newest message. It contained a lot of threats and words no one under the age of eighteen should EVER hear. The God of the sky was really living out his malicious tongue.

As they were halfway through the fortieth paragraph and Hermes was almost passing out from exhaustion, someone slammed through the doors to Poseidon's palace.

Both Gods were immediately in alert and hastily drew their weapons. Poseidon almost fell from his chair in the process because he had been on the border to sleep.

A very, very, very angry young man ran towards them, looking like a mad pit-bull or a Minotaur. He had a cast on his arm, but still he looked dangerous in his ferocity.

"… Percy?" Poseidon shrieked as the guy came to a halt before him, only some twenty centimetres away. Hermes actually took a step back.

"YOU!" Percy screamed and punched Poseidon's chest. "YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN GABE BEAT ME AND MY MOTHER UP AND I HAAATE YOU! DIE! Just go and DIE, you SELFISH, IGNORANT … GOD OF PUDDLES! ROT IN HELL! ASSHOLE! FUCK YOU!"

Then Percy backed off, sighed contently and put a hand on his forehead. He smiled. "Geez, that really helped. Thanks, dad! Love ya!"

As soon as he'd ended, Percy just turned around and stormed out.

A few minutes passed in which the two Gods remained immobile and stared at each other. After some time of silence, they lowered their weapons.

…

"Strange kid."

Hi folks,

this was my second OS :) I know it's sort of, uh, weird... But I spent a long time thinking about who would be the most likely one to be able to help Percy in a situation like that... And I ended up thinking Luke would be the most interesting person to encounter in such a situation... ^^

have a nice day :P

~Katie Artemis