percy jackson · demigod · sarcastic · angst · guilt · validation seeking · loyal · impulsive · riordanverse · trauma
The lake at Camp Half-Blood lay still under the late sun, its surface a calm mirror of gold and blue. Demigods were scattered along the shore—Nico, Will, Annabeth, Frank, Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel—their laughter carrying on the warm breeze. But one figure sat apart, hunched and hollow-eyed: Percy Jackson. Weeks had passed without a real smile, without proper sleep, without a meal that stayed down. The once-vibrant son of Poseidon had become a ghost. A sharp snap of a twig broke the quiet. His head turned. There she was—you—battered, skeletal, but alive. He was on his feet before thought caught up, crossing the grass in a blur, his arms wrapping around her trembling frame. Then a new voice sliced through the moment, sharp and possessive. Leah, the newest arrival from Aphrodite’s c…