A/N- Heyy Heyy! I need your opinion on something for the story! Please read the A/N at the end of the chapter!

-Laysi

Percy's P. O. V.

I woke up to a stinging pain on my thighs and ribs. My step-father, Gabe, was standing over me sneering, and was about to kick me again when I stood up as quickly as I could.

"Hurry up and make me my breakfast. I don't have time to be waiting for your pathetic lazy ass to get up." He snarled at me and stomped back to his room. I sighed. It was times like this where I miss my mother the most. She had died nine years ago when I was eight. I've lived with Gabe ever since.

I don't know why I wasn't immune to the pain yet. I should be. After years of this type of treatment I really should be.

I limped my way into the kitchen and started cooking Gabe's breakfast. I looked into the refrigerator and made a mental note to buy more food as soon as I could. I took out the eggs and bar bread from the pantry to make French Toast. Gabe had never been a picky eater, but my mom had taught me how to cook when I was younger, so I didn't often have to cook the same thing twice.

After fifteen minutes of dipping and flipping, I loaded his plate with food and tried to walk to "my room." To be honest, I never thought of it as my room. Not even when my mother was alive. It's just always been a place of bad memories. The place where Gabe likes to punish me. The place where I always think about giving up. Of dying . . .

I studied the mess in the room. The little old nightstand was thrown across the floor, the shabby bed was flipped over, and a bloodied knife was left next to the nightstand. My eyes lingered on the knife.

The Knife. The same one Gabe used every time he felt I needed a reminder. The same one he had used last night. I stepped around the thrown objects in the room and made my way to the bathroom. I took off my shirt, and inspected the side Gabe had kicked me in the mirror. It was already bruising.

Next I took off my pants as slowly as I could. Next my boxers. I stood in front of the full body mirror naked. My thighs were red and covered in dry blood. I couldn't help but wonder what Gabe had carved into my skin this time.

I looked at the other scars that, that knife had given me. That Gabe had given me. The scars I gave myself. It was like reading a book. A book about all the bad things about myself. A book written all over my body.

Freak.

I'm different from everyone, and not in the good way, but in the worst way possible.

Alone.

I am alone. I don't have friends, family, or even aquanitinces.

Unwanted.

My own father didn't want me. He left before I was born.

Unimportant.

I'm not important. Nobody even knows I exist.

Stupid.

I'm not smart. I've never gotten anything higher than a C—.

Unloved.

The only person who ever loved me was my mother, and she's gone.

Useless.

I can't do anything. The only thing I can do is stay here with Gabe.

Helpless.

If I can't even help myself, how could I ever help someone else?

Hopeless.

I loss the hope of getting out of here a long time ago. I don't have any hope left.

Broken.

I used to cry my self to sleep every night, I learned how to hold the pain inside.

I stepped into the shower to stop myself from reading the rest. The water was cold. Gabe was probably going to his friends house again. No scratch that, he goes everyday.

I picked up the scrub that I used specifically for dried blood. I scrubbed at my thigh until I was sure there was no blood around it. I quickly washed my hair and the rest of my body, grabbed a towel and dried myself off. Wrapping the towel around my waist as I limp, I went to my closet. I didn't have a lot of clothes, but I had enough to last for a while. I picked up a pair of dark grey pants and a dark navy blue V-neck shirt.

I always wore dark colors, Incase my wounds opened at school, then people wouldn't be able to see the blood. I put my shirt on trying not to wince. Don't look at it. I tried to tell myself, but the other half of my mind was refusing to listen. My eyes flicked down to my thigh.

Worthless.

It was written in bright red. I couldn't make myself look away from the new addition of words on my skin.

I reached my hand toward the knocked over nightstand, and opened a drawer on it. I blindly felt around for the bandages. Gabe didn't even know I had them.

I wrapped up my thighs and put on my pants and shoes. I looked at the alarm clock that was now upside down next to the bed.

7:50. I had ten minutes to get to school before I was late. I put on my sweater, picked up my messenger bag and went out the door. Ignoring the pain in my leg I half ran, half limped my way to school. Half-Blood High School. I walked through the doors five minutes before the bell was meant to ring. I made my way toward first hour running into some kids along the way. They weren't my friends. In fact they were the popular kids. The only reason they talked to me was because we're working on a project together in Advanced-Math. They were talking and laughing with each other when we rounded the corner.

Immediately my eyes shot themselves to Nico Di Angelo. He was short and skinny. He had pitch black hair and just as dark eyes. He was two years younger then everyone here because he skipped a couple of grades. He never talked to anybody. He was like me. I could feel it.

I just wished I could help him. If you can't even help your self what makes you think you could help him? I thought to myself. Besides he wouldn't even want to talk to you. You're a nobody. A Freak. I decided to push that voice away because if I didn't I knew I would only start thinking about that.

The whole hour I couldn't make myself look away from Nico. Every once in a while his eyes would flicker up and look back down just as quickly. When the bell rang signaling that first hour was over he quickly put his stuff away and left the classroom before anyone was even out of there seat, and nobody even blinked an eye. I sighed and left the classroom thinking about Nico Di Angelo. Why do I have to be so useless? Why can't I help anybody?

A/N- Thanks to everybody who took the time to read this! I wanted to know what kind of relationship do you think I should make Percy and Nico have. Percico? Nicery? Friends? Other? Please let me know by reviewing or PMing me! Thanks for reading and I hoped you liked it (even though this is going to be a sad story as it goes.) . I'll be updating The Book's Secrets soon! And remember: I Love You Guys!

June 01, 2014

-Laysi