Chiron

Annabeth POV

I didn't know why I was at Percy's house.

Jason said that he had to drop off some things, but he was busy today. I was hanging out with Thalia at their house, so I offered to help drop off Percy's stuff.

Also, this was another way to avoid going home.

Summertime was always the worst because I had to spend a lot of time at home with my monster of a step-mother, Helen. She didn't even care about me, and my father was usually always away on business. As such, we couldn't fix our family problems.

I sighed as a knocked on Percy's front door.

I haven't seen Percy since before he lost his vision. Percy didn't come to school for the rest of the year, and he didn't accept guests over either (except for Jason).

Eventually, he'd have to get back into the world even if he was blind.

A beautiful middle-aged woman answered the door. She had long, brown hair and fair skin. A motherly aura radiated off of her.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" she asked kindly.

"Hi, Mrs. Blofis, I'm Annabeth. I came to drop off a few things from Jason because he was busy today," I said as I gestured to the bags next to me.

I was pretty sure that there were movies and games in the bags.

Mrs. Blofis smiled brightly as she gestured me inside. I gently rested the bags on their couch as I looked around. It was a cozy home with pictures on the wall and sweet cooking smells in the air.

"Thank you so much for bringing these over, Annabeth."

"It's no problem, Mrs. Blofis," I said politely.

"Please, call me Sally, dear," she said with a smile.

We both went into the kitchen. She seemed to be preparing lunch. I couldn't hear or see Percy anywhere in the house.

"Sally, is Percy not here?" I asked.

"He's in his room, Annabeth. He's usually always in his room," Sally said with a sad sigh. This whole thing must've been so hard for Percy's family.

"Were you going to take him his lunch? I can do that," I offered.

I didn't know why, but I kind of wanted to see Percy.

"You don't have to, Annabeth. You've already helped us out today, and-"

Sally faltered off as she looked at me. She must've noticed my desire to see Percy. Of course, Sally didn't know that we didn't get along. She probably thought that Percy and I were friends since I was willing to help.

"You know what, Annabeth. Why don't you take his lunch up to him? He'll probably enjoy some company as well," Sally said kindly.

I headed towards Percy's room slowly. I've never actually been in his house even though we've known each other for years.

I opened his bedroom door. His room was dark and pretty messy. His curtains were closed. I guess light didn't matter to a blind person. Percy was sitting on his bed with headphones in.

"Percy," I acknowledged as I went forward.

He couldn't hear me.

Even though his eyes were open, he couldn't see me either, obviously.

"Percy," I said again as I touched his knee. His body immediately jerked up in surprise as he quickly took off his headphones.

"Hey, sorry for scaring you, Seaweed Brain," I said cautiously.

"Annabeth, what are you doing here?" he asked softly. His right hand came up to his face as he touched his nose. It almost seemed like an effort to block my gaze from him.

"I, um, I got you your lunch," I said as I held out the plate.

His hand came up, and I had to put the plate in his hand. Percy turned and clumsily placed the plate on his nightstand.

"Thank you. I'm not hungry, though," Percy murmured. He seemed broken, and I didn't know what to say.

Regardless, I forced myself to smile as I opened the curtains to let some light in.

"Seaweed Brain, you literally stink right now. When was the last time you took a shower?" I asked brightly.

Percy just shrugged.

"Get up, and at least, change your shirt," I said as I took a blue shirt out of his drawer.

When I turned back towards Percy, I noticed that he was standing without his shirt. For a second, I was caught off guard by his looks. He had smooth, tan skin with a muscular physique. Years of swimming sculpted his body to be very good-looking. Plus, Percy had nice facial features that emphasized his handsomeness.

"Here," I said as I threw the shirt onto his bed next to him.

Percy simply didn't move and stared ahead. "I'm actually gonna need you to hand me the shirt," he said softly.

"I, err, right," I said firmly.

I quickly handed him the shirt, and he put it on. I felt a little disappointed that Percy put his shirt on and covered up. Percy was very attractive even though he's been in his room for the past several weeks without any exercise.

However, Percy looked fresh in blue. It emphasized his sparkling sea-green eyes, which he couldn't see from anymore. Percy hadn't looked at me directly (even once) since I came into his room because he couldn't.

"Thanks, Annabeth," Percy said softly. "Um, can you do me a favor?"

"What?" I asked.

"Can you not act differently towards me because I'm blind now?" he asked softly.

I smiled. I expected this from Percy.

"Who said I was acting any differently?" I asked slyly. "You're a big Seaweed Brain, who can't even take a bath and stay clean every day. Plus, your room is a giant mess. What's wrong with you?"

Percy started chuckling. "Okay, Annabeth, slow down."

"No. What, Percy? You cannot even clean up after yourself. You're almost a grown adult, and you're holed up in your room," I said truthfully.

Percy sighed as he held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, Annabeth."

I gently touched his arm in assurance. Percy flinched in surprise.

"Get back out there, Seaweed Brain. You're blind, but that doesn't take away from who you are. Clean up and get back out there," I said.

"I want to," Percy said firmly. "I just don't know how. I cannot bring myself to."

I didn't know what to say to him. I felt a few tears welling in my eyes at how broken Percy sounded. Percy was usually so full of life.

Percy needed help taking back his life, which was literally darkness right now.

We only talked for a few more minutes. Percy had to go to a doctor's appointment, so I left after a short while. I genuinely hoped and prayed that Seaweed Brain would be okay.

***

Paul POV

I opened the door to find a man in his mid-50s standing at my doorstep.

"Hi, can we help you?" I asked.

"Is Percy Jackson here?" the man asked.

His voice was firm and strong but also comforting. The man in front of me looked so wise and knowledgeable.

"He's my son. Sorry, who are you?" I asked in confusion.

The man simply walked into our house.

"My name is Chiron Bruner, and I'm from the vision rehabilitation center that Percy refuses to come to," he said firmly.

Chiron turned back around to me.

"And, apparently, his parents aren't bringing him too, either."

I simply stared at the man. "I'm sorry, but Percy doesn't want to come. I'm going to ask you to leave."

"I'm sorry, but I'm denying that request," Chiron said firmly as he started walking through the house.

"Excuse me. You cannot just walk into our home," I said as I tried to reach up to him. Chiron was a fast walker, and he was already in the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"Paul, what's going on?" Percy asked as he peeked through his door.

"Hello, Percy. It's good to see you again," Chiron said boldly.

"Oh no, not you again," Percy said as he went back into his room. Chiron didn't take no for an answer as he followed my son.

I was at Percy's bedroom door as I observed what was happening. Chiron turned towards me.

"Do you also leave plates in your bedroom? Does your wife accept clothes being all over the floor?" he asked boldly.

"No, of course not," I said quickly.

"Then, why should your son be any different?" Chiron exclaimed as he noticed the plates on Percy's desk and the mess all over the floor.

I stood there in shock and silence.

"Percy, get up. It's time that you get back to life. And, I drove over an hour to get here, so you better listen to me," Chiron said firmly.

Percy continued to sit on the bed.

Chiron opened the window to circulate the air and light into the bedroom. Then, Chiron went over to Percy and roughly lifted him up. For an older man, he was strong.

"Hey," Percy exclaimed.

"Just because you're blind doesn't mean that you can quit on life," Chiron said. "Snap out of it before it's too late, Percy. I'll help you every step of the way."

I smiled as I watched Chiron roughly force Percy to change his clothes.

While Chiron seemed a little bold, he also seemed like a wise and good trainer. I left the room knowing that Percy was in good hands.

Hopefully, Chiron can help Percy physically get back out there. Meanwhile, everyone (including Chiron, Sally, Jason, Annabeth, his other friends, and myself) can bring Percy up mentally and emotionally.

It's time for Percy to create some changes and get back to living.