Stop

They thought their problems would be over. Everyone did. After all what was a year in mortal school compared to Gaea, the Mother Earth herself.

They were wrong.

The first day it wasn't so bad. New kids, New school, senior year, smiles, classes, homework and maybe a few kisses.

But then people, the mortals, found out they weren't normal. Weren't the same.

Percy Jackson was good at sports. Too good. Abnormally good. But he wasn't smart. And he didn't talk about girls or sex or video games.

Annabeth Chase was smart. Know-it-all smart. She was strong. But she wasn't cool. She didn't wear nice clothes or talk about guys.

Then it happened. Maybe not all at once but gradually.

Slowly.

"Stupid."

"Blondie."

"Hot mess."

"Failure."

It didn't bother them at first. They'd fought monsters in the past years. They defeated villains, horrible goddesses and titans, giants, they walked through Tartatrus.

Then Annabeth's friends excluded her. They purposely sat so she couldn't sit near them.

And because it wasn't magically inflicted, Percy had a different lunch schedule. She sat alone.

Occasionally the girls would look over and smirk or giggle or gossip. They thought she couldn't see. Or maybe they knew she could and did it anyway.

Percy sat in class trying to make sense of the words on the board. English class and the scrawl was messing with his dyslexia. They guy next to him nudged him.

"Hey dude, it says P..." the guy talked slowly, spelling out the letters so it spelled "Percy Is Stupid". The guy behind them shoved Percy's back.

"Hey, man knock it off." The guy said, and at first Percy thought he was defending him, "Percy's too retarded to know your making fun of him."

The teachers turned a blind eye. One even suggested that Annabeth change classes. Slowly, slowly, Annabeth and Percy realized they were alone. They might've had each other. They might've had everyone at camp. But in the mortal world they were alone.

No one was on their side.

In the halls people shoved Percy into the lockers. And laughed about it.

In the library the girls tossed crumpled papers at Annabeth. They gossiped, spreading stories about her kissing boys or romanticizing male teachers for good grades.

It got to the point where Annabeth stood over the railing of the apartment she shared with Percy wondering how long she'd feel weightless if she jumped.

Percy stood next to her, wondering if Annabeth would stop him from falling at all.

They didn't talk. Just stood there.

The sun set. Oranges, pinks, and reds coloring the New York skyline. Percy stepped closer to Annabeth. Annabeth stepped closer to him.

Percy wrapped his arms around her. He needed her to tell him he wasn't stupid. He wasn't messed up. He wasn't broken. He wasn't useless.

But she hadn't said a word.

Annabeth hugged his embrace. She needed him to define her smarts. She wasn't a whore. She wasn't alone. She wasn't useless.

But he hadn't said a word.

The sky turned purple. The lights went on. The city that never sleeps, kept going at night.

"Do you ever wish we didn't save them?" Percy asked quietly.

Annabeth stared down at the busy road below them. Cars turned and honked and screeched. Mortals yelled and sang and screamed. A single tear rolled down her face.

One word lit up the night.

"Yes."

~~~~

Okay so I got tagged by like everyone. Including: Divergent_runner, Always_Love_Books_, jungle321jungle, and I think Paradise_Loves_Books

This was a bullying thing. In case you didn't know. It needs to stop.

I have never been bullied. At least not at school. Sibling bullying, but for my family that's different.

I have a friend, who stutters whenever she speaks because her entire childhood she got laughed at because of what fandoms she likes.

And you know what? I read a story. Right here on wattpad. Here it is: The Guardian of the Hunters, by _canyoulike_not_.

I swear to all the Gods go read it now.

Or just read the end, the last four chapters.

#ripcanyoulikenot

Guys watch what you say. Even when you criticize. You don't know what someone's going through.

I go out of my way to say something nice on every single story. Every single chapter. I don't want a story to never be finished.

I'm serious.

~Greenninjagal