[1] ODYSSEY, percy jackson

000. cliches were made for them

tw: self-harm as a coping mechanism (don't
hurt yourselves kids!), blood, physical abuse implications

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・* 🥀 *・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

VALENTINA EMRIS was a quiet nine years old girl. Not the type to get a main character arc, as she called it, but the type to never be noticed because of how plain she was. Dark red hair, hazel eyes, and a tanned skin tone. A lot of people were like that. The only things interesting about her was her name and her voice, and no one would really know since she was serious about not talking much.

But just because she was plain didn't mean she had no goals. She wanted to be like her father. A lawyer. Or maybe even a detective. Just anything to do with solving cases. She loved a good puzzle.

Her father, Helyo Emris, was a cool guy. He went home and came upstairs to her bedroom and told her about his day before telling her to do the same. He cooked her breakfast. He just wasn't always there, but he tried.

Her mother wasn't in the picture. Considering she was dead, that would make some sense. But it didn't mean Val's father just forgot about the woman.

She'd always notice him stand at the balcony at night, a glass of wine in hand, taking small sips. She'd listen to his hums of songs under his breath.

"It's you," he'd sing quietly in a soft voice, smiling sadly. "It's always you. If I'm ever going to fall in love, I know that it'd be you."

Val thought that Helyo had a nice voice. He should sing songs that made him happy, not sad.

Eventually, Val had picked up the habit of singing the same song. Whether to comfort herself when no one was there or just to comfort her father, as he ran his fingers through her hair and told her stories of her mother.

"She was lovely. A goddess on earth, really," he would say, braiding Val's hair. "She would have loved you so much and spoiled you."

Val could only smile and hug her father, as he tried not to break down crying.

Val didn't understand much about love, as she was still very young, but she thought that Helyo didn't match with the lyrics of "ever going to fall in love." She was pretty sure he already did, and it broke her heart that something her father valued over a lot of things was the same very thing that had him crying, holding on to her.

Val was still very young, but she wished she could grow up faster. So that she'd be stronger and sympathize with her father more.

Valentina Emris swore on her life that she'd do anything to see her father happy again. On the Styx even, as Helyo always used that phrase. She didn't know what the Styx was, but her father once told her it was as sacred as a pinky promise.

So what better to keep her promise then to something as important as a pinky promise?

A very sacred oath, my dear, rumbled an ancient low voice from deep down in Tartarus. A sacred oath, indeed.

Let's see how mommy dearest can protect you from your ultimate fate now, little one.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・* 🥀 *・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Percy Jackson watched from the stairs clinging to the apartment building's walls as cars passed on the street and people walked by. He had just ran in his room after an encounter with Gabe, and he crossed his arms over his chest, even though the bruising still hurt.

He watched as a redheaded girl came out of a white car that looked incredibly expensive walk over to a small shop.

She wore a simple cream colored jumper and leggings, a sling bag hung over her shoulder. Her hair was tied in a half ponytail with a white ribbon.

Percy thought she looked really nice.

The girl looked up, and for moment, they stared at each other. Then they smiled and looked away, going very different directions. The girl to the shop and Percy back inside the apartment.

Percy closed the door and sat on his bed, eyeing the other door that was locked leading to the living room. Smelly Gabe, his obnoxious stepfather, was sat there playing poker with his buddies, and Percy wanted nothing to do with them.

The sea-green eyed boy looked down inside his shirt, feeling his eyes sting with tears from the memory of the pain. The dark, purple and fresh bruises were still there.

Yeah. He definitely wanted nothing to do with Gabe.

He looked to the drawer beside his bed and hesitated, before opening it and taking a small blade out.

!! SELF HARM TW. PLEASE DON'T EVER HURT YOURSELF! !!

It was an old kitchen knife the nine years old boy found laying around Gabe when the old man was passed out, but Percy managed to snap the handle off.

He hadn't done this in a while. He usually did it to endure the pain better, since he found that pain that he himself inflicted on his skin subsided the pain from getting beaten. He got beaten a lot.

And the blood dripping to the floor looked pretty. There was nothing wrong in finding certain things pretty.

He pulled his long sleeve up to his elbows and pressed the blade to his skin without a second thought. The pain was there immediately, past and fresh cuts stinging. A cut formed. Then another. Then another. Then another.

Blood. Crimson blood. Crimson like the color of that girl's hair.

Pretty, Percy thought, smiling softly. His mom would understand. She told him that it's okay to find things pretty.

The blood on his skin was very pretty.

He watched the blood drip on the floor, creating a small mess. A lot more blood than usual.

Percy thought it looked pretty, too.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・* 🥀 *・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

This was out early but simply because chapter one will be longer, so stay tuned for that.

Remember that self-harm is not swag, kids! Do not do it, please!

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