Carved Into My Skin (Heroes of Olympus AU)

5: Everyone Has A Story

Percy...I have been through literal thick and thin with that kid.

For the most part, things were normal, it was a normal best friend relationship.

And then came Tartarus.

It all happened so quickly. I remember walking home from a MiniMart of sorts with Percy, when a gang jumped out of no where and took us somewhere dark. For an entire month, I was beated and abused, physically, mentally, and sexually. For one whole month of July.

This gang named themselves "Tartarus" which is the deepest part of hell from Greek Mythology. If that stuff was real, this event might as well have been Tartarus itself.

And that scarred me. A whole lot. It wasn't until the cops found out and threw the gang in jail that I felt slightly better. I'm still menatlly scarred to this day.

But...enough about my past. I didn't want to linger on that any longer.

{Piper's POV}

I lost my train of thought and stared off into space. I was furious at my friends.

Here are the texts I just got in a group chat:

Thalia: Ugh, Drew's being a petty Barbie again

Annabeth: Seriously? Can't she just leave us alone! Or anyone really.

Leo: Uh...guys?

Percy: I mean honestly, I understand that she's human, too, but she doesn't need to be like that.

Travis: Definetly.

Connor: I agree 100%

Clarisse: Same, I agree too.

So basically, all of my friends are bashing at my half-sister.

I wasn't proud  to call Drew Tanaka my half-sister, but I wasn't embarrassed either. If only they knew what she's been through. If only they knew what I've been through.

Sure, they know that Zakary is abusive, but they don't even know about the scars.

And Drew was the same way.

Drew had been abused by Zakary's friend, Darren McCoy. The only difference between me and Drew is that Drew takes it out on other people.

I'm not saying Drew's a good person. But she isn't a bad one either. If only they knew.

Leo's the only one that knows. Leo's the only person I feel like I can trust sometimes.

Jason: Right?! I mean, she can be such a witch.

Except he didn't say "witch".

That hit me in the heart. This guy that I'd had a crush on for years was going around calling my half-sister a female dog.

Why couldn't I just be normal?

Why couldn't my life just be normal? With friends, a functional family, and a crush that wasn't a jerk all the time?

I was so angry. I wasn't going to tell the entire school that me and Drew are related, that would give both me and Drew hate, but I would stage an argument.

I'm not hanging out with those kids if they're going to gossip behind people's backs.

RIIIING!

And so I picked up my phone, I picked up my supplies, and headed to the cafeteria, where I'd be sitting alone.

...

I slammed my lunch tray to a small table in the corner of the cafeteria, trying not to be noticed by the others, when Leo came and sat down.

"Sorry about earlier, Beauty Queen. I tried to tell them, but I couldn't really tell them without spilling all of your secrets," he smiled faintly.

"It's fine, Leo. Thanks for trying," I smiled.

We ate at the small table in the corner for the next five minutes in silence.

"That wasn't very like them, you know."

I looked up at Leo. "What?"

"I said it wasn't very like them. Something must've tipped them off. Has Drew ever done anything to you?"

 I thought about it and then shook my head. "No. Why?"

Leo leaned in so he could whisper. "McLoser?"

I realized what he meant. "That was a nickname Drew gave me when we were six and she just came into our family. We didn't want each other there. So she started calling me McLoser, and I started calling her Drew Ew. We use that now as a sort of inside joke," I explained.

"Does everyone else know that?" Leo asked condecendingly.

"Well, of course not."

"Exactly. So people think that she's a jerk because she's supposedly being mean to another popular kid. That doesn't happen around here. If a popular kid is mean to another  popular kid, they must be a real witch. At least, that's what everyone thinks. Not to mention the other people she's mean to, but we both know the real reason for that," he explained, wagging is french fry around.

I looked down. "So they just listened to rumors, basically?"

Leo shook his head. "Well, sort of. She's been a jerk around them, too. Not to mention she hangs out with Kelli, who we know is the human spawn of Satan."

I laughed. "I guess so. But I'm not forgiving them until they realized what they've done wrong and apologize."

Leo nodded. "I didn't expect otherwise."

Hopefully, my friends will figure out that stupid mistake they've made.