Dean raced down the highway, wanting to get far enough away from the motel. Every now and then, he would stop and wake Percy up then return to his seat and continued down the road. He would keep this routine up until he got onto the dirt road that led to the bunker. Then, occasionally, he would glance in the rearview mirror, checking to make sure that the demigod behind him didn't fade away, unnoticed.
Thankfully, throughout the trip, Sam slept, his head pillowing the window. Dean knew that his little brother has been having a tough time lately, but there was never spare time to actually talk about it. With having the Mark of Cain removed, to fighting off the black-veined people, to finding a cure, and meeting Percy, Dean figured that he and Sam should sit down and talk about what had happened. And Dean will be damned if his brother should bring anything besides his story up.
When Dean had gotten onto the path that led to their home, Dean glanced in the mirror to check on Percy. He couldn't help but think that the demigod was hiding something. And whatever that something is, it's following him. Now, Dean isn't blaming the kid for the explosion, but whoever had set up the bomb in their room was going to feel the wrath of Dean, once he found the culprit. No one, and Dean means no one, was going to set off a bomb that hurt his brother and their new partner.
Dean's mental rant was interrupted by Percy's squirming in the seat. The older brother had noticed that the young demigod had slept in fits during the ride back to the bunker. He would sometimes mumble a name or two before twisting in his seat, almost as if he were trying to escape the clutches that held him in his sleep. Dean wasn't sure what to do, but he went ahead and shook Percy awake, just to make sure the kid hadn't received any kind of brain damage from the explosion.
Dean carefully brought his hand over the bench seat and onto the kid's sweaty shoulder. He tried shaking him, since it was close to the hour mark. "Percy."
He felt the kid raise his head and blinked sleepily at him.
"Hey," Dean softly greeted. "It was time for you to wake up." He didn't mention anything about the dry tear tracks on the kid's cheek, figuring he had enough on his plate already.
Percy nodded blearily and sat up in his seat. He rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk, so Dean didn't push. But he did start to worry about the kid. Every time Dean had wakened the kid up, he seemed to grow paler each time. But that wasn't the only thing that caught Dean's attention.
Percy's eyes were screaming out in pain, grief, and guilt. And Dean's heart broke for him.
A few quiet minutes later, Dean pulled up to the bunker. He drove into the garage and parked his baby, then turned off the engine.
"Is this it?" Percy softly asked, slowly getting out of the car. His voice was still hoarse after hours of being unused.
Dean smirked at the kid's admiration, shaking Sam's shoulder to wake him up. "Time to wake up, Sasquatch," he said, startling Sam. "As to answer your question, Percy," Dean continued, getting out of the car himself and walking over to the trunk. "Yes, it is."
Percy took his answer into consideration, taking his time to meet Dean as he looked at all the cars that were in the garage. "Is this one of those buildings where there are a billion rooms?"
"Well, I wouldn't say a billion," Sam chuckled, coming over to meet them. He was about to reach one of the bags, but Dean slapped his hand away.
"You're still walking like an old man, Sammy," Dean explained to his little brother's confused puppy expression. "I got this."
"They're not even that heavy," Sam protested. "It's just a bag of clothes! I'm pretty sure I can handle a bag of clothes, Dean."
"Not with that chest injury, you're not." Dean was having none of it. He didn't want Sammy or Percy to overextend themselves, grabbing all the bags that were in the trunk.
Sam rolled his eyes at him, while Percy hid a small grin.
"Well, this is quite amusing." Percy said and held his hand out to Dean.
Dean looked between his hand and Percy's face, knowing what the kid wanted, but refusing to let him have it. "Do you need something?"
"Um, my backpack?" Percy asked.
"Oh!" Dean pretended to be shocked. "So, just because you're up and about, acting A-Okay, you think that you can carry something?"
"Uh...yes?" Percy replied.
"Well, tough," Dean stated. "You were in that blast too, so you're not doing anything. Besides, you look like you could fall over at any second." And it was true. The kid had paled even more by just standing up for a few minutes, and swaying on his feet. "Sam, you can carry the kid."
Dean started walking away as Sam smiled at Percy, whose jaw dropped open in disbelief. "But, I-I'm fine," the kid protested.
Dean smirked and raised his eyebrows, turning to face the two boys as he kept walking. "Says the kid who could keel over at any moment."
He turned back around just as Percy mumbled something under his breath, making Sam chuckle. Dean hid his smile from view, ecstatic to know that the three of them were getting along.
Having little difficulty, Dean managed to pry the door open and made his way to the brothers' separate rooms to place the duffle bags with their respectful owners before making his way to a spare room one door down from Sam's, where Percy could sleep in. It was close enough just in case Percy had another one of those nightmares like the one in the motel room.
After he was finished, Dean walked back to where Sam and Percy were, in the library. He met Sam at the table and watched as Percy gawked at everything before him.
"So, what do you think, Percy?" Dean chuckled at the kid's bulging eyes.
"You know, I've seen some impressive things in my life," Percy admitted. "But this had to take second place."
"What's first?" Sam asked from his seat.
"Olympus," Percy absentmindedly answered, walking over to where the books on lore and stories like Wizard of Oz were sitting on the shelf. He picked one up and shifted through the pages carefully, as if the pages were fragile, before placing it back on the shelf.
Sam and Dean shared an amused look with one another then focused their attentions back on the demigod, who was slowly making his way back to them.
"Well, you can't beat Olympus," Dean said, sitting down across from Sam.
"No, you can't," Percy softly agreed, as he took down another book. "Gods of Olympus, Annabeth would love this place."
Dean wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he heard a little hint of sadness in the kid's voice.
"Did something happen?" Sam asked, picking up on the tone.
Percy looked up at them, confusion written on his face. "No, why?"
"Well, you look like someone ran over your puppy," Dean replied.
Percy sighed, returning the book he was holding back on the shelf. "No, nothing bad happened. It's just..." He shook his head. "Never mind. Where's my backpack?"
"Uh, down the hallway, take a right, two doors on your right," Dean said.
"Thanks." Percy nodded, before making his way to his room.
"Do you need the first-aid kit?" Dean called to him.
"No, I healed myself and Sam when we were waiting for you," Percy commented, turning to face the brothers. "Almost forgot to ask, but where's bathroom?"
"The next hallway over, first door on your left." Sam frowned. "Do you want anything to eat?"
By that point, Percy was already walking away, his voice echoing down the hallway. "Not hungry. Thanks, though."
Dean watched the doorway where the demigod had exited, hearing the kid's footsteps fade away.
"There's something wrong with him," Dean observed as soon as Percy was out of earshot. He sensed more than saw his younger sibling nod his head in agreement.
"I was thinking the same thing," Sam quietly said.
Dean took this time to study Sam, really look over at him. Sam looked good as new, as if he hadn't come out of an explosion. His eyes had bags under them and he looked exhausted, but everything else seemed fine.
Dean figured that he should ask his brother about what really went down in the hospital, but he wasn't in the mood to get into an argument. He guessed that he could interrogate Sam later in the week.
"You know," Sam's voice penetrated Dean's thoughts. "Percy told me something interesting."
"Oh, yeah?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "What did he say?"
"That when he healed your nose and my jaw," Sam gestured between the brothers. "It was the first time that he healed other people."
"Wait, what?" Dean asked, leaning forward in his chair. "He's never healed other people before?"
Sam shook his head. "No. We're the first ones that he's healed with water."
Dean was dumbstruck. "Wow." That was something he wasn't expecting to hear.
He shook his head a little, huffing out a laugh, making Sam face him.
"What?" His brother asked.
"Nothing," Dean smiled. "It's just...we live weird lives, Sammy."
Sam slightly smiled at that. "Yes, we do."
Dean looked over at the door Percy had walked through. Whether or not the kid liked it, he and Sam were going to help him. And he'll be damned if anything or anyone hurts the kid.