If Percy had fallen into Tartarus with his own head cannon (2023)

Okay, so basically I saw this thing on Instagram and it was a screenshot of a Tumblr post about how Percy would have turned out if he had fallen on Tartarus alone. Here's my little addition to that. The first post will be at the end (I suggest reading it first)

Imagine everyone at CHB and CJ fears Percy, even though they still respect him, something has changed drastically and the campers don't know what to do. After a few months, CHB's older kids begin to believe that he will be a repeat of Luke, but worse. All the older kids are quietly discussing things from the past and how they are concerned for everyone's safety when a younger kid/someone from Camp Jupiter hears them and starts asking questions. They all look down at the table in embarrassment and fear as they vaguely explain to them what happened, which only instills more fear. None of them know, but one of the seven hears them and loses it (I feel like it's Nico or Annabeth) on them because"Percy is not like Luke"and"He's been through so much more than anyone can ever imagine."

Unfortunately, that doesn't stop people from whispering when there's no one around to support Percy to hear. They're still talking and there's nothing anyone can do because whenever the seven try to find out who started the rumours, the other campers cover for each other.

Chiron tries his best to get through to Percy and help him, but each attempt puts Percy further away. Percy can't even think about his time in Tartarus without having to move away from people to calm himself. So Chiron settles for the smallest snippets he gets at times (most of the time it's just a change in body language or Percy mumbling something when he's not paying attention) and stays behind Percy like a wall to protect him from the campers' cruelty and each of the gods who consult him.

Eventually, Annabeth decides it would be better if Percy lived with his mother for a while. When Percy finally sees Sally for the first time since Tartarus. Percy wasn't sure if he was ready yet, but Annabeth insisted, and he really missed him, Mom. They walk through the door together, holding hands (it's one of the few things that keeps Percy quiet now... that and that holding onto Riptide the whole time. In the seconds that Sally hears her coming through the door, she runs to hug Percy and he instinctively winces and pulls Riptide out. Neither of them know what to do, so looks Sally just looks at him sadly while Annabeth takes Riptide from him and rubs his hand.Sally knows there is something terribly wrong with her son, something she will never understand, so she knows better than to ask, she pulls him gently into her arms and starts crying because her baby flinched at her. Annabeth had been the only one brave enough to touch him since he came back, so it was something Percy almost didn't manage to get him back from his mother keep having her cry on his shoulder almost broke him.

Annabeth sleeps for months because Percy wakes up screaming every night and she's the only one who can get him to understand again that he's not down there anymore... well, that and the first time it happened, Sally tried, To help Percy and Percy accidentally used blood leaning on her. He locked himself in his room for weeks before he could even look at her again. Every day she went to his door and tried to lure him out with promises of forgiveness and blue foods, which used to be his favorite but all he said was"I am sorry"again and again. When he finally comes out, it's because Annabeth got Grover.

The second Percy heard Grover's voice, he yanked open the door and stared at his friends, whom he hadn't seen in so long. He almost didn't believe he was there. Grover opened his arms with tears in his eyes and Percy ran into her, knocking them both over and they cried on the floor. As Grover held him, he reformed their empathy connection to better understand what Percy had been going through, but he had to try four times before he understood because the first three were too overwhelming for him. When he finally got it, he started to cry and held Percy as tight as he could to show him that he got it... Percy got it.

Imagine Percy and Hazel getting close and having one of the purest friendships ever. Hazel is one of the few other people (besides Annabeth and Nico) who immediately treats Percy normally (even Grover and Sally are a little scared of him). I guess it was just a death thing. Frank hated the idea of ​​leaving Hazel alone with Percy because of the bloodbending thing, but Hazel always tells him how stupid it is to be afraid of someone who could never hurt her.

Hazel and Percy always hung out when there was nothing else to do, and Hazel did the purest of things, like bringing him wildflowers she'd picked to make him smile, or gems from the earth pull wherever they sat to make an image in the ground for him.

Mrs. O'Leary was even more protective of Percy when he returned. It was almost like she knew everything. She would follow Percyoverall. IIt got to the point that Percy had to move his table so that Mrs. O'Leary could sit next to him. Anyway, she would totally chill with Hazel and him the whole time (Hazel always braided gems and flowers into her fur just for fun while they talked). They would lay on her if they talked about things that are going on in life. They never discussed what happened unless Percy brought it up. Hazel felt it was his turn to talk when he was ready, and she always made sure he knew she was 100 percent there for him.

Children of Hades/Pluto feared no power that coincided with darkness. Her father was the bloody lord of the underworld, they were used to it. They were so used to being called monsters that they saw nothing wrong with Percy, and that was something that comforted him endlessly. Whenever Nico came over, they would go together to places where it was nice and quiet to have coffee or play a game or watch a movie. It was super therapeutic for Percy. That they treat him like he's normal. Annabeth tried, but she coddles him a lot. Hazel and Nico knew where the boundaries were and when not to cross them. they would never fight his battles like Annabeth did. They were more of a backup support. they always let him defend himself, knowing he needed it. You never made him feel like he broke down there, even when he knew it happened. and everyone saw how he got better...

Until the first Capture the Flag game. Percy thought it would be okay to join in, but everyone else was tired. Hazel and Nico convinced everyone that it would be good for him and that all seven would watch his back to make sure nothing went wrong. Of course that calmed everyone down. But what finally convinced everyone was that Annabeth would be with Percy the entire game (they scrapped the rules for that one game.) Most of the game went smoothly, her team won, and everyone seemed to be having fun. Annabeth and Percy were guarding the flag (another condition of his play was that he wouldn't see too much combat) when Annabeth heard a noise so she went to check it out. Once she was out of sight, the campers decided to attack, little realizing how bad an idea sneaking up on Percy was. One of the campers crept up behind him and whispered"Plot"in his ear. It sounded a little too much like one of those monsters in Tartarus. It set off a PTSD response, so Percy spun around and started blood bending the kid. The other campers had to knock Percy unconscious to keep him from killing the poor boy. He was in recovery for three weeks before he even woke up... Nobody trusted Percy after that.

Luckily, his friendship with Nico gave him access to the Apollo children. Will would always invite Percy to help out at the Apollo Lodge making art and helping them with their instruments. Even though he's been through a lot of traumatic things, the act of doing good might calm him down for a few moments. Will would always smile at Percy and for some reason it would always make him super happy.

He can no longer visit campfires because the fire against the darkness was a little too familiar to him. So Nico, Annabeth, Grover, Will and (sometimes) Hazel would sit with him in the Posiden hut during campfires and play cards or Monopoly. it became a tradition. Most of the time the games ended in playful fights and a good laugh, it was a good way for them to just forget everything for a bit.

A few months after capturing the flag incident, the campers began to grow bolder in their cruelty. Most just wanted to prevent repeats or bad things from happening, but I mean"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."He woke up to remark at his door that he was not wanted or should kill himself. Someone even destroyed his cabin with the words abominations and monsters. It got to the point where Tyson came back to support his brother. Tyson was always cleaning the cubicle and tearing up the letters (before Percy saw them if he could.) He kept telling people "he's just as much a monster as I am," and couldn't tell the difference between him and his brother, who he was adored with all my heart. But no matter what he and the seven did to defend Percy, it only got worse. They even got to the point where Tyson recommended staying with her dad for a while. But Percy didn't want to accidentally hurt her either.

When Percy came back, he would go to the Hypnos Hut every night before bed to get something that would let him sleep without nightmares. It didn't always work, but it did for a while. As the situation worsened, Percy's PTSD and dreams also worsened. He started going to the Hypnos Hut every night to get the stuff back, but he was taking too much so they cut him off. Percy didn't know what to do. He knew he wouldn't be able to do it without the elixir, so he got the next best thing... he stole alcohol from the Stoll brothers' stash. It didn't take them long to find out who had taken it, so they told him they could get something that would help better. Luckily it was just a distraction to keep Percy busy so they could tell Annabeth without him trying to stop her. When she confronted him, he couldn't meet her eyes as she scolded him. To tell him how stupid and dangerous it was to do those things and that he could talk about it and there were so many other options. When she was done, she waited for an answer as to why he was doing it. It took a while for Percy to find words through his shame."I just wanted to sleep without dreaming. I don't want to see it anymore... it's dark... so dark."and then she realized that he was crying and shaking. However, he didn't let her tease him because if he hurt her, he would never forgive himself again.No amount of ambrosia can repair the brain.

After that he started pushing people away. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He heard what people were thinking of him now, and try as he might to fight it, he had begun to believe them. He hated everything about himself, he resented that he had ever started bending blood. He didn't know where to go or what to do, but he knew he wasn't supposed to be with CHB or CJ, and there was no way he was going to go to either of his parents. So he wrote a note and left (he had to force Mrs. O'Leary to stay with Nico). Annabeth found the note at dinner when she went to get Percy because she knew he wouldn't come otherwise. The second she finished, she lost it and ran through the camp looking for him, screaming, "I can't lose him again." She blindly searched for him for weeks to no avail. he was long gone.

Grover sent a message to each of the satyrs (who were all too scared to actually look for Percy). Each of the seven was out looking for them every day while Annabeth was chasing or traveling with them from CHB. Nico and Hazel sometimes went for months with Mrs. O'Leary and one of Percy's sweaters to find him. but no luck.

Every single person in CHB knew that Percy was gone the night it happened. Annabeth was a wreck... but someone still had the guts to say "good rescue"... let's just say it took almost anyone to stop the seven from killing her.

Finally, one day, almost two years after Percy's disappearance, Nico was out with Mrs. O'Leary when she suddenly took a hit on his trail. They were with Percy in seconds. But what Nico saw was heartbreaking. A sea of ​​monster bodies lay all over that bridge over a road that was closed for unknown reasons. It was difficult to say how they were killed because most of their bodies were mutilated and unrecognizable. but not all were monsters...some were demigods.

It took Nico a while to find Percy as he was looking in the wrong place. he looked down when he should have looked up. he found Percy standing midway on the bridge's ledge. Covered in blood and golden monster dust, Riptide grabbed as if his life depended on it. He was covered in wounds, but it was hard to see them through the blood. he was sobbing so hard he was shaking. Nico didn't know what to do, so he called out to Percy. Percy didn't react, he couldn't hear it over the pounding in his ears. Nico took a few steps closer and called out to him again. This time Percy heard him and turned around. Seeing what he had done, he dropped the tide and covered his mouth with his hands to keep from screaming...but that didn't stop him from sobbing harder."I haven't, I... I couldn't have. I have? No Please not. Nico, please tell me I didn't do that. Please Nico.”Nico was too shocked to say anything so he just shook his head as Percy cried harder."I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I did not want to! Oh gods, I'm such a monster! I shouldn't be here, Nico. I am sorry. I should have died, not Luke or Zoë or Silena or Charles. I should have died... not Bianca. I'm sorry Nico."nico finally pulled that out of thin air. He rushed over to Percy, jerked him off the edge and pulled him into a fierce hug."You didn't do that! I don't care what the story is, they did this to themselves, not you, they did it. They provoked you, you didn't do it out of spite or violence, you did it in self-defense. Okay?! And did you dare to say those things ever again? these people chose their destiny, no one ever said that being a demigod was easy or safe. Dying is part of our life and there is nothing we can do about it. My sister chose her destiny, just like each of you. you didn't get her to do any of this. You're here for a reason, Percy. and I wouldn't have it any other way. You've shown each of us in every ad that we determine our own destiny. now let me teach you how to do it again.”

That night, Percy and Nico didn't go back to CHB or CJ. In fact, they haven't returned for a few months. Nico and Percy would take to the streets, fighting monsters when they encountered them and chatting the rest of the way. all the while Nico was teaching Percy how to heal. (This was the first time Percy had spoken about Tartarus.) Neither of them set up camp until one day when they were driving through a small town just south of the Canadian border when Percy saw a strawberry sign. he immediately turned to nico and said"I'm ready.' and they walked back (I encourage you to imagine Nico doing a very unsafe U-turn and grinning at Percy as they drive home). he was okay and that was good enough for her.

Nico had Iris send a message to Hazel before they got back, so she was waiting for them when they stopped. Nico got out first and hugged his sister tightly... Percy hesitated. was he really ready? Could he really? Face everyone again? Before he could change his mind, the door opened slightly and a bouquet of flowers was held out. Percy laughed through his tears and swung the door wider, pulling Hazel in to hug her in the car while he cried. but they weren't teats of sadness...they were tears of relief and joy.

He greeted everyone individually. first old friends/rivals like Clarisse, Piper, Will, Jason and some others and then closer friends. Grover and Annabeth were last. Grover ran all the way across chb when he found out and grabbed Percy in the warmest hug he'd ever had. The moment was brief as Grover's face darkened."She never stopped."nobody had to indicate who “she” was. they all knew it."where is she?"he asked and Grover pointed to the Poseidon hut. Percy knocked but no one answered so he went inside. The place was an absolute mess. There were newspapers everywhere telling about places he'd been and people he'd saved, some not about him but he guessed she hoped so. There were stacks of coins that had fallen at the well, but Percy knew none of them had ever worked. he had taken care of that. that didn't stop him from wondering how many of those she'd wasted trying to find him. A map was tied to the wall with string and covered with pictures of people (some he knew, most he didn't.) Annabeth's clothes were everywhere, but always neatly stacked so they didn't mess up the papers. All the beds were pushed to the opposite wall and covered with his things, all neatly placed and in perfect order almost to ensure it would be perfect when he returned. and in the middle of the floor was Annabeth. Her laptop is still open next to her, pencil still in hand. Her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed or washed in days, but Percy didn't care. And she was wearing one of his old sweaters. He almost didn't want to wake her up, but he knew if he didn't, she would kill him. so he carefully walked over to her and gently touched her arm. she didn't move as she spoke."Go away! I told everyone I'm not leaving until I found him."it cost him everything not to cry, as he said"You don't have to search anymore."her head shot up and her eyes met his with so much hope, sadness and joy that it crushed him. She jumped on top of him and hugged him in a hug so fierce it would probably crush a god. They both stayed like this for what felt like forever, crying into each other's arms. the sweater did nothing to hide all the weight she had lost and it made Percy cry even more. He had done this, he had made her this way. Almost as if she could hear him, she pulled away and held his face in her hands."I did this to myself, so don't you dare blame yourself. I love you so damn much Percy Jackson. I love you damn it.”and then they kissed and ended up living a happy life.

@drpoo-intheturdisthanks for the help with this