He trusts Frank with nothing to hold him backâ wholly, no restraints. Itâs been like that since their beginning, all so strange and dreamlike now. Thereâs a distant memory of carrying Juno through the stream and losing his invincibility, having his safety net washed away with the current. In this universe, heâs vulnerable all over. The small of his back, that ever-Achilles heel, has spread like a virus across his skin. Not being in tune with the water he can sense is already close by pushes Percy away from his own mind. Nothing here is safe, he thinks. Nothing that he knows is certain.
( Â Â And itâs tough to tell whether it will ever be.
       Tartarus skews his judgement and batters it with blood.   )
Thereâs always the chance that these are isolated incidents, and Annabeth made it out safely because sheâs still the genius he knows her to be. Not to mention the charmspeak that mightâve (unintentionally?) had an influence in the matter. He factors in the terror, the gap between what she doesnât find morally acceptable in emergencies and what he absolutely does, and his knees threaten to buckle. The best he can do is start walking againâ water will help.
But his throatâs never been more dry. All too predictably, his voice cracks when he musters up the next few words and says, âYeah. Our minds, our bodies⌠whatever they can get their hands on.âÂ
His expression twists to one of loathing, directed both at himself and at the scientists that have taken everything. Most of all, his understanding of reality. Frankâs point has Percyâs hands curling into fists and his stride picking up in speed.
âLook, I donât want to believe sheâd go without me either. But things happened when we went⌠you know. And itâs not the same. It hasnât been. All Iâm saying isâ gods. Maybe she wanted to be somewhere safer and think things through. Sheâs always been good on her own.â It just so happens that this time, Piper is a second addition. An extension of the clarity Annabeth had before â someone that makes her an even better version of herself.
When he furrows his brows, he thinks of all the times that Jasonâs grounded him. How he helps him back to his feet when he doesnât need to and makes him feel real when nothing else can. Urges him to come to and look at their situation from a different angle. And⌠without having to say much at all, makes Percy his best self.
He steels himself for the next bit, as the waterâs close proximity lends him strength and courage to speak freely. At the very least, Frank deserves to know. âMe and Jason⌠did a lot of catching up by the time they left. And after thatâ I donât know.â His shoulders heave when he breathes in the balance of this untold truth. âWe really had to stick together. And itâs made me stronger, heâsââÂ
Everything? Gee, he sure is dramatic.Â
 âMan, I think youâre the only one whoâs stayed the same since they got here. But sorry to throw this all on you at once. Just figured you should know.âÂ