We Olympians (A Percy Jackson AU) || BOOK 1

Chapter 26 || Percy

Leo cheered as Percy brought down another contestant.

"Yeah!" Leo yelled. "ANOTHER THOUSAND BUCKS!"

"Hey, good job, bro," Percy said as he helped his opponent up. "That was tough beef."

His opponent nodded, obviously happy that Percy wasn't some stuck-up dick. Percy was panting slightly as he rubbed the sheen of sweat on his forehead off.

"Okay, I'm done fighting. Anyone else wanna give it a go?" he asked.

"I wanna get back to my tacos!" Leo whined.

Yep. Leo's tacos were what he believed were the best in town. Tofu tacos, jalapeño tacos, he even made a taco out of candy! So Leo Taco McShizzle Master was on a roll.

"Fine," Percy sighed. "But we have reservations at the sushi restaurant!"

"Screw them." Leo scoffed, putting an arm around Percy. "My tacos are way better than raw fish on rice."

"Sure." Piper raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. "But we're going to that sushi restaurant. Do you know how many people were in line for our spot?"

"Uh... no," Leo gave her the 'duh' look.

She sighed, playing with the feather in her hair.

"But anything for you, Beauty Queen." Leo wriggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up." Piper gently whacked him in the face and Leo did a dramatic reaction.

"OH MY GODS MY FACE IS--you know what? I'm okay." Leo suddenly cut himself off, not getting any dramatic attention.

Percy got his coat on, a stack of money, and all his friends followed him out of the fighting club. As they walked down the chilly streets of Manhattan, Percy scanned the restaurants along the sidewalk.

Mimi's Sushi House

"Come on, guys," Percy said as they walked inside, welcoming the smell of fresh fish and the sound of people having the time of their lives. "Table for six, please! Reservations for Percy."

"On it, Mr. Jackson," a waitress said, peering down at Percy's name.

When they were seated and the orders were placed, Percy quietly sipped on his miso soup. Thinking about Annabeth, he suddenly frowned as he looked down in his bowl. Seaweed. Was he technically eating his own brain? He shook the thought out of his mind.

"Earth to Percy?"

Percy blinked a couple of times, looking over at Piper, who was snapping her fingers in front of his face. She didn't even stop when he had her attention.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop that!" he exclaimed, swatting her hands away.

"What are you thinking about, Perce?" she sighed as if she already knew the answer.

"Nothing," he mumbled, though Percy could already feel his cheeks flushing.

Just the thought of her beautiful blonde curls flying in the beach breeze while she laughed, her stormy gray eyes twinkling in delight. The idea that they could be an item... it was impossible, but it didn't stop Percy from dreaming about her all the time. Annabeth Chase. The girl who would have his heart till the day he died, which, by his calculations, wouldn't be very long.

"What about a certain girl named Annabeth Chase?" Piper raised an eyebrow, smirking.

Percy froze staring at Piper in shock.

"W-What?" he spluttered.

Piper sighed. "Annabeth? Don't shy away from the fact that you have feelings for her!"

The rest of his table began to go 'ooh' and Percy felt his cheeks flush again as he desperately tried to hide it in his bowl of miso.

"Percy." Piper laughed, pulling his empty bowl off his face. "Just admit that you like her."

"And what if I did? It's not like we could be together. I'm literally so dangerous for her. If I loved her, I'd want her to live in peace and not die like I know I will someday soon. You of all people should know what it's like to be an Olympian. Lucky people live to our age. Others die early on. It's no secret, Pipes."

"Your sushi is here, sir."

Rolls were placed in front of them and Percy reached for a California Roll. 

"If your life ends so soon... why suffer in it?" Hazel asked softly, putting an arm on her cousin's shoulder. "Why pull yourself away from happiness when it can cause you both happiness?"

"Because it'll hurt her," Percy insisted.

"You're hurting her by staying away from her, Percy," Piper said. "I see the way she looks at you. The way she winces whenever you look at her. But she blushes a lot whenever she sees you, too, Perce. You need to understand... Annabeth wants you, Fish Face."

"Don't call me Fish Face," Percy groaned.

"Fine, Aquaman." Leo smirked at Percy's irritated expression.

"Fine. Maybe I like her. Maybe I want to be with her more than anything," Percy said. "But it's impossible. I'm an Olympian and she's not. It'll just make everything worse."

"Then let her know that you love her," Clarisse said quietly, looking away from the shocked faces that followed her.

"W-What did you just say, War Girl?" Percy asked.

"I said that you should let her know that you love her." Clarisse clenched her teeth. "At least if she knows, she'll be a bit happier."

"It'll give her hope for something that's impossible to reach and hurt her more!" Percy exclaimed. "Besides... I already told Thalia to tell her that I loved her. It's bad enough."

"Percy, if you think her knowing that you still love her is going to hurt her... You're a real dumbass," Jason said. "And if you think she's gonna be happier and more content if Thalia tells her, you're also mistaken. Because it means a lot more coming straight from you than from another person. Do that... and I'm pretty sure you'll both be happy without each other just knowing that love still exists in your hearts."

"That's the sweetest thing ever," Piper said, looking away shyly.

Percy smirked.

"Fine," he said. "But on one condition."

Everyone groaned, looking at him with a 'really' expression on their face.

"I'll confess to Annabeth and tell her if... Jiper and Frazel happen."

Frank, Hazel, Piper, and Jason turned beet red, staring at Percy in shock.

"W-What?"

"Ha!" Percy pointed at them. "Now you know what it feels like! So? What are you gonna do? I know you guys have crushes on each other and it's no secret."

Piper and Jason stared at each other, same with Hazel and Frank. Suddenly, Piper surged forward and kissed Jason, who kissed back with equal passion. When Percy looked over at Frank and Hazel, he found them already kissing. He sat back when they were done.

"I'll do it."