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Percys pov:

All of the attention was making me feel pretty uncomfortable. I hated attention. And at the moment, nobody was taking their eyes off me.

Apparently, they all wanted to know what my special abilities were.

I briefly looked around, before focusing on the bucket. Everyone was smiling at my direction.
I didn't work well under pressure.... Well, no, I may actually only work under pressure.

I sighed. Here goes nothing, I suppose.

I cleared my thoughts and concentrated all of my emotions on the water - all of my hyperactivity, my temper, the anger at the gods, the frustration about my life. I projected all of that onto this bucket of water. My emotions were a whirlwind, and so would the water be.
I felt the familiar tug in my stomach.
And right in front of the eyes of all spectators, it happened -

A single, hazelnut sized bubble came into being, rose and burst on the surface.

My shoulders slumped and I had to take a deep breath because of the exertion.
That didn't just actually happen, did it?

The whole room was quiet, while I was questioning all of my abilities. I could make a cloud of 500 liters of water float out of the creek, but I couldn't make one liter of water inside a bucket bubble??

A "That was it?" tore me out of my moping thoughts and I looked up, a little shamefaced.

Even Apollo spoke up. "That actually was pretty miserable, Perce."

Although I already knew that, and even thought so myself, I was offended.

"Then you can go and heal Rhodey's legs, if you can control your abilities so much better!"

Apollo just sighed. "You know what's wrong with my abilities. And I know that you can create a literal hurricane! So yes. That was miserable."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed mumble. "That's because this is not natural water! If that was a bucket of sea water, it probably would've exploded from how concentrated Percy has been."
That explanation sounded pretty plausible.

"Could Lester really heal my legs?," Rhodey interrupted the bickering.

I was hit with guilty conscience. "Sorry man, that was a dumb comment. I didn't want to drag you int-"
"Yes, I could," Apollo interrupted me. "And when I have my powers back, I'll do that."

I stared at him. Apollo wanted to do something that wouldn't be of advantage to him?

In my confusion, I realized that everybody was as irritated as I was, albeit probably for different reasons.

My theory got confirmed.
"That... Really?," Rhodey asked again. "Why couldn't Thor just do it, then?"

Apollo's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and I could almost hear the gears turning in his head, to help him with this situation.
"Well, I am the God of healing. Thor isn't... I have to be able to do that, that's basically my job."

"Was," I added quietly, ignoring Apollo's murdering eyes.

Rhodey nodded understandingly. "Sounds logical. But if you'd actually do that- thanks, man."

Apollo smiled. "I mean, it's nothing. You help us, too."

I used the opportunity that noone was currently really paying any attention to me and tried my luck with the the bucket again.
All of my concentration was directed at that stupid red thing, and I could feel how my frustration was mirrored by the water- and still, there was just one or the other bubble occasionally appearing in the bucket.

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