Climb (Percy Jackson x Reader)

forty-eight

✺ A NEW TYPE OF SOLACE ✺

"Hang on, hang on!" Percy exclaims, searching frantically through the kitchen drawers. Sally sighs, her hands on her hips. She watches as he swivels repeatedly before gasping. "There it is! Okay"—he grabs the notepad he'd been looking for, pulling a pen from his pocket and poising himself to write—"now I'm ready."

Sally lifts her eyebrows, amused. "We need eggs."

"O . . . kay," he drawls, scribbling the note, "and what else?"

"Just eggs."

Percy pauses. He looks up, exasperated. "Just eggs?"

"Just eggs."

The muscle in his jaw ticks as he stares at his mother, his pen bleeding ink onto the paper. His nostrils flare with a sharp exhale. Sally huffs a laugh.

Percy's bedroom door creaks slightly as (Y/N) hops out, stuffing her foot into a combat boot. After zipping it closed and adjusting the laces, she stands upright with a satisfied exhale. Her brows knit together upon seeing Percy.

"Isn't that Riptide?" she asks, peering at the pen.

Percy blinks, his gaze shooting downward. The ink pooling at the pen's tip glimmers, golden as ichor, as he adjusts the pen to read its engraving. "Oh!" he screams, throwing the pen across the room. (Y/N)'s eyes widen, and she quickly jumps out of the way. The pen clatters as it bounces around the floor, rolling into some shadowed place beneath the couch.

With his mouth slightly agape, Percy reaches back into his pocket. As he pulls Riptide free once more, (Y/N) and Sally both stalk forward. He clicks it, muttering, "I need a pen."

When it doesn't change, a golden ballpoint waiting to be used for writing, Percy clicks it again to retract the tip. "Now I need a sword," he announces to himself. Roughened leather presses against his skin as the weapon's hilt forms, and Sally sucks in a sharp inhale when the blade nearly scrapes against the countertop.

"Careful!" she urges.

(Y/N) laughs, staring at Riptide. "That's so cool."

"And to think, I've lost so many pens," Percy gripes. He stuffs Riptide back into his pocket. "I could've been using one that magically returns to me, every time."

Stepping over to examine the counter for damage, Sally's shoulders remain tense before easing with relief. She nods affirmatively to herself, releasing a stiff exhale before turning to the half-bloods.

"Now," she says, "remember to be back with enough time to spare. It'll take a while for us to get to our dinner reservation, so aim for five-thirty or so. We'll all need time to get ready, too."

Percy nods. "Sure thing, Mom." He stops by the cupboard, rifling through and pulling out his skateboard, before walking over to the door. While opening it for (Y/N), he waves at his mother.

"Eggs!" Sally calls out as he starts to pull the door shut.

He taps his head. "Eggs. I'll remember."

With a long exhale, he turns, smiling at (Y/N). "This way, m'lady," he says, gesturing down the hall as he offers his elbow.

Rolling her eyes, (Y/N) hooks her arm in his. Percy holds his skateboard to his side, guiding (Y/N) out of the apartment while explaining the tour he'd outlined to show her his favorite parts of the city. She listens intently, a gentle smile pulling at her lips.

Percy leads her to a bagel shop held in his highest esteem, urging her to buy nearly everything on the menu before insisting that they split and share their orders so that she can try both. As they stroll while eating, he points out some of the notable landmarks and shops, attributing stories from his childhood to each one (firemen needed to get involved when his jacket had snagged at a nearby construction site, his first monster sighting had been just outside a bakery, he'd somehow tripped directly into the street and by dumb luck had avoided getting pancaked by a moving truck—stuff like that). Eventually, they reach the main gates for Central Park.