Percabeth Oneshots

The Art Of Encouragement

By me.

Percy slumped against a tree, staring miserably at the ground, Riptide hanging loosely in his hand. He sighed dramatically, waiting for someone—anyone—to swoop in with some wisdom.

Or maybe ice cream. Yeah, ice cream would help.

Thalia stood nearby, arms crossed, watching him with the patience of a seasoned demigod who had dealt with many Percy meltdowns.

"I'm a miserable failure," Percy muttered.

"Yes, you are." Her tone casual, almost conversational.

Percy blinked, momentarily thrown off. "Wait, what?"

"You said it," she replied, her tone unchanged, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

Percy frowned, but continued. "I’ve failed my mission."

"Yes, you did."

"Thalia!" Percy groaned, dropping his head back in frustration. "I could really use some words of encouragement here!"

"Yes, you could." She looked so unbothered, it was almost impressive.

Percy squinted up at her, completely exasperated. "Seriously? That’s what you’re going with?"

Thalia finally smirked, shrugging as if to say, What did you expect? "You’re practically setting me up for it."

"I’m pouring my heart out here, and you’re—what, running a comedy routine?" Percy complained.

Thalia sat down beside him, rolling her eyes. "Alright, alright, fine." She patted his back, as though he were a child who had just fallen off his bike. "Poor baby. Failed your mission, did you?"

Percy glared at her. "I didn’t just fail it. I spectacularly failed it."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Spectacularly? Did you juggle monsters while you failed or something?"

Percy groaned. "No! I mean… it was supposed to be simple. Go in, save the day, boom. Hero stuff. But then everything went wrong."

"Well, that does sound like your brand of heroism," Thalia said, giving him a playful nudge.

Percy glared. "Why do I even talk to you?"

"Because I’m the only one willing to tolerate your dramatics," Thalia said, patting him on the shoulder again. "And, for the record, you didn’t fail fail."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I didn’t?"

"Nah," she said casually. "You just… mildly botched it. There’s a difference."

Percy’s frown deepened. "That doesn’t sound any better."

Thalia grinned. "Look, you’re still alive. The monsters are… probably somewhere else by now, but they didn’t eat you. So, hey, small victories!"

Percy stared at her, deadpan. "I feel so much better. Truly, your motivational speeches are legendary."

Thalia grinned wider. "I aim to inspire."

Percy groaned again, standing up and brushing the dirt off his jeans. "I need better friends."

Thalia stood up too, crossing her arms. "Good luck finding anyone else who puts up with your constant self-pity parties."

Percy shot her a look. "I’m not that bad."

Thalia smirked. "Oh, you are. But hey, at least you’re good at something."

"Thalia!"

She laughed, throwing an arm around his shoulders as they started walking. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. Let’s go fail spectacularly somewhere else."