Rise (Percy Jackson x Reader)

ten

rewritten: april 15, 2021; edited: august 7, 2023
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Words could not describe the dread and hatred that Percy felt.

His attention is barely present, Hades's words echoing in his mind. Bring me the lightning bolt, he had said, or watch your mother die.

For some reason, Percy had expected the god to be more sympathetic to his plight. There was no proof that he'd stolen the lightning bolt. He hadn't the faintest idea of how to even do that in the first place, especially considering that he'd learned about the truth of his life less than twenty-four hours ago.

It was almost cruel that his father, a man Percy hadn't even met in his sixteen years of life, was the root of all of Percy's problems. 

And of all people, Hades chose Percy's mother. She deserves so much better than to suffer because of something the gods were stupidly blaming Percy for.

His heart pounds in his ears, his vision slightly hazy as the firelight in front of him seems to brighten. He doesn't notice how (Y/N) glances at him in concern, doesn't hear her whisper his name to see if he's all right. All he sees is Sally's face, all he hears is the threat to her life.

All he feels is the despair that he won't be able to give away something he doesn't even have in order to save his mother's life.

(Y/N) steels her expression, stepping in front of Percy and looking up at Hades. "Leave," she says, her voice as gentle as a whisper, haunting in its calmness.

Hades tilts his head at her before grinning, his demonic form appearing cynical in its glee. He gives (Y/N) a light bow, the action almost joking in its manner. The bonfire shoots upwards toward the sky, making light dance across the treetops. The fire dies down to its normal size, no indication of the god left behind apart from the ruined table he destroyed minutes prior.

(Y/N) turns around, her eyes slightly more widened than usual and eyebrows cinched in concern. "Percy?" she asks, keeping her voice quiet so as to not startle him out of his shocked state.

His breathing slowly become louder, quicker, and he stares ahead of him, face pale and eyes bulging. (Y/N) fills with fear as he looks at her, stares into her gaze, but doesn't appear to actually see that she's there. 

"Percy," she says, her voice more firm this time. "Percy, it's okay. Your mom's gonna be all right."

His breaths tremble, labored and uneven as her words don't seem to break through. (Y/N) stays calm, taking his shoulders in her hands and keeping her eye contact with him. "Look, Blue, you're not gonna help anyone by freaking out, okay?" She opts for the cruel kindness method, hoping it will snap him back into reality and calm him down.

Of all her words, Percy manages to comprehend one. He holds onto it, knowing in his moment of panic that this one word is important.

Blue.

Blue is nice. Blue is his favorite color. He likes blue.

His mom makes his food blue to spite Gabe.

The sea is blue. So is the ocean.

His cabin at Camp Half-Blood is near the water. Some of the items in that cabin are blue.

There's a rose in that cabin, too. It's blue.

Percy squeezes his eyes shut, remembering how the flower felt in his hands. It had sent a calming warmth through his fingertips and across his skin in pulsing vibrations. He focuses on the memory of that sensation, wishing that the thought of it will be enough right now.