Rise (Percy Jackson x Reader)

sixteen

edited: april 2, 2021; sept 1, 2023
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(Y/N) lies awake, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. She lets out a quiet sigh, turning her head to the left to see Annabeth sleeping soundly beside her, back turned so she faces the wall. (Y/N) looks to her right, seeing Grover and Percy's figures on the bed across the room. Careful not to disturb her friends, she lifts the blankets off of her body, shifting to the side so she can place them back on the mattress.

She sits up, rubbing her temples before resting her elbows on her knees. Looking to the alarm clock on the nightstand, she holds back an annoyed groan.

2:28 AM

She again looks around the room, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness once more. Silently, she stands, picking up one of the key cards from the nightstand and slipping it into the pocket of her sweatpants. Making her way over to the door, her leg lightly brushes against the corner of the mattress near Grover's hoof, and she pauses, holding her breath. 

He turns over onto his side, hugging a pillow close to him as he lets out a soft bleat.

The sound quickly gets swallowed by the darkness. (Y/N)'s ears pick up the ticking of Grover's watch near the alarm clock. The soft hums of the air conditioning mask her footfalls as she walks to the door, opening it with as little noise as possible. She closes the door, making sure to keep the handle pushed down so as to prevent it from slamming heavily into the strike plate.

Percy opens his eyes.

His chest constricts with his worry for the days ahead, preventing his mind from drifting away into sleep. He lifts his head, propping his body up with his elbow as he looks around the room. He sees the empty spot near Annabeth, and his eyes move down to Grover. He clambers away from the plush mattress, trying not to make any noise.

Walking over to lean on the balcony railing, (Y/N)'s warm skin welcomes the chilly air. Quick shocks run up her legs as her bare feet touch the balcony's tiles. She closes her eyes. Her neck pricks with goosebumps as  her her loose t-shirt flutters in the soft breeze. She lets out a deep exhale, her forearms pressed against the cold metal railing, and she lets her head hang. 

Her thoughts begin to run rampant in her mind, and she struggles to sort through them. The sound of the door opening behind her brings her back to reality, and she lifts her head, opening her eyes to look forward once more.

"Are you cold?" Percy asks, walking up to her and leaning against the railing in the same fashion. (Y/N) shakes her head, still looking across to the balcony on the other end of the inn. "Couldn't sleep?" he asks again, and (Y/N) nods. Percy turns his head to her, seeing her calm expression. He looks past it, noticing her hardened jawline, almost unblinking eyes, and fingers soundlessly tapping against the railing.

Percy notices the action as an anxious habit of his, something he did when he felt nervous or unsure. He thinks back to when (Y/N) was driving—her fingers would drum similarly against the steering wheel whenever she paused in her story.

"What's on your mind?" he inquires, wanting to help in any way he can. (Y/N) raises an eyebrow and glances at him. Her fingers stop tapping.

"Your thoughts are running wild, aren't they?" Percy tries to explain. "I know what that looks like. It keeps me awake most nights, too."

(Y/N) sighs, tilting her head up a bit to look at the sky. She can't see any stars because of the lights from the inn. It makes her sad.

"You probably wouldn't want to hear it, anyway."

Percy furrows his eyebrows at her tone of voice, concern filling him. "What do you mean?"

She lets out a bitter chuckle. "It's about another part of my completely messed up life, Blue. I've told you a lot about it already, and I seriously doubt you'd like to hear even more. I don't think anyone would, for that matter."