Rise (Percy Jackson x Reader)

twenty-one

y'all are absolutely wild.
5k???? #2 in the percyjacksonxreader tag???? #1 in seaofmonsters????
fucking hell, i love you guys so goddamn much.

edited: april 4, 2021; march 8 2024 (a big jump lol i know)
✺✺✺

(Y/N) bounces her knee up and down with impatience as she waits for her food to arrive. Her friends look at her with worry, and Annabeth finally speaks up: "You've never had a problem not eating on a quest before. Why now?"

Percy furrows his eyebrows as Grover simply shrugs, agreeing with Annabeth. (Y/N)'s knee keeps bouncing, and she takes a sip of her hot chocolate before answering, "I was focused on our task at hand those times. Right now, I'm sitting in an IHOP, smelling pancakes everywhere, and I'm incredibly hungry."

Annabeth and Grover look at each other before turning to Percy. "Where are we going next?" the satyr asks, and (Y/N) perks up, finally interested. Her knee goes still.

Percy pulls out the map, and (Y/N) scoots closer to him on their side of the booth, leaning over to read it. The words fizzle out like normal, and (Y/N) scoffs. "Of course," she says, rolling her eyes. 

Hollywood, California
Hades

"It's in . . . Hollywood," Percy states, surprise lacing his voice.

"He always needs a bit of flair," adds (Y/N), scooting back to her place in the booth and picking up her mug of hot chocolate. Seeing that it's gone slightly cold, she heats up her hands, bringing the temperature of the drink up a few degrees.

"All right!" Grover says, a smile forming on his face. "We've got more than enough time to get there."

Percy hurriedly folds up the map as their waitress walks up to their booth, holding a large tray with four plates on it. She places them each down in front of their respective orderers, and (Y/N) mutters a quick thanks before digging into her pancakes. She lets out a hum of happiness when she puts the first bite in her mouth—"Oh, that is so much better."

The four talk about how they should spend their time the next few days, laying out a plan to get them to Hades with a day to spare. "Tomorrow, well, today, we're taking it easy, okay?" (Y/N) offers while checking her—Grover's—watch, and the group agrees without a second thought. "We can stop by a mall or something because I need to get a new jacket, and we can take our time on the way to Cali."

"Sounds good," Percy agrees, and the group of friends eats their food in a comfortable silence.

"All right," Grover says when they finish, "let's find a place to rest for the night."

They check into an inn just outside of Las Vegas, and (Y/N) immediately runs to the bathroom to change out of her jeans and tank top, literally jumping into the bed closest to her when finished. She snuggles under the blankets, falling asleep almost instantly. Percy watches in amusement before he sees Annabeth passed out on the other bed, and he and Grover both turn to each other in realization of their dilemma, neither of them wanting to wake the girls.

According to Grover, Annabeth becomes heartbroken when woken up before she pouts for the rest of the day. (Y/N), on the other hand, should never be surprised awake unless someone has a death wish.

As their best friend, Grover has had to share sleeping spaces with the girls when necessary, while Percy fidgets awkwardly—still new to the friendship, he worries that neither of the girls would feel comfortable with him in the same bed. He toes the floor, gauging its solidity and contemplating how comfortable it would be to lie on for eight hours.