Hello everyone! I apologize for being absent for so long...life happened and all that stuff. But, I've had this idea for a fic floating around in my brain for a few months and I'm just now getting to write it (I'm so productive, aren't I?)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little story. Reviews are greatly appreciated as I'm always working to improve my writing! :)
Percy Jackson was one of the most well-known demigods of his time for single-handedly slaying the Minotaur at the age of 12 with no special training or preparation, playing a big roll in the downfall of the evil Titan king Kronos, as well as being part of an "exchange program" between the Greeks and the Romans that turned the tables in the war against the heinous Earth Mother, Gaea. What's more is that Percy was also one of the seven specially selected demigods that helped take down the Earth Mother, which involved traveling across the world to the ancient lands of Rome, facing countless deadly monsters, cheating death an incalculable amount of times, even surviving the ordeal of literally going through hell and back, all on a time crunch!
And, after surviving these tests that surpassed the deeds of Hercules, never in Percy's life had he been so frightened, nervous, or apprehensive...
"You'll do fine", Jason said, pulling him back to reality. He was fiddling with Percy's attire; smoothing out any wrinkles, folding and refolding the cuffs on his sleeves and adjusting and readjusting Percy's collar.
"Easy for you to say", Percy mumbled, flinching as he felt Frank's rough hands "fixing" his ruffled, messy black hair.
Jason smiled, revealing a perfect set of pearly whites just behind his upper lip, "Look we've been through this a hundred times: You go in, you say what you gotta say, and you go out! Easy peasy!"
"Yeah", Leo said, sitting on a trunk at the back of the room with that devil-worthy smile on his face, as if he were having the time of his life (which he probably was), "Easy peasy! I mean, look at how well I did it!", Leo said grinning even broader (if that was even possible).
"Leo, you set your pants on fire in front of everyone", Percy pointed out, resulting in stifled laughter from Jason and Frank.
Leo pursed his lips and squinted, making belief that he was having trouble remembering the embarrassing event that had taken place only 3 months before, "Hmmm. It wasn't that bad! I still looked as charming and dashing as ever!"
"Yeah, in your Flintstones underpants", Percy said, immediately making Jason and Frank crack up. Even Percy, whose nerves were at an all-time high, had to smile at the memory.
"Whatever man", Leo said, his elf-like ears turning different shades of red, "Let's just hope you don't slip up and end up flooding the place before the day is done".
Percy's smile dissolved as he realized what he was about to do in the next ten minutes. His breathing became ragged, his sea-green eyes had a nervous glint to them and his palms began to perspire.
"Hey, I was only kidding", Leo said, getting up from his seat and clapping Percy on the shoulder, "I'm sure you won't flood the place...though just in case I did bring some swimming gear for everyone!"
"Leo!", Jason and Frank scolded in unison, also noticing how nervous Percy was.
"Anyway", Frank said, eyeing Leo with an obvious Be nice!, "I'm sure you'll do great, man! I mean...I'm not one to talk on this topic, but just take some deep breaths and it'll be fine!"
This didn't really help ease Percy's nerves but he knew Frank couldn't possibly know how nerve-racking this could be, as he had never actually done what Percy was about to do, so he replied with a sheepish grin, "Thanks, man".
Frank, obviously oblivious to the fact that his advice hadn't helped Percy in the slightest, turned away from him with a satisfied grin and said, "Awesome! Leo you wanna help me set up out there?"
"Sure!", Leo said, clearly anxious to leave the pep-talking to someone else.
With that, the two walked out of the room, leaving Percy with Jason.
"Hey", Jason said, clearly aware of the fact that Percy was still a mess, "Dude, don't be so worked up over this! What's the worst that could happen?"
"Uh, I could flood the place, trip, stutter, have a nervous breakdown, throw up or all of those at once in front of everyone!", Percy said, his fists clenching at the thought.
Jason took a second to ponder these possibilities, "Well, those are plausible...but look on the bright side: it won't take long and once it's over, it's over! Just take deep breaths up there, relax, concentrate on what you're doing and I guarantee we won't be swimming out of here!"
These words were only slightly more helpful than Frank's words of wisdom, but Percy nodded in understanding.
"Now, I gotta make sure everyone's in their seats before you go out there", Jason said, walking towards the exit.
"Wait", Percy said, remembering something, "Didn't you say Nico would be meeting up with us before I went out there?"
"Uh, yeah", Jason said, looking down at his watch, "Maybe he's late. I'm sure you'll see him before we give the OK to go out there". And, with that, he grabbed his clipboard with the list of guests, and walked out the door, leaving Percy alone to his intrusive thoughts:
I'm gonna suck out there...
Come one, Jackson! You've gone through Tartarus and back, you can do this!
But what if I make all the plumbing go haywire and flood the place?! Or if I trip and make a fool of myself?! Or-
Be real! If you do what the guys said and relax-
Relax? How can I relax when everyone I know and love is out there and-
"Hey", a voice said, startling Percy so much so that he fell hard on his rear-end.
Percy looked up and saw the speaker; a pale, thin, dark-haired guy, only younger than Percy by a couple of years. Usually, he wore black, skull-oriented clothing with his matching skull ring but, today, he wore a black tuxedo, with a white undershirt, black dress shoes and a blue bow-tie.
"Hey-Hey. Where've you been?", Percy asked, still shaken up.
Nico shrugged, "We got stuck in traffic".
"Couldn't you have just shadow traveled here?"
"Will didn't think it'd be a good idea, considering we're two towns over. He said he wanted me to have some energy left to dance once the ceremony is over", Nico said with a ghost of a smile (literally).
"Oh", Percy said, Nico pulling him up from the floor.
"Can I be honest?", Nico asked him suddenly.
"Sure?"
"You look like you're gonna throw up.", Nico said with a tone that suggested Percy indeed looked ill (he felt it too).
"Gee, thanks." Percy mumbled, taking a seat while he waited for Jason's cue.
"Your hands are shaking", Nico said, resulting in Percy looking down at his trembling fingers.
"If you couldn't tell, I'm a little nervous", Percy said with gritted teeth: sometimes, Nico's brutal honesty bugged Percy, then again he had asked for permission.
"Wow, I never would've guessed", he said. With surprise, Percy looked up to see a smile tugging at the corners of Nico's mouth, as if he was amused by Percy's anxiety (which he probably was), "What's the problem?"
"I might mess up, that's the problem!", Percy said a little louder than intended, "Everyone thinks I can do this, but I can't! I'm gonna screw up, I can feel it, yet everyone's just waving it off, saying that I'll 'do fine'. I'm not gonna do fine, I'm gonna mess up one way or another and end up embarrassing myself in front of everyone! Not to mention how much I'll disappoint-", Percy's sentence was cut off by a groan of exasperation from Nico.
"Ugh, come on Percy! You've faced way worse than this", he said gesturing to the door, "If you keep thinking you're gonna mess up, you will mess up. Period. But, if you think of all of what you've accomplished, all of the monsters you've slain, the challenges you've faced and the quests you've endured, you'll get over your nerves, face the people who trust and love you the most, including her", he emphasized, grabbing both of Percy's shoulder, forcing him to look into his dead, determined eyes, "and you will do fine".
Percy was about to reply, when Jason's head poked out from behind the doorway, "It's time, Percy", he said, greeting Nico with a nod.
Nico stood up and locked eyes with Percy with a message that said You can do this, "See ya out there", and, with that, he vanished in a puff of black smoke.
Percy took a deep breath before standing up and joining Jason at the doorway. They both walked in silence down a long hallway that led to the back of a small stage that overlooked a large room. A curtain separated the back of the stage from the front and Percy was about to walk through when Jason stopped him.
"Wait", he said, rummaging in his pocket, "Can't forget the most important part", he said, handing Percy a small item that, without it, could've ruined the entire night for everyone (in Percy's mind, anyway).
"Thanks", Percy said slipping it into his pants pocket.
Jason gave him two big thumbs ups before walking the opposite direction through a hallway that would lead him to the back of the room where he could take his seat with everyone else.
Percy took another deep breath and walked through the blue curtains in front of him. His eyes went wide as he realized just how many people were present for this event. His hands began to shake again as he turned to face the party pony, Joshua, who would be officiating the ceremony. The centaur's brown coat of fur contrasted against his pale human skin. He was mumbling something, apparently repeating something from the thin book in his hands.
As Percy wondered if he could excuse himself for a bathroom break before the ceremony began, suddenly music began to play in the back of the room. Everyone gasped in unison as they saw a figure walk along the blue carpet that divided the two groups of guests in half. Percy turned to see what (or who) everyone was staring at, and his jaw immediately went slack.
Walking slowly towards him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her dirty blonde hair was tied up in an elaborate, elegant updo with small pink and blue flowers embellishing her hairstyle. Whisps of hair framed her face and she wore a minimal amount of cherry red lipstick and bronze eyeshadow. Her elegant, yet simple, lacy white dress and white heels contrasted nicely with the bright blue flowers that she held in her hand and her strides were graceful yet confident as she made her way to the small stage where Percy and the officiator stood.
The next few minutes were a blur for Percy as the officiator started to speak. All Percy could focus on was the beautiful, innocent face that was looking up at him and all Percy could think about was how lucky he was to be with her. Her stormy gray eyes shone as bright as ever in the light of the room, and her smile seemed to warm the room at least another 10 degrees. The most important person in Percy's life was staring up at him as everyone he knew and loved watched the couple with rapt attention.
Yet, Percy wasn't nervous anymore.
Because, seeing and being with Annabeth reminded him of all the things they had been through together and how they had survived despite everything and it made him feel like he could muster the courage to do anything.
As long as we're together.
The officiator apparently asked Annabeth a question because she spoke up for the first time since entering the room, her clear voice echoing against the large walls of the room.
"I do".
The officiator turned to ask Percy the same question and Percy no longer had any doubts or fears, only gratitude and hope, as he spoke the words:
I do.