"What the hell… He's amazing…"
The music started and Percy gave a sweet smile as the guitar filtered through the air. He nodded his head along and, as seconds passed, his body started to lose the tension it always seemed to hold. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly opening them to reveal the bright green of his eyes.
I know they say that the space between
Can make it stronger than we've ever seen
They might be right but I disagree
Cause I've never felt stronger than when you're with me
Sometimes I wonder why you even care
Cause even when I leave you're always there with me
And like a candle makes a brighter place
This mark you've made on me can't be erased.
I wanna be so far gone in you
So far nothing else will ever do
I wanna be so far gone in you
In you..
I've stood alone and I've fallen down
Your hands were there to pick me off the ground
Sometimes I cry cause I can't believe
Your love is big enough to cover me
The audience went silent and the announcer even dropped his mic in shock. Percy sang with a clear voice, watching the judges' every move with a smile and a wink. The girls' faces were a bright red while the men were slack-jawed, and Tucker and Andrew looked ready to fall out of their seats in front of the stage. There were tears here and there because Percy's voice had a richness to it that seemed to convey more emotions than the lyrics held. His eyes were pained and filled with turmoil but there was a relief in his voice, a smooth tone that showed happiness and freedom.
Stiles couldn't believe it. When Lydia said that Percy didn't want to do the karaoke contest, he figured it was because he couldn't sing or he was scared. Now he knew he wasn't scared, he made that clear earlier, so Stiles put it as he was ashamed of his voice. That wasn't it. For some reason or another, Percy just didn't want to sing- and he could sing.
"What the hell," Stiles whispered, looking up at Percy. "He's amazing…"
Lydia and Erica exchanged wide grins, high-fiving each other, and wolf-whistled (no pun intended), "Yeah, go, Percy!"
Isaac was smiling widely in his seat, hands shaking with happiness, "He's so cool! He sounds just like Jackson in Olympus!"
Danny nodded while Jackson looked thoughtful. When the Whittemore caught Percy's eye, he turned a bright red when the nineteen year-old winked at him. He flipped him off and it was obvious the green-eyed man wanted to laugh at that moment. Instead, he gave a nod and another wink, turning to face the judges again.
I wanna be so far gone in you
So far nothing else will ever do
I wanna be so far gone in you
In you…
So far gone in you
In you
In you
So far gone in you
As the song ended, Percy gave a breathless laugh. He seemed happier and at ease, looking out at the audience like they were something he couldn't remember but now did. He gripped the mic tightly, laughing into the crook of his elbow, and his cheeks were dusted a light pink as the crowd went wild.
"What the hell was that?" Tucker asked, arms spread wide as he grinned, "Where was that voice hidden this whole time? Can I be your best friend?"
Percy just shrugged with a laugh, looking for all the world shy all of a sudden, "Sure."
"Percy, I'm going to be honest to you," Andrew started, getting the nineteen year-old's attention. "I thought your singing was going to be horrible when you came on stage all timid," He held up a hand when the crowd started talking. "But when you touched that mic and the music started, I was blown away. Man, Percy, can you sing!"
"You sound almost exactly like Jackson when he sings this song," Tammy said, speaking into her microphone. "The only reason you sound different is because it sounds like you haven't sung in a while. You are an amazing singer, Percy, and I enjoyed listening to you."
"Thank you," Percy waved at them, walking off the stage. He gave a muffled shout of surprise when Isaac suddenly tackled him with a hug, "Whoa, there, Kiddo. Hey."
"Percy, that was awesome!" Isaac grinned at him, curly hair falling in front of his eyes for a moment, "I didn't know you could sing like that!"
"Yeah, it's been a while," He chuckled. "You're number seven. Have your song picked?"
"Yup," Isaac smiled. "Come on, you should have some water. Your throat must hurt."
"I'm alright," The nineteen year-old responded but allowed himself to be pulled along to their table.
"Holy shit, Percy," Stiles grinned along with everyone else there. "That was… Holy shit…"
"Thanks," He laughed, running his hand through the teenager's hair for no reason. He took a seat next to Jackson, trying to calm his shaking hands. It felt so good to be up on that stage with a mic in his hands and he couldn't remember why he stopped. Suddenly, a hand covered his, stopping the shaking, and he looked up to see Jackson looking at him with a small smile.
"You were amazing," The Whittemore whispered. "Just like I expected you to be."
Percy returned the smile, eyes shining, and he nudged his shoulder, "Thanks, Jackie. You'll do awesome when it's your turn. I'm sure of it." He looked over and saw Isaac, who looked a little too red-faced, and stood up, "I'll be right back."
Isaac was very close to hyperventilating. Why did he agree to do this? Oh, yeah, 'cause Lydia's the evil queen and will poison your food if you ever say no to her. He jumped in surprise when he felt someone touch his shoulder (because he totally expected it to be Lydia) and glanced up to see Percy.
"Hey, Cousin," He said with a twitch of his lips. "It's going to be okay. I'm here for you. You're going to blow the judges away with your singing and, if they don't like it, I'll break every bone in their bodies."
Isaac giggled and sniffled a bit, "Even Tammy and Makayla's?"
"Well, maybe half of theirs," He amended. "You'll be okay. We're all here for you and Derek should be showing up at some point to watch. Now, go up there and woo the crowd with your Lahey Awesome."
"Okay," Isaac smiled widely. "Okay, I can do this."
"You can do this."
"I can do this!" The blonde jumped up, running to the stage, before he stopped at the steps, "I can't do this…" But, when he looked back, he saw Percy nodding at him and he steeled his nerves and ascended the steps chanting, "I can do this.., I can do this… I can do this…"
"You can do this, Isaac," Percy whispered, watching as his cousin stood on stage shaking with nervousness. "You can do this, Kiddo."