"That's checkmate," Kara said, sliding her queen between her rook and Percy's king.
"How in the hell…" Percy muttered, staring down at the board in abject confusion. "That's-how-you're cheating right? No one is this good at chess."
"Don't be a sore loser just because you're bad at this," Kara laughed as she took a sip from her iced coffee.
"You'd be annoyed too if you lost five straight games in a row." Percy groused, as he mimed the previous moves and tried to figure out where he'd gone wrong.
"Six, actually." Kara corrected smugly. Percy looked up from him backtracking, his eyes narrowing, though no actual anger was present.
"And no one likes a smug winner," Percy shot back, and Kara laughed, wiping one of the strands of hair from her eyes.
It was some weeks after their first meeting, and since that day in the arboretum, Kara found herself increasingly spending more and more time in the presence of Percy Jackson. While Kara had been able to make friends with some of her classmates and a couple of her neighbors, she still found herself spending hours with Percy, either tucked away in some secluded corner of the library, or whiling away the hours in their favorite cafe, playing some childish game.
Kara relished in these moments, these escapes from her otherwise stressful life. For these brief hours, she was not Supergirl, she was not the cousin of Superman and last remaining daughter of Krypton. Instead, she was simply herself, she was an eighteen-year-old, allowed to laugh and relax in peace.
It was incredible.
But then again, so was he.
There were no shortages of attractive men in Kara's life, something about the Cape Community seemed to draw the attractive and the beautiful, but there was something else about Percy that drew her in. He was attractive, undoubtedly, and on more than one occasion she had been so focused on determining just how a human could have eyes so green, that she completely missed whatever he'd been saying.
But there was something deeper there than mere physical attraction.
To put it simply, Percy was kind. There was a distinct difference between being nice and being kind, though in Kara's opinion Percy was most certainly nice as well. But there was a built-in kindness in the man that just didn't seem to exist in others. Whether it was the simple action of holding the door open for someone else, to helping someone carry their baggage up the stairs, Percy seemed to go out of his way to try and help people. That morning for instance, he'd paid for some woman's coffee, when it turned out that in her rush to get out of the house, she'd forgotten it.
Simple things really, but moments that spoke monumentally to his character.
The way he looked her in the eye when she spoke, clearly engaged in whatever she was saying, hanging on to her every word. The way he listened, and participated in what she was saying, the way he propped her up for doing well in classes, even when it meant that she did better than he did.
It was no exaggeration to say that, even in their short time being friends, he was her biggest supporter in all things.
But even through the kindness, there was something under the surface, something that Kara was certain only she had been able to notice, and even then, only after so much time around the man.
It was the far off look he sometimes got, the way his face would flinch uncomfortably for a brief moment when he saw a mother with her children, or when he saw a pair of their classmates holding hands. The way he flinched away from physical contact, and seemed to grow strongly tense in crowded rooms or around large groups.
Kara had seen similar expressions on battle-hardened soldiers, and in the faces of some of the older members of the League. The ones who truly had seen some of the harshest the world had to offer, and had suffered greatly for it.
She'd wanted to confront him on it, wanted to reach out and help him the way that he helped her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It was selfish really, horribly selfish. She couldn't bear the risk of pushing away the man who had quickly become her best friend. Of prying too deep and asking about something improper. She could tell he was hurting, and she wasn't doing anything about it.
And she wanted to be a hero.
What a joke.
"You're doing it again." Percy commented, as he replaced the pieces on the board, ready to make way for a seventh attempt. Kara blinked, torn away from her thoughts.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Doubting yourself." Percy said, as he moved a pawn forward. Kara mimicked the action on her own side without thinking.
"You a mind reader now?" She deflected jokingly as Percy moved a second pawn which Kara matched.
"No," Percy said, moving a knight into position. "But you get this look on your face. Your lips start to twitch a little whenever you're thinking you can't do something."
"Maybe I've just got to sneeze." She moved a rook into position and took Percy's knight.
"Please." He scoffed, as he took her rook with his second knight. "Never even seen you get the hiccups before. What's going on? Is it your cousin again?"
Kara hesitated, it was certainly part of her anxiety, but she was again uncertain how to explain to Percy how she was questioning her own worthiness as a hero. How did she explain that Percy's simple acts of kindness to her, were more heroic and impactful than fighting some villain.
"A little," She admitted, "I guess…I don't know…you ever wonder if you're not cut out to do something?"
"You think you shouldn't be in school?" Percy asked, positioning his knight tantalizingly close to her queen.
"It's not that." She said, biting her lip and averting her eyes from the game board. "I just…I don't know…both of my parents are-they aren't around anymore." A familiar pang wracked her chest, "And I just feel like I'm not doing them justice. I'm here because Clark thinks it's best for me, and as much as he can be a pain in the ass I know he's just trying to look out for me. But I just…what if I'm not meant to be here? What if-what if they're disappointed in me?"
Percy stared hard at her, before reaching out and grasping her hand in hers, squeezing it tightly, and Kara was momentarily surprised by the strength in the man's grip.
"I get it," He said simply. "My mom…she's not around anymore either. And-and it's hard, you know? I'm just always wondering if she'd be proud of the decisions I make. If she'd be proud of the man I've become." He let go of her hand, and Kara immediately missed the warmth and security Percy's touch had provided.
"But then I remember that she would have wanted, above anything else, for me to be happy. For me to be doing what I think is best, and for me to always be trying my hardest. To be as good of a man as I can be." He paused, looking down at the board, looking far more…subdued than Kara could ever remember seeing him.
"I don't want to pretend to know your parents, but I know that if they were anything like you, anything at all, then they would be immensely proud of you. They would be proud of the woman you've become. I know they would." He reached out and gripped her hand again, running a gentle circle across her skin.
"You deserve to be here, you deserve what you have. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you don't, don't let anyone doubt you. You're better than that, and you're stronger than that."
The kind words meant more than she could describe, and while it didn't do much to confront her insecurities as a hero, she undeniably felt more comforted. She gave Percy a small smile, which he returned in kind.
"Thank you," She said, her voice soft.
"Of course." Percy replied genuinely. He gave her hand one last squeeze before he let go and glanced down at the board. When he looked up, a triumphant grin spread across his lips.
"Checkmate."
Kara looked down and swore violently.
Percy smirked at her, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he reached under the table and grabbed something beneath.
"We can play battleship next?" He smirked at her.
Kara just flicked her straw at him in response.
And as he laughed, falling off his chair and to the floor, Kara resolved herself.
She would make sure that even if her friend was hurting, she'd always be there to help him smile.
BREAK
For the umpteenth time in the last hour, Percy let out an annoyed grumble. Scratching out another line in his essay, he tried to make sense of the jumble of letters and words on the page. But between his own exhaustion, and dyslexia, it might as well have been utter gibberish on the page. It didn't help that his leg was throbbing painfully as a result from a painful encounter with an enraged spirit the previous night.
"All right!" Linda announced from the other side of the table. "You're done."
"What?!" Percy snapped without meaning too, his frayed nerves were making him far more agitated than usual.
Linda didn't bat an eye at his attitude.
"You're done," She repeated, as she began packing her things away, "We're getting out of here."
"Midterms are next week!" Percy contested. "I need to finish this or-"
"You won't get anything useful or productive done tonight." Linda said, putting her calculus book in her tote. "You've been here longer than I have and that's saying something. Come on, pack up, chop-chop!" She clapped her hands for emphasis and Percy rolled his eyes.
"You going to be difficult about this?" Linda asked, and Percy groaned, leaning back and rubbing at his eyes. He truly was exhausted.
"No." He groused, sighing in defeat, before standing up and packing his things as well. After a moment of movement, he and Kara had packed away their belongings and were making their way down the stairs towards the exit to the library.
"I assume you have a plan in mind?" Percy asked.
"What makes you say that?" She queried innocently. Percy wasn't buying her little act as he nudged her with an elbow.
"Because you're sneaky as a snake. Now come on, what's your grand plan Lang?"
There it was, the same little flinch that wracked Linda whenever he used her name. It was weird, almost as though she were unhappy with it, or as though it were something foreign. Quick as it had come though, the expression disappeared, replaced by a mysterious smile.
"You'll see!" She said imperiously, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him away from the library, and into the evening night.
Laughing happily, Percy allowed himself to be dragged by the energetic girl.
They ran for some time, neither tiring in the least as Linda led him through the meandering streets of Metropolis, before too long, Percy understood where they were going. Even if he hadn't been able to feel where they were going, he knew the scent of sea-spray entirely too well.
She was taking him to the ocean.
In moments, they were bearing down on the ocean, and almost on instinct, Percy kicked his shoes and socks off, to better feel the sand beneath his toes.
Even now, another world away from his home and his loved ones, away from the power and influence of his father, he was still calmed by the presence of the large waters. Without a word to Linda, he wandered forward, almost as though in trance, and approached the ocean. The water was cool to his skin, and he only barely had the mind to roll up the legs of his pants so as not to hint to his friend the reality of his situation.
As he waded into the waters, he felt peace wash over him. The feeling of the waves lapping against his ankles, the sand beneath his toes, left him feeling a peace of mind he had little way of describing. It was his last true link to his past life, the last thing linking him to the ones he'd left behind. The ocean had always been a special place for Percy, but here and now, it brought on entirely new meaning.
Percy lost himself in the feeling of the ocean, in the light breeze dancing across his cheeks, and allowed himself to revel in the peace he felt. Some minor splashing finally caused him to open his eyes and look over as Linda waded over to his side, a broad smile on her beautiful face.
"How'd you know?" Percy asked, his voice little more than a whisper.
"The way you talk about the ocean." She shrugged, turning to look at the moon high in the sky. "I figured that it meant something to you, would help you relax a little."
A lump formed in Percy's throat, unable to articulate how much it meant to him that she seemed to know exactly what he needed most at that moment.
"Thank you." He said hoarsely when he finally managed to find his tongue.
"Of course," Linda said back. "You take care of me, and I take care of you. That's what friends do for one another."
Percy didn't know what else to say, so he just turned his attention back to the water, watching happily as the waves crashed against one another as they broke closer to the shore.
"Mom had a place in Montauk," He said abruptly, not even really registering what he was saying, "We'd go there every summer. Just the two of us. We'd get away from my step-father and just…have fun." A tear formed in the corner of his eye as melancholy threatened to overtake him,
"Those were some of the happiest times of my life."
A soft, but firm hand gripped his tightly. A lifeline, one which Percy gripped onto like a man drowning in the sea.
He didn't know where he would be right now without Linda. She was the only light in his life. The only thing keeping him from drowning in his own guilt, his own despair. He was throwing himself more and more aggressively into his work for his benefactor. It wasn't for the pay, though the added funds into his bank account for each kill were a nice bonus. No, he didn't risk life and limb for a few extra dollars. He didn't traverse the world at the end of each day, finding and fighting the demons of the world to earn a living. He didn't even do it because he wanted to save lives, though it was most certainly a driving force behind his actions.
Percy was seeking death and he knew it. Taking riskier and riskier assignments against more and more dangerous creatures. Seeking an end to this nonsensical existence. Seeking an end to seeing the faces of his mother, Grover, Annabeth, all the others whenever he dared to shut his eyes.
But could he do that now? Could he do that, now that he had someone who counted on him, who called him friend? His own personal loyalties were at war in his heart, and it was driving him mad. Selfishly, he relished the challenge that each new hunt provided, the thrill of the chase and the fight. It was different from being a hero, being the hunter instead of the hunted, and he would be lying if he said that he didn't find immense satisfaction in its cause.
But it was still selfish.
What would his mother have thought, if she could see him here. If she knew what he was thinking, what thoughts plagued him day in and day out.
The thought of his mother brought another pang of guilt to his heart, and another tear slid down his cheeks.
Linda's grip on his hand tightened once more, and Percy squeezed back. Clinging desperately to the thing keeping him still relatively sane.
"It's all right Percy," Linda said softly over the crashing of the waves against the shore.
"Everything is going to be all right. I'm right here." Percy turned, his eyes blurring slightly from the tears, but still able to take in the fine features of his friend.
"I've got you, and I'm not going anywhere."
He prayed that she was right.
AN: First and foremost, shoutout to my boy Double0sxvxn who has started beta'ing for me! The reception for this has been awesome you guys, thank you so much for all of the love ya'll have been giving this! It means a lot and I had so much fun writing this. Let me know how you're liking the story! As always if you enjoyed this but haven't checked out my other work, give them a try you never know you might find something else you like. I'm also on discord now, where I and a bunch of other writers hang out, chat and brainstorm ideas, you just have to copy the link that's in my profile bio if you want to come and hang out with us. Stay safe, stay healthy and have an awesome week
Love, LilDB