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Percy had been trying to mentally prepare himself for this game for a while. It was the state championship game against who else but the Titans. Every single source predicted it to be a blowout in favor of the Titans, but couldn't let that happen. Especially not when he had scouts from every top university in New York sitting in the stands.
They got to play in a professional stadium for the game, which was a once in a lifetime experience, though he felt too stressed to appreciate it fully.
He was sitting in a chair in the locker room, dressed in a clean white jersey, his head in his hands. A few of his teammates were milling about him, though a lot of them were waiting outside for the game to begin. He wished he would've been able to take in everything more, but in light of his situation, he couldn't.
He pulled his head away from his hands and reached into his open backpack beside his chair, retrieving the blue gloves Annabeth had bought him that day in the mall. Even after all this, they were his favorite ones.
He was hurting in a way he never had before. Annabeth had used him. She knew he was into her, and she used that to get her ex back. He'd known that the whole time, yet he let it happen. He couldn't blame her for that...could he?
He pulled on the left glove, flexing his fingers as he strapped it on. They fit perfectly.
He didn't know why he was so hurt. He had no idea why he was this affected by it, yet here he was. He was expected to go out onto the field and dominate this game, though. He hoped that's what he would do.
He pulled on the right one, doing the same flexing motion with his fingers as he fit it snugly onto his hand.
He had to do it. For his teammates, for his coaches, for the college scouts. He had to.
There was something therapeutic about sitting somewhere quiet but hearing noises from outside. He felt as if he could hear the crowd already, countless supporters, fans, and scouts filling the stadium for the division title game. He'd been here before in his high school career, but every single time it felt different.
He could hear his blood roaring in his ears as he sat there, his elbows on his knees and his eyes locked onto the laces of his cleats. He'd double knotted them firmly and taped over them to make sure they stayed that way.
It was one of his pre-game rituals that he'd had ever since he became a runningback. Once when he was a little kid playing peewee football, he broke a tackle and had an open lane to the end zone, when he tripped himself up on his laces and face planted into the grass around the ten yard line. He wasn't ashamed to say that he cried after that, he was so frustrated.
After that, his mom helped him tape up his laces before every game until he started doing it himself in middle school. He knew he needed to get up and join his teammates who had already all run onto the field, but he felt as if he couldn't move. He knew he should be confident, but he was so unsure. He knew he needed to do well here.
It was his senior year, scouts were there. He needed to do this for his team, for his mom, for himself. Even for Annabeth. He needed to show her that she didn't break him. He needed to show her that she made a mistake dropping him for Luke.
Luke never won a state title. Luke couldn't even get a scholarship for football. He needed to show that he was better.
He felt a fire start burning inside him that he hadn't felt in weeks. He felt determination as he finally stood up, grabbing his helmet from beside his chair and making his way out to meet his teammates.
The game was set to start in about two minutes, so he came out in plenty of time. As he exited from the tunnel and looked around, he had to smile. Their game wasn't the first that day, since the other divisions also had their championship games that day, so there were varying colors speckled throughout the stands beyond just the Shark blue and Titan red.
He heard a few cheers from the stands as he exited, and he couldn't help but smile as he turned and spotted his mom sitting with Thalia and Piper, all three of them grinning. It was weird, honestly. He got along super well with Piper, even though she was Annabeth's best friend. He didn't mind it though. Piper was always fun to hang out with, and was always nice.
He saw Hazel near the trio, and that's about all he wanted to see. He didn't know if Annabeth was coming, but if she was, he didn't want to see her. He didn't need that added stress now too.
He smiled and waved a hand at them before he slipped on his helmet and jogged over with his teammates. He walked up behind Jason and gave his helmet a good slap.
The quarterback turned around and when he saw his cousin he grinned hugely. "Ready to kick some ass, Perce?" the blonde asked with a grin. The runningback nodded with a big grin, folding his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't dream of anything different, Superman."
The blonde cringed as he heard the nickname, but Percy just had to laugh. The team had started calling their quarterback that ever since a game their junior year, when Jason ran with the ball and went to jump over a defender into the endzone and went flying a solid five feet when the guy unexpectedly straightened up.
Jason didn't care for it much, though everyone else thought it fit perfectly. Percy glanced up at the large scoreboard on the end of the stadium and when he saw the numbers ticking down from 30 seconds, he felt a rush of uncertainty.
His last high school game...he needed to make it count. He steeled his nerves and threw an arm around his cousin, grinning.
25.
"We've got to show those douchebags how Sharks play football." Jason grinned.
21.
"We can do this, man. I know it."
19.
"Hell yeah we can." Percy turned to see a few of his teammates behind him, including Leo, Frank, and Malcolm. Every single one had a huge smile on their face. "It's our last game, isn't it? Let's give 'em something to remember."
8.
Leo winked as he patted Percy on the shoulder. "I'll try and make a tackle on the kickoff. Just for you." He blew him a kiss and turned to jog onto the field with the kickoff team.
3.
Percy turned to Jason and smiled. "Let's go, then."
2.
1.
The buzzer went off, and the game began.
It was the end of the fourth quarter, and the game was drawing to a close. The Titans were up 26 to the Sharks' 18, and there was less than a minute left of play. The Sharks had the ball at about the 50, and as the offense huddled, Percy could see fear in his teammates eyes.
"C'mon, guys, we can do this," he said adamantly. "I know it. Just focus and we can do it." Jason nodded, though Percy could see his jaw set in a way he often had it to avoid displaying emotion. "Alright, we're gonna run Lightning," their quarterback said, glancing at the offense.
They clapped in unison and went up to the line. Percy took his place beside Jason, rocking back and forth slightly on his heels to maintain some kind of movement. When the ball was snapped, Jason pump-faked a pass and handed Percy the ball.
The runningback took off, looking for an open hole the blockers put forth, though before he could even move, he was slammed onto his back onto the turf by two of the Titan's defense that had wormed their way through the blockers.
He got the breath knocked out of him, and laid on the grass for a moment as he stared up at the roof of the arena. Well, now it was second down. Jason and Frank, their starting center, both hoisted him to his feet, Frank looking apologetic as they made their way to the huddle. "Sorry, Perce. My bad."
The runningback managed a smile and clapped his teammate on the back. "Don't worry about it, man, not your fault," he said before he quieted down, all of them turning to Jason. He sighed, smoothing down the front of his jersey, and Percy could see fear in his eyes.
"I...we're gonna try that play we've been working on," the quarterback decided and looked between everyone. "Fake handoff to Malcolm, pass to Percy. Trident." They all nodded and clapped, and Percy let out an inward groan. Here he was again, the game being decided on whether or not he could catch the ball.
They lined up, Percy on one side of Jason, Malcolm on the other, and once the ball was snapped, Percy took off in a flash, racing through the defenders. He knew his route well, and after he'd left the defenders in the dust, he turned to see Jason's pass already in motion.
It was an easy catch, directly into Percy's outstretched hands, and once he had it, he took off. His teammates were doing amazing blocking for him, and he begin to hear the roars and cheers from the crowd as he raced down the field.
He could see defenders chasing him down out of the corner of his eye, but he couldn't think about it. He just had to run. Percy's left side was flush with the sideline, and he could see a defender charge up on his right. He was at the thirty, almost there.
He reached out an arm and shoved the defender away, causing him to miss his tackle and face plant into the turf. Percy would enjoy that on the highlight reel later. He poured on a last burst of speed to race into the endzone, and spiked the ball hard into the ground, letting out a loud whoop.
His teammates raced up behind him, cheering and slapping him on the helmet and the back, and Percy held his arms up to the crowd of Titan's fans that had seats near their endzone.
They didn't enjoy that.
After their celebration, Jason came up and bumped his helmet into the runningback's, grinning. "Nice job, Flash." Him expression dimmed a bit as he brought his teammates into a huddle. "We still have to get a two point conversion," he said, glancing at the chart strapped to his forearm. "Uh...let's try Riptide," he decided, and everyone nodded.
This was it. The clock had expired during his run down the field, so no more second chances. They'd either tie and go to overtime, or they'd lose. Riptide was fairly simple, though you wouldn't know it with how much they'd practiced it.
Jason took the snap, faked a pass to the left tight end, and then pitched it to Percy, who would run it up the right side of the field, which in theory, should be open.
Percy's heart was pounding and he was shaky from the adrenaline coursing through his body. It was up to him again. He needed to deliver this time.
The snap seemed to go in slow motion. The offensive line worked flawlessly, giving Jason all the time he needed in the pocket to pretend to fake a pass. Percy shuffled to the right, grinning when he noticed no defenders were paying him any mind.
Jason gave him a quick glance and threw a quick lateral pass that would've made any pro quarterback proud, and Percy took off. He could see the pylons, he was so close. He could see some Titans defense bearing down on him, and he leaped out with the ball outstretched, hoping to break the plane.
What he didn't see was a defender charge out from around his teammate, his hand outstretched to knock the ball out of his hands. And suddenly, Percy didn't have the ball anymore. He fell on his face on the turf, and couldn't move for a bit.
He heard loud cheers from people that weren't his teammates, and his heart sunk. He hadn't been able to do it. He rolled over so he was looking up, and saw the ball sitting a few feet away outside the endzone. It had gotten knocked out of his hands before he could get there. He hadn't been able to do it.
He felt completely empty and devoid of everything. He sat down on the field and buried his face into his knees. He couldn't deal with any of it right now. Confetti shot from somewhere above him, black and red to represent the Titan's victory, yet again.
He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted to punch something or someone. But he couldn't do a single thing. He could only just sit there and hold onto his shins, gripping them so hard he knew he'd have bruises afterwards.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and he gathered himself for a moment before he looked up, only to see Jason standing above him with a small smile. "Hey, Perce," the blonde said softly as he sat down beside him on the turf, watching the Titans throw their helmets and cheer, the black and red clad fans finding ways to mob the field to celebrate with the team.
"We had quite a run, didn't we?" his cousin said, his voice wistful and sad. Percy suddenly felt kind of guilty. He wasn't the only one hurting here. He sighed and looked up, punching the quarterback in the arm half heartedly. "We sure did," he mumbled softly, staring ahead at nothing in particular.
They sat there in silence, the rest of the Sharks standing defeatedly by the sideline. Percy couldn't stand, couldn't move, couldn't speak. He'd already felt shitty after Annabeth went back to Luke, but this just drove everything home.
It was so much worse. He couldn't do anything right, could he? Not even football, which he was supposed to be good at.
Soon, the Titans finished with pictures and their trophy and everything and left the field. Fans began emptying the stands, and Jason had left to go talk to Piper and his sister Thalia, who had gotten passes to meet him near the locker room along with the rest of the families and close friends.
Percy only moved when he saw someone crossing the field towards him. His mom. She gave him a warm smile he could see from fifty plus yards away, her blue eyes shining. He pushed himself to his feet and walked over, every step causing him physical pain.
He wasn't hurt, but it just took too much effort. He held his helmet firmly in his hand by the facemask, his grip tight as anything to try and relieve some of the intense feelings coursing through his body. It was only a few more strides until her arms were around him as best as she could manage with all his pads on.
He hugged her tightly, tears forming in his eyes as he buried his face into her neck. "I-I couldn't do it," he said softly. She shushed him quietly and ran her fingers through his hair, patting his back.
"Honey, you did amazing," she said, pulling back to give him a warm smile. "You tried your best, and that's all that matters." She rested her hand on his cheek, and he just gave her a teary smile.
He could never be upset when she gave him that smile. "Sometimes things just don't work out." He tried to steady his breathing as he just nodded, giving her as big of a smile as he could manage before he let his head drop.
His everything ached. His lungs, his body, his heart, everything. He was already emotionally taxed, and now he was physically taxed as well. Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone walking over, and he raised his head to look at them.
It was a taller, slim guy in a black jacket, and he had somewhat of a kind look on his face. His mom followed his gaze and her eyebrows arched. The man approached them and smiled kindly, nodding his head as he looked at Percy. "Hi, Mr. Jackson. I was wondering if I could have a word with you."
Percy looked down at his mom, a confused look in his eyes, though she just smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'll be waiting outside the locker room with everyone else, sweetheart," she said with a smile. His heart warmed as he nodded, and he watched her walk off for a moment before he turned his attention to the man waiting to speak with him.
"I'm Chase Howard," he said, holding out a hand to the runningback. Percy shook his hand a couple times, offering him as kind of a smile as he could manage, which wasn't much. Chase was tall and thin, with short dark hair styled nicely. As Percy examined him more, he could spot a logo on the chest of his jacket that made his heart jump.
It was the logo of a university in New York, one with a notoriously good football program. "I work for Eastern University football recruiting, and I just wanted to approach you about setting up a visit." The football player could barely react beyond making an undignified choking noise, nodding furiously.
Chase arched his eyebrows at Percy, giving him a warm smile. "To be short, you have talent and potential. We've been watching you over the course of the season and we think you could be an asset to our team."
As he talked, a smile grew larger and larger on the runningback's face. A real, legitimate offer, from a good school. Was he dreaming? "Of-of course, thank you so much," Percy said with a big smile. "I, yes, that would be so amazing. Thank you so so much."
His heart was pounding. He'd worked so hard for this. For once, the void Annabeth had left in his chest felt filled, even if it was only slightly. Chase smiled at him, laughing softly before he held out his hand, which Percy shook earnestly.
"Thank you, Percy. We'll be emailing you shortly to set up a visit. Have a nice night." He nodded at him before walking off. The runningback couldn't even move. He just stood there with a massive, shit-eating grin on his face, staring at the turf.
It was only a moment later that he tightened his grip on his helmet and ran off the field, going off to find his mom and Jason to tell them. He ran down the tunnel to go to the locker room, where parents and other specific fans were permitted to go.
His cleats made grinding, clacking noises against the concrete and the tile when he ran, but he didn't care. He has almost reached the hallway when he rounded the corner and slammed into someone who let out a loud yelp.
He caught the person as they almost fell over, and he was surprised to come face-to-face with a girl. He recognized her from some of his classes, as well as the summer camp they attended when they were kids, mainly due to her characteristic bright red frizzy hair.
"Shit, I'm sorry Rachel," he said as he took a step back, offering a sheepish smile. She laughed a little and rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest.
She was pretty in a way where she didn't have to try, with minimal to no makeup and simple clothes. Today she was clad in a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a blue Sharks sweatshirt. "No problem, Percy," she said with a small smile, laughing.
She looked up at him, and he noticed how bright green her eyes were. "Uh...how are you back here?" he asked before he mentally slapped himself. "I mean, like...are you dating someone on the team or something?" This time he legitimately slapped his forehead and she laughed.
She shook her head, smiling as she held up a camera hung around her neck from a strap. "No, sadly, I'm just here for the school paper. Y'know, state championships are a pretty big deal." After she said that, her expression fell for a moment before she patted his arm. "I'm sorry about the game, though. You did really well."
He offered a sheepish smile and dropped his head, his fingers gripping the facemask of his helmet. "Ah, thanks. That means a lot." He raised his gaze again, and became lost in those green eyes of hers. The only person's eyes that were as gorgeous as hers were Annabeth's.
He was taken back to when the two of them were together. Or...almost together. Her eyes always said more about her than her face ever did.
He remembered volleyball games and coming down to give her a big hug, her eyes a light shade of grey, shining bright as she gave him a massive grin and threw her arms around him.
He remembered those days where she was just having a hard time, and they'd sit together in the gym or at her kitchen table and he'd listen to her talk about everything on her mind, her eyes the darkest shade of grey he'd ever seen.
He always related it to a storm, as if he could see everything clouding her mind and going through her head.
He remembered late nights driving her home from parties or games or wherever they had went, the only light on her face the glow cast from the lights on the dashboard, her eyes shimmering in the low light as she leaned in and kissed him.
He was brought out of his thoughts when Rachel's hand touched his bicep, concern alight on her face. "Hey, you okay?" He gave her a soft smile and nodded, sighing. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. I'm just tired."
He laughed a little bit and shook his head to himself. Tired was an understatement. "It's really great to see you, though." Her warm smile in response was enough to lift his mood. "Yeah, it is. Don't be a stranger, Percy," she laughed before she walked off.
He looked after her for a moment, still lost in those green eyes, when he remembered he needed to find his mom. He ran off and found her almost immediately, talking with Thalia, his arm around Piper's waist.
Percy ran up to his mom and said nothing, just grinning and hugging her ferociously. He almost couldn't speak fast enough when he did tell her, relaying what Chase had said to him back on the field.
His cousins both smiled hugely as they heard his news, and his mom teared up, clasping a hand over her mouth. Jason whooped and slapped Percy hard on the back as Thalia threw her arms around him as well.
Piper clapped her hands excitedly and grinned as she squeezed his arm. All he could do was smile, and he finally, if only momentarily, forgot about the whole that had opened up in his chest.
There was a silver lining of today after all.