After the state championship came and went, Percy had some down time. He set up a visit with the coaches at Eastern, but before that could even happen he had more offers coming in.

He remembered sitting at the kitchen table with his mom, opening up all the emails on his laptop from the coaches and staff, and when he looked over at her, she had tears in her eyes.

Seeing that made him tear up as well and he hugged her tightly, smiling softly as her arms wrapped around him.

It didn't take him long to commit to Eastern though. It had been his dream school ever since he could remember, and he was beyond excited to continue on in football.

Turns out, a lot of the other starters for his team had caught the eye of big colleges too. Jason ended up committing to Eastern as well, and Percy couldn't have been more excited.

The day they did their official signing in the gym of their high school, they shared a big hug.

"Can't wait to play another four years with you, cuz'," Percy said with a grin. Jason just laughed and patted the top of his head.

"Me neither, man."

Percy could remember back to peewee football when they were a one-two punch even at nine years old. It got to the point where their coach had to start sitting them, and when they whined and asked why, he sighed and shook his head.

"Boys, you have to stop scoring on them. They're going to cry."

It was something they would look back on later and just laugh, even though it was disappointing at the time. Throughout middle and high school, they'd been a dynamic duo, and Percy hoped that it would carry through into college.

Percy's mom, Thalia, and Piper were there when they signed the official documents to commit to Eastern. Everyone else present in the gym whooped and cheered once it was official, causing Jason and Percy to exchange a look and smile.

It was mostly coaches and teammates, though some other students had come to watch as well. Hazel and Calypso were there with Frank and Leo, and when Percy looked out, he caught a flash of bright red hair and saw none other than Rachel standing in the crowd with her camera for the school paper, smiling at him.

Or...he thought it was directed at him at least. He could've been wrong.

He just smiled back at her as she raised the camera to take some pictures.

His eyes continued to search, and he saw a familiar mane of blonde curls.

Annabeth?

His breath caught in his throat as he maintained eye contact until hers met his. She smiled at him, and her expression gleamed with pride.

They couldn't talk anymore, and she had hurt him in a way he didn't know was possible, but…they still cared for one another. Neither of them could turn that off.

She mouthed something to him that he couldn't decipher, before she moved out of the gym, her hair swaying behind her as she disappeared.

He turned his attention back to Jason, who had a huge smile on his face as he donned an orange and black hat sporting the Eastern logo of a pegasus.

Leo also got some offers for kicking, even one from Eastern. He'd received his after Percy and Jason had already committed, and the guys all pushed him to take it, which he ended up doing.

The gang would be all together again, and they hoped Frank would join them when his senior season came.

After the season ended, the guys all ended up paying more attention to the volleyball team, who was on an absolute tear on their way to the state finals.

When the time for the game came around, Percy was hesitant to go, even though his friends all begged him to come with. Percy honestly didn't want to be anywhere near Annabeth.

He did end up going, though. All thanks to one frizzy-haired art student who said she needed to take pictures at the game.

Speaking of that, he also had been hanging out a bit more with Rachel, which was kind of amazing.


They started talking the week after the football game where they'd bumped into one another in the hallway leading to the locker room, and they went out on their first date the following weekend.

She took him to her favorite cafe, a little hole in the wall down a side street in the city. She laughed at him when he ordered a hot chocolate over a coffee, but he didn't mind.

It was nice hanging out with her. She was...different than Annabeth. He couldn't explain how, but they gave off different vibes.

Annabeth was like a storm, and even when it was calm you could feel a crackling power underneath.

Rachel reminded him of something much more calm and quiet, even though she still had a bit of a feisty streak.

After Annabeth, and everything that had happened with the phone call and after, he needed to forget, and Rachel made it so easy. He told himself that even if it didn't go anywhere, it was nice to hang out with her and have a new friend at least.

His thoughts on that changed one night they were sitting together in his car at 9 PM on a Friday night the day before the volleyball championship.

He'd finished up and gotten home from a football clinic he'd been going to in order to sharpen his skills for college ball, and they'd met up after and just hung out at his place.

His mom absolutely loved Rachel and constantly bothered Percy about when she was going to come over again.

They'd done some homework and hung out before they decided to go out for a drive. They drove around the city together, listening to a playlist she had made for him and talking about whatever came to mind.

Eventually they both decided that they could go for a shake, so that's they ended up in the parking lot of a McDonald's, each sipping on a chocolate shake and relaxing while listening to music.

Eventually out of the corner of his eye he saw her glance over at him, and he turned his head to meet her eye with a smile.

"What?" he asked with a soft laugh, setting his shake down on his thigh.

She smiled back and shrugged her shoulders. It seemed like with every move she made, her hair bounced and shifted. It shined orange in the glare of the lights in the parking lot. "Just looking at you," she said back with a grin. "Is that a crime?"

He laughed and glanced down at his shake, using his straw to stir it around a bit and mix in some of the whipped cream. "Somewhere I bet it is," he admitted, grinning to himself.

"Have you ever thought about that? Like in some places, random ass things are crimes. Like that thing about owning an alligator, or keeping an ice cream cone in your back pocket. There's this book-"

"Percy."

He was cut off by her, and he lifted his head, tilting it slightly to the side.

"Yeah? What-"

He was cut off again, but this time by Rachel's lips pressing against his own. He was taken aback for a moment before his eyes closed and he kissed her back.

All he could think about was how her lips tasted like the chocolate shake she'd been drinking and some kind of fruity chapstick - strawberry maybe? - before she pulled back, smiling to herself and going back to drinking her shake.

"You were saying?"

He felt like a fish out of water, his lips parted and his cheeks red, before he looked back down at the cup still settled in his hand on his leg.

"Uh, yeah, right...there was some other one about tying a donkey to a fire hydrant..."

And that was that. He wasn't sure what they were, but what he was sure of is that she made him think a lot less about Annabeth, and he enjoyed being with her, and that she wasn't hung up on an old boyfriend, so that was good enough for him.


The next day, he picked her up for the volleyball game and they drove down together, listening to that same playlist. When the song came on that she'd kissed him during, he could see her grinning in the passenger seat, her fingers shifting to take his hand. Something tingled in his stomach, and he smiled as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

When they got to the game, Rachel helped Percy find his teammates before she headed off to take some pictures. He was content sitting with his boys, talking about the game and college and the upcoming NFL games they wanted to watch together.

"Dude, I swear, the Jets are just going to keep sucking," Leo insisted.

"That's why I'm a Bills fan," Frank informed him.

"Aw, dude, where's your loyalty?"

"It died with their two wins last year."

"Guys, shut up!" Jason snapped, his eyes trained on the floor as his girlfriend was announced. He stood and cheered, whooping and pumping his arms, and finally the other boys joined him, their football talk stalled for the time being.

"That's why I like the 49ers," Jason finished after a moment, a sly grin on his face.


Rachel had rejoined Percy around the fourth set, and leaned into his side as she'd returned. He had no qualms, though he was still overly focused on the volleyball game, cheering with everything that happened.

He even cheered for Annabeth. He didn't want anything to be weird or awkward, he just…wanted things to be normal.

God, please. Normal sounded so nice.

Everyone in the crowd was silent those last few points, and Percy had this moment where his chest ached for Annabeth. Even this far away, he could feel the stress rolling off her body.

She turned to walk back during that game deciding point, and they locked eyes.

The world stopped around him, the crowd lull dying down, everyone's movements slowed and stilled. Those dark, stormy eyes.

He'd seen every emotion in those eyes. Fear, anger, sadness, rage, happiness, sheer joy.

Now it was anxiety, fear.

He nodded at her, mouthing 'you got this' but she'd turned around already.

Once she did, he became overly aware of Rachel at his side, her fingers gripping his like a lifeline. He looked down at her, analyzing every detail he could, before he pecked her cheek.

She looked up at him almost confusedly, but by the time she began to question, Annabeth had served the ball.

The last rally felt like it happened at a tenth of the speed, and it seemed poetic for Piper and Annabeth to end the match together.

The student section joined together in cheers and roars as people began to hop barriers and make their way down onto the court.

Security had no power to stop a hundred eager teenagers, and the crowd mobbed the victorious Sharks.

Percy rushed along with Jason to Piper, and smiled as they had their moment. He gave Hazel a hug and Piper one too before he stepped back with Rachel, his arm slipping around her shoulders.

They settled in together, watching everything happen, the confetti, the medals, the trophy, the tears and the hugs, and he felt sad. He wished he could've experienced that.

He saw Annabeth and debated going over, but before he could, Luke was there with her family, and his chance was squandered.

Eventually, the boys had to leave their girlfriends and returned to where Percy and Rachel were, every single one of them sporting huge smiles for their friends and more.

After the trophy celebration, Percy found himself looking for Annabeth. She was standing with her family, Luke's arm around her, and he scowled without noticing, looking more before he realized something.

Annabeth's eyes were on his.

He looked up at her and they exchanged a glance that conveyed a thousand emotions, and all he could do was smile at her.

He flashed a thumbs up, and the smile she returned to him was one of joy. Though…he couldn't see her eyes clearly. He wondered if those eyes held more emotions than her face or words could explain.

He reverted his gaze back to Rachel, giving her a slight squeeze before he leaned down. "Wanna get out of here?" he asked her, and she simply nodded, taking his hand.

He said goodbye to his friends before Rachel led him out of the gym. He watched her talk about the pictures she'd taken, and he just smiled.

He kissed her cheek again, and she gave him a teasing, mischievous smirk as they walked out together.

For a time, everything felt normal again.

Whatever normal was, anyway.