Percy POV

I am standing in front of a crowd of people in just a blue speedo.

While most people should be embarrassed, I wanted everyone to see me. And, they were. The cheerleaders in particular were eyeing me down as I passed them. I winked playfully while walking to my lane in front of the Olympic-sized swimming pool.

I'm not actually at the Olympics. That would be ridiculous. I was swimming at the FINA USA Summer Nationals because I qualified with my competitive times for the freestyle and butterfly strokes (50m, 100m, and 200m).

I climbed onto the white springboard and got in position. My knees bent while my fingers felt the edge of the springboard. I looked into the water through my tinted goggles and grinned.

This is what I'm born to do.

"Percy, stop showboating. Ignore the cameras all together," Chiron instructed from behind. I smirked.

"This is just another practice," Chiron continued. "This is the final heat of the day, so don't lose focus now."

I knew Chiron was right. To be a star swimmer, focus and passion were very important. However, I couldn't help my personality. I like pleasing people and making them feel better, and my smiles, winks, and waves make others laugh.

Not to sound arrogant, but I did quite well in this competition. Of course, I worked my ass off to get here, so I was reaping the rewards. My best events were Butterfly 100m and 200m, where I won Silver medal for both.

I didn't lose the Gold; I won the Silver.

I smiled again before turning my game-face on. This is the final heat of the day, and I was swimming the relay event. My teammate, whom I was paired with, was a few seconds away from reaching the wall. I was the only athlete from Olympia Athletic Club to make it to Summer Nationals, so I was paired with other lone swimmers for the relay.

As soon as my teammate finished backstroke, I dove into the pool.

My legs moved in sync as I started my butterfly stroke. This is my best event, and I was ready to catch up the time and distance between the competitors ahead of me. My hands pushed the water with each stroke as my legs swam mermaid.

My lungs filled with oxygen every time my head bobbed out of the water. I barely felt my body, yet I felt all of it at the same time.

As quick as I began, I ended my part of the relay event.

Cheering erupted around me as I finally climbed out of the water. When I'm in the water, I don't feel anything. It's just me in the water.

When I'm out of the water, everything rushes back.

I waved both my arms while smiling at the stands. The ESPN and other sports channel cameras buzzed around me, but I ignored them. It was hard at first, but as soon as I started competiting nationally, Chiron drilled into my head to ignore the cameras.

It was one of the best tips that Chiron had given me throughout the last four years. I ws so grateful for my coach. Chiron embraced me after I reached him.

"You did well, Perseus. I'm so proud of you," Chiron exclaimed.

"It's Percy," I smirked.

I don't let anyone call me Perseus because I don't like the name. It makes me feel like some Greek hero when I was nothing of the sort.

The whole competition ended soon afterwards. My butterfly made up a lot of time for my relay team, which allowed us to finish with Bronze. I didn't get gold in any of my events, but I was okay with that. After all, I'm competing against the best high school and college swimmers in the country. It was an honor just being here.

The awards ceremony happened slowly. While it was conducted, the athletes also participated in interviews with newscasters. Chiron kept them at bay though, so I didn't have to talk much. Besides, I was too buzzed to say anything professional.

One bronze and two silvers medals were dangling around my neck. Honestly, they were weighing me down, but I kept them on with pride.

After the awards ceremony, after the interviews, after saying goodbye to my friendly competitors, I found myself collapsing on my bed. We were staying in a top-notch hotel in Denver, Colorado, but I was already missing home. Specifically, my mom's cooking and Paul's random teaching stories. I even missed Estelle's constant reruns of Cocomelon.

It's been a long week and a half of competition.

"I'm proud of you, Percy," Chiron repeated the sentiment in the privacy of our hotel room. That's how I knew that he genuinely meant it. I grinned while shuffling into my covers. Chiron chuckled while sleeping in the adjacent bed.

"Ready to go home?" he asked.

"Oh, I am so ready. I can't wait to go home and sleep in," I said excitedly.

"Well, sleeping in doesn't happen much for a swimmer. You better be back in the pool for morning swim practice by Monday," Chiron informed.

It's Friday now, and tomorrow would be our trip back home to New York. Technically, Chiron was giving me Saturday and Sunday off, which I was grateful for.

"I know. Thanks," I replied with a yawn.

Chiron kept talking, but I accidentally zoned out. Within a few seconds, I went into a peaceful sleep as my tired muscles finally decided to get some rest. The life of an athlete is honestly so much work. It's really hard.

Trust me, I now what I'm talking about.

...

BANG. CLANG. BANG.

"PERCYYYYYY..."

BANG. CLANG.

KLING. BOOM. CLANG. BA...BANG.

"WAKE UP, AQUAMAN."

The shouting continued as I buried my pillow into my face, trying to drown out the noise. However, it's hard to ignore the noise when your friends decide to barge into your room, screaming at the top of their lungs while banging iron pans together.

"Oh my gods." I gurgled against my pillow. "SHUT UP," I shouted while hurling my pillow at the nearest person.

Leo Valdez grunted while dropping the pots in his hands, which only led to more noise. Leo continued to scream as Jason sat at my desk. His sparkling blue eyes washed over the three newest medals on my shelf.

Finally, Leo managed to shut up once I sat up.

"I only get a few rest days every month, and you guys won't even let me sleep," I whined. I rubbed my eyes as Jason and Leo continued laughing.

"Percy, you replaced the New York State Medals with your new FINA medals," Jason said. He smiled while looking at his reflection in the silver and bronze. I glanced at the shelf he was analyzing.

I have a white shelf in my blue-painted room, which contained my most prized trophies, awards, and medals. I kept about ten significant awards on that shelf. Everything else gets tossed in a closet. Trust me, my room would be a horrendous mess if I kept all my ribbons, medals, and stuff in my room (this is such a flex). My mom has enough cleaning work in our house without worrying about all that.

"Yeah, the FINA Summer Nationals competition went very well. I enjoyed," I replied groggily.

"WE WATCHED YOU ON TV. YOU LOOKED SMOKIN HOT IN YOUR BLUE SPEEDO," Leo shouted while jumping on my bed. "Of course, you didn't reach Leo McShizzle's level of supreme hotness, but you were still decent."

I rolled my eyes while Jason chuckled.

"Anyway, we're here because we wanted to hang out with you. We missed ya in the last two weeks, and it's summertime," Jason said.

He was definitely the calmest and most well-spoken of my friends. Even his clean shirt and jeans made those qualities apparent. Leo on the other hand was a crazy mess, and I love the guy for it. Jason was like my best friend, and Leo was one of my closest.

I was about to ask them where we were going when I remembered a prior commitment. "Guys, I'd love to hang out, but I have brunch with Drew."

Leo's face fell. "But, why do you have to meet her?"

"Because she's my girlfriend, you dimwit," I replied while crawling out of my bed. I started getting ready as Jason and Leo altered the plans of the day. Instead, we were going to hang out at the Arcade after my lunch with Drew.

Within an hour, I was at Demeter's Cafe with Drew Tanaka.

"I missed you, Drew," I smiled while playing a pleasant kiss of her lips.

She placed her hand against my neck and deepened our embrace. Finally, I released and sat down next to her. I liked Demeter's cafe because the tables round the walls were retro booths. It was comfortable to set with your girlfriend in the leather seats.

Sometimes, I'm impressed with myself fro dating someone like Drew. She was one of the most popular girls in town. Rich, beautiful, and influential.

"I can't believe we've been dating for six months," I said.

Drew nodded. To be honest, she wasn't talking much today. He eyes seemed fixed on her food rather than on me. At this point, I knew her enough to see past her cold or rude personality. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked gently.

She looked up and smiled softly. "I'm fine, Percy."

"You don't seem fine," I replied. I touched her hand and turned towards her. Her dark eyes seemed to be shaking as her gaze locked onto mine. Something seemed to be troubling my girlfriend, and I didn't like seeing her life this.

But, I knew how to make her feel better. I stuffed my hand in my pocket and pulled out the necklace I brought in Denver.

It was a silver heart anchored around a silver chain. It shimmered against the bright lights of the cafe and the sunlight coming from the window. Don't worry, it wasn't too extravagant, but I knew I had to get something significant for my girlfriend of six months.

"Oh, Percy," Drew's voice shuddered as tears poured.

"Hey, Drew, don't cry. This was supposed to make you happy. Not sad," I whispered. My hands gently carressed her cheeks as I looked into her eyes.

"You know I love you, Drew. You deserve this," I said.

Drew sniffled while turning away from me quickly. She wiped her face quickly before smiling back to me. However, she didn't look that happy. If anything, Drew seemed troubled. Kind of like she was feeling...guilty?

I gently touched her hand, and her smile grew hesitantly. I smirked back at her before saying, "I hope you don't cry every single time I tell you I love you. That would be tedious."

A chuckle broke out of her mouth as I put the necklace around her neck. I fastened the hook before placing a soft kiss on her soft, pink lips. I pulled her closer to me as we talking about random topics. We even made plans for future dates as well.

I really hope Drew felt better now.

Even so, I couldn't shake the feeling of dread. But, I was probably just exhausted and overthinking it.

After hanging with Drew for some more time, I excitedly drove to the Arcade. Despite the shakiness of my brunch date, I was happy to see Jason and Leo excited to play games at the Arcade. We had a lot of fun.

Overall, it was a nice rest day. Even so, I was already looking forward to getting back in the pool tomorrow.

I guess that shows how passionate I am about swimming!

...

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