Percy POV

It's hard to describe a national swimming competition. There's usually so much going on. The audience is always cheering so loudly, and the commentators used large microphones to make announcements. I usually miss the important news until Chiron reminds me.

I rely way too much on Chiron at these tournaments.

Chiron and I sat quietly in the locker rooms for a moment. The loud noise melted into the background as we both practices some breathing exercises.

A minute of yoga was a tradition of ours before every competition.

"Are you ready, Percy?" Chiron asked.

"I am, Chiron," I smiled with confidence. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all because I had worked so hard this semester. I studied how my times had improved, and I was ready to show to the entire world how much I've grown.

All FINA nationals are a big deal. The best swimmers come to the event to compete. However, Winter nationals is more low-key. I noticed that the best of the best US swimmers weren't actually at this competition. They were already set to compete at the US Olympic Trials, so they didn't have to compete at this event, which was so close to the holidays.

"The goal is for you to do what you've been doing at practice. Ignore the cameras and the people. Just do you," Chiron adviced, reminding me to treat this like a normal practice.

"You don't need to remind me, Chiron. Besides, I'm not feeling any pressure."

"It's weird how relaxed you are," Lupa said into the phone. I smiled at the screen. Obviously, she wasn't allowed into the mens locker rooms.

Of course, that rule didn't seem to apply to Annabeth. I laughed out loud thinking about the embarrassing situation that happened last week. It was so awkward until I realized that I didn't care if Annabeth sees me naked. But, that thought was even stranger.

"You're freaking me out, Jackson," Lupa said firmly.

I laughed again before jumping to my feet. Chiron handed me my swim cap and goggles, and I put them on to match my tight-form swim shorts.

I'm ready and I'm prepared.

A lot of the best swimmers weren't at the competition. It acted as a reminder that while this competition was a big deal, I still have a lot more work to do.

This was only the first day of the competition. There were a lot of swimmers here, and all the Olympic events had to run a quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals round. As such, the entire competition was going to be a whole week.

I have to compete in three races today, all quarterfinal qualifiers. As the day progressed, my performance only got better.

When I wasn't competing, I was cheering for the athletes. I had gotten to know some of them over the years competing at the national level. It was great to see some of my friends (not many) competing at Winter Nationals with me. Most of the swimmers were in their 20s though. They kept telling how it's impressive to see a younger swimmer competing so well.

I could hear mom yelling at the top of her lungs every time it was my turn to swim. I smiled and waved at her before preparing myself on the springboard.

Overall, it was going to be a fun competition.

...

"CONGRATULATIONS, PERCYYYY," my mom squealed.

She was genuinely out of control as I met her in the lobby of the Orlando sports complex. The awards ceremony had just taken place. My mom was happily waving a bouquet of flowers before enveloping me in a tight hug. My cheeks burned as fellow swimmers chuckled around me while meeting their own families.

"Mom, Jesus. You can relax a little bit," I mumbled.

My words were muffled because my mom kept jumping up and down from excitement.

She was so proud of me, and it felt great to receive her accolades. Even if I didn't medal at the competition, she would still react the same way.

Chiron patted my shoulder while taking me bags. Lupa also smiled at me in pride. It's interesting how good it feels when your hard work pays off. Sometimes, you fail in competitions, and it feels terrible. However, it also feels amazing when you do your best.

I know I did my best at Winter Nationals.

The three medals around my neck were proof that I showed up today.

I medalled silver in the Butterfly 100m and Freestyle 200m. Meanwhile, I managed to win Gold at the Butterfly 200m. It felt great.

However, my mind was racing about how I still needed to improve. Technically, I wasn't competing against the best in the United States. A lot of the best swimmers (who already have major Olympic clout and who've already been to the Olympics) chose not to compete at Winter Nationals this year.

Triton Kai and Ponty Usie were two examples of such swimmers. They had competed at the last Olympics four years ago in Brazil, and they were primed to compete again.

Regardless, it felt good to do well and improve my times.

"Percy, I'm so proud of you," mom cheered again, drawing the attention of those around me. I blushed while accepting another hug.

"Gods, Perseus, your mom is a hugger," Reyna Arellano said.

I smiled at my friend. Reyna is a teen swimmer just like me. She lives in California now even though she used to stay in New York. She's also Jason's ex-girlfriend, and that's how I was introduced to her. Before that, I knew her as an impressive competitor. I've seen her at past swimming competitions, but we reconnected this time around.

It wasn't awkward because Jason and Reyna had both moved on. It didn't feel like I was talking to Jason's ex.

Reyna was in her Jupiter club hoodie and sweats. A gold medal shined brightly against her chest, and mom turned to her excited to see that I have new friends.

"Mom, this is Reyna Arellano. She's lives in Cali now," I introduced. "She specialized in the long-form swimming events."

My mom hugged her in greeting, much to Reyna's surprise. I chuckled as Reyna forced herself to relax and embrace my mother back. Lupa was proud of Reyna as seen by the bright smile on her face. Reyna used to get coached by Lupa, but then, Reyna's family moved. Of course, Reyna now gets coached by Terminus of Jupiter Sports Club.

Still, Lupa Wolfe was quite proud of her student and prodigy.

Our coaches were talking with each other, allowing time for a conversation to break out between my mom and Reyna.

"Mom, Reyna also set time apart to visit Disney World. Do you think she could come to Magic Kingdom with us tomorrow?" I asked.

"Oh, absolutely, Percy. If that's okay with Reyna."

Reyna smiled in response.

"Of course, it's okay with her. I can't wait because Reyna admitted that she's afraid of rollercoasters. I'm so excited to see her reaction," I cheered with a playful smirk.

Reyna's smile morphed into a glare, making me chuckle.

It was actually her idea to visit Disney World together. I was the one who had to convince my mom and our coaches. Apparently, she made the plan, but I had to execute it.

In some ways, Reyna reminds me a lot of Annabeth, whom I was missing already. It's only been about a week, but I wanted to see Annabeth so much (even if it was during a tutoring session). Honestly, I wanted to see all my friends again.

Maybe because it was the holiday season, I wanted to spend time with Estelle and Paul. I wanted to laugh with Annabeth, Jason, and the others.

I couldn't wait to see them again in a few days.

...

Okay...

Remember when I said I couldn't wait to get back home.

Well, the gods decided otherwise.

My mom and I were stuck in our hotel room. Chiron was in the adjacent room, and our connecting door was open. Lupa was in her own hotel room, waiting for news. Chiron was trying to book a flight, but all the New York flights were cancelled.

Chiron sighed before saying, "There's a massive snowstorm across the Northeast. A lot of flights got cancelled. They'll get us on the first available flight.

"But, tomorrow's Christmas Eve and then Christmas," I whined.

"Oh my goodness, i can't believe that we won't be spending Christmas as a family. This is Estelle's second Christmas," my mom said, tearing up.

"It'll be okay, mom. I'm sure a flight will open up."

"I'll keep trying," Chiron said. He didn't sound hopeful at all.

My coach returned to his room, leaving me and my mom in silence. I sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her in support. It sucked that our trip happened to be so close to the holidays. However, the plan was to return today.

No one would've expected a snowstorm to wreak havoc on New York. I stared sadly at the few presents sitting on the table.

I brought presents for some people at Disney World.

However, it seemed like we wouldn't be able to get back by Christmas. I was also going to miss the Secret Santa party at Piper's house later today. Ugh, this sucks.

The rest of the day was glum.

I busied myself by studying my times from Winter Nationals. Butterfly 100m and 200m were my best events, and my times impoved by 1-2 seconds. That probably doesn't seem like much, but when you already have impressive times, improvements come marginally. Two seconds of improvement was six hard months of work for me. As such, I'm proud of myself, and I'm aiming to stay consistent and enhance my swimming even more.

The next day, my mom and I spent the whole time on FaceTime with Paul and Estelle. Literally, the whole day was spent virtually, but it didn't fill the gap of real-person interaction.

I took a few hours to myself where I swam at the YMCA next to the hotel.

Just because I was stuck in Orlando didn't mean I couldn't practice, Chiron said. Of course, I agreed with him.

Besides, swimming helped enlighten my mood.

The first available flight was on Christmas afternoon. It wasn't an ideal flight, but at least, my mom and I would be home on Christmas day. It was better than nothing.

"BOOK THE TICKETS, RIGHT NOW," my mom yelled at Chiron.

Never has my mom sounded so scary, which showed how much she wanted her whole family to be together for the holidays. I smirked at Chiron's scared face.

I gazed at the wrapped presents sitting on my bed.

Maybe, they won't go to waste after all.

...

To be honest, I don't know that much about how National Competitions and Olympics are conducted. I am anything but an athlete (lol), but I'll do my best to keep the story realistic. Hope ya'll are enjoying.

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