AN: I would like to preface this chapter by saying that I have never been to a swim meet in my life. I watched like 4 episodes of 'Free!' (Sosuke Yamazaki kinda looks like Percy in anime form), looked up some general info about strokes and some Olympic events and times. That's all the swim knowledge I know, so don't call me out about inaccuracies or details lol. Suspend your disbelief! Thank you NEEST for your comments on this fic and my other fic :D

Also early chapter since it's August 18th, Happy Birthday Percy!

Chapter 11: Oh Great. The Pool Got to Me

October 20

Percy

For once Percy was not going to swim practice on a Saturday…instead he was going to his first swim meet. He had spent the past couple of weeks practicing his strokes while improving his stamina and endurance. His freestyle remained as his best stroke and would guarantee him a spot as he moved further into competitions. His backstroke and breaststroke were great, but he couldn't get incredible times on them like his free. At least not yet.

Now his butterfly needed some work. 'Son of the sea god' innate talent can only take you so far and apparently that was the butterfly stroke. He wasn't bad at butterfly by any means, just not great. He would have to keep practicing to improve his efficiency.

Coach had also put great emphasis on improving the demigod's stamina, endurance and power management to compete in the longer races.

He would spend hours upon hours each week working on his strokes, timing himself, helping other swimmers, and then goofing off with his pals from the team. His focus right now was on swimming since it was the season for it while basketball was on the backburner. For basketball, he did go to practice twice a week, but the sessions weren't as long and grueling since it was the off season. He was sure that once active season started, the sessions would become much longer and exhausting. Or maybe he would get benched during their games…He was a much better swimmer than a basketball player. Not that he was bad at basketball, it's just that he could excel at swimming.

He was in his room changing into his swim uniform which was just black athletic pants, a white AHS swim t-shirt and his black AHS swim jacket with the name 'Jackson' imprinted on the back. You know, for school spirit. He looked like walking brand for the school which he guessed he was since he would be representing their school as their captain.

He ran a hand through his hair for the millionth time that hour due to nervousness. This was his first official swim meet, and he was afraid he would mess things up in his individual events or worse the relay race he would participate in with the seniors. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach.

He looked into the mirror with a determined look, "Alright Percy, you've been working hard, you've got this." He told himself. That slightly alleviated the nerves, but they were back a second later. He went to sit down the edge of the bed, taking more deep breaths to calm himself down. He had faced, monsters, titans, giants and heck even Tartarus, yet the nervousness of this swim meet made him feel like those were nothing.

He took Riptide out of his pocket and started twirling it around in his hand. He sighed as he thought of the nightmare he had last night. For the past couple of days, he had been plagued with nightmares. Most of them were minor ones but last night he had a particularly nasty one. He saw the face of Akhlys as he was controlling the poison and the terrified look on Annabeth's face as he did so. He and Annabeth had talked about Akhlys at least twice before, but it always came back to plague his mind. Percy wondered if the nervousness he had been feeling was amplifying the nightmares.

There was a soft knock on the door and his mother opened it gently. "Percy dear, are you all ready? I made breakfast." She said, sticking her head through the doorway.

Percy looked at her with a nervous smile. "Yeah mom, I'm just… you know nervous." He took another breath. "It's just… the first time I've ever participated in this kind of event and I'm afraid of messing things up." He didn't mention the nightmare he had last night. He didn't want to worry her more.

His mother fully opened the door and went to sit next to him on the bed. She turned to look at him and embraced him in a warm hug. "Percy, no matter what happens today, just know that we are proud of you. We've seen how hard you've been working and how hard you've helped all your teammates. I just want you to know that me, Paul, Annabeth and the rest of the team will be proud of you and cheering for you. So just do your best sweetheart."

Percy wrapped his hands around his mother's back and lowered his head so it could rest on her shoulder. She always had a way to reduce the tension within him. He stood there, comfortable in her warm embrace and then said, "thanks mom, I'll do my best."

Sally separated from him and turned to look at his eyes. She smiled and ruffled his hair, "that's all we're asking of you."

Sally stood up and looked at the clock. It was 7:15 AM. The event was supposed to start at 10:00 AM and would last for most of the day. "I made breakfast Percy so make sure to eat. I don't want you going hungry at the meet."

With that Percy stood up and rubbed his legs, clearing some of the wrinkles in his pants. He gave his mom his crooked grin and followed her into the kitchen where Paul was sitting at the dining table drinking a cup of coffee.

He turned to look a Percy, "how is the young athlete feeling this morning?" He held out a fist which Percy fist bumped.

"I bit nervous, but I'll try my best." Percy answered. He took a seat at the table where his mother had laid out a large nutritious breakfast for him. As in tons of whole grains, lean proteins, and fruits. Percy started eating and thought back on how he was slowly regaining his weight. As far as he knew, he had regained several pounds since coming back from his quest.

Whenever Percy changed, he noticed that his ribs weren't poking out as they were before. He had also put on more lean muscle from his training and overall, he looked and felt much healthier. There was still some work left so that he regained all his weight, but it was great progress.

Sally sat at the table and together the three ate breakfast. After a couple minutes there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," Percy announced. He quickly stood up and jogged to the door, knowing who was behind it. He unlocked it and swung it open revealing Annabeth. She was wearing jeans, and a gray sweatshirt with the name of her school. Her blond princess curls were tied in her usual ponytail, and she was carrying a poster tube in one hand. She never looked more beautiful. Her gray stormy eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Good morning, Percy," she greeted.

"Morning Annabeth," he answered. He moved closer and put his hands on her waist while she wrapped her arms on his neck, smacking him with the poster by accident. "Ow," Percy exclaimed playfully.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "That didn't hurt you big baby."

"Course it did Wise Girl. Can I get a kiss to make it all better?" He asked with mock pain.

She stepped closer and kissed him, slow and steady. They separated and looked into each other's eyes. Gods, Percy could look at those gray eyes for eternity and never get bored. Annabeth laid her head on his shoulder and asked. "Can I come in? You haven't invited me in yet."

Percy's hand brushed her hair. "Yeah, you can come in, as long as you give me another kiss."

Annabeth chuckled lightly. "I think I can do that." She grabbed his jacket, pulling him down to her height and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Once they separated, Percy grabbed her hand and lead her to the dining table where Sally and Paul were still eating breakfast. "I hope you're hungry," Percy said as he led her. "My mom made lots of food."

Paul and Sally greeted Annabeth and then Percy pulled out a chair for Annabeth to sit in.

"What a gentleman," Annabeth teased.

"I raised him right. Didn't I?" Sally grinned.

Percy took a seat next to Annabeth and they continued eating. As they ate, Percy was explaining a bit more details about the event today. The event was a local event with schools all over Manhattan competing where only a handful of swimmers would advance to the competition with the greater New York area which included Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island. From there, the pool of swimmers would get smaller and smaller until a handful of swimmers advanced to compete in the state competition and if lucky and with lots of hard work, nationals would follow.

Percy also went ahead and explained that he would be competing in three events today. The 50 and 100 free as well as the 400-relay medley with his teammates. He explained that he would be participating in the 200 and 400 free at another meet in the future.

Coach wanted him to take a stab at the 800 free, but Percy told him very politely to buzz off. He hadn't built the stamina yet for such as long event. Of course, if he used his powers, he could easily bag the 800 and 1500 free as well as any other event, but that would be cheating, and he didn't cheat (at least in this sense). He wanted to win all these races fair and square.

Coach also wanted Percy to participate in individual 400 medley relay, but the butterfly stroke was getting in the way, so he would save it for another event when he improved. Coach was just overall demanding. Luckily the qualifiers for the 200, 400, 800 free and the individual medley were not this meet so he would have a bit more time to train.

Percy's hand reached for Annabeth's hand as he was explaining the procedure for moving on and his events. She smiled at him once he took it.

"How are you feeling Percy?" She asked.

Percy took a deep breath, the butterflies in his stomach still fluttering around. "Honestly, a bit nervous, but I'll do my best." Again, he didn't mention the nightmare he had last night.

She looked at him questioningly, perhaps she caught something in his body language that was abnormal. She narrowed her eyes as if examining him. After a second she nodded. "That's all that we can ask of you." She ruffled his hair with her free hand.

Percy's mom looked at her watch, she stood up to start clearing out the area and washing the dishes. Paul stood up as well to help out as well.

"You're supposed to be at the school to catch the bus by 8:30," Paul said. He continued stacking plates and carried them over the sink. "It's 8:05 right now, gather your things Percy so that we can go."

Percy wanted to help his parents with the cleanup, but he was waved off and was told to get his things. He went back to his room where he checked his swim bag to make sure everything was there. To be extra safe, he also had Annabeth check.

"Let's see, extra set of clothes? Check. Towels? Check. Goggles? Check. Swim Cap? Check. Swimsuit…" she pulled out Percy's swimsuit out of the bag. It was the black and blue jammers that he normally wore to practice.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't you like that pair? Would you prefer I wear another pair instead (even though they're all identical)?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I just like seeing you in your swimsuit. I don't care if you wear these or not. You look hot." There was a slight blush growing on her cheeks. She placed the swimsuit back in the bag and then smirked mischievously. "Will you ever wear a Speedo?"

Percy shook his head vehemently. "Gods no."

Annabeth told him to pack an extra swimsuit in case something happened, she emphasized that it never hurt to be prepared. With that suggestion, Percy packed an extra pair of jammers.

He also made sure that he had everything he needed for after the meet when he showered. Once Annabeth checked that too, he slung his duffle bag across his shoulders and exited the bedroom to meet with his parents.

His mom and Paul had cleaned out the dining area and were in the living room making sure that they had everything. Like Annabeth, they would also be taking a poster with encouraging messages and cheer for Percy while he swam. Percy was bashful about the posters, but it was a nice gesture from those closest to him.

"Percy, you got everything you need? Annabeth you, doubled checked he has everything?" His mom asked.

"Mom, do you have no faith in me?" Percy exclaimed indignantly.

"I have faith in you dear, it's just that you forget things on the regular and I want to make sure to have everything." She chuckled. "Make sure you have everything? Extra underwear? Your shampoo, bodywash, lotion, deodorant, loofah…"

"Mom!"

Paul helpfully broke up the rambling. "Alright kiddo she just wants you to make sure."

Percy crossed his arms but smiled anyways. Annabeth let them know that everything was set, and they could leave. The four exited the apartment with Annabeth and Sally walking ahead and carrying the posters. This left Paul and Percy in the back.

Paul tapped Percy on the back. Percy turned around to face his stepfather. "What's up Paul?"

Paul gave him a sly smile. "Your mom and I are visiting my family tonight so I just thought you might need these." Out of his pocket he pulled out several square foil packets.

Percy felt heat rush to his face. "Paul… we are… why…no…" He was at a loss for words. Did Paul forget that Percy already several boxes of condoms in his room from Piper, his mom, Paul, and his doctor. Was Paul just trying to mess with him?

"Don't worry kiddo, here just take them." Paul winked. "I have a feeling you're going to need them tonight."

Percy reluctantly took them and zipped them up in a smaller compartment in his bag. He muttered a silent thanks as they walked downstairs.

Once in the parking lot, they got settled into the Prius with Paul driving and Sally riding shotgun while the demigod pair sat in the backseat which was completely fine by Percy. That meant he could snuggle with his Wise Girl, which he took full advantage off. He leaned his head against her shoulder as she played with his hair, one of his hands held hers and together they drove to AHS where students were already waiting with their family members.

Unfortunately, they rented out a small bus (the team was small, about 20 swimmers in total) and would only take students, while any family members would have to drive to the venue. Percy exited the Prius with Annabeth in tow. He saw that a couple of his swim mates were already there. Out of their team, only a handful of swimmers would be competing. All of them were either juniors or seniors.

From what Percy remembered the entire senior group (Percy, Bahman, Joshua and Daniel) would compete in their individual races and together on the relay. Only two juniors would compete, those being Marcus and Alex in their individual races. Percy had spent some time coaching the two guys. Coach had wanted some of the other juniors to compete so they could also do a relay, but they all turned him down. The remainder of the team was there for moral support.

Percy waved at a couple of guys and was startled when he felt an arm go around his shoulders. He was about to pull Riptide out of his pocket until a familiar voice said. "Yo, Percy my man, glad to see that you made it."

It was Bahman that wrapped his arm around Percy. Like Percy he was wearing black athletic pants, his white AHS shirt and AHS jacket. Actually, everyone was wearing the same thing. The young demigod calmed down and greeted his friend.

"Yeah dude, I wouldn't miss it after all the training we did." The two did an elaborate handshake then chucked.

Bahman then caught sight of Annabeth. "Ah you must be Annabeth. I'm Bahman Aslan, my family is from Iran." He held out his hand for Annabeth to shake which she did. "Percy's always talking about you."

Annabeth smirked. "Is he now?"

Bahman nodded and pulled Percy closer to his side. "Percy's always gushing about how awesome and beautiful you are. It's honestly sickening how badly this boy is whipped for you. Drives the whole team crazy." Percy elbowed his friend, but he kept talking. "But seeing you here, I can see that he wasn't wrong. Take good care of Percy, he's a great guy."

"Don't worry, I know that, and I've been doing that for years," Annabeth grinned.

"Wise Girl," Percy said. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around her waist and pull her in for a kiss. He would have succeeded if there wasn't as whistle that caught their attention.

"Guess that's our cue to go. Come on Percy let's go," Bahman said. He looked at Annabeth, "It was great to meet you Annabeth."

"Likewise," she responded. "I'll see you guys at the athletic center."

"See ya Wise Girl." Bahman removed him arm from Percy's shoulder and they walked over to where the coach was waiting in front of the bus. He had clipboard in hand.

"Alright kids, just going to check roll, going to make sure that everyone's here. If you hear your name, answer." He commanded. He started calling out names and by the end there were only two names missing, Joshua and Daniel. "Those two numbskulls are going to be late to their competition," the coach grumbled.

Percy shrugged. "Maybe they came down with a case of food poisoning."

"Or maybe their cars had a flat tire," Bahman suggested.

Their questions were answered when a bunch of dogs barked followed by tons of cursing. A second later Joshua and Daniel entered the clearing. Josh was pedaling on his bicycle while Daniel rode in the back with dogs chasing them down. Percy had to admit that Josh got some serious speeds on the bicycle while Daniel was cursing like a native New Yorker.

"Coach! We need help!" They both yelled.

"What did these two boys get themselves in?" He breathed. He took a deep breath and everyone on the team instinctively covered their ears as the coach blew the whistle so hard, the sound could have shattered windows. Instantly the dogs stopped, whined and ran in the opposite direction.

The two boys flopped to the ground, gasping for air. The rest of the team went to them to figure out what the heck happened.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "What the hell happened to you guys?"

"Cars… flat tires… took bicycle… Daniel pissed off dogs." Joshua barely managed through his gasps of air.

"One of them peed on me!" Daniel exclaimed indignantly.

"Right, you two, now get up. We will be late." The coach said, while writing something on his clipboard. He turned around. "Alright everyone, we will leave soon so make sure you have all your possessions on you."

"Right." Everyone on the team responded. The coach boarded the bus with some of the younger swimmers going in first. Joshua walked to put away his bicycle while Daniel looked pissed off, but he always looked pissed off so there was nothing new.

"What did you do to piss off those dogs?" Bahman asked.

"Zip it!" Was all Daniel said.

"Percy?" He heard a soft voice call for him. Percy turned around to see Michael, one of the freshmen swimmers, trying to grab his attention. Michael was holding the school's swim banner which was neatly folded in his arms.

"What's up Michael?" Percy asked.

Michael looked at the four boys that would be competing. He looked shy and scared as if they were giants which to him, they probably were. Michael was like five foot four (163 cm), not the tallest person on the team. A couple of the other younger swimmers joined in. "We just wanted to let you know that we will be cheering for you guys. All of you." He motioned to the four boys. He looked around, probably trying to find out the two juniors that were competing.

"If you're looking for Marcus and Alex, I saw them go inside the bus not too long ago," Percy reassured. "If you want, I can let them know that you guys are cheering for them.

Michael nodded. "Thanks Percy, wishing you the best of luck."

Percy gave him his lopsided grin. "Thanks, you guys." He gave them all a high five and had them board the bus.

Joshua whistled. "You really settled well into this swim captain gig."

Percy shrugged. "What can I say, I used to be camp counselor. You guys go in. I'll meet you inside." The remaining swimmers went inside until only Percy was left out. He took a deep breath. "Alright Percy, you got this." He entered the bus and let the coach know that everyone had gone in. Afterwards he found Marcus and Alex and gave them high fives for good luck. Then he sat with the other senior boys as the bus took off.

"So, your stepdad is a teacher and your mom's a writer? What about your real dad?" Marcus asked. He and Percy were sitting next to each other on the bus. The two guys spoke from time to time.

"Umm… he left when I was little, but he visits sometimes," Percy answered. "He's a sailor, in the navy," he added. He couldn't exactly say that his dad was the Greek sea god.

"Huh, sounds cool," Marcus breathed. Marcus narrowed his eyes slightly. "Are you Greek? You look very… Mediterranean," he pointed out.

"You're actually spot on, man. My dad's Greek and I'm part Italian from my mom's side. How about you?"

Marcus shrugged. "As far as I know, I'm full Filipino. Would you like some puto?"

"Excuse me?" Percy asked. Percy didn't know Spanish, but that sounded like Marcus had just cursed him out. It also sounded like an insult some of the guys at his old schools threw around. Was he looking to pick a fight?

Marcus laughed. "No, not like that. Puto is this Filipino rice cake." He reached into his bag where he took out a plastic container. He opened it to reveal small rice cakes. "My mom made them last night and wanted me to hand some out. Would you like some?"

Oh, that's what he meant. Percy hadn't been cursed out. "Sure man." He took one cake and popped it into his mouth. "Wow, this is really good. Give your mom my thanks."

Marcus grinned. "Thanks. I'll let her know."

The athletic center was packed with buses from all schools with swimmers and parents entering the building. After their school was checked in, the coach led the team where they would be sitting on the second-floor gallery. The team was getting settled when Percy felt hands wrap around his waist. He grinned and turned around to come face to face with Annabeth.

"How's my Seaweed Brain doing?" She whispered. She leaned in, pulling him down so that her lips were only centimeters from his.

He moved closer and embraced her in a kiss, moving his hands behind her head and running them through her hair. Annabeth kept her hands on his waist and pulled him in closer. Percy ignored the wolf whistles he was getting from the team and the various comments from the team. Ever since Tartarus they had been a bit more open with their affection.

'That's his girlfriend?'

'She's so pretty.'

'The goddess finally showed up.'

'They look so cute together.'

'Eww, get a room you two.'

'Disgusting!'

They split apart so that they were looking into each other's eyes. Stormy gray meeting sea green. He put his lips next to her ear and whispered, "better now that you're here."

There was a whistle from the coach, and he said, "alright lover boy, I don't want to interrupt this moment with your girlfriend, but we need to start getting ready. You'll be one of the first ones to swim."

Percy reluctantly split from Annabeth. She told him that she and his parents would be sitting nearby to cheer him on while he swam. As Percy turned around, many on the team were blushing and trying to hide their faces.

Percy raised an eyebrow and looked at them. "What's up guys?"

"Dude, you and your girl were going like going all out just now, like you couldn't get enough of each other," Josh noted.

Percy shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, we do that all the time."

"Damn dude, I bet the sex is great," Josh added teasingly with mischievous wink.

Percy's face grew a shade a pink. He walked up to Josh and smacked him in the head, ignoring the cry of pain.

"Guys he didn't deny it! It's true!" Bahman exclaimed. As much as Percy wanted to smack his friend for talking about his sex life, he guessed that the conversation would lead to nowhere, so he changed the subject away from himself.

He crossed his arms. "How about you and Ariana, Bahman. Have you guys had sex? Or even held hands for that matter?"

Now it was Bahman's turn to turn pink. He scratched the back of his head. "We're not… we haven't… we are…" he struggled on his words. He cleared his throat. "I'm a good Muslim boy and I don't partake in such scandalous activities."

"Yeah, we definitely wouldn't want you doing such scandalous activities like holding hands or heaven forbid looking in her general direction," Daniel countered slily.

There was another whistle. "Alright boys, enough about the sex talk. We need to start getting ready," Coach said. He and Percy were helping the team get set up on the gallery. They splayed the school's navy-blue swim team banner on the railing and were comfortably taking a seat. By now it was 9:28 and the event was to start soon.

Percy looked over the railing to see the Olympic sized swimming pool. This pool was at least twice the size as the pool at their school. It only had eight lanes with a couple of swimmers already in it warming up. Down below were also several swimmers doing their stretches.

"Percy you'll be one of the first ones swimming. You should go to locker room and get ready," Daniel said. He too was leaning against the railing, observing the pool as well.

Percy looked at the pool a bit longer and then turned to grab his bag. "Thanks Dan."

Coach had gone over the program with the team and explained some of the rules and how the races would go on. The first stroke to compete would be the freestyle, followed by the backstroke, butterfly and then chest stroke. Percy would be competing in several freestyle events, Josh on the backstroke, Bahman on the butterfly and Daniel on breaststroke. Marcus would compete on the butterfly and Alex on the freestyle. Coach then went on to explain that eight swimmers would swim at once in the pool during the qualifying round. The top two spots would move on to the finals while another round followed with the top two spots moving forward as well. At the end of the day the best eight swimmers for each stroke and length would compete and the top two spots would move on to regionals.

Percy found the entire process slightly confusing, but he got the basic idea. Get within the top two to move forward, easy peasy. There was also the relay race that would take place around noon where the top teams could advance as well.

Percy entered the locker room where the other guys were changing. He changed into his swimsuit. He wasn't wearing a shirt but kept his jacket on. After he was done, he placed his bag and clothes into the locker. He also had to leave behind his camp necklace and the owl necklace he had gotten from Annabeth from their first-year anniversary. He placed his phone into his jacket pocket and Riptide also appeared in his jacket pocket as well. He carried his goggles around his neck and swim cap in one hand.

He took a deep breath. "Alright Percy you got this," he said encouragingly. He looked over and noticed Alex was next to him. Percy almost jumped out his skin. The guy had a tendency of appearing out of nowhere. "Alex what are you doing here?"

"Huh? Oh, hey Percy. I'm also swimming the freestyle. I think Coach said I was in the fourth round." He closed his locker; he was wearing his swim shorts and his swim jacket as well.

Percy rubbed the back of his head. "Ah right. I forgot that you were also swimming. My bad."

Alex shrugged lazily. "Eh don't be, my nerves are also on edge." Together they walked back onto the gallery.

"Ah, boys I see that you're ready," Coach said. "Why don't we head down there and get you both warmed up?"

Percy nodded then followed the coach downstairs to the first floor where swimmers were getting warmed up. Percy waved at his parents and Annabeth as he made his way downstairs. His parents' poster said, 'Go Percy Go!'. Annabeth's poster said, 'Just Keep Swimming Seaweed Brain'.

"It's much bigger closer up," Percy noted once he was up and close with the pool.

Alex chortled. "That's what she said."

There was a voice on the speaker. 'Ladies and Gentlemen, the 50-meter freestyle will begin in 20 minutes. All participating swimmers please make sure to get into position.'

Percy felt a comforting pat on his back. He turned around to see Coach looking at him with a twinkle in his eyes. "I know it's your first meet Percy, but I've seen how hard you've been working. I know you'll make me proud."

Percy gave him his troublemaker smile. "No worries coach. I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask of you mijo." Coach looked down at the program. "Looks like you'll be swimming in the second round of freestyle on lane six." He pointed the lane where Percy would be swimming in. "In the meantime, you can observe the other swimmers in the first round."

"Will do."

The coach then turned to Alex and offered him some words of encouragement. Together, Percy and Alex started stretching out and warming up.

"It sucks dude that your family isn't here to support you," Percy said as he and Alex warmed up.

Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "It's whatever. They're busy all the time anyways."

Percy frowned. "Did anyone come see you today?"

"Other than the team?"

Percy nodded.

Alex smiled and perked up. "Yeah, my boyfriend came today." Alex looked around, pointing, and waving at a young man sitting by the AHS team. He waved back.

Percy grinned.

They were both in the middle of their stretches when the voice on the loudspeaker spoke again. 'All swimmers participating in the first round of the 50-meter freestyle please make your way to your lane, we will start shortly.'

With that, eight boys from all different schools rushed to their lanes. Most of them were wearing shorts with a few wearing speedos. Those dudes wearing speedos had some confidence. They were all putting on their caps and goggles. There was whistle and they took their positions on their lane platform.

Once all swimmers were ready, the buzzer went off, and all the swimmers plunged into the water. There were loud cheers coming from schools and parents as they cheered for their swimmers. The leaderboard changed whenever a swimmer completed the length, and it displayed their time.

50 Meter Freestyle Round 1 Results

Samuel Clark 29.23

John Aquino 30.11

Jonas Hall 30.76

Jun Jie 31.23

Nick Hyun 32.89

Kevin Ruiz 33.16

Alexis Das 34.13.

Linus Baker 34.67

Out of those eight swimmers it looks like Samuel and John would be moving to the finals. The swimmers got out of the pool. A moment later the loudspeaker said, 'Samuel Clark and John Aquino will move on to the finals for the 50 meter free. Good job to all swimmers. All swimmers participating in the second round 50-meter freestyle please take your positions.'

There was another pat on Percy's back. "There's your turn son, go knock em dead." Coach said reassuringly.

Percy nodded, unzipped his jacket and handed it to the coach. "See you on the other side Coach, Alex." Percy stood on the platform, the pool's water glistening in front of him. He put on his cap and his goggles making sure that they were properly placed and would not fall off while he was in the water. He looked to his side to see the other swimmers taking their positions. He took a deep breath and got into position as well.

The voice on the loudspeaker came on again the buzzer went off. Everyone lunged into the water. The sudden cold and the smell of chlorine didn't bother Percy as he dove underwater, propelling himself effortlessly until he arose seconds later. As he swam he heard his team and family chanting, 'Go Percy! Go Percy! Go Percy!' This filled him with more energy as he continued swimming. He felt like he was in his element, which he kind of was. He felt comfortable and relaxed despite the water not giving him a strength boost. He had promised to never use his powers while in competitions, so this was all him, all the hard work he had been putting in for the past months. It also didn't hurt that he was the son of the sea god which meant that he innately knew how to swim.

He touched the opposing platform, breathing heavily, he removed his cap and goggles then looked at the leader board. A half second later his name came on.

50 Meter Freestyle Round 2 Results

Percy Jackson 20.64

He had done it; he had gotten first place. He would be moving on to the finals. He threw his first into the air, "hell yeah!" He cheered. He heard loud cheers and applause coming from where his team and family were. The leaderboard slowly filled up as the remaining swimmers came in.

Jacob Cuevas 30.45

Dino Lin 31.60

Wallace Price 32.01

Zachary Rawlins 32.05

Dylan Strong 33.45

Jack Dawson 33.69

Tyler Long 34.15

Looks like he and Jacob would be moving on to the finals. He got out the pool where Coach was waiting for him, a big smile on his face. He handed Percy a towel which the young demigod draped on his shoulders. He then told Percy to take a seat as the next rounds and the next events would follow. Alex was sitting by him fidgeting with his hands.

"Hey man, you ok?" Percy asked. He placed a reassuring hand on Alex's shoulder.

Alex's shoulders relaxed. "Yeah, just the jitters."

"First competition?"

Alex nodded.

"This is also my first competition just so you know." This caused the other to raise his eyebrows.

"How? How is this your first and you swim like that?"

Percy was rethinking where this conversation was going. Perhaps bringing up the fact that it was his first wasn't the best idea. "I guess you could say, I've always swam, but I never really competed. I got kicked out of too many schools before I could join a swim team."

Alex only looked at Percy with a questioning look. To cheer the other guy up Percy started telling him stories on the accidents he was involved in (which were totally not his fault he emphasized). He also gave Alex encouraging words and let him know that there's always other competitions and it's not the end of the world. By the time their conversation ended it was Alex's turn to swim. He stood up, stretching his legs and took his jacket off before heading to the pool.

Percy gave the other swimmer a thumbs up. "Knock em dead Alex."

Alex smiled and gave his own thumbs up. He came in second in his race so he would be moving on to the finals.

After the final qualifier, the 100 free was set to start. Percy managed to snag a first place spot in the 100 free event guaranteeing his place on the finals for that event as well.

After the 100 free, Percy stretched out, letting out some stress from the races. He put his jacket back on then went back up to the gallery where the team was waiting for him. As he got up there, the team was basically beaming at him.

"Dude! You finished way ahead of everyone! I could kiss you right now, but I won't. I think someone has dibs." Joshua said. He pointed his thumb to Annabeth. The entire team was wolf whistling and making kissy faces as Percy walked towards Annabeth. Percy turned to glare at them, and they shut up. He stepped closer to Annabeth and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, getting her slightly wet in the process.

"Seaweed Brain," she sighed sounding exasperated.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "What? Don't I get a kiss for making those times? You didn't give me a kiss for good luck."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Come back later and maybe I'll give you another kiss." She kissed his shoulder and ruffled his hair. They ignored the looks they were getting from the team and some passersbys.

"Geez you two get a room," Daniel said. He looked annoyed but there was hint of smile on his lips. Paul and Sally came in shortly after and congratulated him for making it into the finals for all his races.

The backstroke races started soon after and this time only Joshua and Coach headed down together to get into formation. Joshua was to swim in the first round and was participating in the 100 and 200 backstroke.

"Good luck Josh. I know you'll do great!" Percy yelled from the gallery pumping out his fist.

"Thanks, Perce! I hope there's tons of cute girls watching!" He yelled back. Daniel rolled his eyes while the rest of the team laughed.

Josh took his position and raced in the backstroke race. He managed to get a first place with a decent time of 1 minute and 28 seconds in the 100 backstroke. He managed a second-place spot in the 200 meter backstroke.

Josh was congratulated as he made his way back up to the team.

"Grats man. Think I saw plenty of cute girls watching," Bahman offered.

Josh perked up even more. "You think so?"

"Definitely man." Bahman pointed to a group of elementary school girls that were cheering, waving banners around.

Josh's expression fell. "Not those kinds of cute girls. You trying to send me to jail?"

Afterwards, the butterfly and breastroke races would take place with Bahman and Marcus doing butterfly and Daniel in breastroke. Percy sat on the gallery with the rest of his teammates, cheering on his friends. Thankfully, all three boys managed to snag a first or second place spot in their events guaranteeing them a spot for the finals.

There would be a short intermission before the relay took place. Percy used this time to talk to the teammates he would be participating with. The order of the strokes for the relay would be backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke and finished by freestyle. In other words, the order was Josh, Bahman, Daniel, and Percy. The four boys had spent weeks practicing their exchange and were confident on their time.

Unfortunately, the nightmare that Percy had last night started surfacing again. A shudder ran up his spine every time he thought about it. He shook his head and pushed it aside; this was not the time to think about that. His friends were counting on him to work together to make it through into the finals.

The speaker came on again. 'The Mixed 400-meter Medley Relay qualifiers will begin soon. Participating swimmers please get into position.'

Together the four boys huddled together with the coach. "Alright boys, you've been working hard for this. Do your best and make me proud."

'Don't we always make you proud Coach?" Percy asked. The coach was about to open his mouth, but Percy quickly added, 'don't answer that." The coach was probably thinking about how their group got banned from the all you can eat buffet near their school after they cleaned the place out. They didn't know there was an asterisk there. Or he was thinking about the ongoing feud between the swim team and the football team. Percy wasn't sure.

"Alright, looks like I'm first," Josh said. He dove into the pool, part of his body in the water while he grabbed the handrails on the platform for the backstroke. As soon as everyone was in position, the loudspeaker buzzer went off and the relay started. Loud cheers were heard all over the place as the swimmers raced down the pool.

Josh was the second person to reach the starring platform, he called out "Bahman!" and he quickly took over the relay, diving into the pool. Percy's breathing was now increasing from nervousness as time went on. It was only a matter of time until it was his turn and the stupid nightmare kept coming back into his mind. He kept trying to push it away but failed. It was as if the nightmare was a pesky mosquito that kept coming back no matter how much it was swatted away. Or those random phone numbers that won't leave you alone.

"Dan!" Percy heard Bahman yell and Daniel dove in. Crap it was almost his turn, he had to focus. He got into position to be ready as soon as Daniel was done. Percy observed the lane as Daniel's shape got closer and closer, seconds feeling like hours. He finally reached the platform and yelled out "Percy!"

Percy dove into the water haphazardly. He propelled himself underwater for a moment and then surfaced and began swimming. He hadn't realized how loud all the sounds around the venue were. He couldn't distinguish any single sound other than his heavy breathing. He continued swimming, images of his nightmare coming back to him.

He suddenly felt cold, very cold which was strange. He had dived into the frigid waters of Alaska, and it didn't bother him. The only time he ever felt cold while underwater was when he fell into the… Cocytus. Suddenly, he felt like he was back in the Cocytus. The River of Lamentation. He felt like he was freezing from the inside out and he swore he could hear voices. He heard 'Give up' 'Life is despair', 'Everything is pointless.'

Percy kept struggling to keep pace with the other swimmers. His team had gotten a good lead but it was quickly shrinking as time went on. He kept trying to push forward, not wanting to waste the effort his team made but it wouldn't work. He felt stuck.

He hated to admit it, but the River Cocytus had really tested his strength over water and he had failed to keep it under control. He had fallen under its spell and would have drowned if Annabeth's hadn't been there with him.

Annabeth… Annabeth… where was Annabeth? She wasn't in here. Had she left him? Where did she go? Was he all by himself falling into the despair of the river?

No wait, Annabeth was here, she was in the galleries cheering for him to go on. He perked up slightly, doing his best to continue swimming. His resolve died when another figure came into his mind. Annabeth's horrified expression when Percy had tried to drown Akhlys. That was enough to make him stop completely. It was all it took, for the voices to come back and they came back with a vengeance.

'She's terrified of you.'

'Give up son of Poseidon, there's nothing for you to love.'

'You've always let people down.'

'You should have died in Polybetes' poison.'

The voices came back again but this time the face of Akhlys came into the forefront as she begged for mercy.

She was coughing and crying as Percy was choking her with her poison and body fluids. She thrashed around on the ground pleading. "Please! Stop!" But Percy didn't want to stop, he wanted to see how much misery, misery could take. Akhlys continued rolling around, "Stop I made a mistake. I promise I won't attack you anymore. Just let me go! You monster!" She cried.

Percy felt himself sinking further and further into the pool. He didn't try to stop it as his mind was shocked as his vision flashed into the River Acheron. Again, he began hearing voices.

'Join us, you'll fit right in you monster.'

'You're no better than any of us.'

'Bianca, Zoë, Beckendorf, Silena, Luke, Michael, Calypso. You've failed them all.'

The voices repeated over and over again.

Percy shook his head trying to shake the voices off, but now it was as if he was being bombarded by both rivers at the same time. All the fight was sapped out of him. He breathed in the pool water, allowing it fill up his lungs only to find out he couldn't breathe it. The water stung his lungs and he felt as if she was chocking and drowning. This only bought up more memories, the muskeg in Alaska, the Nymphaeum in Rome, the River Cocytus and most recently Polybetes' poisoning underwater. His lungs felt as if they were burning and the combination of voices, the rivers and the memories of almost drowning caused his vision to start going black.

He felt himself sink deeper and deeper into the water, all the fight drained out of him. The last thing he registered was a muffled whistle and arms wrap around him before he blacked out.

AN: I saw this interesting theory that Percy and Sally could be legacies of a Roman God such as Venus or Apollo (I lean more towards Venus since Aphrodite takes a liking towards him). Maybe that can explain why Percy is so powerful. We practically know nothing about Sally's parents so maybe it's possible. There's like whole reddit threads discussing this. He's also described as having Mediterranean features like how the Chases have Scandinavian features. So just some food for thought.

Also, I didn't realize swimmers were so freaking tall when I was doing a bit of research. I made Percy 6'1 but I think I'll have to give Percy one last growth spurt and push him to like 6'2 (apparently that's the average) or 6'3. Annabeth's like "Are you freaking kidding me?" and Percy laughs in her face. "All those years of teasing blew up in your face Wise Girl."

Anyways, look forward to the next chapter. Next chapter is interesting.