Chapter Text
“Seriously Piper, why am I going to a swimming meet again?”
“Annabeth. This is not just any swimming meet, this is the Olympic trials for heaven's sake,” Piper replied indignantly.
When I stayed silent, Piper took that as a cue to continue talking, “These are some of the greatest swimmers in the world. Percy freaking Jackson is going to be there, aren’t you excited for that at all?”
This did pique my interest a bit. Percy Jackson was world-renowned as one of the best swimmers of all time. Hell, he was probably one of the best athletes of all time. At the last Olympic games, he won 8 gold medals at the age of 18. That was the most for any Olympian, and he was just 18.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a bit of a crush on him during that Olympics, but let’s be honest- everyone did. Rumor was that he had gotten even stronger over the last 4 years, and was poised to dominate the Olympics this year in Paris.
“Okay I guess he’ll be pretty cool to see,” I replied finally, “I just don’t particularly know that I’ll be able to sit through a whole swimming meet. And I’m a bit nervous about the paparazzi being on my tail here.”
Piper waved me off, “Oh please. They all still think you’re in Europe recording your new album. And I brought a wig and hat just in case. Trust me darling, I know how to manage the paparazzi for you.”
She winked at me, which made me grin. I never would understand how I got so lucky to have someone as amazing as Piper as my manager.
My thoughts drifted back to the swim meet as we made our way through Los Angeles traffic. The thought of seeing a shirtless Percy Jackson in person crossed my mind involuntarily. This probably wouldn’t be so bad, right?
As we pulled into the parking lot, I pulled the brunette wig over my blonde curls and settled the hat on top. Taking a quick glance in the rearview mirror, I deemed my appearance acceptable for the public eye.
Just as I was about to step out of the SUV, Piper grabbed my wrist.
“Hey, there’s one other thing I forgot to tell you about why you’re here. Your fundraiser tonight? Well Percy has kind of been added as a second host.”
“WHAT?” I whipped my head around so fast I almost lost both the wig and the hat.
“I know, I know. I should have told you sooner-”
“You think??” I interjected.
“But it was all very last minute. I got a call from Percy’s manager, who had heard of your fundraiser, and Percy supports the same organization quite intensely and it just so happened he was in town and he asked if he could help out. Apparently, everyone is quite excited and his manager and the fundraising host think that his appearance could really help boost donations.”
Piper looked at me with her puppy dog eyes, and I could tell that she really had acted in my best interest. I put my head down and rubbed my temples as I thought.
“Ugh. Fine.”
“Wait, you’re okay with this?? I thought I was going to have to spend the whole meet trying to convince.”
“It’s whatever, can’t really change it now. Just in the future? I would appreciate a little bit of heads up, especially if someone I’ve never met is added on as a co-host for my benefit.”
Piper moved to get out of the car, which I took as cue that the conversation was over. As I walked to the front to meet her, something clicked in my mind,
“Hey, did you bring me here so that I wouldn’t be able to throw a fit or run away?”
She just smirked in return, and laced her arms with mine as she steered us towards the gate.
When we finally settled into our seats, I realized how glad I was that Piper purchased the VIP seats. Normally, I didn’t like to do stuff like that, because I tried to keep myself grounded. Though I loved having a professional singer career, I sometimes hated the special treatment people thought I deserved. I was really just a normal person, or at least I tried to be.
This was one instance where I was happy I wasn’t in the normal seats. The majority of the tickets appeared to be general admission seats in crowded bleachers. I would have been worried about conversation being heard or my wig getting caught on someone’s bag or something. I had gotten used to laying low from the paparazzi the last few months, and I definitely needed an easy transition back into that lifestyle.
Our seats were each individual chairs that were down right near the finish on the sideline so we’d be able to see all of the action perfectly.
I whispered my thanks to Piper as I glanced around the arena. The first race was coming up in just about 10 minutes, and the swimmers were being announced one by one. Annabeth wasn’t really paying attention until the roars of the crowd snapped her to attention.
“Percy Jackson,” the announcer boomed. The crowd was so loud I could barely hear my thoughts thoughts.
He stepped out from the locker rooms from an opening almost directly across from me. My heart stopped.
His jet black hair was sticking up all over the place, clearly mussed up from his warm ups. His green eyes were sparkling in amazement as he looked around at the crowd. And his body- my god.
I chided myself for looking at a man so objectively, but it was hard not to notice just how ripped he was. His chest and abs were so sculpted they looked like something out of an art museum. Also, he was just deliciously lanky. That probably sounds weird, but I’ve always had a thing for lanky guys, and he was the definition of perfect in that respect.
I felt like a desperate schoolgirl, praying his eyes would find mine. But of course they didn’t, he was far too focused of an athlete to be looking for potential dates in the crowd right now. Another pair of eyes found me however, and they belonged to Piper.
She nudged my elbow with hers, “Bet you’re not so mad about this fundraiser tonight now?”
I did my best to glare, “Actually, I’m still pretty mad. Just hard not to take notice of him when the whole place sounds like it’s going to explode when he walks out.”
I was trying really hard to sound nonchalant about the whole thing, but Piper always had a knack for sensing my true feelings. She gave me a knowing glance, but left it alone.
The swimmers were going through the stretches now, and no matter how hard I tried not to, my eyes kept drifting back to Percy. He was turned facing the other way, stretching his hamstrings now, and I just about fainted at just how perfect this man’s ass was.
Seriously what the hell is wrong with me? I have barely even glanced at a man since I broke up with Brandon and here I am ogling over some dude who I’ve never even talked to. And honestly, he was probably a jerk.
That much attention leads to a large amount of conceitedness. It’s really easy for it to get to your head. And most people don’t fight it off like I do. Most likely, he would barely even talk to me tonight, and I would never see him again. Or at least that’s what I told myself, since the other possibility of getting to know him led to far too many stomach butterflies for my comfort.
The announcer (thankfully) saved me from my thoughts as he called for the swimmers to take their spots. I realized that I didn’t even know what race this was, and glanced at the scoreboard and saw 100m butterfly just in time for me to miss them jumping into the water.
The stadium immediately erupted in cheers, and even Piper started clapping along. I decided to join in the fun and gave out a half hearted “let’s go.” Even though it was very general, I could see Piper raise her eyebrow at me, as she knew exactly who I was really cheering for.
By this time, they were about halfway down the final stretch, and I find myself inching out of my seat along with the rest of the crowd. Percy was ahead of the next person by at least half a body length, and easily breezed into the wall in first place.
He whipped off his goggles and cap, took a look at the scoreboard and then raised a triumphant fist. Just seeing this even made me smile. What can I say? It makes me happy when people get to see their hard work pay off.
“Impressive, no?” Piper shouted as she leaned closer to me.
“Incredibly so! How can anyone move through water that fast?”
The rest of the meet passed remarkably fast. Percy swam in 6 more events and placed first in all of them. To say I was impressed was an understatement. I was incredibly surprised when I realized that I had actually really enjoyed myself. And here I thought I didn’t like swimming.
Piper and I opted to stay in our seats while some of the crowd filed out of the stadium. We chatted about the plans for the fundraiser that night.
“Okay missy, when we get home, your hair and makeup team will be there with your dress.You have a bit of time to relax, but no dilly-dallying. The fundraiser starts at 7, so I would like you there at 6:45 so you can greet guests as they arrive.”
“Yeah yeah. You and I both know I won’t be late Pipes. But I appreciate the concern.”
The drive home went by surprisingly fast, and before I knew it, I was being bombarded by my makeup and hair team. I put in some music and tried to tune out all of the chatter as they got me ready.
I put on my dress and stepped in front of the mirror.
Wowza. I looked hot. Of all nights to meet the infamous Percy Jackson, I was glad this one was the night. My light blue dress cascaded down to the floor in a regal manner. My hair was half up, half down, with loose curls bouncing down my back. My makeup was done in exactly the way I love- enough to smooth the look over, but so little that it is barely noticeable.
Okay enough about me, let’s go meet some guests and more importantly, Percy.
It was 7:30 and all of the guests have arrived but one person was notably missing.
Percy. Fucking. Jackson.
Piper assured me that his manager had told him to arrive at the same time as me, so he could help with the greeting activities. I didn’t mind greeting people by myself- that’s what I thought I was going to be doing tonight anyways, but it has always bothered me when people arrive late for events , particularly important ones.
I had to put on my performance face now though, as I had to give the introduction to the evening. As I stepped onto the stage, a hush fell over the group.
“Hello everyone, I’d like to thank you all for being here tonight. As someone who has personally struggled with both ADHD and dyslexia my whole life, please know that your contributions are truly helping make a difference in a child’s life by helping them achieve their educational dreams.”
A small round of applause was shared and I gave a tight smile. Just as I opened my mouth to continue, a loud bang of the doors from the back of the room drew everyone’s attention there.
Sure enough, in ran a very flustered looking Percy Jackson- hair flying every which way and jacket still undone. I just stood and gaped along with the rest of the attendees.
To his credit, he had the decency to look embarrassed about his entrance. He hastily buttoned his coat and started hustling towards the stage. Towards me.
On stage, I just stared with my mouth open while he climbed the steps and grabbed a mic from a nearby attendant. He looked at me, I think for permission to speak, and when I glared at him he apparently took that to mean ‘go right ahead.’
“Hey everyone,” he gave an awkward wave, “sorry I’m late- you know, Olympic training and whatnot”
It bothered me that everyone in the crowd gave either a sympathetic or appreciative nod. I supposed I should have been happy that people weren’t angry about his entrance, but I disliked that everyone was practically just letting him off the hook!
“Like Annabeth here, I too suffer from both ADHD and dyslexia. That’s why we’ve paired up tonight with all of you wonderful folks. This is a cause we’re both passionate about, and I can tell that all of you are too.
Throughout the evening, you’ll see stories from different children who have had their lives impacted for the better by this organization. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask either Annabeth or I.”
I’m not going to lie, I was thoroughly surprised that he managed to hit every single point I was going to cover in my speech. Considering his arrival, I was expecting that speech of his to be a train wreck. He turned to look at me with a small smile, and despite my frustration, my heart melted at how intense his eyes were up close.
Feeling myself starting to get lost in his eyes, I gave him a small nod and turned my attention back to the attendees.
“Well, with that, let’s get this party started. Everyone please enjoy the wonderful stylings of Miss Annabeth Chase!” He announced as he bowed off stage.
I tried to shake my excitement over him knowing my name off as I retreated back to the microphone in front of my band. After all, I was a world famous musician, it’s not like him knowing my name was anything special. Still, I wish it was.
The first chords of my latest single started playing and I immersed myself in my music, all thoughts of Percy gone from my mind. As I surveyed the audience, they all seemed very interested in my music, which just fueled my performance even more. Even though it was just a small venue, I felt that this had been one of my best performances of the song.
I took a bow and exited the stage, only to find Percy standing there.
“Hey Annabeth, great job out there. Sorry about being late…” he trailed off but I had already walked past him with a small wave.
That boy may be hot as hell, but I really did not have the patience for his nonsense right now. Thankfully, Piper came to my rescue, as she always does. I heard her approach Percy with his manager Grover beside her and begin talking to him about his duties for the night.
I was already into the crowd by the time he had been updated, mingling and truly enjoying the meaningful conversations I was having. Minutes, even hours passed without me noticing. Things were starting to slow down a bit, which meant that the crowd was becoming progressively younger. This also meant that I could finally enjoy myself and have some drinks.
When I was scanning the room, my eyes happened to land on Percy, gesticulating wildly to a group of women who were standing all too closely to him. They all laughed falsely, and a few of them even reached out and put their hands on his arm, chest, back.
Suddenly, the room just felt far too hot and I was sick of sharing it with Percy. I snatched two champagne flutes from a nearby waiter and weaved my way through the remaining crowd. Following one of the narrow hallways down, I found my favorite hideout at this venue- a balcony overlooking the majestic gardens outside.
It was just far enough from the main gathering space that no one ever ventured here. It was perfect for moments like this when I just needed to get away for a bit. Downing my first glass of champagne embarrassingly fast, I stared out at the peaceful gardens and allowed myself to get lost in my thoughts.
Naturally, the first thing my brain decided to focus on was Percy. I had barely talked to him all evening, in fact it felt almost like I had been actively avoiding him. It was so incredibly different from my plans earlier that same day.
In fact, it was hard to believe how enamored I had been with the swimmer even 12 hours earlier. So far, the few interactions I’ve had with him had been just off-putting enough that I wasn’t feeling a strong desire to put in the effort to get to know him anymore.
Maybe that was a bit unfair, but in my defense, after showing up late, he had been absolutely surrounded by women at any given point in the night. Unfortunately, he just doesn’t seem to be the type of guy that I’d like to hang out with.
With a sad pang, I started in on my second champagne flute. For the second time that night, I was interrupted by a commotion at the door.
What the hell? No one ever comes back here. Suddenly a man stumbled through the doors, panting.
And just like deja vu, Percy Jackson, looking disheveled and almost unbearably handsome, grinned at me and made my breath catch in my throat.
Oh great.