Fall (Percy Jackson x Reader)

eight

thank you for 4k!
i had an extra chapter written up so there's a double update today ☺️
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"Oh, gods, I'm so nervous."

Sally tries to comfort Percy as he stares at his reflection, desperately trying to flatten his unruly hair. "Don't worry, Percy," she reassures, cupping his face in her hands and giving him a kind smile, "It'll all be fine, okay?"

Percy lets out a deep exhale, resignedly nodding and returning her smile, weakly. He bends down slightly as Sally rises on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead, standing up straight while turning his attention back to his hair. "Can I just leave it as is?" he asks, running a hand through the fluffed-up mess. His mother gives him a disapproving sigh, but he continues, "It's gonna be under the cap, anyway, and it's still gonna get messed up because of that."

Sally rolls her eyes, playfully, "Fine. I guess it doesn't really matter all that much."

"Thanks, Mom." Percy grins, pulling her into a hug.

She chuckles, patting his back, "Now, you've got that meeting beforehand, so make sure you have everything."

"I know," he responds, this being the third time Sally has reminded him.

"And don't forget to leave with adequate time on hand, okay? I don't want you getting into a car crash because you were rushing."

"I know, Mom," Percy groans, but a chuckle makes its way behind the words.

Sally pulls away from the hug, patting Percy's arm before moving towards the door, talking to him over her shoulder. "There are some chocolate chip cookies on the counter— you can take a few before you leave."

Percy smiles as he thanks her, waiting for her to close the door before he turns back to the mirror in front of him. "It's okay," he tells himself, "You're gonna be totally fine. You got this." He nods at his reflection, taking a few deep breaths as he fiddles with the wooden bead on his necklace. "You killed a Minotaur, beheaded Medusa, fought a Hydra, went to the Underworld, were trained by an insanely skilled demigod, and won a duel against the son of the god of war. You'll be fine."

'But what if a monster shows up and attacks you when you're off-guard?'

"That's not gonna happen."

'What if someone tries to sabotage your graduation and attacks and kills you?'

"That's a little extreme, so, no. Not gonna happen."

'What if the sun explodes in the middle of the ceremony and then you and the rest of the world will die?'

"Maybe in, like, ten billion years, I don't know."

'What if you actually didn't graduate and they don't call you up for a diploma?'

"They literally sent me an email to say congratulations."

'What if you trip over your feet on the stage?'

"I can run across tree branches, I think I'm fine."

'What if you mess up giving the valedictorian speech?'

Percy furrows his eyebrows at his reflection, utterly confused by his own thoughts.

Percy isn't the valedictorian.

"Just..." he takes a deep inhale before letting it out, "relax."

He starts walking away from his mirror and over to his nightstand, doing everything he can to avoid the new wave of stress that hits him. Carefully pushing away his meticulously-ironed graduation gown, he sits down on his bed with a sigh, reaching onto the bedside table to pick up the deep blue rose.