The Swap

Chapter 9: Isn't She Lovely

Annabeth POV (in Percy's body)

Even though Percy's mom tried, I didn't even greet her as I ran to Percy's room. My eyes were burning from the pent-up emotions.

Gods, if Percy had to go through this on a weekly basis, then I was so wrong about him.

It wasn't fun getting yelled at.

I had experience with verbal abuse fairly often. However, it was never in front of a crowd of people. It was never open or humiliating or pitiful.

Yet, I felt the trauma today in Percy's body.

I paused in front of Percy's dresser mirror and simply stared into it. Percy was a very impressive teenager in terms of looks. You'd never imagine the stress and pressure behind his gorgeous appearance.

I saw a few tears stream down his tan skin. I didn't even know why I was so emotional. It was weird to see Percy cry.

Technically, I was the one crying.

"Percy, honey, is everything all right?" Sally said as she walked in. She stood by the door as she waited for an acknowledgment.

"I, I am fine," I said quietly.

I wiped the tears off of my face before faking a smile. However, Sally clearly didn't buy it considering she came over wrapped her arms around me.

I gasped as I burrowed into her motherly embrace.

It's been years since I felt this kind of motherly love and comfort. I really like Percy's mom. She was an amazing mother.

"I know that you're under a lot of stress and pressure," she expressed. She pulled away in order to look at my face.

"It, it's just a lot sometimes," I said sadly.

"I know, honey. You're are so incredibly talented. It's definitely not easy to be in everyone's eyes as a national swimmer. As a junior no less," she explained.

I stared into her brown eyes as she talked. Helen didn't even come close to Sally. Hell, even my own mom (Athena), who I loved very much, wasn't as comforting as Sally.

"You can't be so hard on yourself," she said.

Sally wiped the water off of my face before rubbing my arms.

"I don't think that I am. I just don't want to let anyone down. The whole school is counting on me," I told her.

I was surprised with myself. I sounded so much like Percy, and I understood why Percy had to let go of some school responsibilities to stay afloat.

Gods, this shit was hard. His life was harder than I thought.

"Honey, even you're just one man. And, you are going to do fine," Sally said. "Now, I'm gonna make some cookies to make you feel better. Come down when you're ready."

She smiled again before walking out of the room.

"Mom," I called out. I hadn't used that term on anyone since I had lost my mother years ago. It was strange, but it also felt good. Very good.

She backstopped and gazed at me from the doorway.

"Thanks," I expressed.

Sally, my mom at the moment, smiled before retreating to the kitchen. I took a few deep breaths before deciding to freshen up. I was feeling a lot better.

***

Some of Percy's friends texted and called his phone to check on me. They must've heard about what happened at practice. After all, some of Percy's close friends were definitely a part of the swim team.