The Swap

Chapter 17: When We Fall Apart

Annabeth POV (in Percy's body)

Percy wasn't responding to my texts today. It was Saturday, and he had told me that my dad was coming this morning. After that, the texts stopped. 

I was too preoccupied to worry about it though. 

Goode High's swim team had a meet today at Swindon Academy. It was the last local competition before districts next week. According to Frank, districts were a two-day competition that acted as qualifiers for Regionals. 

Everyone knew that Percy was a shoo-in, yet I was nervous. 

I had never participated in athletic competitions because my interest lied elsewhere. 

I took in some deep breaths as I walked into Swindon's pool area with my team. The whole team was here as a nod to the last official swim meet. The whole team had already changed into our swim gear and our varsity sweatshirts emphasized school spirit. 

The other schools were already warming up in the pool. Goode High would be warming up last, and then, the meet would begin. 

The competition started with freestyle 100m, so I'd be first. 

Unsurprisingly, Percy swam in many of the heats, but he specialized in freestyle and breaststroke 100m and 200m. However, he held school records in butterfly and backstroke as well. He was an excellent, balanced swimmer. 

Finally, Goode High got up to warm up as Middleton High got out of the pool. Many of them gave me (ie Percy) either admiring or jealous looks. 

That came with the territory of being the best. I realized very quickly that it happened even within Goode High's swim team and sports department. 

The warm-up was easy, and it helped me relax a little bit as well. 

As the competition started, I was nervous. I wondered if Percy still got nervous before his competitions, especially considering all of the pressure. The stress and pressure were enough for anyone to lose their edge. 

However, Percy's body didn't show it. 

As I swam using his fit body and strong muscles, I found myself getting more confident as the laps continued. 

The buzzer rang as my hand hit the wall to finish the 100m freestyle. My head immediately splashed out of the water to look at my (Percy's) time. 

It was fast, very fast. I had beaten the other swimmers by several seconds. I smiled as I climbed out of the pool. 

"Not a surprise, Percy Jackson is the heat winner with a very impressive time of 50.72 seconds," the announced exclaimed boldly. 

Cheering erupted as I walked back to my team's place on the bleachers. In comparison, the winning time at the Olympics 100m freestyle heat in 2020 was 47.71. 

Percy was literally only three seconds off an Olympian swimmer. 

As the competition continued, my confidence and joy in Percy's performance only grew. I was very happy with how I was doing in the competition. 

My teammates and the crowd were nothing but supportive as well. 

It was a nice feeling to be loved by everyone. However, I knew that Percy was loved only partly for his swimming skills. He was loved also for his kindness, sportsmanship, and charm. 

Finally, the competition came to an end. 

"Congratulations Percy Jackson for first place today," the announcer boomed.