Climb (Percy Jackson x Reader)

thirty

Chiron frowns at her. "The lore is just that—lore. What is the harm in including Percy on this mission?"

(Y/N)'s inhale catches, so quiet that Percy barely notices it. His blood rushes with concern.

"If I may," Apollo says, his eyebrows knitting as he addresses Chiron, "I believe that (Y/N) is correct."

The corner of her lips quirks upward. Percy's heart skips a beat.

"The lore you all know is quite based in history and truth. And the Arai are not creatures to be tested. It would be safer to follow the records that you have and risk fewer lives than to put others into a situation that they could very well avoid."

Percy snaps his focus to Apollo, his eyes slightly widened. "Have you done this before?" he asks.

(Y/N) snaps her head to him, very clearly shocked at his tone. Chiron raises an eyebrow.

Apollo sighs through the message. "I have not, no."

"Meaning that you don't actually know what you're getting into. So how, exactly, is it safer to risk (Y/N)'s life without backup than to have me there just in case?"

"I'm not going to be without backup," (Y/N) counters, pushing off of the railing. She motions to the Iris Message, looking between Percy and Chiron. "Let's look at this with everything we know, okay? The Tablet has been missing for thousands of years. It's highly improbable that the guardians will believe I stole it, meaning that it's highly improbable that they'll lash out at me. At least, for that specific reason."

Percy's throat tightens with dread, but (Y/N)'s muscles relax. Her shoulders loosen as her voice grows more gentle.

"If things do end up going south"—she looks pointedly at Percy—"I'm not going to be alone. Apollo will be right there. I'm open to his help, and I'm willing to work with him and follow his insight. Besides, we've kept the Tablet here for too long already. We've known that we need to give it back before any creatures or gods come looking for it and ultimately put the camp at risk, and we also know that we are cutting it very close. There simply isn't enough time for me to go over everything with Percy before I leave."

Percy opens his mouth to interject, but (Y/N) turns to address him.

"I understand your concern, which is why I also think it's a good idea that you do the research about the Tablet and the Temple and everything else. If anything happens while I'm gone, you'll be prepared enough to jump in immediately. But that's going to take time, and we've already put this off for long enough."

Chiron purses his lips. Percy can barely focus on anything other than his heart, racing at an incredible speed as his mind brings up every thought of what could go wrong.

(Y/N) sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Look," she says, her gaze flitting between Percy and Chiron, "I am aware of the risk. I have trained for situations like these. My defense is not going to be limited. And there will be a god at my side. This is, quite possibly, the furthest thing from me going off on my own and being put in danger."

Chiron does a double-take, leaning back and looking at the daughter of Persephone with curiosity. He appears lost for words, as if shocked by her reasoning.

Percy's pulse begins to calm, his worries quieting when (Y/N) meets his eye. Deciphering the traces of hope and trust and sheer desperation that she allows him to see, Percy's tension starts to ease.

This was her proof. That she wasn't risking everything on a whim. That she knows as much as she can about what she plans to get into—but she trusts him to pull her free should things go wrong.