soulmates ⋮ heroes of olympus au

thirty-one.

"I don't think it was drinking too much at once," His mom said with a knowing smile. Percy's mind went haywire as he thought about the implications of what she had said. At the same time, his mom pulled Estelle's Little Mermaid coloring book – a personal favorite of hers at swim meets – out of her handbag along with a bag of crayons. "Are you ready for the meet?" She asked him.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure," Percy confessed with a shake of his head, beginning to nervously rub the back of his neck. "I know I've been doing really well this season, but there's still the chance I could totally mess it all up now. Plus, I don't swim until later, which is honestly even more nerve-wracking because I have to sit and watch my competition crush it."

"I know I've never really seen you swim before, but I'm pretty sure you don't have anything to worry about," Annabeth reassured with a grin. "Everyone at school thinks you're part merman. I'm pretty sure I've heard Leo call you Fish Boy on multiple occasions. If you swim anywhere near your nickname, then I'm sure you're going to kick everyone's as– butts."

Percy laughed loudly at Annabeth's near slip-up, and his mom rolled her eyes playfully at the two. "Nice save," She commented. The sound of a loud bell chiming rang through the pool, and she turned to Percy and said, "You should probably head over to your team now."

Estelle stuck her tongue out at Percy and waved rapidly. "Bye, Seaweed Brain!"

"Bye, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth repeated with a wide, almost teasing smile as she waved just as enthusiastically, earning a loud laugh from his mom.

As Percy walked over, he happened to look over his shoulder and catch another glance of his family and Annabeth grinning and chatting as if they had known each other for years. And while he didn't know why, Percy couldn't help but smile to himself at the sight.

☼

Percy had won. He wasn't sure how he had done it, but Percy had won.

Well, he knew how he had won. In every single one of his races, he managed to crush his competition and – according to his teammates – make it look easy. The other team didn't seem too pleased, but Percy's team members didn't care as much because it still meant that their school was winning even though they themselves had lost against Percy. But it didn't stop Percy from being in a state of near disbelief.

Percy was practically bouncing with excitement as he made his way out of the pool and towards his mom, Annabeth, and Estelle. "Not too shabby, don't you think?" He said with a grin, holding his arms up in the air in victory.

"I was about to say good job," Annabeth teased as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But now I'm afraid of inflating your ego even more."

He wasn't sure if he was on some sort of confidence high from all the wins, but Percy decided to take the risk and pull Annabeth into a tight hug, despite the fact he was still wet from all the time spent in the pool. "I know I'm your favorite swimmer ever."

"Are you kidding me?" Annabeth complained loudly, even though Percy could see her beginning to smile. "Is this seriously necessary?"

"Absolutely," his mom said as she pulled out her phone to take a photo of the hug – mainly Annabeth's grouchy face. "Annabeth, you're welcome to come back for dinner at our house if you want."

As Percy reluctantly unwrapped his arms from around her, Annabeth apologized, "I'm sorry, but my step-mother is expecting me home for dinner."

"Do you need a ride home?" Percy offered, partly because he wanted the chance to spend time alone with her but also because he knew his mom would yell at him if he didn't.

"My house is super nearby, I can just walk," Annabeth answered. Percy wasn't sure if he was looking too much into it, but he couldn't help but notice as if Annabeth was reluctant to say that. "But thanks for the offer, anyways."

As strange as it sounded, Percy wasn't sure how to say goodbye. He wanted to reach over and hug her again, but Percy was terrified he had pushed his luck and she'd punch him if he did. But just a simple goodbye seemed so lame to Percy. Eventually, she just waved goodbye and left the three of them standing at the foot of the bleachers. There was silence for a moment before Estelle loudly asked, "Are Percy and Annabeth boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Percy nearly choked on air. "No, me and Annabeth aren't boyfriend and girlfriend," He barely managed to answer.

"They should be," his mom mumbled under her breath.

"Goodbye!" Percy yelled loudly, feeling his face burn as he practically ran away from his mom and Estelle to save himself from further embarrassment. "Leaving this conservation now!"

☼