that summer |percabeth au| ✔︎

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - Never Enough

"What a race it's been!" the announcer boomed. "That's the Queen of Cups, captained by Percy Jackson and first mate Annabeth Chase, trailed by our own Mayor Lucius Stoll's son Travis and first mate Grover Underwood in the Never Flounder. It's official, ladies and gentlemen of the Cove. The three-year Pirate Regatta champion, Never Flounder, has finally been dethroned."

The crowd whooped and roared, cheers crashing over us in waves.

"Congratulations, Queen of Cups. You've earned second place with a time of two hours seven minutes, putting Never Flounder in third with two hours nine minutes."

Percy lifted me off my feet, pressing his lips to mine. It wasn't until our kiss ended that I processed the words.

Second place.

His confusion set in at the same time, a mirror. We separated and looked out across the harbor, and sure enough, she was there. The Black Star. The dark horse must've overtaken us after I'd frozen on the deck, totally paralyzed. In the short time that Percy's attention was focused on me, talking me through it. Trying to save me when I didn't need saving after all.

Shocked and wordless, we docked the Queen of Cups, tied her up. Shed our life jackets and disembarked, footsteps as heavy as our hearts as we marched along the dock toward the marina lot.

"You guys rocked out there," Artemis said. She'd been waiting in the crowd with Gracie and Brenda, all of them hugging us. "Katie's with her mom at the booth, but I texted them the news. They'll meet us at the Black Pearl later."

We nodded mutely, trying to smile through the crushing  disappointment. Up ahead Travis was elbowing his way through the crowd, grinning. When he finally reached us, he had only one word.

"Dude."

Percy immediately pulled him into a hug, the two of them clinging to each other like they were trying to make up for lost time.

"Get a room, y'all," Artemis said, and finally they broke it off.

The regatta award ceremony was a blur, the crowd cheering and chanting, trophies passed along, pirates and mermaids showering us with congratulatory wishes, saving the biggest and the best for the Black Star. Percy and Travis didn't recognize the guy—just another summer renter, passing through. No idea how his win had changed the fate of the entire town.

Percy, Travis, and I seemed to be the only ones who'd realized what our loss meant. None of the cheers around us would save Candy's house, would keep Mr. Jackson from holding up his end of the bargain. Travis hadn't won either, but those weren't the terms. I'd been there when the men shook on it. I remembered, too late.

Percy wins, he walks away with the Never Flounder.

Percy loses, his father sells the property.

No matter that he'd beaten Travis, he lost the race.

The loophole was only obvious now.

Percy and I still hadn't spoken a word to each other when, soon after the ceremony, our friends wandered into the Black Pearl and Percy's father called out from the other side of the mob. We followed the sound of his command, the tight wave of his arm. In the midst of the celebration, Mr. Jackson stood grim faced and cold, his hand holding James'.

My little mermaid offered a weak smile. "Congratulations," he said. "You guys beat Never Flounder!"

Percy high-fived him, lacking the heart to tell him it hadn't been good enough.

"And guess what?" James beamed. "I won too!" He pointed at his crown, and for a moment Percy seemed to forget about our loss.

Before he could officially congratulate his little brother, his father sighed loudly, shaking his head. He didn't have a smile for me this time. He looked at me, almost sneered, raising James' hand near my face. "I understand this is your doing."