Trust

Percy POV

I swam through the water quickly. My muscles were aching after a long day of practice, but I didn't want to get out of the water.

As soon as I felt the tap, I flipped and kicked off the wall again.

My flip turns had power, and I was able to simply glide underwater for several seconds before starting the freestyle swim again.

A loud whistle interrupted my actions.

I stopped and tread water until my arm extended out to hold the lane divider.

"All right, Jackson, that's enough for today. It's been hours," Coach Hedge exclaimed.

I sighed. I was expecting a forceful stop soon.

I made my way to the shallow end of the pool and climbed out. My walking stick was waiting for me at the edge.

"Good practice today, Perce," Jason said as he slapped my back. His other hand put the towel into my right hand.

"Sorry if it was too long for you, Jason," I said earnestly.

"Dude, it's not a problem. Besides, we don't have a football game today, so I had nothing to do," Jason explained.

"Usually, you'd be with Piper," I said with a smirk.

"Bro, you know that I'd rather spent time with you," Jason said. I could imagine the small smile on his face.

"She was busy today, wasn't she?" I asked slyly.

Jason simply chuckled as we walked into the locker rooms.

"All right, I'll wait for you at the car while you get showered and ready," he said.

"Sounds good," I said before Jason left.

I heard the soft click of the locker room door, indicating that he had gone outside. My hand was trailing against the wall as I walked towards the showers.

My head healed pretty quickly after my injury.

I was trying to piece it together in my head. For some reason, Annabeth and Chiron both didn't seem convinced that I slipped up and crashed into the wall. Wise Girl was the smartest person I knew while Chiron was very intuitive, so I was kind of alarmed about what went wrong.

Did I not feel the tap on my back or did it not even come?

"Hey, Jackson," a gruff voice interrupted my thoughts.

I practically jumped in surprise. I hadn't heard anyone come in.

"Who's there?" I asked defensively. My hand fumbled around the knob to turn off the shower.

"It's Luke. I just came to talk to you," Luke said firmly.

I didn't trust Luke much. Even before I lost my eyesight, we didn't get along. We were teammates, and yet, I never got a good vibe from him.

"What do you want, Luke?" I asked.

"I guess that I'm not a fan of you being back on the swim team," Luke said.

I simply gazed in the direction of his voice. I knew that he probably didn't want me back on the team. Luke was the next-best swimmer and the captain now.

I sighed. I was supposed to be captain this year.

"Well, I am back on the team, Luke. I love swimming, and I'm so glad that I can do it even after losing my vision," I said firmly.

He didn't say anything. However, I could hear him getting closer.

His hand fell upon my shoulder firmly.

"Do you really think that you'll be able to compete? You've been practicing for weeks, and you're still not training with the team or competing," Luke said boldly.

He was right, to be honest.

"I know my limitations and my strengths. I'll be ready soon. I can guarantee that," I said firmly. I wasn't scared of Luke even if he was trying to intimidate me.

"You have a lot of nerve for a blind guy," Luke said.

"What are you going to do, Luke? You can't do anything to me. If you really care about swimming and being the best competitively, then you should practice and love it," I told him.

His grip tightened around my shoulder. Luke sighed suddenly and stomped off.

Now, I knew that Luke was trying to sabotage me. He was probably responsible for my accident last week as well.

However, I wasn't going to back down. I was literally getting over the obstacle that was blindness (in order to swim), so Luke wasn't a big deal to me.

***

"You were right, Chiron," I said softly.

"While I love to be correct, Percy, I'd like to know what you're talking about," Chiron said.

We were both grabbing a drink at Demeter's cafe. I appreciated it so much that Chiron tried to visit me at least once per week now. Even though, he didn't have to anymore.

I knew that I could always rely on Chiron as a second fatherly figure.

"About my accident last week, Chiron. It happened on purpose," I said.

"Because of that teammate," he said.

I turned to his voice in surprise. Of course, Chiron knew what was going on.

"Yeah. I didn't realize how many people would actually dislike me joining the swim team and competing again," I said with a sigh.

"Don't let anyone else discourage you, Percy," Chiron said firmly. "You are a fantastic swimmer, and you're capable of doing very well even while blind."

"I know that," I said hesitantly.

Chiron sighed at my hesitation.

"Percy, you're can be an inspiration if you return to competitive swimming. You deserve to show that blindness doesn't blind you from your future," Chiron said boldly.

I nodded more confidently.

Chiron was right, but there was still one thing bothering me.

"I rely so heavily on my teammates, Chiron. I need that tap on the back. How can I compete to the best of my abilities if I can't trust them?" I asked.

Chiron didn't say anything even as I waited for his response.

"Hello, Percy, I got your drinks and your change," Hazel said cheerily.

"Thanks, Hazel," I said with a smile.

Hazel took my hand and counted the change into my palm. Then, she placed the drink onto the table with a light tap. Both things were done to inform me of what was happening around me.

I loved my friends for understanding even the small things.

Hazel and I conversed for a few more minutes before Hazel had to go back to her job. Throughout our conversation, Chiron didn't speak up.

I wondered if my question to him bothered him.

"Chiron," I acknowledged softly.

"I know how you can trust your team, Percy. You have to trust them in the same way that you trust and appreciate your friends," Chiron said.

"I sort of understand," I said with some confusion.

"Percy, you don't need to use any of the teammates that you're uncertain about. You have open and completely supportive friends on your team. Just rely on them," Chiron said.

I thought about my team. Chiron was right. I definitely had friends that I did whole-heartedly trust on the team (Frank, Leo, the Stolls, Katie, and a few others).

I had to put faith in the teammates that I also considered my friends.

"You're right, Chiron. Thank you for that," I said firmly with a confident smile.

"Absolutely, Percy. You can definitely come to me about any problems that you have. I'm always here to help you, son," Chiron said firmly.

I didn't know how Chiron looked. I met him after I lost my vision. I only knew general characteristics of him based on other people's descriptions.

However, I was grateful for knowing Chiron even if I couldn't see him.

I smiled as we continued to talk and drink.

***

Annabeth POV

The girls and I were all going shopping today. I was grateful that we all made plans today because I didn't want to be at home.

I couldn't wait till college when I could move out and live my life.

While I loved hanging out with my friends, I hated shopping for long periods of time. Thalia and I weren't like most girls in that aspect.

Piper and Hazel, on the other hand, loved shopping.

"How much longer, Piper? Can we just go watch a movie or something?" I asked.

"Yeah, this is torture," Thalia whined as we entered Macy's again.

"Oh my god, girls, we have to buy the perfect dresses for the winter formal," Piper said to which Hazel nodded excitedly.

"You all only care because you have guys to impress," I said with a smile.

Their relationships were actually adorable. Jason and Piper were a strong couple for a while now. Hazel and Frank were still at that cute awkward phase.

"I don't have a guy," Hazel said quickly.

"Oh please, Hazel, we all know that you want to look good for Frank," Thalia said.

Hazel shook her head as she blushed.

"It's not just us who have our guys. Annabeth, you're going to want a strapping dress as well," Piper said.

All of my friends turned to me now.

We had finally made it to the women's dresses section.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not dating or wanting to date anyone right now," I said with a little bit of uncertainty.

"Oh, well, what about Percy?" Piper and Hazel asked simultaneously.

Thalia smirked at me. She knew that I hated talking about my relationships. I liked things to be logical and ordered, and relationships were not.

"I don't know. Percy doesn't seem interested," I said earnestly.

"Are you kidding? Percy definitely loves you," Piper said.

"I doubt that," I said flatly. "Percy pulls away from me anytime that we start getting closer. It's happened many times already, and he just avoids it afterward."

Hazel and Piper softened. Even Thalia looked more sensitive now.

Thalia reached forward and touched my arm.

"Annie, you're my best friend, and you're developing feelings for him. That's a good thing. I know that you don't care if he's blind, but he cares. That's why Percy's holding back right now because he thinks that he's not enough," Thalia said deeply.

We stayed silent for several moments. I didn't know what to say.

Thalia was right, though, and I also figured as much. However, I liked the validation that Percy possibly had feelings for me, too.

I guess that explained how much I liked him.

"Thalia, I told you to not call me, Annie," I said with a smile.

My friends laughed as we continued to shop.

My mind was buzzing with Percy. I remembered the close proximity that we shared several times even though nothing happened between us. Maybe Percy wasn't ready yet, but I hoped that he would be soon.

I decided that I'd also buy a dress for the winter formal.