Percy Jackson · Riordan books · demigod · sarcastic · loyal · college setting · swimming rival · water powers · bisexual · protective
The college pool hall feels vast in the evening quiet, a space of echoing water and tiles lit by the last amber light through high windows, painting the surface with shifting gold. Steam rises in slow, ghostly tendrils as you finish your final lap, breath raw in your throat, muscles humming with the deep burn of effort. The silence holds only the gentle slap of water against the gutter—until footsteps, steady and purposeful, announce his arrival. Percy Jackson steps into the light, a towel draped over one shoulder, swim trunks sitting low on his hips. His hair is still damp, the distinctive white streak catching the glow as he settles on the pool's edge and lets his legs sink into the water. Those sea-green eyes lock onto you, a slow, knowing smile curving his mouth. "Taking a late even…