daylight | percy jackson

jumping off a monument (date idea)

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

BOOK ONE

CHAPTER TEN.

❝ whatever you want, sunshine ❞

AS THE two demigods were whizzing through the air towards their improbable doom, all Aria could focus on was how Percy smelt. She realised how weird that sounded out loud, but she didn't care. She was going to die anyway. His shirt smelt like a mix of sea salt and vanilla, and she couldn't help but lean in closer to the boy. His arms were wrapped so tightly around her middle that she thought she might suffocate, and she stole a glance at his face, which was drawn in concern. His blue eyes were shut tightly and it looked like he was muttering something under his breath. Her vision was blurred however, as the freezing water engulfed them, their bodies, still entwined, sinking rapidly to the bottom.  Focus. Aria had to focus in order for her body not to go into full on panic mode. She focused on the feel of Percy's flannel against her jacket, on the feeling she got when- actually never-mind she didn't want to focus anymore. Her vision went black.

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FLYING DOWN to your death in the Mississippi river was not the best way that Percy wanted to spend time with a girl. Not that he wanted to spend time with Aria. It was just a thought. But as the cool wind whipped their faces, Percy could feel himself holding her tighter, afraid that she would just slip away. He couldn't let her die. For Annabeth's sake of course. Her brown hair flew into his face and he couldn't help but relish in the strawberry scent of her conditioner. He hoped that wouldn't sound weird out loud, and he was glad Grover was not around to read his emotions or whatever he claimed to do. Looking down at the incoming river, Percy muttered a silent prayer.

"Please work, please work, please work, please work"

Percy twisted his body mid-fall, adjusting his position so that he hit the water first. His mother's words echoed in his mind, a reminder to always be a gentleman. Hopefully she would be pleased to see him do this, he thought to himself. The river rushed up to meet him, and he felt the cool embrace of the water as they plunged to its depths.

The world beneath the surface was a different realm, a serene underwater landscape that contrasted sharply with the chaos of their descent. Percy's arm somehow tightened even more around the tense girl, ensuring her safety as they sank toward the riverbed. The water enveloped them, reducing the force of the impact and sparing them from the bone-jarring crash they would have experienced on the surface.

As they settled on the riverbed, Percy couldn't help but silently cheer. The fall hadn't hurt, and to his surprise, they were still alive. His laughter bubbled up but he stopped abruptly when he took a deep breath and realised. Holy gods. He could breathe underwater. He turned to Aria excitedly, ready to gloat in his new found powers, when he saw her motionless body trying to float away from him, her face relaxed but with a bluish tint.

Oh fuck.

He lunged towards her, and with arms fuelled by urgency, Percy caught Aria before she could sink further into unconsciousness. Her body felt weightless in the water, and he cradled her in his arms, fiercely kicking off the riverbed and up to the surface, not before grabbing riptide though.

Breaking through the surface, the cold breeze hit Percy once more, and using the last of his energy, he hoisted Aria up above the water. Grover's voice rang through the river area and Percy had to do a double take to find him. He spotted Annabeth and Grover near the edge of the river, both of them looking close to tears.