Who Could Have Known (Percabeth AU)✔️

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Annabeth's POV

"I can't do this. No. This is crazy. I am not ready for this." I protested. It was the night of the talent show and I was about to go on stage and perform Set Fire to the Rain by Adele. I was currently backstage with Percy, Piper, and Reyna, about to perform.

"Annabeth! Look at me." Reyna snapped. She grabbed my shoulders. "You are going to go out there and you are going to sing your heart out and you are gonna win this thing! You can do this. You are confident and smart and beautiful and talented. You got this."

I always found Reyna so empowering. I really appreciated her pep talks. They actually worked. She didn't just say a you got this or a good luck. She always said something more and she meant it. She really believed in me. This made me feel grateful to have a friend like her.

"Reyna is right, Annabeth. You can do this! We're all right behind you, supporting you. You need some courage, just look to the front row and you'll see all of us. Me, Percy, Reyna, Leo, Calypso, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Nico, Thalia. We're all here for you." Piper said.

"You got this." Percy took my hands in his. "If I know anyone who can out there and win this thing, it's you." He smiled at me.

I thought about my hands in his, which he probably thought nothing of, but it made me smile.

"And our next contestant is Annabeth Chase singing Set Fire to the Rain by Adele!" Mrs. Minerva announced. When she said my name the whole front row—all of my friends—cheered really loudly.

"Alright. We gotta go. But break a leg!" Reyna, Piper, and Percy left to meet the others at their seats.

I walked on stage in front of the microphone. Thankfully, I didn't have to adjust it because if I did, I'd probably embarrass myself in the process. The music began to play and I just let my voice take over.

"I let it fall
My heart
And as it fell
You rose to claim it"

My voice filled the auditorium. I didn't think, I just sang. I just poured all of my emotion into the song and let the music carry me away.

This is why I like music. It's a way for me to express myself. I find it hard to talk about my feelings, so I sing about them. I sing songs about what I'm feeling and I can hide the emotion in the song. I can just say that I was singing sadly because the song was sad, when I was very well actually sad. This is also why I sang alone. So that people didn't ask me those kinds of questions about my singing.

Suddenly the song was over. The entire auditorium was filled with applause. I just smiled and said thank you. Then after waving  one last time, I walked off the stage.

"Well. That was quite the performance. I think the best of the night, but that's for the judges to decide. Speaking of the judges, it's time to vote for our first, second, and third place winners!"
Mrs. Minerva announced. Everyone cheered. "Let's get all the contestants on stage." Everyone who performed spilled out onto the stage. I was on the end in the middle row.

"Our third place winner, who will be receiving a $100 check, is... Connor and Travis Stoll!"

The two boys walked up and took the check from Mrs. Minerva. Then they walked back to their places. Apparently, they had the best comedic act.

"Our second place winner, who will be receiving a $250 check, is... Bianca Diaz!"

A girl with long, dark, straight hair came forward, took the check, curtsied, and then walked back to her spot.

"And finally, our grand, first place winner, who will be receiving a $500 check, is... ANNABETH CHASE!"

The whole front row—a.k.a. All of my friends—stood up and were clapping the loudest. Percy was beaming right at me, his sea green eyes shining. He seemed to be the happiest of them all.