PERCY'S JOURNEY TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD | PERCY JACKSON X READER

Chapter Seventeen

The thing is, Percy realizes, Luke is probably one of the best singers in their town, and definitely the best out of those participating in the open mic night. The place is dingy at best, and when Percy walks through the door he gets a wave of cheap (and apparently unpleasant-tasting) beer, greasy food, and sweat. Thankfully, Y/N sits close enough to him that he mostly just gets to smell chocolate cake.

Luke blows everyone else out of the water. He jogs up to the stage as soon as Percy and Y/N walk in, and he's cheered up to the stage later when there's a lack of takers. Most people in the pub seem content to listen to Luke's take on their popular requests.

"He's so good," Y/N says, so only Percy can hear. Thalia's sitting with her back turned to Percy, more or less, swaying back and forth to the song Luke is, as anticipated, smashing. "I didn't know he was this good."

"I'm like a proud mom," Percy shares, after a few seconds.

Y/N laughs and leans closer to him so he can hear her better. "I think that's Thalia."

"That's called a WAG, Y/N."

They share laughs, apparently so loudly that Thalia finds it fit to turn in her seat and ask what's so funny. "Nothing," Percy calls back, over the chatter of the pub. He gestures back to the stage. "Enjoy the show."

Once Luke finishes off his cover of some song and once Percy's stopped cheering loudly enough to embarrass his best friend, Luke tells everyone he wants to sing something of his own. Only about half the people in the building give him a response, but none of them are negative. Of course.

"Everyone loves him," Percy mutters to Y/N as he leans back in his seat, delighted for Luke.

"I'd guess it's hard to hate a manly, sexy angel," Y/N says back, meeting Percy's glare until her eyes scrunch up in this absolutely offensive full body laugh. She looks so happy that Percy can't even keep up his image of annoyance.

Luke sings well into the night. Everyone who leaves, as far as Percy can see, does so in a good mood. Luke is a stellar performer, sure, but he's always excelled at entertainment, too. He can drag smiles out of the most reluctant; pull helpless laughs from someone who hasn't grinned properly in weeks, maybe.

Percy watches Y/N try to stifle yawns in her palm twice in ten minutes, but he waits a few moments before he suggests they leave, mostly because he feels warm and content and doesn't want the night to come to a close. Luke is glowing from the joy performing brings him; blossoming like a flower in spring under the attention of his audience. Thalia looks like she'll burst from joy just by looking at him, and Y/N's tucked herself closer and closer to Percy as the hours passed.

"We should go," Percy says to Y/N, once Luke hops off stage for good, shaking hands and accepting high-fives and claps on the back. There's a blush high on his cheeks, though it could be from exertion or all the attention he's getting from the pub's patrons.

"We don't have to," Y/N says, and the look on her face is reminiscent of a toddler who's scared to sleep out of fear that they might miss something significant. Percy probably smiles at her softly for a moment too long, if Luke's sudden ambush on him is any sign.

"Did you see me?" Luke questions, tangling his limbs around Percy in what's probably supposed to be a hug. Percy really just feels like he's being elbowed in a million different places.

"No, I managed to miss that entire performance, believe it or not," Percy replies, without inflection.

Luke swats him over the head, throwing an arm over Thalia's shoulder while he points a disapproving finger at Percy, then at Y/N. "You're more and more like her every day. Stop it. There's only room enough for one sarcastic person in this group."