24: Gratitude

Coach Hedge POV

"All right, Percy, are you ready?" I asked as I patted his wet shoulder.

It was Percy's last heat of the day. We were at Regionals, which was a day-long competition. I was confident that Percy would finish strong.

"Yes, Coach, I'm ready, this is the 200-meter freestyle. This is a 50-meter pool, so you'll only have to flip turn three times when you feel the water pressure on your back," I explained.

Percy nodded. He already knew all this information.

"Okay then, go get 'em, Percy," I exclaimed boldly as I guided him towards his starting board.

Percy's fingers traced the white starting board before he climbed on. His muscles flexed and strained as he got into diving position. He used his hands and feet to make sure that he was in line with his lane.

I walked back towards the sideline. Chiron had come to watch the Regionals competition, and he was sitting on the front row of the stands.

"Percy's going to finish strong," Chiron said.

"Yes, he'll definitely qualify for States. He qualified last year, and (despite everything that he had gone through), he can show his skills at States this year as well," I said with pride.

The gong sounded, and the swimmers dived into the pool.

I watched as Percy initially glided in the water before his powerful strokes propelled him forward.

It took months of training to prepare him for swimming this competitively. The hardest part was swimming straight and doing the flip turns, but Percy had adapted.

Chiron and I were both incredibly proud.

Many athletes and coaches around the state were messaging Goode High about how inspiring Percy was. And, they were right.

However, Percy also knew that he had a lot of help, and he always showed his gratitude towards his parents, friends, girlfriend, Chiron, and me.

The crowd and teams cheered as the race ended.

Percy finished first in his heat with a very competitive time.

The next two hours passed by quickly. The awards ceremony happened first, and then, the state officials announced all of the swimmers from our region who qualified for States.

Goode High will have three swimmers competing in States this year (Percy being one of them), which was an incredible achievement for our school.

Chiron hugged Percy proudly after the awards ceremony and qualifications.

It astonished me how close Percy and Chiron were as a student/teacher pair. In fact, Percy treated Chiron like a second father, which was an incredible bond.

My attention caught on a conversation between Katie, Percy, and Chiron.

"Percy, I wanted to say thank you for all of your help," Katie said.

"For what, Katie?" Percy asked with a smile.

"You helped me obtain the qualification for the Female States competition, and I'm so grateful," Katie said brightly.

"Katie, you got here due to your hard work. This is on you," Percy said to his friend as he accepted her hug.

"Yeah, but you also inspired me to do better," Katie expressed genuinely.

I smiled. Percy inspired me to be a better Coach as well. He managed to soften me down enough to help him rise up.

Chiron nodded as Percy laughed it off.

I was happy with my entire team's performance at Regionals. I was very proud, and Percy definitely deserved some credit for it.

The announcers and other coaches conversed with Chiron and me as the teams got freshened up and packed to leave. Like everyone else, they were surprised and complimentary of Goode High's and Percy's (a blind athlete's) performance today.

Pretty soon, the team came out of the locker rooms, and we were ready to go home.

***

Jason POV

"BROOO, you made it to States," I cheered as I walked into Percy's room.

There was no response. Percy was still sleeping even though it was already noon. I went over and quickly pulled his blanket off of the bed.

For a second, there was no movement.

Then, his hands tried to grab at his nonexistent blanket. Percy sat up in confusion as he felt around for his warm blanket.

I couldn't hold in my laughter anymore, but I did feel bad about pranking my best friend.

"Okay, time to wake up, Percy," I exclaimed brightly.

Percy simply groaned as his head fell back on the pillow. It was understandable that Percy would be tired. After all, he performed very well at regionals yesterday.

"Bro, come on, we have to go to lunch at Demeter's Cafe," I said.

"Annabeth already reminded me by waking me up at 9:30 am," Percy groaned.

"Yeah, I bet you weren't this grumpy to your girlfriend," I said slyly.

"No, I suppose I wasn't. But, you know that I'm not a morning person," Percy murmured.

I grabbed one of his pillows and chucked it at his face. "Well, Percy, it's not the morning anymore. It's literally lunchtime," I said boldly.

"Ugh, you're annoying, bro," Percy groaned as he threw the pillow back. His aim towards my voice wasn't too bad considering he hit my stomach.

"All right, then, let's go. Annabeth, Thalia, and Piper are waiting in the living with your parents," I informed him.

"Annabeth's here?" Percy asked. Clearly, he was more awake now.

"Yeah, of course," I said chuckling. "So, hurry up."

Percy smiled as he got up. He was probably excited to hang out with his friends and Annabeth, of course. He grabbed the towel off of his desk chair and started walking towards me since I was near the door.

I was about to step aside before Percy tackled me in a bro hug.

It caught me off-guard though.

"Uh, you should know that I'm not Annabeth. Still Jason, here," I said as I patted his back.

"I know, bro. This is for you. You've always been by my side, and I wouldn't be this happy and okay after losing my vision without you here," Percy said firmly.

I felt some tears spark in my eyes.

"Percy, you'd do the same for me," I said.

A few seconds passed before Percy spoke up again, "Okay, this is too awkward now. You can let go, Jason."

I pulled away quickly as Percy chuckled to himself. Percy continued to laugh as he receded down the hallway. I was genuinely grateful to have a best friend/brother like Percy.

***

Sally POV

"Percy, you went out with your friends this afternoon, yet you're going out again," I said as he got ready in his bedroom.

Percy stopped buttoning his shirt and turned towards my voice.

"Mom, if you don't want me to go, then I don't have to," Percy said softly and sadly.

Percy and Annabeth were going on a date today. Percy and his friends went out for lunch this afternoon to celebrate him making States.

I hadn't realized that Percy and Annabeth also had dinner plans. I was just surprised because I thought that Percy would stay home with me and Paul. But, I guess Percy was growing up, and I had to start letting go a little bit.

"No, Percy, I want you to have fun on your date," I said brightly.

Percy smiled as he continued to get dressed.

"Where are you taking Annabeth tonight?" I asked. "Do you have money?"

"Yes, mom, Paul gave me some money. It's going to be our one-month anniversary, so I wanted to go somewhere fancier. Hence, why I'm all dressed up," Percy explained.

"Okay, I'm ready," he said brightly.

Percy was wearing a silky, green button-down shirt, and dark blue jeans. His hair was combed, and his eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"You look so handsome, honey," I said with a smile. I went forward and hugged my son. I was so proud of how much he has grown since last year.

Percy kissed my cheek before letting go, and we made our way to the living room.

"Looking sharp," Paul commented.

"Thanks, Paul," Percy said.

We sat down for a few minutes as we waited for Annabeth to show up. Normally, the guy would pick up the girl. However, Percy wasn't able to drive because he was blind.

The strongest part of Percy's and Annabeth's relationship was how they understood Percy's condition. They worked together to get around it even if that meant doing things a little differently. I was grateful that my son found a young woman like Annabeth.

The bell rang.

Percy immediately got up and went to the door. Gods, he was in love.

Paul and I exchanged a knowing look as we got up to join Percy and Annabeth at the door. I watched as Percy gave Annabeth a sweet kiss and hug.

Annabeth was wearing a light green dress, and she looked very pretty.

"You both look so adorable," I commented.

"Yea, let me take a picture," Paul added.

Annabeth blushed lightly as Percy groaned in embarrassment. Nonetheless, they posed for the pictures that we wanted.

"Wise Girl, I'll meet you at the car. Okay?" Percy said softly.

"Sure, no problem," Annabeth said with a smile.

"But, don't go inside yet. I still have to open the door for my girl," Percy said slyly.

Annabeth simply laughed as she walked towards the driveway.

Percy leaned towards me and kissed my cheek as a goodbye. "Thanks, mom. How does Annabeth look today?" he asked.

"She looks beautiful, honey. You always had good taste," I said brightly.

"Yeah, I hit the jackpot. I'll see ya later, mom and Paul," Percy said before leaving.

I watched as Percy carefully opened the driver's side door for Annabeth to enter. They talked even while getting into the car.

Paul wrapped his arm around me.

I gazed up at my husband before turning back to the young couple. Paul and I both smiled as we watched our son and his girlfriend go out for their romantic date.