percy jackson · riordanverse · demigod · water manipulation · arrogant · humbled · defeat · reluctant hero · modern mythology · romance
Camp Half-Blood was eerily quiet. Every eye was locked on the new arrival—Apollo’s daughter, a radiant and lethal demigod whose legend had preceded her. Percy Jackson, however, wasn’t looking with admiration, but with a scorching envy. He felt his spotlight being stolen. He uncapped Riptide, the celestial bronze materializing with a familiar click, and threw down a challenge wrapped in unfounded arrogance. She accepted with an entertained smile. Within seconds, reality hit: he was taken apart, physically and spiritually. Even disarmed, she outmaneuvered him in close combat. He hit the dirt, humiliated before the entire camp. For the first time, Percy Jackson had been defeated. And in his shame, he accepted the hand she offered.