Olympian

15: Nationals

Percy POV

It's hard to describe a national swimming competition. There's usually so much going on. The audience is always cheering so loudly, and the commentators used large microphones to make announcements. I usually miss the important news until Chiron reminds me.

I rely way too much on Chiron at these tournaments.

Chiron and I sat quietly in the locker rooms for a moment. The loud noise melted into the background as we both practices some breathing exercises.

A minute of yoga was a tradition of ours before every competition.

"Are you ready, Percy?" Chiron asked.

"I am, Chiron," I smiled with confidence. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all because I had worked so hard this semester. I studied how my times had improved, and I was ready to show to the entire world how much I've grown.

All FINA nationals are a big deal. The best swimmers come to the event to compete. However, Winter nationals is more low-key. I noticed that the best of the best US swimmers weren't actually at this competition. They were already set to compete at the US Olympic Trials, so they didn't have to compete at this event, which was so close to the holidays.

"The goal is for you to do what you've been doing at practice. Ignore the cameras and the people. Just do you," Chiron adviced, reminding me to treat this like a normal practice.

"You don't need to remind me, Chiron. Besides, I'm not feeling any pressure."

"It's weird how relaxed you are," Lupa said into the phone. I smiled at the screen. Obviously, she wasn't allowed into the mens locker rooms.

Of course, that rule didn't seem to apply to Annabeth. I laughed out loud thinking about the embarrassing situation that happened last week. It was so awkward until I realized that I didn't care if Annabeth sees me naked. But, that thought was even stranger.

"You're freaking me out, Jackson," Lupa said firmly.

I laughed again before jumping to my feet. Chiron handed me my swim cap and goggles, and I put them on to match my tight-form swim shorts.

I'm ready and I'm prepared.

A lot of the best swimmers weren't at the competition. It acted as a reminder that while this competition was a big deal, I still have a lot more work to do.

This was only the first day of the competition. There were a lot of swimmers here, and all the Olympic events had to run a quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals round. As such, the entire competition was going to be a whole week.

I have to compete in three races today, all quarterfinal qualifiers. As the day progressed, my performance only got better.

When I wasn't competing, I was cheering for the athletes. I had gotten to know some of them over the years competing at the national level. It was great to see some of my friends (not many) competing at Winter Nationals with me. Most of the swimmers were in their 20s though. They kept telling how it's impressive to see a younger swimmer competing so well.

I could hear mom yelling at the top of her lungs every time it was my turn to swim. I smiled and waved at her before preparing myself on the springboard.

Overall, it was going to be a fun competition.

***

"CONGRATULATIONS, PERCYYYY," my mom squealed.

She was genuinely out of control as I met her in the lobby of the Orlando sports complex. The awards ceremony had just taken place. My mom was happily waving a bouquet of flowers before enveloping me in a tight hug. My cheeks burned as fellow swimmers chuckled around me while meeting their own families.