※Rewritten※

"Thank you to all that have performed this weekend, there were many great performances," Braxton smiled. "If it were up to me, I don't think I could rank anyone. Anyway, we are going to get started on the awards while the judges for this last category decide the placement..."

Everyone who had been chosen to be on stage the past four days were hanging around in the tent waiting in anticipation. We waited in silence as backstage members led the contestants from the first night on to the stage. The crowd was yelling in excitement, names being yelled and I could hear the distinct pop of confetti being blown into the open air. That's gonna take a while to get out of the grass. But that is not important right now, right now I'm trying to control my racing heart and throbbing head from both anxiousness and nervousness. Where did I stand in the ranking? I would really hate to be first because that'll make me feel selfish and undeserving of it, but at the same time I don't want to be last or anything below fifth because then I won't think I gave it my all—and I did, I one-hundred percent sure I did.

"Now, announcing fifth place in the physical performance," Braxton's microphone voice rang throughout the crowd, "Eileen Chacon, daughter of Iris and her beautiful performance of colors and stained-glass!" We saw Eileen, a short, bright blonde, fourteen year-old step out of the line and accept her medal with the embossed number five in the centre of the medallion. She smiled brightly and gave the crowd a wave before walking to the far side of the stage where the classic first-second-third podiums stood. Eileen stood next to the second place podium, happy as all heck.

"In fourth place," Braxton began again and I could see the contestants inhale sharply. "Ruben Micheals, son of Vulcan and his incredible time creating his, original designed, flying phoenixes!" Ruben stepped forward and took his medal, just like Eileen, his was embossed with he number four in the middle. The red strap clashing with his bright yellow t-shirt making him look kind of like a bottle of Heinz mustard. Rude, I know, but it helps to distract me from panicking about my placement after three announcements.

I felt bad for the other contestants in that category. I knew that they must have practiced their skills a lot to be able to do what they have done on stage, and I know for a fact that if I were to be with them, I would've taken first easily because everyone is always amazed at my ability to bend water. Other than being a male Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender, all I have is making the ground shake; which isn't the most exciting ability to have compared to the other campers from both camps. The same goes with Leo, being the only person to wield actual fire–-which would make him Zuko, but he's more like Sokka, so it could go both ways—after Beckendorf, he would take first place easily if he did his 'Girl on fire' or 'My Song's Know What You Did In The Dark' routine. (Don't tell him I know about those because he does them at like midnight in bunker 9.)

Braxton looked up from his cards to the crowd for the person in third place and it took everyone by surprise when he announced Will's name. I didn't see what he did but from what I've heard, Will made his hair do the Rapunzel hair-glowy thing and was able to wield actual sunlight in the palms of his hands. Which I find very cool and I'm a bit sad I didn't get to watch, luckily the other Apollo kids were recording it so we can rewatch it if we want to. Second place was a little girl, five, maybe six, years-old, who was able to sing so well that she was able to bring forth the woodland creatures around camp. Seriously, she was a little Disney princess. Birds flew over her singing the same notes as her, raccoons and other four-legged animals happily ran out of the forest and watched as she sang, some singing with her. Even a bear waltzed out of the forest and stood on his hind legs to look over the crowd of people towards the little girl. I didn't catch her name, and she didn't look familiar, so I guess she's from Camp Jupiter. Maybe a legacy, but I've never heard of a legacy having demigod-strength powers.

"And now, in first place for the physical category," Braxton said gaining everyone's attention. "Jessenia Collins, daughter of Apollo and her beautiful body painting skills!" Jessenia, a very curly haired and relatively small, seventeen year old, walked forward with her hands covering her mouth. From the tv I could see her eyes go all glossy and a few tears fell and caught themselves at the bottom of her frames. She was handed a trophy like Will's and the little girl's, but instead of bronze or silver, it was gold and a good half a foot taller than their's. The number one was at the vey top of the trophy shining in all it's fake gold glory.

I knew that the moment he called her name, it was our turn, and I really don't want to go up there.

But here I go, getting pulled by Annabeth and pushed by Piper who was actually jumping with excitement. "Percy, the faster we do this, the faster we can get ready for the surprise at the end of the show!!"

"I forgot about that," Annabeth smiled and pulled me harder up the steps. I did not like being on the stage again, it was just as nerve wracking as the day before when it was just me. I could still feel the shivers run up and down my arms as I stepped toward the single stool. Those same jitters danced on my skin again when I stood next to Annabeth, spotlight bright in my face and hot on me. I did not like this.

"Now, in fifth place for the musical category," Braxton smiled at us but it was hard to see who he was looking at. "Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, with her performance of 'Faded' by Alan Walker!" Annabeth stepped forward with her signature smile. She still wore the white dress she had on during her performance but her hair was pulled into a French braid with daisy barrettes decorating her golden locks which she pulled out from under the same fifth placed embossed medal Eileen had in the category before. Annabeth never stopped smiling as she stood next to the podium, looking out to the crowd where her mother smiled proudly, arms around her smaller children. They sat on her lap and next to her, trying to squeeze as much affection and time as they could while their mother was there.

"Fourth place is," He said into the mic, one hand on the cards and the other holding the fourth place medal. "Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, with his performance of 'Down' by Jason Walker!" Nico gave a sheepish smile and held the medallion in his hand as he walked to the other side of the podium. Honesty, I couldn't tell what he was thinking and I was glad he got placed, he gave a great show which was just as sad and depressing as mine.

 "Third place goes to Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona, who performed 'Royals' by Lorde!" She stepped up, pretty and intimidating as always, and took the third place trophy from Braxton's hands. It was way smaller than the first place trophy, maybe an inch or so shorter then a foot tall, and it wasn't gold but a nice bronze color.

Reyna stepped onto the podium and looked to Braxton as he announced the second place winner, "Hazel Levesque, daughter Pluto, and her performance of 'House of Gold' bay Twenty-one Pilots!" Hazel didn't move from her spot for a second, only stepping forward when Frank gave her a small nudge to set her into motion. She smiled so brightly I think it out shone the diamond Kim K had on her wedding ring...what? My mom watches it sometimes when there's nothing on tv, don't judge, it's rude.

"Now, for the award we've all been waiting for," Braxton dramatically spoke. "The winner of the Musical category is—" I closed my eyes hoping it wasn't me. "Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, who sang 'Perfect' by Simple Plan!!" 

Dammit.

I walked to Braxton with a small smile and took the surprisingly heavy award from him. I didn't want it. It was just another accomplishment and award given to me and gave more of a reason to hate me, love me, or envy me. I didn't want that either. Instead, I sucked it up and stepped onto the first place podium where confetti rained down from the crowd. Applause echoed through the camp and from where I stood it looked like the 1991 Metallica concert in Russia. That would be so cool to be there, jamming out to their music surrounded by 1.6 million people...wait, no, I don't want to be a rug.

After the crowd's cheers dies down a bit, we all left the stage and raced to the Apollo cabin where our camp shirts were stored. It was the closest cabin besides the Hermes' one, and I don't think that it would be a good idea to keep our clothes there, speaking from experience. Annabeth turned to me outside the cabin door, "Hey, congratulations on being first."

"Thanks," I sighed not really feeling too good about having it.

"What's wrong? Don't you wanna be first place?" She asked.

"Not really," The trophy slipped out of my hand and thudded against the ground, the corner scratched my calf when it tried to balance its inanimate self. "I did the contest because I had to and it doesn't feel right to win when other people wanted to win, I didn't." Though I couldn't see them, I knew the other's were listening. They stood closer to the windows and to the door that was still open waiting for Annabeth and I to walk in. I didn't want to see their expressions about how I felt. "Apollo forced me to be in it and I don't want to, and to be completely honest, I don't deserve it."

Piper stood in the doorframe with her hands on her hips and camp shirt hanging out of her back pocket, how that wasn't falling out right now I don't know because girl pockets are small. "Oh that's bullsh*t!"

Jason tried to grab her before she stormed out of the cabin and to where we stood, but she was mad. Her eyes were trying to burn a hole through me and her eyebrows furrowed so close together I thought they were going to get stuck there. Immature,I know, but still. When she stood in front of me, she was super close, just as close as Annabeth gets when she gets mad and it made me wonder I it made Annabeth jealous, "Percy, you have done so much than any of us could think of doing, and you do it because it's the right thing to do no matter if you get hurt along the way, it's something that everyone wishes to have. And it's because your so selfless that makes you even more worthy of earning this trophy. Not because you were the best vocalist in the category, but because you were the best hero that made that contest happen.

"I haven't known you as long as Annabeth has known you, but I know that you deserve this trophy one-hundred percent," Piper looked up at me. Her hands were gripping mine tightly and the usual color changing irises were a steady bronze piercing me. It was a strange feeling to have her this close to me. Normally we were a comfortable distance away from each other, close to bump into each other while messing around and talk but not too close so that our breaths don't reach the other like the way it was right now. And, as weird as it was to have her this close, it didn't bother me like it should. I should be trying to get away from her or try to push her away because Annabeth is right next to me, but I'm not. I'm standing here with the daughter of Aphrodite inches from hugging me. And hug me she did. "Don't ever think you're not worthy of it, ever."

Annabeth smiled and joined in the hug too, one arm around my back and theater around Piper's. The other's from the cabin watched both happily and uncomfortably at the random gesture of affection. That is till Leo saw us, "Group hug? Without me? Yeah, right. Move over Pipes, I wanna hug Percy too."

"Sorry Leo, first come, first serve," Annabeth joked.

Words: 2176

A/n

Again, just to clarify, Piper's actions are explained in the sequel book. It makes total sense there and I wrote it in here because I want to have a continuity between these two books. "The Time Before" is the second book but when I wrote it, I didn't include moments like this the first time I wrote this book, and now that I'm rewriting it, I put it in here. Hope you like the chapter!

Love,

Kitty