#perachel bingo week

[cynthiav06]

First fic contribution to Perachel Bingo Week. Check out more perachel fics from bingo week here

The Words left Unsaid

PERCY

Percy breathed deeply as soon as he felt the air of Montauk, with its rich and salty tang surround him. The anxiety he felt under his skin calmed a little as the waves happily lapped against his feet. He couldn't help the nostalgic smile. Rachel joined him soon after as he instinctively tensed. She must have noticed it because she remained silent, letting him work his thoughts out for himself, and he had never been more grateful for anything else. 

A wave roared in his ears as his thoughts spiraled, and he had to suppress the sensation.  He did not need another flood on his hands. The past few months had been rough, and Percy's powers had been all over the place, and he couldn't rein  them in no matter what he did. His Dad and Triton had both tried to make it better, but ever since the Pit , Percy had a feeling it would be permanent. Before then, he had felt as close to the sea as he possibly could. He had been able to call upon it, however, and whenever he pleased, but now it was something else, something more. The sea, the ocean, was under his skin, raging and churning for a release. Another reason why he was here.

He has been at home, a rare moment of calm with his mom and Paul. After all the trouble he had made them go through with his nightmares,  lack of sleep, out of control powers, and not to mention his paranoia. Fates must have seen that and gone: You thought, LOL NO. Because the next second, his phone had buzzed with a text from Rachel: I saw it. He didn't need further explanation than that.He shot her a quick reply, turned off his phone and grabbed Paul's keys.Before any of them could ask , he was out of the door, phone in his pocket. Yes,  he had begun using a phone. Because they stayed away now, the monsters ,because he was the one who was- 

"Percy, can you help keep the sand in place?" He was cut off from his darker thoughts by Rachel's words and on instinct he complied. He had barely been able to hear what she said over how soothing her voice sounded. He could feel the sand keep itself in place in response to his will; Rachel had a habit of drawing in the sand, a habit he really really liked. He had once set off waves upon waves over her sand drawings just to see her awed reaction at finding her drawing undisturbed.  He had liked that too. He had spent the entire day showcasing different stuff he could do with his powers to her. Annabeth and Thalia would have called him a showoff but he had enjoyed it and Rach had too so he didn't see a problem.

She wasn't in awe like the first time she had seen it but she was still smiling and he would do just about anything to see that soft smile. Rachel had always laughed a lot, always kept a very expressive face which he had learned was her small way of rebelling against her father who had done everything he could to forcefully turn Rachel into some poised lady. "Like a mannequin" she had once told him and he had felt a surge of anger and a vicious need to strangle the man.  But he was glad he could do something, even something so small that could genuinely make her smile. It made him smile too.

"Wouldn't want to disturb the new masterpiece." Percy told her as he watched her scrunch her nose, something he thought was really adorable amd very endearing; which was tame compared to the usual mess of feelings he felt around her; Somedays she looked so beautiful, it was hard to look at her. Looking at her like this, at them like this, he wished he could keep this moment going forever.  Him finally free from wars with only college to worry about, and the Oracle now having gone silent with Apollo being punished or whatever. But he wasn't the same, not after all that and he didn't know if Rachel had it in her to keep looking at him after what she had seen, after all, Annabeth's wailing screams were still fresh in his mind, a scar that wouldn't fade but Rachel's fear would break him, he knew that much. So he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and waited for everything to go wrong as it always did. 

RACHEL

To Rachel, he had always looked out of this world to her ever since she had met him on the Hoover dam. Steady gaze, sea green eyes, a flash of blue. Percy had been her gateway to a whole new world ever since. But today gazing at the sea, his eyes softly glowing, the way he stood, he looked like something more. Rachel would have said he looked like a God but she had met Gods, more so she had felt the essence of Gods  taking over her to communicate through her yet Percy had always felt like more. She had seen the way he had kept everyone at bay after the war, all of the seven, even Grover. Even Annabeth, especially Annabeth. She knew they had called things off soon after they had reunited in New Rom. Shee had seen it after all. But Percy could never keep her at bay, no more than she could keep him. They had seen and known things about each other through their visions, things so intimate, in a way no one ever could or ever should. Even when the Oracle's power was out of control, she could always rely on it to show her Percy, where he was, what he did or was about to do. Ever since she had met him, he had become her anchor. All her dreams started and ended with visions of him. She knew it was like that for him too, at least sometimes. They had shared dreams before. She had really liked it, having him there. Because Rachel had been afraid, there was a lot to fear even in her dreams, but if Percy was there , everything would be alright, she would be safe, always. Even her father had accepted that. 

So she and Percy had done what they always did. Sit together in silence doing their own things occasionally talking about the most random of things, a lot of words left unsaid but understood. Until yesterday when she had seen him in the pit, seen everything unfold in the pit. Rachel wasn't sure if she could understand it all  even though she had been learning up on Greek lore and such and despite Chiron telling her ,"Some things are beyond the realm of possibility Ms.Dare." She would always believe in her own eyes, in what she saw for the sake of all the times she had not and how it had cost her. She had been afraid, she had been shaking, and she had been crying which always happened after a violent vision but this time it wasn't the vision that set it off. The raw fear and worry gripping her heart was not for herself but all for Perseus Jackson. The things he went through, his screams, his desperation, how close he had come to death, the heart wrenching way his face had contorted when he saw Annabeth's horrified face. She hadn't been able to shake it off, not the tears nor the shivering. Until she couldn’t stop the urge to talk to him. I saw it, she had texted him, her fingers shaky knowing she couldn't trust herself to speak. It hadn't stopped until his reply a few long moments after , which had felt like forever then. Montauk. I will pick you up. 

 Now here they were, with her drawing the most inane things and him keeping the sand in place for her. She had always loved that. The way he cherished all her drawings and her words,  prophetic or otherwise. She could see him warring with himself, his powers growing stronger than ever; the reason why they were at the sea. She could wait for him to be ready, to be okay with having this conversation, she didn't want to push him, she never would. She was alright even if they didn't speak a word of it and instead spent the whole day here, like this, at peace.

He must have been resigned to having this talk because his voice turned soft as he asked, "What did you see, Red?" Her heart did the little dance it always did when he called her that . For all his love of the color blue he had ways said called her Red softly and fondly. She wished she could have controlled herself better, stopped the tears threatening to spill as she muttered just as softly,  "Everything." She managed to choke out. Now they would talk in fears and in truths and a litany of promises, of assurances which would have to be enough.

"Why are you here then?" Why are you not running away in fear, in horror like they all do.

Labored breaths mingled with wavering voices.

"Where else is there to go? And I wanted to be here." Where could I go but to you who knows all of me and who I know all of. I am not afraid. I want to be here, Perce. 

Choked tears, heavy voices, with emotions and impulses.

"I am not okay. I will never be okay ever again, Red ."  I am a monster now, and I will always be a monster.

Waves thrashed as the sea churned on itself. 

"You don't have to be okay. You just need to be alive, to be willing to live. It will get better  because you have to make it better. Everyone else is like that too, Perce."   You are not a monster, you are human, the best of humans. If you are the monster, then the world is hell, full of devils. But you are not. It's alright and it will be okay. You have to believe it will, with me, with everyone else. 

Calm words, a chant, a prophecy.

"You saw it all, you know what I did, how I enjoyed it, Rach. Don’t defend me." I know what I am, you don't have to fool yourself into believing something else, Red.

The sea raged and raged. 

"It was hell, you were in hell, you were going through the worst of situations, you were going to die, Annabeth was going to die, you were being tortured. Of course you were happy to get the upper hand. You didn't cross some line, Percy, Perseus, you held back infact. You showed mercy." You gave everything to save Annabeth, to save everyone. You have given so much too much and you are still so good.

The waves toppled over one another.  Strongly then, slowly.

Sea green eyes finally met emerald ones. A look full of nothing and everything as long left unsaid words beat against each other, the waves of the sea matching the pace. 

Her words, fears bared for him to see, as his own were.

"You should be the one angry, I couldn't help you, I couldn't help anyone, save anyone."  Rachel was the one who had been useless through all of it. All she had done was deliver a message Annabeth had sent and worry and worry and worry about Percy,  the camp and the fate of the world.  The gift broke down when they needed it the most and she had tried and tried to will it to work, to start. She had started with prayers to Apollo and then ended with curses.

"That's not true, Red. You told Reyna what she needed to do to unite the camps, to face Gaea. You delivered the message. In a way your prophecy saved us all, Red." Percy was sure they couldn't have made it without Rachel, they never did when it came to great prophecies. And deep down he couldn't help the relief that she hadn't been roped into a fight or a quest. She had sacrificed enough already. 

The waves thrashed once, twice, thrice more before dissolving into a harmonic calm.

PERCY

That was how he had found himself kissing Rachel.Overwhelmed and high on emotions, the both of them. He would have said more, thought this through, but he couldn't think with her soft lips moving against his own.

He relished in the familiar  warmth of it and he didn't want to let go.

Sloppy makeout, sand drawings and surfing, both of them together, happy and relaxed for the first time in a long time. That's how the day had gone and Percy couldn't help but be giddy about this, about them. It was one of the best and happiest days he had ever had and maybe he was wrong about never being okay; he had a feeling with Rachel by his side along with his family, both mortal and godly, he would be okay,  eventually. He had to be.

As Percy took Rachel back to the car, both of them looked back and he was sure they had the same hunch, the same shared feeling: There would be trouble ahead with newer prophecies,  with Gods, and they both had a lot of explaining to do to his family, to her family, to a probably human Apollo but  it could all wait a little while longer,  a bit more till there were no words left unsaid.

[percy-and-rachel-events]

[ID: Perachel Bingo July 28th to August 3rd. A 3x4 bingo square with the following prompts: Underwater Kiss, Names Have Power, "Rachel was so much easier to be arorund than some other girls I knew," Tag: Good (Girl)Friend Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Beach Date, Hairbrush, Meeting the Family, High School. Oracle & Greek god AU, Protectiveness/Comfort Person, "She looked like a million drachmas," and Restoring the Wild. Underneath the bingo square is the note: works with Percy and Rachel's platonic friendship are welcome.]

More info below:

This event is open for any type of fanwork: fanfics, fanart, mood boards etc! Anything you can think of that you make/compile yourself.

The ao3 collection to add your works is here. In case the link doesn't work: Perachel Bingo Week 2024 (Perachel_Bingo2024)

This event is also open to people who ship Percy and Rachel romantically, or prefer them to be friends. As such, there are prompts that can be interpreted or easily altered to fit romantic or platonic means. For example beach date could be a romantic date or just Percy and Rachel hanging out as friends. Another example, the tag "Good Friend Rachel" can be used platonically while the tag "Good Girlfriend Rachel" can be used romantically.

If you want your work to be featured on this blog, tag me (@percy-and-rachel-events), and make sure your content follows the rules: 1. the focus must be on Percy and Rachel, 2. no Percy and/or Rachel bashing and 3. any nsfw content must be tagged and hidden below the readmore function.

Timeline for the event:

Prompts posted: June 9th, 2024

Creation period: June 9th - July 27th, 2024

Posting period: July 28th - August 3rd, 2024

Ao3 Collection closes/end of event: August 10th, 2024.

I'm leaving the ao3 collection open an extra week just in case there's anyone scrambling to finish after the event technically ends.

If you have other questions, you can check the F.A.Q. here, or drop me an ask! My inbox should be open.

[percy-and-rachel-events]

Perachel Bingo Week F.A.Q.

Q: What is Perachel?

A: It's the romantic relationship between Percy Jackson and Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

Q: I prefer to make fanworks of them as friends. Is that allowed?

A: Absolutely! Just make sure that Percy & Rachel's friendship is the focus of the fanwork.

Q: When is the event?

A: It's seven days long! July 28th, 2024 to August 3rd, 2024.

Q: How does a bingo week work?

A: I have provided prompts, link here. For everyday you participate, you create one work based on one of the prompts on that list! Totally up to you which ones to choose. You must use a different prompt everyday, no repeats.

Q: Do I have to participate everyday and make 7 works?

A: Absolutely not!! However many works you want to make is fine! If you just want to do one, that's great! If you want to do all 7 that's amazing!

A: ...For the one insane (/affectionate) friend who said they wanted to do all 12... you are one of a kind. Please take care and don't burn out. The point is to have fun, not to stress!

Q: What if I don't finish in time?

A: I will leave the ao3 collection open and continue reblogging fanworks on tumblr until August 10th.

Q: Where is the ao3 collection? How do I add my fanwork?

A: Its right here. To add your work to the collection, when you're about to post it to ao3, scroll to Associations -> "Post to Collections/Challenges" and type in: Perachel_Bingo2024 as shown below.

Q: I want you to reblog the works I made for this event! Why didn't you?

A: I want to reblog them! Just make sure you follow the regulations on content.

Q: What are the regulations on content?

1. The focus of the fanwork must be on Percy and Rachel. 2. No Percy Jackson or Rachel Elizabeth Dare bashing. This is a hard rule that will be enforced. If I see bashing, I will remove the works from the ao3 collection and I will not reblog it here. 3. NSFW content is allowed, however it must be appropriately tagged here and on ao3. Additionally on tumblr all nsfw content must be hidden under a "read-more" to be reblogged on his account. That is another hard rule. This event is open for all ages, and I hope to provide a safe space for everyone.

Q: What does Rachel or Percy bashing mean?

A: Bashing for this event will be defined as inventing qualities etc. to hate on the characters [Percy or Rachel] and not giving them any redeeming qualities to balance it out.

Q: Does that mean I can't write any tragic stories where they die/suffer?

A: Tragic stories and sad endings are absolutely allowed!! I just don't want Percy or Rachel to be morally demonized. As long as you steer clear of that, you're good!

Q: How do I insert a "read-more" on laptop and mobile?

A: On laptop web, when you start a new line you'll see these icons (in the pic below). Click the grey one on the far right, with the squiggly line instead the two straight horizontal lines. The "read-more" should pop up immediately!

A: On mobile, type :readmore: . No spaces, just the colons plus the letters. It won't pop up immediately; but it should show up when you save as draft, queue or post.

Q: What kind of fanworks can I make?

A: Anything! Fanfics, fanart, moodboards, poems, playlists etc. If it's made/complied by you and complies with tumblr and ao3's rules, then you can submit it!

Q: Is there a minimum or maximum wordcount for fanfics?

A: Nope! Want to challenge yourself and write a 50 word mini fic? Go for it! Your one-shot spiraled into a novella? Please share, I'd love to read it!

Q: You didn't choose the 12 most popular prompts from the poll results!

A: Nope! 4-5 prompts were already chosen, regardless of the poll! The other 7-8 were determined by the most popular poll results. That's the perk of running the event, I get to decide everything :)

Q: I have more questions that aren't answered here.

A: My inbox is open. Feel free to ask! :)

[percy-and-rachel-events]

Navigation

Welcome!

My name is Hermes (she/her) @hermesmyplatonicbeloved

I created this blog as a way to encourage the creation of more Rachel Elizabeth Dare fanworks. She's a wonderful character, and the fact that she's so underrated and gets so much hate is wild.

Feel free to participate in the events, or just lurk enjoying and commenting the fanworks made! I have a discord server here to bounce fanwork ideas of each other and get writing help. If you have any questions or comments, my inbox is open.

Upcoming Events

Perachel Bingo Week: July 28th - August 3rd, 2024. Prompts here.

Past Events

N/A

Hall of Fame

A list of event participants and event completionists. TBD.

Rules

All fanworks must be focused on Percy and Rachel.

This blog and event was created out of love for these characters. Which means that I have a strict no Rachel Elizabeth Dare or Percy Jackson bashing policy. Don't like? Don't interact!

All nsfw content must be tagged appropriately and hidden below the readmore function as this event is open to all ages.

Full F.A.Q. is available here.