| 100% | MYTH | 4 | Story about Aphrodite and Apollo, say |
| 50% | ROMANTASY | 9 | Portmanteau genre for a love story about a dragon tamer and a rebellious princess, say |
| 46% | MYTH | 4 | Story about Hercules, say |
| 45% | MYTHS | 5 | Stories about gods and goddesses |
| 45% | MYTH | 4 | Story about Zeus or Hera, say |
| 44% | MYTH | 4 | Story about Apollo or Zeus, for example |
| 44% | MYTH | 4 | Story about Zeus and Hera, e.g. |
| 44% | MYTHS | 5 | Stories about Zeus and Hera, for example |
| 42% | TEASE | 5 | Bring up an embarrassing story about, say |
| 41% | MYTH | 4 | Ancient story about gods and demigods |
| 41% | SAGA | 4 | Long, involved story about why you're late, say |
| 40% | FABLES | 6 | Aesop's __ have a story about a tortoise and hare |
| 40% | COMPARENOTES | 12 | Swap stories about a mutual ex, say |
| 39% | LORE | 4 | Handed down stories and traditions, say |
| 38% | GENIUS | 6 | Nat Geo TV series featuring stories about Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso |
| 37% | NEWSALERT | 9 | Phone notification about a developing story, say: 2 wds. |
| 37% | NEWSCYCLE | 9 | Time it takes to forget about a story, say |
| 37% | THEGIVINGTREE | 13 | Illustrated story about selfishness and selflessness written by 39-Across (3 wds.) |
| 37% | GREASE | 6 | Film about Danny Zuko and Sandy's epic love story |
| 36% | LORE | 4 | Ancestral stories and more, say (anagram of "role") |
| 36% | ONO | 3 | About whom Lennon said, “She’s the teacher and I’m the pupil” |
| 36% | TOY | 3 | "___ Story," a popular franchise about action figures and dolls that come alive |
| 36% | AWAIST | 6 | With 22- and 126-Across, saying about the difficulty of dieting? |
| 35% | TOBUILDAFIRE | 12 | Jack London short story about survival in the Yukon Territory, and the goal of this puzzle? |
| 35% | TRUE | 4 | "Based on a ___ story" (can be said for 16a, 32a, and 50a) |
| 35% | HEY | 3 | "24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say ___ Kid" (Willy Mays autobiography) |
| 34% | NARRATES | 8 | Reads Sleeping Beauty as a bedtime story, say (again and again, no doubt) |
| 34% | THATSNOTATHING | 14 | Snide dismissal, and what can be said about 20-, 33-, and 42-Across? |
| 34% | ITSNOTFAIR | 10 | Petulant cry, and what might be said about 17-, 26-, or 44-Across? |
| 34% | ANT | 3 | About which the Bible says "Consider her ways, and be wise" |