The next morning, Annabeth was down at the hotel's restaurant, checking the notes on the day ahead and sipping coffee. She felt a presence hesitate behind her, and she smiled. "Good morning, Grover."
"Good morning," he said. His voice sounded a little strained. He set the plate of apples in front of his chair and sat down. He didn't look her in the eye. "Where's Percy?"
"Still asleep," said Annabeth. "I thought I'd let him rest another hour. We were--" Despite herself, she blushed. "--up late."
"Yeah, I know," said Grover.
"Look." Annabeth set her notes down "I hope it wasn't too awkward for you. But you were a great sport moving into my room, letting Percy and I..." Her voice trailed off. She blushed.
"You're my friends," he said, still avoiding her gaze. "And you love each other. It was the least I could do."
"Well," she said, frowning. "It meant a lot to me. Thank you."
He looked up briefly, gave her a quick nod and a smile. "You're welcome." Then he stared at his plate of apples again.
Annabeth stared at Grover across the table. Finally, she said, "Grover?"
"Yes, Annabeth?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"You seem uncomfortable."
"I'm not uncomfortable."
"Yes, you are," she said. "Look, I'm sorry. You've known how I felt about Percy for a while. You've known how close we've become. Last night was... just right. Why are you looking at me like..." She struggled for the right word, then started again. "Why can't you look at me."
"Well," said Grover, eyes looking down at his plate of apples. "It's just this..." His gaze lowered even further. "You remember how Percy and I have an empathy link...?" His voice trailed off. After a moment, he looked up at her.
And for a long moment, the only sound was the clinking of cutlery at other tables. Annabeth stared across at Grover, blinking, her face blank. Grover stared at his plate of apples. Then Annabeth's hand went to her mouth. "Ye, gods, Grover! You didn't--"
"I couldn't help it!" Grover wailed. "It was overpowering!"
Annabeth shushed and waved him to silence as the others in the restaurant looked around, frowning. "Keep your voice, down, please!" she hissed. She swallowed. "How much did you see?"
"Not much."
"How much?"
"It's not like I was watching a film, Annabeth!" said Grover. "It was just a confused set of... very powerful images and sounds and..." He gulped. "...feelings."
"What sort of images, sounds and feelings?"
"Well... I now know how you look, naked," he said.
Her breath caught. "Okay, that's enough information!"
"You look pretty nice, naked," he babbled.
"Shut up."
"I mean, it's not that I enjoyed looking at you naked; I didn't-- I mean, I did!"
"I said, shut up!"
But Grover was gripping the table, now, his eyes wide-open as though as to say 'this is not my mouth. Who put this mouth here', but it wouldn't stop. "I mean, I did and I didn't enjoy it. You have a nice shape, but it's not that I see you that way--"
"Grover, stop talking."
"But--"
"Shh!"
Silence fell, at last. Annabeth stared across the table at Grover. Grover stared at his plate.
"I'm sorry," said Grover at last.
Annabeth shook her head. She ran her hand through her hair. "It's... okay," she said after a while.
He looked up. "Is it?"
"Well, what can you do?" She threw up her arms. "Percy was thirteen; you were twenty-six. How were you supposed to know you'd be in for this when you put the empathy link on him? And we can't remove it, can we?"
He shook his head morosely.
Ye, gods, she thought. Why can't I have a normal relationship like everybody else?
But then, we weren't like everybody else, were we? Typical lovers didn't have Olympian gods as prospective future in-laws, did they? Besides...
"That link between you two has saved lives," said Annabeth, slowly. "It saved your life, and it saved Percy's. And to have you both with me, here and now... is worth this..." She coughed. "...little embarrassment."
"I can practise shutting it out," said Grover quickly. "I can take meditation, or listen to loud rock music. Something. Anything. I promise I won't listen in again."
"If you can help it," muttered Annabeth. Then, after a moment's hesitation, she reached out across the table and offered her hand. He took it. She squeezed his fingers, then let go.
"Geez," she said after a while, grinning ruefully. "The life of a demigod, eh?"
Grover rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. I'm in love with a tree!" But the tension was easing from his shoulders.
Annabeth drank her coffee. She thought about her suddenly complicated love life. Her still-strong desire to see Percy again tonight now ran up against the realization that Grover could still hear it all.
Still, she supposed, it was better to have a love life, even a complicated one, than no love life at all.
She fished through her pocket and brought out a slim, metal slab with a screen on it. "Here's my iPod," she said. "You can listen to my Metallica collection tonight."
Grover looked up at her. He swallowed, but he took the iPod. "Okay."
She took another sip of her coffee. Then a thought struck her. She set her coffee down. "Grover?"
He looked up.
She took a deep breath, held it, then let it go. "Grover... you and Juniper, you haven't... um..." She spun her fingers.
"Made love?" Grover finished. "No. Not yet."
"Do you think you will, anytime soon?"
His mouth dropped open. "What sort of question is t--" Then he blinked. She could see the wheels turning as he grasped the real question behind her question. His head fell back. "Oh. Oh, dear."
She nodded.
"We have to warn him!"
"Maybe," she said. Then a smile sparking on her face in spite of herself. "Or maybe you should just tell me when you and Juniper get together at last." That should be a very interesting night to be with Percy, she thought.
"You're evil," said Grover.
She chuckled. "I prefer mischievous."
She drank the last of the coffee, and waved to Percy, who just stepped out from the elevator.