Annabeth woke to something shifting beneath her. For one wonderful second, she was able to enjoy the feeling of waking up next to Perseus.

Then reality crashed back down, and the anxiety settled in again. She hardly even processed the predicament she was in before the moment was ruined. It was like her body had remembered before her mind had, preemptively tensing before the strike that was sure to come.

But she'd slept without dreams. She supposed it made sense, now that the immediate danger had passed, but it was still disorienting in a way. She'd gotten so used to having nightmares that a peaceful night's rest had started to become a rare occurrence.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Perseus said softly, drawing her out of her thoughts. Annabeth shook her head, stifling a yawn.

"It's fine. I need to be awake anyway."

She had a feeling Perseus wanted to protest that sentiment, but he managed not to. Maybe he recognized that now that she was awake she was too anxious to sleep again.

It hadn't even occurred to her the night before, but waking up in his arms had suddenly reminded Annabeth of the fact that she wasn't sure whether their relationship was a secret anymore or not. Perseus had said he'd told them everything— but she'd never actually asked what "everything" entailed.

"Did you tell them? About us, I mean," Annabeth asked, quietly. She supposed it didn't much matter if they were found out now, given that the only reason they'd kept it hidden in the first place was to protect other secrets. But the thought of having to explain this to them on top of everything else was still enough to give her a wriggle of anxiety in her stomach.

Perseus winced in response, which didn't give Annabeth a lot of hope.

"Not exactly," he said, though his posture was still a little uncomfortable, "But after everything they sort of… assumed."

"Ah," Annabeth said, trying to ignore how dry her mouth suddenly felt. Compared to everything else Piper and Jason now knew this should have felt small, insignificant. The worst she could face on this front was their judgement. There was nothing life-threatening about it, but it seemed just as nerve-wracking somehow.

"They didn't seem entirely surprised about it," Perseus admitted. Despite herself, Annabeth almost laughed. The fact that all the sneaking around they'd done on the ship had ultimately yielded poor results was a bit funny in hindsight, even if she was still anxious about the situation as a whole.

"I guess we weren't quite as subtle as we liked to think," she said. Perseus grinned, the first smile she'd seen from him that morning.

"No, we probably weren't," he agreed.

Their smiles faded quickly after that, though. Now that they were awake all Annabeth could think about was the conversation that awaited her. Staying in bed forever was tempting, but not really a viable option if she ever wanted the sick feeling in her stomach to go away. So they got up together, Perseus leading her through the unfamiliar halls.

Annabeth quickly realized that the house they were in was less of a house, and more a collection of rooms strung together by courtyards and open hallways. They were on a hill, with the city on one side and the ocean on the other. The sun was just starting to peer through over the tops of the buildings, reflecting on the ocean and giving the blue-green water a shimmering quality.

Annabeth could have gone and woken Piper and Jason up herself— Perseus knew which room they were in, even if the place felt like a maze to her— but she opted instead to wait outside, in the central courtyard. All the foot traffic from the house flowed through there, so there was no chance of missing anyone. She figured it would be better to speak to them after they'd woken up naturally. Maybe they'd be in a better mood.

It felt like an eternity had passed, though from the sun's slow and steady progression through the sky, she knew it must have only been an hour or so. Perseus sat with her, holding her hand as she waited. It felt strange to be so brazen about it, after having to hide their relationship since it began, but it also served as a reminder of why Annabeth was sitting there in the first place. For the first time in her life she had no secrets.

Several more agonizingly long minutes passed. Annabeth almost wanted to lay her head on Perseus's shoulder and fall asleep, but she knew it would be a bad idea. Something in her was still scared to have Jason and Piper find her in a vulnerable position like that.

Then she heard footsteps, and her heart just about dropped to her stomach.

Annabeth barely had time to prepare herself before both Jason and Piper appeared down the hallway. They didn't even notice her or Perseus until they got to the entrance to the courtyard, but when they did, they both froze.

Annabeth felt frozen too, the only thing anchoring her to solid ground the feeling of Perseus's fingers entwined with hers. She felt herself standing, though she didn't know quite what triggered the gesture.

She half-registered that Jason and Piper both looked tired— exhausted, really— but she was more concerned with their expressions, which were currently caught between surprise and something else Annabeth couldn't quite register.

"You're awake," Jason said.

There was surprise in his voice, but now that the surprise had faded, his expression was unreadable. Something in Annabeth's stomach twisted uncomfortably. She had never had trouble reading him before, and now when it mattered most she couldn't piece together what he was thinking.

Piper had her practiced blank look on, but she was gripping Jason's hand at least as tight as Annabeth was gripping Perseus's.

"In the middle of the night," Annabeth said, hating that her own voice was shaking, "I thought… I didn't want to wake you."

Something else flickered across Jason's face then, something Annabeth couldn't at all understand.

"It was late," Perseus said, "She fell asleep again right away."

Annabeth felt something just barely defensive in his tone, but she wasn't sure if what Jason had said had warranted it. She couldn't understand anything at all, and Piper was very deliberately looking at the stone wall behind Annabeth's shoulder.

"I see," Jason said, carefully.

Annabeth didn't know what came over her in the next moment. Maybe it was Jason's tone, still strange and unfamiliar, maybe it was the fact that Piper wouldn't meet her eye, maybe it was the anxiety that had been building in her chest since sunrise, maybe it was just the culmination of every horrible thing that had happened in the past week. Annabeth couldn't even think of how to respond. Instead, she burst into tears.

To her complete and abject surprise, Piper immediately followed suit. Even more shocking was her next action— breaking herself away from Jason and throwing her arms around Annabeth in the tightest hug she'd ever received. She found herself returning it, the motion so natural she couldn't help it, even as her brain struggled to process what exactly was going on.

"I'm so sorry," Piper choked out into Annabeth's shoulder. Her grip was so tight Annabeth could barely breathe, or maybe that was the sob still building in her chest.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said, her voice barely pushing above a whisper. She couldn't understand why Piper was apologizing when she was the one who had made a mess of things.

It was a long moment before they separated. Pulling back felt almost as painful as the tightness of the embrace, but already Annabeth could feel some of her nerves falling away. Piper, at least, did not hate her. And judging from Jason's expression, now plainly relieved, slightly overwhelmed, and eyes just a tad watery, she could make a solid assumption that he didn't either.

"I think we need to talk," Jason said firmly, still holding a steadying hand on Piper's back.

Annabeth nodded, sniffing as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She turned to Perseus, who already had a silent question in his eyes.

"I'll be fine," she said, squeezing his hand to prove it. He didn't let go though.

"Are you sure?"

Annabeth nodded. "Positive, I swear."

She really was. Now that she knew where everyone stood, she felt secure— certain— that she needed to do this without his help.

He half looked like he wanted to protest, but another look into Annabeth's eyes calmed whatever fight was left in his own.

"I'll be just down the hall," he said, quietly. He gave her hand one last squeeze before walking away. Annabeth almost wished he'd kissed her instead, but he'd probably made the right call, all things considered.

They ended up sitting outside, a little ways down the hill that the house was situated on. Both the city and the ocean were visible from the little patch of grass they chose to settle down on. There was a cool breeze coming from the ocean, and the sun had only barely risen, making the air deceptively chilly. In an hour it would be sweltering, but for now Piper had been smart enough to dress in an extra cloak, wrapping it around her shoulders like an extra blanket.

It was quiet for a minute, just the rolling, constant rush of the ocean down below. In all honesty, Annabeth hadn't properly processed the last few minutes— she could barely believe she was sitting here at all. But eventually the relative silence became too much for her, the question that had been burning away in her mind since the moment she'd woken begging to be answered,

"Aren't you upset with me?"

There were plenty of reasons for them to be, but Annabeth thought she caught a flicker of hurt in Jason's expression. Piper looked just as stricken as she had before.

"Why would we be upset with you?" she asked, voice wavering.

"I lied to you this whole time," Annabeth said. It should have been obvious but somehow it wasn't, and her simple explanation didn't seem to be very convincing to them either, judging from the way their expressions remained unchanged, "I— I put you both in danger. If anyone had figured it out you both would have been hurt, not just me. You should be upset."

Annabeth almost said "I would be" but somehow in her heart she knew it wasn't quite true.

Piper actually laughed. It was strange, watery, a little hysterical. Not very humorous, all things considered.

"Of course I'm upset," she said, "But not at you, and not that you lied to us, I'm upset that you thought you had to keep it a secret in the first place."

A lump was rising in Annabeth's throat, one that was getting very hard to ignore. It felt unfair, since she was already crying. She swallowed hard.

"I did have to keep it a secret. You know that," Annabeth said. It was really more a beg, a plea for Piper to understand,

"Fine," Piper conceded, her eyes flickering down to the ground, her fingers tearing at a particularly unlucky patch of grass, "I'm upset that you had to keep it a secret from us. I'm upset that you thought that it would even be an issue, or that we would do anything other than try and help you— and then I just get more upset because I know exactly why you thought that, and I hate it. I hate that you did and I hate that you had a reason to."

Annabeth wanted to deny it. She wanted to tell Piper that she'd never once had that thought, that she'd never been scared of what they would do if they ever found out. But Piper was right. Annabeth had had a reason to.

"You know why I had to," Annabeth said, but she was looking at Jason now. He would understand even if he didn't want to. He and Annabeth were the same in that way— logical to a fault, pragmatic to the last breath. Piper ruled with her heart, but Annabeth and Jason had always gone in head first.

And Jason knew better than most just how cruel Rome could be.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. All the time they'd spent in the sun over the past week had bleached the color even more than usual, making it appear almost white between his tanned fingers.

"I know," he said, finally, "I wish it wasn't that way, but I know why you did it. I just wish I'd given you a good enough reason not to."

"It wasn't about either of you, I swear," Annabeth said, shaking her head, "This was entirely me."

Jason nodded, but Piper hesitated, biting her bottom lip. Annabeth could tell she was nervous to say whatever was coming next

"You told Perseus, though," she said, finally.

Annabeth could tell that Piper felt guilty for even having the thought, much less voicing it. But she could also tell that it had been eating away at Piper, probably since Perseus had told them the truth.

"That was different," Annabeth insisted.

"How?" Piper pressed.

"He knew, right away," Annabeth started, slowly, "You saw him say so— and he pretended to drop it for you and Jason, but when he was alone with me he told me he knew I was lying."

If Jason was surprised by Annabeth's words, he didn't show it. On the other hand, Piper frowned, shouldering her blanket a little more firmly.

"Is that when you told him?" she asked. Annabeth almost laughed at that, but she managed to swallow it down. It wasn't funny, not at all funny given how upset Piper still looked, but the idea of having admitted it that night, given that she had agonized over it for days, and still had known virtually nothing at that point, was just strange.

"No, gods no," Annabeth said, shaking her head again, "I denied it, and he didn't believe me. He— he didn't fully understand, because all he knew was that I was a half-blood, but he told me that if I was keeping it a secret, it must be for a reason, so he wasn't going to tell anyone. And then the more I talked to him, the more I realized..."

"That you were both Greek-born," Jason finished. Annabeth nodded, glancing over at Piper with just the barest trace of trepidation. She didn't look any more upset about this information than the rest of it, which Annabeth supposed was good, even if it still made her a little nervous.

"And once I realized that, I realized who my mother really was— that's when I told him," Annabeth continued.

"When was that?" Piper asked.

"The first night on the ship. I snuck into his room."

Piper bit her bottom lip, her eyes suddenly trained out to sea again, away from Annabeth's.

"And earlier that same day, I'd..."

She trailed off, but Annabeth knew exactly what she was referring to. That was the day they'd had their fight, where Piper had first revealed her distrust in Perseus. Where she'd specifically pointed to the fact that he was Greek as part of the blame for that distrust, not knowing Annabeth was the same.

It had hurt, but even at the time Annabeth had known it hadn't come from a place of malice— more one of worry, and a lack of understanding.

"Don't. Don't blame yourself for that, it's not like you could have known," Annabeth said, but Piper was already shaking her head miserably, her fingers tearing at the grass again.

"But that's why you didn't tell us, isn't it? Because I said those things about Perseus."

Annabeth could tell that this particular point had been eating away at Piper for a while. Jason just had a grim look on his face, free of confusion, so she must have already told him what their conversation had been about.

Annabeth bit her lip, hesitating. It would be a lie to say Piper's words hadn't come back to her frequently as she'd debated whether or not to tell, but they hadn't been the only factor, either.

"Partially. I think… I think even if you hadn't said that I probably would have kept it a secret a little while longer anyways. But when I was trying to decide, I thought about it."

Piper nodded, seeming to expect this answer.

"The whole time you were…" she trailed off, swallowing heavily before continuing, "asleep, all I could think about was that conversation, and wondering if I was ever going to get the chance to put it right," she said, taking in a shuddering breath, "And I just— I want you to know how sorry I am. I don't really believe what I said, I swear, it was just— I don't know. I didn't trust him and I couldn't put my finger on why, and that was the easiest excuse."

"You were just following your instincts," Annabeth said, tugging her hand away from the grass. Piper looked back up at her, tears pooling in her eyes. "I probably would have done the same thing, if I were you. And I made it worse by not explaining anything. It was just a misunderstanding."

Piper gave a watery laugh.

"Hell of a misunderstanding."

"That just about sums up my life right now," Annabeth said. She managed to get a chuckle out of Jason, even if Piper barely smiled. Their humor didn't last long though. Jason bit his lip before speaking, but Annabeth could tell that he'd been anxious to get his words out for a while.

"Is that why you were pulling away?"

Annabeth had prepared herself for a variety of questions, but that one had not been included. She frowned, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"That morning on the boat, when it was just the two of us," Jason said, "It almost felt like you were saying goodbye."

The lump in her throat was back again, and this time it was much harder to swallow down. She remembered thinking along those lines that morning, but she hadn't realized Jason had picked up on it too.

"I just… I had a feeling it was going to come out, one way or the other," she said, determined to keep her voice from shaking and failing miserably, "I wanted to be prepared for every possibility."

Jason shook his head slightly, his eyes cast downwards.

"That must have been incredibly difficult for you. I'm sorry we ever made you feel that way."

"It wasn't your fault," Annabeth sniffed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve for what felt like the hundredth time that hour.

"But it was, a little bit," Jason insisted, his eyes still refusing to meet Annabeth's own.

Annabeth hadn't noticed his body language until now, but he looked disproportionately guilty, nervous almost. A random thought popped into her mind, one that should have occurred to her well before now, but somehow never had.

"You suspected, didn't you?" she asked.

At that, Jason finally looked up, giving her a wry smile. Piper frowned in confusion, but said nothing.

"A little bit," he admitted, "I never would have guessed all of this, but I'll be honest that I never really believed you were a mortal."

"You never said anything," Piper said, still frowning as she turned her gaze towards Jason.

Jason just shrugged.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable," he said, his focus still on Annabeth, "I thought that maybe you just didn't know— or you didn't want to, given how insistent you were the first time I asked. Either way, it seemed like you wanted to keep it to yourself, so I let you."

The admission should have been shocking. She'd spent her whole life, her whole friendship with Jason keeping a secret only for him to already know the truth— or part of it, at least. But in some ways it was ridiculous that Annabeth hadn't put it together before now.

Jason had guessed the first time they'd met. They both knew it— he literally had said so. She had a hero's blade and a shoddy explanation for how it had come into her possession, or why she needed it in the first place. Her vision wasn't clouded like that of a mortal— she could see monsters and gods just as well as he could.

And of course there was her aura, which would have been as strange and uncomfortable to him as his was to her. Obvious, if you knew what to look for— even if it was weak at the time.

And yet he'd swallowed her flimsy excuses, hadn't challenged them at all when anyone else might've. He'd always been careful to present her as a mortal, to keep up the charade, even when people like Perseus called it out. He hadn't even told his suspicions to Piper, because he could tell that Annabeth didn't want anyone to know, even if he didn't know why.

Jason had been just as willing to keep her secret without explanations as Perseus, and she hadn't even seen it. The thought almost made her want to cry again. Jason seemed to sense that she was feeling overwhelmed, because he spoke again without waiting for a response.

"I should've just told you that I knew," Jason sighed, shaking his head, "Maybe we could've avoided this mess."

"You did tell me," Annabeth pointed out, "And I lied about it."

A smile finally cracked through Jason's expression as he rolled his eyes, just a bit.

"The very first time I spoke to you, when we didn't know a thing about each other. I meant later. There were plenty of times I could've, and I didn't."

"There were plenty of times I could've told you," Annabeth said. Jason opened his mouth to protest, but Piper got there first.

"If you both start throwing blame around on yourselves, we're going to be here all day. Neither of you did anything wrong."

"I could've been more right, though," Jason said. Annabeth smiled for what felt like the first time that day.

"You're always too hard on yourself," she said. Jason raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips quirking upwards.

"Oh, and you aren't?"

"Alright, that's enough," Piper said, rolling her eyes affectionately, "We're all fools and you two never give yourselves a break."

Jason sighed, some of the humor draining out of his eyes. Annabeth saw his gaze flicker over her shoulder, to the city glittering in the distance. Annabeth remembered how Perseus had said that Jason had been tied up in meetings in the city since they'd escaped. If she had to guess, she'd say Jason was late for one now.

"You have to go, don't you?" Annabeth asked. Jason's smile returned for a brief second.

"Sometimes I swear you can read my mind."

"If you have to go, you should go." Annabeth said. Jason hesitated, his gaze dancing over her shoulder again.

"It can wait," he said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced himself.

"Go. It's fine," Piper said, squeezing his hand. Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"We'll talk more when I get back," he promised.

He hugged Annabeth before leaving, walking back up the path to the house. Annabeth noted that Piper watched him all the way until he disappeared behind the house's walls, like she was worried something would jump out and attack in the meantime.

"What's even going on down there?" Annabeth asked, nodding towards the city, "All Perseus said was that Jason was trying to fix things, but he didn't say how exactly."

Annabeth's words were enough to break Piper's gaze away from the now empty path to the house. She turned back to Annabeth, sighing heavily as she did.

"It's a complete mess," she confessed, "They have no real charges against us, now that Octavian admitted they were entirely fabricated, but he wasn't the only one involved. We're safe here, for now, but Jason is determined to get his position reinstated."

Annabeth could tell that worried Piper, even if she tried not to show it. Jason restoring his position would only put another target on his back, when they'd barely cleared the first one to begin with.

Annabeth wasn't at all surprised he was trying, though. Considering Octavian had taken over in the meantime, she doubted that he'd trust that any other replacement would be much better.

"He'll be fine," Annabeth said, even though she herself wasn't so sure. Piper gave her a grateful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I know. I just… I wish he wasn't so good, sometimes."

"If you asked him to stop, you know he would," Annabeth said. Piper grimaced, fingering the edges of her blanket.

"I almost think he wants me to. But I can't bring myself to do it, not when I know whose hands we'd be leaving it in."

Annabeth couldn't argue with that. Regardless of how she was starting to feel about the morality of Rome at all, it didn't seem like it was on the verge of collapse anytime soon, and in the meantime, she'd rather have someone like Jason in power than someone like Octavian.

And there was still the problem of Octavian, even if he was helping them in the short term. Annabeth had no doubts that he was just saving the information he had on her for a more convenient time. That, in combination with the very confusing conversation she'd had with her mother, left her future feeling hazy and unclear.

"Enough politics," Piper announced, drawing Annabeth out of her thoughts, leaning back on her hands, "We have more important things to discuss."

"Like what?" Annabeth asked, looking back over to Piper.

"Like the fact that you're still a little mad at me," Piper said, in a matter-of-fact tone. She was looking off in the distance, a little more towards the sea, expression delicately neutral.

"I'm not," Annabeth said, though as she did she realized it was partially a lie. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but Piper had always been better at reading her emotions than she was, so it wasn't much of a surprise.

"Yes, you are," Piper said. She was smiling though, not upset. "You might as well just get it out."

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be getting out," Annabeth complained. Piper just laughed.

"Gods, I love you. It probably has to do with Perseus, if that helps."

Annabeth hated to admit that it did. She also hated that it circled back to their argument, the one Piper had already apologized for.

"When we were fighting," Annabeth started, hesitantly. Piper just nodded, encouraging her to go ahead.

"When we were fighting, you said… I don't even remember, really. But the way you talked about how I was with him, I thought… I don't know. That you didn't trust what I said about him because he was paying attention to me, and that never happens to me so I was… fooled by it, or something."

At this, Piper did something entirely unexpected. She burst into laughter, her whole body shaking with hysterical giggles.

"What's so funny about that?" Annabeth asked, alarmed. Piper shook her head, trying and failing to steady herself.

"What?" Annabeth demanded. Piper shook her head again, putting a hand over her mouth,

"I'm sorry, it's not funny really—" she said, swallowing another bout of laughter, "You just— gods, you're as bad as Jason sometimes."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, starting to get impatient. Piper seemed to recognize it, because she managed to pull herself together, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"I mean, of course I thought it was strange that you liked him, but not because he was paying attention to you," she said, exasperated, "People pay attention to you all the time, you've just never once cared."

Annabeth blinked in surprise, barely able to register what Piper had just said.

"What?"

Piper sighed, but Annabeth could tell from her expression that it was more affectionate than annoyed.

"Do you know how many men I've watched try to flirt with you only to be met with a brick wall? Jason's had to chase people away because they wouldn't leave you alone even though you clearly weren't interested."

"He has?" Annabeth asked, frowning. She couldn't really remember a time when that had happened— except for the time Jason had punched that politician in the face and had broken his nose. But he'd been a creep anyways.

"Only a few times," Piper admitted, "But still, it wasn't like people weren't interested in you. Of course they were, you're too pretty for them not to be. You just never seemed to want it until you met him."

Annabeth bit her lip, considering. Piper was right in that she'd never shown any interest in romance— actually, the idea had practically made her sick until she'd met Perseus. She had never been able to afford getting close to someone in that way, not when she had so many dangerous secrets lying around.

She hadn't realized that Piper had noticed. If she was honest, she hadn't even really noticed that people were trying to pursue her, though that was the type of thing Piper would pay attention to even if Annabeth didn't.

"So…" Annabeth trailed off, and Piper sighed.

"You've never once shown the slightest bit of romantic interest in anybody, and then all of the sudden Perseus shows up and three days later you're looking at him like he hung the moon and stars," Piper said, shaking her head, "I thought— I don't know what I thought, really. It was just out of the ordinary enough for it to scare me. You're too clever to like someone that much on looks alone, so I knew something else had to be going on, I just didn't know what. But I went about it all wrong— I should have just talked to you."

Annabeth swallowed, an anxious knot starting to form in the pit of her stomach.

"You did try and talk to me," she said, "And I completely shut you down."

Piper grimaced, her fingers tightening at the edges of her shawl.

"I didn't really try. I just baselessly accused him of brainwashing you and trying to sabotage the quest. I— I don't even know why I said half of that. I just— I could feel you slipping away and it scared the hell out of me. Perseus was just a convenient target."

Annabeth knew that was generous of Piper to say, even if it wasn't entirely true. Annabeth was starting to fully recognize how suspicious the whole thing had seemed from an outside perspective, especially now that she realized that she and Perseus had been a lot less subtle about their relationship than she'd thought.

Piper had been half-right, during that conversation. Annabeth had changed, and it was to do with Perseus. And without knowing all the details, which Annabeth herself had failed to provide, of course that looked bad, especially when Annabeth had started to become withdrawn and defensive after the fact. Maybe Piper had gone about it in the wrong way, but she had been right to be worried.

"I wouldn't have told you the truth, even if you did ask," Annabeth said, finally.

"Still, I'm sorry," Piper said, shaking her head, "I shouldn't have said what I said, and I shouldn't have said it like I did."

"I forgive you," Annabeth said easily, "But only if you forgive me for lying to you this entire time."

"That's not a very fair trade, considering you have nothing to be sorry for," Piper said, sniffling just a little.

"Well then it would be foolish of you to pass up such an excellent deal," Annabeth countered, unable to keep a smile off her face. Piper rolled her eyes, but there were the smallest traces of humor back in her expression.

"Fine. I accept your terms," Piper said, "But only if you tell me about him."

Annabeth didn't have to ask what "him" Piper was talking about. She glanced over at her friend, still a little nervous to bring up Perseus directly when every conversation they'd had involving him until now had been incredibly fraught. But Piper's expression now was open, curious.

"What do you want to know?" Annabeth asked, tentatively.

"How?" Piper asked.

Annabeth bit her lip, considering. She didn't have to ask what Piper meant any more than she had to ask who the conversation was about. Maybe Perseus hadn't told them outright, but he'd been right in assuming they'd figured it out regardless.

Still though, she found herself struggling to answer Piper's question. If she was honest, she couldn't point to an exact moment when she'd realized she wanted to be with him, or when their relationship had shifted from strangers to friends to something more. She had never even really felt like he was a stranger to her, because even from that first meeting there had been something drawing her to him. It was like he had never been new to her at all.

Annabeth didn't know how to put that feeling into words though, didn't know how to articulate it in a way that didn't sound insane.

"We just sort of…" Annabeth trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence. She found herself staring out into the sea, as if the right words would rise out of the waves. None did, but she felt strangely comforted anyway.

"Fell together," she decided, finally.

Piper nodded like she understood— and maybe she did. Her mother was the goddess of love, after all.

"It works," she said, with the lightest of smiles, "I didn't see it at first because I was too worried for you. But when he told us everything, it's like it all suddenly made sense. The way you'd been acting, and everything with him and it just… I don't know. But it makes sense."

"I love him," Annabeth admitted. Looking over at Piper now felt too risky, but Annabeth could have sworn she saw her friend smile out of the corner of her eye. She needn't have worried though, because Piper didn't even hesitate with her answer.

"I would hope so, considering how much he clearly loves you," she said "He wouldn't leave your side once when you were unconscious, not even to sleep."

"Does Jason know?" Annabeth asked, hesitantly. Piper had taken it as a given, but she was perceptive about those things. Jason less so, though judging by Piper's snort in the next moment, maybe Annabeth wasn't giving him enough credit.

"Even he isn't that oblivious," Piper said, affectionately. Annabeth couldn't tell whether that affection was directed at her or Jason, but she was willing to wager it was a little of both. "And you two weren't exactly subtle to start with."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Annabeth asked, straightening up defensively. Piper rolled her eyes long and hard, though Annabeth didn't miss the grin on her face either.

"You've barely left each other's sides since you met, you're always finding some excuse to touch each other, and you practically have hearts in your eyes whenever you stare at him, which just so happens to be all the time," Piper said, sounding like she was trying to hold in a laugh.

"I don't stare!" Annabeth protested, even as she could feel her face warm in embarrassment, because it had already been established that she did, in fact, stare at him a lot.

"You do, and so does he," Piper insisted, "You two might be the least subtle people on Earth, the way you stare at each other. I mean, gods."

"I think I'm going to go throw myself into the sea now, if you don't mind," Annabeth said, half-making to stand up, but Piper just pulled her back down onto the grass, laughing.

"I think it's sweet," she said, "You deserve someone who can't keep their eyes off you."

"You don't think it's too soon?" Annabeth asked. It wasn't exactly a concern she had, but if she was going to catch judgement from others, the timeline seemed to be the easiest thing to pick apart. Piper shook her head, though her smile had morphed into a different expression, one of careful consideration.

"I almost feel insane for saying it, but no. You two… it's like you just fit together," she mused, "Like your souls are the same."

Annabeth was inadvertently reminded of her mother's words— "I suppose it was inevitable, in a way."

Athena had treated the connection like an obstacle to overcome rather than something to be appreciated. Annabeth couldn't help but feel slightly bitter about that, even if it was softened by Piper's own reaction; genuine and pleased.

"Besides, sometimes you just know," Piper continued, correctly judging that Annabeth was too lost in thought to respond properly, "I took one look at Jason and I knew I was going to marry him, and I was right."

"Your mother is the goddess of love, though," Annabeth said, unable to help but point it out, "You probably have some special extra sense."

"Exactly," Piper said, taking Annabeth's words in stride, "And I'm telling you now, whatever you have with him— it's rare, and special and real. And if you give it up in an attempt to be practical I may never forgive you."

"I won't. I promise."

Annabeth didn't know what else the future held, but of that, at least, she was very sure.