Percy

Nico still hasn't talked to me by the time intermission ends. He remains with Will and Hazel until Will pulls me backstage for photos and blocking for awards. I try not to keep a lookout for Annabeth, but my eyes betray me. They search for her in every room, wondering what happened. She should be here. Did she get scared off by what happened at the dance?

I sigh to myself as I trudge back to the Zeus' Cup seating area. The seat on the other side of Will remains empty as everyone files back into their chairs. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She probably hates me after the way I've treated her and everyone around me. Yet I can't ignore the disappointed pang in my chest.

Mr. D stumbles onto the stage, his white dress shirt stained with a ruby-colored liquid. He wipes at his mouth, looking dazed, and picks up his mic. He taps it, as if testing it, and begins reading off a paper on the podium. I roll my eyes.

"All of the results will be shown on the projector ahead, and we will invite the top 3 placings up onto the stage to celebrate." He reads off some more announcements and notices, but I don't bother listening. I look down under our balcony to see the guests' seating area. My mom and Paul are seated right at the front, bouncing with excitement. I smile to myself. Beside them, Grover and the rest of my friend group are talking amongst themselves, pointing and laughing. Nico is among them, grinning widely. I don't know whether to feel glad that he's happy again or to feel sad that he no longer wants to spend time with me.

A couple rows behind them, I see Annabeth's father. His hair is the same color of Annabeth's, except mostly flushed out by grey. He is tall and lean, and his round glasses sit low on his nose, almost as if he's a modern version of Einstein. I have only seen him briefly, when he used to pick Annabeth up from school in middle school and early high school. I don't see Annabeth's step-mom or her step-siblings. I don't see her mother either.

As Mr. D's projector flickers to life, I briefly wonder what it would be like for both of our birth parents to be here, supporting us. How different would our lives be?

One by one, the placements appear on the screen. Mr. D announces them as well. With every number, my heart beats faster. I tap my feet at an increasing pace. 10th place, St. Mary's Catholic. Kelli and Tammi. 8th place, Atlantic High. Triton and Bill. 7th place, Eli Whitney High. Castor and Pollux.

Annabeth's and my names flicker to life next to the marker that reads 5th place. I bury my head in my hands. It's not enough.

Will pats me on the back. "Not bad, Perce. I'd say you're on track to Top 3."

I shake my head. "We're aiming for first. It's important to us." Important to Annabeth. I may have been a jerk to her over the past two months, but at least I can try to make up for it. And if there's one way I can give her what she deserves, it's to help her accomplish her goal of getting first.

Will shrugs. "Watching the others, I saw that at least three groups were made up of competitive dancers, or at least good ones. The little mistake you made first round probably edged you out of the top, but it's still a really good placement."

I peek below the railing of the balcony, hoping to see if Annabeth had taken a seat in the guest area instead of ours. Nothing. The seat where Annabeth's father sat is empty as well.

"First place, CC's Academy for the Arts!" Mr. D announces.

"Of course," I huff. "Is there anything they can't do?"

"I don't think they did very well in Round 2?" Will suggests.

I push myself out of my seat. No point in staying any longer. No Annabeth. No good results. Nico won't talk to me. "I should probably get going. Will I see you for Round 4?"

Will grins at me. "Definitely. And maybe before then, if I get your friend to go on a date with me."

I bristle at Will's easy posture. How casual he seems about Nico. Yes, Will's a good guy, and Nico deserves happiness, but Nico's my kid brother. And it frustrates me how Nico is so eager to talk to him but won't even talk to me.

I don't let my concerns past the shield of my expression. "Well, see you then." I give him a quick hug. "Thank you for all your help."

We wave our final goodbyes, and I slip out of the auditorium doors. My mind swirls with all of today's events. Luke showing up, Will liking Nico, and Annabeth. Oh gods, Annabeth. I barely notice Grover emerge behind me. When he taps me on the shoulder, I nearly shoot out of my skin.

"Woah there!" Grover bleats. "Calm down."

I place my hand over my pounding heart. "Can't do that when you're scaring me. Where's everyone else?"

Grover shrugs. "They're inside. Probably arguing with the judges about why you deserved first place."

I let out a sigh. "We didn't deserve first place. There were some crazy good dancers in our group."

"Hm." Grover pulls me down into a bench and sits beside me. "What happened up there, Percy?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

His eyebrows are furrowed in concern. Not at all angry like I expected him to be. Not even hesitant or unhappy like Nico has been towards me all day. I lean back on the bench. "Honestly? I don't know."

"Can I tell you what I think?"

I wave my hand, encouraging him to go ahead.

"I think that you like her, but you feel guilty about it, especially since she's taken. You're holding yourself back. This is one of the many facts that you've held back for months now."

"I don't feel guilty…" Plus, she's not taken.

"Then what?" he asks.

"It's more of…I hurt her, in the last proper conversation I had with her. Kind of like you. I've been an ace at hurting people recently."

Grover nudges my shoulder. "Hey. It's okay. I've done my fair share of hurting people. We've argued quite a bit over the years."

"Not like this, Grover."

"That's okay. We'll learn from it. We'll grow. You don't have to keep punching yourself for it. Anyways, you hurt her. So? Apologize."

"It's not that simple," I groan. "I was really rude to her. Nico talked to her, and now both of them won't talk to me." Lie of omission, but I don't think Nico would want me to share his secret just yet. "I don't know if she'll ever forgive me."

Grover strokes his chin. "I wonder what that conversation would have been like. I can't imagine why Annabeth and Nico would be talking. They barely know each other."

"I…" I realize Grover doesn't yet know about the whole walking-in-on-us-holding-hands situation. "It's a long story. I'll tell you tonight, if you're down for gaming?"

His face splits into a grin. "Definitely down. This might be the first time we've properly hung out in… 3 months? Maybe 4?"

I wrap my arms around Grover. "Thank you, bro. Like, seriously. Thank you for everything. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you."

"Of course. That's what friends are for." He pulls away from me, and we walk back to my mom's car, waiting for her to come to the parking lot. While we wait, Grover says, "You know, if Annabeth was single, I would tell you to 100% go for it. She's a great girl."

I scrunch my nose. "What makes you say that?"

Grover shrugs. "You know I used to be friends with her. She's… she used to be in a rough spot, but you can tell how strong she is. She's a great person, too. I know you two have had your disagreements, but…"

I nod. "Yeah. She handles so much, and she makes it look so easy." But more than anything, I admire her ability to deal with her emotions head-on, instead of being a coward like me and running away from them. It made her more confrontational during our days of enemyship, but, even then, it was a trait that I appreciated.

Grover smiles. "You're so gone."

"What do you mean?"

"That look. Wide eyes and little smile. That's your I'm in love face."

"I'm not in love!"

"Maybe not, but you're close. Just remember that she's been dating Luke for years now. I even saw him in the auditorium. Don't cause any problems for yourself or her."

I give him a tiny salute. "I won't. Promise."

Annabeth

After Luke, I don't really have the energy to deal with him or Percy, so I sit in the car with my stepmother and my brothers. My dad reports that we got fifth place, which isn't bad, considering my mistake and our general lack of dancing skill. I would normally be disappointed, but now I can barely focus on it. All I can think about is the heat of Percy on me. The overwhelming smell of the ocean that clings to him everywhere he goes. It takes all of my remaining willpower to push those memories from my mind.

"Pass the popcorn, 'beth," Thalia says. "I need something to distract me. This schmoozing is too much."

"I like schmoozing," Silena protests. "That's the whole point of a rom-com. Schmoozing."

Piper's face is buried into a pillow. "Remind me why we're watching Netflix rom-coms when my love life is the most depressing thing in existence."

"It's not depressing," I protest. "You just have to communicate. Talk to him. It's so obvious that he still loves you."

Piper lifts her head. "And I'm still in love with him! But I'm not willing to waste my time if he's not going to be upfront with me."

Silena facepalms. "So then talk it out! Tell him to tell the truth!"

"You think I haven't? That's the entire reason why Jason and I broke up! Because he refused to tell me the truth."

Thalia just fiddles with the edge of her blanket. Her eyes are downcast. I'm about to ask her about it, but she catches my gaze and shakes her head. "Just give it time, Piper," she says. "He might be going through something."

"But I don't understand why he can't tell me about it?"

It's like a recurring theme. I almost feel like a broken record. "He might be doing it to protect you. Maybe he doesn't want you to get hurt as well."

Piper sighs. "I'd rather he hurt me by speaking with me than hurt me by keeping something from me."

Silena pauses the movie. She clasps Piper's hand. "I know it's hard, love. It's tough to see someone you care about falling apart from you. But give it time. Be patient and be willing to talk, but stand your ground."

"What does that even mean?" Piper groans.

"What Piper's saying," Thalia clarifies. "Is that you should tell him what you're telling us. Ask him to be honest. If he still won't be, then there's nothing you can do to force it out of him. Then, you just have to move on."

"I've been trying to move on for the past month and a half, Thalia."

"Just trust me on this, okay?"

Piper sighs. "Fine. I'll talk to him when I'm ready. Let's change the subject, please."

"Gladly," Silena smiles. "Annabeth, what did Luke think when he saw your performance?"

I try to stuff my face with popcorn so I won't have to answer. "Huh?"

Piper's grin turns mischievous. "Yeah. Did you make him jellyyyy? Imagine having a stable love life. Can't relate."

"Annabeth, stop shoving popcorn in your mouth. We know you're avoiding the question," Thalia says.

Darn it.

I take a deep breath. I'm about to spout out a lie that he was jealous but we talked it out, which is somewhat similar to the truth. But then, Percy's face flashes into my mind. The heat in his eyes as they held mine during that dance. After weeks of awkwardness and misery, and now we're at it again. I don't want to do that with my own friends. I don't want to weave lies and build a wall between me and my friends like Percy did with his. I'm done hiding.

I exhale. "Guys, I need to tell you something."

"What, you and Luke illegally did the thing?"

I send Piper a dirty look. "No. I was going to tell you that Luke broke up with me."

Silence. Silena lets out a gasp.

"You're joking," Thalia says. "Stop playing pranks on us. Is it April 1?"

"No, Thalia, I'm not joking."

"If it's true, how are you so casual about it? Wouldn't you be crying your eyes out right now?" Piper points out.

"I was crying my eyes out when it happened," I lamely say.

"When did it happen, Annabeth?"

I bite my lip. "October."

The girls let out gasps of shock. Thalia drops her bowl of popcorn. It spills onto her blanket. "What? It's the end of January! Are you serious? You didn't tell us?"

"I know, I know. You're probably mad, and I get it. I just…I didn't feel ready to say it out loud. I guess some part of me wanted to pretend it didn't happen. But now that I'm finally over it…"

"So all this time I was complaining about you having the perfect love life…" Piper whispers.

I nod. "Luke broke up with me before you broke up with Jason."

Piper wraps her arms around my shoulders. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry," she sobs.

I pat her hand. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm okay now."

Thalia taps her chin. "But I don't understand. He was at Zeus' Cup this evening…"

I roll my eyes. "He wanted me back. Spouted some shit and then tried to insult me when I said no."

Piper bites her lip. "I didn't think he would be the type to do that."

"I didn't either," I shrug.

Silena asks, "So he came all the way from Boston to here just to get you back?"

Something I had been mulling over since I saw him. Luke isn't the type to make grand, romantic gestures. "I think he genuinely just came to support me, since we broke it off as friends. He probably had some other business in town as well."

"Then why…?" Thalia's eyes widen. She gasps. "Percy."

"Oh. My. God. That's right! He probably saw your dance and got jealous!" Silena exclaims. "'Beth, you've got yourself in a Netflix drama scene right here."

"Except instead of heading back into the toxic relationship, our girl's come out strong and free," Silena whoops.

I lie down against the pile of pillows we have built. "I'm just glad it's over. No more Luke. No more Percy. Just us girls together."

"What's wrong with Percy?" Silena asks. "Are you still fighting after all that time?"

"It's not even fighting. He either avoids me or makes really snarky comments. He probably hates me for calling him a coward."

"With the kind of chemistry you guys had onstage? Not a chance, woman."

I stuff my face with a pillow. "Enough about Percy. I'm sick of talking about the boys in my life. Men suck."

We absorb ourselves about the boys in Lara Jean's life instead, shoving our faces with the most unhealthy things we can eat. I'm grateful for the few hours of being able to forget the real world. Still, I can't help but notice Piper's been quiet nearly the entire time. As we wrap up for the night, I pull Piper into the living room to talk.

"I think you're right," Piper finally admits. "I think I should talk to Jason."

"Why the change?"

Piper leans her head on my shoulder. "The last few months, I've been filled with doubt about whether I did the right thing, breaking up with him. I know Jason wouldn't cheat, and I know that there could be something else, but I was scared. Jason is… he's so much better than me. He's so honest and sweet and… he deserves more than me."

"Piper, you're honest and sweet and you're such a badass. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

"Thanks, 'beth. But you're wrong. I was incredibly lucky to have Jason, not the other way around. And now he's doing fine without me, and I've been miserable for weeks."

"Who says he's doing fine without you? You know the guy. He'll pretend until his feet fall off, just for your sake."

"I just want to talk to him. To see if he still cares for me, and to see what secret was so important for him to keep from me. Will you help me?"

I press my forehead to hers. I clasp her hand. "Of course, Piper. Just let me know what you need."

We sit in silence like that for a few moments, just absorbing the feeling of being here with each other. It means the world to me that she's willing to be my rock in these ever-changing times. I'll do my best to be the same for her.

"You know, you should talk to him too," Piper says.

"Jason?"

"No, you doofus. Percy."

I pretend-gag. "Why?"

Piper nestles herself into my side. "I think he's just confused. You should have seen your slow dance from our point of view. It was…" She shudders. "The tension felt so thick. Those kinds of things can't be manufactured, unless you're an Oscar-winning actor. Which Percy is not."

I shake my head. "It's not worth it, Pipes. Confused or not, I'm not going to jump into the deep end unless he tells me he's ready for it. He needs to show me that he still cares about our friendship. If he doesn't, then it's not something I'm going to sacrifice my sanity to save."

Piper smiles. "I've always admired that about you. You're so independent. You're so strong. You don't let anything get in your way."

"That doesn't mean I keep myself healthy. Looking back, my relationship with Luke was… not the healthiest."

"Did he do anything to you?"

"No, thank the gods. It was more of little things. Like not really paying attention to the things I liked. Making me feel bad for being too clingy. Which I was. I invested myself in it too much. To the point where, if Luke had been a bad person, I would have been wrecked."

Piper sighs. "I'm glad you noticed it, though. I guess there are so many things you take for granted, and you don't really appreciate it until you realize other people don't have it."

"Jason's a good guy, Piper."

"I know. I know. I'll fix things. But if Percy comes to talk to you, promise me that you'll hear him out. It's so weird that I'm saying this without even knowing him, but I think you'd be good together. I'd never seen you so happy as when you were with him at Zeus' Cup. At first, I thought it was the first place win, but even before that, when you were studying for Round 2 with him, you always had a smile on your face."

My eyes droop. Her voice fades in and out of focus. I hear bits and pieces of what she says next, before I fall asleep to the sound of her voice. "Don't give up on love. Not like I did."