Look Grover has a lot of patience, not for nothing is he the chosen one of the God Pan, it is very necessary when you have to talk to the spirits of nature, they can be very stubborn when they want to be, but Grover doesn't know anyone more stubborn than Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson.
We've been friends for three years and he loves them dearly, they're his best friends, the most important people he has, besides Juniper obviously, but as much as he loves them they're fucking stubborn, he knows something changed in Percy and Annabeth's relationship since that horrible winter when Annabeth lost her way, he's never seen a more chaotic and desperate Percy, Grover also knows something happened when he and Tyson split up from the labyrinth mission, he just remembers feeling a huge thrill and then a lot of pain, but every time he tries to talk to Percy about it he gets like a ripe tomato and tries not to look nervous though he fails every time.
Grover is not blind he knows his two best friends have been dancing around each other for a long time, he doesn't need his satyr powers to know they like each other, everyone knows it, even the animals! For the love of the gods, Grover thought Annabeth was going to take the first step to make Percy realize it, because for Pan the boy is very oblivious, the goddess of love herself came to talk to him and yet he doubts his feelings for Annabeth, but of course, Annabeth is still a daughter of Athena who trusts logic for everything even if there is no logic in matters of the heart.
So as he was getting ready to leave for his first mission as Pan's chosen one he wanted to spend his last days with his best friends after all he didn't know when he would see them again, but to no one's surprise Annabeth and Percy were fighting for the third time that day.
Grover has a lot of patience he really is, but as much as he loves his friends they really can cause him a migraine with their stupid fights to get rid of with the clear sexual tension the two of them have, Grover isn't going to deny that at first it was really funny to see how oblivious they could be, teasing them about how awkward they were getting with each other but now Grover is really starting to hate those two.
So naturally Grover explodes, he can really only blame Percy and Annabeth for what happened, it wasn't his intention to explode in the middle of the campfire in front of the whole camp, it was all those two's fault, plus he sincerely believes he did them all a favor.
"Would you two please just kiss already," Grover growled, so loudly that everyone fell silent around the campfire, even Chiron raised an eyebrow.
I felt my face start to heat up, I didn't need to turn to look at Annabeth and Percy to know they were just like me, everyone had their eyes on the three of us but especially Percy who was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water and Annabeth who looked like she wanted to kill me for the embarrassment I put her through, the deafening silence was broken by a new camper.
"Wait... aren't they together?" the girl asked a child of Aphrodite standing next to her.
That simple comment made the campers go crazy, talking non-stop about who would make the first move, the Stoll brothers were enticing the campers to bet on when they would finally get together, the sons and daughters of Aphrodite and Athena were comparing plans to see which one would work for these two, Chiron was looking at everyone amused as if he knew something we didn't.
Meanwhile I could feel the awkwardness radiating from Percy, Annabeth was not in her best mood now looking at everyone with her death stare but no one seemed to be paying attention to them.
"They've been on too many missions together, there's no way something won't happen," said a daughter of Aphrodite to a son of Athena.
"What could happen on those missions, that they kissed when they were about to die that's ridiculous," replied the son of Athena, that comment made all eyes on Percy and Annabeth waiting for them to answer the unspoken question, Annabeth and Percy looked at each other for a second before blushing like crazy.
"By all the gods, you guys kissed on a mission," shouted Silena surprised, that made me look at Percy who turned redder if that's possible, but that was impossible Percy would tell me if something like that would happen but then why was he avoiding my gaze.
"At what point did you two kiss if we have been together on every mission well except when we got separated...", I muttered looking from Percy to Annabeth who were looking at me with wide eyes, I couldn't believe it my best friends kissed when we were in the damn labyrinth, that would explain the strong thrill I felt from Percy." You two kissed and you still won't accept your feelings for each other!" I shouted in frustration, I couldn't believe those two, they couldn't be more stubborn.
"Grover what are you talking about, Percy and I are friends," Annabeth said acting calm although her voice tensed as she said the word friends just as Percy couldn't help but grimace at Annabeth's words.
"Excuse me but last time I checked friends don't kiss," I said accusingly, the campers eyes jumped from Percy and Annabeth to me as if they were watching the most exciting tennis match of their lives, although I can't blame them with the recent battle we've experienced a little entertainment to cheer us up is just what we needed and if that entertainment ends with Annabeth and Percy getting together so much the better for everyone.
"Grover please," Percy pleaded with me, clearly they hadn't touched on this subject at all but I was sure they were both avoiding it completely out of fear, but Grover was tired, we almost died a bunch of times in the last week I wasn't going to let those fools ruin what could be one of the best things that could happen to them.
"Please what! Percy, you two have been dancing around each other for a long time," I said uttering each word louder, "everyone knows that," I said, pointing at the campers who could only nod at my statement even Chiron nodded slowly, of course that earned him a look of betrayal from Annabeth, "only you guys want to ignore it because you're stubborn little buggers who can't bend your prides."
"Grover stop it," Annabeth said her voice sounded increasingly strained like she was about to cry, now Grover would never do anything apropos to hurt Annabeth she had been his friend for many years, they had grown up together, cried over the fates of Thalia and Luke, Grover knew he had to stop but something inside him, he couldn't stop it was the only way his friends would listen to him.
"Please Annabeth, you didn't see how Percy got when I found the Artemis slayers brochure, he was desperate to find you he almost drove off a cliff for you, he held the sky for you, he has a picture of you in his school book," with every word he said Percy was getting redder and redder, Annabeth couldn't help but watch Percy with wide eyes, clearly this was new knowledge to her, she could see how his brain was trying to decipher if what he had said could be true.
"And you Percy, you know very well that Annabeth is not vulnerable with anyone, but with you she does, she lets you see that side of her, she has cried with you, she has let you comfort her, her brothers had never seen her so broken than when you disappeared for two weeks denying that you might have died, she did nothing but look for some sign of you, how can you not see these things Percy, they are so obvious, but neither of you want to accept it," I didn't know at what point in my speech I stood up, but I was on, it felt good to be able to say everything and know I was heard.
But I knew I had gone too far when I saw the little tears in Annabeth's grey eyes spilling over, my heart broke when I saw her stand up & run without looking back towards her cabin, I had made Annabeth cry, the guilt was eating at me, I couldn't see anything but the place where she had been sitting.
"Percy I am so sorry," I whispered but Percy wouldn't even turn to look at me, he just sat there as if he had lost a fight, defeated, he looked painfully tired, as if what he had just said only put more weight on his shoulders.
"You think I don't know," Percy said in a tired voice, "you think I haven't spent my nights thinking about what's going on with Annabeth, I'm not stupid I know my feelings with Annabeth changed."
"Then why in Hades haven't you done anything," I said in despair, and I couldn't understand why Percy never said anything about it.
"Why, because! I'm supposed to DIE!" said Percy now in despair, "I'm going to die Grover, I'm going to leave her alone like all the other people in her life, I'm going to die and I don't want to hurt her any more than I'm going to hurt her when I'm gone," he said regretfully, as if his possible death was his fault, not the prophecy's fault.
"You might not die," I said trying to sound as convinced as I could but I know from his grimace that I failed.
"Grover please, it's almost impossible for it not to happen," Percy said defeated.
"Well so what," I said with a new determination.
"SO WHAT!" shouted Percy, "I'm not going to hurt her like that, you're crazy."
"Well you are going to hurt her no matter what, if you die and you don't try something you are going to hurt her thinking about what would have happened, if you die and you are together you will know that you gave your best for her" I said, trying to convince Percy that he was making the wrong decision by avoiding her feelings, I could feel how his thrills were all over the place, "come on Percy, you know what you have to do," I said as I pulled him to his feet, the whole camp started cheering him up too, Silena along with Beckendorf came closer to give him more words of encouragement but Percy seemed so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear anything they said.
"I can't...I won't do that to Annabeth," Percy said sadly, we all watched him walk off to his cabin with his head down, as if he was trying to disappear.
We saw him stop and take a step towards us, Silena seemed hopeful that he would start walking towards Athena's cabin, but he just gave us one of his death stares that made the smaller campers shudder "If any of you mention a word of what just happened in front of Annabeth, I promise you that you won't be able to go to the bathroom without the pipes exploding around you", after that little threat from Percy we saw him go to Poseidon's cabin.
Little by little all the campers left dejectedly to their respective cabins, Chiron gave me a little pat on the back as he left for the big house, I felt miserable as I watched the little fire left in the campfire, what kind of friend was he, Annabeth is probably crying in her cabin feeling broken and I was sure Percy was the same, I couldn't believe what he had done, his friends would never speak to him again and with good reason, he was the worst friend in the world.
With those thoughts he went to bed, hoping that tomorrow he could apologize to his friends if they didn't hate him too much for what he had done.
The next morning he was just as miserable, he got up earlier trying to find Percy or Annabeth to apologize to but there was no sign of them, most likely his friends were avoiding him at all costs, which only made him even more miserable.
All the campers were already in the dining hall but it was obvious to everyone that two people were missing, Grover was really starting to worry that something really bad had happened to those two, until they all saw them entering the dining hall holding hands with one of the biggest smiles Grover had ever seen on their faces, the campers in Aphrodite's hut couldn't help but let out a little scream when Percy kissed Annabeth before going to Poseidon's table, they spent the whole breakfast giving each other looks from their respective tables, no one could even pronounce a word, after all we all like to be able to go to the bathroom quietly without explosions.