It was the 26th of December. Piper and Jason's wedding was in only four days. We already had the bridal shower and the bachelor/bachelorette party, so all that was left was the rehearsal and the actual marriage day. Jason and Piper already had their wedding ensemble determined. So, Hazel took us, one by one, to our residences. She thought that if she tried to take more than one person, that she would fall unconscious for hours. Leo, Percy and Frank were able to find suits, ties, but the last one needed another pair of dress shoes. While he was out shopping, Hazel came back to our apartment complex in New Rome.

"Is there anyone I missed?"

"What about Annabeth?"

"Oh yeah, right."

We went to me and Percy's apartment. I looked at my closet in my room and searched for dresses. I had a black dress (which would be perfect for my upcoming interview), and a purple dress sometimes used for social outings, dinner parties and dances. Nothing for being a maid of honor.

"Well, looks like you're going shopping. Is there anything else you would like to do while you're here?"

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes."

I set my interview ensemble on my bed; my black dress, a pair of a black flats, and even a small pair of fake diamond earrings. Then, I looked around for any jewelry and accessories to wear. I didn't want to be accused of trying to steal the thunder from Piper since she was the bride to be, but I wanted to use at least one accessory that would draw the attention away from my stomach in hopes of being able to conceal my pregnancy (even if it was barely noticeable). I looked through the jewelry box. I found my Camp Half Blood necklace. Pretty, but not going to cut it. Then I found two gold colored bracelets. Next. A pseudo gold colored and fake gem bracelet. Nope. Then I found a genuine amethyst necklace. It looked gorgeous. I pocketed it so Hazel couldn't see it.

"Alright Hazel. Let's go shopping."

To prevent Hazel from fainting from shadow travel exhaustion, we decided to walk to the nearest dress store. I thought I saw the silhouette of Patricia, but I decided to dismiss it. When we got to the dress store, we found that there weren't too many people here, much to my delight. The store had several dresses of all kinds and colors.

Hazel's jaw dropped. "Wow, this place has a lot of dresses."

"Luckily, I already have an idea of what I'm looking for."

To match the amethyst necklace I found in my jewelry box, I looked for purple dresses. I figured it would work out well with Piper wearing a white dress and the bridesmaids (Hazel and Calypso) both wearing light pink gowns. I found two of them, one in lavender and one in royal purple. The lavender dress was a left shoulder strap that fell to my ankles, which would expose my black flats (which wasn't a problem), but when I added the necklace, the whole look seemed.. wrong. Out of place.

"Well, let me see how you look." Hazel said. I got out of the fitting room. "You look beautiful in that."

"You think so?" I asked. "I don't think my necklace goes well with it."

"Hmm?" She looked closer at my neckline, examining the necklace. "Where did you get that?"

"It was in my jewelry box."

"Why exactly are you wearing it?"

"I'm trying to make sure no one discovers... the truth."

Hazel was confused at first, but then she widened her eyebrows and was still baffled. "But it wouldn't really be visible at this stage, would it?"

"A little bit." I sighed. "I might be paranoid that somebody will find out, but concurrently, I don't want to take attention away from the bride on her special day."

"Who gets more attention, the bridesmaids or the maid of honor?"

I shrugged. "Let me try on the other dress."

I got the other dress; a royal purple strapless Faviana flowing chiffon gown. It looked really gorgeous. I tried it on, and it looked beautiful. It matched with my necklace perfectly, but I thought I looked too beautiful for someone who wasn't the bride.

"Well, what do you think?"

"You look gorgeous. Almost a bit too gorgeous."

I sighed. "I feared you might say that."

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad would it be if the wedding guests knew of your pregnancy?"

"Well..." I rubbed my arm awkwardly. "Probably an eight. Pregnant maids of honor are unheard of. I just don't want many people to know, is that bad?"

"Not necessarily, although you might be paranoid."

"Perhaps I am. Remind me, you said you'd help me pay for this?"

"I'll pay for the entire cost of this dress, but only this once."

"Thanks, Hazel."

She smiled and winked at me. "What are friends for?"

After we got the dress, we went back, and then we went through the wedding rehearsal the following afternoon. The wedding was to take place at the Palace of Fine Arts, a wedding hall in San Francisco, and gods, it was one of the most beautiful wedding halls I had ever been in. The entire ground was beautiful. The Roman and Greek design of the architecture, the gardens, the reflection of the palace in the lake (especially at night). It was gorgeous. To me, this place represented everything uniting, bringing everything together, which made it even more perfect for Piper, the daughter of Aphrodite, and Jason, the son of Jupiter. Truth be told, I felt a little jealous. The wedding reception was also to be held in another area of the building. We stood at the Acropolis. I stood closer to the bride-to be, holding a replica of the pink rose bouquet she would hand to me during the ceremony. The bridesmaids were further back than I was. Leo (the best man), and the groomsmen, Percy and Frank all stood to the side as the marriage officiant spoke before Jason and Piper recited their marriage vows.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." he said.

Jason lifted up Piper's veil and kissed her. She kissed him back, ending the practice ceremony.

Leo gave them two thumbs up. "Perfect! No problems, no hitches. If this happens all over again tomorrow, it'll be perfect."

Piper had told me that during the ceremony, she would surprise Jason by putting her veil to the side and kissing him. As everyone left, I stayed.

My boyfriend looked back at me. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

He walked off. I looked at the Acropolis, and then I looked back down at the columns around me. Why did I feel so sad, and even a bit angry? I didn't think it was a mood swing. I walked to the stone pathway and walked around the area. Then I realized... Piper and Jason are getting married, Frank and Hazel are engaged, Leo's in the process of making a ring for Calypso, and as for me and Percy? We did something that many people would consider wrong and immoral. And we weren't married or engaged. I knew the shame of Scarlett letters didn't really exist anymore, but I still feared being ridiculed, scolded and shamed. And some people still did shame girls for having sex before marriage. Not only did I consent and really go along with it, but I had enjoyed it! Now I was with Percy's child, and I wasn't even seeing a doctor. What was wrong with me?

I sighed. I felt like I didn't deserve being the maid of honor. Maid was short for maiden, but I wasn't really a maiden. I wasn't a matron either. I felt out of place. Why did Piper ask me to be the maid of honor? Oh yeah, she wanted someone who could handle the responsibility of it. Although, even though I arranged everything, I felt like I was under pressure. I felt like I was wearing a mask. Piper had no idea that I was struggling to handle it all. I needed advice. I looked at my contacts list. I needed to talk to someone who would really understand me. Let's see here... Amir, Carter, Dad, Erica, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Leo, Magnus, Percy, Piper, Sadie...

That was nearly everyone on my contacts list. Where is Sam? I looked at my contacts again. Sadie, Walt, Zia... I don't get it. I thought I had Sam's number. I tried to see if I could remember it. I punched in the number and waited. Ring... I sat down on a bench where the guests would be sitting. Ring... Ring... She answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi Sam. Remember me?"

Sam chuckled. "How could I forget? Nice to hear from you Annabeth."