"I love you." He tussles my hair around.

"Dude!" I giggle at the hair move. He laughs too.

Pause.

He just told me he loved me.

Um, WHAT? He loves me.

He loves me. He is in love with me romantically and...and I might be too?

"I do love you though" he shrugs a bit.

"I-uh-" he stops me.

"You don't have to say it back yet. We've only been dating for a super short amount of time, but I've just kinda...felt this was since we met. You know?"

I muster up the courage to say something. Anything, really. "I can love you"

"You can? You can or you do?" He tilts his head. "You're scared to be in love with me, that's what I think."

"I-I'm not scared. I just..." I'm at a loss for words.

"You just feel like if you say it something bad will happen? You feel like everything you've ever let  go of has claw marks all over it?" He takes a deep breath snd exhales. "I feel the same way. But you're different. You're perfect.  Perfect for me. You fit me like a glove. A perfectly sewn glove. One that the Gods would wear on special occasions" he laughs and I do too.

I look at him and think about all of our shared times. 'Beach girl', me getting shot, the woods, getting caught, the kissing...all of it was better, because he was there.

Because Percy was there. He's right. We fit together so well. We balance each other. We compliment each other. 

He's perfect for me.

And I'm perfect for him.

"I do love you"

He looks a tiny bit surprised. "Do you actually mean that?" He asks "you don't have to say it if you're not ready."

"I mean it. Why would I lie?"

He smiles at me and tilts his head a bit. "Alright then." He looks away for a second.

"But...I think you should talk to Chiron-or Mr.D, if you'd rather-about getting medication or therapy for the eating disorder. If you don't want to, I won't force you to though." He says slowly.

I nod. "Okay, I will. Just-let me talk to him myself though, okay?" I request.

"Okay." Percy agrees.

💙

A few days later I'm on the way to Chiron's office to get my first bottle of ED meds. 

I'm all by myself, as Percy decided to sleep in, and so did Luke.

 Why you may ask? Because we stayed out all of last night at our rock spot in the woods.

Literally all night.

I'm talking we got back at 5:00am. I didn't sleep, I just did my skincare and makeup like mom makes us and then headed out here.

I smell the summer air. It's nice. 

I see a patch of pretty blue flowers in a small clearing out of sight from regular camp.

I walk over to them.

Oh, Percy would just adore these. 

Oh well! Too bad he's not here! Guess I'll just adore them for him! In my cabin! When I put them in a vase!

Yeah, these are too pretty to give away. 

I pick one, then two, then I hear footsteps. I assume it's Percy or Luke.

"No, you can not have them, I call dibs." I laugh and pick a third.

"Oh, trust me i'm not here for the flowers y/n." A small laugh escapes as well.

My spine straightens and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

It's involuntary, I don't know why.

"Oh, hi Annabeth. Sorry, I thought you were-" she cuts me off.

"Percy? Luke? One of my friends?" Her voice is weird. She puts this odd emphasis on my.

I turn around fully and see her standing over me with crossed arms. 

"Yeah" I laugh a bit, trying to lighten the mood.

"Why do you act like that? 'Yeahhh' 'hehehe' like we know that's not how you really are. Stop acting so perfect all the time. I don't even know how you got discovered if you  didn't have issues. Gosh, maybe I should give you some so you're not intolerable anymore."

I just stare at her.

"Uh...I'm sorry, what? Annabeth, come on, we're friends y-"

"Are we?" She tilts her head.

Her eyes narrow and she squints her nose.

"I-" suddenly she's on top of me. Her legs straddle my waistw long with my arms, and her hands fly at my face.

"ANNAB-" her hand clamps over my mouth.

"Stop. Talking." She glares down at me.

"There we go." She brushes my hair off my face.

"I like you like this. So quiet. So unobnoxious." She smirks in satisfaction.

"Now, if I take my hand off you won't yell, will you y/n? Then you'll be my friend. We can be the best of friends of you don't make any noises. Alright?" 

Her smirk isn't just satisfaction, it's pure craziness.

I nod slowly, but I'm lying. I just need to se her next move.

She pulls a small dagger out of her pocket. My eyes widen.

I open my mouth suddenly "HE-" her hand is over my lips again. She squeezes my face so hard it hurts. "What did I just say?"  She then pulls the best possible card she could. "Or do you just not want to be my friend?" She tilts het head.

She slides her hand off, I feel marks from it though.

"Annabeth...come on-" I whisper, trying to get her out of this positively deranged state.

"That's better, but still not enough. I need you silent if you want to be my friend y/n. Alright?"

I nod.

"Hm..." she leans over on top of me. Her body heat is too warm. Her hair brushes against my neck.

She takes the tip of her dagger and puts it on my jawline. "Where do I even start?"

I open my mouth "rhetorical question, friend." She almost coos into my ear.

It's odd. She's suddenly gentle. Maybe she's just trying to see something..?

She wouldn't hurt me, she's my friend now. 

It scares me. But I desperately want to be her friend, I need her to like me.

She traces me lips with the tip. "Here I think." She presses down and it draws blood.

I suddenly squirm around and trash under her.

"Oh, stop it. You know it won't work, friend."

She pushes herself up and moves the knife to my heart.

"And don't think Percy's coming to rescue you this time."

In that moment, I'm so fucking grateful that I've been made immortal,

Because her starts to move into my skin.