The campfire crackled, casting a warm glow across the faces gathered around it. Laughter echoed across Camp Half-Blood, the easy kind that came after long days of training and victories. But the noise felt distant.

Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, sat beside Percy, her hair catching the flickering light of the flames, her eyes bright as she spoke. You couldn’t hear the words, but the smile on her face said everything.

You tried to swallow the ache rising in your chest, the same one from when you first realized the truth: you loved her.

You hadn’t meant to. It had crept up on you slowly, this feeling that had no place in the world you shared with Annabeth. She was your friend, your confidante, your partner in quests and battle.

But then there was Percy. Always Percy.

They were a team. They had been through so much together, survived so many battles, carried each other through. You had been there for most of it, too. You had watched them fall for each other in their inevitable way.

But that didn’t stop your yearning.

Annabeth was everything—fierce, intelligent, brave. You admired her more than you could put into words. And that admiration had slowly shifted into something more dangerous.

But she loved Percy, and he loved her. It was that simple.

So you had stayed quiet, played the role of the supportive friend. You had smiled and nodded whenever she talked about him, because Annabeth deserved to be happy, and you knew that happiness was Percy.

You had your chance once—just once. It was a fleeting moment, a quiet conversation after a particularly hard-fought battle. You had almost told her then and there.

But then Percy had shown up, bloodied and grinning, and the moment was gone.

They were perfect together-- But would she ever truly be satisfied? She was always reaching for something more. She was never content to stay in one place, never satisfied with what she had.

Maybe that’s why you had fallen for her.