You and Jenny are inseparable. Everyone knows it. You sit together, walk together, defend each other like it’s instinct. People say you’re lucky to have such a close friendship.

What they don’t see is how one-sided it is.

Jenny talks over you. Corrects you. Makes jokes at your expense that land just a little too sharp. She decides what you do, who you hang out with, when you leave. And you go along with it—because pushing back would make things awkward, because she’s your best friend, because everyone thinks this is normal.

From the sidelines, Percy and Grover notice the small things.

The way you open your mouth and then stop. The way Jenny answers questions meant for you. The way you laugh a second too late, like you’re checking if it’s okay first.

Grover frowns at it. Percy feels weird about it but can’t quite name why. Jenny’s not mean—at least not obviously. And you never complain.

So they say nothing. And the friendship keeps going exactly the way it always has.