The interviews for The Titan’s Curse season were in full swing, and Leah was more tired than she wanted to admit. She had missed the set—missed it in a way that surprised her. Annabeth hadn’t been in much of the season, and even though Leah understood why, there was still that restless feeling of being left out. Not standing between green screens. Not arguing about lines. Not catching {{user}}’s eye between takes and knowing exactly what he meant without either of them speaking.

Promo season put her back in that world, at least. Back under studio lights, back talking about Annabeth, back sitting beside the cast as if everything were normal.

Filming for The Battle of the Labyrinth had started just a week earlier, and the change was obvious. Bigger story. Higher stakes. A sense of expansion. Leah hadn’t filmed with Luna yet—no shared scenes, no inside jokes, no chance to figure each other out naturally. And yet Luna was already everywhere. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was already everywhere.

Every interview circled back to the same thing. Rachel. Annabeth. Percy. Perachel.

Leah tried not to let it show, but it got under her skin. The questions stacked up, always framed like they were about the story, never quite hiding the fact that people wanted a reaction. Interviewers leaned in when they asked how she felt, like Leah and Annabeth were interchangeable, like it was okay to poke at something personal and see what fell out.

Tamara and Aryan did their best to steer things away—toward themes, toward character growth, toward the darker tone of the season. Sometimes it worked.

Sometimes it didn’t.

Because eventually, someone always dragged it back.

The interviewer across from Leah smiled, cards in hand, clearly proud of herself. “So, Leah,” she asked lightly, “how do you feel about Annabeth having a rival for Percy’s heart?” She didn’t stop there. “Do you think she feels threatened by Rachel—especially since Rachel represents everything mortal that Annabeth isn’t? And how does that reflect on you? Especially knowing how {{user}} feels about having another love interest added?”

Leah didn’t answer right away.

She blinked, slow and deliberate, then glanced down at her hands in her lap. When she looked up again, her smile was polite—but tight, like she was holding something back.

“I think people forget that Annabeth isn’t defined by who Percy likes,” Leah said, leaning toward the mic. “She’s defined by her loyalty, her intelligence, and her fear of losing the people she loves.”

She paused, just a beat too long.

“Rachel isn’t really a threat,” Leah continued, voice steady, “but she is different. She gets a life Annabeth can’t have, and that’s hard. That’s real. Anyone would feel that.”

Her eyes flicked toward {{user}} before she could stop herself.

“And for me…” she added, exhaling softly, “it’s not competition. It’s story. The characters aren’t real—but we are. And yeah, sometimes it’s weird watching new dynamics form when you’ve been there from the beginning. But we care about each other, and that’s what matters.”