Soon You'll Get Better

31.

31.

Secrets

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Annabeth POV

Percy didn't come to school today, so I decided to check on him.

Silena and Grover had insisted that he was just sick and that he needed rest.

Regardless, me, being the stubborn person I am, decided that I was going.

I think Silena and Grover knew something about Percy but every time I asked, they brushed me off and told me that he was just not feeling well.

But why was he always sick?

"Hey, Grover," I said, walking up to him. He was talking to Frank and Leo and Jason.

"What's up?"

"It's about Percy," I stated.

He sighed. "I told you, Annabeth. He's just not feeling well. Why is that so hard to understand?"

Jason regarded me with a look. "Annabeth, why don't you go visit him if you're worried then?"

"No," Grover said firmly. "Percy needs to rest."

"Why? He's just sick!" I protested.

"There's a lot more to the story than that, Annabeth," Grover snapped. "There's a lot you don't understand!"

"Then why don't you explain?" I suggested. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"What's going on here?" Silena asked, walking up with Piper and Thalia.

"What's going on with Percy?" I asked her.

She stopped walking. "Nothing. Why?"

"Because both you and Grover keep denying it!"

"Annabeth wants to know what's wrong with Percy," Grover explained.

"Nothing's wrong," she told me. "Why?"

"Because he's always sick! And clearly you both know something!" I said, exasperated.

Silena shook her head. "It's not my place to tell."

"Aha! So clearly you know something!"

"I do," Silena agreed. "But like I said, it's not my place to tell."

"Tell me!" I demanded. "Why can't he tell his girlfriend, but he can tell his other friends?!"

Jason shook his head. "Annabeth, you're acting like a brat. Why don't you go talk to your boyfriend about this?"

I opened my mouth to agree but Grover shouted, "No!"

"Why not!"

"Percy's sick," Silena saved. "He doesn't want you getting sick."

"How is he sick every month?"

Grover finally relented. "Okay. Go talk to Percy, Annabeth. He doesn't want to talk to you right now. Trust me. I'm his best friend. When people are sick, they don't want to talk that much."

"I think," Thalia said slowly. "Percy is hiding things from his girlfriend. Like, why would he do that? It's obvious he's cheating on her."

Grover and Silena's jaw dropped. "What?"

"If you look at it closely, every time Percy's away, he always come back happy. That must mean he was dating a girl, so it made him happy!" Thalia announced.