α α α α
α α α α Grover frowns, and he gently welcomes Percy with an open arm, wrapping it around him and holding him close.
α α α α He lays his head against Percys, glancing away.
α α α α Theres a bittersweet chuckle that erupts from the satyr.
α α α α
β
β too long, β percy almost whines. it had been too long since he'd seen grover. but he was almost glad he was here. almost, because he felt awful that grover had to come back to ... this.
the question has him pausing as he stares down at his own hands, smile wiped clean.
β
α α α α
α α α α β That seems to be pretty common. I always miss things. Seems to be the only thing I'm good at .. β
α α α α A pained smile finds its way to his lips, but he quickly wipes it away to turn the focus back to his friend.
α α α α
α α α α
α α α α but I also know you β
α α α α He knows Annabeth tends to downplay things related to her, for the sake of trying not to weigh anyone down, but all it does for Grover is stress him out.
α α α α
α α α α
α α α α Grover nods and stops in his tracks, waiting for Annabeth to make her way over to him instead. He fidgets with the hem of his shirt.
α α α α β Yeah I'm .. I'm fine. What about you? I know you said the thing with your head wasn't anything important
α α α α
β
annabeth turns to grover, tensed before relaxing slightly. she takes a deep breath as she gave the best smile she could.
β grover. hope you've been okay. β the girl looks towards the tree stuck with arrows and some scattered on the floor.
β
α α α α
α α α α β Yeah, it's been a while. I missed you too. Sorry for taking so long to recover β
α α α α A small attempt of a joke. Grovers hand intertwined together, and he absentmindedly tapped his thumbs together.
α α α α β .... You okay? β
α α α α
α α α α
α α α α Grover attempts to smile back at Percy, but it was clear something was weighing heavy in the son of poseidons mind.
α α α α He slowly walked over, carefully sitting next to Percy, while still maintaining space.
α α α α
β
percy had zoned out at some point, sitting up. all he could think of was how sad annabeth's smile was before she left. back to square one. he couldn't even focus on dimitri anymore. all he could focus on was how all the progress annabeth had worked so hard to make was gone.
β
α α α α
α α α α He really was bad at his job, wasn't he?
α α α α These thoughts were cut off when he spotted who he had been searching for. Annabeth.
α α α α A deep breath, then a sigh, as he slowly approached her.
α α α α β Annabeth ... ? β
α α α α
α α α α
α α α α It was obvious that Grover had missed a lot during his time on bed rest. It was clear his friends had been through stuff that he should've been there for.
α α α α He should've been there for them. But he failed. Again.
α α α α
β
annabeth finished the first set of training, her dagger to the side with bow propped against the tree. some arrows were stuck in the bark across as she pats down her hands to grab her small journal.
her legs were still shaky, but she will manage.
β
α α α α
α α α α Grover had heeded Percy's request for him to visit the infirmary. He took a deep breath, then sighed. It was common for the satyr to be left in the dark, unfortunately.
α α α α He just ... Wished it wasn't. His chest felt so heavy.
α α α α
β
sitting in the infirmary. he still hadn't been discharged. but annabeth was true to her word and left after an hour.
... gods, was it always this cold here ?
β