[ she catches the briefest hint of a smile from nico, feeling an odd companionship over the moment. because it's easy, loving someone like percy. it's easy loving percy, just percy, and she can't really fault nico for that. not considering how long she's known - or at least, considered. seen the possibility. known it in her gut. for as long as everyone had whispered about nico crushing on annabeth, annabeth had other thoughts. thoughts she never voiced, less they become true.

faced with them now, she feels almost partially to blame. or- no. blame isn't the word she's looking for. something else. some kind of guilt that weighs at her chest.

she feels at war with it a bit - those feelings of her heart versus the facts in her head - but before she can get swept up in them she feels the air shift, the tension harden. noticing this allows her to expect the bitter tone to nico's words, unsurprised and expectant when it comes out. nico fumbles over them, and annabeth lets him, feeling him come to a stop and taking a few more steps herself before stopping, her back to him as he starts to explain.

he loves you more than life. i knew i couldn't compete.

annabeth turns, then, to face nico. watches his shoulders rise and fall. watches his form, still a bit hunched, braced against what he thinks will follow. as he talks, annabeth schools her expressions, holds back on her thoughts, lets the information happen without barely a blink before she starts to process it.

i love him, annabeth. maybe as much as you.

she will admit, her chest tightens when he says that. an internalized competitive and possessive side to her lurching at the sound of it. her jaw does tense, her need to be able to control her own emotions fighting hard to keep it in check. she doesn't take her eyes away from nico, and if he keeps watching her, he will probably be able to see that momentary shadow cross her grey eyes.

one moment passes, then two, before annabeth takes a slow breath and forces the tension out of her jaw. ]

I know, Nico. I have known. It's not... [ she trails off, that steadfast determination to keep her straight face faltering as her shoulders drop with her next exhale. it feels a bit like defeat, in a strange way. like she's been fighting this fate of theirs, trying to force something normal for her and percy, for once. and now she's come to realize that was never in the cards. not for them, not since the beginning.

annabeth sighs, her eyes falling to the ground between them as she tries to recenter herself. they need to talk about this, she knows they need to talk about this, but whatever plan she had going into this conversation escapes her now, leaving her frustrated and a little tired. ]

I don't blame you for it- or fault you, or whatever you want to call it. It's- [ she presses her lips together for a moment, trying to sort out how she wants to say what she's thinking. ] It's not like we get to choose who we fall in love with, and gods know he has that way of getting under people's skin.

[ there's another pause here, where annabeth weighs her thoughts, the scales tipping back and forth behind her eyes before she finally looks back up to nico, forcing herself to keep her head up. he deserves that much, despite how much they both want to run from this conversation. ]

He loves you too, you know. [ despite her best efforts, her smile is a little sad here. ] I don't know how, or in what ways, but he does.