AN: Just a short idea that I had. We all see how worried Annabeth was about Percy, and we hear about how worried Percy's mom was, but what about Percy's best friends, Grover and Rachel? How did his disappearace affect them, and now that Annabeth is leaving for Camp Jupiter, how do they feel about letting her go, and possibly losing both her and Percy forever? These are the questions I seek to answer in this story. Hope you enjoy. Also, check out my story "RE: Percy Jackson and the Curse of Echidna."

Rachel didn't have to be the Oracle to tell that Grover was upset. He was pacing back and forth in front of the thrones of the Council of Cloven Elders (of which he was one). Why was Rachel in the area? She loved her cave, but sometimes she just needed a change of scenery, namely the woods. She would go into Camp and find Annabeth and talk with her, but she was gone. She, Leo, Jason, Piper, and Gleeson Hedge had left only an hour ago in their massive warship, the Argo II.

So here she was, wandering around in the woods, when she came to the clearing of the Council of Cloven Elders. It was abandoned, except for Grover, who just paced back and forth and made nervous bleating sounds every once and a while. Rachel liked Grover, but the two of them had never really had the chance to talk to each other much. Maybe this was the golden opportunity. They shared a best friend, after all. It was time that they got properly acquainted.

And so, Rachel emerged from the woods. "Grover," she said in greeting.

He glanced up, startled, then sighed with relief. "Oh, it's just you."

"Were you expecting someone?"

"Well Satyrs come to me a lot and ask me questions and… I can't lead them right now." He sat down on the ground. "I just… I can't lead them right now."

"Why?" Rachel asked, sitting next to him, though she suspected that she knew.

Grover sniffled. "First, Percy goes missing. My best friend, gone without a trace. Everyone worried about Annabeth or Percy's mom, but they didn't worry about me. I couldn't allow myself to be affected by his disappearance, because I'm a leader of the Satyrs. I had to set an example."

"It's hard to be a leader," Rachel said.

Grover nodded. "I – I tried to contact him with our empathy link every night," he said, his voice cracking. "Every night." Rachel nodded. "And it never got through. I thought… I thought he was dead. And then suddenly he's alive. I was hopeful again. But now…"

"Now Annabeth's gone," Rachel supplied. "And she and Percy may not be coming back for a long time. Or ever."

"They're my best friends," Grover said miserably. "I should be with them, helping them, but I have to lead. I have to set an example. I have to stay here." The bitterness in his voice didn't surprise Rachel a bit.

"You know, Grover," Rachel said, "I know how you feel. Percy was just gone. And he was my best friend. I won't pretend that he and I were as close as you two were, but it still hurt. And like you, I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't publicly weep or be upset over the disappearance of my closest friend, because I had an image to uphold. I am the Oracle. I would be discredited if I reacted to Percy's disappearance. The only person that I could be upset around was Annabeth. And now she's gone too, and I can't just use my powers to find out if she and Percy will be okay, or if they'll come back to us. I spent days doing nothing but trying to force the spirit of Delphi to tell me something when Percy first disappeared. I knew it wouldn't work, but I had to try, right? At this point, I've given up. Annabeth is going to go find him, and whatever happens, happens."

"And it sucks," Grover said. "We should be helping them-"

"But we can't," Rachel finished for him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. "I never thanked you," Grover said.

"For what?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Your help in the Labyrinth," Grover explained. "You're the one who got my friends safely through, and you're the only reason they ever found me, and, by extension, the only reason that I found Pan and didn't die down there."

"I was just trying to help," Rachel said. "Besides, what are friends for?"

Grover smiled. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while longer, then Grover stood up. "I'm feeling a lot better now. I don't think I'll feel all the way better until Percy and Annabeth return safely, but at least now, I have someone to confide in."

Rachel stood too. "I'm glad I could help."

She started walking towards the woods, when Grover called out, "Rachel. I know that Percy and Annabeth being gone is rough on you, too. Don't hesitate to find me when you're feeling down."

She turned back. "Thanks Grover."

He smiled. "What are friends for?"