Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson, or any characters from it. Or that one quote in there from The Last Olympian.
She stood tall, her hand resting on her dagger and her eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the two people making their way over. The two approaching figures had dark hair and billowing togas. In her heart, she knew one of them was her Seaweed Brain and she wanted nothing more than to run over and hug him. Or punch him. She didn't know. But she wasn't even sure if he knew who she was, and that hurt more than anything else.
"Jason," the girl with the dark braided hair (Reyna, remembered Annabeth) nodded. The Romans behind her watched silently and almost emotionlessly. The Greeks behind Annabeth and Jason held their breaths.
Annabeth couldn't help but look at the boy by Reyna's side. He didn't look back at her. He just stared onward. She could tell he didn't know who any of them were. Not even her. Annabeth's heart sank and she shrunk back. Her whole world seemed to crumble down and her vision blurred. "You know me!" she wanted to scream. "Look me in the eyes, Perseus Andrew Jackson, and tell me you know me."
"And who are you?" demanded Reyna, looking disdainfully at Annabeth.
It took her a minute to comprehend the question and another to realize it was directed at her. "Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," she answered, straightening and trying to look in control of her crazy emotions. She forced herself to look into Reyna's eyes. "You're Reyna, right?" Steeling herself, she turned and looked at Percy, her Percy, who stared right back at her with no recognition. "And you're Percy Jackson." He nodded, looking at her curiously, like, Hey, who's this interesting stranger? Her heart clenched.
Jason glanced at her sympathetically. I'm sorry, he seemed to say.
She glared back at him. Drop it. Because it wasn't his fault that Hera scooped him up and plunked him in Percy's place. It wasn't his fault he remembered everything when Seaweed Brain didn't.
"Would you care to introduce your new friends?" asked Reyna. At the last two words, her act crumpled and, for a moment, she looked sad and lost. But within the next second, she was back on guard. Annabeth knew what that felt like, hiding her emotions. Even though everyone at Camp Half-Blood knew she was shattered in pieces, she squashed it down until she was alone. She bit her lip, remembering curling up in a corner of Percy's bunk bed, sobbing into his old Goode High sweatshirt that smelled like the ocean and blue chocolate cookies- like him.
"I can introduce myself," announced Leo, interrupting Annabeth's thoughts. He swept an exaggerated bow. "Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, at your service."
Piper elbowed him. "I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."
Annabeth couldn't pay attention. Her head was spinning. As Percy watched the Greeks introduce themselves and jostle each other around, his familiar lopsided smile began to form. She couldn't do this anymore. Her instincts told her to run out of there as fast as possible. Her whole body ached. But then Reyna said something about talking to Jason in private, and Annabeth thanked the gods (not that there was much to thank them for). She turned on her heel and sprinted off before Jason could even look to her for confirmation.
She wasn't sure where she was even going; all she knew was that she had to get away from him. Was that even Percy? It seemed more like a stranger in his body, with his face and eyes and smile… She took a deep, rattling breath.
She was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, not the emotional daughter of Aphrodite. She was strong and in one piece and not utterly broken and wanting nothing more than to curl up and cry until the whole thing blew over.
Brushing the tears off her cheeks, she looked wildly around. She was in some forest somewhere, but that didn't matter to her.
"I hate you!" she screamed at the sky abruptly. She wasn't sure who she was talking to- a god, goddess, Percy, or maybe herself. Suddenly she heard a twig snap behind her. She whirled around, facing her potential attacker with tear-filled, red eyes and a gleaming bronze dagger. But when she saw Percy standing there, looking concerned, her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her weapon.
"What are you doing here?" she blurted, the words finding their way out of her mouth. She didn't mean any of the venom behind them, but she was so frustrated she didn't know what to do.
The hurt look on Percy's face made her regret her words instantly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it." Annabeth sheathed her dagger and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "It's just been a horrible day." She laughed bitterly. "That's an understatement." Drained, she collapsed under the tree she stood next to with a sigh, sitting tiredly.
Percy blinked. "Oh." He sat down next to her. "What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Annabeth sighed. "Not with you, anyways."
"What? Why?" The bewildered look on his face made Annabeth's heart hurt even more. It reminded her of the look on his face after their first kiss in Mount St. Helens.
"Because you don't remember me, Seaweed Brain."
His eyebrows knit in confusion ("You're cute when you're worried. Your eyebrows get all scrunched together."). "Seaweed Brain?" he asked.
The fact that he didn't know what that meant made tears threaten to spill over. She shook her head. "Never mind. Do you know your Achilles spot?"
"I… uh, lost it." Percy scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not invincible anymore. Did you know where it was?"
"Yeah." Annabeth forced her stinging eyes to look ahead. Nothing about this Percy was the same anymore. Not even his invincibility. In fact, Percy would've asked about her crying by now…
"Hey, you alright?" Percy reached over and wiped a tear off her cheek. Annabeth stiffened. "Oh… sorry." He blushed and looked down awkwardly.
"It's okay," mumbled Annabeth after a short pause. "You used to do it all the time."
"I did?" Percy looked puzzled. "It felt like I should."
Annabeth shrugged half-heartedly. "We were… friends." There was another moment of silence. "Do you want to know where your Achilles Spot was?"
"Sure, I guess."
Annabeth reached over, awkwardly sliding her hand down his back before pressing the spot. When she did, Percy let out a gasp and doubled over.
Panicking, Annabeth jumped up. "Percy?!"
He groaned. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he shot to his feet.
"Annabeth!" he exclaimed, laughing. And he hugged her tightly. "Oh, gods. I missed you, Wise Girl. I love you so much."
Annabeth choked for a moment before beginning to half laugh and half cry. "I was so worried for months and months," she sobbed. "I couldn't find you. Everyone thought you were gone forever, you stupid Seaweed Brain!" She punched his shoulder before dissolving into a shaking mess, but she was still part laughing from pure joy and relief.
Percy squeezed her tight and kissed the top of her head. "I know. And I'm so sorry. I promise it's never going to happen again. I'm never letting you go. Never again." He kept repeating never over and over as he held Annabeth, who soaked his overlarge toga with her salty tears. No, not everything was perfect, but, in that single moment, it was enough.