"It was nice meeting all of you," he smiled holding his hand out to them. She looked pleadingly at the hand, trying not to let it show that her heart was shattering. It was amazing that such a simple action could cause her so much pain. Thankfully he did not notice her pained expression; it would have made this more difficult than it needed to be.
Grover nodded at her side, taking the proffered hand firmly. He was much better at hiding the pain, but Percy had only been his best friend. The pain of losing him was nothing like the pain she was consumed by. "Yeah man, it was great," she could hear the hitch in his voice, the flicker in his eyes as he strained not to stare at the boy who had once been his best friend, but she saw these things only because she had known Grover for so long.
Percy turned to her, his shirt peeking out from under his pullover, a purple shirt under a green jacket. Nothing about him was right, the only thing that remained where his eyes and even they were calming. His dark hair was cut short; he looked like a completely different person. She kept forgetting—he was now.
He gave a small smile, one that failed to resemble the crooked grin he had flashed before. Her chest tightened, her breathing tried to fall to a ragged gasp. A stranger stood before now.
"Maybe I'll see you around," he offered his hand again. Annabeth reached out for it slowly, forcing the urge to wrap her arms around him down to the pit of her stomach, fighting to contain a heaving sob and bury her face in his chest. This was not the same Percy, she could not hug him. She could not bury her face in his chest to take in the sweet scent of the ocean on shirt.
"Yeah," she forced a smile at him, taking his hand lightly in her own. "Maybe I'll see you around," the words almost caught in her throat, she bit "Seaweed Brain" back. This was not her Seaweed Brain; this person might take insult to the nickname.
As he pulled away, she thought she could see him debating to ask a question. He wanted to say something, she could sense it. But like her, he could not bring himself to speak. He shook his head, his jaw tightening as he turned to the Romans who had accompanied him to Manhattan.
This had been a mistake. They should have just let him stay in San Francisco, this had only hurt him. The missing memories were tormenting him, and trying to force his old life on him was making this situation worse. Jason had just remembered, so Percy would eventually remember; right?
He stopped a few feet away, turning once more to look at Annabeth and Grover. He sighed, his shoulders slumping. One of the Romans spoke quietly, Percy shook his head, was he remembering? Was the familiarity of home returning the lost parts of his identity? He shook his head and came back toward them, stopping directly in front of Annabeth.
"I'm really sorry, I just don't remember you," his eyes held the same glitter as the old Percy. The part of him that drew her like a moth to flame.
"It's okay," she lied, her forced smile growing for his sake.
"I just feel like I let you down," he shook his head.
"No," she wanted to reach up and caress his face, she stopped, clenching her fist at her side once more. "You could never let me down."
"I just wish I could remember something," he clenched his jaw, staring at the ground between their feet. "I want to remember you."
"You will," he looked up at her, his eyes pleading at he searched Annabeth's face. It was a look she knew all too well, it was almost her Percy again.
"I'm sorry," he repeated after several moments staring into her stormy grey eyes. "I have to go." He turned away, hurrying down the busy street to where his Roman friends were waiting, watching them like thye expected Annabeth or Grover to attack Percy.
Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, pushing her pleas up her throat. This was her last chance to tell him. He was leaving, going back to Camp Jupiter to be Roman. Her Percy was leaving, and there was a very real chance it was forever. She reached out to him, her fingers brushing the air inches away from his shoulder as he walked away.
She could not. She loved him too much to put him through this. He had lost his memories; he did not remember her like she remembered him. Trying to force it was too cruel, for both of them. She pulled her hand back, clenching it at her side watching him walk away with the Romans.
I wish you the best. And I wish you nothing less, than everything you've ever dreamed of. I hope you find love along the way. But I really wish for you to stay.
Grover laid his hand on her shoulder, trying to guide her from the street to the waiting van that would take them back to Camp Half-Blood. She turned from the retreating figure of her boyfriend. She sighed closing her eyes against the harsh reality—her ex-boyfriend.
"Maybe he'll get his memories back," Grover offered quietly as they climbed in the white Camp van. "Jason got his memories back."
She wanted to say she had thought of that. She wanted to tell him that if Percy was getting his memories back they would already have returned. She felt she needed to burst that delicate bubble of false hope, but she wanted to hold that false hope just as badly as Grover.
"Maybe," she replied numbly, watching the buildings out the window of the van. Maybe he would come back to them. Maybe he would be the boy she remembered if they ever saw him again. Maybe he could find her and flash that mischievous grin with the playful green eyes that reminded her of the depths of the ocean.
And maybe he would never return from Camp Jupiter. She pressed her forehead against the dark tinted window, closing her eyes once again. They were near his apartment building, where she had sat through a very awkward conversation with Percy's mother; he had forgotten her too, Sally was devastated.
I'll let go and try to be strong. I want you to be happy, to find everything you ever dreamed about, or will dream about. I hope you find happiness, but I really wish you would stay with us.
"I just wish he stayed."

A/N Did you enjoy this piece? Are you a fan of my writing style and are you hoping for more? Then review and check out my other works set in the world of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If you enjoyed this you will not be disappointed by what you find in my various one shots featuring Percabeth and some of your favorite demigods.