AN:SPOILERS FOR TLH - Written for a prompt on LJ (.com/pjo_fic_battle/). Don't own the characters. It's been a long time since I've written a fic, and this is my first PJO. Enjoy :D
Worth It
She makes the journey to his cabin once more before their departure. Opening the door, she sees his messy bunk, his stuff all over the place, and her eyes start to well up. No, she thinks, don't cry. Pausing, she walks to his bed, and lies down, burying her face into his pillow.
It still smells like him.
"We're coming to find you," she mumbles into his pillow. "Don't go too far ahead, don't go so fast... Wait for me, because I'm coming for you."
He's been here all this time, she thinks to herself, half angry, half annoyed, yet wholly relieved. It had taken all of her willpower to stop herself from stalking up to him, and demand that he remember her NOW.
Instead, she holds herself back, watching Jason walk up to a girl with chestnut hair in a ponytail and a hard glare, who is standing in front of the group. She watches the hushed conversation, her eyes taking in the angry gestures the girl is making. They seem to be gesturing towards the group of people Jason had just stepped off the flying boat with, herself included. The silence in the crowd seem to envelope and threaten to suffocate the small group from Camp Half-Blood and she decided they need to do something.
Biting her tongue, so she wouldn't yell out something unwise (and there is so much she wants to say), she gathers her courage and walks up to Jason and the other girl.
"Hello. We have a message to deliver to Lupa from Chiron," she says in a determined voice, eyes not moving from the angry girl. "We -"
"We know where you're from," the girl says in a harsh voice, "What we don't know is why you're here."
"Easy, Reyna," Jason says softly. "Where is Lupa?"
The girl - Reyna- turns her hard glare back at him.
"Six months you're gone and look what you've turned into!" she hisses, "training all but forgotten-" but she is interrupted by the murmuring of the crowd parting behind her.
As the giant wolf made it's way through the crowd, the Roman demigods all bowed.
"The prodigious son returns," the wolf says, speaking to Jason.
"Lupa," Jason greets.
"Come... We have much to talk about."
She glances across the table at the face she loves so much, and wonders how such a short distance can make her feel like she's trying to span an ocean.
Annabeth steps out of the Roman camp's equivalent of the Big House and takes a deep breath, exhaustion seeping in. The meeting was unexpectedly productive. Hell, Lupa seemed to take the news of the prophecy well. The problem however, was not with the giant wolf itself. It was with the other demigods, their Roman counterparts, who did not seem willing to want to work together. And as much as she wanted and willed for herself to care about it, however remotely, she doesn't.
No, she can't help but feel apathetic towards the whole situation. And this is so far apart from her normal behaviour that she is not surprised she feels slight disgust with herself. Her mother would be telling her that her behavior now is unworthy of being a daughter of Athena. In fact, she is acting like a love-sick daughter of-
"What are you doing out here?" A soft voice startles her out of her reverie. Turning her head, Annabeth watches as he walks out onto the porch with her.
Her stomach clenches. Her fists tightens. Her heartbeat rises and rises until she is sure if she were to listen to it now, all she would hear is a hum.
He is the reason for her feelings of apathy. Why should she care if the world ends, if her boyfriend doesn't remember who she is? Why care for the world, when hers has already ended?
Taking another breath, she replies, "Taking a break. It's been a long trip."
He nods, like he understands her exhaustion.
"Do I know you?" he asks hesitantly, his face emotionless. "Your Oracle says that we're friends..."
Her face betrays none of the hurt that is threatening to show.
"Yeah," she replies. "We're friends." She pauses to gauge his reaction. "We have known each other for a long time," she continues. "You have fiends waiting for you at home. Your mom's also waiting for hear from you."
"Mom..." he mutters. "I..." He stares at her, brow furrowing, as if thinking of something. "Does she make blue food for me?" Her breath hitches.
"Perseus!"
Annabeth turns as the voice interrupts them. Perseus! she is screaming inside, who the hell do you think you are to call him Perseus?
The girl who was arguing with Jason earlier had come up to the Big House with an angry look on her face. "What are you doing not joining the ranks for tonight's training?"
Percy crosses his arms. "Lupa asked me to join them," he replies, nodding towards Annabeth, "she said their Oracle-"
"Her name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Annabeth interrupts, her voice soft, steel grey eyes looking over at him, "She saved your life with a blue hairbrush."
"Rachel, then," he says, a ghost of a grin on his face, glancing over at Annabeth. "She wanted me there."
Reyna had looked like she wanted to say something, when Rachel stuck her head out.
"Annabeth, Percy," she said. "We need you back inside."
With a smile threatening to creep up on her face, she follows Rachel back into the house, with Percy right behind her.
Remember me, Seaweed Brain. If you forget me forever, I don't know what I'd do.
"I wonder if he's remembering anything," Rachel muses, "Do you want me to throw my hairbrush at him?"
Annabeth laughs.
"No, Rachel."
Piper looks up from a map on the table. "Don't worry, Annabeth," she says, "I'm sure his memory will come. It took Jason a while, but his memories came back bit by bit, slowly."
"I could throw darts at him," offers Rachel, "I have pretty good aim."
Leo looks up at them from a panel on the floor, where he is rewiring something.
"I could set his pants on fire."
"He is invulnerable, remember? We could just beat his memory back into his head." Rachel taps the table with her finger. "Or do you think that will give him brain damage?"
Annabeth laughs, and at this moment, she is thankful she's not in this by herself.
That night, she can't sleep. So she does what usually helps.
Putting her cap on, she slips into the night, casting no shadows, and feet making no sounds on the forest floor.
A little ways into the forest, she takes her cap off, and sits down heavily on the ground, drawing up her knees and resting her forehead on them. Her breathing is light and soft, and she allows herself to let go. She hums a tune to herself. It is their song.
Well, she thinks, to me anyway. The song they danced to at the end of the quest to save Artemis. It has always sounded a bit sad to her, but still hopeful at the same time, and not for the first time has she wondered if Percy had heard the same song. She makes a mental note to ask him when his memories return (when, and not if, because she is determined that he remember everything, because she will kick his butt if he doesn't.)
Annabeth lifts her head to look up at the sky when a sudden sound brings her attention forward.
He walks out of the shadows.
"Hey," he says to her. She nods to return his greeting. He stops about four feet away from her.
It's too far, her heart cries, go closer, Annabeth. She grasps her hands together to stop from reaching for him.
"Nice hat," he says.
"A gift...from mom," she tells him.
"Did that save my life too?" he asks, amusement in his tone. "Like the Oracle's hairbrush?"
"No," she replies, because that is true. The hat has never saved him, but she, wearing the hat, has. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you," he says. "You're Annabeth?"
"Yeah," she replies. "Are you remembering things?"
"Bits," he replies. "There are...some thoughts, but I don't know if they are real memories, or just dreams." His face is guarded. "Reyna says that you wouldn't be the right person to talk to. Bobby seems to think remembering isn't likely to be helpful at all, and just to give up trying."
"Because I'd tell you that they are your real memories?" she asks, her mind working overtime. "Because they worry your memories will make you weak and an unable leader to the camp?"
He nods.
She is angry now. Seething inside, she wants to shout the memories that he has no right to forget, memories that Hera has no right to take (we're not your play things! We are not your toys, not your dolls, not something you can use whenever you damn well please!) She wants to yell at the stupid Roman's that they have Jason back now, and to give her Percy back (because he is hers. He is hers.)
Instead, she sighs, willing herself to calm down. Getting angry isn't going to help, she reminds herself silently. Calm down.
"If.. If you feel like you need to remember, then it shouldn't matter what they tell you," she says, slowly, "If you feel that the memories are worth remembering, then you should try." Am I worth remembering, Percy? she wonders.
He hesitates in front of her, not sure what to do. And then, he walks up to her, closing the distance between them. He holds his hand out, and slowly, she takes it. Pulling her up, he tightens the hold on her hand. Hesitating, he then reaches out with his other hand and takes her free hand as well.
"I might not know why yet, but you seem to make them worth remembering. For you, I'll try." And he grins, "You are worth remembering, Wise Girl."