Back to the Beginning
A/N: I wrote this a LONG time ago, in 2011, before The Son of Neptune came out. This was actually my very first fanfic EVER. I originally imagined that the Romans would come to Camp Half-Blood to join forces with the Greeks and that Percy would still not remember his friends before his memory was wiped. The following scene is how I imagined that one of Annabeth and Percy's first conversations would go upon his return to Camp Half-Blood. Please let me know what you think! Thanks!
Disclaimer: The characters of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series belong to Rick Riordan, but the plot of this story is mine.
Annabeth was more on edge than she could ever remember being. She hadn't felt this stressed out, this worried, this exhausted since the Battle of Manhattan last summer. Next week, she would be leaving for Greece on the Argo II for what would most likely be the biggest showdown of the century. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that she'd be halfway around the world in less than a week.
The conch horn sounded for dinner. She stopped her contemplations and got up from her bed to make her way to the pavilion, running a hand through her ponytail as she did so. The sun had almost set outside and the bronze braziers were just being lit on the Greek columns that surrounded the dining tables. Campers from all across the grounds were congregating at the hearth fire, but like last summer, most of them didn't look very excited to be there.
Once she'd sacrificed a portion of her dinner to her mother, Annabeth sat down at the edge of the Athena table. Per habit, she glanced at the Poseidon table, only to be disappointed. There were a few new faces there, courtesy of the Roman camp, but the one constant that Annabeth had come to expect, needed to see, even, was not there. Where was he?
Annabeth waited politely as Chiron went through his usual updates before she started eating. She found that she didn't enjoy the food as much as she'd thought she would. Ignoring Malcolm's gaze, she excused herself, grabbed an extra plate of dessert and made her way towards the woods. She had a hunch of where she'd find him. Anywhere there was water…
She knew she was right as soon as she heard the gentle, rhythmic swish of the waves. Annabeth slowed down her breathing and her footsteps and silently made her way to the edge of the clearing. And there he was, his back to her, his silhouette framed by the light of the full moon overhead.
Percy.
Just seeing him brought all sorts of feelings to the surface. She was glad he was here at Camp Half-Blood so she could see him everyday for herself and not wonder what was happening to him, where he was, or whether he was even alive. She watched, awed, as he made wave after wave rise high above the creek, twisting the currents in complicated swirling patterns so they spun around him. She was mesmerized by his look of fierce concentration as he moved the water around him, master and audience of his own waterworks show. She had always admired his ability to manipulate water, although she never would have told him. His head was already full of kelp; it didn't need to be big, too.
Suddenly, the silence invaded. There was no more sound. The water hung suspended in mid-air, and Percy stayed in the same position as before, arms raised, head tilted slightly to the left. In once instant, he turned to face her as the frozen water now splashed back into the creek. How did he do that? she wondered, then realized he must have seen her reflection in the water, leaning against an oak tree right behind him.
When Percy turned to face her completely, she was struck by the full force of his eyes. She had always marveled at their sea-green hue, so unlike her own, but now she was left speechless by what was missing from them. There was none of the openness, the playfulness, or the love she'd grown so accustomed to. Instead, his eyes betrayed his wariness, his confusion, and his doubt. He stood still watching her and silently wondering what she was doing there.
Annabeth stepped out of the shadows and into the full moonlight, holding out her hand. "You missed dinner, so I thought I'd bring you dessert." Still, he didn't move and eyed the blue-icing-covered chocolate block resting on the plate.
When he realized she wouldn't back off, he took the plate, sat on a rock and dug in hungrily, "Thanks… Annabeth." He pronounced her name carefully. As if it were a new word he'd just learned.
Her heart ached to hear the careful enunciation but she ignored the pain and sat down opposite him. Making sure to keep her voice light, she said, "What would you do without me?"
He didn't say anything, just continued to scarf down his brownie with blue icing. Annabeth wondered if he remembered another blue brownie, almost a year ago. The continuity of something so trivial being present in such different situations brought tears to her eyes. A movement on her left caught her eye. She looked to see Percy offering her his last piece. "Whoever eats the last piece gets good luck," he said with a small smile.
"I don't believe in luck," Annabeth responded, but she took the last piece anyway. For some reason, it didn't taste as good as the other brownie even though she was sharing it with the same person.
They sat in silence, listening to the leaves rustle at the brush of the south wind and watching the current lap against the rocks as the river made its way to the sea. She wanted to talk to him but didn't know what to say. She silently berated herself for being so awkward around him. He was Percy, for gods' sake! Her Seaweed Brain. Except he wasn't. She had to keep reminding herself that he probably still didn't remember her and that, to him, she was just another person from his past who claimed to be his friend. Except I'm not just his friend!
"I do remember you, you know, "Percy said quietly. "I know you must be wondering…But when I first woke up at the Wolf House, besides knowing who I was, I knew who you were. Or at least, I remembered your name. Annabeth. I remember all those quests we took, going to the Underworld, killing monsters, getting captured by the Cyclops, and of course, defeating Kronos. You're a great friend, Annabeth." He turned to her with a smile, and just for a second, his eyes lit up.
Annabeth didn't know what to think. Here he was, saying he remembered everything, remembered her! Hadn't she waited for this for the past six months, ever since he disappeared? But it seemed too good to be true and completely contradicted his previous attitude towards her appearance in the clearing. She wanted it all to be true so she could rush into his arms and know that they were together again.
She got up and paced back and forth, walking in slow circles. Finally, she knew what to say. "Can't even lie without getting caught. What am I going to do with you, Seaweed Brain?" She forced herself to smirk at him, to look him in the eyes, but inside she was breaking.
His brow furrowed in irritation at "Seaweed Brain". Percy sat speechless then broke her eye contact and sighed, looking away. "How did you know?"
"Oh, there were lots of clues. Let's see, you're talking to a daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom. You are still a Seaweed Brain, and also… we never got captured by any Cyclops. That was all Grover." She sat down next to him again. "Now, why don't you try again?" she teased. But Percy wouldn't look at her.
He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "You caught me…Wise Girl," he said with a grimace-grin.
"What else is new?" Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. This was her way to keep from falling apart. Wise Girl. She never thought she'd miss hearing that. This was the first time he'd called her that since coming back to Camp Half-Blood. Yet, he didn't seem to have any recollection of it. It was like he'd just made it up on the spot.
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. He still wouldn't look at her. "I wish I could remember. When I woke up at the Wolf House, I did remember your name, but since then, things haven't gotten much better. I see flashes sometimes or have dreams where I'm literally walking through my memories, but things are still really fuzzy."
She couldn't stand to hear this. He was trying so hard to figure things out. It was hard for Annabeth to see Percy so lost. "It's okay, Percy. Everyone gets a little…lost…sometimes- like they don't know where to turn- but things have a way of working themselves out in the end. I'm sure you'll get there…eventually." She was thinking of Luke, both before and after he'd become Kronos. He had been lost, too, in more ways than one. She had thought she'd let go of her last chance to help him when she'd turned him down on her doorstep in San Francisco. As it turned out, she'd been the one to set him on the right path again when she'd figured out that her blade was the key.
"Gee, thanks." Percy's sarcastic remark pulled her back. Why did Percy have such an uncanny ability to remind her always of Luke? Even this version of Percy, who seemed not to know anything about her.
"Percy, you don't have to go it alone. I'm here to help you out." Annabeth tried to give him a reassuring smile, but she doubted it actually came out that way.
He snorted. "Oh really...I'm sorry, who are you supposed to be again? My long lost cousin?"
Annabeth resisted the urge to smack him. She instead rolled her eyes and said, "Me? I'm your- best friend." She hesitated just a tiny bit before saying just what kind of her friend she was but hoped he didn't pick up on that.
There was a long pause before Percy said quietly, "So… what happens now?"
Annabeth waited and thought before reluctantly admitting, "I don't know."
Another long pause. "You hate that, don't you? Not knowing?" Annabeth's eyes narrowed. She could hear the mocking, yet amused tone in his voice. When she looked up at his face, she saw he watching the currents, with a half-smirk of his lips. He met her gaze steadily then continued, "I remember that part."
Annabeth didn't know whether to be excited that he remembered at least part of her personality, or to be angry that he was mocking her. In the end, she settled for annoyance.
Thwack! She smacked Percy's arm, hard.
"Ow! What was that for!?" Percy cradled his arm in surprise as she got up and made her way out of the clearing. She heard him get up and take a few steps towards her.
At the edge of the clearing, she turned and called snidely over her shoulder, "Something else to remember me by." And with a final smirk, she left Percy standing there. Maybe coming back to the beginning wouldn't be so bad, after all.