Author's Note: thank you guys so much for all the awesome reviews! sorry that last chapter took so long, i just got back from england! (which you can probably tell from reading this chapter :D) and it seems like everyone wants to know what happens with percy & gwen! well your gonna find out in this chapter =) o and btw—a steaz is a kind of sparkling flavored green tea

Chapter 4
Percy's POV

Percy scrambled around his cabin, combing his hair and checking in the mirror every time he passed it. Even though he had a strange feeling this wasn't his first date, he wanted to look good.

He shoved his feet into some Chucks, and with one last glance in the mirror, left the cabin. He knew he wasn't supposed to leave camp, and especially not without permission from Lupa, but he really liked Gwen. Thankfully, it was storming, and nobody was outside. Under a purple umbrella, he ran to the camp border, hurried up and over the hill, snuck past the wet and annoyed guards, and walked a while down the road to the nearest bus stop. He waited a few minutes, then got on the bus when it came. Not knowing where the money came from, he pulled five dollars out of his pocket and handed it to the driver. Without waiting for the change, he headed to the back of the bus.

As they drove downtown into San Francisco, Percy kept seeing things that gave him the weirdest feelings of déjà vu; like the looming Mount Tam in the distance, and every Jeep he saw passing them. Lightning struck a tree ahead of them, and Percy shivered involuntarily. He had no idea why.

After almost twenty minutes, Percy got off the bus. He still had that eerie sensation that he had been there before. As he walked a couple blocks down to Cafe Taboo, flashes of memory hit him and he stopped in his tracks.

"This is a special announcement: Do not leave baggage unattended. Unattended baggage will be subject to a search and may be damaged or destroyed."

Percy made a face at the pretty blonde girl sitting next to him as they heard the announcement for the millionth time. She smiled, lighting up her intense gray eyes. Percy told the girl he would be right back, walked over to the tiny airport Starbucks, and got in line. He was almost at the counter when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Cold shivers went down his spine as he turned and realized who it was.

"Hello, Percy," said Hera. She was in her human form, but Percy would have recognized her anywhere.

"Lady Hera," Percy said, biting his tongue to keep himself from saying anything else.

"I see you and your girlfriend are going on a trip. Where are you going, might I ask?"

"Uh, we're going to Transylvania to meet some vampires," Percy said quickly, blurting out the first thing that came to his head. He did not want Hera to know where he and Annabeth were going.

Hera gave him a poisonous smile, her eyes cold. "Do not lie to me, Perseus Jackson," she said. "I know of your destination, I was merely being polite. And I am afraid you cannot go through with this plan."

Percy swallowed. He wasn't sure what to say, but he was saved by the cashier.

"Next!" she called boredly.

"Hi, can I get two strawberry-creme Frappucinos and...uh, Hera, do you want anything?" He felt weird asking the queen of the gods that question.

"I'll take a skim latte," she said, baring her teeth in another venomous grin.

"Pick it up over there," grumbled the cashier, pointing to the pickup counter.

"Lady Hera, please! We have to do this quest! And as much as I hate planes, we have to get to London! If we don't, well...no one knows what will happen."

"Percy, Percy, Percy. I know what will happen. I am the queen of the gods, am I not? Of course, I cannot tell you your fate, but should you and that little ***** over there uncover Winston Churchill's real plans for World War Two, the gods will be exposed to mortal eyes! We would have to wipe the memory of every human being living on this earth! And Gaea knows, my husband would knock your plane out of the sky halfway across the Atlantic ocean, anyway. There is simply no point, my dear. I know you believe that the maps in the Cabinet War Rooms hold a coded message leading to the discovery of the seven demigods. And I also know that you want to take Annabeth on a romantic evening boat ride down the Thames."

Percy's face turned brick red, and again, Starbucks rescued him.

"Two strawberry-and-creme Frappucinos and one skim latte!"

Thanking Poseidon, Percy picked up his and Annabeth's drinks and handed Hera her latte.

"Hey, Hera..." Percy hesitated. "Uh, Annabeth's gonna wonder where I am, and no offense or anything, but she, uh, doesn't really like you." That was an understatement. Annabeth hated Hera with her life. "I should probably get back."

Hera laughed. "I know, dear. Which is why I have to interfere with your nice, lovey-dovey England vacation. I'm afraid, Percy, that you won't be going to London today. I think I'll send you somewhere else-California, perhaps? Yes, I do think so. Have fun with Lupa, my little hero!"

And suddenly, everything went black.

With a start, Percy was jolted back into reality. He continued walking up the street, but after his strange flash of memory he wasn't so excited anymore for his date. As much as he liked Gwen, he had a weird sense that he had much stronger feelings for someone else. And the picture of the pretty blonde girl from his memory kept floating in his mind, scolding him about Gwen, about disappearing, about everything. Even though his brain was telling him that he didn't hate this girl, the more he thought about her, the more annoying she got to him. And by the time he reached Cafe Taboo, he couldn't stand her.

But all thoughts of the blonde girl were shoved from Percy's head when he saw Gwen, sitting at a table and smiling at him. He sat down across from her.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied, grinning shyly.

"So what's up?" she asked, getting right into conversation.

"Uh, I lost my memory, showed up in San Francisco, and almost got killed in one day, but that was a couple days ago. Now, Reyna hates me, and Lupa the talking wolf who lives behind a chicken-shaped door in a cave hates me too. So, nothing much. How about you"

Gwen laughed. "I was sitting on the beach, watching the sunset, and you and Reyna came out the ocean completely dry. What was that about?"

Percy hesitated. Gwen was genuinely confident in herself. He really liked that about her. "I'm a son of Posei-Neptune. I can do stuff like that."

Gwen looked confused. "What's a Posei?"

Percy grinned. "I was about to say Poseidon-I don't know why, though. I've been doing that ever since I got to the camp."

She shrugged. "Did you say you lost your memory?" she asked, looking worried.

"Yeah, a couple days ago, when I got here. It's coming back though. A little of it, anyway," he replied.

"And, uh, what's coming back?"

"Just flashes of my old life."

"You didn't happen to have a-a girlfriend in your old life?"

He looked at her. "I don't know. If I did...it wouldn't matter."

Gwen beamed, looking relieved and happier than Percy had ever seen her (which wasn't much).

Neither of them could think of anything to say after that. A few minutes later, a bubbly middle-aged waitress came and asked for their orders.

"Can I get a blueberry pomegranate Steaz?" said Gwen.

"Sure, honey. And you, dear?" She smiled at Percy.

"Just a mug of hot chocolate, please," he asked politely, determined to behave in front of Gwen. (:D)

"Good idea on a dreary day like this, luv. A Steaz and a hot cocoa, coming up."

The waitress bustled back off to the kitchen.

"Hey...Percy?" said Gwen, suddenly shy. "Can I ask you kind of a strange question?"

"Uh, okay," said Percy.

"Do you think I'm a real Roman?"

Percy looked at her, surprised. "Yeah, of course," he said truthfully. "Why?"

"Because I'm not good at fighting, like Dakota or Reyna. And obviously I can't even compare to Jason. Plus I don't have the same mind-set as Reyna and Lupa and the other camp leaders; they think that no matter what, fighting is the answer. It's all about strength, and I'm not strong."

"You are strong," Percy said, still kind of weirded out by this awkward conversation. Honestly, he barely knew Gwen! "You believe in yourself."

"Yeah, but that's not what they look for at the "Castra Romanorum". I'm just a useless daughter of Venus. I can't fight, and even my half-siblings think it's weird that I go down to the beach and watch the sunset every night. They tell me that I should have been an Apollo or a Neptune."

"I'm glad you're not a Neptune," Percy joked, and Gwen gave him a wry smile as she understood it.

"But I mean...Jason's really nice and everything, and he and Reyna have been together for a couple years now. Neither of them have ever had any time to show me how to fight. And Dakota thinks she's too good to train me. Bobby's not very good either, and Hazel only knows archery, which I tried once and accidentally shot a tree. The dryad got so mad at me, there were leaves all over the Venus cabin for weeks! So I was wondering...could you teach me?"

"Gwen...I'm not a Roman. At all. Lupa said something about me being from somewhere called Camp Half-Blood. I don't know what or where that is, but it's definitely not here. I don't know how to fight as a Roman."

"But you know how to fight," she persisted.

"I don't know about this..."

"Please, Percy."

"Gwen-"

"I'll be your girlfriend."

Momentarily stunned, Percy swallowed his argument. Slowly, he grinned. "Okay."

Percy held the big purple umbrella over Gwen as she stepped off the bus. Thanking him and smiling, she waited for him to get off, then slipped her hand in bus driver shook his head, laughing silently, as he closed the doors and drove off.

They made their way back to the Castra Romanorum, talking and laughing. They were so wrapped up in their conversation (and gazing at each other) that they didn't notice the wet, furious, armor-wearing figure waiting for them on the camp border.

Reyna was obviously NOT happy that they'd snuck out of camp.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" she screeched.

"Uh, a coffee house downtown," said Percy obliviously.

"THAT WAS RHETORICAL!"

"Oh...sorry."

Reyna took a few deep breaths and continued.

"Normally, I'd take you straight to Lupa for sneaking out of camp. But right now, we have other priorities!" she said, the effort of swallowing her rage making her sound like a grasshopper being strangled.

"Like what?" Percy asked.

"The Castra Romanorum is under attack."