Author's Note:

Hey! Here's chapter 9! A special thanks to:

s.f.11047

Moonglacier

IFoundAPickle

iStoleYourBlueMoonIceCream

Riley Coyote

Sanubisfan

Ilovestories

Charmes4ever

AnotherReviewer

Princesspb

Kevin Stutler

I Love Guinea Pig

OliverWoodFan

Santos56

WiseboyLibra

Percabeth Rulez817

MythologyFanatic

Disclaimer: Don't own anything!

Chapter 9-Separate Lives

"Happy birthday, Percy!"

Nico greeted his friend as he made his way towards the door of his office.

Katie Williams told him to go straight ahead because whenever she rang Percy to inform him of any visitor, he did not answer.

"Bloody hell Percy! What the heck are those files doing at your desk? Look at this mess."

He sat surrounded by folders, mock-ups, drawings, designs, reports. It was enough to keep ten men busy for a year. "Sit down, Nico."

"Thanks, boss." Nico couldn't resist teasing him.

"Oh, shut up. What's with the files you brought me?" He ran a hand through his hair and sat back in the heavy leather desk chair he had grown accustomed to. He had even gotten used to the impersonal prints on the walls. It didn't matter anymore. He didn't give a damn. He never looked at the walls, or his office, or his secretary…or his life. He looked at the work on his desk and very little else. It had been two months. "Please don't tell me you've brought me another set of problems with that damn shopping center in Singapore. They're driving me nuts."

"And you love it. Tell me, Percy, what was the last movie you saw? Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? That was ages ago. Lord Voldemort is now dead. No more death eaters. If you ask me I'll go to Dumbledore and ask him to give you a potion or would you prefer Professor Snape? "

Percy looked at his friend. A truly Harry Potter fanatic! He smiled and continued reading the files in front of him. "So what's with the files?"

"They're a decoy. I just wanted to come and talk to you and of course greet you Happy Birthday."

"It doesn't mean anything to me now Nico. All days are the same. They're all boring days."

He said as he thought of Annabeth. Nico looked at his friend with pity. He's ruining himself with work, and more work, and lots of work.

"So what's up, Nico? How were the Hamptons this summer?"

Nico sat very still for a moment, watching him, before he answered. "Do you really care?"

"About you or the Hamptons?" Percy's smile looked pasted on, and he had the ghostly pallor of November, not September. It was obvious he had gone nowhere all summer. "I care a lot about you, Nico."

"But not about yourself. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You'd scare Bellatrix Lestrange with that uncombed hair. It's like you just came out of Azkaban."

"Gee, thanks."

"Don't mention it. Anyway, that's why I'm here."

"On behalf of Bellatrix?"

"No, mine." Nico laughed. "Mom and Dad want you to come up to the Cape this weekend. They do. I do. We all do. And listen, if you say no, I'll come across that desk and drag you out of here. You need to get out of here." Nico wasn't smiling anymore. He was dead serious, and Percy knew it. But he shook his head.

"I'd love to, Nico. But I can't. I've got that project in San Francisco to worry about, and forty-seven thousand problems with it that we just can't seem to solve. You know. You were in that meeting yesterday."

"So were twenty-three other people. Let them handle it. For a weekend at least or is your ego such that you can't let anyone else touch your work?"

But they both knew it wasn't that work had become his drug. It numbed him to everything else. And he had been abusing the job since the day he walked into the office.

"Come on, Percy. Be good to yourself. Just this once."

"I just can't, Nico."

"Oh come on, man, what do I have to say to you? Look at yourself. Don't you care? You're killing yourself, and for what?" His voice roared across the office and hit Percy with an almost physical force as he watched his friend's face convulse with emotion. "What's the use, Perce? If you kill yourself, it won't bring her back. Annabeth is dead and you're alive. Twenty-five years old and alive—and wasting your life, driving yourself mad. Is that what you want? To live, eat; sleep, drink, and die in this business? Is that it for you now? Is that who you are? Well, I don't believe it. I know someone else in that skin of yours, mister, and I love that other person. But you happen to be treating him like a dog, and I won't let you do that. You know what you should be doing? You should be out there, living. Get out of your casket, Percy, before—"

"Cut it out Nico. Nothing you say will make me stand up here and take things easy."

"But it's you birthday pal and you ought to be celebrating. We ought to be celebrating."
Percy just looked at him seriously devoid of any emotions as if staring in a blank wall.

Nico left the office at six thirty that night, and when he looked up from the street, he could still see the lights burning in Percy's office. He knew they would still be lit at eleven or twelve midnight. He had a couch brought inside his office so that he could give his body a stretch whenever he wanted to. His mother was terribly worried. He came out of the accident and recovered but now he is killing himself. What Sally did not know was that he just wanted to numb himself of the pain. The pain of losing Annabeth in his life. How she missed her! One night, while everybody was sleeping he was just there sitting in that Louis IV chair holding a picture of Annabeth and his tears fell. One by one. He sobbed like a child. They had been happy hitching their bike at Granny's house just that day and strolling at the beach making a promise to never say goodbye and the following morning she was gone. He did not even see her dead body or where she was buried. After the accident, nobody knew. Even Thalia. She was just as mystified as he was. She was not informed of Annabeth's death. She gathered all of Annabeth's things in boxes and one day she was horrified! All the boxes were gone. Nobody knew who stole them. A neighbour said she saw some nurses bringing Annabeth's things and putting them in a van but why nurses? There was simply no hospital that got her record. Poor Annabeth! Why would somebody do these things to her?

"Well, young lady? Did I keep my promise? Do you have the most spectacular view in town?" Dr. Luke Castellan sat on the terrace with Annabeth, and they exchanged a glowing look. Her face was still heavily bandaged, but her eyes danced through the bandages and her hands were free now. They looked different, but they were lovely as she made a sweeping gesture around her. From where they sat, they could see the entire bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge at their left, Alcatraz to their right. And on the other side of the terrace, an equally spectacular city view toward the south and east. San Francisco was so beautiful. Although she missed the hot climate in the tropics, she had learned to love the weather in San Francisco. The wraparound terrace also gave her an equal share of sunrises and sunsets, and boundless pleasure as she sat there all day. The weather had been glorious since she'd gotten the apartment. Luke had found the place for her, as promised.

"You know, I'm getting horribly spoiled."

"You deserve to be. Which remind me, I brought you something."

She clapped her hands like a little girl. He always brought her something. A silly thought, a pile of magazine, a stack of books, a funny hat, a beautiful scarf to drape over the bandages, wonderful clattery bracelets to celebrate her new hands. It was a constant flow of gifts, but today was the largest of all. With a mysterious look of pleasure, he left his seat on the terrace and went inside. The box he brought back was fairly large and looked as though it might be quite heavy. When he dropped it in front of her, she found her guess had been correct.

"What is it, Luke? What a package!" She smiled through the bandages and he laughed.

"Yes, the largest emeralds and diamonds I could find in the dime store."

They laughed. "Perfect!" But the gift was even more perfect than she suspected. The contents of the mysterious box proved to be a complete set of painting materials.

"Luke! My Gosh, what a gift! I can't—"

"Painting set for the most talented artist in the world. I expect to see some serious work done with it." He winked.

They both knew how disturbed she was that she didn't seem to want to paint anymore and now this. Luke saw the spark in her eyes and prayed that he had opened a new door. She needed new doors. None of the old ones were going to reveal what she wanted them to. It would be better for her to start fresh.

"It's fantastic, Luke...Look…this thing over here." She just stared at her brushes, palette, canvass, colour sets. "It's the most beautiful gift I've ever had." Except for Percy's bracelet, she thought, which laid beneath a rock somewhere in Palawan.

"How is Percy, Nico? Had he gotten over Annabeth's death?" Thalia was standing beside him as they scouted the city looking for a new apartment for her. The old one had so much of Annabeth's memories that Thalia seemed to be haunted. Everywhere she looked there was Annabeth's touch that Thalia Grace found it hard to get over with. Maybe Percy was feeling the same.

"Don't ask me that. He would have been better dead than alive."

When Nico opened the door, Thalia let out a smile. The apartment was just too perfect. "Wonderful! How did you find this?"

"Well, I'd do anything for my princess."

"Really? I heard you say that to Mary Smith the last time you were with her in a supermarket. I heard you. Don't deny." Thalia said as she raised her hand to show Nico an 'I told you so' sign.

"Hmm…do I detect a sense of jealousy from the most hard-to-get lady? Maybe it's time you admit you love me."

"Ha ha ha…In your dreams!" as she turned her back and inspected the sink in the kitchen. Nico followed her.

"You know what? Maybe the only time you will admit you love me is during my wedding day with Mary as I march through the altar and when the priest announces 'speak now or forever hold your peace' you will suddenly appear from the crowd and shout 'Stop the wedding! Stop the wedding! I'm the one you love Nico not her!'" and he laughed as he mimicked a female's voice.

"What a terrible imagination! You ought to be an author. You might come out better than J.K. Rowling."

And they went out to see the administrator.

"By the way, Percy's mother would like to ask if you want to join Jackson Group for their special project in San Francisco. We need a special team there. Besides, she wants Percy to work with people comfortable with him. What do you say?"

"Great! But what will I do at Jackson Group?"

"You could be my assistant. And that includes a date with me every Friday night ha ha!"

"Sound good! Just behave for I always bring with me my Artemis' gears."

And they laughed as they went back to the car.

Giant waves kept flashing on the shore. It had been a stormy afternoon. This early morning, the weather bureau had predicted a storm coming by tomorrow. She was preparing dinner early than usual. As soon as twilight comes, they must be all set inside the nipa hut. Electric power was usually interrupted during windy nights like this. She was wondering why he did not arrive yet. Surely, he was still not out in the sea fishing. She had been doing this since time eternal. Preparing food for the family, keeping the house clean and warm… Fishermen in the island usually come out in the sea in groups, but she always wondered why Lam-ang as they call him, always avoid people. He mingled only with her father and one or two neighbours. That's all. It had been twenty six years since he came to the island. No, he did not come to the island. He was accidentally found on the shore lifeless. Everybody thought he was dead, but after a day or two, his strength regained. His mind was blank, without even knowing who he was or where he came from. The doctor from the mainland came over to check him out."Amnesia", he said "and it could be temporary or permanent depending on his condition". The stranger's body was of good built, lean and strong, his eyes sea green and hair that was as black as raven. His powerful body made him the best fisherman in the village and many groups envy his good catch. Sometimes, they call him the god of the sea because he surely knows where a plenty catch will be even commanding the storm or wind. Her father named him "Lam-ang" after the name of a great warrior.

"Maria, Maria…" her father called.

She was startled and moved swiftly putting the cooked rice and grilled fish on the table as an aged man entered the door putting down his net at a low table near the bamboo door. The ginger tea she prepared was boiling hot as she poured each cup and laid them on the table. The hot tea was a great relief after whole day in the sea. Lam-ang appeared next, his clothes wet and soiled after a whole day of labour. She let out her sweetest smile as she watched him sat in front of her. She looked at him with adoration as his hand stretched out to get the rice and fish that went with it. She took pleasure in just watching him and that would be enough. It had been this way for twenty six years since the day her father found him on the shore. She had always dreamt of marrying him, daydreaming that one day they would be one family with kids roaming around the shore picking up shells. But no! Aside from being nice the man just can't see beneath those admiring glances. His stares were always blank as if always trying to remember something. One day, while her black hair was let loose swinging in the wind, he called her Sally.

"Who is Sally? Do you remember her?" Maria asked.
He shook his head. He put his hands on his face cupping it trying to recall where he got that name. "I can see the back of a woman with long brown hair but that's all. Everything ends there." And he sighed shaking his head in exasperation. There were pieces of memories in the past but nothing made sense. People cheering, men running here and there but that's all. He was losing hope fearing that his loss of memory will be permanent.

"The town mayor had already announced the upcoming festival. Maybe Lam-ang can now gather the best men and show his rowing prowess. The cash price is really great. All the men in the village are all vying for the cash price." The elderly man said looking at Lam-ang as he scooped rice from the plate. When Lam-ang heard the word 'cash prize' he got excited. He needed the money. He needed to see a psychiatrist or maybe finance his plan to travel far and wide in other tropical countries outside the country of Maldives until he discovered all those missing pieces of his memory.