Anyway, new chapter, and my thanks to the reviewers, WaffleGirlIsAwesome423, xmarkersarecoolx, livelife13, somebody615, and filmyfurry. Sorry for taking a while, but at least I'm writing on spring break.

So anyways, read, enjoy, and leave a review!

"The life I think about, is so much better than this, I never thought I'd be stuck in this mess!"—'We Are One'

The bus ride was oddly comforting, with her next to me. For one, I hate sitting around, I'd rather be moving. And no one really wants to be alone. Outside, the desert kept passing by at the same dreary pace.

"So… how much do you remember?" I jerked awake, snapping out of the road hypnosis. "Sorry," she added. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping." I protested, rubbing my eyes, turning to look at her. According to her and the other demigods we're a couple—and I did remember Annabeth enough to know it's truth—but I was still kind of amazed that a girl that beautiful would ever go out with me.

"You do need more sleep that most people." She looked like she was remembering something funny, and I saw a faint smile tug at her mouth. "It's from the Styx."

"Oh." I nodded. "Being invulnerable takes a lot of rest?"

"Yeah. You take naps a lot." Annabeth said. "So, back to the original question." I groan silently.

"I'm remembering more, but it's still not all there." I forced myself to admit honestly. "Parts here and there, but it's not a complete picture." Disappointment flashed across her face, but she hid it quickly and put a hand on my arm.

"It's alright Percy… it's not your fault. It's Hera's." She said. I saw resentment and hatred flare in her eyes briefly before fading back down. "I read before… retrograde amnesia heals, over time, and when you see familiar stuff. You'll probably remember a lot more when we get back to camp."

"Yeah." I didn't know, but I nodded anyway and tried to be positive. "And Annabeth…" I paused for a second. "Thanks, for coming after me. It means a lot." She smiled, genuinely, and reached over to hug me. It was a little awkward in the cramped space, but I managed to hug her back without doing anything too clumsy. I was tempted to kiss her, but given everything else going on I'm wasn't quite sure if it would appropriate, right then. So I didn't, not yet.

"You're worth it, you know." She whispered quietly, her mouth right by my ear. She pulled back and gave a small laugh. "Besides, you already did the same for me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I did faintly remember the place, once we finally arrived in Vegas and located the proper casino. Trying to find it reminded me of some video game where you're sent to some shop or whatever to get something vital, and of course it's impossible to find the place. Then you finally get there and it's closed, or you get in and the shopkeeper has what you need, but wants you to go do some stupid quest before

The glowing words, You will never want to leave were still written above the door way, which I thought I remembered driving through. No… it wasn't me driving. Annabeth, maybe?

No…

"Grover." I wasn't sure why, but it felt right saying it.

"Yep, he'd probably wish he came along when he finds out where we stopped." Annabeth smirked a little. "He almost got married last time we were here. Sort of."

"I remember... kind of." I shrugged. "It's hazy."

"Yeah. Who knows what we were on?" Annabeth sighed, shaking her head. "It shouldn't be too hard. We go in, the greeter hands us a debit card, we leave."

"Was it that simple last time?" I wondered.

"We didn't know what the place was, last time." Annabeth said firmly. "Now we know, and we know to not eat the flowers." I felt my pocket. I still have the sword-pen she had given me. I glanced at her, and notice that her knife is modern steel, an American KA-BAR. It wouldn't disintegrate monsters on impact, but it would give them—or anything else—a serious wound.

"Do we want to get something to eat first?" I wondered hopefully, feeling dread as I stared at the lair's entrance. "Or sit down?" There was an inviting bench near a fountain and a mini-park maybe a hundred yards off.

"Sure." Annabeth agreed a bit quickly. She took my hand and we strolled over, suddenly just another couple in Vegas. We sat down, and she let go of my hand. I reluctantly did the same. I didn't remember her completely, but I just felt… better, talking to her or touching her, even holding hands. I glanced around our spot of Vegas, looking at signs and flags. A green one stuck out oddly…

"Who died?" I asked, bizarrely feeling a surge of happiness.

"You did, you idiot!" Annabeth shouted. "Where were you?"

"Green, with a trident." I said suddenly. Annabeth looked at me weirdly.

"What?" She asked, like she thought maybe I was crazy.

"You burned a shroud for me, before." I said slowly. "It was green, with a trident in the middle that was like metallic or something. It glittered."

"You're remembering." Annabeth smiled broadly. "That was during our quest in the Labyrinth. We got separated… telekhines, at Mt Saint Helen. But you made the volcano explode."

"And it took me a while to get back." I finished. "And everyone thought I was dead."

"Yeah." Annabeth got a little quiet. "I thought I…" she trailed off.

"You thought what?" I prodded. She shrugged, gave a sort of sad smile, the type people give with only their lips and not their eyes.

"I thought I was alone again." She admitted. She shifted awkwardly, suddenly vulnerable. "After Luke… after Luke betrayed me, you were all I had. And then you were gone suddenly, and I was alone." I didn't say anything, and she continued. "And then we defeated Kronos, and everything was perfect… suddenly you were gone, again."

"But you found me." I tried to inject some cheerfulness. "I'm back."

"Yeah… things are okay again, for now." She said, not as strongly as I would've liked.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." I reassured her. She gave this sort of 'can we drop this and pretend I'm fine?' smile. I didn't buy it for a second.

"I know." She said. "Let's get a lotus card and get back home." She started to get up and walk back toward the casino, but I caught her arm.

"I'm serious." I insisted, meeting her eyes. "I promise, I'll be around for you."

"No need to get all dramatic, Percy." She looked amused. "I'm fine. I'm bulletproof, kevlar." I shrugged, let it go, and we walked towards the casino, towards our ride home. A random memory popped into my head, something I had learned from an Ares camper or maybe at a gun store…

"You know, kevlar isn't bulletproof." I said mildly. "It's bullet resistant. If it gets shot more than a few times in the same area, the bullets punch through." She looked at me, a little surprised.

"Fair enough." She admitted, sounding worn. "Not all of us are invulnerable, Percy."

"No." I said gently. "But if you don't go it alone… you won't need to be."

"Heavy stuff, coming from an amnesiac Seaweed Brain." Annabeth was teasing, but I felt the change. Maybe I was being dramatic, but her eyes looked a little less stormy.

"I remember enough to know that it's you and me." I said, brazenly pulling her close and kissing her cheek. "And no matter what, Annabeth, it always will be."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The words glowed brightly above the doorway. You Will Never Want To Leave, it promised.

We paused, and our eyes met for a moment, before we bravely pushed the doors open and walked inside—

only to get hit by some sort of scented spray, like walking into a cloud of flowery smelling laughing gas. I coughed a few times, the smell burning my nose and making me feel light-headed. Around me, the colors seemed to warp, become a blur. I looked at Annabeth, staying clearheaded for just long enough to realize what had happened.

Oh man…