Chapter 10—I Love Thee

To say Percy was depressed was the understatement of the century. For the following weeks, he barely talked. Unresponsive even at times. His family and friends at Camp—even Clarisse and her cabinmates—were worried about him. Children of Aphrodite who got the news of what had happened spread rumors.

And Percy hated it. Everyone sent him pitiful glances. Luckily, a distraction came in the form of a quest. But it was a year after Zoe's death and Percy wasn't sure he could move on. He always has the feeling that the Huntress was always there, by his side.

The first time he felt that was when he had been fighting Geryon Percy was the worst archer in the world, he couldn't hit the targets at camp, much less a bull's eye. He knew he should be praying to Artemis and Apollo, the twin archers, hoping they might take pity on him for once. But all he can think of was Zoe; he'd never expected for his arrow to hit his target.

Nevertheless, he was grateful. Even when he was about to be blasted to bits in the volcano, all he can think of was her. And when he met Calypso, another daughter of Atlas, he knew Aphrodite was scheming something. But she just didn't understand, no one—absolutely no one—can replace Zoe. He pitied Calypso and Annabeth—or any other girls that might like him—for falling in love with him—a boy who's heart belonged to a dead girl.

And always will.

PxZ

Farther west, San Francisco Bay glittered under a silvery haze. Past that, a wall of fog had swallowed most of San Francisco, leaving just the tops of skyscrapers and the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A vague sadness weighed on Percy's chest. Something told him he'd been to San Francisco before. The city had some connection to Zoe—the only person he could remember from his past. His memory of her was frustratingly dim. The wolf had promised he would see her again and regain his memory—if he succeeded in his journey.

Percy looked back at the gorgons who were hot on his tail. He brought his weapon out. In its Mist form, it was merely a ball pen. Once uncapped, it grew into a glowing bronze sword. The blade balanced perfectly. The leather group fit his hand like it had been custom designed for him. Etched along the guard was an Ancient Greek work Percy somehow understood: Anaklusmos—Riptide. It was also something connected to Zoe, he just knew it. Something told him it belongs to her.

Percy had hesitated about crossing the tunnel and the river. Then like every time ever since he had lost his memory, he would think about Zoe, the only part of his old life he was sure about. He had—need—to find her. Just for that, he had endured the smelly old hag's breath and every bad thing about her and carried her to camp.

A gut feeling told him that Zoe'd hate it if he left a defenseless female and run from danger.

PxZ

At Camp Jupiter, the first thing he did together with surveying the scenery was look for Zoe. He asked those that were willing to bother him for her. The only answer he ever got was from Reyna. She'd said that Zoe was a constellation in the sky—Zoe the Huntress.

Percy had no idea what she'd meant. Hazel told him later about how Zoe came to be a constellation in the sky. The girl was a daughter of Atlas, she'd died on a quest to save Artemis, and in return for her deed, Artemis immortalized her in the stars. Ever since then, Percy always stayed up late to look at the stars—to be more specific, Zoe.

He didn't know why, but every time he looked at the constellation that was undoubtedly a connection to the only piece of memory he has, he felt an immeasurable amount of grief and regret. He didn't confine anyone with it though so as to not worry them.

But at least, at Camp he got another important piece of information about Zoe. She can fight, using a bow and arrows; she was always surrounded by an aura of silvery glow, he didn't know why but it made her stand out more. When he saw Frank Zhang wielding a bow and shooting his enemies with his arrow. Percy always felt the urge to weep.

In Frank's place, in the first war game he ever had at Camp Jupiter, he saw Zoe. Confident and deadly, aiming and shooting down her enemies with deadly precision. He also got the distinct impression that she would randomly shoot targets when she was bored. Unbidden, a memory of being high up in the sky and watching her shoot bill-boards surfaced. He tried to latch on to it, but it slipped through his fingers no matter how hard he tried to keep it. It made him feel as if someone didn't want him to remember anything at all.

Then, there was the message Mars, Ares' Roman counterpart sent to him from Aphrodite: "You may get her back. Its your choice"—Percy wondered who Aphrodite had meant. But the obvious answer came to him: Zoe. That pretty much confirms that she was dead. He doubted that the dead can be brought back to life...was his first thought. But after seeing Gwen being brought back to life when she was supposed to have died. It gave him hope.

His dream after the crappy 'prophecy' was given was constantly gnawing at his conscience. He started dreaming of a faun first, shouting at him to stay where he was, that someone named Tyson was going to find him. And a girl who said her name was Annabeth, screaming at him to stay put. She was trying to run after him but couldn't seem to catch up.

Then Zoe was there. Zoe as she was remembered by Percy has long, silky black hair, coppery-like skin, a silver circlet around her head, a slightly upturned nose and black eyes like volcanic rocks. She gives off the aura of royalty, and makes Percy feel awkward around her, yet yearned her. She is tall, very graceful and in Percy's point of view, she was very beautiful and follows some of her father's traits—who, he couldn't remember but contempt filled his heart when he tried to remember. Standing before him then, She looked just like a Persian princess.

She stared at him, her eyes sad yet relieved. "For months, your friends couldn't see you. Are you all right?" Her voice was oddly soft—Percy couldn't recall, but he was pretty sure that her voice wasn't that gentle, usually—and concerned.

"Are you real?" He'd asked her.

He wanted so much to believe it he felt like Hannibal the elephant was standing on his chest. But her face began to dissolve. She cried, "Stay put! It'll be easier for your allies to find you! Stay where you are!"

Then she was gone.

PxZ

When Percy looked at Mount Tam, he was only half-listening as Hazel told him about Camp Jupiter's assault on the Titan base. Percy had a flashback of fighting there, remembering when he was there with Zoe and two other girls fighting a Titan, but he couldn't remember their names, and the memory soon leaves him.

Percy was worried. The further they got north, the memory of Zoe became dimmer. Spots started blurring his memory of the girl. He wished that there was something that would anchor the memory of her to him. He thought about her. The most clear thing he could remember was her voice—odd, ancient accent and she spoke an ancient kind of English.

There was another thing he was sure about. He had never gotten the chance to tell her how he felt. That may be where the feeling of regret had came from. Accompanied by the flashback of how she had died. He was sure whoever took away his memories hated him, because the memory of how Zoe died was forever embedded in his mind. That single most painful memory didn't slip away like all his other memories.

He can recall because it happened when Hazel blacked out on him the first time. Frank was kneeling by her side, desperately trying to wake her up. And her body was so motionless that he thought she was lifeless. He wondered whether or not Frank's expression mirrored his when he looked upon Zoe's dying body. Perhaps not, after all, Hazel was still breathing—she was just out of it—but Zoe was dying. There was a great difference.

He looked down at Riptide. "I Love Thee." It came out as a whisper. To others, it was merely three words spoken to thin air. But to him and her—two voices intertwining as one—it was more than that.

Unseen by anyone—hidden by the shadows—Zoe smiled, her ghostly form flickered—once, twice—and disappeared.

"I Love Thee."

PxZ

Sea-green eyes blinked when a pen rolled to his feet. He picked it up and examined the pen that seemed so damn familiar but couldn't place where he had seen it before. He stared blankly at the written words there: Anaklusmos—Riptide. He somehow understood Greek?

His eyes looked up to meet eyes that resembles volcanic rock when he heard someone approaching him. And for some unfathomable reason, a tear dripped down his cheek. The girl that possessed those familiar yet unfamiliar eyes reached out to wipe his tear. "Are you all right?" It was a simple question yet...he felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders—he'd heard her say that before yet he was sure he had never met her before.

His cheeks felt hot. "Y—yeah." He stammered then cursed himself for sounding so weak. His brows furrowed. "Do I know you or something?" He asked. "I...got the feeling that we've met before..."

The girl raised an eyebrow, aloof as if she hadn't seen him cry. "Interesting. I've felt the same way."

An awkward pause broken by a roar. The boy's eyes nearly popped out of his socket when he saw a bull-like man barreling towards them.

The girl cursed, grabbed his arm and started running, hauling him off with her. He yelped at being manhandled. "What are you doing—uh... I don't know who you are."

"I'm Zoe—daughter of Apollo." An well-hidden amused glance was directed at him. He got the feeling that if he was someone else, he would not have been able to decipher the amusement dancing in those dark eyes "I suppose we'll be heading to Camp Half-Blood together, eh, son of Poseidon?"

"The name's Percy..." But somehow, he got the feeling that she already knew who he was.

PxZ

Location: Olympus 600th floor.
Time: Winter Solstice. Year 2050.

"You planned this..." Poseidon mutters as he gazes into Hestia's hearth, featuring the newly reincarnated Zoe Nightshade and his favorite son, Perseus "Percy" Jackson. But of course, their last names are different now. His beloved Sally had just died in her sleep.

"I'm glad they got to be together in the end. Seaweed Brain looked as if his world had ended back when Zoe just died." Thalia—immortal as she was had never aged a day since the day she swore her oath to Artemis—rolls her eyes, thinking of how melodramatic he had acted back then. She had long since concluded that it ran in the family; just look at her father.

"He had better treat her well, or else I'll gut him so bad that..." Artemis stomps off, mumbling threats under her breath. Thalia can tell that her goddess is secretly glad that the second male hero she ever respected and her favorite Lieutenant gets to be together in the end.

Aphrodite smiles mysteriously. She may not be as wise as Athena when it came to certain aspects, but when it came to love, she knows everything about it.

"You can't love anything more than something you miss."

They have divided, she thinks, and now they will converge. With this, at last, their story is complete.

~end~

A/N; Well? Is the ending suitable?

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