Sorry for the slow update! But for one, I had to actually write this chapter. The lovely pre-written days are behind me. :'( Also, I've been really busy the last couple of weeks. And school's starting up soon too, so all future updates will probably be this slow as well. Maybe even slower, depending on how crazy my life gets. Sorry. But I can't help it. :/

On a happier note, thank you for the reviews from last chapter! They were lovely. :)

And just so you know, this is set post-TLH. Although that should become apparent soon enough. ;)

That's all! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

11. Memory

"Annabeth! Annabeth, thank gods. I need your advice."

Annabeth turned around and saw Leo running towards her. Machine oil was slicking his hair back in weird places, his clothes were wrinkled, one suspender was falling down, and the edges of his long-sleeved work shirt were singed. He had obviously been working odd hours in Bunker Nine again.

Annabeth forced a smile onto her face, hiding the thoughts rushing behind her stormy gray eyes. "What is it, Leo? You sound urgent."

Leo ran a hand through his hair; then, realizing how haphazard it was, he quickly mussed it up more to make it look purposeful. "I pulled an all-nighter trying to fix the doohickey that's attached to the whatchamacallit which controls the hammersmitcher that helps regulate the cumbersill. I was sure that it would work when I plugged it in again, but . . ." He ruffled his hair again, a sheepish grin on his face. "Well, it didn't. Can you come over to Bunker Nine and offer me any suggestions?"

Annabeth hesitated. "Have you asked Nyssa?"

But he was already nodding. "Nyssa, and Jake, and Alex, and Pierce, and even Harley. None of them could help me."

She raised her eyebrows. "Leo Valdez, genius mechanic, and his genius cabin mates couldn't figure out an answer? And you think I can?"

He laughed quietly, the sound nearly sticking to his throat. "You're Annabeth Chase, extra-genius daughter of Athena. Who else could?"

Annabeth hesitated again. "Are you sure you need me? I mean, you've only pulled one all-nighter so far. . . ."

Leo snorted. "Okay, maybe 'an all-nighter' was an understatement. . . . Try, I don't know, three?"

After that, Annabeth realized that there was really no way to squirm out of this. Leo needed her help. Her plans were going to have to wait.

"All right, Leo," she said, grudgingly taking her first steps towards Bunker Nine. "So tell me again - the doohickey is supposed to be attached to the whatchamacallit which controls what?"

Annabeth entered the dining hall, oil dripping from her hair even more profusely than it had from Leo's. She wondered how long it would take her to wash that out tonight.

"Annabeth!" Elise waved at her from the end of the table. "Where have you been all day?"

Annabeth blew one of the only clean strands of hair out of her face. "Fixing the doohickey that attaches to the whatchamacallit that controls the hammersmitcher that regulates the cumbersill in the engine room in the Argo II."

Elise frowned sympathetically. "Sounds time-consuming."

Dropping into the chair next to Elise, Annabeth glared at her plate until it filled with a perfectly cooked steak and French green beans. "It was," she complained. "I was supposed to do cabin inspection this morning, and teach Greek mythology, and practice sparring, and instead Leo and I spent hours on a tiny contraption as big as my palm. My palm, Elise! Do you have any idea how difficult that was?"

Elise didn't answer immediately. "Hello? Elise?" Elise was silent. Annabeth started to worry. "Elise?" She hesitated. Elise's eyes - gray like their mom's - were shining strangely. "You look upset. What's going on?"

"I . . . I don't want to bother you about anything. . . ."

Annabeth's worry escalated, and she forced yet another smile onto her face, pushing her emotions down. She hadn't meant to spill her annoyance like that. She was supposed to be strong, unfazed despite her . . . situation. Whether or not she was unhappy, it wasn't fair to pour her feelings onto Elise - especially since her sister seemed to have a few problems herself, if Annabeth was reading her eyes right. And if there was one skill Annabeth prided herself on (besides architecture), it was reading people.

"It's nothing, Elise," Annabeth promised brightly. "I'm just being moody. What do you want to talk about?"

Something seemed to crack in Elise's eyes. Annabeth took it as a warning sign. If they didn't get out now, the crack would widen and shatter, and Annabeth didn't want Elise to burst into tears in front of the entire camp. Her little sister would be embarrassed for days.

Annabeth took one longing glance at her untouched lunch, and then she turned back to Elise. "How about we go back to Cabin Six? You can talk to me there."

Two hours later, Elise and Annabeth emerged from their cabin, both looking noticeably better than they had at lunch. Annabeth had taken the shower she needed, and her blond hair was freshly clean and blow-dried. More importantly, Elise had spilled her problems to Annabeth and felt much better afterwards. She hadn't even cried - much. The problems had been boy-related (with Elise, they always were), but Annabeth had helped her work through it. Eventually, Elise had admitted that going on a date with a son of Hecate who had a really bad permanent record (and not just because he had been subject to the usual monster attacks and freak accidents) probably hadn't been logical in the first place, and it was all for the best that he had ignored her ever since.

"Thank you, Annabeth," Elise said as they walked onto the green. "I needed that."

Annabeth offered a small smile, ignoring the sharp hunger pangs in her stomach. "I could tell," she said. "Glad I could help."

"So where are we supposed to be going now?" Elise asked. "Sword-fighting? Lava-wall-climbing? Do you know?"

Annabeth hesitated. "I think the rest of our cabin is at archery, actually, but would you mind going ahead of me? I still have to, uh, catch up on cabin inspection and . . . things." She cursed herself for using both "uh" and "things" in one sentence. Her mother would be so disappointed in her pitiful vocabulary.

Elise, however, didn't seem to notice. "Oh, yeah, I'd forgotten that you had been working on the doohickey for Leo all morning," she said, smiling. "Go ahead and do whatever you need to. I'll cover for you."

Annabeth nodded gratefully, already turning around. "Thanks, Elise. See you at dinner!" She tried to sound cheerful and carefree, but it was hard. She wanted to run off immediately, but she really did need to do cabin inspection - or at least, she had to find someone willing to do it for her. So instead, she walked quickly back to Cabin Six, grabbed her clipboard and pencil, and strode off in search of Piper McLean.

She found the daughter of Aphrodite sitting on the beach, drawing patterns in the sand. It hurt Annabeth's chest just to be so near the ocean, but she held down the urge to sprint into the waves and sat next to Piper. "Hello," she said slowly. "What are you doing here?"

Piper shrugged, an easy smile on her lips. "My cabin's painting each other's nails again," she said, looking distastefully at the remnants of hot pink polish on her nails. "I wasn't about to get involved in that. Jason's sword-fighting in the arena. Leo's busy in Bunker Nine, as usual. And I haven't seen you all day. I didn't have anywhere else to go. Besides, the ocean is peaceful."

"Definitely," Annabeth agreed, trying not to show just what the ocean meant to her. "Well, if you're looking for something to do, would you mind doing cabin inspection for me?"

"Now?" Piper asked in surprise. "It's after four, Annabeth. Isn't cabin inspection supposed to happen in the morning?"

"Leo needed my help. I was working all morning," Annabeth explained. "The Argo II is more important than a cabin inspection to me."

Piper seemed to understand the meaning behind that sentence better than Annabeth had intended for her to. "I get it," she said softly. "Of course I'll do cabin inspection for you, Annabeth."

"Thanks," Annabeth said, forcing a smile. "I'd say I owe you one, but I really don't. After all, I did do cabin inspection for you that time when you and Jason were, um . . . occupied."

She laughed as a flush crept onto Piper's cheeks. "That was once!" the daughter of Aphrodite protested.

Annabeth handed over her clipboard and pencil, still grinning. "I know," she said. "But it still happened."

Piper glared. "Well, now we're even," she said. "So there's no need to mention that anymore, okay?"

"Really, Piper, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," Annabeth laughed. "I used to sneak off all the time with Per. . . ." Her smile faded. "Anyway, thanks again. I guess I'll see you later."

Piper hesitated, but something in Annabeth's expression must have kept her from saying anything. Instead, she just touched Annabeth's shoulder comfortingly and walked off.

Annabeth could have stayed at the beach for hours, staring sadly out to sea, but of course the Fates had other plans for her. Within ten minutes, Katie saw her and ran over.

"Annabeth!" she exclaimed, panting a little. "I've been looking everywhere for you." A lot of people seem to have been doing that today, Annabeth thought dryly.

But all she said was, "Why? Is something wrong?"

Katie tilted her head. "Annabeth, are you okay? You seem . . . distant."

I am being distant, Annabeth wanted to say. Today is kind of a big deal to me. I just want to be alone for it, okay? But that wasn't strictly true. There was one person in particular that Annabeth would love to be spending the day with. But she was logical. She knew her wish was impossible. Besides, Katie had obviously spent a lot of time looking for her. It would be rude and selfish for Annabeth to push her away. So instead of snapping at the daughter of Demeter, Annabeth smiled at her. "Sorry, Katie. I was just thinkng. What is it?"

Katie sighed. "What do you think? It's Travis again. He thinks scaring my little sister with monster horror stories is a good way to flirt with me, and when I tried to set him straight, he just laughed and said, 'Oh, you know you like it, Kit-Kat.'" She huffed in annoyance. "Can you please go over to my cabin and set him straight?"

Annabeth couldn't help but smile, even on a day like today. "Have you ever considered just admitting that you do like him, Katie? Then he might stop with the pranks and surprise appearances and monster horror stories."

"Are you kidding?" Katie asked in horror. "If I admitted that, he would think the horror stories worked and lord that over me forever. Besides . . . I don't want him to make fun of me when he doesn't feel the same way."

Annabeth snorted. "Katie, I don't think you understand the definition of 'flirting'. When a guy flirts with you, that means he likes you. If you like him back, then everything is perfect! You can start dating, and both of you are happy."

Katie made a face. "Well . . . the first thing I said would still be true. He would still get the wrong idea about the horror stories."

Annabeth withheld a sigh. She would just have to put her plans aside for a little longer. "All right, Katie. I'll help you."

Travis quickly stopped bothering Melly after Annabeth talked to him, setting her glare on "death-to-the-pesky-imbecile" mode. And once she had hinted that they weren't impressing Katie one bit, he had even promised to stop all Demeter-related pranks for a while. All in all, Annabeth counted it as a flawless victory.

Of course, she hadn't been able to start her plans immediately after that. Piper had come back from cabin inspection with a worried crease between her eyebrows, and Annabeth had had to follow her to the Hypnos cabin. #15 had always been decorated with a poplar branch that dropped water from the River Lethe into tin cups. However, now the water was spilling out of the cups and dripping everywhere. Everyone had evacuated to avoid getting splashed and losing their memories, and the sleepy campers were not happy about it. Annabeth had been forced to enlist the help of Nyssa (because Leo was too engrossed in the Argo II to be bothered with anything else), and together, they had designed an automaton that vacuumed up the overflowing water and replaced the tin cups with bigger ones. But that was only a temporary fix. Then they had had to make plans for a draining and recycling system that would keep the Lethe-water from overflowing again. Nyssa had promised to oversee the construction tomorrow, and Annabeth had thought that she could finally get back to her plans. But naturally, that didn't happen. As soon as she stepped out of Cabin Fifteen, the conch shell blew for dinner - and Annabeth had already skipped lunch. Her stomach refused to miss another meal.

Throughout dinner, all Annabeth could think about were her plans, slowly drifting farther and farther out of reach. Her siblings coerced her into small talk and joking, and Annabeth forced a grin onto her face the entire meal, waiting desperately for dinner to end in her mind. After at least an hour, all the demigods finally drifted off to the nightly campfire, and Annabeth could finally slip away in the crowd. Immediately, she sprinted back to her cabin, grabbed a sweatshirt, and rushed back outside.

She hurried across the deserted commons, rushed through the strawberry field, and finally ended up at the outskirts of the canoe lake. She had finally reached her destination.

Annabeth set her blanket down on the dock, hauled one of the few single-person canoes out of the shed, and carried it down to the edge of the lake. She set it gently in the water, dashed back to the shed to grab an oar, tossed her sweatshirt into the canoe, hopped in next to it, and paddled quickly out into the middle of the water before someone could find her with another plea for help. She accomplished all these actions as fast as possible, knowing that if she hesitated a second longer, she would be interrupted again. Only when she reached the middle of the lake did Annabeth think about why she had been planning on this all day. That was when she broke down in tears.

She pulled the hoodie over her head, not caring that her tears were soaking the fabric. She pressed one sleeve to her nose, but that only made her cry harder. The sweatshirt smelled like lemon shampoo. That was her scent. But the sweatshirt was supposed to smell like Percy.

The baggy sleeves hung down over her hands as Annabeth wrapped her arms around herself and lay back in the bottom of the canoe. Tears continued to leak out of the corners of her eyes, blurring the stars into streaks of light, but she didn't wipe them away. The salt in the water reminded her of Percy. If the sweatshirt failed her, at least she had her tears.

Annabeth lifted her hands to her eyes, obscuring her vision with fabric. If she couldn't see the rest of the empty canoe, she could pretend that Percy was in it with her. Then she didn't feel like a nut for talking to herself.

"Percy, I love you." She started all her imaginary conversations this way. It seemed important for her missing boyfriend to know that. "I never told you because it seemed too soon. We had been dating for less than four months before you . . . Anyway, it's true. I love you.

"I'm going to pretend that wherever you are, you remember me. Jason didn't remember a thing about his old life when he first woke up, and you might not have either. You still might not. But I'm going to pretend that you do because I want to celebrate our six-month anniversary. It's pretty . . . " She choked down a new sob. "Well, it's a pretty big milestone. I wish you could be here, but this is the next best thing." She smiled through her tears, acknowledging that she was being sappy and impractical, and choosing to ignore it. "People think that these months shouldn't count towards our . . . what should I call it? A dating timeline? Anyway, they think that we're still days away from our four-month anniversary, instead of being together for half-a-year already. But just because you're not here . . . How should I say this? I know that we'd still be together if you were here. Therefore, I'm not going to set us back two and a half months just because Hera screwed with our lives again."

Annabeth started crying anew, and suddenly, it seemed important to keep the sweatshirt uncontaminated. She didn't want it to start smelling even more like her - it was Percy's, and it would remain Percy's until he officially gave it to her. It was supposed to smell like saltwater and sea air, not like lemons. Annabeth yanked the sweatshirt off her head and laid it carefully next to her.

The tears fell harder. She thrust words out between sobs.

"Percy . . . I feel like a wreck. Everyone . . . looks up to me . . . to be leader now. But I can't . . . replace . . . you. I need both of us . . . working this job. This is too much . . . for me. I always thought . . . I could lead . . . on my own. And I could. But now that I know . . . what it's like to lead with you . . . I don't ever want to go back to being . . . on my own. Ever." She tried to force herself to calm down, but the tears just kept falling. Every day, Annabeth had to put on a smiling facade and help the countless people who needed her assistance. She couldn't afford to look weak, lovesick, or crazy in front of them. But Percy had always understood her. He was the one person who allowed her to be human every once in a while - to let her marble shield crack so that her emotions could stream through the cracks. Somehow, Annabeth thought that it was okay to cry a little - even a lot - tonight. Percy wouldn't have minded. Percy would have wrapped her in a hug and promised her that everything would be all right.

Slowly, Annabeth picked up the sweatshirt again and nestled her face in it. Maybe his sweatshirt would be strong enough to take his place for a while.

Annabeth had built up two months' worth of tears while she led her camp alone. She released every one of those broken sobs now, wondering if the saltwater from her tears would make the sweatshirt smell like Percy again. She cried and cried until eventually, her stormy gray cloud-eyes finished raining. Percy's sweatshirt was soaked and crumpled, but Annabeth's soul felt whole again. She laid her boyfriend's hoodie out to dry and started talking again, a genuine smile on her face now. The rants and tears were over for today. A six-month anniversary was a cause for celebration and storytelling, not an occasion for a sob-fest.

"I'm sorry I'm so late," she told him. "I was planning on spending the whole day out here, remembering how much fun we had here on your 16th birthday." She smiled mischievously, as the memory drifted up to the top of her thoughts. "But a lot of people held me up. You would have no idea how busy I was today." She relayed the events of the day, from the doohickey to the leaking Lethe-water. Just talking to Percy - even an imaginary Percy - was therapeutic. Annabeth could feel stress and tension easing out of her shoulders. She told her boyfriend funny stories and talked out loud about their past dates and monster fights (which sometimes turned out to be close to the same thing). While she spoke, she traced her fingers across the water and rested her other arm on the edge of the canoe, until slowly her head drifted down to land on her arm, and Annabeth's ramblings trailed into a dream.

"Annabeth, you're cold."

It wasn't a question. Percy was examining the daughter of Athena as they walked towards her cabin after the campfire.

Still, she tried to deny it. "Percy, we're at camp," she protested. "It's never cold here!"

"Doesn't matter," he insisted. "You're shivering."

The truth was, Annabeth had been out Christmas shopping in New York the week before, and she was pretty sure the freezing temperatures had given her a cold. But she wasn't about to admit that. She held back a sneeze and glared at him. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Percy said, grinning. "And I'm not going to stop bugging you until you admit it."

Annabeth hesitated, but eventually, he got so annoying that she threw her arms up in frustration. "Fine! I'm cold!" She shook her head. "Gods. If you weren't you, I would have punched you five minutes ago for being so aggravating."

"Ah, but I am me," Percy said cheekily. "And so instead of punching me, you'll wear my sweatshirt to warm yourself up."

Annabeth barely protested. She had been eyeing it all day, and it looked so comfortable.

Percy helped her pull it on, smiling when the cuffs hung over her hands. Annabeth quickly rolled them up before he could make some infuriating comment. She missed the days when she had been taller than him.

"Better?" he asked.

"Mmmm." She shrugged. "But I could still use a bit more heat."

"I don't have another coat, Wise Girl."

Annabeth almost laughed at how adorably obtuse Percy was, but she managed to turn it into a derisive snort instead. "I don't want another coat, genius. That was code for 'Put your arm around me, Seaweed Brain'."

"Oh." He did as she suggested, and she settled into his shoulder as they walked. There was silence for a few more steps, and then he asked, "Why didn't you just say that?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless. 'Put your arm around me, Seaweed Brain' is not nearly as romantic."

"Yes, but it's clearer," Percy grinned. "And wouldn't you, as a daughter of Athena, appreciate clarity in instructions?"

"Oh my gods," Annabeth complained. "You're such an idiot sometimes, you know that?"

They had reached her cabin door. Percy withdrew his arm from Annabeth's shoulders and turned towards her. "I'm going to take that as code for 'Kiss me goodnight, Seaweed Brain'," he said, grinning crookedly. And he did.

The curse of Achilles kept Percy from catching colds, right?

Annabeth clutched the front of his shirt, leaning in for a second kiss.

Yeah.

She thought so too.

It wasn't until Annabeth was changing into pajamas that she realized that she was still wearing Percy's sweatshirt. But she didn't bother pulling on real clothes again and running out to find him. She just pulled the hoodie back over her before climbing into bed.

Hey, it was warm.

Besides, she could always give it to him tomorrow.

That never happened. The next day, Annabeth discovered his empty cabin.

Her Seaweed Brain was missing.

Annabeth woke up with a start, feeling like she was falling. Then she realized she was falling. The canoe was close to tipping over.

She scrambled into the middle of the canoe and then crouched completely still, clutching onto a seat as the boat rocked furiously from side to side. By some miracle, it didn't capsize. Annabeth was glad. She didn't want Percy's sweatshirt to get any wetter than it already was. Besides, she figured she would have a hard time explaining soaking clothes to her siblings.

Her siblings. Annabeth checked the sky. Thankfully, the first signs of dawn hadn't invaded the darkness yet. She could easily make it back to her cabin before even the earliest risers woke up. And if anybody asked, she had been helping Leo at the forges and lost track of time. The guy was in there morning, noon, and night. She doubted anyone would question her alibi.

Quickly, Annabeth paddled back to the dock, sneaking a last regretful look at the middle of the canoe lake. It would have been nice to reminisce all night, delving deeper and deeper into her mental chest of Seaweed Brain memories, but she didn't have a choice. She had to get back before she was missed. Besides, at least she had gotten out there eventually. She had spent a little time with Percy, in spirit if not in body. That was what mattered.

"Percy, you are a world-class Seaweed Brain," Annabeth announced, walking up to him while he was in the sword-fighting arena one day.

He stopped attacking the dummy immediately, and she saw panic fill his eyes. She could imagine what he was thinking. Was it their two-month anniversary already? Hadn't it only been days since the last one? Or were they supposed to have a six-week anniversary as well, and he'd missed it?

Trying for nonchalance (and failing miserably, in Annabeth's opinion), Percy leaned on his sword hilt. "Like that's supposed to be news," he said, attempting a grin. "What is it this time?"

Annabeth cocked an eyebrow. "You don't know? You don't remember? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

His panic changed to flat-out terror. "L-look, Annabeth," he stuttered, "whatever you think I forgot, I, erm, didn't forget. It just, uh, temporarily slipped my mind. Can you, uh, remind me, please?"

Annabeth couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. A chuckle escaped.

Instantly, his fear turned to suspicion. "What? What did I do this time?"

Annabeth cracked up. "You didn't forget anything, Percy. I just wanted to see the look on your face."

"What?" Percy's eyes narrowed in righteous indignation. "You played me?"

"Guilty as charged," Annabeth admitted, grinning. "Like I said once, you're cute when you're worried."

Percy stared at her. "All that so you could see me worried? You don't have anything better to do with your time?" he asked, eyebrows scrunching together.

"Yup, just about."

He cracked a smile. "That's impressive, even for you. You must have been desperate, Wise Girl."

She shrugged. "I was bored, and you were busy. I decided to get your attention."

He shook his head, still grinning. "Heck of a way to get my attention, Annabeth. For a second there, I thought you were going to run me through. I nearly died of fear."

She snorted, but a smirk crept over her face. "Run you through? Oh no, my dearest Seaweed Brain. I have a much more fitting punishment in mind for you."

Now she really had him confused. "But . . . you just said . . . "

"Perseus Jackson," she announced, "you have forgotten a nonexistent milestone in our relationship! For that, the punishment is" - she paused dramatically - "a dip in the canoe lake!"

Slowly, the look in his eyes changed from discombobulated to amused. "You know, Wise Girl," he said, slipping his fingers through hers as they walked out of the arena together, "there are easier ways to get an impromptu date with me."

She laughed. "Easy, Percy? If you wanted easy, you should have asked out a daughter of Aphrodite. I already told you that I'll never make things easy on you."

"Yeah, I know," he admitted, kissing her hair. "It's one of the very many things that I like about you." Suddenly, he grinned. "That doesn't mean I can't try to get you to give me a break every once in a while, though."

"You're welcome to try," Annabeth said, smiling up at her boyfriend. "That doesn't mean I'll listen."

But she had to admit, his underwater kisses almost convinced her.

Almost.

Annabeth woke up to sunlight streaming through her cabin window. Somehow, while lost in memories, she'd managed to go back to Cabin Six, change into pajamas, and climb into bed. Then she had fallen asleep, which had hardly mattered because all her dreams had been memories as well.

She stretched, and Malcolm looked over at her from his desk.

"Good morning, Annabeth," he said. "You're up late."

"What time is it?"

"It's only eight-thirty. Early for a night owl, which most of us are." He grinned and jerked his head toward their siblings, most of whom were still snoring. "But you're usually up at six."

Annabeth pushed her hair out of her face and shrugged. "I had a late night."

Annabeth didn't add any more to that statement, and Malcolm didn't pry. But she thought back to her night on the canoe lake and smiled. Even though Percy was missing, he still managed to cheer her up.

All day, Annabeth smiled genuinely, instead of forcing her usual grins. She was happier than she'd been since Percy had disappeared.

She would help Leo build the Argo II. She would do her best to resolve conflicts between demigods. She would be the leader her camp needed. After all, she knew it was only a temporary burden. Annabeth would get her Seaweed Brain back eventually.

And in the meantime, she had countless memories to keep her going.

Woo-hoo, Percabeth fluff! :D And did anyone get my "night owl" pun? Athena children? Night owls? Yeah, it was pretty bad. . . . ;)

Next chapter is Insanity. This is going to be a fun one. . . . *cackles mischievously*

Reviews are appreciated! :)