Annabeth POV
Director Chiron was right about Percy's memory. Combat was built into his muscle memory, and it was relatively easy for him to pick up the physical skills.
There were a few slip-ups here and there, but he learned combat pretty quickly.
Percy was also an excellent marksman. He always was a good shot.
In just one session, Percy managed to be shooting a gun proficiently, which surprised everyone even though it shouldn't have.
It's been a week since Percy was back. While there was no indication that Percy remembered anything, it was comforting to know how quickly he was picking up.
"Hey, Annabeth," Piper's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Yeah, what's up, Pipes?" I asked loudly.
Piper was in her room getting ready to go out on a Saturday night. Lake Valor only gave Sundays off, so Saturday nights were usually when we hung out and forgot about the stress.
"Can you help me with the zip?" Piper asked loudly.
I sighed as I walked from the living room towards her room. Our apartment was small. There were two bedrooms on opposite sides of the living room. Plus, a kitchen and small dining area were placed near the front door.
I walked into Piper's room to find her struggling to fix her dress.
"Okay, let me get it," I said as I went forward and zipped up her top.
Piper was naturally beautiful, so she looked good even in simple jeans and a shirt. Piper smiled and let out a breath of relief.
"Anyway, where are we going today?" I asked.
I didn't even know where we were going today. Piper said that a group of us would go for dinner and a casual time. Whatever that meant. I was never one to party, at least not as much as some of my friends.
"We're all going to Mr. D's bar," Piper said eagerly.
"Oh my god. That place weirdly always smells like grapes," I exclaimed.
"I know, but it also has the best drinks," Piper affirmed.
She was right about that. Mr. D's bar was one of the most popular hang-out spots for the youth during the night. The place was always lively and loud and fun.
"Oh, Thalia and Percy are also coming. Jason said that Percy loved going to Mr. D's. Not really for drinking but more for the activity," Piper said.
I nodded. I already knew that Percy was coming.
He told me earlier today. It was sad though. He loved going to Mr. D's to have a good time. Now, he didn't even remember one of his most favorite places.
Well, that wasn't a surprise. He didn't even remember his favorite people.
I sighed before forcing myself to smile.
"Well, if you hurry up Piper, we can get going," I said with a chuckle.
Piper simply rolled her eyes before grabbing her stuff. We both quickly walked out of our apartment. This small complex of apartments was dedicated to Lake Valor recruits.
'You driving or shall I?" Piper asked.
"Definitely me if we want to get there fast," I expressed. And, I definitely want to get there quickly in order to see Percy.
Over the past week, I've noticed that while Percy didn't have his memory, his loyal, kind, and generally outgoing personality still shined.
I wanted to see if Percy still liked his favorite hang-out spot, too.
...
Like always, the scent of grapes and the sound of loud music exploded into our faces as soon as we opened the door to Mr. D's bar.
People were dancing on one side of the bar.
The other side of the bar had tables and booths set up. A bar island was resting along the backside of the large room with barkeeps quickly serving drinks to everyone.
"Oh, they're already here," Piper exclaimed.
Before I could think, she grabbed my arm to drag me over to a large table.
Jason met Piper with a quick kiss. Thalia and Percy were sitting at the table, and several agents, soldiers, and recruits were also crowded around the table.
It was a large and diverse group of friends/colleagues here.
I watched Percy closely. He was talking to a few agents that were (or used to be) his friends. One thing about Percy was that he was comfortable with people.
Percy was very good at making others feel better.
"Hello, Percy. How are you feeling?" I asked as I sat down at the table.
His sea-green eyes gazed at me intensely. Once again, there were emotions brewing in his eyes that I couldn't quite place. Then, he smiled softly.
"Thanks to you, bruised all over," Percy said slyly.
I rolled my eyes.
"You should get used to that, Percy. It's all a part of the job description," I said with a smile.
"I still can't believe that I used to do all this: fighting and secret agent stuff. Like it's cool until you actually live it," Percy said sadly.
I looked at him with concern. Thalia also gazed at Percy. What he just said spoke volumes about the job. We had to give up a lot to be at Lake Valor, and it was hard.
"Do you not want to do this?" I asked softly.
Percy looked at me again. This time our gazes locked. Sea-green on gray eyes.
"I don't know. It's so hard and painful," Percy said earnestly. "I had to give up my memory for the sake of this job."
Percy grabbed a beer bottle and took a sip.
"Percy, accidents happen on the field," I said as I touched his resting hand gently.
His eyes snapped at my face as I gently rubbed the top of his hand. I didn't even realize that we were practically holding hands until Percy pulled away.
He looked so upset and pained as he did it.
Gods, Percy never pulled away from me. It was usually the other way around.
I guess that was a testament to how much things have changed.
Percy opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. He quickly got up from the table as his eyes wandered away from me.
"I'm just gonna get another drink," he said before walking away.
"I'll join you. Does anyone want any more drinks?" I asked the group.
Thalia nodded at me silently before turning back to the table. Some people told me their orders before I followed Percy to the bar island.
Percy was sitting at the bar island.
I took a seat next to him as Castor came towards us. Castor and Pollux were Mr. D's twin sons who helped run this bar.
"Hey Perce, what can we get for ya?" Castor asked.
"Um, another beer," Percy said gently. He seemed a little disoriented that Castor knew him. Of course, everyone knew Percy around these parts.
"Sure thing, bro. Sorry about what happened. I'm Castor, and you always said that I was the better owner of this bar," Castor said with a smile.
"Yeah, that's not actually true," I said with a chuckle.
"Annabeth, this was my chance to have Percy like me more than my brother," Castor pouted as he brought back our drinks.
"I probably liked both of you equally," Percy said. I smiled at Percy's answer. It was in small conversations like this when his old personality came through.
"Yea, yeah, that's what everyone says," Castor said as he placed the beer in front of Percy.
It was much louder here than at the table. Also, people kept bumping our backs as they walked by because of the large crowd who wanted drinks.
"So, Percy do you like this place? You used to love hanging out here before," I asked.
"Yeah, it's actually very nice," Percy complied with a smile.
Then, Percy turned towards me. His intense eyes locked onto mine as he prepared himself to ask a few questions.
"What is it, Percy?" I asked.
"Um, did we-. Did we have a relationship before? Were we together?" he asked softly. His eyes searched my face as I sat there in shock.
I wasn't expecting that. Of course, we had a relationship. We had a very deep and close relationship that was on its way to the next level.
However, it was a secret. And, all of that didn't matter now.
I turned back to Percy who was looking at me expectantly. His eyes searching for something.
"What made you ask that?" I asked first.
"I, err, I don't know. You just seem to care a lot, I guess," Percy said.
I sighed. "It's forbidden for recruits and agents to date, so the answer is no. We didn't have any romantic relationship," I said.
It was a straight and harsh lie, but there was no point in telling him the truth.
Percy sighed in response as he turned forward again. His eyes held pain and agony as he sipped his beer. His muscles were tense as his head went downcast.
"I guess I wouldn't know even if you were lying," Percy said sadly.
I simply stared at Percy. It was like he wanted me to admit the truth. Almost like he believed in that truth. However, Percy had memory loss, so he was probably just talking out of emotionalism.
Percy quietened after our conversation.
The rest of the night went by without much engagement. But, I believed that it was progress for him to be out in town with his friends.
This would help any memory loss individual get reacquainted.
...
"Are you ready, Percy?" I asked firmly.
We were back at training on Monday. All of the recruits would be going through physical combat drills with weaponry today. Percy and I were in the training facility with everyone, and I was gonna train Percy with a blade.
"Yeah. Just don't stab me I guess," Percy said with a smirk.
"No promises, Seaweed Brain," I said chuckling.
Percy froze with the knife still in hand. He was simply staring at me, and that was when I realized that the nickname slipped out. Shit.
Percy's expressions fell as he looked at me stunned.
"What?" he finally asked.
"Sorry. It's nothing Percy. Let's just start the training," I said quickly and defensively.
Percy looked at me for a few more moments before nodding. His eyes carried so many mixed emotions. It annoyed me that I couldn't interpret some of his emotions. I couldn't place them because they seemed different than the actual feelings that he should be demonstrating.
Regardless, I started showing him how to use the blades.
Of course, Percy was a natural at all of these skills. It was actually weird how easily he was picking up the combat skills. Almost like he never forgot.
In no time, we were practicing blade combat on each other.
Percy was doing very well. A few recruits and trainers even started watching us practice our drills. Percy was focused as he used his blade for defense and offense.
I knew that I was very good with a knife.
We quickly picked up our rigor and training. However, I was holding back a little because I didn't want to push Percy beyond what he was capable of.
As good as he looked with weaponry, Percy still lost his memory (and experience).
The recruits were cheering us on as the trainers analyzed our skills and even gave pointers on how to improve (not that many though).
As I watched Percy slice through the air with his blade, I noticed a glimmer in his face. It was like he was having a lightbulb idea moment. It happened so fast that I almost missed it.
Regardless, we continued for a few minutes.
Then, it happened.
I was going for a standard jab against his check. Percy would easily be able to block because we already did this move dozens of times today.
However, he purposefully moved his body rather than blocking.
Time seemed to slow as I stared in horror. It was too late to reverse and stop the stab. Percy shouted out in pain as my knife sunk into his left forearm.