Chapter 16 - We Get to Know Each Other

After Jason's half hour observation time was up, I let him get up on his own and try walking a bit. He was still in pain and stiff, but he was able to walk and assured me he'd be ok.

"You do realize that if you are not ok that I will be making you live out the rest of the quest in sick bay, don't you?" I asked him pointedly.

He shuddered at the thought. "I promise, I'll come back down and rest if I need to. But to my cabin, ok?"

"Deal."

Jason headed off to get ready for guard detail.

I found Piper and waved her into my cabin and we sat on my bunk together.

"Is Jason -"

"He's ok-ish." I assured her. "I gave him some more ambrosia, to try to see if he can guard the ship occasionally. I think he'll feel better if he starts to do something."

Piper nodded.

"I wanted to tell you a bit more, about, you know. I… when we were down there, we had some help. A Titan and a Giant. I don't want to get into details, but I do want someone else to know about them. I just… I can't remember a lot of what they did for us without breaking down. They sacrificed themselves so Percy and I had a chance to come back."

Piper nodded, looking at me sideways. "Can you tell me their names?"

"Bob, well, Iapetus. He's the Titan. And Damasen. And Bob had a cat, Small Bob." Piper's eyes crinkled at the name. I smiled too, but it was a sad smile.

I took a breath. "I'm not sure I want to go further than that today, at least about them." Piper nodded.

"But I wanted to talk about some of the other stuff. Some of the scarier stuff, that didn't have to do with them. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about some of the scary stuff that…. That Percy did." I said it in a small voice. Slowly, I told her about Percy killing Arachne and how he looked so frightening. I knew that Percy was a warrior, but I had never seen such ferocity in his eyes.

"He wanted to protect you." Piper murmured.

"I know. And I wouldn't have done anything different. But…. he looked so different."

Piper was silent. After a minute, I continued. I told her about meeting Akhlys and how Percy forced the poison back onto her to defeat her. I shook the whole story. Piper gently pulled me into a hug.

"Both of you had to go through stuff you shouldn't have and you handled it in the best way you could. That doesn't mean it wasn't scary." She informed me. "But it does mean you should forgive Percy. You were forced into an impossible position."

I remembered saying something similar to Leo about when he used the fortune cookie that Nemesis gave him and I realized that Piper was right. The little bit of fear I had held of Percy dissipated.

"In Sparta, let's see if the guys can go shopping and get us some more tissues. If you're going to keep talking about this, well, we may run out."

I nodded, getting the hiccups. "Do you -" Hiccup. "Mind? Listening, I -" Hiccup. "Mean."

She shook her head and smiled at me. "I just wish I could do more than listen, you know? As head counselor to Aphrodite I've gotten good at listening and giving relationship advice, but 'Hey, my boyfriend controlled rivers of poison and sent them back towards the goddess who was trying to kill us and it was absolutely terrifying on top of an already terrifying experience' is well beyond my normal stuff."

I laughed at that.

"I mean, typically, I get 'Oh, he forgot my birthday, she broke up with me' kind of stuff. Not 'while in the Pit of Eternal Damnation, my boyfriend turned terrifying and I'm not sure he's the same guy anymore'."

I realized with a jolt that was exactly what I had been worried about. I was so concerned that Percy had really changed. "Do…. do you think he has changed? Or is he still the Percy I first met?"

Piper looked at me sidelong. "Are you the same Annabeth that he first met?"

Piper had me there. I had changed in a lot of ways. "No." I said finally. "No, I'm not. But my feelings for him haven't changed, they've only grown stronger."

Piper nodded. "I'd guess he'd have a similar answer. You both changed over the years, but that's normal. So long as you keep loving each other and talking and trusting each other, I think you should be fine. Change is normal."

I nodded and grinned at her. "You're the best."

"I know." She smirked at me and we laughed.

Piper and I talked a while longer, then I went to find Percy. I could tell when I left him he still wasn't settled and I wanted to see him again. He was in his cabin, looking at a picture of us from our time in Paris. I had brought several pictures from our time together but hadn't put them up in his cabin until I knew for sure that he had his memories back. I knocked on the door lightly. He turned with a start.

"Hey." He said, still deep in thought.

"Hey." I agreed. "Want to talk?"

Percy nodded and sat down on his bunk, the photo still in his hand. I sat next to him, snuggled against his side.

"I don't like you leaving me. I mean, I know you're the bravest, strongest -" I kissed him. I told you, best way ever to tell someone to stop talking. I wouldn't advise trying it with strangers though.

When I pulled away I said softly, "I know. It's hard to be apart, we were apart for so long. So many months were taken from us. But I'll come back to you. We will have a future - together - ok?"

He nodded, still looking troubled.

"Is there anything I can say to make it better right now?" I asked him honestly.

He shook his head. "No. I'm just worried."

I nodded and laid down in his lap. "Paris was nice, wasn't it?" I asked, touching the picture.

"Yeah. When all this is over, I should ask the gods if we can have, like, a cruise or something."

"Not around the Mediterranean." I warned him. "I'd love to come back someday, but right now -"

"It'd be too soon." Percy agreed. I could feel his fingers slowly trace through my hair. He laid down next to me and pulled me against him. "For now, this is nice." He said simply. And there wasn't anything more to say. For now, all we had was this moment.

That night, after dinner, I found the crew back in the mess hall. "What are we doing?"

"Never have I ever." Piper handed me five Hershey kisses. "Anytime someone says something you've done, you've got to eat one of the candies. Hazel won last time, so we have to think of things she might've done in the 40s."

I laughed at that and took a seat next to Frank and Percy. I looked around. "Jason's asleep?"

Piper nodded. "Yeah, We're letting him sit out. Since he's doing better, though, we aren't keeping a constant watch on him. But we'll check on him between rounds."

"I'll start." Frank decided. "Uh, never have I ever… cheated on a test."

Percy, Leo and Piper all ate a hershey's kiss. "Percy! It better be before I started helping you study!"

He held up his hands in surrender. "Uh…. Can I claim I don't have those memories back?"

I sighed and put my head on the table. "No more cheating!"

"Your turn!" He said, clearly changing the subject.

"Uh….. ok. Never have I ever…. Used someone else's toothbrush."

"Wait, does yours count?"

"You've used my toothbrush?"

"Ok -" Piper said, stopping the argument. She and Leo both ate a Hershey's kiss. Percy stared me in the eyes as he ate his, then smirked.

Percy thought about his question. "Never have I ever….. Stayed at one school for more than three years."

Only Hazel and Frank were able to eat a Hershey's kiss for that one.

"My turn!" Leo bounced. "Never have I ever, been to the Underworld."

Percy, Hazel and I all took a Hersheys.

Piper thought about her question for a while. "Never have I ever…. Been homeless."

Leo and I shrugged and took a kiss.

"Oh come on! I thought that would get Hazel!" Piper protested.

Hazel smiled. "Technically, I've been dead, but not homeless."

"Should've asked who's been dead." I commented drily.

"Wait, do we count?" Percy frowned, looking at me. "Was the Death Mist like, dead, or -"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

Hazel grinned at us wickedly. "Never have I ever been to both Greek and Roman camps."

Piper, Leo, Percy and I all groaned as we took our Hershey's.

Frank looked around the room. "Uh….. never have I ever….. Visited Olympus."

Percy and I took our Hersheys. Percy was out of the game and went to check on Jason.

"Never have I ever…." I tried to think of something Hazel might've done. "Been to Alaska!" I announced.

Frank and Hazel both took their Hershey kisses, but didn't seem to mind since they were still in the lead.

"Never have I ever….." Leo looked evil as he announced, "Had my lifeline tied to a piece of firewood."

"Really?" Frank said, looking annoyed. "We're getting that specific?"

Leo grinned as Frank begrudgingly took his hersheys.

Piper announced, "Never have I ever turned into a lizard!"

Frank sighed. "This is getting a little mean."

Hazel giggled, then announced, "Never have I ever been arrested."

With a fair amount of grumbling, Piper and Leo both ate Hershey's. Percy was just walking in and had heard it. "I guess I need another kiss, then."

"I mean, if you need one, man." Leo said, getting up from the table.

I quickly pulled Percy to me. "Hey, this one's mine."

"You got that right." Percy whispered, giving me a long kiss.

"Uh-hm!" Piper said, glaring at us in mock anger. "Leo and Percy can kiss since they're both out. Annabeth, you're still in."

Frank looked at Piper, Hazel and I, then said, "Sorry about this…. Never have I ever met Aphrodite."

Hazel gasped in mock indignation, but I had to applaud Frank's move. Piper and I were out of the game now.

"Never have I ever used a smartphone!" Hazel grinned as Frank took his Hershey's.

"Never have I ever lived in the 40s." It was fun to watch, like a good-natured tennis match.

"Never have I ever been a praetor!" And with that, the game had won and Hazel was once again reigning champ of Never Have I Ever. Really, the girl has an unfair advantage, having been dead for several decades.