Of Spars and Vacant Cabins

Rated T

In which Percy Jackson doesn't receive the entirety of his memories back and when it's finally time for the Roman demigods to regard the Greeks with a peace treaty that will enable them to work against Gaea cohesively, Annabeth Chase finds herself developing a new relationship with Percy Jackson - one that glorifies brutality and roughness.

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Part Six:

"Just Kiss Me Already"

Have you ever devised a fantasy in which every moment is precariously thought out to mirror perfection and does not have the capacity to encapsulate tragedy because you focused so much on making sure every detail was tailored to your satisfaction?

So, when the aforementioned fantasy inescapably becomes a reality, you lose balance because now you have to deal with unplanned scenarios creating obstacles toward reaching your images of perfection.

For Annabeth, envisioning Percy receiving parts of his memory back had always been based on the notion that he would be happy. His eagerness to finally remember something, anything would be so contagious that Annabeth would do absolutely anything to be able to feel his happiness envelop her. She would feel less strained and finally feel that ease that would help her lift her shoulders a little higher because the fact that he could remember something was an indicator that the memories they shared were at least worth remembering.

Though, it was a good thing Annabeth was a realist and couldn't afford to fantasize about the "what-ifs" that plagued her life. If she did hold on to a fantasy, then the look on Percy's face would leave her feeling unnerved and disappointed.

The night Percy kissed Annabeth was the last time she ever considered believing a fantasy could come true.

Watching Percy regard Rainbow with such stiffness and a layer of caution outlining his body language was enough for Annabeth to realize that Percy had lost a lot more than just his memories. His jaw was clenched so firmly that she could see him grinding his teeth. After recognizing the hippocampus, Percy had angled his head away from the sea creature and Annabeth could see him taking measured breaths to calm himself down.

Rainbow neighed with less excitement and tilted his head questioningly at Percy.

"Can you just tell him I don't feel good?" Percy requested quietly, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he took a deep breath. Annabeth could only assume the hippocampus was communicating to Percy and it appeared as though he couldn't stand to hear what the sea creature had to say.

Annabeth bent down to pat Rainbow's head and noticed there was a parchment wrapped around his neck. She removed the parchment and gave Rainbow a sad smile with one last parting pat. "Percy hasn't been feeling well lately. Thank you for bringing us this note, please tell Tyson I said 'hi'."

Rainbow sputtered in a way that Annabeth could tell was gratitude and dramatically submerged into water, leaving her to move back a couple steps to avoid being completely drenched.

Annabeth approached Percy slowly, looking at him gingerly so he knew she was meaning to be inviting whenever he was ready to open his eyes.

"Percy," Annabeth said to call his attention, "He brought a note for you."

Percy opened his eyes and looked at the note with pursed lips. "I don't need to read it, I already know what it says."

Annabeth looked down at the note in her hands and gazed at Percy inquisitively to gain the acceptance of being able to read the note.

Hi Brother,

I miss you!

Daddy says 'beware the waters.'

- Tyson

"Do you know what this means?" Annabeth asked, moving a step closer to Percy because watching him felt like he was falling further away. "The gods haven't been communicating with us lately, so this seems kind of serious, Percy. We should tell Chiron."

"Uh, not really. Don't think that's a good idea," Percy muttered before scratching his head and giving Annabeth an apologetic look. "I'm kind of hungry, so I'm gonna catch lunch before-"

"Percy," Annabeth said carefully, making sure to catch his eyes so that he could see the genuineness that was cast as she said her next words, "Remember how I said you can talk to me about anything? Don't forget about that."

Percy gave Annabeth a small appreciative smile that felt out of place with the dullness projecting from his eyes. "Right. Thanks. I'll see you later."

Annabeth sighed, wrapping her arms around her torso to feel somewhat leveled as she watched Percy briskly walk away, though, from the opposite direction of the dining pavilion. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, desperately wanting to pull out her invisibility cap and see where Percy was headed to console her worries that left her feeling anxious. However, as she watched him fade into the distance, she decided against it because she didn't want to overwhelm Percy if he was already feeling on edge about his father's words. He already expressed he didn't like others eavesdropping without his knowledge, which was completely understandable, so she wanted to respect that and develop enough trust between them to trust that Percy would eventually confide in her. Annabeth could keep the information to herself, but if it was alarming, she wasn't so sure that was something she could. Especially if she knew it was something she could help with.

Annabeth hated this.

She hated this so much she wasn't sure if her urge to scream outweighed her desire to cry. All she knew was that she felt drained from constantly experiencing so many emotions she conventionally tried her best to suppress, her subtle anxiety began to heighten and suddenly she felt sick. The feeling she felt was no more than comparable to the time that she held the sky on her shoulders. So many impending situations and probable obstacles disturbed the level-headedness she tried to preserve in her mind that she was beginning to feel like all of her emotions were weighing her down and she couldn't free herself from the confines of her own mind.

She felt cornered, like she was gradually being exhausted by raging thoughts of Percy that were outlined with worry and desire. She felt smothered, the constant anxiety about maintaining the peace between the Greeks and the Romans left her feeling unstable with the lack of assurance that she could stop a war from happening. She felt enraged, that the gods had once again placed their children in a predicament in which they were the sole determinants of the fate of the world.

So, yeah, Annabeth hated this and this and especially that.

Annabeth laughed hoarsely, feeling insane that she was crying at the same time. To soothe her feelings of weakness, she blamed Percy for making her an emotional wreck. She did a good job of keeping her tears maintained but it was like once he disappeared, her emotions were in control of her and she had to wait until they felt properly satisfied before she could reign in a sense of power. So, with everything feeling like it was going wrong, it made sense why she had lost that stability she had once prided herself on.

Caught up in her own distress, Annabeth didn't realize that her feet were carrying her in the direction of Cabin 3. She paused, staring at the beautiful exterior design that she had created with Percy's approval and momentarily the flash of happiness that appeared on Percy's face when he first saw the cabin in person replayed in her mind. She quickly turned away, embarrassed that people probably saw her in an openly vulnerable state while her feet decided to have a mind of their own.

To her most embarrassing dismay, Annabeth was met with Percy, Frank, and Hazel approaching the cabin as she was turning away. She tried not to feel hurt that Percy probably sought out Frank and Hazel to explain his worries, but she was beginning to understand that she was no longer that person for him. The person he could go to with his problems and actively think them through. The person he wanted to be near when nothing felt like it was going right. The person he knew he could share a good laugh with when he needed it most. She was his person and he was her person. They were more than a couple, they were genuinely best friends who built a connection beyond romance and intimacy. They were a team with a beautiful dynamic that was balanced effortlessly. Partners that a mirrored synchronous mastery that could be reflect on the battlefield.

Their connection was sincerely rooted above the superficial properties that society expected from a relationship, Annabeth just wished she had registered that sooner. Just because they were connected to each other before his disappearance didn't mean things would suddenly be indistinguishable the second time around. Annabeth couldn't withstand the urge to watch Percy closely, feeling crestfallen as the harsh reality of the situation wrapped her up in an instant.

Though, those feelings of anguish were quickly ingested as she braced herself to prepare her poorly thought-out explanation.

"Annabeth?" Percy said, looking bemused as he narrowed his eyes with what revealed itself to be concern at the sight of her. "Are you good? Did you need something?"

Annabeth smiled a small smile, unconsciously reaching toward her ponytail to tug on a curl as an effort to console the effect that came with being uneasy. "No, no. I'm fine. I sometimes inspect the exterior of the cabins on my free time to make sure they're still up to standard. You know, gotta make sure they're looking. . .good." She laughed awkwardly, wiping her nose in case any residue of her tears were still lingering on her face.

Percy looked unconvinced. "Right," he acknowledged, still searching her face with those doubtful eyes.

From the corner of her eye, Annabeth could see Hazel regarding both Percy and her with telling eyes. "Oh, right! Percy was telling us how he was pretty sure you're the Architect of Olympus, that's so cool! You even remodeled some of the temples up on Olympus, right?"

Annabeth had never wanted to hug a thirteen year-old more in her life.

By the cadence of her voice, Annabeth could tell that Hazel was attempting to redirect the conversation and was nudging Frank with a look of expectancy on her face. Frank looked at Hazel in confusion, so she sighed, looked at Annabeth with a look that could only be described as 'Men' and said, "Frank, isn't it wonderful that Annabeth designed all of these beautiful cabins?"

Frank finally caught on to what was happening and contributed to the conversation by saying, "Um, right! Right. The spars outside of the Mar-I mean Ares Cabin are a really nice touch. And the canons along the walk way. It's. . .deadly."

With genuine gratitude, Annabeth responded with a small laugh, "Thank you guys, I really appreciate it. I didn't realize you knew that Percy."

Percy coughed, a slight twinge of red materialized on his tanned cheeks as he pocketed his hands. He scuffed his right foot against the grass as he looked away. "Uh, yeah. Guess I did my research."

Annabeth gazed at him inquisitively, but she was familiarized with the disappointment that came when he wouldn't meet her eyes, so she wasn't really hurt just really expectant that he would feel comfortable enough to talk to her when he was ready. "Cool. Well, I'll let you guys carry on then."

"Okay, bye Annabeth!" Hazel said with a knowing smile. Frank waved, and Percy regarded her with a tiny smile, rubbing his neck while he exuded discomfort.

As Annabeth was passing Percy from his right side, she looked over and saw a beautiful, glittering ruby that seemed as though it had fallen out of Hazel's pocket.

Annabeth bent down to pick up the ruby and said, "Hey, Hazel! I think you dro-"

She couldn't finish her sentence because Percy abruptly grabbed her wrist before she could even touch the ruby and pulled her away from Hazel, which made her roughly bump into his chest. She quickly stepped away, though, poorly because Percy had a vice grip on her wrist. She looked at Hazel in confusion as she pocketed the ruby with an afflicted look on her face which soon turned apologetic.

"Why are grabbing me like-"

"Annabeth," Hazel interrupted impatiently, a layer of anxiousness fully apparent. "Just please, if you see any jewels near me, please, don't pick it up."

"Okay," Annabeth promised, feeling perplexed. "Um, is there a reason why?"

"It doesn't matter," Percy said with a flat tone, finally releasing her wrist to cross his arms. He looked stressed as he looked her up and down as though he was assessing her for any damage. "Just don't pick anything up, seriously."

Hazel blushed, looking like she really wanted to tell her. "I'm sorry, it's a really long story. Just bad things will happen to you if you do touch any of them."

"I understand. Thanks for the heads up," Annabeth said, rubbing her wrist and peering at Percy witheringly. "You know, you really didn't have to grab me so rough like that, I have pretty fast reflexes."

Percy rolled his eyes dramatically and Annabeth smiled almost goofily because it felt so out of place to see him react like that after the emotional turmoil that consumed him only moments before. Then, he began signaling for Frank and Hazel to go to his cabin. "Yeah, yeah. You're welcome, Annabeth. See you around?"

Annabeth waved with a brief smile. "Yeah, see you."

Percy nodded at her and then turned to enter his cabin.

Annabeth sighed, tightening her ponytail and swallowing the rest of the emotions she held in while speaking to Percy.

"You're pathetic, you know?" Annabeth heard a voice say with a laugh.

Annabeth saw Clarisse a few feet away from her, leaning against the canons Frank had complimented. She should've known not to linger around Percy's cabin especially since the Ares Cabin was right next to it. Clarisse, though brute and straightforward, had been a form of abnormal comfort to Annabeth. No matter how much she tried to suppress it, Annabeth knew Clarisse cared about people a lot more than she let on, especially from seeing how she acted when she was around Chris. While Percy was gone, whenever Annabeth wanted to give up and bury herself in sorrow, Clarisse was right there breathing down her neck to taunt her with insults until an uncontainable rage enveloped her to the point where she couldn't give up. You would think that Annabeth would have gotten used to her antics but she was especially sensitive nowadays, sometimes she needed to hear those brutal words as a wake up call. Though, most of the times they made her want to cry or punch her, so she did her best to avoid her.

Annabeth raised her eyebrow, pursing her lips. "Wow. So, I was weak last week and now I'm pathetic this week? What's next? A failure?"

Clarisse smirked. "If you keep walking around like that you won't need me to tell you. Your boyfriends back, you avoid him. Yeah, that was real smart, Princess. Now, you cry constantly about it even when you have the chance to make things better."

Annabeth gritted her teeth. "You don't know anything about our relationship and what I'm doing to try to fix my mistakes, Clarisse. It's also none of your business."

Clarisse rolled her eyes in what almost seemed like exasperation. "Yeah, whatever. You've lost your funk. If you want him so bad, then get him instead of crying about it."

Annabeth had to control her breathing to pace out the anger that was bubbling inside of her. "Look, I know you're an instigator and this is just a weird way of you trying to say that you want to see Percy and I back together, so I'll ignore your ignorance. However, like I said this is my business and I'm handling it the best I can. If I could 'get him', then obviously I would get him back but it doesn't work like that especially since he's amnesiac."

Clarisse sighed, as if to say 'Poor Annabeth' and stood as if she were going to leave. "That's what I'm saying, you've lost your funk. You're smart as Hades and you haven't done anything to figure out how to get his memories back but cry and feel sorry for yourself. It's pathetic."

Annabeth looked down at her hands, feeling disappointed that she had let Clarisse's words get to her. Of course Annabeth had thought of ways to jog Percy's memories back into place, but this was godly magic they were dealing with and she was having a hard time finding any leads, especially since the communication with the gods had been tarnished. Clarisse's comments on her lack of ability to solve Percy's amnesia dilemma didn't inspire her, it made her feel inadequate. This whole situation left her feeling unaligned with her mind, emotions, and body.

Annabeth clearly wasn't the amnesiac demigod here but it seemed as if losing Percy inadvertently made her lose a sense of self.

As much as she hated to admit, Annabeth realized that Clarisse was partially right. She had so much rigor, energy, and anger to drive her to find Percy when he was missing. So, now, when he's returned, though sans his memories, she's shutting down when that should be waking her up. Rebuilding her relationship with Percy was an emotional but imperative step in helping her figure out how to help him. There weren't any Greek stories about amnesiac heroes - of course she did her research to refresh her mind while she was avoiding him - so Annabeth would really have to muscle this one out.

"Whatever, Clarisse," Annabeth said airily, quickly walking away to her cabin to avoid continuing the conversation that she should've avoided in the first place.

She had to figure something out.

That night, Annabeth couldn't endure the restlessness that engrossed her. She was tossing and turning out of latent hostility, rereading Ancient Greek myths in hopes that she had missed something when she was already aware that, at this point, they were something she had now memorized. She prayed to every god that she thought would be relevant to the situation and made sure to provide a little more of her offering at dinner. She had been doing this for months when Percy disappeared, so she would continue to do so until his memories returned to elude sentiments of ineptitude. The restlessness had gotten so bad that she began pacing and sketching frantically, feeling as though her anxiety was catching up to her. From time to time her siblings would politely complain about the noise and she would quiet down before it started all over again.

Having her queasiness reach its peak, Annabeth pulled on her invisibility cap, grabbed her architecture sketchbook, water bottle, and quietly exited the cabin once she felt like most of her siblings were asleep. Being near a body of water brought Percy relief, but it also did the same for Annabeth. As a child of Athena, one would be uneasy about entering their parents' enemy's territory, but Annabeth felt safe. Especially near the ocean because it smelt the most like Percy. Though, most days she resorted to taking a canoe out in the Canoe Lake and simply replayed all their memories together while she sketched absentmindedly.

The sight of the lake instantly filled Annabeth with the subtle form of relief she had been seeking out. As she approached the dock she set down her notebook and began to untie a canoe to take out into the water. However, as she struggled with a knot that was tied too tight, she realized she was making too much noise and the other canoes knocked into each other with each ripple coming from the water. Swearing, Annabeth pulled out her dagger and began cutting at the rope but was interrupted by a violent stream of water that knocked her into the canoe with a force she knew could only come from Percy because the water nymphs were definitely more playful with their attacks.

"Who's there?!" she heard Percy demand.

Soaking wet and completely irritated that her architecture sketchbook was probably ruined, Annabeth pulled off her invisibility cap and glared at Percy fiercely. "It's me, Seaweed Brain! Maybe ask who's there before drowning me, yeah?"

Percy looked shocked but quickly recovered, running to the canoe to help Annabeth sit up in a comfortable position since he haphazardly knocked her down. She could see him smirking slightly, his eyes emanating amusement. "I'm sorry! You were invisible, how was I supposed to know?"

"Use your context clues! There was a notebook and water bottle by the end of the dock," Annabeth noted miserably, pushing away Percy's prying hands to check on her notebook. She maneuvered the canoe with the reach of her arms to pull the canoe closer to the dock so that she could reach her sketchbook. She quickly flipped through the pages to see them crinkled with the water, still salvageable, but damaged nonetheless.

Annabeth ran her fingers through her wet hair and sighed, looking at Percy tiredly. "They're ruined."

Percy moved from the other side of the canoe to get a closer look. "Let me see." Of course he'd be able to revert the pages to their original nature. She was mainly upset because her peaceful venture was disturbed and her knee kind of got nicked in the process of her being thrown down.

"See, there, fixed," Percy presented, flipping through the pages with her to show her proof. "But, seriously, are you okay? Do you want me to dry you off?"

"No, Percy, I would prefer to sit here feeling soggy as the cold night air devours me," Annabeth deadpanned tiredly, though with tiniest inkling of a smile because it was hard for her to stay mad at Percy especially when he was looking at her with this dazed, amused look. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Percy blinked, shaking his head. "Sorry. My bad. It's just I've always wondered how you would disappear whenever I would try to talk to you."

Annabeth instantly felt embarrassed. The heat of her embarrassment seemed like it would be enough to dry her off. "Oh," she said quietly, hugging her sketchbook as she looked away. "Yeah, I, uh, have an invisibility cap that my mother gave to me when I was younger."

"Pretty resourceful for when you're trying to avoid somebody, huh?" Percy quipped, his lopsided smile exposing itself as a means to express that he was joking. He reached forward to remove the water particles that lingered in her clothes and hair. She held her breath as he hovered over her somewhat to be able to his job and she finally released it when he sat back down in his spot across from her.

Annabeth chuckled uneasily. "Yes, it can be resourceful, I guess."

"You guess?" Percy laughed, reaching over to grab her water bottle and place it next to her feet. "What are you even doing out here so late, it's like 1 am?"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "I could say the same about you. I couldn't sleep."

Percy snapped his fingers and the ropes holding the canoe to the dock finally unraveled, allowing them to gradually float away from the dock. Percy willed the water to carry them to the middle of the lake and once satisfied with where they were positioned, he sat forward with his arms resting on his knees while peering at her nearly in a way that was earnest.

"I don't even know what sleeping means," Percy said wearily. "I've been coming here to think or take a nap."

"I would love to take a nap in a canoe without the fear of capsizing and drowning," Annabeth responded with a smirk, opening up her sketchbook to add details to some pillars she was thinking of adding outside of the stables.

Percy grinned. "You can nap and I'll watch out for you."

"Remember, we can't sleep right now?" Annabeth reminded him, looking up to see him peeking at her sketchbook. "Hm. You know, you seem different? You seem more relaxed from earlier today, smiling more even though the end of the world is approaching us. Again."

Percy shrugged, examining the ripples in the water with newfound interest. "Got a feeling that that's something I'm used. Plus, you're not avoiding me anymore so maybe I feel less on edge."

Annabeth frowned, accidentally pressing down on her pencil too hard which ruined the curve along the pillar she was trying to fix. She didn't like being reminded about how her absence and blatant avoidance could seriously affect him in a way like that. "Percy, I really-"

"Don't apologize anymore," Percy told her swiftly. "I could just sense you were gonna apologize."

Annabeth's lip trembled to hold in her response but she relented anyway, "But it's really not okay. I honestly don't care how many times you hate hearing me apologize. I can't get any sleep because I think about how I wasted all that time feeling sorry for myself when I could've been helping you getting your memories back."

Wow, Clarisse's words really did affect her more than she let on.

Percy opened his mouth to respond but she didn't let him get the chance. "I want you to understand that you were my best friend, Percy - above anything else, not just some boyfriend. Our friendship means everything to me. That's why I feel horrible. I'm no longer that person you go to when you feel troubled nor have I made myself that person for you. Knowing that I hurt you pains me. You've already been through so much without me being there to support you. So, yes, I'm sorry and I'll keep saying it until I feel like I've made it up to you."

Percy gnawed on his lower lip, looking at her fixedly while his jaw clenched and unclenched, as if he were restraining himself. He finally exhaled and gave her a faint smile. "Alright. Fine. But don't keep saying it, just show me."

"Show you how?" Annabeth asked thoughtfully.

"Well, you can start by drawing a picture of me with super ripped abs emerging out of the water with Riptide. I'd like to hang it in my cabin to give me motivation to kick your ass the next time we spar."

Annabeth snickered while rolling her eyes. "Percy, I can't draw humans. I draw buildings and fountains-"

"Which also have statues of gods who are human-like, wouldn't you have to draw them to make sure they look exactly how you want?" Percy pointed out, gesturing to the statue of Hestia that was on the opposite page from the stable pillars.

"Yeah, but I'm not some artist like Rachel. If you want something like that-"

"Annabeth, I thought you were supposed to be making it up to me? You're already doing a terrible job," Percy told her with an exaggerated sigh.

"Fine, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth huffed, turning the next page to woefully start on Percy's commission. "Don't expect it to look like some masterpiece. And don't use this as an opportunity to get me to do whatever you want."

"I won't, I swear," Percy assured, though his devious eyes told a different story. "So, my nickname for you is Wise Girl and I get an insult like Seaweed Brain?" Percy asked with faux hurt.

Annabeth was going to respond in defense of herself until she remembered something at the back of her mind. "Yeah. Wait, so, Hazel said you were pretty sure I was the Architecture of Olympus, was that a memory or did you actually do your research?"

Percy pressed his lips together, appearing less relaxed. "Um, it was a memory."

Annabeth's eyes gleamed, frowning at him in puzzlement. "Shouldn't that be great, Percy? I mean, was it kind of foggy or pretty clear?"

"Foggy," Percy said dryly, adjusting himself to a more comfortable sitting position. "So, how are my abs coming along?"

Annabeth looked at Percy pointedly, putting down her pencil and closing her sketchbook. "You're starting to get pieces of your memories back and you're worried about abs you could just look in the mirror to see?"

"How do you know I have abs?" Percy asked snootily, lifting his chin up.

"We were dating, Percy," Annabeth said pointedly, playing along. "I probably know more details about your body than you could keep up with."

Percy sighed in annoyance, looking insanely cute as his face reddened. "Look, can we go to the Fireworks Beach or something? I'd rather not be interrogated when I can feel my butt flattening by the second sitting in this canoe."

Annabeth chuckled despite the atmosphere gradually becoming tense even though the joking was there to conceal it. "Fine, if that's where you feel comfortable."

"Okay, great," Percy said, sighing in relief. He manipulated the water to surge them back to the dock but probably miscalculated his strength because the canoe knocked right into the dock. Annabeth yelped and fell forward into Percy's lap, her nose getting squished against his chest, and landing clumsily on her knee that she had nicked earlier.

"Jeez!" Annabeth cried, scrambling back to examine her knee. "You just couldn't wait to injure me before our next spar, huh?"

Percy swatted her hands away to take a look, his facial expressions were beginning to look like he enjoyed seeing her in pain. "Sorry, sorry! What happened to those fast reflexes you were talking about earlier?"

Annabeth glared at him, stretching out her knee until the pain subsided. "I'm not even going to argue you with, just please help me out."

Percy suppressed the grin he want to showcase and pulled himself out of the canoe to offer a hand out to Annabeth, who gripped it so firmly that he winced in slight pain but accepted it because he probably deserved it.

After arguing about whether or not Percy could wear Annabeth's invisibility cap, they began their short lived journey to Percy's precious Fireworks Beach.

Annabeth felt elated being near Percy and watching his mood shift as he drank in the tranquilizing properties that were provided by the Long Island Sound. She stood a few feet back and observed him as he wadded into the water at ankle level. He had picked out a few stones on their way to the beach because he said it was necessary for the 'process', which he also refused to describe. She watched as he took a stone out of his pocket and angled it at the water to achieve the skipping motion he had planned for. Of course, it skipped a lot further than the average person could accomplish and that seemed to satisfy Percy. He did this for several minutes, completely engaged in the art of skipping stones.

Annabeth opened her sketchbook and decided that Percy wasn't going to get his glorious abs and fierce expression that he had wanted. Witnessing Percy in a relaxed state was more inspiring to her and definitely something she was more open to sketching. This was something that she wanted to sketch because she felt like it was something he needed to see when he needed to center himself. If he didn't want it, it would be something that she might need to see when she couldn't find it within herself to feel aligned.

About ten minutes had passed before Percy returned to Annabeth and ventured over to her side, which quickly made her angle her sketchbook away from him. "You can't look! Go skip some more stones or something."

"Um, pretty sure I gave you consent to draw me which means I have the right to see the artistic process," Percy pointed out, reaching for the sketchbook.

"Are you ready to talk to me about your memories?" Annabeth inquired, raising her eyebrows at Percy and jutting out her lower lip.

Percy drew back, sighing. "Really? You're gonna blackmail me?"

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to, of course! I just want to know if the memories you're receiving are connected or random or if I could do anything to help jog them back. You're not obligated to but you'll just have to wait to see the sketch once I'm done," Annabeth said nonchalantly, shrugging and closing her sketchbook. "You know I hate not knowing things."

Percy huffed, assessing her with careful eyes before turning away to look at the water. "Yeah, I didn't know but I can definitely tell."

Annabeth's shoulders sagged. That morning had left her feeling nostalgic. It felt unreal that their banter had returned so seamlessly that it almost felt like she was speaking with, dare she mention it after having confusing internal battles, her Percy. She hated to make the comparison since he was the same person and didn't deserve that, but it was evident that she yearned for what they had before his disappearance. Of course it was rough around the edges, she could tell that Percy wasn't fully comfortable with her as it was hard for him to open up but the teasing and smiles had returned. Even if they never make it back to the romantic period of their relationship, Annabeth would value their friendship above anything. She wouldn't allow herself to not be in his life - someway, somehow.

"Are you okay, Percy?" Annabeth asked softly, trying not to let her worry be conveyed too openly.

Percy nodded, pursing his lips before he turned to look at Annabeth with a hint of pensiveness behind his eyes. "Look, I don't want to get your hopes up."

Annabeth nodded, confused. "Okay."

Percy continued, making sure he was facing her fully. "But, I think - no, I know that we shared a kiss at the Canoe Lake. Underneath the water. It seemed like a celebration because there was a bunch of campers around us and everyone was cheering. I remembered earlier today, I looked at you and, I don't know, I guess it triggered something. It was after I looked at Rainbow, so, sorry if I was acting weird. There were so many memories that flashed in what felt like seconds but that was the one that stuck. It took me all day to make sure I was actually seeing it replay in my mind. I just don't want you to think that me getting random memories is something that is always going to happen. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't want you to be too disappointed if there comes a point in time where it looks like I'm never getting the rest of my memories back."

"Oh," Annabeth whispered coarsely, feeling a little dazed. "Um. . ."

That probably wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked, his face contorting with apprehension.

Annabeth laughed with a lack of humor to follow it. "Am I okay? Dumb Seaweed Brain, always asking to make sure I'm okay before you ask yourself. Yes, I'm okay, Percy. Believe me. I'm just. . .happy. I just wasn't expecting you to tell me that. You deserve to be happy about this, too. I'm not ever going to be disappointed in you because of this situation but I think it's important to be happy about the little victories, too. You know?"

Percy smiled and Annabeth couldn't resist hugging him, squeezing him tight. Her happiness was elevated when she felt him squeeze back.

Percy shoulders sagged with relief. "Good, good. So, what happened that night? Was that our first kiss?"

Annabeth smirked at him. "No, actually, that was our third kiss or so. It was the night of your sixteenth birthday, the day that Kronos was also defeated. Your brother, Tyson, and I had baked you a blue cupcake. It was a really bad cupcake, by the way, but I could tell you appreciated it, nonetheless. Anyway, as years had gone by with us being best friends, everyone knew there was tension building up between us and we knew it too. You were trying to admit your feelings to me and obviously I didn't make it easy for you. Just after we kissed, we were caught by some campers who were eavesdropping and they threw us in the lake. Though, we didn't come back up for quite some time, as you now know."

As Annabeth began to speak, they had moved into their own sitting positions in the sand below them. Annabeth was happy to find Percy smirking while she was explaining what had happened, though, just as the happiness came it left almost instantly when her words settled into his mind. That was a trend she noticed in Percy, he sometimes wouldn't allow himself to feel happiness. She saw him look down at his hands and clench his jaw in a way that was so familiar to her now. She instantly knew that he was upset.

"Annabeth, I've been so angry," Percy admitted after a few seconds of silence, his face taking on a brooding expression she was sad to see. "It's like I want to hear about all these memories and moments but as soon as I do, I regret it. I'll be real, there are times where they don't make me happy. I feel so pissed off all the time and I try to mask it with me being serious about the war and my 'duty' as Praetor but it's far from that. It makes me so fucking angry that I can't even remember someone so important like my girlfriend or especially my own mom. I hate that I have to figure everything out and can't be present in those moments where everyone is reminiscing. How am I supposed to know I've pissed off all of these gods and monsters? If I didn't have the Curse of Achilles I probably would've been dead before I even had the chance to reach Camp Jupiter. Why did Jason and I have to get our entire lives taken away from us? From what everyone's told me, I've done nothing but help the gods, so why I am being punished?"

Percy laid back in the sand with one arm bended behind his head, and one of his legs propped up while the other was straightened. He was looking up at the night sky, his green eyes glistening beautifully with the help of the soft glow coming from the moon. Annabeth had always found Percy attractive but it was moments like this, where he let his guard down and was especially vulnerable, that she found him to be awfully striking. Annabeth took a moment to just stare at him and really drink in his image as he was immersed in his own world, sending a prayer to the gods as a thanks for bringing him back to her. She should've known better that it would come with a catch, but he was here, nonetheless.

Feeling reckless and desperately needy, Annabeth cautiously lowered herself down next to Percy, filling the space his bended arm left for her against his side. She chanced it even more when she scooted herself closer to him, laying her head on his chest. Annabeth could feel Percy's heart beating fast as he tensed against her, but once she got comfortable, she felt him slowly relax. She was aware that she shouldn't be engaging in such intimate acts with him but she felt compelled to be near him in such a way. If he refused, she would obviously respect that but he seemed to be fine with it when he wrapped his arm around her. For a moment, just a moment, she wanted to feel his heartbeat since it had been so long. She sighed sadly, unconsciously drawing a circle across his chest with her pointer finger.

"You're special, Percy. The gods can see it and it shows in your strength and perseverance to stay alive. You take the son of Poseidon and the son of Jupiter, two people who are extremely capable of taking down deities with godly powers and both are well-liked and respected at their places of origin. Then, you get them to unite two opposing worlds to take down a force greater than the gods? I understand the whole schizophrenic thing with not being able to communicate properly with being both a Greek and Roman god, I guess. And, I mean, Hera's plan was extremely flawed - she really didn't have to take your memory - but I see the logic behind it," Annabeth mused, pausing to lay her hand flat against his chest.

Percy sighed. "Alright, so I'm special, okay. But why not you? Why not Nico? Or Reyna. All powerful demigods. All very special. From what I've heard and what you've told me, you've been there every step of the way and I'm pretty sure most of what I've done can't be credited without acknowledging you."

"Eh, can't say you're completely wrong about that," Annabeth joked, looking up at Percy with a slight smile. "But Hera hates me and I'm positive that that influenced her decision but I wasn't the one battling gods at age twelve. Fighting giants isn't on my resume yet, either. Honestly, you're incredibly powerful, brave, and strong. I know you can't remember everything completely, but the stories you hear about yourself are true. You're everything the gods would need in someone who is able to lead and bring about influence to two groups with historical bad blood. Percy, they made you Praetor. A Greek demigod holding a Roman position? Obviously, you're extremely impactful and even the Romans noticed it. There really wouldn't be anyone better than you, unfortunately."

"Hera hates you?" Percy laughed, doing his best to swallow the flattery Annabeth was giving him without his heart racing with her pressed against him. He really liked when she talked about him like that, like he really mattered. "You've got to tell me why."

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain, you're not the only with godly enemies out there, alright?" Annabeth claimed jokingly, presenting him with a faux holier-than-thou expression. "She thought I was being disrespectful because I was defending her behavior against Nico and Hephaestus when were on a quest in the Labriynth. She threw her own son off of Olympus and yet she spews hypocritical nonsense about the importance of family when she only strives for a perfect one and attempts to remove whatever doesn't fit her image. She had cows follow me everywhere for, like, a year and leave me little presents."

"Wow," Percy breathed out another laugh, "Seems pretty brutal."

"It really was, but I've experienced things far more brutal. I'd step in cow shit for another whole year if it meant you wouldn't have disappeared," Annabeth said quietly, squeezing her eyes shut to halt herself before she got too emotional.

Annabeth kept her eyes closed as she felt Percy lift himself up in a sitting position, inadvertently making Annabeth sit up, as well. Annabeth opened her eyes but kept them downcast, absentmindedly playing with the sand beneath her. Even if Percy was relearning who she was and getting know her again, she still felt insanely drawn to him. It was just what made sense to her, and she just couldn't keep her guard up. No matter how guarded Percy would be or how reserved Annabeth would try to act, they both felt this innate capacity to be drawn to each other. They agreed to be friends and Annabeth wanted to respect that but, at times, she longed to be held by him. Through his actions, Annabeth knew Percy felt the same, even if he didn't know how to word it or process it emotionally yet.

Annabeth peered up at Percy, to find him not meeting her eyes but her lips. Though, when he did meet her eyes, there was a ripple in the ambiance they shared. Annabeth tried her best to restrain herself, reminding herself that this wasn't right - they were just caught up in the moment and she she shouldn't confuse him further; however, the ambiance persisted and completely deteriorated the stronghold she had built that was common sense.

Everything happened so quickly:

Annabeth grasping Percy tightly by the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer to her. Percy grabbing Annabeth by the waist and pulling her closer to him. From their positions, Annabeth was straddling Percy and Percy's hand were exploring Annabeth's hips, waist, and anything that they could possibly touch. Their lips, however, were engaging in the most vicious battle they had ever been in before. Annabeth bit Percy's lip, tugging it gently, and resumed kissing him feverishly. Percy unconsciously gripped Annabeth's butt, causing her to gasp, and kiss him even harder. Percy was fine letting Annabeth take the lead but he couldn't resist kissing her back with even more intensity than from before. He gripped her hair and rubbed his tongue against her lips, asking for permission to explore. She gladly accepted.

Annabeth hadn't felt this blissful in a long time, so she moved her head back to take a good look into his eyes and hold the memory of them in her mind. They were hooded with desire and stared back at her with just as much longing. Annabeth pushed Percy back onto the sand, kissing along his neck, behind his ears, across his cheek, to his chin, and finally to his lips. Annabeth and Percy were so caught up in each other, that they didn't hear the approaching screeches coming from the cleaning harpies until they had sand kicked up at them.

"Disobedient demigods!" a harpy screeched so loud, it painfully rung in both Percy and Annabeth's ears. "Dinner for hungry, hungry harpies!"

Beside her, Annabeth saw Percy sputtering and he quickly got up, yanking her up with him. Instantly, they ran away from the Fireworks Beach, as fast as they could with their feet being submerged in sand, still hearing the harpies screech as they chased them. Annabeth tugged Percy's hands out of hers, and pulled her invisibility cap on much to Percy's confusion. He looked back to try to find her, and was thrown off when he was thrown forward from a force he couldn't identify.

"What the-"

"Go!" Percy heard Annabeth's voice say, a tinge of laughter adorning her command. "I'll meet you at your cabin!"

Percy obediently ran to his cabin, finally remembering that Annabeth had an invisibility cap. He was doing a pretty good job ignoring the pissed off looks he was getting from campers that had been woken up from the loud screeching the harpies produced and kept his mind focused on getting away. He looked extremely disheveled but he didn't have time to care about that, all he wanted was for the harpies to get off his back and for a certain someone to possibly do some things to ease his back pain.

When Percy got to his cabin, he slammed the door shut and huffed and puffed his way to a neighboring wall near his door. He leaned against it, collecting his breath for a second before he pushed off of it to head to the bathroom. He was instantly shoved back into the wall by a force he could only now assume was Annabeth.

"Ow, fuck - mmm," Percy breathed out, his eyes wide as he made out with an invisible Annabeth. Annabeth tore off her invisibility cap and gave Percy an award-winning smile.

They both looked at each other, smiling goofily before bursting out with laughter.

"Thanks for leaving me hanging!" Percy said with a lick of laughter hanging off of his tongue.

"What do you mean? I was right beside you the entire time!" Annabeth defended herself with mirth shining in her eyes, she loved seeing the excitement and good-natured energy radiating off of Percy.

"Yeah, but no one saw you almost get your ass kicked by harpies!"

"Oh, boo hoo! The strong Hero of Olympus is afraid of getting - hey, what are you-" Annabeth was cut off by Percy lifting her over his shoulder and throwing her onto his bed.

Annabeth squealed unintentionally and sat up, a beautiful fire lighting up in her eyes that indicated a fight was coming, but was pushed back onto the bed by Percy, who climbed on top of her and had pinned her arms above her head.

"I'm afraid of what?" Percy taunted, his voice low and his lips caressed her neck, grazing across the surface but never settling into a kiss.

Annabeth bit her lip, shutting her eyes to ignore the tickle against her neck. "I don't know. Everything and nothing but all at once. Just kiss me already."

And so he did. Multiple times. Multiple places.

Author's Note: Zoo wee mama that was long. 8K words, y'all. Sorry for the wait guys, I've been so busy with school and work! I didn't mean for it be long, but it felt right. If you guys genuinely don't like long chapters, I'll condense it. I'm gonna predict that there's going to be maybe two chapters left or maybe I'll go to ten chapters, just know this story will be completed. That is something I'm committing to. Hope you guys enjoyed, it's gonna be juicier don't worry we gotta build up! ;)

CHAPTER SHOUTOUT: Mdm. Holmes , minuscandy , riptidethesword , Violet2971 , MondlerFanKay , I've never been so tired , , Nora , yesdaddy (lmao i love it!). Everyone who reviewed last chapter is getting a shoutout because I genuinely appreciate the support and thank you for being patient with me! Reviews are honestly one of my favorite parts of writing on here because I love hearing feedback, opinions, and thoughts on my work!

Would you guys prefer two longer chapters or four condensed chapters? No promises, but I'd rather do what you guys prefer. :)

Stay safe!

-MotherOfFandoms