Chapter three: Quod Reconciliat

Disclaimer: I see a lot of people saying Rick Riordan does not write fanfiction and therefore I am not him…but if he actually does write something and post it here, it wouldn't be fanfiction….it would be canon. I'll leave you be while you slowly decide to contemplate your existence.

P.S. – I'm not someone skilled enough to convince everyone that Zeus wears a purple pinstriped suit and that Mt. Olympus is on the 600'th floor of the ESB.

"Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity, and you are the mirror."

- Kahlil Gibran

Annabeth's POV:

Annabeth, Jason and Hazel had just defeated Enceladus, the anti-Athena. True to form, Annabeth had perfectly analysed the battle and come up with the most efficient way to defeat him. The war had been devastating, but due to death being chained for the most part of the battle, there were fewer demigod casualties than expected. Annabeth herself had struck the finishing blow against Enceladus with the help of Terminus, the god of Boundaries and even though she knew she should be happy, she couldn't help but feel a pang of loss thinking about her friends.

When she had woken up at the Wolf House in Sonoma, the only thing she could remember was the name of a place, a place that evoked memories of happiness, adventure, togetherness and contentment. She had found her way to Camp Jupiter but in her heart, she knew she belonged at Camp Half-Blood. Her friends – Leo, Piper, Katie, The Stoll Brothers, Grover and even Clarisse were there. Her brother Malcolm was there and there was another name, a name that felt far more important than all of them, but it eluded her grasp, like an eel twisting and turning. Once or twice, she had dreamt about her adventures at Camp Half Blood, but she felt as if the memories were incomplete, as if something, or someone, had been taken away, leaving a gaping hole in their absence. She resolved to find out whatever she had forgotten, whoever she had forgotten, but for now, it was time to rest.

Jason had asked Annabeth to become praetor, but she had refused, knowing that it would only be temporary at best. So, when the war was over and they had won, Hazel had been promoted to the position. No one said she wasn't qualified, no one pointed out her lineage as the daughter of the God of Death, for everyone had come to appreciate in the battle just how important it was that the dead remained that way. Restoring the Legion's Eagle and retrieving much needed Imperial Gold weapons had only bolstered everyone's belief that she should be praetor. Annabeth was happy for her, she deserved this. When she woke up in a bed the next morning rather than in a moving vehicle or a park bench, she realized just how desperately she had needed the rest. Suddenly, Gwen, a centurion in the Fifth Cohort rushed into her room and said," Get ready, there's an emergency senate meeting in ten minutes."

And she had the urge to make some joke like, "So do I just wrap the bed-sheets around my body?" but she resisted the impulse, seeing as how an emergency meeting could only mean more trouble. Of course, she also knew the meeting was most likely about the Greek Trireme headed towards Camp Jupiter. A few days ago, they had received a video-scroll from Leo telling everyone in typical Leo fashion that they were going to come to Camp Jupiter in a heavily armed, flying warship but "don't blow a fuse and blast his beautiful ship out of the sky." At the time, the camp was preoccupied with the impending battle but as soon as it was over, they had decided to hold a senate meeting in true roman fashion in order to discuss their response. They reached the Senate House and sat down. Annabeth heard Octavian try to rile the crowd up by reminding them about how the Greeks were backstabbing traitors and how they had fought against Rome from the very beginning.

Annabeth saw more and more people listening to him and decided to do something about it. When Octavian said "We won against Enceladus, why do more? Why tempt fate?", she saw it as an opening and said, "That's an excellent question Octavian." He stammered "I wasn't" "part of the quest, yes, and I was. So, thank you for allowing me to explain." She said. She took a moment to compose herself so that she wouldn't start laughing at Octavian who was sitting down with a disgruntled expression on his face, practically fuming with anger. "You all saw me fight for this camp, saw me go on a quest with Hazel, your praetor and Frank to free Thanatos. We retrieved the Golden Standard and fought to protect this place. You say Greeks and Romans have never fought together but we have. While you were attacking Mt. Othyrs, I.." and then she faltered. She clearly remembered the battle, but it was as if something important was missing. She hated this feeling, her brain had always been her greatest strength and the knowledge that this time, she couldn't rely upon it was like an itch that wouldn't go away. This, however, was not the time for doubt. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "our camp protected Mt. Olympus from Kronos and Hyperion. We have worked together in the past and if we want to survive, we will have to do the same now. If it turns out to be a trap, I will fight with you like I did yesterday. I swear it on my life."

Jason and Hazel seemed to come to an agreement. Jason stood up and said," We all saw how Annabeth saved our camp yesterday, without her, we would not have been able to overturn Enceladus and his army. She was offered the praetorship of New Rome in fact. And if what she says turns out to be true, then Reyna will be with them. We will not attack the ship, but we will mobilize the legion." After the Senate was over, Octavian came up to her and whispered, "For your sake, I hope you are right. We take blood oaths very seriously here." And walked away. Then Hazel came up to me and said, "You know what you're doing right? Octavian is a legacy of Apollo and his family is very influential. If the Greeks do betray us, even we won't be able to do anything to help you. Octavian will have you executed." "Don't worry Hazel" I said. Besides, if we have any hope of surviving our quest, we'll have to work together because this time it's not a titan or even a giant who is our enemy, we are fighting against the Earth itself. Nature will turn against us." "Then I guess we better get going, because it looks like your warship is already here."

She said. And when Annabeth turned around, she saw it. A huge, 200 foot long trireme sailing in the sky with a celestial bronze hull, gleaming shields all along it's side, two rotating ballistae that looked like they could punch through solid concrete and a fire breathing mechanical dragon as a masthead. The Argo II. It was the most beautiful warship she had ever seen. From here, she could only see two people. One was a girl wearing a purple cape and eagle medallion – the symbols of the praetor, "that must be Reyna" she thought. Then her eyes turned to the other figure. He was close enough now to see that he had strong, handsome features, sea-green eyes and a body toned with muscle that spoke of years of training and combat experience. He exuded an aura of power that was just as strong, if not stronger than Jason. Looking at him, she felt an intense longing, a pain in the pit of her stomach, her heart rate went up. She felt as if she knew him, as if she had known him forever. But at the same time, it was as if she had never met him before.

She had no memory of him and she felt her heart contracting when they made eye contact and he smiled at her, and his eyes glistened, threatening barely unspilled tears. His eyes looked at her as if she were his air, his food and his sustenance. He looked at her the way Frank had looked at Hazel before she had pushed them together. She knew she should remember him, felt as if she should know him like she knew herself, but for the life of her, she could not understand why.

Author's note: Please don't kill me everyone. With that being said, since last chapter was a filler, I felt as if this chapter should have some substance to it. Please try to REVIEW and give me a few suggestions. It'll mean the world to me, and as with everyone else, knowing that people are reading my work gives me that extra burst of enthusiasm required to write a good story. Also, check out my poll for the next story and tell me what you'd like me to write next!

Peace out!