Chapter Eighteen: Forgotten
Annabeth POV
I kept my mind open just in case any more of those visions came, but I saw nothing like that for the next few days. In fact, I saw nothing… at all, really. Except for Percy and the others. There was really nothing to see in a blank white world.
I sighed. We'd tried everything to somehow restore my memory. I remembered Nico writing REMEMBER THIS! on my forehead. I also recalled being told to bang my head on the word "Percy". This, to my surprise, scattered the letters everywhere, but fortunately they bounced back into "Percy" again.
I closed my eyes. I was exhausted. Trying to regain my memory was tougher than I thought.
When I woke up the next morning, Kana immediately grabbed me and pulled me to where everyone else was standing.
"Okay, everyone!" Her form flickered, so that she was invisible. "We have to hurry up and find a solution to this problem!"
"How in the Hades do we do that?" Nico demanded. "We've tried everything!"
"Have no fear!" she declared, becoming visible again. "We shall conquer this, as we have conquered many problems before!"
I thought I detected uncertainty in her eyes.
"How about this! Oh! Oh! Annabeth remembered Percy's name, right? SO, what if he kissed her or something?"
I stared in shock.
Percy blushed a little. Then he turned to me. "U-um, Annabeth…? I…"
I looked at him. My entire face was red. "Er… okay," I squeaked. I couldn't believe I was going to kiss a random guy! Sure, he claimed to be my boyfriend, but I still didn't know him!
I sat facing him, and he slowly leaned in. I could feel myself growing hot. He went even closer to me, and I could feel his breath on my lips.
Closer, closer… inches apart…
… closer, closer… centimeters apart…
… closer, closer…
Too close.
At the last moment, I pulled back and rolled into a tight ball, my arms hugging my knees.
Percy looked at me curiously. "What's wrong?"
Something flashed before my eyes.
I could see something. Then I realized what it was—a vision. Another fragment… of my past life.
"How about a kiss for luck? I mean, it's kind of like a tradition, right?"
"Come back alive, Seaweed Brain. Then we'll see."
I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Everything was so confusing. I badly just wanted my old life to return to me. I wanted to know who Percy was. I wanted Kana to live. I wanted to remember everyone, even quiet Nico.
Why? Why me?
I stood up and ran off. A single tear fell onto my palm. After a bit, I collapsed on the ground, the tears pouring down endlessly.
Percy POV
Yup. Of course I got up and followed her ('cuz, you know, I'm just that guy who doesn't give people their personal space).
I looked around wildly until I located her silouette sprawled on the ground. Sobs racked her body. I walked up to her and knelt down.
"Annabeth, I—"
"Percy," she interrupted, not looking at me. "Help."
Annabeth POV
"You," I said. "I remembered your name. You've got to be the key. It must be you that will help me regain my memory."
Maybe it was a kiss. Maybe a kiss would do the job…
I brushed the thought away. There was no way I could ever kiss him. I couldn't do it. I didn't have the willpower.
Images flashed. Another vision…
"Only the strong and clever can wield a knife. I think you're good enough."
"I…"
I could see a boy—a blond-haired boy I'd never seen before. He was standing with a black-haired girl. I saw him passing a knife to me.
Instinctively, I reached for it, but my hand connected with something that wasn't really knife-shaped.
It was Percy's face.
I withdrew my hand. "S-sorry…" I mumbled. "Thought you were a knife."
Percy looked really perplexed. He opened his mouth and he probably said something, but I didn't hear him because the visions were starting up again.
"Annabeth, this is Percy."
"Hi, Annabeth."
"You drool in your sleep."
.
.
.
"Finally!"
"The lovebirds need to cool off!"
.
.
.
"Percy, if we live through this…"
"Don't say things like that. Of course we'll live through this."
.
.
.
"College… can we go there together? What will you study?"
"Um… surfing?"
.
.
.
"Ugh, you're impossible."
"Love you too!"
"I… Percy, I…"
I felt blackness taking over. I fell to the ground, unconscious.
Percy POV
I inhaled sharply. What was happening? It was the same as that day when I took a walk with her. She dropped to her knees, screaming.
Before long, the screams subsided. I rushed over to Annabeth and brushed the hair out of her eyes. She was unconscious.
Her cheeks were burning.
I took her and ran back to the others, setting her down on top of "Percy".
"Percy, what happened?" Kana asked.
"I don't know!" I said. "She…" We turned to look at her figure on the ground. "I'm really worried…"
Annabeth POV
I opened my eyes to find myself standing in a totally different world. One with colors. One with shapes and all sorts of things. I looked up. I could see someone standing up ahead. This must be a dream, I thought.
I rushed up to them. They were quite odd. There was a girl who was buff and had brown hair. There was also another brown-haired girl, but she had green skin. Then there was this guy who was just strange, since half of his body was a goat.
"Who… are you?" I asked them.
The brown-haired girl with green skin dipped her head. "My name is Juniper. The satyr here is Grover, and this is Clarisse."
"Where is this?"
"This is Outside of the soul of your diary," Clarisse said, "but that's not important right now. We have something to tell you."
"We're currently being possessed," Grover said, "but we can talk to you normally through this dream."
"You need to save us," said Juniper. "Help us. Be strong. You have people depend on you. A girl named Sai Nishiki erased your memory due to jealousy of you and Percy. She also is the one who possessed us. Before long, we will die if you don't regain your memories, since the diary is what possessed us."
"Be strong," Clarisse said. "Many people's lives depend on the choice you make. Kana's, ours, and even yours. You won't live for long if you stay in that blank white world. Kiss Percy, okay?"
"I… can't," I said. "I don't know him."
"You do," Juniper said, stepping forward. "You remembered his name. You might not know it, but some part of you, deep inside, remembers and loves him. Let that part out. Don't be afraid. You are a strong girl."
"Fight it," Grover told her. "For us…"
"… and for you."
They vanished, and I woke up.
The first thing I saw was Percy's concerned face. "Annabeth, thank gods you're awake!" he said. "Please, don't go through this anymore. We—Kana and I—talked this through. She's willing to sacrifice herself if it means you won't be stressed like that. So please don't scare us like tha—"
I stuck my hand out and touched his cheek gently, leaning in.
Closer, closer…
Closer, closer…
Closer, closer…
I paused for a moment.
Fight it, for us…
… and for you.
I closed the gap between the two of us, capturing my lips with his.
Chapter end.
You can probably see that the end of the story is coming up! I will probably write a sequel, or at least some sort of other related story whatchamacallit (I actually found that word in the dictionary, haha).