Third Person

He fell to the ground, bone sword in hand and began screaming. He thrashed and as he continued to flail around on the ground the liquids in the room lifted from their stands and somehow the sword glowed always keeping itself away from the body of the man. The new kid just watched him, unsure of what to do but still angry nonetheless. It became apparent that through the screams he was yelling full words and names.

Names from Annabeth to Thalia, Grover to Leo, Luke to Beckendorf, Silena to Clarisse.

And then silence. He didn't move for what seemed like hours and by that time Chiron had appeared. Apollo kids had been trying to touch him and move him, but every time anyone came near the sword was swung. Had they not reacted fast enough their heads could have been severed from their bodies. Chiron had continued to yell about staying back and let the memories do what they must.

The entire Rec Room was filled with silence. Everyone watching. Waiting. For something to happen. From seemingly out of nowhere the gray hair on his head began changing to black. All but a single strand that glowed silver. The wrinkles disappeared from his skin, and his skin changed to a deep tan. 

His eyes opened and his previous dark green sad eyes had changed to vibrant sea green. Yet it still seemed that he wasn't quite all there.

His eyes moved until they landed on Charlie and he uttered one single word, "Annabeth?"

Then he slumped backward and his wrinkles returned, followed by the wrinkles etching themselves into his skin.

??? POV

I felt a familiar grasp on my hand. I looked down and saw nothing. Nothing had happened in months maybe even years. We had been in one place for so long you couldn't tell how much time had passed. 

My hand felt squeezed again a gasp tore itself through my body. Someone from my past had held the enchanted item that I shipped away with the special package and only one person could have given me this feeling.

The squeeze on my hand tightened and suddenly a face appeared in my mind. The person was struggling and I felt useless. When their eyes barely flickered open I smiled. 

I held out my hands and touched their face. Recognition spread across their face and they said my name. I merely smiled and suddenly I was back in the dark room.

We weren't hopeless anymore.

Percy's POV

My entire life was shoved into that one flashback and when I woke I thought I was dead. The sword still in my hand should have killed me by my movements but it somehow kept itself away.

I looked around the room and saw the entire room watching me apprehensively, my eyes landed on my son and saw in his eyes his anger.

I simply handed him her sword back and waited for him to say something, ANYTHING.

"Where were you?"

My head snapped to attention when he spoke, the silence had been broken and the entire room practically held its breath waiting for a response. 

"I was mourning."

"MOURNING?! You couldn't have spoken to your son in your 18 years of mourning?"

"I didn't know you existed."

"How the hell not?"

"Annabeth disappeared 50 years ago. I have been mourning for 50 YEARS! I THOUGHT SHE WAS DEAD OKAY?! I THOUGHT THAT PERCY JACKSON'S DEATH TOLL FINALLY DECIDED TO PICK UP HIS FAMILY!"

"You could have at least visited your mother."

"If I saw her then I would see them. Then he would see me. He would talk some sense into me and I would have to accept the fact that she was just gone."

"How am I only 18 then?"

"Because he's holding them all in a place where time passes differently."

"Who is?"

"Tartarus."

I turned my back from everyone and walked away. This was the most truthful I had been in 50 years. I needed to cool off.

I ran from the tension in that room just like I ran from my problems all those years ago and decided it was time to visit the arena. I needed to destroy some dummies.

A FEW HOURS LATER

I had been slashing dummies for so long that by the time I was done it was dark outside. I picked up what was left of the remains and began to walk to my cabin.

"What happened?"

I whipped my body around and soon had a sword around the person's neck. When my eyes adjusted to the dark I realized it was Charlie.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard."

I capped Riptide and watched him.

"So what happened?"

"You look just like her."

Silence.

"Sorry, it's just that. I haven't been able to look at a picture of her in years and all of a sudden your here in front of me. And I-I should have been there for you."

"Can I see her?"

I bowed my head slightly and nodded. I started walking again to Cabin 3 and when I opened the door I was greeted by a pile of dust. In a blink, I had water surrounding me and all of the dust was gone in seconds.

"There are no pictures here."

"Resting at the bottom of the ocean. I was on a rampage when the last of them disappeared. If anyone got within 5 feet of me they were thrown back 50 yards. And the only people left for me to throw were the gods and immortals."

I turned around just to see is face form the silent 'O'.

"So how are you going to show me a picture?"

"Kid, I got skills."

I walked up to the fountain and created a rainbow with the light in the room. 

"O, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the highlights of Annabeth Chase's life."

The water formed to show a 7-year-old girl in an alley attacking an unprepared Luke. I saw the same girl at age 12 hovering over a 12-year-old boy talking about his drool. I watched as she scared everyone she knew into submission and charged through battlefields. I watched her cry all over again, and mature, and laugh. It blinked to a blue birthday 'brick' with a single candle on it. And then the best underwater kiss ever. We watched as that same girl searched under every brick in the world looking for the worlds largest 'Seaweed Brain.' And then there was the fall. I rewatched the entire Tartarus experience. I saw both of our lives all the way until she was gone. Finally, the rainbow blinked out, and I was left with tears in my eyes.

I managed to glance at the boy to my left and saw his eyes sparkling with tears.

"That was her?"

"Ya, that IS her. She's not gone yet. We have to believe that."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."

"No need to apologize. You had every right to say all that. If I were in your position there would probably be a Category 5 Hurricane outside and a major Earthquake on the way."

His eyes widened, "Can I...?"

"Nah. You got the lucky genes. You're less earthshaker and more owl brain."

"But wouldn't it be more useful to have the earth-"

"Haha. Don't let your mother hear you say that. Brain always trumps brawn and she's both."

"Do you think I'm ever going to actually get to meet her or is she gonna die of old age?"

"Annabeth right now is probably around 21. I really hope we get her back and when we do your mom is going to be around your age. Hopefully, they can find a way to de-age me. I've already lived a full life without her. Now I want to live a full life with her."

"I hope so too Dad."

My heart froze in my chest and the first real smile appeared on my face. Something that hasn't happened in decades.

I have a son.