We now return to our regularly scheduled program. I didn't originally plan Annabeth's arrival to get two whole chapters, but hey, who's complaining about more content of this? Certainly not me!

PJOPJO

Jason jumped to his feet with a stance that meant battle was still afoot.

He took a deep breath though and marched, literally like his steps were being counted, past Thalia and snatched his beanbag up, hauling it to where Nico's was and throwing himself violently into it as answer.

Sparks were still flitting around his head like a power outage gone very wrong, (they were pretty sure he couldn't set the furniture on fire?) but at least he'd stopped taking his turn to try and kill them all.

"Jason," Thalia tried again, the heartbreak in her voice clear, but he turned his face away with anger she knew she had to give space to or risk the wrath of far worse.

"I'm really hoping this finally trumps my screaming fit," Magnus said into the awkward silence. "Surely Annabeth showing up and nearly getting this place blown to hell finally makes me seem not that bad, right?"

"As if Maggie," the last girl scoffed and put her hands on her hips, her swagger enough to fill this room. "If I ever let you live that down then I'm having a bad day."

"Is there even an explanation for what you two are doing here?" Annabeth asked them as she came forward, her arms open hopefully to her cousin.

Magnus smiled in surprise and hesitantly came forward. The hug was just as awkward, but just as sincere as her boyfriends. Magnus even gave her a rapid pat on the back too before pulling back.

There was something about his appearance that nagged at Annabeth's mind instantly, but she couldn't quite place it as he smiled and gestured to his friend, "Alex, Annabeth. You obviously know everybody else."

"Alex Fierro," Alex would never let anybody introduce her but herself with a grand bow. "Genderfluid, she/ her pronouns, a great admirer of your work to piggyback ride a fury."

"Alex is, abrasive," Thalia agreed to Annabeth's astounded look, anything to keep her broken-hearted eyes away from Jason. "You get used to her pretty quickly."

"You do?" Percy demanded, because he sure wasn't yet.

Annabeth was as quick a study as had been promised. She followed her instinct as she looked from her, to her cousin, to Jason Grace, and turned to Thalia, Alex watched with interest.

Nico had mentioned another Camp...Artemis's transformations...Hera's ploy...there were pieces and dots that needed to be connected. "Something happened to Artemis, but I'm sure she's safe." Annabeth said as her eyes repeated to all the kids who 'shouldn't be here.'

"That was my fault I'm afraid," Alex answered a touch guiltily. "Skadi. I couldn't help but think of her, seeing the goddess in person."

Magnus took it as a good sign that his cousins' surprised but accepting attitude of him being here instead of pelting him with toy soldiers as a good omen as she gave his arm a friendly squeeze he made himself tolerate for her sake and went back over to Percy.

She linked her arm with his and pulled him gently down onto two bean bags that they might as well sew together now. Thalia flopped miserably down beside her and took to looking at the same place Jason was glaring as if they'd inscribed the stars into the ceiling while Annabeth cautiously picked up the book.

"This is what's causing so much trouble huh?" She chuckled.

"We can take a break while you catch up," Will instantly offered, studying her clinically.

While she could do with a good, long, overdue nap, she felt plopped right into the middle of the story out of turn. She knew exactly what was about to happen to a once leaderly figure of their camp, and that everybody was going to need a break soon enough, so she shook her head and tucked her feet beneath her to get comfortable and settled just a hair's breadth apart from Percy's side, unlinking their arms. It was taking all of her self-control not to bury her face into his neck and never move from that position already. "Oh no, don't let me interrupt. I'm plenty caught up."

"Well we know that's at least a partial dam lie," Alex snickered.

Annabeth's blank look only proved that.

"Inside jokes aside," Percy said rapidly, so thrilled to have her back he kept thinking he was dreaming, and if anyone dared pinch him he'd cut off their hand. He could have read the whole book by himself! He could have hit any target on the archery range! He could have eaten vegetables and not made a single snide comment! "There's like, a gazillion of these things and Alex thinks they're color coded to us and we have no clue why Jason and I woke up down here with no memory and I am really, really glad you're okay!"

Annabeth squeezed his hand, her nails digging in for a moment that should have been painful as she met his eyes and murmured just for him, "you have no idea how much I agree."

He started floating a few feet off the ground with the goofiest smile on his face and Annabeth quickly yanked him back into his seat by his shirt collar. "Knock it off seaweed brain." The less he indulged in his abilities the better.

"Well I can mark a life goal off of my list," Alex said cheerfully watching the display.

It wasn't until Percy finally managed to clear his throat and offered to take the book that Annabeth remembered, "hey wait, tell Annabeth what?"

Percy froze, a new kind of petrified look on his face nobody had gotten to see before with Annabeth right next to him.

He tried to start reading, loudly, like he hadn't heard, and Annabeth was so shocked to see that of all things from her boyfriend she threw her head back and laughed without a care in the world.

Percy was so dumbstruck with joy to finally get to hear that in person, right next to his ear, her clear voice like a siren- that he had no defense as she tugged sharply on his ear, causing him to yelp and squeal, "Rachel kissed me goodbye and I'm sorry!"

"Oh, that," she scoffed, still chuckling as she nestled into her place beside him. "Yeah, it came up once when we started talking about the most romantic let down kisses. Mine was when I kissed you and you exploded a volcano," she rolled her eyes without a care in the world. "You really have a track record Percy." She managed to say that without any of the deep jealousy she'd have felt hearing that back then. She'd grown, they were supposed to have grown past that together...but it wasn't Percy's fault he was still stuck in that moment.

He was left with his mouth hanging open with no idea where to start on any of that.

So Annabeth shrugged and reached over, plucking the book from him, and even politely closing his mouth as she read instead.

...as if she could smell the stench of the monsters she was being forced to carry.

Annabeth found herself adjusting quickly, just as she always had. To the strange idea this was all being told through Percy's eyes, to having all eyes on her like she was center stage.

Even to the fact that Percy winced, and shivered deep to his core. He might not remember what was about to happen, but the innermost part of himself had been branded with these experiences too much to forget. She watched with futile anger she couldn't do anything as he took several deep breaths and averted his eyes away from her, then back, and again so rapidly because nothing was easing the pain of losing his friend away.

So she pressed her shoulder against his, like they were back to back on a mission preparing for the worst.

He relaxed at once. Not all the way, his spine was still too stiff in his seat like he expected a ruler to crack over his head any second, but he found himself smiling at Annabeth. The idea of Rachel vs Annabeth floated out of his mind like a bubble to be popped. The instant comfort he had just being next to her was an experience he'd been starting to think he'd never feel again, and it made this whole crazy trip down here suddenly much more bearable, actually feel possible.

...I'd almost died twice on the Princess Andromeda.

Annabeth tisked distastefully at being reminded of that.

Then she ran cold as she fully realized what was about to happen.

Percy didn't remember Luke. Percy was going to spend hours, possibly days referring to Luke as Kronos and visa versa. She didn't lean away from him, she wouldn't, couldn't after so much time wishing for him back, but she did read in a much less light tone.

Making the others all wince and fidget at Annabeth's battle attitude coming into view so quickly. She knew what had happened on this trip.

...dry runs in New Jersey, using abandoned ships as our targets.

"Where were you finding these abandoned ships chilling around Jersey?" Alex asked in fascination.

"I drug them up from the seafloor," Percy shrugged.

Magnus boggled at her boyfriend like that wasn't a perfectly normal thing for him to do, and she instantly felt bad for him. That she was now a part of interrupting his normal, mortal life with her mess.

...Gotcha, boss, he said. Man, I hate seeing that boat.

Will crooned for the poor Pegasus, telling Percy, "man, I hope you gave him extra sugar cubes when you got back."

Percy gave him a shaky smile, wanting to promise of course he did, that Beckendorf had come with him and promised to give him laser-hooves or something fantastical for all his help, but the words lodged in his throat.

... rather have his mane braided like My Little Pony than be back here again.

Thalia had been a secret fan of that, Annabeth smiled to herself. She'd stopped and ogled the toys in the window all the time. When she grinned at her now though, Thalia was still chewing on her lip and studying her combat boots. Annabeth again glanced at Jason, a brother she never knew about, and finally pieced together after all these years why Thalia had never thought it was funny when Annabeth tried to gift her the toys. Maybe it hadn't been Thalia who secretly liked the show.

..."Trust me," I said. "We'll get out by ourselves."

Percy gasped a shaky noise, his eyes sparking with fear and anger, a little pain, any number of things. Something went wrong, his gut was telling him that-

Annabeth slipped her hand back into Percy's. It was the natural thing to do, her stance shifting to support the book in her lap as if she'd done this a hundred times.

Percy's unease took a back burner to embarrassment all over again. A gesture his mind had conjured up a hundred times, something that had vividly happened in his own memory, but now that it was finally happening in person he stammered, "um, are we, underground?"

She looked at him blankly, before she pulled her hand away with a disappointed, understanding smile. Right, not there yet.

"Technically," Will offered in a sing-song voice, "we are underground. The bottom of the ocean is far below ground level!"

"Right," Percy said in relief, his hand twitching like he'd instantly regretted opening his stupid mouth and spooking her away.

She didn't really need an excuse at all, as she slipped her cold fingers back into his warm hand. He squeezed, and both breathed a sigh of relief like something finally felt right for the first time in a very long time.

Blackjack folded his wings and plummeted toward the boat like a black comet.

Thalia turned a little green around the edges at the idea, Jason noticed as his eyes instantly tracked back to her with worry. She'd have rather swam to this thing in the dead of winter and risk Neptune's rather than be on her own pegasus.

His anger only grew he knew something like that about her, but she apparently wasn't ever going to bother to share a thing with him.

...lightly coming to a landing on the lowest deck. I climbed off, feeling queasy.

Annabeth laughed lightly to herself in surprise. She'd once watched him and Grover spin each other around in wheely chairs and try to race each other to Thalia's tree, only to collide and collapse after two steps and laugh. They'd obviously been queasy and high on the feeling.

The light feeling wasn't destined to last as Percy's fingers tightened around her, seeking something she willingly gave back.

Good luck, boss. Don't let 'em turn you into horse meat!

"Blackjack's rivaling Tyson over here for the best life advice," Alex snorted.

Annabeth looked blankly at her for a moment as that registered. That this girl who she'd never met may perhaps know more intimate details about Percy's life than even she did. Her eyes did flicker to the rest of those books with a touch of longing now...maybe she would find time to read those.

...the smiling face of Silena Beauregard, daughter of Aphrodite.*

"Aw," Annabeth smiled, her heart thudding with misery at how she knew that story ended, and so regressing with, "did you know people have been putting photos in lockets all the way back since the 16th century? Queen Elizabeth the First's ring contained a portrait of herself on one side and her mother, Anne Boleyn, on the other."

"Have I mentioned yet I'm really glad to have you here Wise Girl?" Percy grinned at her, breaking the sudden pounding of his heart going off in his ears at such a random distraction.

"Has Percy mentioned yet he kept a picture of you in his school notebooks?" Alex asked devilishly.

Percy spluttered and went a painful shade of red in embarrassment as Annabeth laughed at the pair.

...For a second I saw worry in his eyes.

Percy couldn't draw a stick figure to save his life, but his hand cramped around his pen as he felt the need to somehow try and keep that moment alive. Something about that, the impending doom he'd let himself brush aside-

Annabeth's shaky breath beside him put a steadying weight on his center. She knew, she remembered, and she still had the same feeling coursing through him. That had to count for something?

... "The last time you smelled half-blood, it turned out to be a meatloaf sandwich!"

"What the heck is a meatloaf sandwich?" Nico asked in concern.

"You, you take a piece of meatloaf and put it between slices of bread?" Will answered in his own confusion, it sounded self-explanatory.

Nico's refined culinary taste buds were apparently being insulted as he looked at him like smushed candy on the bottom of his shoe. "Why?"

"I don't know," Will shrugged, "kids will put anything between two slices of bread and butter. Jelly beans, pizza, spaghetti, cereal."

Nico was pretty convinced he was being had, until Percy smacked his lips in appreciation at the idea and he instead just shook his head in disdain.

"Meatloaf sandwiches are good!" a second voice snarled.

"I've never had to take a monster's word on anything," Nico muttered, much to Will's great amusement he'd probably get him to try one now without question, with some warm butter and a large glass of milk.

..."Bah, your brain isn't on board!"

"I would volunteer to be on lookout just to keep getting to hear this," Thalia chuckled.

"You'd make a terrible lookout," Percy snorted, "you'd start adding in your own insults and then use them for target practice."

"I'm not hearing a downside. Nobody would see you sneaking around," she pointed out.

Percy rolled his eyes, leaning forward in his seat to clearly escalate the argument while Thalia smirked and was obviously going to wait around to hear it.

"Guys," Annabed groaned. "I've been in here five minutes and am already convinced Oceanus is going to pop in and send us all to Pluto if you two don't knock it off!"

"The planet, or the god?" Jason frowned.

"Neither one would work well for us," Annabeth nodded as if he'd made an excellent point.

They both sat back sheepishly while Annabeth read on as if nothing had happened.

Jason couldn't help a smile at her firm hand, he could see instantly where she got it from when Thalia used that exact same tone when Percy wasn't distracting her, though it only curdled his stomach with further anger that his sister had practically raised Annabeth and hadn't once bothered to fill him in on anything?!

... chain cutters, splitting the bolt like it was made of butter.

"Child of Hephaestus said What!" Alex busted out laughing.

"Well we can't say Grover's replacement isn't useful to have around," Magnus snorted, though he much would have preferred to hear about his quest to restore nature and having nice, safe adventures with daffodils and roses bickering than a bag of explosions!

He was clearly in the minority on that though.

...Maybe he was messaging his friends on uglyface.com.

"Holy Athena," Annabeth groaned as she looked around at him. "Are you like this all the time?"

Percy didn't even bother to deny it as he shrugged.

"I take back every time I told you you didn't have self-restraint," she told him in admiration. If she hadn't known any better, she would have thought he'd go right up and say that as a distraction. It was always a coin toss between that or focused, never both!

It almost sounded like a compliment, much to his instant shock and joy! Now if only he could remember the rest of the times she had told him that...

... He leaped sideways toward a big red alarm button,

"Damn, I hate when they're smart," Will winced.

"This is not going to be a very long-lasting relationship then," Nico muttered, causing Will to snort violently and give him a cheeky smile.

..."One down," Beckendorf said. "About five thousand to go."

"Which is why we keep score," Jason nodded adamantly, at least spurred on into breaking out of his grumpy silence by everybody else still having fun and still able to ignore Thalia's beseeching looks.

"So we can rub it in their faces all the better, yes Jason!" Percy cackled.

...Greek fire, one of the most dangerous magical substances in the world.

"I need to know the others," Alex told them with a disturbingly very effective sincere face. "For medicinal reasons to stay away from them."

"Oh, well, in that case," Annabeth began kindly, before she blasted on reading at the top of her lungs.

Bless this girl, everybody else sighed in relief, for instantly clocking Alex Fierro.

Then he threw me another essential tool of demigod heroes—duct tape.

"Don't get me started," Annabeth groaned. "The one-time duct tape and WD-40 haven't fixed a problem and the Camp smelt like bananas for months!"

"I have so many questions," Percy promised.

Annabeth turned to him with excitement clear in her eyes, somehow having stumbled upon a story she hadn't managed to tell him yet, but then she got a good look at him again. The way he leaned back in his seat, just slightly. The way his hand kept twitching in hers, so loose. She wanted nothing more than to share that sporadic memory with him, but she wanted them to be back on even ground again more.

...besides. Luke had been involved in that, and she didn't think he was ready for that yet...again...whatever.

..."Slap that one on the console, I'll get the turbines."

Alex mock slapped a console only her eyes could see. "You could fit so much pollution in these babies!"

"Guess he should have brought along Rachel," Thalia smirked, "she would have loved to help out for that reason alone."

Percy gave Thalia a panicked look why she'd bring that up, his hand snatching away from Annabeth's as he looked wildly at her for a reaction.

Annabeth just sighed. "Have you been torturing my-, um, him, this whole time?"

"Only a little," Thalia promised.

"Knock it off," Annabeth chuckled.

"Only because you asked so nicely," she scoffed, leaving not a person in doubt she didn't mean a word.

Percy was too busy staring at Annabeth to wonder what a my-um-him could be to care who tortured him next.

...so many coming, I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign.

"Has Percy ever found a good sign?" Magnus asked.

"I once found a trespasser's welcomed sign," Percy shrugged, "does that count?"

"No," Magnus frowned, any sign that said that had to be the property of a serial killer.

...But we were going to have to improvise.

"Time for a crazy Percy plan," Jason groaned.

"Wooo!" Alex cheered like the winning basket had just been made.

Percy felt the sarcastic urge to wave grandly from his seat like it was a throne for their amusement, but instead he sunk farther into the plushy beans of his bag with dread. Bianca flitted through his mind as a horrible reminder that his crazy plans could have consequences.

... I left him alive—partly because his lunch box was cool,

"Naww," Will managed around an affectionate chuckle.

Annabeth wasn't paying anyone much mind now though, analyzing every word out of her mouth for where it had gone wrong. They should have had two scouts in the stairs for exactly this, like her and Grover who could have warned of this and been a better distraction so that no one had to be left alone. They could have-

"Annabeth?" Percy asked in concern. That feeling of doom in him was mounting, and watching her strategizing face laced with worry and fear only confirmed what his gut was telling him. Something was wrong, something went terribly wrong.

"I know Percy," she promised, glancing up long enough to meet his eyes before taking a deep breath and continuing. She did know every single thing he was feeling, his fears she experienced with him. She just wanted to get through this but didn't know how to let go. How long had he been stuck like this? She wasn't going to make it last a word longer than she had to.

... get his friends to follow me rather than head toward the engine room.

"Well at least it's starting as a good plan," Jason said with a frown of experience rather than expectation.

"I am taking bets now on how it gets crazier," Alex grinned, "but the price goes up the longer you wait."

... looked like the inside of a dragon's throat (unfortunately, I speak from experience).

"Why would the inside of a dragon's throat be clawed up?" Magnus frowned.

"When have you been on the inside of a dragon's throat?" Annabeth asked shrewdly.

"Food fights on the way down," Percy pointed at Magnus, "I got way too good a look inside that hydra," he pointed at Annabeth.

The cousins made nearly identical 'ugh' faces. Finally in the same room, they could have passed for twins. Oceanus's mistake seemed genuine...and yet Percy was still annoyed to no end while smiling nonstop she was really, finally here!

Back on my first visit to the Princess Andromeda, my old enemy Luke

Annabeth did not understand the smattering of snickers or Percy's exhausted sigh for that phrase, clearly she had missed a few inside jokes. Percy had a few of those with Thalia and Grover too though, even some with Rachel, and she'd always let those be without prying.

What she did feel was a pang in her chest at Percy calling him that. No matter how many times he betrayed her, she only thought of him as Luke, her old savior. Her old friend.

Percy however, winced, water pouring from his presence like his pours were beaver dams. The sudden flood in the ocean made Annabeth shiver and look around. She'd never figured out how to soothe this problem away for him though. She'd always suspected he talked to Chiron about this, him, Luke, and never knew how to broach it herself, especially recently.

Percy looked to her though. He took an uneasy breath and settled himself.

This was not just going to be some fun trip down memory lane.

...doubted they'd been allowed to go home with their bingo winnings.

"Which is why you should never trust cruise ships," Alex nodded sagely as if someone had finally agreed with her.

"You know, the monster infested kind," Magnus frowned at her strangely.

"No, no, I meant all of them," Alex insisted.

... in the fountain squatted a giant crab.

"Yeah, we're due for more sealife shenanigans," Jason sighed.

"What does that mean?" Annabeth asked.

"He keeps a running tally of all the monsters I kill," Percy rolled his eyes. "Last sea-monster I fought was," he stopped and tried to count something on his fingers.

"That sea serpent when you were with Clarisse headed to Staten Island," Thalia offered.

"What?" Annabeth repeated, growing increasingly concerned every time she asked that.

"Oh yeah," Percy nodded, trying to wave past Annabeth. Clarisse would pulverize him if anyone else found out about that.

"Before that was Antaues, I guess," Jason offered.

"And we're continuing!" Nico pleaded before they got to sidetracked trying to go recount everything.

Annabeth didn't entirely agree, she found herself growing jealous and more curious by the word what all she'd missed, but she agreed with Nico for now it was something they could get to later.

... shell was mottled blue and green, its pincers longer than my body.

"Mmm," Alex hummed, "sounds like a monster worth fighting."

"She says that about every monster," Percy told her in exhaustion.

"Usually for the epic battle," Alex needlessly clarified, Annabeth really hadn't questioned that about her. "This time for the snackage!"

"Take a hell of a pot to boil that sucker," Annabeth shrugged, though she looked willing to try, causing Alex to laugh in appreciation.

... I was the son of the sea god was not going to win me points with Mr. Crabby.

"I bet your dad didn't invite him to the last royal ball or whatever and he's going to take his revenge out on you," Thalia nodded.

"He should have just snuck in on a dinner cart or something like the rest of us would have if he wanted to go that badly," Percy huffed. He knew he would have if he'd had the slightest hint those existed.

... I dashed back outside, but Mr. Crabby turned and followed.

"What's with the naming him?" Annabeth chuckled. "Were you planning on bringing him back to camp?"

"Maybe?" Percy grinned at her, sitting here beside him, teasing him again like nothing had ever been wrong. "I'm a moth for strays and all that."

"That is not even close to the saying seaweed brain," she rolled her eyes, and it was the best thing Percy had ever seen.

...something about Hercules crushing it under his foot? That wasn't going to work here.

"You remember the Hercules stories I tell you?" Annabeth asked in surprise. Most days she wasn't even sure he was listening, let alone that.

She found the collective burst of laughter around the room making her blush for some reason while Percy desperately tried to clear his throat louder than them, and was failing.

"Yeah, it uh, crosses my mind sometimes," he tried to tell her while meeting her eyes, but mostly he was just staring at her nose.

She found it endearing, and sad. How their relationship had been forced backwards by all this, how his crush on her really had been as obvious as everybody tried to tell her seeing him like this now. They'd laugh about this someday, hopefully.

...Last Christmas, my mom and I had brought Paul to Montauk.

"Aw," Annabeth smiled in surprise at them taking Paul somewhere so personal to them. Their escape from Gabe, their getaway from everywhere. Percy had taken her there at the end of last summer and it had felt like such a special slice of existence away from the world.

... he'd shown where crabs have a chink in their armor, the middle of their ugly bellies.

"Yeahs!" Magnus looked so ridiculous cheered at this news they would have laughed at him alone for that reaction, let alone him continuing to yell, "mortal helping you for the win! Kronos has no idea what he's in for!"

"Yeah, Paul will teach me all the different homonyms one of these days and I'll finally put this all to bed," Percy chuckled along, everything suddenly seemed ten times funnier and more awesome with Annabeth's blonde hair finally brushing against his arm in real life.

... The empty shell clattered to the floor in a massive heap.

"I want to go sledding in that trophy," Jason grinned.

"It needs to be washed first," Percy plugged up his nose at the lingering smell.

"That's cool, I have an expert for that," Jason promised. Percy sighed, but all in all considered it a very cool idea.

I didn't have time to admire my handiwork.

"Truly a heinous crime," Alex shook her head.

"We should memorialize all of Percy's greatest tasks somehow for him to look back on them," Will grinned.

Percy yelped, and turned wildly to Annabeth, "Please tell me there is no play at Camp every summer about our adventures I've somehow missed!"

"Sure there is Percy," Annabeth grinned faintly in surprise, "tickets are super hard to get though."

Percy spluttered, looking utterly wounded, while Will gave her a grateful wink.

...In the elevator foyer a couple of dracaenae slithered across my path.

The fear that slammed into Will upon those showing up out of nowhere was a disgusting feeling. The kind of cowardice that he hated lived inside himself, prepared to lunge out at a moment's notice. He nestled deep in his seat and closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again and pretending nothing had happened. These were hardly the worst monsters out there.

..."What isss thisss?" one said. "A prize for Kronosss!"

Annabeth didn't draw out that hiss very well. She sounded far too comfortable and relaxed recounting this for it to hold much weight, where the rest of them often read like this was brand new information with some horrible twist every other word.

I wasn't in the mood to play break-the-snake,

"I'm so disappointed Percy," Alex frowned. "Here I thought you were always up for a game of pinata."

"Only if candy actually bursts out, that would be a great distraction," Percy reminded with a faint grin. "All I'd get is monster dust."

"Hmm, far less immediate uses," Alex reluctantly agreed.

...The boat smacked her in the face and she went down with the ship.

Jason gave a very mocking salute and began humming some song Nico didn't recognize, but the fact that he was goofing around at all while still trying not to look miserably at his sister was something Nico one thousand percent understood. He'd probably lived through at least half of what Jason was feeling right now in being lied to and betrayed and absolutely not wanting to hear anybody else's opinion on it.

...Hellhounds bayed. An arrow whizzed past my face and impaled in the stairwell.

Annabeth's faith in Percy's abilities had its limits though, and she well knew what was at the end of this battle. She still tried to keep herself upbeat, like she thought Percy would have been hitting with ease this whole time, but she knew she was starting to slip.

...drew his sword and yelled, "Kronos!" but he sounded more scared than angry.

Percy might as well have been having a nightmare back at camp. He could have passed that kid every day, this could have been a moment in capture the flag where this boy realized who he was on the opposite team but still raised his sword to try. This didn't feel right.

...about the same age I was when I'd first arrived at Camp HalfBlood.

Percy had never really thought of himself as, just a kid. He'd spent too much of his younger years with strange things happening to him, too much time at Camp being Posideon's child to ever feel like the fate of the world wasn't on his shoulders. This little boy, was just a kid! He should have been getting snacks from his mom and whining about homework and having a fear of his first crush. What made Luke think he was so much better for causing this in more kids already?!

..."If you want to live, get off this ship now. Tell the other demigods."

Annabeth sounded so proud. Percy had a stubborn frown on his face, like he was just waiting for someone to tell him what a bone headed move that was, but even a god might hesitate to do so when Annabeth read it like that. His big heart on display might be something she'd throw up on a billboard one day.

Then I shoved him down the stairs and sent him tumbling to the next floor.

"I'm going to make pamphlets on how to save someone's life, and that little ditty's going to be a footnote if they're on the wrong side," Alex nodded.

...Luke stood on the balcony above me,

Annabeth winced and looked around at Percy with the first hints of a frown. Kronos, she wanted to correct. This was Kronos, not Luke. Percy had never understood there was a difference. She didn't know in detail what all memories had been returned, but she would have hoped they would have been important ones, like how to finally make him understand at least this.

Thalia frowned at the way she read that. Like a long lost companion she was reminiscing over a fireplace. She was so glad Annabeth was finally here, to know for sure Percy was safe, but this seemed like a very high cost to her, like all gifts from the gods.

... his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold.

Those eyes had haunted Annabeth's nightmares for months. She'd sat on her bunk, going over and over all the wrong assumptions of the quest she led that always ended in those golden eyes. She hated that she could still picture them so easily. Luke's death should have erased that color from her mind. Why hadn't it?

"We've been expecting you for days."

"I could staple a calendar to Percy's forehead and he'd still forget what day of the week it was," Thalia scoffed.

"Depends on which way you staple it," Percy grinned. "If it's facing me, I'd figure it out, but if you had it facing you, then I'd have to look in a mirror and it would just be a whole thing! Plus you'd have to yank it out and replace it every year, sounds like a hassle."

"Why would I staple something to your forehead facing me?" She frowned.

"Because you'd take any excuse for violence against me whether it was practical or not," Percy shrugged.

"Fair," she nodded.

Annabeth made a very long, exhausted sigh, much to the other's delight. Like the quest was finally official and they were really getting their live reenactments.

...his words scraped down my spine like a knife blade. "Come, bow before me."

Alex made a harsh scoffing noise that might have been a laugh if it wasn't fueled with such hatred.

"Yeah, that'll happen," I muttered.

Percy chuckled along with her, a more happy noise that somehow held the same undertones. It was kind of creepy, and kind of made Annabeth a little nervous what kind of friend Percy had made.

...no way they'd gotten into position so fast unless they knew I was coming.

The traitor, Jason winced. He'd never even been to this camp, but he always hated when that was brought up. The betrayal of it hit so hard even now because Percy had to know this person. What if they were never discovered and they mingled right in with the Campers every day? It felt vile to consider.

... I didn't know if Luke's consciousness was even still alive inside that body.

Annabeth sounded so offended when she read that Percy felt instantly guilty. His mind burned, was so heavy with pressure to understand if it was just their long standing argument over this or something he should be remembering-

"Focus seaweed brain," Annabeth sighed as she felt the water start churning around her without even looking over at him. "You got this, you've gone this long without blowing up the world."

Percy huffed. It sounded more frustrated at himself than anything as he shook himself out and she kept going like nothing had happened.

...A voice in my head said: I have to fight him eventually. Why not now?

"Because you would die!" Magnus said in absolute concern, for some strange reason, as if this wasn't Percy's usual response to everything.

"Because the book just started and that would end it too soon," Alex remarked.

"Because Nico hasn't gotten back to you yet on how to survive," Thalia rolled her eyes feeling, as usual, the only one around here with a lick of common sense.

... If I really had the power, what difference would a week make?

'The whole world could change in a moment,' Annabeth repressed a shiver at how close she might have come to losing everything at her boy's stupid, impulsive moment. She'd watched Percy hand Luke, not Kronos, her knife. Or even before, when Percy had said he would be the child of the prophecy, not Nico. Maybe it was even that moment nobody had been witness to, when Posideon had seen Sally on the beach.

... Hey, I'd fought monsters and gods before.

"And won," Will agreed, but even saying it never quite stopped his mind boggling at how easy Percy made that sound, something no other kid at camp went around casually doing.

As if reading my thoughts, Luke smiled. No, he was Kronos. I had to remember that.

Annabeth felt a tiny little flutter in her heart she forced herself not to gasp at. Of pain, of surprise, or relief. Percy had fought with himself, the difference he'd never admit to her was there. He'd always acted so stubborn, like she was the delusional child for knowing in her heart the distinguishment was there.

Percy sighed beside her, as if he could sense her restless unease from being in his head for all of half a chapter. She wasn't sure what the proper edict was here, to apologize or what? She did know Percy had been dealing with everybody else dealing with his thoughts for days, and if he had a problem with her doing so too, he wouldn't be shy in telling her.

"Come forward," he said. "If you dare."

Alex chuckled in delight at just how much Percy dared to do. For a moment she couldn't think of anything Percy wouldn't dare to do.

The crowd of monsters parted.

"Did we ever establish if Jesus is at least a son of Poseidon?" Magnus asked.

"Didn't we tell you to stop mixing religions," Nico groaned. Something old in him twitched unpleasantly at the idea.

"And I didn't listen," he shrugged.

"Besides," Percy said in a way that meant nothing helpful was coming next. "He kind of ripped off multiple godly powers, turning water into wine, curing sickness and stuff. Maybe he's the ultimate child of all of Zeus's sleeping around."

Annabeth kept reading very loudly over Alex opening her mouth with a curious look of adding in and Jason's pained expression clearly debating if he wanted to jump in.

... I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass.

"Which is strange if you think about it for five seconds," Alex rolled her dual-colored eyes. "The amount of heroes who would have just died if a minion would just stab them in the back is astounding."

"Alex has this concerning problem where she acts like Percy isn't real," Thalia mockingly stage whispered and explained to Annabeth in Percy's lack of silence as he squirmed in his seat, his spine tingling unpleasantly only he felt.

Annabeth had an excellent poker face and didn't let on in the slightest she followed both instances perfectly.

... Riptide grew into a sword.

"Has it ever felt like that sword shrunk over the years?" Will apparently decided now was the time to get some lighthearted fun back in here. "You've had it for years, and you said it fit your hand perfectly back then. Ever worry about outgrowing its lightweight?"

"Um, no," Percy said blankly, he'd never thought about it. Riptide had certainly never felt short to him.

...Just looking at the thing made my knees turn to Jell-O.

"What flavor Jell-O?" Alex smirked.

"Blue, of course," Percy sniffed she even had to ask.

But before I could change my mind, I charged.

Another insane impulsive plan of Percy's that didn't get him killed, Nico frowned in fascination. It happened so often he really would have thought the novelty would wear off, that he would hesitate if Percy ever turned to him and blurted out this crazy scheme, that Bianca's ghost might whisper caution in his ear.

Nico was still pretty sure he would have gone along without hesitation though.

... I'd gotten better at channeling my power over the years, but nothing happened.

Magnus swallowed a feeling of frustration watching Annabeth struggle to read that. He'd wanted her in here nearly as much as Percy. To see his cousin, his only family he'd care to meet again in the flesh sitting in front of him, and he could offer her nothing for this clear turmoil she was in. He'd said, 'hey cuz,' and that, was, it!

The problem was he couldn't tell her anything she didn't know. He knew Percy came out of this alive, he knew Percy was an awesome fighter same as she did. He couldn't do anything but sit on this stupid seaweed couch and pick at a hole in his frayed jeans.

...Hey, ocean, I pleaded. Any day now would be good.

"Does talking to the ocean like it's a real inanimate object help it? I feel like that would offend it," Alex said.

"As opposed to a fake inanimate object?" Percy frowned.

"You know, when you tell a piece of paper to stay because it fell off the table one too many times, it's one solid object. The ocean is like, a lot, all at once. It's like a soup, it's not just one object," she insisted.

Percy stared at her so long it was concerning. "Okay, but now I'm questioning what if I'm a soup."

"And what kind of soup you'd be," Magnus offered.

"Uhgh," Thalia groaned, pressing her fingers to her temple.

"Have they been like this the whole time?" Annabeth asked her.

"Stop distracting him from the actual answer," Jason looked pouty, "does talking to the ocean help, yes or no?"

"Very much so," Thalia nodded with her eyes closed for Annabeth.

Annabeth kept reading before Percy could answer, mostly because he was muttering and poking his gut. At least his memory was likely to answer Jason at minimum.

...The water revitalized me, breaking the time spell, and I lunged forward.

"I'm kind of jealous," Alex admitted. "The ocean's never tried to capsize a boat on my behalf."

"Did you pray to the ocean Alex?" Nico reminded with a smirk. "Did you offer it sacrifices in its favorite color and sing its saltwater praise?"

"Percy didn't do any of that stuff," she huffed, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, cause Percy would kick its inanimate soup ass if it didn't rescue him, and his dad would hold the ocean back so he could," Will shrugged.

...a guy who was once my friend. As much as I hated him, it was hard to kill him.

Annabeth couldn't help a sigh of relief. She might have known Percy couldn't have killed him, but a part of her also believed that Percy couldn't have killed him even without the curse in place. That Percy was good. He could not strike someone in the face in cold blood, not another person.

... the blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet.

"Did it open another evil portal to somewhere?" Jason frowned. "It hasn't done that since the first time Luke nearly killed you."

Annabeth's skin twitched with distaste. She'd been told they now knew of Percy's life, but it kept hitting her how intricately detailed that knowledge now was. Had they heard her harshness against Tyson? Her pathetic attempts to get Luke to see reason while holding up the sky? Her first, desperate, and confused kiss with Percy...

... heavier than Luke should've been. It was like kicking a refrigerator.

"Something I honestly imagine you doing when your hands are full," Nico nodded. He had a strange fear it would fall on him if he was too violent to try.

... feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away.

Annabeth was flinching as if each word was being punched out of her. She'd been there the first time that blade had grazed Percy when he'd fought Luke, and it had been so much blood. It had been horrifying the first time, to see him fall when a monster rarely landed a scratch. She might not have been there to see this, but the image now staining her mind was just as sickening as shaded gold around the edges.

...deflected off his stomach like hitting solid marble...no way he should've survived that.

Percy rubbed at his arms as his skin tingled unpleasantly all over, his brain suddenly building pressure like a shaken coke, his stomach churned violently like he was a new boat for the ocean to play with. That, was a god's awful induced feeling if he'd ever had one.

Annabeth slipped her hand back into his. It was an instinctive, natural reaction; to having him back, to keeping him here, to soothe his mind of what it couldn't yet wrap around.

It worked instantly. Percy didn't even think to question it the second time, just released a breath and relaxed as he interlocked their fingers.

...Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay."

Thalia sneered at that ridiculous insult. Percy had been a natural with a sword from the moment he'd had Riptide in hand. Luke had always been a poor sport when he lost, always looking for bigger and badder opponents those last days on the street, and yet he hadn't fought half the monsters Percy had.

Yet Annabeth's voice was soft, and frustrated. She clearly read that as if it were a lie from Kronos, twisting more of Luke around, which siphoned Thalia's frustration to her as she grit her teeth but said nothing. Luke was gone now, and she'd never been able to get Annabeth to see reason before, no need to insist now and keep tarnishing what was already broken.

..."Luke had a big head, at least it was his."

"What a, strange compliment," Magnus muttered. It wasn't even a compliment really, just a hint of Percy's sentiment wishing to have his friend in Luke back, kind of.

... His face—Luke's face—seemed like a mask, lit from behind by some evil power.

Magnus could all too easily picture a monster being described like that when they were still disguised, and it disturbed him greatly how his cousin tried to read that with a pitiable note of concern. She was obviously wondering how much this was hurting Luke under that mask, when it was his decision to have caused all this in the first place.

"Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?"

Percy's heart skipped a beat in shock, and in retaliation the whole ocean floor felt as if it shifted a tenth of a degree to the left. His breath caught in his throat, his mind couldn't think past Beckendorf! Who had ratted them out, what had happened to him-

'Focus Seaweed brain.' She didn't even need to say it out loud, it was in the squeeze of her fingers, the gentling of her voice as she kept reading.

... "Nakamura!"...the little punk had helped Kronos come back to life.

"That's gratitude for yah," Will grumbled. He felt so bad for this dumbass...but not that bad, when he'd had as many opportunities as Luke to turn around. Frankly it was a miracle he was even alive, considering they'd last heard his presence was in Kronos's path when Nico helped Percy escape.

... His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off.

"Is Beckendorf more famous than you on that ship Percy?" Alex asked with nothing but sympathy in her tone. "Sounds like he was mobbed by fans."

"If I find that armor online I'll buy it back for him," but Percy's voice was sullen, exhausted. The fear was simmering just above the surface, a whale ready to breach without notice as his hands trembled. 'No, no, no...' the chant kept echoing in his head, something had gone very wrong.

...still had his watch on him, the detonator. Surely the monsters had taken the bombs?

"Maybe they're to stupid to know what they were?" Magnus asked without real hope. "You two just snuck aboard to put up some anti-monster decorations."

"I wouldn't underestimate them like that, it's more likely Beckendorf managed to cloak them somehow," Jason shook his head.

... "He was heading in that direction... His bag is still full of explosives."

Slowly, I began to understand.

"How to sum me up in one great sentence," Percy offered into the filling silence of the room. There was too much anxious energy bouncing off each other, to many tightly drawn faces wondering how they made it out of this one again.

Percy really hated that kind of tension. It made everything feel ten times worse to his ADHD brain. The constant chatter and jokes would always feel leagues better to focus on.

Thalia cracked and snickered first for him, but soon the others were now at what was clearly a recurring joke as Annabeth smiled bemusedly and then gave Percy a full grin. It was such a relief to just see him joking around again, instead of the myriad of tortures she'd imagined him going through, she couldn't stop a laugh of her own.

...what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches.

"Mmm," Alex smacked her lips in appreciation. "The perfect kind of weapon, one that gives you a treat when you're done bashing someone's head in."

"You said that with way too much confidence," Annabeth frowned, all too easily imagining her doing this to someone in her brief moments of being in here.

"She says everything with that kind of confidence, we just kind of roll with it," Magnus sighed.

...Ethan scrambled back in terror, then turned on his heels and ran.

It wasn't really funny, but there was some half-hearted laughter for this comeuppance of Beckendorf's ruse almost working like a charm. In another world, in another life, maybe the two would have played pranks on each other around camp that would have gone much the same and would have ended without the threat of death.

... There was no delay on the timer at all.

"You two make a great team," Annabeth was careful to use the right tense, the present tense, like the two could still come back from this mayhem and plan more heists and learn more of each other's silent communication. Maybe actually win a capture the flag game against her one day if they got good enough.

Her voice was a little too wistful, though, a little to somber to really pull off the casual statement, and Percy felt a burning sensation traveling straight from his heart, his body knowing what was coming next even if he couldn't process her meaning and the words of the book all at once.

...We'd never be able to get far enough away before using it.

Nico was still casually convinced of Percy's prowess. He'd be able to send a massive wave over the side of the ship any second, strong enough to sweep up him and Beckendorf harmlessly and take them safely a thousand meters below while they high-fived and the detonators went off. It seemed so easy in his mind.

The reality was, Percy was panicking. He was terrified and still not as in control of his powers as Nico's imaginative mind thought he was. Not everything worked out like an awesome story with an epic ending.

... "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson.

Annabeth always hated that farce politeness, and the way he kept saying Percy's full name for some reason. It felt deliberate, it put a bad taste in her mouth like Kronos was reminding Luke who he was actively trying to destroy.

...He dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm—the Titan lord's symbol.

"His secret spy device this whole time has been a charm bracelet?!" Alex's voice dripped with amused disdain. "Oh, my, gods! Jewelry! This whole time all you guys had to do was ban accessories at camp!" There was some mingled anger and admiration in there too.

The girl knew how to accessorize, she might even be taking it personally.

"I bet when you go back and tell the Aphrodite cabin, they'll know who it is instantly," Magnus chuckled.

"I wonder if they'll blame children of Ceres, it's very closely associated with her symbol too," Jason frowned in concern.

Nobody else dared pipe in. Percy's throat hurt too much even if he wanted to. There was something about the range of distaste, hurt, and weariness on all of them that sent a chill up their spines.

..."You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way.

Thalia winced like somebody had just twisted the knife in her back. Had that been what Luke told Kronos?! That He was the one betrayed! She'd sacrificed herself, she'd trusted Luke their family and she'd woken up to him letting her down every way he possibly could!

And yet the guilt dripping off Annabeth's every syllable held her anger. Like she took that personally, like she'd been the one to let Luke down somehow; and Thalia sadly knew from personal experience if she tried to broach the subject, her little sister would either shut her down or explode at her. It never ended well.

...One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck. If I tried anything, he would die before I got there. We both would.

Jason's feet twitched, the urge to help, the denial this was it. Percy was a master of causing a distraction...but he was in too much pain from that scythe wound to manage. Percy could just hawk Riptide at that giant with deadly accuracy and Beckendorf could break free...but Kronos would intervene and mock them. There was always a third option, there had to be...but this was starting to feel hopeless.

Beckendorf mouthed one word: Go.

It was Beckendorf admitting defeat that finally tipped Annabeth's voice into silent respect, an inevitable outcome nobody could deny anymore. She might have been speaking her final words over his pyre. Percy would know, he'd only heard that tone come from her at his own.

...I wanted to scream, NO!

Then all of this would have been for nothing. Percy had never resented his mom for having Smelly Gabe in his life. As impertinent as he was, Percy had understood one thing from the youngest of ages, self-sacrifice. A lesson his mom had instilled in him before he even knew what that meant.

...Then I blacked out and sank like an anchor toward the bottom of the sea.

Percy sagged in his seat, his head falling to rest on Annabeth's shoulder without a second thought. Her blonde hair tickled his face, the way she tucked his hand against her side and hummed a noise of commiseration, somehow knowing exactly how he felt like nobody else ever could. Finally, he had her back.

And all he felt was guilt. Raw, wracking, painful gut twisting guilt eating at him for the only person on his mind being Silena. He'd been the one to tell Beckendorf not to worry, he'd see her again in no time, and now they'd never have this...

"I'd like to stop for the night," Annabeth said gently, so as not to dislodge him from his spot. "I, changed my mind, I'd like to get a little caught up in all this."

"Of course," Thalia agreed at once, her tone understanding, but she stalked out of the room without a backwards glance. She felt Jason's piercing eyes on her every step, she felt the absence of Annabeth's concern like her jacket had caught on her choker too tight.

Percy bullied his brain into paying attention to the here and now. Maybe take a hint for once in his life. Take note of the fact she might be asking for space from him and all this newness of her situation they'd become rather numb to.

The gap as he slipped away felt like a chasm as deep as Tartarus at once, the red book fell from her lap without hesitation as she jumped up with him. They all watched in fascination, even Will who had seen plenty of this already, as Annabeth scooped up the first bright orange book and then fell into step beside him leaving the room as if a shadow of each other.

Percy was glad she was here, honestly!, but he was starting to get a little creeped out as she thumbed through the book studiously while staying on his heels as he entered his room. It wasn't the fact that she was about to read his every private thought and feeling, he'd accepted her and possibly the whole camp would to be honest, it was the fact that she kicked the door shut behind them without looking up. He stood there and watched her, the guilt slowly ebbing into embarrassment as he remained as awkwardly in place as a statue.

"Sorry," Annabeth gasped as she finally looked up and realized why he was blushing and standing there twitching and looking more nervous than if she'd been coming at him with her knife. It only just now occurred to her the implication in the air of following him into his room. She quickly opened the door back, blushing as hard as him.

"You, you don't have to go," he said at once, rocking back and forth in place like an invisible mime jerking him around. "I don't want you to." He'd spent so very long, countless years in his head it felt like, wishing to have her back. He didn't want her to go after just an hour of her company, but he also had no clue what she expected to happen. He was still missing a vital part of how the story ended, how she'd decided to kiss him, what had happened afterwards...

"I don't want to go," she agreed quietly. "I, I'm worried if I close my eyes too long, you'll vanish again." Still bright red, she took a step back into the room towards him. She left the door open.

Percy cleared his throat loudly and gestured her towards the bed while he plopped down on the floor where he was. "Sleep in here then, right there, and I'll sleep down here. So, you know, we're both not, um, freaking out. Besides, we've slept like this on plenty of quests."

"Sure, it's not weird at all," she nodded, lied, only to appease him as she sunk onto the bed. She thought about it for a moment before snatching the pillow and blanket off and dropping on the floor beside him, offering to share both. "No different than falling asleep on piles of hay in the back of a Kindness International truck."

"Right, of course," he nodded and tried not to look like a complete freak show as he sank onto his back and cautiously rolled onto his side, back facing away from her. She sighed in relief and mirrored him.

He didn't instantly fall asleep, she could tell by his twitching around too much, but as she began to relax on the hard stone floor, so did he. She wondered if his body remembered what his mind couldn't, the past few months where she had fallen asleep in his bed more than once, the way they always woke up tangled up more than they ever had in the late hours talking and too tired to let themselves be embarrassed by the idea of getting caught.

Not that they'd done anything to be caught at, but Grover and her siblings sure averted their eyes like they had done something some mornings when she tried to pretend like she'd gone to visit Percy's cabin first thing before sunrise rather than the obvious.

She already missed that. The feeling of him holding her, so comfortable and familiar. The way they could sit in silence as the sound of the ocean spoke their thoughts for them when the memories were too much, the way they could talk and laugh about anything and share it all with a kiss only they understood.

Percy did fall asleep first, back pressed tight to her, his arm up under the pillow and the other already trying to tug more of the covers onto himself. She wouldn't be surprised to find them all wrapped around him like her arms would miss.

The past few days still left her too tense to allow the same. He was really here, safe beside her, but she didn't have him back. Not fully, not her boyfriend. She did have her best friend back, they were just on another quest to get back to where they should have been in their life as she relaxed too, keeping one eye on the silent corridor that had a dim light shining in revealing all, and the other on his chest rising and falling steadily, back to back.

It was enough.

PJOPJOPJOPJO

*Detail I never picked up on and didn't want any of the characters to focus on during this sweet moment, Silena is the character from Camp highlighted here, aka the traitor on Luke's ship. Nice double whammy RR