How Fates Can Twist

Chapter 2

*A few weeks later*

Annabeth slid underneath an empty car just as the hellhound came galloping around the corner. It had been on her tail for 4 hours now, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. If she had a weapon she could kill the beast, or at least injure it enough to outrun it, but Lupa hadn't provided her with such equipment. The wolf had insisted that "if you cannot survive without a weapon, then you cannot survive with one".

Annabeth agreed with the sentiment, but a knife would be excellent right now. She felt that just having one in her hand would bring her some sort of comfort. She was lost somewhere in northern California with no memories before two weeks ago, yet all she really wanted was a dagger in her hand. Strange.

The hellhound now realized that the snack it was chasing was no longer in front of it and turned back to the direction it came. Its sight landed right on the car Annabeth was hiding under. She scanned around her for any scrap metal that could be used as a weapon, but found nothing.

The hellhound was now racing towards the car, which Annabeth had no doubt it could flip out of its way easily. She braced her legs against the curb and prepared to shoot forward between its legs once it reached her. Hopefully there would be enough space to make an escape.

She didn't have a chance to test her plan because when the beast was about 10 feet from her, a figure dropped down from above and sliced the hellhound's head off. Annabeth watched from her hiding place as the beast dissolved into dust. She couldn't look straight at the figure that killed it; they seemed to be almost made of light.

She stayed silent, unsure of whether they were a friend or simply a foe who happened to dislike hellhounds. Just as quickly as their shimmering form had appeared, they solidified into a young man. He had glowing brown skin, dark curly hair, and was built like a roman gladiator. But the most significant thing about him were his eyes; they were the most piercing turquoise eyes Annabeth had ever seen.

He stared directly at her.

Part of her mind- her training- told her to run like hell. This man seemed powerful, and powerful people could be very dangerous. But another part of her insisted she stay put. She didn't know this guy, but if he wanted her dead wouldn't he have already attacked?

Before she could make a decision, he was 2 feet from her face, crouching beside the car.

He offered her his hand. For some reason, Annabeth threw caution to the wind and took it, and he pulled her out from underneath the car. Despite how strong he looked, she was still surprised by the ease with which he could pull her up.

"You alright?" he asked casually in a deep and powerful voice. She nodded stiffly, shaking her limbs out from the cramped position she had been in. She took a better look at her surroundings and the guy in front of her. The side street was devoid of anyone aside from them and the sun was bright overhead. This man was a fighter, and likely an excellent one. He held a xiphos in his hand, one that seemed to fit him perfectly.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a bronze knife appeared in his other hand. He held it out to her.

"I have something of yours."

"Where did you get that?" Annabeth asked cautiously as she took it from his hand. She didn't want to let on that she had no memories. That could be viewed as a weakness, and she wouldn't let herself seem weak.

"Your cabin," he answered. She had no clue what that meant. A cabin could be in the mountains, on a lake, at a camp, too many places. He studied her face as she processed his response.

"You don't remember, do you?" he said, and she could swear she heard a tinge of sadness in his deep voice.

Annabeth didn't answer. There was something about this guy that didn't make sense. He reminded her of something she couldn't quite place. She wasn't about to put her guard down around him.

"Who are you exactly?" she asked, straightening her stance and adjusting her grip on her dagger, hoping she appeared more sure of herself now.

For a moment he seemed angry, glaring towards the horizon. His hand tightened around his sword. But then he took a deep breath, seemed to relax, and responded.

"I'm Percy. We used to be friends."

Used to be, huh?

"I mean, we're still friends, we just haven't talked in a while," he added hastily, as if he could read her mind.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows at him. "Sure we are."

It came out more bitter than she had meant it. She half expected him to get angry and storm off, or worse, attack her.

Thankfully, he didn't do that. Instead, Percy focused his attention on the car behind Annabeth and she turned quickly to check for any threat. Nothing. When she turned back, he was shifting his weight from foot to foot. It was almost as if he was nervous, but what would a guy as powerful as him be nervous about?

"So what are you doing here, Percy?" Annabeth asked, looking him dead in the eyes. His name felt strange on her lips, but she tried her best to not break her confident exterior.

"I'm here to see you," he replied, his voice much less commanding than before. He held her gaze, staring at her intently. He looked at her like she was so familiar to him. Annabeth wracked her mind for any memory of this boy, but came up empty. The emptiness made her feel sick.

"And?" she prompted.

She only realized how long they had been holding eye contact when Percy suddenly looked down at the street, blushing.

One again, Annabeth wasn't sure what to make of him. He had seemed so powerful and sure of himself when he first dropped down from above, killing a hellhound with ease, but now that confidence had faded away. He seemed more like a nervous teen on his first day of highschool.

She waited for Percy to speak up again. 'I'm here to see you' wasn't much of an answer and Annabeth was sure she had made it obvious that she wanted more. He was still staring at the asphalt, silent. Maybe he needed a little motivation to keep talking.

"Thank you for helping with that hellhound, but I gotta get on my way. Goodbye," she said and turned on her heel to start down the road. Annabeth had made it to the corner when from behind her came a noise, just as she had planned.

"Wait! I want to come with you," Percy called out, jogging to catch up with her. HIs curly hair flopped slightly against his forehead as he moved. The sword was no longer in his hand, but she couldn't find it anywhere on his waist or back. It's like it had disappeared.

Annabeth contemplated her options. She could leave this confusing boy here and continue on her own, following Lupa's training, or she could let him stay and learn more. He was a stranger who was a very skilled fighter as she had seen. If he turned out to be ill-intentioned, she may not be able to take him on, especially with only a knife. But something about Percy called to her. Annabeth didn't want to walk away from him so soon.

"Alright," she declared. "You can join me. For now."