How Fates Can Twist

Chapter 8

Annabeth's POV

Annabeth couldn't lie- she was disappointed that they hadn't gotten more helpful information from Phineus. A glacier in Alaska just had way too many possible answers, but a hint like that was more help than most demigods ever received, so she would take it.

Hazel and Frank had both fallen asleep once the sun set and they'd been out on the water for a few hours, leaving Annabeth and Percy to sit in silence together. She had nothing to say to him. Maybe earlier she would have tried to strike up a conversation with the familiar face, but that was before she had reemphasized to herself how dangerous trusting a stranger was. Especially a stranger that was a god.

So instead of talking, she embraced the quiet and looked back on the events of the day. The appearance of Mars at the war games last night felt like an eternity ago. Since then she had been invited on a quest, attended a senate meeting in New Rome, spent hours on a tiny row boat, and ran into Phineus, a man that should be long dead. At least she had a better understanding of the prophecy now. It mentioned freeing death, and that was likely meant to be taken literally. Thanatos, the god of death, had been captured in Alaska, and it was their job to free him.

But Annabeth knew there must be something bigger than that going on. First off, who had captured Thanatos? Was his capturing what had allowed Phineus to return from the dead? And if so, what other figures from the ancient world were now returning? On top of all that, someone, likely a person with divine power, had sent Annabeth here with no memories. Today, with the gorgon's blood, they had proven that they wanted her to stay here. There had to be a reason for it.

"Hey," Percy said quietly, breaking the silence with no warning and startling her out of her thoughts.

He was looking over at her from where he sat on the bow. His deep green eyes seemed to glow faintly against the dark night sky behind him. The only other noise around them was the soft slosh of water against the sides of the boat.

"Hey," Annabeth replied shortly.

She shifted her body so she was facing more towards the sea than towards him, hoping it would send the signal that she would rather not speak with him at the moment. It had been a long day, after all, and she wanted to linger in her own thoughts. But looking out over the water, it was as if his presence was there too. As if his gaze came from both his eyes and the light shining off the waves.

"You should probably get some rest. I doubt you'll have much down time once we reach Alaska tomorrow," he spoke.

Annabeth didn't want to go to sleep. She had far too much to think about, and the reasonable part of her brain argued that if she fell asleep, she would be left defenseless to any attack. The less-cautious part of her felt that she was safe here. After all, Percy hadn't tried to harm her yet. Why would he start now?

She felt like her mind was a teeter-totter, constantly shifting from trusting Percy to wanting to get as far away from him as possible every few minutes. Annabeth wasn't sure how much more of it she could take.

"I'm not tired," she replied.

"After a day of questing? I don't buy that."

"I didn't ask you."

Percy let out a quiet chuckle. "Okay, Wisegirl. You still need sleep, whether you think so or not."

The way he said that name, wisegirl, like it was something he'd been saying for years, like it was as natural as breathing, shook her.

Annabeth said nothing.

Wisegirl. He had called her that for the first time 4 years ago. He had grown so much since then. They both had.

He stared at her, waiting for a response.

It had started out as an insult. The first time she heard the nickname, she had wanted to throw a spear at him. But now it meant something different.

Everything was still around them.

Now that nickname meant a promise. Of friendship. Of support. Of companionship. It meant that they would always have each other.

"Seaweed Brain," she whispered into the night.

His fluorescent green eyes grew wide. "You remember?" he asked tentatively, as if he was worried a sudden noise might scare off her memories.

Annabeth nodded. "Not much. Just... you."

She felt a sudden pang of guilt in her stomach. She had been doubtful of Percy, even after he took the time to explain everything to her at the pizza restaurant. How could she have been so skeptical of him? Percy was possibly the only person in this world deserving of her trust. How could she have forgotten him?

Annabeth felt the pressure building in her face that signified she was about to cry. Percy noticed what the expression meant and scouted over to sit right next to her on the bench. She felt a tear escape down her cheek.

"It's alright," he said softly as he held his arms out to her.

She leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her torso, holding her snuggly. When was the last time they had hugged like this? Annabeth couldn't remember. The thought made a steady flow of tears pour from her eyes.

Gods, she had missed him so much.

Percy didn't say anything. He just sat there with her, and that was enough. She didn't remember everything yet, but she knew he was her best friend.

By the time her cheeks had dried, Annabeth felt terribly tired. And she realized Percy was right, who knew when the next opportunity to rest would be? She needed to sleep while she still could.

She pulled away from him, immediately missing his warmth, and laid down on the bench, her head facing away from him. He seemed to understand that the gesture meant she was finally ready to get some rest.

"Goodnight Annabeth, sweet dreams," Percy whispered.

. . .

She woke to bright sunlight searing her eyes and a strong salty breeze filling her nose.

Letting her eyes adjust, Annabeth sat up slowly. Her neck was stiff from sleeping on the bench, but the feeling wasn't foreign. She had slept on a lot of benches lately.

"Annabeth?" asked Frank's voice from a few feet away.

"Mhm-hm?" she grumbled in response.

"We have a problem."

That got Annabeth's attention. Her eyes snapped all the way open, despite the wincing. She quickly examined their surroundings, which was water on all sides. But behind them, what appeared to be a cruise ship was a little too close for comfort.

"They've been on our tail since dawn. We've spotted a few monsters on the deck," Frank shared.

"Oh, and Annabeth?" Hazel asked. "Percy's gone."

Annabeth whipped her head around to check the boat. Sure enough, he was nowhere to be found. She tried her best to push away the stinging pain in her chest. Maybe there was a reason he had left. Had Percy always been the type to come and go without warning? She couldn't remember.

Either way, there was nothing she could do about it now. She could, however, do something about the cruise ship closing in on them.

She moved to the stern of the rowboat, hoping it would give her a better view. It didn't. She could barely make out the lettering painted across the front of the vessel, Princess Andromeda.

Andromeda had been a woman in Ancient Greece. It was a safe bet to say that the ship was not from any mortal cruise line.

AN: In case you forgot, the gorgon's blood heals you of any curse, and since Annabeth drank it she will slowly get her memory back. Slowly. We got a long time before she remembers tlo and Percy's decision.