Percy Jackson: CHB Again?

Chapter 21: On My Way to Lil' Bro

This chapter was written by:
Jen (she's gotten better!)

After a few more minutes of looking at our lists, my brain started to hurt. I could tell by the way Mark studied the pages that he was calculating things in his head; maybe even figuring out who Narilla was talking about.

I let out an exasperated sigh. There was one thing that rang out above all my other questions. I tapped Mark on the shoulder to get his attention.

"There's still something I don't understand."

"Still? We haven't solved much on this list anyway, so I think you mean that there's something else you don't understand."

"Keep doing that," I warned. "And I will attack you with this pencil." He put his palms out and smiled, 'surrendering'. "Why did I randomly lose my memory? Luke was saying that it happened a lot...?"

"See, I don't know anything about that." Mark furrowed his brows as if the thought of not knowing all these things was actually straining him. I kind of remembered that feeling from being Athena's child, but the feelings from the other realities were hard to remember.

I couldn't think of anything to say after that, and I didn't really want to look back at our notes. To be honest, I really just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

"Tera?" It was Luke. "Is Mark in there with you? You guys better be doing appropriate stuff."

His tone was joking, I gagged a little in my mouth at the thought as Mark and I quickly stuffed the notes under my bed sheets.

After stuffing the last of the notes under my pillow, I called back, "No, Luke. Nothing inappropriate. Just kissing."

Mark gave me a look of both wonder and disgust. I held the same one. I was happy that he wasn't wiggling his eyebrows suggestively - because that would've been just plain gross.

"Ew," Luke said. "Well stop. I'm coming in."

And he did. He turned the knob and came right in.

"It's dinner time." Luke told us, examining me.

I was nervous about him looking at me, as thought I'd explode and tell him I was a spy. I longed to know why I'd actually lost my memory and why it kept happening; I'm sure that if I were only a spy on this boat, Poseidon would not have hit me over the head like Luke had claimed...but if he didn't know i was a spy, why would he lie about this? Still, I had to act normal, as though Luke's presence didn't bother me.

I wondered how long we'd been in here if it was already dinner...

"How are you feeling, Ter-Ter?" He asked. "Remembering, I mean."

I swallowed the lump in my throat to keep myself from spewing insults at Luke. He was the traitor who started it all. I shook my head, pretending to smile, dumbfounded.

"Thanks to Mark," I didn't have to lie. "My memories are coming back on track."

"Good." Luke grinned which wrinkled the scar across his face. "So, do you guys plan on coming up to the deck and eating?"

I felt the rock of the boat, the waves pushing on either side of the ship below me. This room was close to the water, and I felt as though the water was tugging at my heart. I knew it was Dad.

"Not hungry." I decided. "I'd rather just...stay here with Mark."

Mark flushed, and flashed a grin. "Yup. We still have some catching up to do."

I was surprised by what came next. It was almost surreal. Mark wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me towards him, locking his lip into mine. My eyes went wide. I froze. Luke made a sound like dry heaving, and closed the door in front of him. He was gone, butMark didn't pull away.

He played with my lips as though we actually were boyfriend and girlfriend. I was about to stop him. I was about to punch him in the gut and yell profanities at him. I was about to get angry.

And then I melted into the kiss.

I didn't like Mark, but as his lips moved against mine...an image of Nico made a jolt shoot up my spine. My heart fluttered. I couldn't help myself. I hadn't kissed him in so long...

Only, it wasn't him. I pulled away abruptly and shook my head. First, the stupid realities. Now deepening kisses with people who meant nothing to me; leading them on.

Mark was an Athena child, but the way I stared blankly at him didn't seem to cue him in that I wasn't interested. He was grinning like an idiot.

What I did next may not have been very rational, and it may have been a stupid and random decision, but it was better than throwing Mark out the port hole and curling up in a corner to cry.

I left my room, leaving Mark behind, and made my way to Luke who was half-way up the stairs.

"I want to be a spy." I said. "At Camp Half Blood. I'm leaving now."

~

He thought I was crazy. He pulled me back into his epically awesome room, sat me on the bed, and told me how crazy I was.

"You wake up with amnesia again," Luke began pacing the room. "You remember some things, spend most of the day with Mark and then have a gross kiss in front of me...and now you just up and decide that you are going to Camp Half Blood right now, to spy. They won't take you back. They know you're a traitor."

But I yearned to be back at camp. Away from Mark, back in the usual routine, and preferably not going on any quests and getting myself killed, again. I wanted to be as far away from Luke and the other monsters and demigod traitors on this boat as I could.

"I can plead innocent. I can say that you were threatening to kill Percy, so I stayed with you and pledged myself to Kronos to keep him safe. You can give me some bruises, I could say I fought to get away but was almost too weak to heal myself in the water-"

"That wouldn't make sense. Poseidon kids are their most powerful when in water, you'd probably be able to heal yourself after getting sprayed by a spray bottle."

I frowned. "Then I'll just make the story convincing."

"You don't have charm speak." Luke insisted. "I don't want you to go."

"But it's not your call. Kronos has been whispering to me," I lied, unsure if it was believable or not. "I need to go."

It was all happening so fast that my head spun. I wasn't sure I should be doing this, maybe I should just stay aboard here and act like I was supposed to. But when was I sure of anything anymore? I was sure I had three gods as parents...look what happened. But Luke agreed, reluctantly, and I knew I couldn't go back on it - not after insisting that Kronos had told me to.

My life was messed up, yeah. All I wanted to do was stop that. Live normally.

Before I knew it, I was at the railing of the deck getting ready to jump into the ocean.

"Before you go," Luke said. "Take this. It's how you'll communicate with us." He handed me a bronze ring with a red scythe painted in the centre. I automatically knew I just had to tap the symbol to connect to Luke; he had a matching ring on his finger.

"Don't worry about the scythe." I wasn't. "The mist will cloud it from everyone in camp." I nodded.

"Okay." Though it made me sick, I slid the ring on my finger. Mark hadn't come up to deck, so I awkwardly nodded at Luke and climbed over the rail. Then, I jumped.

~

I can't remember what happened after I jumped into the water, but when I woke up I was on the beach of Camp Half Blood. I could tell because I was the best detective ever. Also, Percy was standing over me.

"Hi." I said nonchalantly to him. "How's it going?"