Amnesia (a Percy Jackson AU)

The Real Criminal

   Jason kept waking up from nightmares. He woke up screaming-something Piper had assured him he had not suffered from before. When that happened, she would wake up and come to his bed to comfort him. Sometimes, she gave him warm milk to drink. Other times, she told him funny stories of their time together.
    Jason couldn't remember why he kept waking up. He knew he was scared, but the remnants of his dreams always dissipated too fast. One night, he decided to take a journal to use a dream diary.
    He fell into a fitful unconsciousness that was broken by flashes of light and flashes of searing pain. He felt himself scream out, but he remained asleep. This time, however, he turned around in his dream. He saw a faceless horror and woke up with a scream.
    Piper came faster than normal. Her eyes were puffy from a lack of sleep, but she glowed with warmth and kindness. The more time Jason spent with her, the more he wished he remembered their past together. She was kind, beautiful, and tough. She was a beautiful diamond in a sea of zircons; her beauty was not merely superficial.
She plumped up his smothered pillow. Her eyes were full of worry. "Jason?" she asked.
Jason looked up. He felt scared all of the sudden. She was so close to him. Sure, they had spent a lot of time together in the past couple weeks, but he had never felt so on edge. It wasn't merely that his nightmare was more frightening than ever before. "I keep dreaming of being attacked," he mumbled.
Piper's eyes grew with her concern. "How long has this been going on?" she said.
"Since I returned home," he said. "I didn't dream much at the hospital. Everything was a dazed blur of repetition."
Piper's face slackened. Her brows were knit together. "I didn't know that was your nightmare," she said. "I was afraid it was something else."
Jason felt confused and tired. His broken sleep was doing little for his fatigue. He over Piper had it worse, however, because she actually had to go to work. Jason felt another twinge of guilt. He really needed to find a job soon, but how could he name his accomplishments when he remembered nothing? "I guess we've all been worried," Jason mumbled.
Piper nodded. Her breathe was sweet, like cinnamon. Jason wondered if she had been chewing gum. "I'm sorry about my amnesia," he said. "I feel as if I am burdening you."
"Jason-" Piper began, but she was broken off by the ringing of a phone.
She checked it. Her eyes widened. "It's the Chicago police department," she said before answering it. "Yes, this is Piper McLean."
She left the room and continued to converse. She soon returned. Piper's face was a mixture of excitement and caution. "They think they've found the man who attacked you," she said.
"Who?" Jason asked.
"Well, originally they believed it was Luke, but Annabeth, Percy, and Grover provided him an alibi," Piper explained. "They wouldn't let him go, however, but then they pursued another lead. They arrested a man named Octavian Prophetiae."