Chapter One: Welcome [Back] to New York

The Romans left yesterday. I was already missing Frank and Hazel. The onagers had been dismantled by the Hephaestus cabin and the scraps taken to the forges to be melted down and remade into…well, who knew what. The last of the defenses were coming down, supervised by a grumpy, but probably secretly relieved, Clarisse. Reyna had told Annabeth we'd be welcome in New Rome for college and beyond, and Nico admitted he'd once had a crush on me and also that I wasn't his type. Now he was walking around laughing and smiling—Nico, laughing and smiling—with Will Solace.

In other words, things at Camp Half-Blood were basically back to normal.

Actually, this was the first day since we'd been back that just felt like a normal summer morning at camp. And I was not complaining. It had been so long since I'd had anything even remotely resembling a "normal" day that I wasn't sure what to do with myself.

Annabeth had gone off with Jason after breakfast for some Intro to Architecture lessons. Since he was now the Pontiac (sorry, pontifex maximus), he wanted to learn how to design all these shrines for the minor gods and goddesses. So I was left to myself for the morning. I ended up hanging out with Grover by the strawberry fields while he played his pan pipes to the plants. He'd gotten astronomically better—his version of a Taylor Swift song actually made the strawberries seem to perk up, rather than try to strangle themselves with their own leaves. It felt like old times, the two of us just hanging out, swapping stories about our summers. He hadn't exactly had it easy either, with the way Gaea had been manipulating the nature spirits.

"But it's settled down now," he said. "I mean, there's still the drought and wildfires in the west, but mostly nature is getting back to normal."

"I like normal." I leaned back, eyes closed, feeling the sun on my face. "Normal is good."

"Normal is good," Grover agreed. Shouts rose from the lava wall and we both turned to look as fire spewed up and a couple of campers dropped to the ground, rolling in the dirt to put out their burning t-shirts. "Or, you know, whatever passes for normal around here."

Later in the morning, Grover headed off to meet Juniper for a picnic in the woods. Which reminded me, Annabeth's and my one year anniversary was coming up in a couple weeks.

Wow. One year. A slow grin spread across my face. And then a trickle of fear crept up my back. Oh schist, I probably needed to plan something. And it probably needed to be something good. I gulped. Okay, mental note to self, work on planning something for our anniversary.

Since there was some time before lunch, I wandered over to the stables to check on Blackjack. Anger flared in my chest when I thought about the stupid giant Orion and what he'd done, not just to my pegasus, but to the Amazons and Hunters. Thankfully, Thalia was okay. And Reyna had given the giant exactly what he deserved. Still, a part of me felt like marching into the Underworld and shooting an arrow into his side, then yelling, "See how you like it, butt-for-brains!"

I spotted Piper in the arts and crafts cabin, working on something with her siblings Lacy and Mitchell. The three of them were laughing and looked like they were having a good time. I waved to Piper and she smiled and waved back. Her eyes did a quick flick to the sky over my shoulder, then she went back to working on her project with her siblings. I did a quick skycheck, too, just in case. Nico had confirmed that Leo was dead, but hey, if anyone could make the comeback of the century, it was Valdez. It seemed too soon to give up hope. I wondered if he'd managed to find his way back to Calypso's island. If not, there was something else I needed to add to my mental to-do list: make sure the gods actually freed her this time. I owed her, and Leo, that.

Blackjack was curled up on a bed of straw when I got to the stables. His side was bandaged, but he looked better. He whinnied in greeting. Hey there, boss! How's it going?

"Not bad." I sat down on the straw next to him and stroked his muzzle. "How are you feeling, big guy?"

Blackjack tossed his head. Oh, you know. Been better. Wish I could have given that giant a good hoof to the head. Um, oh, sorry about that, by the way, boss. I wouldn't have done it if you'd been yourself.

Truthfully, I'd forgotten about Blackjack kicking me when I'd been possessed by the eidolon in Kansas, though now that he reminded me, I could almost feel the throb in my head. "It's cool, buddy. You probably saved my life." I reached into the bag I'd grabbed earlier at breakfast. "By the way, I brought you something that might help."

Blackjack's ears perked up and his nostrils flared, sniffing at the ring of powdered sugar goodness in my hand. You brought me a doughnut?

"Actually," I lifted five more treats from the bag and laid them neatly on the straw, "I brought you half a dozen doughnuts."

If pegasi could get teary-eyed, I think Blackjack would have been. Aw, boss. You're the best. Once I'm healed up, anywhere you want to go, I'm your horse.

"Thanks, Blackjack." I scratched behind his ears. "Rest up and feel better."

I left him to his doughnuts, which I didn't think would last long. Outside the stables I stopped and took a deep breath. My eyes drifted to the top of Half-Blood Hill, where Thalia's pine towered with the Golden Fleece glittering in its branches and Peleus the dragon snoozing around the base, steam from his nostrils drifting through the air. Now, too, the Athena Parthenos crowned the hillside, shimmering in the summer heat, regally surveying the valley. I thought about Thalia's stand, about what we'd gone through to retrieve the Fleece what felt like forever ago, what Annabeth had endured to find the Athena Parthenos, how Reyna and Nico had struggled to bring it here. Lots of pain, but the payoff was worth it, right? Since now we could all be here, protected in our valley, and on peaceful terms with the Romans. And on the other side of that hill was Farm Road 3.141, which eventually met up with the Long Island Expressway, which eventually led into Manhattan. A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it back.

Lunch was pretty laid back today, just some platters of fruit and sandwiches set out. I grabbed a few sandwiches, then headed down to the lake because I'd spotted a couple of familiar figures sitting at a picnic table near the water.

Annabeth's sketchbook was open on the table and she was making notes and pointing out features of whatever it was she was sketching, saying things like, "Yeah, see, the load needs to be distributed like this for the arch to work properly" while Jason nodded and asked occasional questions, thoughtfully studying the design.

"Hey," I said as I reached them and took a seat at the picnic table across from Annabeth.

"Hey, man. Thanks!" Jason grinned and took the sandwich I handed him. Annabeth wiggled her fingers at me without looking up, then went back to her drawing. I set a sandwich next to her sketchbook and raised my eyebrows at Jason.

"Basic architecture lessons, using a possible design for Kymopoleia's shrine," he explained. "I made a promise, after all."

"She did save our butts at the bottom of the Aegean," I admitted. "So are the action figures and trading cards coming out next week?"

Jason chuckled ruefully. "Those might be a little trickier to figure out, but I'm working on it."

I cracked a smile. Annabeth, still scribbling away, was oblivious. I asked Jason, "You doing okay, bro? After…you know."

Jason's shoulders slumped for a second. He ran a hand over his hair and exhaled. "It's been rough. I keep thinking," he glanced at the sky over Long Island Sound, then shook his head, "I keep expecting him to just swoop in, you know, and start cracking jokes. But…" his voice trailed off.

Annabeth finally looked up. "It's Leo," she said gently. "If anyone can manage the impossible, it's him."

"Says the demigod who found the Athena Parthenos and survived Tartarus," Jason said with a half-smile.

"I had some help." The look she gave me was quick but it made my chest feel warm. "Besides, if anything, that just means I know what I'm talking about when I say that Leo can manage to make it back. He did have the cure, after all. What does Piper say?"

Jason's eyes briefly lost focus. "We had a long talk about it last night actually."

I couldn't help it. I grinned. "A talk, huh?"

"Percy!" Annabeth kicked my shin under the table, but Jason returned the grin.

"Well, we did some talking anyway. Point is, we've decided we're not giving up hope. Not yet anyway."

"Good," Annabeth said. "When it's somebody important, you have to keep believing in them, keep believing that they'll find their way back." There was a wistfulness in her voice that made me suspect she wasn't only talking about Leo.

"Yeah." Jason adjusted his glasses. "Anyway, back to the shrine. What were you saying about the support columns to roof area ratio?"

"So it's all about properly distributing the load," and they were off, discussing different details and design techniques. I ate a sandwich, not really listening. Truthfully, I was perfectly happy for Jason to take over the responsibility of making sure the minor gods got respect. And as much as I love Annabeth, when she starts talking architecture, she might as well be speaking Greek. Or some other language I don't understand, like Japanese or in Egyptian hieroglyphics. But I like watching the way her eyes light up and how animated she gets when she's discussing a project. And luckily today I could just observe, while I ate my second sandwich, since she was talking to Jason, who was a very good listener, frowning thoughtfully and occasionally asking questions or making suggestions. He reminded me of Thalia, but I kept that thought to myself and went back to admiring the way the afternoon sunlight made Annabeth's hair glow like gold.

"Awesome," Jason said finally when they'd agreed on the plans. 'That should make Kym happy."

"Hopefully." Annabeth erased a line, redrew it, and nodded. "Those are the basic principles anyway. As soon as you feel like you've got the designs where you want them, let me know."

"Thanks. It might be a few months, though, before I get them all finished."

"No rush. Whenever you get done, just send me the designs. I'll get them to Malcolm, he's great with the logistics of building, and we'll be able to start construction."

"Shouldn't it go to Jake Mason or Nyssa Barrera in Hephaestus?" I asked.

"Athena has some good builders too, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth nudged my foot with her toe. "The Hephaestus cabin got to disassemble the onagers. We can't let them have all the fun."

"You and I have very different definitions of fun," I told her.

She quirked an eyebrow at me, the hint of a smirk playing over her lips, suggesting that wasn't always true, and I felt my face heat up.

Jason cleared his throat. "Anyway, thanks for the help, Annabeth. Same time tomorrow for another lesson?"

"Sounds good. And I'll bring you those books from my cabin. They're a good resource for design and structure."

When Jason left, Annabeth drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. The warm breeze ruffled the ends of her hair. When she opened her eyes, their color was softer, more early morning fog than storm clouds. "Hi, by the way."

"Hi." I reached across the table to take her hand, lacing our fingers together, content for the moment just to be close. In the hectic craziness of the last few days, I hadn't seen her much.

"Busy few days, right?" she asked. "That's what you're thinking, isn't it?"

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. "How do you always do that?"

She squeezed my hand, an unspoken I know you. "I bet I can also guess where you want to go next, now that things have calmed down a bit."

A sudden, unexpected lump bounced up in my throat. "Um, yeah. Will—will you come with me?"

"Of course, Percy." She smiled and squeezed my hand again. "Let's go find a ride."

We borrowed the camp SUV. Mrs. O'Leary was taking a nap in the arena, Blackjack obviously was still recovering, and I didn't really want to bother any of the other pegasi or borrow the flying chariot (which Will seemed reluctant to lend to Annabeth anyway, for some reason). Besides, after the past few months, I thought it might be nice to travel like normal mortals for a change. I even asked Chiron's permission to borrow the SUV. Connor Stoll would have hot-wired it for me no problem, but I figured Chiron had been through enough stress recently.

It's about a two hour drive from camp to Manhattan. Familiar landmarks rushed past on the highway. For example, I recognized an exit with a great pancake house. I remembered stopping there last summer, after the Titan War, when my mom had picked Annabeth and me up from camp. It was off the highway a bit, down a road that eventually led to the beach. We'd stopped at that pancake place again on our way to camp for winter break, back in December. That was the last time I'd seen my mom. My hands clenched on the steering wheel. I didn't realize I was jittery until Annabeth put her hand on my knee, which was jiggling up and down.

"Relax, Seaweed Brain," she said. "They'll be thrilled to see you."

"Yeah." My voice cracked and I swallowed. "It's just—been a long time, you know?"

She squeezed my knee. "Believe me, I know."

I must have looked confused because she continued by saying, "I visited your mom at least once a week while you were gone, Percy. I know that's not quite the same as being yanked out of your life and losing all your memories, but trust me, we felt exactly how long you were gone." She drew a shaky breath and leaned back against the passenger seat, crossing her arms.

Silence settled over the car. I tried to imagine, again, what that would be like, not knowing for months where Annabeth was, if she was okay, if she was even alive. I would have gone crazy. Sometimes I almost thought I'd gotten the better end of the deal, which was really not saying much because my end of the deal had sucked. Then something else she'd said clicked into place. "Wait, you visited my mom once a week?"

"At least." She was facing away from me, looking out the window. "We had to keep reassuring each other that you would be okay. That you always come home."

There was a dam lump in my throat again. "I do my best."

Annabeth looked over at me with a small smile. "I know you do."

Keeping my eyes on the truck merging in front of us, I reached for her hand. "And I didn't lose all of my memories." I kissed the back of her hand. "I never forgot you."

When it was safe to glance over, I guessed it wasn't only the late afternoon sunlight making her face shine. Then she shook her head. "You are so annoying."

"Huh?"

"You keep bringing that up when we're either surrounded by people or like now," she gestured at the traffic, which was steadily increasing the closer we got to the city, "when it wouldn't be safe for me to kiss you until you can't breathe."

A slow grin spread across my face. "My bad. Remind me to mention it again when we're alone and standing still."

"Oh I will." Her eyes sparkled. "See? Sometimes we have the same definition of fun."

Thanks to the rush hour traffic, it was after six by the time we reached the Upper East Side. Nervous butterflies were thrashing around my stomach as the street numbers ticked by…78th…79th…80th. For a few ridiculous moments, I was afraid I wouldn't recognize my block or building. But I shouldn't have worried. The minute I turned onto the street, my shoulders relaxed, even before I saw Paul's pegasus-stomped Prius parked at the curb across the street.

"Good spot," I noted.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long to find one myself. And then I was standing in front of my building again for the first time since December.

My nerves mounted as we climbed the stairs. I reached for Annabeth's hand and she squeezed my fingers. When we got to the fifth floor, my heart went Ka-floompf at the sight of the familiar door. Hesitantly, feeling a little dumb but not wanting to just barge in on my parents after nearly eight months, I knocked.

No response.

I knocked again, more firmly. Still nothing.

I glanced at Annabeth. She shrugged. Reaching into my jeans pocket, I fished out my key, which had luckily been sitting where I left it months ago, beside my bunk in Cabin Three. Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door.

Inside, the apartment was dark.

"Mom?" I called. "Paul?"

Nothing. A quick walk-through proved what I'd already suspected. They weren't home. My eyes stung.

"Percy, I'm sure they'll be back soon." Annabeth gripped my arm. "They probably just went out to dinner or something."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right." I sniffed and swiped a hand quickly across my eyes, a bit ashamed of myself, but unable to help it.

"Oh, Percy." Annabeth hugged me.

"I'm fine," I lied, my voice muffled against her hair.

"I know." The familiar lemon scent of her shampoo was reassuring.

After a few moments, I got ahold of myself. This time, when I said, "I'm fine," it wasn't a lie. "I just thought they'd be here."

"To be fair, they didn't know we were coming over tonight," Annabeth said gently.

"Yeah." I managed a half smile. "Should be a good surprise when they get home, though, right?"

Annabeth snorted. "Unless it sends them into cardiac arrest."

"Oh gods." I shook the image of my mom and Paul keeling over in the doorway from shock out of my head. "Come on. While we've got time, I should probably check out my room."

Now I hadn't seen my bedroom in almost eight months. That is to say, I didn't remember exactly where and how I'd left every little thing. But I knew for sure that I had absolutely not left it like this.

"It's so—" I stepped into the center of the room and turned slowly, gaping, "—clean."

Annabeth smirked as she leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed. "You sound shocked."

"I didn't know I had this much floor space. There's usually a pile of clothes over there. Sometimes here. A few shoes around. Basketball, skateboard. Maybe a spear or two."

"Oh I've seen it. I think your mom decided to clean when she packed your stuff for your cabin on the Argo II."

I stopped gawking at the clean room and turned to Annabeth in surprise. "She did that?"

"Who else? And then I took it to camp." She tilted her head. "How did you think your clothes and stuff got on the ship?"

Honestly, and this is super embarrassing to admit, it had never even crossed my mind to wonder how my favorite shirts and jeans and sneakers had ended up in my cabin on the Argo II. The food in the mess hall magically appeared; I guess I assumed my clothes did too. I didn't admit this now, but Annabeth read my face and muttered, "Seaweed Brain."

"There was a lot of other stuff going on!" I protested.

"Your head," she came closer until she could tap her index finger against my forehead, "is full of kelp."

"I'm gonna let you have that one, Wise Girl." My hands drifted to her waist. "So you helped my mom make sure all my favorite stuff got on the ship?"

"Of course. We wanted you to have everything you needed."

"And you designed my cabin on the Argo II."

"Mmhm." Her fingers traced my biceps. "What can I say? I missed you."

I tugged her closer. "So, amazing girlfriend, how long has it been since I actually got to kiss you at my apartment?"

"Seven months, two weeks, and about ten days," she answered immediately.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I was already trying to figure out when the last time we were here together was," she explained. "You kissed me hello when I came over the day your mom drove us to camp. At the beginning of break last winter."

And suddenly, just like that, it was as if the last month and a half never happened. All I could feel, standing there in my eerily clean bedroom, was the weight of all the time I had lost. Time I'd lost with Annabeth. With my mom and Paul. With Tyson, Grover, and the rest of my friends. Resentment and anger swelled up in my throat. Once again, I had a flash of understanding Luke's frustration with the gods.

But then I remembered Akhlys. How I'd scared myself, and the way Annabeth had looked at me then, compared to the way she was looking at me now. Never again, I'd promised myself. Swallowing the darker feelings, I focused on the moment I was in right now, the room dim in the fading evening light, Annabeth pressed close in my arms in an otherwise empty apartment. My voice was a little hoarse when I said, "I missed you, too. Seven months, or six, or whatever, is way too long to go without kissing you."

Her hands moved from my arms to my neck and her voice was teasing as she said, "So what are you going to do about it, Seaweed Brain?"

I kissed her. Obviously. And it felt like being reunited at Camp Jupiter, like the first time in months, fresh and familiar all at once, and so completely right.

It was good to be home.

***Author's Note: I've had this story sitting on my computer for a while now, and I've finally decided to go ahead and post it. It covers the first couple days after the end of Blood of Olympus and, fair warning, there will be LOTS of Percabeth fluff, but also some other fun stuff too. It should be about four chapters in total. The next one will be up sometime next week.

As always, nothing in this fanfic world belongs to me, I'm just borrowing Rick Riordan's characters for a bit. Thanks for reading!***