HOLA MI AMIGAS! ME GUSTA LEER!

(Did I say that right? I'm only in Spanish II so…yeah. And I've forgotten MOST of Spanish I so….yeah).

So, to really understand this chapter you have to have read my other story 'Blocking Out Painful Things' which is currently forty five chapters long and is still in progress. But I update nearly everyday for that one.

BY THE WAY! I AM STILL LOOKING FOR PLOT SUGGESTIONS FOR THIS STORY!

So yeah.

Hopefully the beginning of this isn't too corny. Yeah…

Hmm….not much to say….that's odd.

VIRTUAL HUGS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED THIS STORY! I LOVE YOU ALL!

And check out my other stories 'Blocking Out Painful Things' (my main story), 'Living Through Painful Thins', and 'In My Point of View'! REVIEWS MAKE MY LIFE!

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READ ON!

I backed away from the weapon at my chest. I honestly wasn't sure this was a battle I could win. My replacement sword (I still missed Anaklusmos) was hanging at my waist, but i would be skewered before I could reach it. Sure it couldn't kill me (a little late for that), but it would hurt like Tartarus (don't even get me started).

"I said you were gonna pay."

I kept backing up. "Come on. Let's talk about this, Annabeth."

Annabeth glared at me. "I told you not to push me in the water."

"Well, obviously I didn't listen."

She scowled, which was funny because she was dripping wet. At the far edge of Elysium was a small pond that you could swim in. Annabeth had been sitting by it and heard me approach. She told me not to push her in.

So I didn't.

The water just grabbed her.

"Besides," I said. "I didn't PUSH you in, not technically."

"You know EXACTLY what I mean, Jackson!"

"Is this a bad time?" I heard behind me.

Annabeth was so stunned she lowered her knife (another replacement weapon). I took my chance to back away. She glared at me, clearly saying 'I'll deal with you later.' I kept a good grip on my sword.

Annabeth turned back to our visitor. "Nico, how long has it been?"

When most people asked that question, it was just a polite way of saying it's been a while. We honestly didn't know how long it had been, but it looked like Nico had aged.

Of course, Nico knew what we were REALLY asking.

"Silena turned sixteen about seven months ago." He told us somberly.

Sixteen. Our little Silena, or Lena she was being called I guess, was sixteen. The same thing seemed to be going through Annabeth's head. She turned toward me, a smile that looked like a grimace was on her face. "Remember when we were that age?"

I remembered the horrors of my sixteenth year. Not one, but two great prophecies. Being taken from my home, wiped of my past. I cringed.

"When I was that age I didn't remember much."

Annabeth nodded, obviously trying NOT to remember that particular time of our lives.

"Have you seen Silena, er, Lena?" I asked Nico, eager to get the topic back to our daughter.

He nodded. "I just came back from seeing her."

Annabeth gripped my arm. "And?"

"Maybe we should sit down?" Nico suggested.

"What's wrong...how is she?" Annabeth demanded.

Nico tipped his head. "She's...better I think. I honestly do."

I narrowed my eyes, noting how he went to the second question. "So, what's wrong?"

"Let's go sit at the table over there." He led us to the wooden picnic table. He sat across from Annabeth and I.

"Rachel gave a prophecy."

Annabeth's breath caught. "A Great Prophecy."

Nico frowned. "No...no, no I don't think so. Just a regular old, life threatening quest." He tried to lighten the mood, but I think it had the opposite effect. I remembered all the times I almost died on my 'regular old, life threatening' quests. I shivered. Annabeth wrapped one arm around my waist, her hand once again resting on the spot that used to be my anchor to the mortal world.

"What's..." she took a deep breath. "What exactly is this quest about."

"Memory Monster." Nico said.

Annabeth laughed nervously. "Excuse me?"

"It's a monster that controls memories. Very ancient, very rare. Kept from the mortals knowledge because it was solely Artemis who hunted it before. But now, the monster has a different fate. It can only be killed by the product of an ended feud." At this, Nico didn't look at us.

"Silena." I muttered.

Annabeth nodded numbly. "Poseidon and Athena. An ended feud."

Nico nodded. "And this monster...according to Thalia it's...latched onto Lena."

Annabeth and I frowned.

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

"It can, uh, show her her own memories. Vividly. Against her will." Nico swallowed and looked away. "And from what I understand, there are a good number of memories Lena would rather not revisit."

I was numb at this point. It seemed unreal. Surely he wasn't talking about MY Silena, right?

Nico took a deep breath and continued. "She went to Camp Half-Blood. The prophecy stated she needed them to succeed. The Romans and Hunters are fighting it not. Camp Half-Blood is on it's way."

"Why is it a big threat?" I asked.

"Because," Annabeth supplied. "The Memory Monster, or whatever, it's attacking the memory of the gods, isn't it?"

He nodded.

"Oh." I said. "Yeah that's bad."

"Yeah, if they're memory deteriorates, so do they." Annabeth agreed.

"And we can't do anything to help it." I felt my fists clench.

"Nothing." Annabeth agreed once again.

A silence hung in the air.

"You said Sile-Lena was doing better?" Annabeth asked.

Nico nodded. "From what I could tell. She wasn't...wasn't alone."

I narrowed my eyes, thinking of what he could be saying. "Like, she was with the rest of the camp?"

"Well, yes, but...that's not exactly what I meant..."

Annabeth gasped. "A boy?"

A boy? My Silena had a boyfriend? And I couldn't play the over protective father role? Isn't that what the dad was supposed to do? Hate the boyfriend? Casually bring out the shotgun when he came over?

I wasn't allowed to play this role though. It had been ripped away from me.

"Is she happy with him?" Annabeth asked.

Nico paused, but then nodded. "I think so, yes. I didn't see him really, but he was sleeping, uh, beside Lena. In the middle of the night Lena got up and I talked to her. When I asked about him she seemed...shocked. I don't know, like she herself wasn't sure what to say. I think she likes him, and I think that confuses her."

Annabeth smiled sadly, I know that had been an issue for her.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"His name is Zack, according to Lena." He didn't continue, holding something back.

"Who's his godly parent?" Annabeth asked. "Or is he, uh, mortal?"

"No, no he's a demigod." He paused. "He's a son of Zeus."

Both of our shock was probably apparent.

"Zeus?" I asked.

"The god that want's Silena dead?" Annabeth questioned.

He nodded.

"Why would Silena spend time with a son of Zeus?" She asked angrily.

Nico just looked at her. "Why would you spend time with a son of Poseidon?"

Annabeth tried to scowl. "That's different."

"How?"

Annabeth opened her mouth, searching for a retort, and found none.

"He's right." I told her. I looked back to Nico. "You said Silena seemed better?"

He nodded, seeming relieved to give good news. "I mean, she still kinda holding back and all that, but she seemed a little happier. A little more at rest. At least, she didn't hold her sword to my neck like last time." He chuckled nervously.

He took a deep breath and continued. "She has a lot of walls up. She's used to being alone. I think...I think being with Zack is a big change for her, one she's still adjusting to. But I swear, some of those walls have been broken. I've never even met the guy, but I know he's doing good things for her."

"That's good." Annabeth muttered.

Nico looked around, awkwardly. "Maybe I should go."

"Don't take as long to come back, okay, Nico?"

He paused, but then nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Okay. See ya, Perce. You too, Annabeth."

She smiled politely, but was obviously still shaken. "Thanks Nico. We'll talk to you soon."

He nodded and then stood and left. For a while, Annabeth and I just sat there. Both mourning for our lost life with our daughter. We should be up there, meeting her first boyfriend. Giving her advice she may or may not want.. Embarrassing her in public. You know, dumb parent stuff. But we couldn't.

Once again, I cursed in my head at all the gods, dragging Annabeth and I into their world. Briefly, I wondered what our life would've been like if we had both been born mortal. Would we have met? Would we still have had Silena? Heck, would the world still be around?

"Silena's happy." I said, not sure who I was talking to.

"I know," Annabeth said on reflex.

We just sat there in silence, I don't know how long. Maybe it was a few minutes, hours, weeks, months, years.

You couldn't tell.