#like nico's already HAD amnesia and he was having a great time at first!

[hazellvsq]

i'm doing a rewrite where hazel and nico are the ones who get camp-swapped and given amnesia. it's a very self-indulgent au bc neither of them are attached enough to their respective camps for this to serve the larger story but i DO like giving them amnesia. bc out of all the characters i think these two would actually be much happier and healthier without their memories. like they would be upset about having amnesia but otherwise be chillin. which makes it more fun when they DO remember what happened to them. like:

with amnesia: aw man this sucks

with memories: AHHHH GO BACK

[fenrirswood-hq]

meet ANMOL BODHI MOHAN.

Hey, isn’t that ANMOL BODHI MOHAN. I thought they went away for the summer? Did you hear they might be a HUMAN? What I do know for certain is that they’re FORTY-TWO, and they’re ADAPTABLE and IRRATIONAL. They’re originally from BRIGHTON, UK, and have been in FENRIRSWOOD for 3 DAYS living in WOOD ROAD. I wonder if they still work as a PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. Best if they stay safe for now.

Once during sixth form, Bodhi had read the then already old book Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, and realised how familiar the situation sounded. The book was about some kid from Brighton, where he was from too, who was trying to set his name in stone through a scheme and take over the gang in his city. This kid wanted to be the leader of the Brighton Maffia, and he was only seventeen years old.

Bodhi didn’t have the same hopes and dreams as the unfortunate main character of Brighton Rock, at least not at first, but he knew it would only take time before the same passion and wit was expected from him. Because his father had once been like Pinkie Brown, and the criminal underworld answered only to him. His daughter, Bodhi’s younger sister, had a neck for planning, while Bodhi desperately tried to keep up, sometimes stealing his sister’s ideas so his father would give him a pat on the back instead of her. That seemed to be the one thing to drive him forward: the wish to please his father.

And in that sense he was very different from Pinkie Brown. However, he was just as doomed as the titular character.

During one of his attempts to stride off with his sister’s plans, he got caught in his father’s web. The man wasn’t known to care much about his children, or his friends, or his wife. In order to get what he was owned, he would go through fire. When someone sought to retaliate for a decision made by his son, he gave up Bodhi, delivered him into his enemy’s hands and told them: “kill the one who did you wrong.”

Bodhi didn’t die, but that was only by luck. He spent a couple of weeks in a hospital in London, pretending to have amnesia, and eventually was released to the state. He didn’t have a wallet on him, nor had he ever been arrested and placed in the system - courtesy of his father. Meaning if he wanted to start over, this was his best option.

He built up his life all over again, starting from scratch, tiptoeing around the minefield as he tried to keep his real identity hidden till he could work on top of his new one. He refrained from getting into contact with his sister, he completely stayed away from Brighton, but he did make his way back into the criminal underworld. Just not as a criminal himself, but as a PI. Given his insights in the cooperation his father managed, he gave some great tips to the police, and got more work from there.

When someone from London wanted him to look into suspicious disappearances at Maidenhead, Bodhi had never concerned himself with the existence of Supernatural beings. But the situation there led him to believe otherwise. And from then on, he was more careful with the jobs he accepted. Till the most recent one led him to Fenrir’s Wood.

Played by Nico. Portrayed by Vinny Chhibber.

[nicostolemybones]

Nightmares

@solangeloweek

Tw: nightmares, brief nightmare descriptions (involving knives, crop mowers, and brief cancer mention), trauma mention (non-graphic), hallucinations, paranoia

Will woke up in a state of panic, but he didn't move. He didn't even understand his dream- a perfectly normal character from TV running people over in some kind of lawnmower thingy but for crops, then following him into the library and cutting people open, waiting to get to Will to stab him. It sounded so mundane like that, but… Will was petrified, and worse, he knew he was okay, it was a dream, but what if he'd been stabbed? 

So he lay rigid, not daring to move his hand from the side of his stomach because what if he'd been stabbed? His finger twitched, and he could have sworn he felt a trickle of blood. He knew- he knew that there wasn't anything, because he was safe in bed, but what if he moved and something killed him? Behind him, in the corner, always. Something waiting, something that would make its move at the first movement he made, the first loud breath.

Will tried to keep his breathing slow and steady, watching the way the blanket pounded with his pulse, keeping himself deathly still. 

He counted every agonising minute, waiting for someone to wake up, because he knew that as soon as he wasn't alone, he'd be okay. 

It was two hours before anyone woke up, and Will held his breath as he pulled it away from his side, numb. He could have sworn he could feel the blood, but there was nothing there. He didn't feel safe alone, and he didn't even know why.

Why was he reacting like this? It was a stupid dream, one he was already forgetting the details of, one that he really didn't need to linger on, he'd have laughed his head off if it was in a horror movie because it made no sense and the scenes changed unnaturally. So it shouldn't even be scary, but here Will was, knowing that he was fully safe, but the paranoia telling him that he was going to die. He headed to the bathroom, terrified of the window in there. It was always open, a metal bar with holes the way to prop it open on a peg. The paint was a terracotta orange, chipped over the metal, the glass opaque bubble-like circles, but it always looked like something was moving in there. He practically jumped up, making sure to tap the opposite wall- as a kid when he was scared, he called it the life save button- if he was killed, he'd reset like a video game there and he could avoid being killed and he could not die ever. He couldn't press it if the light was off. And he knew he was being paranoid, but the sudden overwhelming feeling that whatever was on the other side of that window was about to kill him had him running out.

Will hated it because he was still capable of rational thought. He knew that he was completely safe, so why… why was he so scared? He knew the life save button didn't work, knew that nothing was lurking to kill him, knew he didn't really have to think in his head like he was telepathic to the creature beyond the window to tell it that he was secretly an immortal alien who wouldn't be sleeping in the hope of intimidating it out of killing him-

Will didn't understand, how one small unsettling dream, could cause him to act so irrational. And the worst part was being fully aware of how irrational it was. He couldn't even call it a nightmare, because it wasn't… it was just unsettling and Will was a baby who couldn't even handle watching Paranorman. 

He made his way to Nico's cabin, to find Nico already sitting up in bed. He was pale and shaky, staring at the corner. "Are… you okay there, Death Boy?"

"Yeah," Nico said quickly, "just. Nightmare. And now the shadows are moving, so either, the shadows are secretly evil, I'm hallucinating, or my eyesight is really, really shit."

"Uh- Nico, that's concerning," Will said, looking to the corner. The shadows were perhaps a little thick and disturbed, but they weren't writing about any more than they usually did. 

"Yeah yeah, I know there's nothing there," Nico said, "I took a picture and there's nothing on the picture- is there nothing on the picture?" Nico held up his phone, a picture of the wall with flash on, no shadows at all.

"The picture only shows the wall, no shadows. You're safe, Nico." Nico nodded, took a deep breath out. 

"Yeah. I- I know. I know. It's just. Nightmare. Bad. Another nightmare that just. Makes no sense. You know the ones? Not even scary but. You're unaware it's a dream even though it's obviously not real. And. It's usually something stupid and. Like some kind of, just, cursed amulet in an indoor market whilst you shop for edgy necklaces. That's gonna give you cancer and kill you. I mean, that's. Ridiculous. It's not real. But it- the emotions, the fear… maybe, the nightmare is about Tartarus, because it- feels, like it. The feelings, it feels like it, same terror. Is- is that a thing?"

Oh.

Will paused. 

Because was that a thing?

"Like, I didn't, directly dream anything of what happened," Nico clarified, "but, the emotions were, yeah, the, fear of death, abandonment, feeling like, somethings watching me, hopelessness, and I, woke up smelling pomegranates."

"My nightmares are just, increasingly violent," Will said, sitting on the edge of Nico's bed, "and then they manifest in… I don't even know if I can call it paranoia because I'm fully aware I'm being irrational. Or, I just, thrash about and yell in my sleep. And they can trigger weird anxiety attacks and. They manifest in the weirdest of ways and they make no sense yet they leave me absolutely terrified for my life even when I know I'm safe. I don't even know if I can call them nightmares."

"Some of my nightmares are just… recurrent flashbacks, others are just… really, really weird. But they freak me out and make me feel the same fear as the flashbacks. I wake up from them and my heart is pounding like I'm in Tartarus again. If a dream is leaving you feeling like you did back then, then… That's… not good."

"I don't even have trauma," Will shrugged, "I just. I don't understand the nightmares."

"Will, you lived through two demigod wars, you've seen multiple deaths, that's definitely trauma."

"But I barely rem-"

"Remember what happened to you, yeah, trauma amnesia. The more I remembered the more related to my trauma my dreams become. I don't know if that's a thing though. But Will… it's not just the dreams with you. Your anxiety attacks where you can smell the battlefield and feel blood on your hands… kinda sounds like it could be a flashback maybe. But- I'm not an expert. I could be completely wrong. You need a therapist, Will. Your nightmares may just be… a manifestation of trauma. You don't remember most of your trauma to relive it or realise you're reliving it. But it's still there, it still- affects your emotions and stuff. So- maybe it's linked? Again, I'm not an expert."

"How do you stop the nightmares," Will asked quietly, and Nico winced.

"Sorry, buddy, if I knew I'd tell you. I mean, not sleeping works great but after a few days you kinda start hallucinating so I don't recommend just… not… sleeping. I also don't recommend listening to a horror podcast before bed. That's a really bad idea. But I haven't found that eating cheese before bed affects my nightmares so, if cheese is all you have for a 4am snack, just eat it. I mean it might add to nightmares but, when's the last time you didn't have one anyways?"

"Well," Will replied flatly, "this is depressing."

"Yeah, sure is," Nico said, gently patting Will's back, "see a therapist."

[dylan-o-yumm]

Alright next angst.... *rubs hands with evil smirk* How about s\o having amnesia and can't remember nero anymore through that? (Alright I'm maybe evil when it comes to angst.... Sorry! But to be not to evil a happy end with that s\o memories comes back through something!)

(Awwww poor Nero!) Btw it should come of no shock that I don’t edit any of these, so I’m sorry if my spelling, grammar and punctuation is shitty. Ps, got carried away again…

You woke up slowly, eyes fluttering and adjusting to the harsh white light of what appears to be a hospital room. Your joints feel stiff, like you haven’t moved in a couple days, a dull ache residing in your the side of your head. You glance around, neck cracking as you turn to the side to see a bunch of flowers and cards that read ‘Get Well Soon!’ along with a few little teddybears. You realised quickly that they were for you, having been laying in a hospital bed, it didn’t take a genius to guess that you had obviously been in some kind of accident. You could’t quite remember what accident, though. Was it a car crash maybe?

“Hey, you’re awake. How’re you feeling?” A voice sounds from the other side of the small room, over by the door. In a rather uncomfortable looking chair, sat a young male with short white hair that looked to be messed up from sleep, and gorgeous blue eyes that held happiness and hope as he gazed at you. He was laying horizontal on the small one seater, having been asleep previously. He swung his legs down and scooted forward in the chair to get closer to you. He had a strong jaw and thin but rather kissable looking lips. It wasn’t until you really focused on his eyes that you realised you have seen him before. He had longer hair from when you remember him, and his face has defiantly matured, but the longer you look, you can tell this is Nero, a boy you vaguely knew from the orphanage. 

“Nero? What are you doing here?” You ask, not meaning to sound rude, but the shock was evident in your voice. Nero’s smile faded slightly, not quite leaving his face entirely but you could tell you maybe upset him a little. You wanted to ask what happened to you but you were more confused as to why a boy you hardly know was here in the hospital with you when your family or friends weren’t. Did he hear of your accident or whatever happened and felt sorry for you? But even then, he didn’t know you well enough to pay you a visit… 

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be here?” Nero chuckles, thinking you’re joking with him. He had leaned forward even more until he could rest his elbows on the side of your bed, reaching one hand out to caress your face gently with the back of his fingers. You felt tingles spread from your cheek all the way through your body as he touched you so gently, but it only made you more confused. 

“Because we hardly know each other…” You stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, recalling the two times you can remember conversing with Nero. You knew him but you wouldn’t consider him anything more than an acquaintance. Nero’s hand fell from your face when he realised you weren’t joking, smile completely wiped off his face now. Well, he hoped you were, anyway. You were just pulling a little prank on him, right? 

“What?” He scoffed, taking his elbows off the bed and letting his shoulders sag. “Y/n no one knows me better than you… A-are you okay?” He asks, worry lacing his words and painting itself on his face. Now you were a little worried too, wondering if he were pulling your leg or if the accident you had had caused you to forget certain things. 

“What happened to me?” You ask, knowing the emotions Nero was feeling couldn’t be faked. This had to be real. He explained how you were fighting demons on a bridge and a car came out of nowhere, causing you to jump out of the way, but you tripped and fell off the bridge into the shallow waters. You had hit your head badly. He told you how he and a girl named Nico, who is apparently your friend, had to race you here to the hospital. 

“You really don’t remember me, don’t you?” Nero asks with a soft, sad voice. All hope and happiness that were once in his eyes from when you woke up was instantly gone. You remembered a few things, but everything about Devil May Cry and the people you’ve met, such as Dante, Trish and Lady were all a blur. Nero told you of them, that you worked for the company with him and Nico, but you don’t remember any of them. You only partially remember Nero because you knew him years ago.  

“I remember you… however many years ago. When you had long hair. You had just joined the Order, I think” You remember, frowning as you try your hardest to remember anything at all from the past few weeks. Nero mutters something along the lines of ‘we hardly spoke then’ but he shifts in his seat before standing up, walking over to the open door and keeping his hand on the frame as if to reassure you that he isn’t leaving as he calls for a nurse. 

The following week, you left the hospital after being told that you in fact did loose some of your memories, as if you didn’t figure it out for yourself. The doctor said theres a chance you’d be able to remember pithing a few months which made Nero smile hopefully at you. You left with Nero, wanting to try and get your memories back of him. And what better way to jog your memory than by spending more time with him?  

When you first saw your room you were shocked to see that it was also Nero’s room. You should have figured that you two were more than friends. Knowing that you ended up with someone as attractive and kind as him made you smile, wondering what made you so lucky. But then you realise you don’t remember anything about him, which in turn, doesn’t make you so lucky. Seeing your shared bed made you a little flustered, knowing he’d most likely want to sleep in the same room as you but you weren’t ready for that yet. He understood completely and slept on the couch for a week, even though you insisted he had the bed since he clearly had been sleeping on the uncomfortable couch at the hospital for the time you spent there. 

As time went on without you regaining any memories, you could tell Nero was getting a little touch starved, but he always was respectful and kept his distance. It worked in his favour that a little crush had been growing from the time you spent with him. It was like you were falling in love with him for a second time, thought you just couldn’t remember the first time. You’d be ballsy and reach for his hand, intertwining your fingers with his. The first time you did it, he let out a sigh of relief, his heart skipping a beat. He couldn’t tell if he should be happy or sad, knowing this is all a first for you when he still held the beautiful memories of the two of you. 

Your first kiss was something Nero told you about while you were relaxing on the couch with him, wondering if it would bring anything back. He told you how it was cheesy and romantic, after having been on a great first date, you were walking through a park with him and he kissed you on the cheek. You were the one to pull him in and kiss his lips. You almost cried as he told you, seeing how his face lit up with love and adoration at the memory. You asked him if he’d recreate that moment for you and he smiled sadly, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your cheek. It sent shivers down your spine and your chest swelled with warmth as you did as your past self, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him in for a kiss on the lips. 

No memories where restored. 

Though you didn’t remember, the kiss was amazing. Soft and sweet just like him. It defiantly made your odd little crush on him grow. 

The next night was something you were sure you’d never forget. You had finished cleaning the dishes after dinner and were looking for Nero to ask him what movie he wanted to watch with you. You found him in your shared room, leaning against the wall with one hand holding his collar to his lips, muffling moans as he had his other hand down his pants, eyes closed as he pumped slowly. Upon hearing you enter, he scrambled to take his hand out of his trousers and blinked rapidly to hide the lust in his eyes, spitting his collar out of his mouth. 

“Shi- Y/n, I’m sorry. I-I just… well, you know, I-I…” You cut him off from his apology that he was stumbling over, a little unsure of your own words when you offered him some help. You couldn’t deny that the image of him pleasing himself was completely and utterly arousing to you, having spent a few weeks with him now and having gotten to know him rather well meant you had already thought of inviting him back into bed with you, in more ways than one. 

“Seriously?” Nero asked surprised, taking a hesitant step towards you. He was so worried about your comfort and needing you to be 100% sure you knew what you were asking. His kindness only made you more sure of your decision. Doesn’t mean you weren’t shy and awkward about it though. There was no doubt that he’d be able to please you more than you could him, without having any memories of past experiences with him meant you couldn’t remember his body and what he liked.  

“Kiss couldn’t get my memories back… maybe I… maybe I need something more?” You fidgeted with your fingers, unable to meet his gaze. You couldn’t help but subtly look up at the tent in his pants, biting your lip after averting you eyes again. You felt excitement between your thighs and Nero knew what you were feeling, maybe before you did yourself. He came over to you slowly, gently resting his clean hand on your cheek and tilting your face up so he could kiss you passionately. 

He was slow and careful most of the time, as if he was waiting for you to tell him to stop. You had to keep reassuring him that you were fine, by either moaning his name or digging your heels into the back of his thighs to get him to move faster or harder. He always kept one hand laced with yours, even when he got a little rough. You had to admit, when he got rough, he was unbelievably sexy. His back arched as he hunched over you, the hand that wasn’t holding yours was under your head, holding you firmly without hurting you, especially with your head injury, even though it had had weeks to heal, he was still mindful of it. His head buried into your neck, growling and groaning like an animal in your ear. 

His thrusts were slow and passionate at first, but as he let go a little, he became faster and harder, quickly sending you over the edge. He asked you where you wanted him to finish, remembering this was basically your first time with him. You responded by telling him to release wherever he usually did, feeling him spill his seed inside you which caused you to moan and roll your eyes back. You were both spent, Nero picked up his discarded shirt and cleaned you up with it after he pulled out. You pulled him back to you when he got up to go sleep on the couch again, bringing him in for a cuddle under the blankets. 

He asked if you remembered anything. 

“No” You replied shortly, before kissing his bare chest and falling asleep in his arms. 

You woke up after what felt like a bunch of realistic dreams, like a slideshow playing one after the other. They were mostly of Nero, one of them was of the date he told you about, and a few other things here and there that he had previously mentioned. You opened your eyes and saw that Nero was already awake, head resting in his hand as he looked down at you with soft, loving eyes, stroking your hair back soothingly. 

“You okay? You were mumbling in your sleep” he asks, leaning in to press a delicate kiss to your forehead. You sighed happily, closing your eyes as his lips lingered on you. A smile made its way to your face, stretching wide until it hurt. Nero smiled too, but only because your smile was contagious, asking you what you were so happy about once he pulled his lips away.

“I think I remember everything…” You chuckle, quickly rolling onto your stomach with a sudden burst of energy from excitement. Nero’s smile dropped but not because he was unhappy, he stuttered over his words, asking you what you remembered and you spent the day telling him everything. You didn’t get out of bed for a whole day, not even thinking to get food or water or go to the toilet. You were so excited that you finally had your memories back, needing to talk about every single one and appreciating them for what they are. 

“Did you really get your memories back from the sex we had last night?” Nero laughed, gladly listening intently to everything you had to say even though he remembered everything you were already saying. He loved seeing you happy, finally having the pieces back to your unfinished puzzle.

“Hmm, lets say me falling asleep in your arms is what jogged my memory” You chuckle, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to his lips. 

[castrophreni-a]

Without You

PJO/HOO - Percabeth - Canonish AU

Rated: Teen

Hook: Percy is missing. Again. Maybe. Except not at all. Either way it's all Poseidon's fault and Annabeth has had it up to here with the gods.(What happens when our Percy is replaced with Darkest-Timeline!Percy overnight? And just what makes his timeline so damn dark?)

Title: Without You

ao3/ffnet

Annabeth woke in a cold sweat, her whole body tight and agitated. Her hand was on her sword and she was on her feet milliseconds later. Something was wrong. Her first thought, unsurprisingly, Percy.  

She ran to his cabin, only to find the door already open and him face down and unconscious next to his bunk.

It took less than ten minutes to rouse Jason, who helped her carry her unnecessarily heavy boyfriend to the Big House, as well as Chiron and Will Solace. In the rush and faint light of dawn Annabeth hadn't noticed at first, but in the full flush of the house she saw clearly a thick strip of pure white hair amongst Percy's windswept hair, similar to the one that had grown out years ago, but uncomfortably different as well.

After that she noticed a few other subtle differences. He had a thin scar marring his right eyebrow, another very faint one under his chin. Annabeth couldn't be sure but she would have sworn he was...paler than he had been the day before. And not in a 'supernatural coma/potential sickness' sort of way, but a 'I missed the sun this summer' kind of way.

Will was looking him over, taking his vitals, pronouncing them normal, when Percy gasped awake. In blinding speed, even to her, he rolled off of the couch onto his feet and had a dagger in his hand she thought maybe had been on a bookcase behind him.

His eyes were...they were all wrong. There was a hardness there that shook Annabeth to her core. She'd never actually seen him level such a cold gaze at her before, only glimpsed it in battle when he faced enemies. It was another thing altogether to face it herself. It made her blood run cold.

Percy's attention flicked from her to Will and Chiron and he marginally relaxed. "What happened?" He demanded of the pair. "Why am I up here?"

"You were passed out on the floor of your cabin." Will said slowly. "Annabeth found you and she and Jason brought you up here."

Percy looked to Chiron and then back to Will, he let the weapon fall to his side but his grip on it remained firm. "Who?"

"Hilarious Percy," Will said with a scoff. "But I'm not falling for your amnesia 'relapse' again."

Percy studied Will for a long moment. "Who the hell is Annabeth?" He pointed to dagger at the blonde across the room. “And who is she?”

---

Needless to say there was a mild amount of chaos after that question was posed. At first Will and Chiron assumed another case of supernatural amnesia, but Annabeth was quick to counter that with her observations.

This Percy had scars she didn't recognize, he still had a chunk of bright white hair, and he didn't move or look or sound quite like her boyfriend. He was... wrong, a knock-off or a weird substitution, or something. But definitely not her boyfriend. This wasn’t a Percy whose memory had been tampered with again, this was a different Percy altogether.

After a few tense moments of speculation they all took seats and the other Percy kept his pilfered weapon on his right thigh, still distrusting.

“I don’t understand.” Will reiterated. “You know who I am,” Percy nodded. “Who Chiron is,” Again he gave a swift affirmation. “Even Jason?” Percy confirmed this to be true. Will scratched his brow. “Uh, Nico?” Another yes. “Okay, Piper?” And yes, Leo and Hazel and Frank. He knew Rachel Dare, he knew Grover, though he flinched almost imperceptibly to anyone that wasn’t Annabeth Chase at the mention of his best friend’s name. The list went on and he confirmed camper after Roman.

“So the only person you don’t know is...Annabeth.” Will concluded, sharing a thoughtful look with Chiron.

Annabeth felt his steady green gaze settle on her and she met it, searching for someone she knew she wouldn’t find. There wasn’t an ounce of recognition in his eyes. “No,” He answered softly. This had been her nightmare once. Well, one of them. When he was missing, those dark months of searching, after Jason’s memories started to come back so slowly. A part of her had been worried they’d find him and he wouldn’t remember her, remember them. She knew, in her very soul, that this was not her Percy, but it still hurt to see him look at her without the love, the awe and wonder, she’d grown used to over the years. It was all wrong.

“I think she’s right though.” He broke their staring contest to return his attention to Will and Chiron. “I don’t think I’m, uh,” He gestured vaguely to the trio opposite him. “Your Percy or whatever.” He ran a hand through his hair. “My Will Solace just cut his hair short for the summer.” He pointed to Chiron's left arm. “My Chiron has a scar from the Battle of Manhattan.” He ran a thumbnail across his bicep. "And obviously we don't have an...Annabeth." He finished, shifting in his seat.

“How do we know you’re Percy Jackson at all?” Annabeth tried to keep her voice even, a lot about the kid said ‘danger’ in bright neon lights she didn't want to provoke him, but there was still an edge to her tone.

“Huh,” The interloper shrugged. “I guess you don’t.” He tapped the fingers of his left hand on his left knee. A nervous habit her boyfriend had too when forced to sit still. “I mean, anything you ask me we won’t know if it’s just different where I’m from, or if I’m lying.” He said it matter-of-factly, almost with disinterest.

“So why should we trust you?” Annabeth pressed.

“You shouldn’t.” He replied quickly. That wasn’t exactly the answer she was expecting. “I wouldn’t.”

Will turned to Chiron. “Could we like test him?” He rolled his hand. “Like prove he’s the son of Poseidon, or think of something only Percy Jackson could do or...something?”

“What did you have in mind Will?” Chiron raised an eyebrow.

Will nodded his head to Annabeth. “Well we have the foremost Percy Jackson expert right here don’t we?” His looked to Annabeth. “What would prove he was Percy, Annabeth?”

The other Percy also shifted his focus to her again, confusion coloring his eyes, his brow creasing. He clearly questioned Will’s assertion, but chose not to verbalize it. Annabeth bit the inside of her cheek and considered the issue at hand. The guy was right, any question he answered incorrectly weren’t exactly proof he was lying, just that his life had differed from the Percy she knew. They needed something fundamental, something that wouldn’t change no matter what…(timeline? Universe? Athena give her strength) he was from…

It took her sometime to think of something unlikely to be alterable. “Your mom,” She cleared her throat. “She told me once,” On one of the late nights when he was missing and Sally sat up with her as they scoured the internet for signs of him. “There was something you always did, accidentally, you didn’t even realize until a couple of years ago.” Her gaze met his again. Gray on green. It took a second but then she saw it, the flicker of understanding.

He hadn’t noticed growing up, Sally had told her that night. His mother had worried he would one day, and it’d be too soon and his powers would really begin to manifest and he would no longer be safe. It was also when she knew her son would not lead an easy life. That he was made for world changing things, and she had to prepare him as best she could. To raise a man that could be great and kind, to be powerful but not covet supremacy. It was another night Annabeth thanked all the gods and fates for Sally Jackson.

“I…” He paused, his eyes betraying him to her the way they always did.“I used to reach into the boiling water to grab the spaghetti when she made dinner.” He let his gaze drop to his lap. “I didn’t realize hot water was supposed to be so...hot.” A small crooked smile fought for purchase on his face. “But she said the first time she noticed I was maybe, like, two, and I pulled a teapot over. I should have had second degree burns, at least, but…” He trailed. “Probably should have understood before thirteen that hot water burns other people.” His slight smirk was so reminiscent of her Percy she felt an actual pain in her chest. “I thought other people were just being,” He gestured. "Dramatic."

Annabeth looked to Chiron and Will and nodded. As far ash knew Sally Jackson was the only person on the planet, besides herself, that knew Percy was resistant to extreme temperatures from infancy. He'd stumbled into scalding baths, fallen in icy puddles, turned the tap the wrong way without noticing and never borne a single sign.  

Just then a soft green light burned to life and there above this Percy’s head was the telltale trident she hadn’t seen since Tyson. The light flared to a blinding luminescence and and they all fought to keep their eyes open as a harsh sound filtered through the epicenter. Then just as suddenly the light faded, the noise receded and they were able to lift their heads.

The other Percy frowned, eyes glittering darkly. “I guess that answers that question.” He said with a sigh.  

“What did Poseidon say?” Chiron ventured. That had been him talking? Why so distorted? Why so painful? How could that be called communication?

Percy’s jaw twitched and his eyes were cast upward. “It’s hard to translate him when he does that, it’s more like...impressions.” He turned back to them. “But basically he needed to trade us?” He tilted his head as he considered this interpretation. “I guess trade works, your Percy is in my...world or dimension maybe, and I’m here until he decides this field trip from hell is over.” He gave a heavy sigh. “Thanks dad, as always.” He scrubbed his face with one hand. “Always great with the specifics that guy. Never vague at all.”

So his presence wasn’t an accident, this was the will of a god. Not just any god either, but his father. And there were other dimensions, or timelines, or something, and the gods could manipulate them. Fantastic. Only the fates knew what Aphrodite did with that kind of power. Annabeth bit back a shudder at the thought. She also sent a silent pray to the god of the sea, reminding him that if he didn't bring her boyfriend back, and in the condition she'd left him, he'd be answering to her. Divine power or not.

---

After it was decided to let this Percy stay with them until whatever purpose Poseidon had was fulfilled Annabeth left him to Will and Chiron to find her friends and fresh air. She didn’t need to go far. They were all on the porch of the Big House waiting as the sun filtered through the trees.

It took a while for them all to fully understand and accept what she was telling them. To be fair they hadn’t seen him. Only Jason had, and he was characteristically silent as Annabeth explained that their Percy was stuck in an alternate something and this alternate Percy was stuck with them until, well, until.

“So what’s different about his life?” Piper asked as they broke cabin rules* and congregated at Jason’s table for breakfast.

Annabeth sighed and shrugged one shoulder. “So far it seems to mostly be that he has no idea who I am.” The whole table stilled, forks silent in midair, mouths hanging open, all eyes swiveling in her direction.

“And he’s alive?!” Leo cried, the first the break the halting silence. Nervous laughter tumbled from a few of her friends at the outburst.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Apparently.”

Leo set down his toast. “That just doesn’t seem...likely.”

Annabeth fingered her camp necklace underneath her shirt collar. The other Percy’s had remained hidden during their interrogation. She found herself wondering if his beads were different as a result. If there was no Annabeth had he travelled to Los Angeles to confront Hades in the Underworld? Had he rescued the golden fleece? Resurrected Thalia? He bore the mark from holding up the sky. Had he traversed the labyrinth? If so who with? Who searched for him when Hera took him? Who found Athena’s missing statue? Without her had he never fallen into Tartarus? She was torn between a desire to never set eyes on the interloper again and an insatiable curiosity to delve into the what ifs.

Piper nudged her and the Athena camper dropper her necklace. “So friend or foe?” Piper asked quietly, even so the whole table’s attention was on the blonde.

Annabeth met their gazes individually. “Friend.” She said finally. “For now.”

“So, he’s still Percy?” Leo asked across from her.

She considered this for a long moment. She thought of the scars that didn’t match, the wariness in his eyes, the hyper-vigilance. However she also couldn’t help but think of his crooked troublemaker grin, his wry tone even in the face of unfathomable insanity, the expressiveness still evident in his clear sea green gaze. “I think so.” She told them softly. Her mind still back at the couch of the Big House, still in another life altogether where the person who mattered most to her had likely woken up, and in a world without her.

*those rules make no sense to me I’m not even pretending anyone should follow them

---

“Percy?” His head hurt. “Percy?” A concerned voice repeated. He groaned and sat up carefully, the heel of one hand braced on against his temple as he did.

It took a moment for the world to shift into focus and Will Solace’s face to come into view above him on one side, Nico di Angelo on the other, with matching frowns. “Will?” He looked from one to the other. “Nico?” The couple shared a glance above him. “What the hell happened?” He realized he was on a couch in the Big House. Also that Will had cut his hair since last night. Strange.

“We’re not sure.” Will sat on the edge of the couch and put his hands on either side of Percy’s head, tilting it gently from side to side and he assessed him. He flashed a light into Percy’s eyes, and the son of Poseidon did his best not to flinch at the intrusion. “You weren’t at breakfast." Will told him as he measured his pulse. "Nico and I came to find you and you were passed out next to your bed.”

Percy shifted and winced, his whole body was sore, liked he’d been run over by chariot and it’s horses. A few times. And maybe a few chariots. “I don’t know.” He said with a sigh. “I dropped Annabeth off at her cabin last night, went to bed and…” He looked up shaking his head.

Both Nico and Will were looking at him like he’d lost his mind. “Who?” They asked in unison.