Second Chances: Another Wrong Move

Chapter One

**Chiron**

The thing about Iris Messages is that they typically come unexpectedly. You can know they're coming, yet they still seem to startle you every time. I stared at the woman in the watery image in front of me and raised an eyebrow.

"Sally Jackson?" I asked slowly. "What can I do for you?"

"My husband and I found Percy in the living room," she said, her voice shaking as she tried to force the words to leave her mouth. "He seems to have forgotten everything. He's scared and confused."

Before I could reply, the mother of Olympus' traitor turned towards the doorway of the bathroom. She pulled her arms tighter around her chest, hugging herself slightly. A confused looking teanager slowly stepped into the room. followed by Sally's mortal husband. His silence didn't last long as his seagreen eyes landed on the Iris Message.

"W-What is that?" he asked his stepdad quietly, eyes turning to look at him.

"Your mother can explain it better than I can," Paul said softly. "Why don't you go talk to her? She's talking to a man named Chiron. He can help you, too."

I smiled and ushered the boy over, and I wondered if his reluctance was real or just an act. The timing of the boys return was awful. There had been so much unrest since the end of the Titan War as a son of Zeus had entered camp with Annabeth. A new great prophecy had been spoken, too. If an ancient deity had approached Percy in the Underworld, where was the proof that he wouldn't follow them into this war.

"Um, hello..." he supplied reluctantly.

"Hello, Percy," I said gently, watching him closely. 'Your mom says you're having trouble remembering a few things?"

"Yeah, I'm... struggling to remember everything."

The expression on his face was completely genuine, and I kind of felt bad for judging him so quickly. The son of Poseidon's face was scrunched up in confusion, and his lips were pursed. I gave him a quick look over. His body posture was just as unsure.

"If you want to come to our summer camp, the camp director and I will attempt to help you recover the memories you have lost," I said slowly. "I mean, if your mother is okay with that."

"Is he allowed to come back?" Sally asked hopefully.

"The gods may disagree with me, but he's welcome," I gave her a slightly forced smile. "I don't really see him doing any harm."

**Percy Jackson**

The person claiming to be my mother and the older man she was talking to both looked at me as more confusion crossed my face. These people were insane = they seemed to be speaking about gods as if multiple gods actually existed. Paul, as he had introduced himself, gave me a reassuring look as he quietly asked me if I were alright.

"You're talking about gods as if they exist," I answered the question as if Chiron had been the one to ask. "What's going on? Did I end up in the apartment of some random psychos?"

I didn't expect them to turn to me with sorrowful looks, but I soon had everyone but Paul watching me with sad eyes. Paul sighed deeply and gazed at my mother. She gently took my hand.

"We'll take you to camp," she said instead of explaining. "Chiron'll make sure you understand everything going on before the summer is over. It'll be a lot, but I know you can handle it. You're strong."

I looked at Chiron, unsure. The entire situation was too much - the fact that these random human beings were going to be sending me away to 'understand things' hardly bothered me as much as the fact that I couldn't remember anything besides a pretty blonde face. It seemed whoever the face belonged to was the only person important enough to really be in my life.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be fine."

10/27/18