PERCABETH ONESHOTS

oneshot #58 : the missing piece

Annabeth was nervous. Undeniably nervous. But as the Argo ll sailed through the air, drifting closer and closer to its destination, it quickly became apparent that the slight tapping of her finger against the railing, the biting of her lip so hard it drew blood, was not simply the result of silly nerves.

The usually cool, calm, and collected daughter of Athena was terrified.

Percy Jackson, the light and love (and sometimes pain) of her life, had gone missing. He'd disappeared seemingly out of thin air, and Annabeth hadn't been able to trace him for months.

And now, somehow, she was on her way to see him.

Of course, this was what she wanted. She'd lost sleep over his absence, puzzled with his disappearance ever since she'd opened the door of Cabin Three to see an empty bed.

But as much as she'd looked, as frantically as she'd searched, not once had she imagined actually reuniting with him -- as weird as that may be. The only thing Annabeth knew was that she would find him. She was going to find him.

Now she didn't know what to feel. How was it going to go?

What am I thinking?

Percy was her boyfriend. He was the most natural, laid-back guy she knew. They were. . .well, they loved each other. That didn't make for an awkward reunion, right? Not even after a while. 

"Annabeth," Leo called from somewhere behind her. "We're almost there!"

The blonde muttered acknowledgement and tried to relax her grip on the railing, but her fingers didn't want to budge. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, channeling a calm disposition, even if it was only outward. It wasn't time to fret over Percy, it was time to be the daughter of Athena, acting as the bridge between the two camps. 

The next few minutes were a blur; discussing the plan with the others, double checking the white flag at the mast, arguing with the strange statue, and lots of extra deep breaths.

And then they were climbing down.

Annabeth couldn't find it in herself at first to look up, out over the crowd. She watched the tip of her toes at her feet settled on the ground, watched her hands as they went to fix her hair back into place. Finally, though, she forced her gaze straight forward, over the sea of tense Roman halfbloods.

Her eyes first caught on Percy's half-brother, Tyson, who waved and grinned at her. Mrs. O'Leary was perched next to the cyclops, her tail wagging. She gave a small, distracted nod and let her gaze roam over the beautiful surrounding buildings, giving herself a moment to admire the immaculate structures. 

Annabeth's attention was brought back to the front when the legion parted and a dark haired woman stepped through, head held high. Her obsidian eyes bore into Annabeth like daggers, and the daughter of Athena knew that this was the Reyna Jason had described, the leader of this place. She'd be the one Annabeth was talking to.

Then another figure stepped up beside Reyna, and Annabeth's vision tunneled.

Percy's expression was guarded, but he smiled warmly at the group nonetheless. His black hair was brushed back hastily, windswept just as she remembered. His sea green eyes were alight with joy, and Annabeth had a feeling its origin was the two demigods standing behind him -- a dark skinned girl and a tall, Asian boy.

She noticed he was even taller than when she'd seen him last, tanner too. He'd gotten better looking, if that was even possible. 

"Jason Grace. my former colleague. . ." Reyna spoke with a hint of hostility, but Annabeth didn't notice. "I welcome you home."

As much as she knew she should be listening, the words weren't registering with Annabeth. She took a step forward, then another, as if an unknown force was pulling her towards the son of Poseidon.

"And these, your friends. . ." Reyna trailed off as she noticed one of the Greek demigods gravitating closer, raising a thin eyebrow slightly.

And Annabeth knew all eyes were on her. She knew something was off, she felt it. But all she could see was his face, his gorgeous green eyes that looked exactly like how she had remembered them.

Four months.

Out of all the years they had known each other, after having a crush on him since they were twelve years old, Percy and Annabeth had enjoyed being an actual couple for four months.

So no one could blame Annabeth -- who, after Percy had disappeared, had been looking relentlessly for her boyfriend -- if she interrupted a historic moment, a world-changing moment, to get to Percy.

She didn't even stop when Percy stared at her with furrowed brows, she didn't feel her feet stop moving underneath her until she stood, directly in front of him.

Fifteen seconds of silence, in which Annabeth stood pathetically, brought Percy to action. He cleared his throat, glancing at Reyna for help. The surrounding crowd had tensed at movement from the greeks, looking to their leader for orders and waiting on edge.

"Um. . ." Percy fumbled with the praetor robes he wore, avoiding Annabeth's eyes. "Hello?"

Annabeth felt her heart skip a beat. She lost the ability to function for a moment. What?

"Oh, um, yes!" Jason took a step forward himself and flashed a nervous smile. "Yes, thank you for the, er, warm welcome. I'm glad to be back." He was clearly trying to draw the attention away from the blonde. But Annabeth wasn't going to just stand there, even as the dread began to wash over her. 

"Percy? It's me. . .Annabeth."

For a moment, her boyfriend studied her face intently. But the recognition she was hoping to find sparkle in his eyes never came, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't. . ."

A tense silence fell over the crowd. 

"No, Seaweed Brain, you know me." Annabeth tried for a small smile, maybe to ease the worries of those around her, maybe to ease her own. 

But she only had to take another look at Percy's face to know that this was no joke. 

"You don't. . ." Annabeth took a step backwards. "No. . ."

The tall boy and smaller girl stepped up closer to Percy, flanking him protectively. 

Reyna turned to Jason. "What is going on?"

"Uh. . ." Jason's expression turned somber. He moved forward towards Annabeth and looked Percy up and down, and the Romans watched him in awe. "You lost your memory too, right?"

Percy tore his eyes from the stunned Annabeth to nod at Jason. He glanced at the large Argo II and back at the blonde in front of him. 

"And I haven't gotten it all back, apparently."

( i stg this a / n is so long, feel free to skip it )

i seriously considered making a whole separate fic out of this idea, since i've been wanting to write it since i read the mark of athena. but i feel like my main acc already has enough stories ( with more to come ), and it would only be like a few chapters, so i should just keep it like a three shot thing. so, lucky you guys, you get to wait for the next parts ! thanks to adoringIy for the ideas, this oneshot was created because you reminded me of this great trope-thingy on my mb.

but let's just thank the gods ( minus hera ) that this didn't actually happen -- even if rick could have written it ten times better than i can. the whole 'only-remembering-annabeth' thing is really big for percabeth and their relationship.

last thing, i swear i'm so sorry for my long author's notes, but this oneshot book will continue until i write the 100th oneshot. updates will be every thursday ( to the best of my ability ) and i've been planning to rewrite my first ever oneshot for the hundredth one. i figured i should say this now, so i don't spring it on you guys when we're right at the end. i'll probably have other projects going on by then, maybe pjo, maybe not, so i would love for you all to stick with me on my writing journey.  

okay bye finally ! 

~ grace 💙🍪💙🍪💙🍪💙