As the Athena Parthenos stood on Half-Blood Hill, the battle raged on all around them. Demigods, both Greek and Roman, joined forces to fight against Gaia's forces. The demigods were hopelessly outnumbered, but it looked like they were winning the fight.
At least, it looked like it.
Percy noticed Annabeth, Piper and Reyna working together as a unit, hacking and slashing everything in their path. Jason used the wind to do his bidding and summoned lightning after lightning. To his left, Frank turned to a rhino with Leo riding on his back, shooting flames out of his hands and turning the enemies into piles of ashes.
At the corner of his eye, Percy saw Nico and Hazel using the forces of the dead to help them, pushing the enemy lines back. Despite the disparity in their numbers, Percy felt like they were winning.
Alas, it was never that easy.
The ground rumbled, the epicentre located among the army of monsters. From the ground, Gaia rose like a drill. The earth twisted around and formed a twenty-foot tall hooded figure wearing a brown robe.
I'm awake, Gaia muttered, but her voice seemed to resonate from below them rather than from the figure. Percy found himself standing next to Jason.
"There's Queen Dirt Face," Jason muttered. "Any ideas?"
"I've got nothing," Percy admitted. "Got any more lightning bolts up your sleeve?"
"I can squeeze out one more," Jason said. "Before I shrivel up and die from exhaustion,"
Percy took a good look at the situation. "I have a plan," Percy said. Jason looked at him before grinning and nodded.
"Nice knowing you, Jackson,"
"Don't get sentimental now," Percy smirked. He ran towards Gaia, slashing and hacking the enemy lines, making a straight line towards the primordial.
Your attempts are futile, Gaia said. I will see your lands destroyed!
Percy let out an ungodly scream as the ground beneath her erupted into a massive geyser that was powerful enough to lift her off the ground. Percy took the current up towards where Gaia was being pushed up by the torrent of water.
Gah! I will- Gaia sputtered. -kill you!
"Shut up!" Percy landed on her primordial torso. He stabbed his sword into her body and ran it all the way up to her face. Behind him, Jason landed and stabbed her on the neck. The primordial howled in pain. "Jason, now!"
"You need to get out of there!" Jason shouted back. He knew that if he fired this lightning bolt, Percy will get caught in the blast radius and die.
He might be the strongest demigod alive - much to Jason's dismay - but he was still mortal.
"Just do it! I'll be fine!" Percy insisted. He knew what was going to happen.
"But-"
"Do it now Grace!" Percy shouted. Gaia tried to reach for him, but he sliced her hand out of the way. The geyser was getting weaker, but he knew he had to hold on. Reluctantly, Jason flew away and let loose his final and most powerful lightning bolt ever. The flash blinded everyone momentarily, but it vaporized everyone within five meters of the blast zone.
After being blinded momentarily, their visions returned. When the dust cleared, nothing was left. The enemy realizes their defeat and retreated. Where Percy and Gaia had been, there was nothing left but a huge crater.
Annabeth and the other demigods went towards the scene, only to find Jason passed out near the crater and Percy nowhere to be seen. "Where's Percy?" Annabeth asked. As she leaned towards the crater, a figure flew out at blinding speed. Nothing was seen of it except a blurry shadow with what looks like to be wings. Everyone stared at it. As the figure flew, it let out a trail of white dust that could be mistaken as snow.
Everyone watched it, breathed it in, and then looked around in confusion. "What was that?" Nico asked.
Then, everyone noticed that they had no idea how they got there. "Um, what happened?" Piper asked. "What's going on?"
"Why do I feel so tired?" Nico wheezed as he collapsed.
It appears that no one remembered what had happened, why it happened, and how it happened.
Moreover, no one remembered the individual known as Percy Jackson.
Line Break
As the demigods of the prophecy gathered at the porch of the Big House, the others tried as best as they could to pick themselves up.
They recalled everything that had happened. Hera's crazy plan to switch the leaders between the two camps, Roman and Greek, then the very gruesome and long quest to travel to Ancient Greece to fight the giants along with the Gods of Olympus and their tiring fight with Gaia. But after that, everything seemed like a blur.
And they felt like they had forgotten something.
"So, it all worked out in the end huh," Jason sighed.
"Yeah," Hazel said, picking up a gold bar and feeding it to Arion. "But, something feels weird,"
The others nodded in agreement. No one remembered Gaia's defeat and how she was defeated. But it didn't feel like she retreated. It was more like she just disappeared.
"Well, we won anyway," Leo stretched his arms. "And that deserves a hot bath."
They laughed and enjoyed their victory.
Little do they know . . .
Line Break
As Annabeth went back to her beloved bunk in the Athena cabin after months of being away from it, she never felt more at home. She crashed herself onto her bed, but not before noticing something on her bedside table.
It was a picture of her and someone she didn't recognize. The man had jet-black hair and sea-green eyes, which she found strangely attractive. In the picture, both of them were wearing the orange camp shirt and took a picture right next to the canoe lake, but Annabeth had no memory of him. She felt like she should know him, but her brain just won't remember him.
Reluctantly, she set it back on the table and went to sleep. She was just a few seconds away from drifting into sleep before a voice whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry,"
Annabeth fell asleep afterward, convinced it was just a dream.
A few years later . . .
The Hunters of Artemis were in trouble. Their encounter with Orion last year had diminished their group to half of their previous number.
Zeus had ordered them to hunt down the last remnants of Gaia's forces. What he didn't tell them was that those remnants included Gigantes and large armies of monsters.
Even though Gaia was defeated, her forces still existed, waiting for another chance.
Thalia expected it to be tough, but she hadn't expected it to be this tough. Even with the goddess Artemis on her side, it didn't look like an even fight.
The Hunters of Artemis were surrounded in the forest, the monsters eyeing them like a tasty snack. Artemis looked tired. Thalia didn't know immortal beings could get tired, but everyone has their limits.
"I want you girls to leave," Artemis huffed. "I'll hold them off,"
"Not gonna happen," Thalia argued as she shot down another monster. "We are not leaving you here," They were left only with a dozen hunters left and all of them don't look any better.
"Thalia, that's an order!"
"I'm disobeying that order," Thalia said. "I'm not leaving you,"
Artemis fired two arrows at once, catching both monsters with precise accuracy. Thalia ran out of arrows and used her hunting knives. She leaped forward gracefully and sliced at the neck of a hellhound before running her weapon down the gut of a cyclops. She blocked a sword strike and used the other knife to stab the gut of her attacker.
Without her realizing it, an Earthborn had sneaked up behind her. Artemis had just enough time to yell, "Thalia!" as the Earthborn slammed its club down on Thalia. Dread crawled under Artemis's skin, fearing for her lieutenant's safety.
Surprisingly, Thalia survived. Behind her, a man stood with his back facing her. He wore a black and long coat with a hood over his head. He had blocked the attack with his sword, which was a single-edged blade that was probably a meter and a half long. She would've mistaken it for an oversized odachi - a Japanese sword-, but the blade wasn't curved even though it only had one sharp edge.
How such a thin weapon could block an attack with a club, Thalia had no idea. But the man didn't seem like he was struggling with it. In fact, he didn't seem to exert any energy holding the Earthborn's attack.
"You should go," The man said to Thalia. "You'll be safer with your goddess."
Thalia rushed towards Artemis who sighed in relief at the sight of his lieutenant. There was a loud sound as if someone had just sliced a pig with a single swipe. The man dressed in black stepped into view in front of the goddess. The monsters stopped attacking immediately. "Who are you?" Artemis demanded, but the man ignored her.
"Leave," The man told the enemy that was attacking Artemis.
The monsters huffed and grunted. The enemy forces consisted of monsters and demigods alike that pledged allegiance to Gaia. One of them stepped forward. "Who are you?" He asked again.
"That is none of your concern," The man said.
The enemy shuffled nervously. Thalia studied the man. Who was he? The monsters seemed to be scared of him. He's also emitting this really powerful aura. Maybe he's a god?
The man stabbed his sword into the ground. "Last warning. Leave now while your heads are still intact,"
"Tch," The enemy demigod drew his sword. "Get him!" The monsters and demigods charged at them. Artemis and her hunters were stood by, weapons on the ready as they prepare for the worst.
The man sighed. He took his sword from the ground. He whispered something to himself that Thalia couldn't make out. The sword glowed in vibrant blue before splitting into two more identical swords, but thinner and shorter. He moved with blinding light, slicing the enemy faster than they could see.
Artemis stood in awe, watching the man's combat skills. He moved with the speed of a demon and the silence of the wind. He couldn't be a god, because if he was, Artemis would've known. But there was definitely divine blood in his veins. Maybe a demigod, but Artemis didn't know any demigod with skills as good as his.
He moved with stealth, using the bushes, shadows, and trees as his cover, taking his enemy down quickly and silently.
The enemy looked around themselves in confusion. Some of them dropped dead without any apparent reason and some of them collapsed as if their soul was forcibly ripped out of them.
Artemis could only watch in fascination at the mysterious man, who was decimating enemies left, right, and center. She wanted to help, but it didn't look like he needed any.
Soon, every single one of the enemies was dead and disintegrated into dust. By the time the swordsman stopped moving, his swords had already merged into one and were already sheathed in the scabbard that was strapped behind him.
The man turned towards the group of hunters, who were injured and beaten. Artemis was afraid that he might harm them, so she stood in front of her hunters with her bow ready and an arrow notched all the way back. "Take one more step and it'll be your last, demigod."
The man held his hands up. "I just wanted to check on you and your hunters if you're alright,"
"We're fine," Artemis growled. She didn't want to look weak in front of a man. "I am grateful for your help, but no further help is required,"
The man put an amused smile as if what Artemis had said was hard to believe. "I just wanted to help,"
"I don't accept help from people who I don't know," Artemis glared at the man. His face was hidden under the shadow of the hood. "Show yourself."
He pulled back the hood and revealed his face to the hunters. He had jet-black hair and dazzling sea-green eyes, similar to her Uncle Poseidon. He looked Artemis dead in the eyes, not budging a single inch. "Who are you?" Thalia asked.
"Percy Jackson," Percy said.
"What is your godly parentage?" Artemis asked.
Percy hesitated for a bit before answering, "I don't have one,"
"Don't lie to me, mortal. I know a demigod when I see one," Artemis pulled her arrow a little further.
"Then I'm not lying to you when I say," He stepped closer. The arrow was now just five feet away from Percy. "That arrow won't do anything,"
"Liar,"
"Try me,"
Artemis didn't like being challenged, so she let the arrow fly. Percy leaned his left shoulder back, avoiding the arrow before he caught it and tossed it aside. "I told you, I'm not lying," Percy said.
Enraged, Artemis tried to fire another one but Thalia stopped her. "That's enough, Milady," Thalia said. "The others are hurt. Why don't we talk about this after we tend to our own wounds and set up camp? And then we can go back into killing each other,"
Artemis glared at Percy, who met her eyes with his own glare. Reluctantly, Artemis agreed.
But Percy had other ideas. "And why should I stay with you? Your goddess almost killed me."
"In her defense, you did ask for it." Thalia shrugged. "Plus, I won't let you leave. I haven't thanked you yet."
It didn't take long for the hunters to set up their camp. Partly because there were only a few of their hunters remained. Before, they had like fifty or sixty hunters. Now, there were only twenty of them, maybe even fewer. Everyone looked so tired and beaten up that they crashed in immediately.
Artemis, Thalia, and Percy sat near the campfire. Artemis was still miffed about the fact that he had caught an arrow that she'd fired literally at point-blank range. Thalia eyed the stranger. She had the strangest feeling of deja vu like she'd seen him before. "So, where are you from?"
"Nowhere," Percy answered almost instantly. "It's none of your concern."
"You will do well to answer my lieutenant's question," Artemis warned.
"I did. My answer is that its none of your concern."
Artemis's hand trembled with rage. This boy is so disrespectful. If it weren't for Thalia stopping her, this boy would've been transformed into a cockroach. It's not like he didn't know who she is. If he knew who she was, then he knew better than to mess with her, a goddess.
"Don't be rude, Percy. Your name's Percy, right?"
Percy nodded. "I know who you are."
"Then you know better than to disrespect a goddess," Artemis snarled. "It would take no effort to turn you into a shrub,"
To her surprise, Percy snickered. "Heard that before from all of the Olympians. It's getting old. You can try it if you like. I won't stop you. " Percy challenged.
Artemis glared at him before snapping her fingers. She lost her patience and was going to turn Percy into a cockroach, but it didn't happen. Percy was still there, annoyingly.
"Why didn't my powers work on you?" Artemis growled.
"There are things that even you Olympians do not know about," Percy said with a smile. "Like how to prevent deities from changing you into bugs."
"Who are you, seriously?" Thalia asked, hoping to change the subject.
"I told you, I'm Percy Jackson," Percy said, but there was a slightly different tone in his voice. Was it resentment? Or maybe guilt? Thalia couldn't recognize it.
"Why did you save us?"
"I was in the neighborhood," Percy said, brushing the dirt off of his clothes as he stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now,"
"Where do you think you're going?" Artemis asked as Percy stood up.
"None of your business," Percy said as he pulled his hood over his head, hiding his face in the shadows. "I would say see you next time, but I really don't want to,"
"Why?" Thalia asked.
"Because I've already served Olympus enough for one lifetime," Percy muttered.
"That's ridiculous," Artemis said. "I have not seen you ever in my life. If you have served Olympus, I think I would remember you."
Percy chuckled. "Well, who can blame you?" He started to walk away. "Until we meet again," As he trudged further and further into the woods, the darkness seem to swallow him.
"Do you know who that is, Lady Artemis?" Thalia asked.
Artemis shook her head. "If it was any demigod that fought in the Manhattan War, or the war with Gaia, I think I would know him. But his face doesn't seem familiar."
"Let's just get some rest," Thalia said. "I have a feeling we'll see him again very soon,"
Line Break
"There you are," Percy said as he picked up a rectangular mirror from the ground. The mirror looked like any other mirror with the length and width of a brick. The mirror was the reason why he was here in the first place.
In the hands of a mortal, the mirror would be nothing more than a normal mirror. It's not even a good one since Percy's reflection on it was so blurry. But in the hands of the right person, it's like having your own satellite. You can find anyone anywhere in the world. For a limited amount of time, you can also transport yourself to that location, but only once every few hours.
Percy wondered to himself how it worked. "Show me Annabeth Chase," Percy said to the mirror. The mirror's surface shimmered, showing the scenery of Mount Olympus.
Annabeth was standing in one of the gardens, overseeing a renovation project. Percy knew she had been made the official architect of Olympus since the Titan War. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Her blond hair had grown longer with streaks of brown dyed on it, but it was still the same Annabeth that Percy loved.
A lump formed in his throat, holding back a sob. It's been a few years since that incident and he missed her every single moment. Every second away from her had been killing him slowly.
Have you retrieved the relic, Perseus? A voice said in his head.
He took a deep breath before cutting the connection in the mirror. "Yes, I've got it."
Are you looking at the girl again?
"I need to see her from time to time. You pulled me away from her, remember?"
Well, I needed your-
"Yeah, yeah, you needed my help," Percy muttered. "I just don't understand why you have to wipe everyone's memories."
It's for the best. They were going to search for you if you went missing, and it'll only interfere with your duty.
"Whatever you say, Gaia,"