Disclaimer: I do NOT own Percy Jackson, nor Heroes of Olympus, Rick Riordan does
Percy's POV:
I woke up to see a ceiling of silver and the sight, for some reason, comforted me. I closed my eyes again but suddenly I remembered where I was and I shot straight up causing a girl in a silver hunter outfit to yelp in surprise. The girl looked familiar as I saw that her hair was dark-red with a red-orange feather in her hair, she had eyes like Phoenix's but unlike his, this girls were soft and reminded me of the hope one would find at the hearth, whereas Phoenix's were like a burning fire that promised destruction but also a new beginning. However, I couldn't put a name to her face and it frustrated me.
"Hey, you need to rest, you've been out for a while" the girl said and I raised an eyebrow
"Sorry, but you look very familiar, but I can't quite place your name" I say as she gains a confused expression
"I haven't seen you at all before. But now that you mention it... you look like an old friend of my boyfriend..." The girl-who-still-hasn't-told-me-her-name said "Oh, by the way, I'm heather" She said and I felt another headache
'We counting that massive migraine as ten of the other ones?' Instinct said and I noticed the girl gain a confused expression but pay it no mind
'Yeah, so what number are we up to now?' I say to instinct who does a bit of math
'Twenty-three' Instinct says and Heather tilts her head
"Who are you talking to? And how are you able to talk without moving your lips?" Heather says as Instinct stops talking and I look at her
"Umm... no one?" I say hoping she would drop the subject but she frowns and I sigh "Is this tent sound proof? And can you lock the tent? This is a secret that I want to be kept like that" I say and Heather shrugs and walks over to the tent flap and zips it shut.
"Yeah, the tent is sound proof. Now who are you talking to?" Heather says as she stares at me and I get the feeling that she won't let me go until I tell her
"Alright, Instinct come on out" I say and Heather looks confused but suddenly jumps back in shock as Instinct shimmers into existence
Instinct has gotten more color to him since he last appeared, instead of just a silver body, he now resembles myself just older looking. Heather looks at Instinct like she's seen a ghost.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Instinct asks and I shake my head
"Nah man, your good" I say and Instinct smiles
"Good, now. Heather, is it?" Instinct asks and heather nods but looks at him still shocked beyond belief "Can you swear on the river Styx that you never saw me? And also, how did you hear me?" he continues and Heather nods
"I swear to never speak of this to anyone unless given permission. And I think you were thinking aloud" Heather says and thunder rumbles as she takes a few steps forwards and attempts to poke instinct but her hand goes through him which causes her to jump back again and just look absolutely baffled "Percy?"
"Yup that's my name, don't wear it out" I say sarcastically
"Not you Perseus" Heather says and my face drops into one that says, 'I am not amused'
"Well, your obviously not talking to me. Because I'm me, I'm also him, but he isn't me, but we are the same person" Instinct says and Heather just tilts her head again completely confused
"But, your Percy, guardian of the hunt" Heather says and instinct and I pitch forward holding our heads in pain "I am so sorry!" Heather says as she rushes forward to stop me from hitting the ground as Instinct just sits down next to me
"It's the G-word. Please, don't say the G-word again just say it like we do" Instinct and I say at the same time and Heather nods
"I think I know what's happening. How you pulled it off I have no clue. But I'm happy that you did." Heather says as the migraine goes away
"What? And by the way, were up to twenty-four" Instinct says and I groan slightly as Heather just looks at me in slight awe
"Perseus, I think I know what's happening. Percy, or Instinct, is the Gua—G-word of the Hunt. He was killed in the last Giant war by Leon." Heather explains and both instinct and I rub our chests involuntary which causes Heather's eyes to light up "Oh my gods! Artemis is going to be so happy when she finds out... wait... I can't tell anyone until given permission" Heather says with a frown "Anyway, when Percy was killed, Artemis put his soul in the sky as the Hunter. Apparently, your soul was split up because when a G-word dies, they go to the isles of the blessed. Tell me, what do you remember of your past life?" Heather says and suddenly a green fog covers the ground of the tent and I smile "What's going on?"
"Oh nothing, just a little help from Delphi. We are hidden from the fates and anyone else who tries to spy on us" I said simply and Heather just shrugs
"Anyway, Percy, Perseus, what do you remember of your past lives?" Heather says and Instinct and I look at each other
"Well, we have memories of Phoenix and I hunting animals for Artemis, I also remember shooting Heracles in the shoulder with a glowing silver arrow, and I also have memories of Thebes and other small accounts of using my cloaking ability" I explain and Heather nods before I notice a look in her eyes that says, 'I might have an idea on what is happening exactly'
"Well, here's a thought" Heather said and Instinct and I faced each other
"Pay up" We said at the same time before frowning at the same time "I thought of it first! Hey! Stop saying what I'm saying!" We continued to talk in sync until Heather slapped me and I faced her as I held my cheek
"Ouch" I said and heather had a smug look on her face
"Next time pay attention" She said and I nodded "Okay, here's the thought, Instinct here is just that, Percy's instinct, his reactions, his feelings and his impulses and anger towards Heracles. That's why you don't have any memories apart from the ones you have now. Your other half is in the Isles of the blessed and can't reach you through normal means, so in order to regain your memories you need to pick up items that have a great importance to you. I can mention a few but you will have to earn them, as the Hunt's oldest members including Artemis will kill you if you even think about taking them. Hermes tried taking Percy's shield one time and he had to spend almost three centuries in Apollo's hospital." Heather explained and Instinct raised his hand "Yes?"
"So, what your saying is, I am only half of my full self? And that I only have my reactions, feelings, powers, and that kind of stuff?" Instinct says and Heather nods "How do we regain the rest of our memories?" He asks and Heather smiles sadly
"You have to earn the items that mean a lot to you, the few I can name are your armor, your shield, and Riptide. But the more I think about the items you've acquired they all mean something to a specific point in your past life... wait, do you have a spear?" I nod "Take it out, I want to try something" I pull the canister of mace off of my belt and have it turn into my spear "Orion" I stare at her like she grew a third head "Phoenix" Still nothing happens and Instinct just tilts his head confused "Training" Nothing "Chaos" Still nothing
"What are you trying to do?" Instinct asks and Heather sighs
"I am trying to find a word that will jog a memory" Heather says before she starts again "Damien" She says and my grip on the spear tightens as I'm sent reeling into a flashback
(Flashback)
I am training with Phoenix, today we were using spears but we were just hitting each other with the shaft of the spears since we decided actual training would be less fun. Just as I was about to smack Phoenix upside the head with the spear shaft, I heard a scream of pain to which I spun around and saw Damien holding a spear through a younger trainee's shoulder.
"Weak and Pathetic!" Damien snarls and I growl and look at Phoenix
"On three?" I ask and Phoenix nods and lifts his spear over his shoulder and I do the same "Three!"
We launch our spears at Damien and we hit him in both of his shoulders, causing him to fall to the ground screaming in pain. Suddenly there is a flash of light and Chaos appears.
"Phoenix, Percy, what did I tell you?" He asks and we look down
"To make sure the popcorn was always stocked." We said in sync and Chaos nods
"Yes, next time do that please. Even though on earth Popcorn hasn't been invented, in my realm it has. So, make sure you keep it stocked please" Chaos says and we nod before he flashes out with a crying Damien
(Flashback end)
I blink a few times and shake my head to find Heather staring at me like she is expecting something.
"Well?" She asks and I sigh
"I just had another vision. Instinct you got that?" I ask
"Yeah man, I got it. Going through the training years now, give me a few hours there are a lot" Instinct says and I put my spear back into its Mace Canister form and on my belt while Heather bounces up and down excitedly
"Oh, my gods! This is perfect! But you said training, nothing to do with the hunt..." Heather says and I frown "Oh well, I think that is enough of that topic, now lay down and get some rest. Instinct needs to digest this new information before you will be ready to move. I will let Lady Artemis know that you might be asleep for another three days." She says as she walks to the tent flap
"Wait, another three days? How long was I out before?" I ask a little scared of the answer
"Oh, only four days. Now get some rest, and don't worry about your secret. It's safe with me" Heather says as the green fog disappears and Heather opens the flap
Instinct shimmers out and I feel him going through the mass of memories that we just gained.
'Well, that was informative' I thought to him
'Yeah, it was. At least now we know what we're doing to get our memories faster. Anyway, I could use your help in sorting this so shut your eyes and go to sleep so I can drag you in here' He said mentally and I chuckle as I lay down and pass out instantly
A/N: And there you have it, you now know how long it will take for Percy to get his memories back. Anyway, until next time my fellow Demigods and Demigoddesses, Take Care!
~Major Nich