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He got change from the gift shop and stood in front of the pay phone.
He’d never used a pay phone before. They were strange antiques to him, like his mom’s turntable or his teacher Chiron’s Frank Sinatra cassette tapes. He wasn’t sure how many coins it would take, or if he could even make the call go through, assuming he remembered the number correctly.
Sally Jackson, he thought.
That was his mom’s name. And he had a stepdad…Paul.
What did they think had happened to Percy? Maybe they had already held a memorial service. As near as he could figure, he’d lost seven months of his life. Sure, most of that had been during the school year, but still…not cool.
He picked up the receiver and punched in a New York number—his mom’s apartment. Voice mail. Percy should have figured. It would be like, midnight in New York. They wouldn’t recognize this number.
Hearing Paul’s voice on the recording hit Percy in the gut so hard, he could barely speak at the tone.
“Mom,” he said. “Hey, I’m alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and…” His voice faltered. How he could possibly explain all this? “Anyway, I’m okay. I’m sorry. I’m on a quest—” He winced. He shouldn’t have said that. His mom knew all about quests, and now she’d be worried. “I’ll make it home. I promise. Love you.”
He put down the receiver. He stared at the phone, hoping it would ring back.
—-
Annabeth couldn’t sleep. With the endless planning for the Argo II’s voyage and endless worry about Percy still missing, she couldn’t sleep a wink.
Tonight she was staying at Sally’s after spending the evening helping to pack some of Percy’s things from his room. The little voice inside Annabeth’s head kept telling her they wouldn’t find Percy at the Roman camp. Or that he wouldn’t come with on the quest. Or worse, he wouldn’t remember her. She tried to tell the voice that it was stupid but she couldn’t help overthinking.
She was trying to sleep in Percy’s room (she’d crashed a few times there during the last six months, his lingering scent being comforting), staring at the ceiling, when she decided sleep wasn’t coming, so she headed to the kitchen. She was browsing the cupboards for tea when the phone rang. Shrill and loud in the sleeping house. Not knowing why anyone she knew would call at midnight, she left the phone ringing. When it finished, though, a familiar voice came out of the answering machine.
“Mom.”
Annabeth froze.
“Hey, I’m alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and…”
Annabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Percy. She was too stunned to even move towards the phone.
“Anyway, I’m okay. I’m sorry. I’m on a quest—”
Annabeth stifled a sob.
“I’ll make it home. I promise. Love you.”
The message ended before Annabeth had even fully registered what happened. She realized the message was over, raced to the phone, eyes wide and frantic. Shaking, she tried to redial. After one ring, the voice she hadn’t heard in six months picked up.
“Hello?”
Annabeth nearly broke down crying on the spot.
“Percy?” The name barely made it out of her mouth she was so choked up.
“Annabeth?” Annabeth almost broke down in sobs. After six months she was finally hearing his voice again. Her mind raced with jumbled thoughts of where he’d been, where he was now, what on earth he was doing on a quest, but mostly she felt a a sense of calm; a wave of peace washed over her. Percy was alive.
”Why are you up at midnight and at my mom’s house answering her phone?” Annabeth stifled a laugh through her tears. Of course Percy would get distracted by the smallest detail never mind the fact he’d been missing for six months.
“Percy, what the hell? I heard the message you left for your mom but what the hell happened? Where have you been?”
“It’s…a long story, I don’t even know the half of it.” Percy paused. Annabeth didn’t have much to say, she was just drinking in his voice. “I…fuck, I miss you, Annabeth.” She nearly broke down in sobs at that.
“You remembered me?” Annabeth asked through tears.
“Of course I did. You’re…you’re Annabeth. How could I forget?”
“You said that Hera wiped your memories and this other guy Jason showed up at camp with his memory wiped so I thought maybe…” Insecurities and worries had been plaguing Annabeth since they realized the potential link between Jason and Percy.
“I did lose my memory but it’s slowly coming back now, that’s why I finally called mom cause I could remember her number. But I never forgot you. I think it might be impossible for me to forget you.
“Percy…” Annabeth’s heart swelled in chest, overcome with emotion. The mixture of calm and anxiety in her chest melding into something warm, cuddly, and giddy. “Gods that’s sweet.”
“Wait did you say Jason? Jason Grace? He’s the guy that went missing from the camp Hera sent me to—“
“The Roman camp?”
“Yeah, Camp Jupiter. How did you know?”
At the mention of the mystery related to Jason she’d been trying to solve the past six months Annabeth’s brain switched from giddiness at talking to Percy to trying to connect the dots of the mess they were thrown in. “Jason slowly got his memories back and we figured you disappearing might have been an exchange of leaders of sorts but it was just a hypothesis. So you got sent to that camp and now are on a quest?”
“Yeah, in Alaska. Our deadline’s tomorrow though so hopefully we’ll succeed by then.”
Annabeth’s worry for Percy’s well-being hit her hard again. “And you’ll be going back to the Roman camp right? Because we’re building this massive ship to come and get you and probably some Roman demigods as well. We’re fairly certain it’s the Prophecy of Seven, the one Rachel gave last summer.”
“We’re suspecting that too and I think the guys I’m on the quest with now are apart of it too. Gods, I hoped we’d have a normal year.”
“I know. Me too.” Annabeth paused. “I miss you so much Percy, you don’t even…” She couldn’t put into words the anguish of the last half year. “You make sure you get out of that quest alive or else I’m just gonna head to the Underworld, resurrect you, and then kill you myself.” She was half joking but the thought of either of them dying before they could see each other again was not a situation she wanted either of them to be in.
“Aye-aye Captain.”
“Dork,” Annabeth teased, feeling a little lighter. Percy had a bizarre way of calming her nerves with his humour. “You know—“
“Annabeth?” A voice called from the hall. Annabeth turned around and heard Percy quickly inhale. “Who are you talking to?”
She looked at Sally with a smile and tears running down her cheeks.
“Is that my mom?” Percy asked over the phone.
Still looking at Sally, Annabeth replied, “Yes. Do you want to talk to her?”
“Please.” Annabeth could hear him getting choked up. Annabeth stretched her arm out, inviting Sally to take the phone. Sally looked confused and hopeful, suspecting who was on the other end of the line.
“Hello?” Sally asked.
Annabeth heard Percy’s tinny voice come from the phone, “Hi, mom.” Tears streamed down Sally’s face as she greeted her son.
“Percy.” Sally said his name with such relief. Annabeth listened to them talk and Percy explaining what had happened. Both with obvious tears in their voices.
“I have to head to the train soon.”
“Okay, but you better come home soon. And when you do, you know you’ll be grounded until Christmas right?” There was humour in Sally’s tone but also sincerity.
“Yeah, mom, I do. Could you put Annabeth on before you hang up?”
“Of course. I love you. Be safe. When you come back I’m putting you on house arrest but I’m so glad you called.”
“I love you too. I’ll make it back, I promise.” Sally bid Percy one last goodbye before handing the phone back to Annabeth.
“You better keep that promise, Seaweed Brain.”
“I will. If not, I’m counting on you to drag me back from the Underworld.”
Annabeth laughed.
“I should go now, the train’s about to leave.”
“Alright…” Annabeth said through the tears that had started falling again. “Come back to me. I- I love you.”
They hadn’t said the words often but hearing Percy say them back was something Annabeth vitally needed right then.
“I love you too. I’ll see you soon.”
“See you,” Annabeth managed to croak out before she heard to line click, signally the end of the call. As she dropped the arm holding the phone down to her side she looked back at Sally. Before she knew it Sally enveloped her in a tight hug, tears running down both their cheeks. Happy tears.
“He’s alive, Annabeth,” Sally said into Annabeth’s shoulder.
“He’s alive,” Annabeth replied.