Forever and Always

Chapter 14: Swimming in the Lethe. Crap.

~Connors P.O.V~
Okay, sooooo. I was almost taken over by the sirens! How cool is that? How many people an say 'hey, dude, once my mind was controlled by a evil mermaid who wanted to rip my guts out. How awesome is that?!'
Rachael didn't seem to get this. She was freaked. She was pretty cute when she was freaked, the way she makes her eyes real big and her nose sorta scrunched up and her mouth makes a tiny o shape. Yeah, I know, I'll never get over this girl. Ever since I met her, she has just been getting more and more cute and funny and super hot.
Anyway, she didn't seem to get that I was fine. she kept checking on me, asking questions like 'are you okay' and 'how many fingers am I holding up'. Uh, duh, 7.
"Okay! Okay! I'm fine! We gotta tell macho horse hit man about this lil incident. I really want to participate in this quest like, a lot."
She sighed "Okay, let's go then."
She walked past me towards the big house. She was so pretty today. She had a dark pair of shorts on, with lace sticking out of the bottom and a red shirt that said 'ARES #1 dad!'. (Ares wasn't a very good dad **cough**) she was wearing the white pair of converse I had gotten her. Her hair was a curly mass of beauty that smell like fruit, and she smelled like a mocha. Her cheeks were a little pink and her green eyes were enhanced with somethin. Idk. She was to. Die. For. Ugh.
When we got to the big house, Nico was already there. Creepy that kid was. Man.
"Rachael, I figured it out! Well okay, one of the spirits told me, I also read a page in my.....journal..." Nico said that last part in a quiet voice. I don't blame him. Admitting that you keep a journal? Wow, that took guts for a guy, even I wouldn't admit that.....that is...if I had one....ummmm. Okay. Anyways
"Nico, we have no time." She grabbed my wrist and we jogged up the stairs. Nico stopped us on the porch
"Seriously. This is important." He insisted.
"Nico, it can wait" she said this frantically. Her grip on my wrist tightened. I gently pulled it out of her mega grip and intertwined my fingers with hers. I've never really held hands with a girl, so I hope I am doing this right. I'm not sure but I think I saw a little blush on her cheeks, but who am I kidding? I don't know.
We walked into the big house with Nico trailing behind us trying to get Rachael's attention, insisting that something was at steak and he had to tell her something that a stupid spirit had told him about himself. Meh. Idk. When we found Chiron, he was sitting in his wheelchair staring sadly into the unlit fire place.
"Uh, hey Chiron, I was taken over by the sirens, and almost died. And I'm fine, but I really want to participate in this quest because PERCY did all the other ones and I need some game points here." I felt a little dizzy, I was talking like an auction guy.
Chiron turned around and looked me dead in the eyes. I was a little freaked and got an excuse ready for why I SHOULD go on the quest.
"Okay." Chiron said. He broke into a half smile.
"Alright, but I-- seriously?!" I couldn't believe it. OMG.
He Turned to Rachael, "I'm fully aware now, you don't have to act like you don't know."
"W-what?" She looked so confused and a little scared.
"THIS IS WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU IDIOTS. BUT NO. NOBODY HAS TIME TO LISTEN TO ALL THE LIFE AND DEATH SITUATIONS OR ANSWERS Nico HAS TO SAY. ITS JUST TO ABSURD." Nico burst out in a dark voice. Wow so this is what Nico is like, but on the inside.
"What I was trying to tell you is that I found one of my old journals and was looking through it and I found the page I wrote when you died." He explained.
Rachael looked deathly pale, but nodded at Nico to keep going.
"Why don't we sit" Chiron looked at Rachael a little worried.
As soon as we all got comfortable Nico continued. " There is a reason that I don't remember, but I'll get to that later. I still don't remember anything, but I wrote it down in this journal," he held up and old battered up brown book with 'Nico' on the front in gold fancy letters. " Apparently, on December 12th, when you were 17, you were shot by a bank robber. I had heard about it and broke down, I was so upset I had cursed anyone who uses a gun on another person in the name of Hades or something. Anyways, I went to search for you in the underworld. I had searched for many years, according to the journal. There are a lot of pages of me just writing about how I was never gonna give up."
Rachael squeezed my hand a little, I rubbed my thumb across her Knuckles To make sure she knew I was with her.
"I never found you," Nico stated dryly "but according to a spirit--"
Nico was interrupted by Rachael asking a question "who was he?"
"Who?" Nico looked confused
"The spirit."
"His name was Jeremy Calvin. Some dude who died in a car accident in May, a year before you died. Apparently he had taken his life because his girlfriend left for New York and left him in Washington." Nico explained.
"oh" Rachael said in a small voice. She looked like she was going to cry.
"Anyways according to Jeremy, when the war with Gaea started, you escaped the doors of death, and just started where you left off. As a 17 year old girl."
"Wait, if this is true, how come I don't remember?" She asked, looking at Nico with huge eyes.
"Okay remember how I said there was a reason that I don't remember this? Well that's because I saw you attempting to leave the doors of death. I had helped you, but we had to cross the Lethe river. The river of forgetfulness. Because I'm son of Hades, I only lost the past weeks memory, but you lost your entire life's memories crossing that river. A price you were willing to pay. You had said that your life had been to painful to want to remember. I don't know what happened in your past life, but it must have been bad." Nico finished.
I turned to see Rachael sad. Not crying or anything, just sad. It must really suck to know that you have a past life and that it was too horrible to remember.
"This is yours." Nico held out a faded pink journal with Rachael's name on it. It was fat and the pages were yellowed. There was a lock on it. "I didn't read it."
Rachael let go of my hand ( awwww:( ) and carefully took the book. She held it in such a way that it looked like she recognized it. Maybe the Lethe was coming out of her head. Idk. She looked upon it with a gentleness and caring a way you would look at the most precious thing to you. Hers was her past life. She tenderly placed it on her lap, examining it with the upmost care.
"Why don't you consult the oracle about this." Chiron said speaking for the first time in 20 minutes.
Rachael nodded and got up. She walked out of the big house. I chose not to follow her. she needed some time to think, even I knew that. I looked after her. She was so confident in her body language, she didn't even seem upset, but I knew she was. I knew she was broken inside.

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Hay! I am so happy with this chapter. I think I tied up all those annoying loose ends that were driving me insane.
Leo:you already are insane.
Me: leo, you need to shut your brick.
Leo: I love you.....?
Me: not gonna work.
Leo: I like the other you better. The one that I can fire insults at.
Me: get used to this, it ain't changing.
APOLLO: yeah, I can already see the future. And buddie. ***looks at leo*** it ain't to bright for you.
SUSAN: **runs into the room with pita bread on her shoulders and waving a Tuna fish in one hand and a sonic screwdriver in the other*** HEY. APOLLO. SIGN MY BREAD.