A Billionaire's Bodyguard

Chapter 54: As it all comes flooding in

----------------Percy's POV: -------------------

The feeling of fingers combing through my hair was what woke me. 

The gentle pull of my hair against my scalp was something I didn't realize would be as calming as it was, my entire body was the most relax I'd been in a while, though it didn't seem to be the only contributing factor. My whole body was warm, the type of warm you feel when under a fuzzy blanket in a freezing room, the type of warm that a hot chocolate gives you on a fall day. 

As I pushed myself onto the other side of my body, not bothering to open my eyes, I could feel the cry from my body to settle again, to give into the urge to sleep and dream a dreamless existence. But the fingers came back, tugging lightly once more and assuring me that I wasn't somewhere alone. I wasn't at home, or camp, I surely wasn't in dad's castle...

Dad's castle. 

I sat up straight, my eyes opening so fast the light surrounding me stung, forcing me to shut my eyes, my palms sending another wave of pain as I slammed them into my skull to darken my surroundings. 

I let out a grunt of pain as I did so, hearing some shuffling coming from behind me. When the stinging subsided I pulled my hands down my face, feeling the soft skin drag until it disappeared. This time, much slower, I opened my eyes, the empty throne room of the Gods surrounding me in it's ever peaceful light, the shiny golden accents glimmering like stars. 

I turned back to see Hestia with a bright smile, her teeth not showing and yet conveying just how cheerful she was. 

"Morning sleepyhead, I hope I didn't wake you." The memories of the past months melded with my previous memories, combining to make a choppy combination almost like someone took chunks of movies and sewed them together to make a horrible remix. "How're you feeling?..." Hestia paused, pursing her lips before her brows furrowed in a form of denied hope. "Do you...remember?" I blinked a few times, allowing my brain to fully settle as I realized exactly what had happened in the past few months, nearly year at this point I suppose. 

The 'cosplayers', just monsters in disguise, Luke, the guy at the gym who was scarily similar to what I'd hoped Luke Castellan could be if he reformed, Rachel, oh poor Rachel at the party who'd tried desperately to reach me, even that stupid blue cola ad suddenly made sense. 

The nickname seaweed brain suddenly held a lot more merit now, if someone were to ask me 'Hey Percy, what's the most seaweed brain moment you've done?' this would be it. Through all my friend's desperate attempts to get me back I'd somehow managed to sidestep them all. It had to be some form of cruel and unusual punishment. 

"Percy?" I snapped back, Hestia's face now suddenly more concerned then moments before. 

I shook my head, running a hand through my hair as I pulled my legs underneath me, "Yeah, yeah I'm okay. I remember everything." I said, watching as my hair tumbled right back in front of my eyes, the slivers of white and black forming a curtain to block me from reality. 

I heard a sharp clap, my eyes flickering back to Hestia to find her teeth now showing, a massive smile growing on her face as she held her hands up, almost like an excited mother-

OH GODS, MOM.

The thought sent me to my feet faster then I could think, my bearing still being gone didn't help as I stumbled to the side, quickly caught by Hestia who held me up. "Whoa whoa there, calm down. You have time." She said the words so confidently that if I really hadn't regained my memories I would have believed her. How long had I been out? Minutes? No last time the blood took hours to be regained, it had to be a similar amount of time, maybe more due to how much I lost this time.