𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐢━━Nico di Angelo

11

Ajax's memories returned to him slowly, night by night in the form of dreams.

First, he dreamt about Percy Jackson. A boy who loved so fiercely that he would burn the world down for those he loves.

He only had flashes of his past life.

Percy in an arena, battling against a halfgiant. Ajax didn't remember much- just that they were in a gladiator arena somewhere underground. It reeked of animals and decaying matter and the arena itself was lit by some fires here and there, casting a warm yellow glow everywhere.

That was the first time Ajax had seen Percy Jackson.

That was the first time he'd thought about how he might be a boy.

The memory faded away quickly, Ajax recollected something about Percy stringing his opponent in chains, dangling him from the ceiling, but he wasn't sure.

He didn't sleep much that night. It helped that most of the people on board weren't sleeping either. Everyone, save for Nico was on deck. None of them said anything. It was an unspoken understanding passing through all of them.

The first couple of days were hard. Even though Ajax hadn't known Percy, he still felt his absence. The other demigods would steer clear of his and Annabeth's room, Coach Hedge once burst out crying when Ajax was eating blueberry pancakes (something about how Percy loved anything blue), they would unconsciously leave space for the missing two, which Nico and AJax would occupy.

The nights were difficult too. Ajax grew comfortable on board after two nights, so he could sleep peacefully. But in the morning he would wake to find Leo, Jason and Hazel on deck, seemingly having slept there.

Ajax still had dreams, nightmares, memories, he didn't know how to differentiate between them anymore.

He dreamt of battles and people he laughed with, he dreamt of a warm house that smelled like mangos and the noise of the oven, the smell of fresh baked goods. He dreamt of a man with a loud, booming laugh, strong arms, dark skin and an infectious smile.

His father.

Ajax just knew it was him. He cried when he woke up. He tried to go back to sleep, to go back to his memories. He felt a little more himself now, but still hollow without his father.

His father. He had a father.

Ajax could see him in his reflection. The same curve of the nose, the same arch of the eyebrows, the same smile. Not the eyes though. Ajax's eyes were green, his father's had been brown.

He hated that he was referring to his father in past tense, like he was gone too.

He wasn't gone. Ajax wouldn't accept it. He would drag the man back from the underworld if that's what it took.

The only person he loved couldn't be dead.

He forced himself to think about his father, remembering things he had seen in his dreams. He started to keep a journal for all the memories that came back to him.

He wrote about his father first. He wrote about the man's crooked glasses, the way he always cheated in videogames, how he'd be exhausted and still have time for Ajax.

His name was Neel Avery and he was Ajax's father.

Finding out about his father gave some structure to him. Like he was still a broken shell of who he had once been, but now he had the strength to persevere. He had a reason to help on the quest, to get everything over with so he could go home.

He still didn't know where home was. With his father? The father that was dead?

Because that's the truth. His father died when Ajax was ten, he didn't remember the specifics- just that his father was dead.