ELAPSE | PJO

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 1

{Future/present Annabeth}

"––Seaweed Brain," Annabeth finished.

Percy shrugged. "What can I say?"

Annabeth shook her head and turned to Jason. "Do you think––Jason?"

Percy was looking from side to side slowly. "Uh, guys?"

Annabeth stood up slowly. "Strange..." She'd barely heard Percy mutter a, "no kidding," when a tingling sensation spread through her back.

She whipped out her dagger and flung around.

"Holy Zeus!"

Annabeth's dagger was pointed at a young girl's, throat. She was dressed in an orange CHB shirt, ragged ballerina shorts, and converse. Her curly blonde hair was tied in an immaculate ponytail, which Annabeth herself had given up doing a long time ago, with a few strands of curls framing her face.

And her eyes. They were a piercing, frightening grey, like a storm had been trapped, raging for freedom.

That's when Annabeth realized why she was considered 'intimidating,' all these years.

She jumped, and her dagger slipped from her grasp. "Holy Zeus is right!"

The younger girl lowered her own dagger, but didn't sheath it. "Where did you come from?" she asked incredulously.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered shakily, "I think that's me."

She turned to find Percy staring at her, and then the girl in front of her, and then back. "Holy schist."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Percy?"

"Now?"

Annabeth whipped her head around, looking for the voice that had answered the girl's question.

"No, not you, Percy. Great job, you blew it."

A small, rather skinny boy peaked out from the closet he'd been hiding in.

Annabeth sucked in a sharp, ragged breath. She'd never forget the sight of that black, windswept hair, the gleam in those sea green eyes, every curve and facial feature screamed Percy Jackson!

"Oh my gods," Percy murmured, standing up. "It's me!"

The two young demigods faced each other.

"He looks like you," the girl said.

"She looks like you!" 

"They look like us," Annabeth said, taking a step back. She looked at the ceiling. "Di Immortales! Haven't we had enough?"

Percy put a hand on her shoulder. "Wise Girl," he whispered, "What do we do?"

"Find Chiron," she replied, the exact moment younger her did.

"Wait wait wait," Past Percy said, holding his hands up. "I'm lost."

"To be honest, I am as well," Percy agreed.

"We'll figure it out," Past Annabeth said, not taking her eyes off of the two visitors. "Just––give me a sec."

She took one last look at Annabeth and Percy before dashing out the door.

Annabeth turned to Percy. "We've gone back in time," she said, awe laced throughout her words.

Percy nodded. "I guess that's what the Fates meant. 'Time is short, sometimes long, don't ever wonder what went wrong. Backwards forwards, whatever we choose, you'll find yourself in familiar shoes.'" He thought for a moment. "Wait––" he turned to his younger self. "How old are you?"

Past Percy looked utterly confused. "Uh, twelve?"

Annabeth tapped her chin, the gears in her mind working. "You're twelve, which means...nothing has happened. I mean, you fought the Minotaur, and hopefully been claimed," she looked to Past Percy for confirmation, who nodded, "but you haven't gone on any quests or met the gods or––"

"Annabeth," Percy cut her off. "If he––if I––fought the Minotaur already, then that means..."

"What?" Annabeth was worried, but Percy sounded concerned.

He met her gaze. "My mom is with Hades."

Annabeth stared at Past Percy.

He looked down. "Yeah."

Annabeth took Percy's hand. "I don't think we're supposed to mess with anything except for what the Fates sent us to do. I think...we have to leave your mom, and all of the other quest things, to the past you."

Percy nodded. "I know that. But poor me!" he whined, moving to hug his past self.

Past Percy jumped out of the way. "Woah, dude. Chill." A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Percy himself chuckled, and Annabeth's heart swelled. She was grateful that he could turn anyone's frown upside down, and bring the bright side to any deep situation. Most of the time, he even knew the right moments, because joking about someone at their funeral...not right.

"Okay," Annabeth said. "We've got to figure this out. Uh, Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"No, no. Past Percy."

"Is that what we're calling them now?"

"Sure. Anyways, Past Percy, can you go find Past Me and Chiron? We'll have a detailed explanation by the time you get back."

Past Percy squinted. "Since when do Annabeth and I get along?" he muttered, trudging out of the room.

Annabeth let out a long, deep breath. "This is so weird."

"Agreed. Let's figure out the note."

The two recited the lines, back and forth, waiting for something to stand out to them.

"So here's what we've got," Annabeth started, "Somehow, the Fates sent us back in time to when we were twelve, right after you were claimed. By 'you'll find yourself in familiar shoes' it was talking about us...six years ago. Now, all we have to do is find out what they want us to do, and get back to our time."

Percy nodded curtly. "We need Chiron," he added.

"Definitely."

A large crash sounded outside of the door, and Percy and Annabeth shot up. They drew their weapons and ran outside.

Annabeth stopped short to look at the mess of a sight in front of her. "Hephaestus kids," she muttered.

She and Percy began picking up the enormous pile of bronze scraps that
had fallen out of a wagon. A boy had a stack piled in his arms so high, his face wasn't visible.

When he dumped the pile into the wagon, and turned to say, "thanks," Annabeth gasped and Percy made a choking noise.

"Charlie?" she whispered.

Charles Beckendorf stared in awe at Annabeth and Percy. "Whoa. Annabeth, what happened to you? You're...tall. And...old. And is that Percy? The new kid? I bet it was the Aphrodite cabin. Or Hecate's kids." He stared for a moment. "Need anything?"

Annabeth's mouth unhinged.

Percy came up next to her and reached for her hand. "Oh my gods," he whispered.

Before Annabeth could really comprehend what was happening, Percy had pulled Beckendorf into a tight hug. "It's good to see you, man," he said quietly.

Annabeth shrugged off the shock and joined in.

"Oookay," Beckendorf drawled. "I barely know you, but, er, yeah. Good to see you to." He pat Percy on the back unsurely and shot Annabeth a confused look.

When they pulled away, Percy's eyes were moist. "Annabeth," he said, pulling her out of earshot. "If Beckendorf is here," his voice cracked, "that means..."

"Silena, and all of the other campers we lost during the war will be here too," she concluded.

"Yeah," Percy said. "But...so will Luke."