Disclaimer: I own nothing. This chapter has seen no beta, so all mistakes are mine.

oOo

Interlude: Memoriae

For it is our memories, more than anything else, that remind us of our past. Of who we truly are. Without them, we would be adrift on the sea of life, forever wandering fruitlessly in search of our identity.

oOo

The first thing he registered, when he woke up, were the tears. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he opened his eyes, a terrible sense of grief and loss temporarily overwhelming him. It was as if he were missing an intrinsic part of himself… but what? Or where? Or...Who?

It.. had to be part of his dream, right? He'd been having this dream of someone important to him. Someone who was lost to him now… but who? And why?

He'd been asleep for a long time now; banishment from Olympus for… for what?

He held his head.

Why couldn't he remember these things? He knew they were important, but it was as if everything important to him had been stolen from him… again. Deja vu all over again.

Looking around for a distraction, the first images to greet him in over a year were of his mother, tenderly holding his hand by his bedside while Paul stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders gently.

She rushed forward and enveloped him into a hug, which he awkwardly reciprocated with one arm.

"Oh Percy," she sobbed into his shoulder. She took a step back, taking in his pale countenance and shaking shoulders, and immediately panicked.

"Oh God Percy are you hurt? Does… Is this a side effect of your coma? Is this part of… whatever happened?"

"I'm-I'm alright Mom." He hiccupped, using his free hand to swipe away the tears that continued to roll down his cheeks.

She didn't seem convinced in the slightest. "Are you sure, Percy? You're… you're crying."

"Y-yeah, I… I'm fine. I-I just-" he trailed off, furiously racking his brain.

"What's wrong?" Sally prompted.

"I can't remember." he replied, frustratedly.

"Remember what?" Sally asked in confusion.

"Why I was banished. Something happened. Something important. I can feel it in my bones. Something's missing. Someone's missing" He looked up at her. "Do you know about anything, Mom?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, I don't. That night, the night you were brought home, was a terrible blur. I think it was your father who came. He merely told me that you had broken an oath, and that you were to be exiled from the mythological world for ten years. He looked anxious and quite dishevelled, which was odd considering his usual appearance, and did not stay long, but he said to take care of you, and that you would awaken in a year. He mentioned that you were under some sort of stasis, but he said nothing about what happened to you or why you suddenly fell so far in the graces of the gods. I wanted to ask so many questions, clarify so many things, but he said that he needed to return to Olympus for something important. It was supposed to concern your safety. You can understand why I was so worried, that you'd been attacked or something. And so I let him leave with a quiet prayer and…" She looked down.

Paul immediately reached over to wrap her in a comforting hug while Percy looked on awkwardly.

"I was hoping…" his mom continued.

"You were hoping what?"

"Well, I was hoping that you'd be able to tell me what happened. I.. this past year..." she hiccuped.

Percy felt a wave of guilt.

"That's the thing, Mom. I can't remember. There's.. something there. I know there is. I know something happened, something forbidden, and I was involved. But… it's like a hole in my memories. I can't really remember who or what or why I was exiled. But… there is one thing I can remember…" he trailed off.

"Remember what?"

"I just remember falling in love."

oOo

They are a curious thing; memories. Intangible, yet eternal. Memories exist in abundance, but despite that they can be precious; something treasured above worldly possessions. They provide an identity, they form an integral part of our souls. It is why the dead must drink from the Lethe before rebirth. They must cleanse their souls of attachments to their previous lives.

oOo

"What have you done to me?" her silver eyes glinted with barely concealed fury at the goddess cowering beneath her feet.

"I-I don't know what you mean."

"This is no time to play games, Goddess of Memory." Artemis spat, pushing the blade of her hunting knife tighter against her neck, a golden trail of ichor slowly trickling down her throat. "I'll ask only once more. What have you done? Why are some of my most recent memories… faded?"

"I- I did nothing." Mnemosyne gasped out desperately. "I have no power over your memories, nor would I ever have incentive to take them away. Whatever happened to your memories, the cause lies in a greater power than I. Please, Artemis, you have to believe me."

Even through Artemis's haze of anger and despair, Mnemosyne's desperation rang true, and although she was no master at the art of discerning lies…

Slowly, she pulled her blade away from the goddess of memory's neck.

"I can't remember…" she whispered. "I-my memories of these past years… after the war with Gaea… they're gone."

They stared at each other in silence then; Mnemosyne, too scared to move; Artemis, in a far off world.

"I… if I may…" Mnemosyne finally worked up enough courage to speak up, indicating her bound position beneath the goddess of the Hunt.

"Oh, my... apologies." Artemis said hesitantly, allowing the goddess to regain her feet and gently wipe away the trail of ichor from her neck.

"Memories…" Mnemosyne began, causing Artemis to pause in her contemplation and look back at her. "Memories are an integral part of a soul. That is, they cannot truly fade or disappear, unless the soul itself were destroyed. They may be wiped away, most famously by a single drop from the River Lethe, as you well know. But even Lethe merely induces forgetfulness. The souls who drink from the river; their memories that they once made in the world of the living do not disappear, they are merely forgotten. These memories may be recovered, whether through divine will or by more nefarious means."

"You mean to say that my memories can be recovered?"

Mnemosyne bowed her head. "I would not know. Your case is different; the loss of the memories of an immortal outside of direct contact with the Lethe is rare. And the Lethe is curable; I myself have the power to undo the memory loss myself, but I have no way to restore your missing memories. In your case, a select portion of your memories were specifically removed… locked away, for lack of better words. They are still there, somewhere deep within your consciousness, but you are prevented from retrieving them. This type of power has only been reserved for the most powerful deities."

"You speak of my father." Artemis stated.

Mnemosyne inclined her head. "Or someone of equivalent powers."

"Thank you." Artemis said, already beginning to glow.

oOo

Memories are simple to create, but difficult to recover. To recount the past is imperfect, to recreate it, flawed. It is part and parcel of the value of memories; those special moments that we wish we could hold onto forever. It is why amnesia can be so devastating...for everyone.

oOo

When she first showed up at his door again, he thought it was a prank. Or maybe somewhere along the way he'd picked up a mildly violent stalker. That would probably explain the strange woman that slapped him the moment he'd answered his door.

He was still confused even after he'd finally gotten an explanation from her. Girlfriend? After Annabeth, he'd gotten another girlfriend? Was this the girl that he'd fallen in love with? Was this the girl whose existence was erased from his memories?

His mother had helped smooth over ruffled feathers, but even so it took a while for Jasmine to stop crying. At the time, he'd thought it odd that a girl would be this attached to him.

It had taken… long conversations to help him remember again. The gaps in his memory were still present, but he remembered meeting Jasmine for the very first time, seeing her walk under the dim lights of the aquarium, admiring all the aquatic animals inside the individual tanks.

She could've been the girl he'd been searching for, he thought. The one that he'd loved and lost.

So why did it always feel so wrong when he thought of her in that way?

But he buried his confusion and told Jasmine about himself and his past. The truth, as it were, about his life as a demigod. She had stuck with him through everything that he'd put her through; she deserved this mom and Paul both pitched in, trying to normalize the experience for her from a mortal perspective.

Their explanation: 'if it doesn't make sense we just have to trust that it's mythological' route worked, surprisingly.

It took a great deal of effort trying to convince her of the truth, with the Mist hiding most of the evidence of the godly world. In the end, it had been the Yankees cap that had finally done the trick, once she became sure that his disappearing act wasn't some hoax or trick.

"So…" she began, one summer afternoon after he'd finished explaining to her how he'd spent a year in Camp Jupiter as their praetor. "What I'm essentially to understand here is that you've spent your life since fifth grade fighting monsters and big bad Titans and even Mother Earth herself, and that you're some kind of hero in this mythological world of yours? Oh and of course, let's not forget that the Olympian Gods, the ones in all the legends and myths that fascinated people millennia ago, are not only real, but all alive and well today?"

Percy nodded. "It's a lot, but yeah, that's mostly it."

Jasmine shook her head, smiling ruefully. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"You mean you're not…" Percy hesitated. He had been fully expecting her to walk out one day and never come back. He'd been dreading it, mentally preparing himself for the experience. But now…

"I would've thought that you'd have realized by now it's going to take quite a lot to get rid of me, Percy. Or should I call you Perseus?"

"Please don't. It sounds so formal, I'll think I'm being lectured by my old teacher or something."

"So I'll use it when you're being an idiot. Got it!" She smirked at him.

He shook his head, unsuccessfully hiding his smile. "I'm glad you're with me, Jas."

Her expression turned more serious.

"I've cared for you for a long time, Percy. Even during those times when I was angry at you… or hurt… or both... I never stopped caring. And despite your numerous disappearances and now this… this mythical world that you're apparently a part of… I'll still be here by your side. Forever."

Percy smiled wanly. "Well, forever is a long time…"

Jasmine punched his arm. "Forever, you hear me?"

Percy nodded and settled more comfortably into the couch.

"Forever." he agreed.

oOo

In the end, it is difficult to forget entirely. Even those who have drank from the Lethe… there are still moments of recollection. Commonly known as the phenomenon of deja vu; that inexplicable feeling of familiarity accompanying an experience our consciousness knows has never occurred before often happens to all of us. Because sometimes we find it almost impossible to truly forget that which is most precious to us.

oOo

"It was for insurance, my dear." Zeus explained, looking at his beloved, angry daughter with a pained expression. "Those memories that you have forgotten; there was sensitive information… with oath-breaking consequences. And besides… he's exiled..."

"I know that, Father!" She screamed at him, tear tracks staining her cheeks. "I know that there is someone… someone important to me that I have lost. Someone that made me reconsider my oath, all those centuries ago."

Zeus's eyes widened in shock. "You... remember?"

Her silver eyes alight with cold fury, Artemis took out a small ballpoint pen. Zeus's eyes widened.

Artemis continued furiously, her fingers clenched tightly around her most prized possession.

"You may have erased his existence from my memories, but you can not… you will never be able to… to take those emotions away. I know this pen is special. I know it belonged to… to him."

Zeus took a step back. His words became stuttered, almost hesitant, as if he no longer recognized the goddess before him.

"What happened to you, Artemis? Are you… have you been cursed? This isn't you! Where is the girl that climbed into my lap all those years ago and swore off men, forever?"

"You know nothing about me, Father. For your entire, miserable, immortal life, you've never spent much time in getting to truly know me. You've loved this image of me; this ideal of the perfect daughter. A huntress; a maiden, dutifully going about her duties to Olympus and to you. That was all I ever was to both you and the world. You don't know me, you only see this idolized version of me."

"Are you even listening to yourself, Artemis? You're grieving over the loss of a companionship of a male. Your hatred towards men; it's widely known. You may believe yourself to be correct when you say that I have never been a great Father to you, but even I know that you have always tormented men. And here you are, craving male companionship. What would your Huntresses say if they could see you? What would my daughter say?"

Thunk!

Faster than the eye could follow, a silver arrow had thudded, quivering slightly, into Zeus's throne, millimeters away from his head.

In a shaky voice, the hand still holding her silver bow aloft trembling, she said, "They would have supported me, as their Mistress. Thalia, especially, would have understood me, far better than her father ever will. Do you think that I am so foolish as to fall for the tricks of men? You are correct, I have hated men for millennia, precisely because I could discern their true intentions in a heartbeat, and they were rarely pure of heart. But this person that you've taken from me, I know that he's different. I'm sure of it. Whoever he is, wherever he is in this world, I'll find him again despite your interference. You mentioned oaths; I shall oblige you. I swear that I'll find him again. And when I do… when I do I'll make sure I have no regrets."

"You would break your oath then," Zeus said, and suddenly he...changed. It was no longer her father Zeus staring down at her. It was Zeus with the full glory and might of the King of the Gods behind him. This was the Zeus that handed down punishments. "You would cast aside your duties, your domains for these emotions you have. You would give up your maidenhood."

There was a long moment of silence.

For a moment, Zeus saw a crack. A waver in her stance. But then it was gone, almost as if it never existed in the first place.

"Yes, I would."

oOo

Some of us move on from our lost memories. We live another life, throw ourselves into making new memories in order to forget that which we lost...

oOo

On their first anniversary, he'd taken her out on a hiking trip to the Appalachian trail. Jasmine had been going through a health nut phase and, in her enthusiasm, had dragged them farther than he had expected along the trail. It'd gotten dark sooner than they'd expected and, unwilling to try to find their way back to their car in the darkness, they'd made themselves a makeshift campfire and decided to take turns keeping watch throughout the night.

"So this is a taste of the demigod life, eh?" Jasmine joked as they cuddled together with their backs against a large flat rock.

Percy chuckled. "If you mean the whole stranded in the wilderness vibe then yes. Fortunately for us, the most dangerous thing we have to worry about is probably something like a wild bear."

"Scary."

"Oh? Are you afraid of the big bad-"

"Shut up and go to sleep." Jasmine interrupted, a smile curling the corners of her lips. "I've got first watch."

It hadn't been comfortable, the bugs made it impossible to sleep, nor was it remotely romantic, but it didn't matter. They were together. They were happy.

They went back for their third anniversary, with better planning and preparation. The feeling of waking up and watching the sunrise together, simply enjoying the beauty of the scenery as well as each other's company… it became one of their most treasured memories.

And their relationship only continued to get better. They rarely fought, and even then it was over their schedules. Jasmine's novels had become moderately popular and had entered the mainstream, leading to appearances at book signings and other such promotional events. Meanwhile, Percy had managed to take his GED and enroll in university. His class schedule, plus all the time Jasmine spent travelling, meant that they couldn't see each other as much as they'd both wanted. Even so, it was only a matter of time before they got used to working around each other's schedules.

The time they spent together was precious. They did their best to maximize it, with Jasmine making time to visit Percy on campus, or Percy hopping on an overnight bus to be at Jasmine's new novel's release during school breaks. Every time he saw her, his heart swelled. Every time she saw him, that warm feeling she'd first felt stepping outside of a hospital threatened to overwhelm her again.

On their eighth anniversary together there was a ring on her finger. Percy had found himself a part-time job working on campus, and with his parents helping him pay tuition and food, he'd managed to save up, little by little, for a nice, plain golden band. It wasn't much, but Jasmine was already making more than enough from her budding writing career. It wasn't anything fancy; but he knew she didn't want anything fancy.

One dinner date, some nervous pacing and sweaty palms, and a few heartfelt words under the moonlight were the final steps.

His heart leapt when she said yes, with tears in her eyes and her hands covering her mouth. Sliding the ring onto her finger would be something he remembered forever. Hades, everything about that night would become one of his most treasured memories.

He was engaged, to be married to the love of his life.

So why… why now… why was there this small, niggling feeling that he was forgetting something; that there was someone he really didn't want to forget?

oOo

Others cling to those lost memories, knowing that something precious lies hidden beneath that unyielding barrier. While we may someday recover what was lost, perhaps it would be best to have forgotten… if only it were possible.

oOo

"You took him from me." Artemis said quietly, staring at her brother across a crackling fire, Leto standing hesitantly between them.

Apollo crossed his arms, his eyes hidden behind another pair of shades. "No. I protected you and forced you to see what you were too blind to acknowledge."

"Too blind to acknowledge? To acknowledge what? The only thing I failed to acknowledge was my own feelings. I failed to realize my chance at happiness until it was already gone; stolen from me by someone I'd once considered family."

Apollo flinched slightly at the mention of family. Leto had tears in her eyes. Despite their recent differences, they had shared many happier times together as a family.

"Artemis, please…" Leto started.

"Your relationship was never going to work out, Artemis! For perhaps the first time in your immortal life, you were blinded by your feelings. Don't you think that I would know that a relationship between an immortal and a mortal would fail?!" Apollo burst out.

Silver fire alighted within Artemis's eyes.

"You… you dare compare those cheap, vulgar consorts of yours to Perseus?"

Apollo ignored the slight.

"We've been over this, Artemis. You know as well as I how these relationships tend to work. Of all the gods on the council, how many have had a successful relationship with a mortal? Dionysus is the only one who has ever made it work, and even then, it was through the choice of Ariadne to become his immortal wife that it so happened. And you know as well as I that Perseus would have never accepted immortality, if his actions during the past two wars were any indication. He values the normality in his life too much. He values his friends and family far too much. He would never accept an eternal life, not when he knows that to do so would condemn himself to a lifetime of misery as he watches those who he loved pass by him."

"Apollo-" Leto tried to interrupt, but he forged ahead, determined to make his sister see reason.

"You may not wish to admit it, but this was for the best. I admit I have not gone about this in the best way, but nevertheless, you must see that a relationship with Perseus, no matter how happy it would have made you for a few years, would always end in failure. Instead, you would have been forced to watch him grow old, change, and leave you. It would break you; if this is how you are after only knowing him for a few years, imagine how you would feel decades from now. I've always looked out for your best interests, because you are my sister.."

"Get out." she said quietly, not even looking at him.

Apollo crossed his arms. "This is my home as much as yours, Artemis. What right-"

"I SAID, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT." Artemis screamed, rising to her feet only to be wrapped up in a hug from her mother.

"Stop, Artemis." She said firmly, holding her tightly as she struggled. "I may not agree with what Apollo has done to interfere with your life, but he is correct in saying that he is still your brother. And, however misguided his intentions may be, he does have a point."

Leto held Artemis even as she slowly stopped struggling, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't care." Artemis said, almost petulantly.

"I'm going to find him again. I'm going to find Perseus again, and I won't mess it up this time, no matter what you do." The defiance in her voice was returning.

She reached into her pocket, retrieving the pen that she had held for so long. The one whose meaning she finally understood.

"I'm going to give this back to him, and I will make everything right."

"You know," Apollo said, with an almost apologetic tone, watching her carefully. "You may choose to disbelieve me, but I truly only wanted the best for you. And so I will leave you with one final piece of information. I didn't want to tell you, it will only hurt, not help, but I will say it in the hopes that, one day, you will realize that I really, truly, am looking out for your best interests, Artemis."

She remained silent, not trusting Apollo or herself.

Apollo sighed heavily. "Perseus is engaged."

And Artemis's heart shattered.

oOo

No matter which path one chooses, the loss of memories always result in tragedy. For those who move on, there is always a sense of regret. A sense of loss, because perhaps, in another world, one would have made a happier, more fulfilled life. For those that cling to the past, there is only misery. The misery of having forgotten, of having loved and lost. A sense of having missed out on a chance that would never be presented again.

oOo

Notes: This is a bit of a departure from my usual style, hence the time it took for me to even be marginally satisfied with the end product. It has gone through many phases, and I'm not entirely sure if it should be it's separate story or if it is more appropriate here.

There is one more chapter left to this story. I'm thankful to all of you who have stayed and read this far. As always, thank you for reading, and please review.