Disclaimer: You know the drill. These characters are not ours, they belong to some guy named Rick Riordan who's created like three different book series involving Greek, Roman and Eygptian Mythology. Yeah, no biggie ;) We hope that we have done Mr. Riordan and his characters justice and that you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Five~

"Wait, Annie!" Thalia ran after her friend, who was running up the stairs of their apartment, tears staining her face.

"What?" The blonde sobbed.

"Let's talk about this!" Thalia panted, struggling to keep up. "We need to talk about this... You need to talk about this..."

"What is there to talk about, Thalia?!" Annabeth demanded. "He doesn't remember me! End of story!"

"Annabeth, you need to calm down... Getting upset and screaming isn't going to help anything-"

"Thalia. I do not want to talk, nor do I need to talk."

"Annie-" Thalia started, but the blonde shook her head vehemently.

"No! I'm fine!" Her voice broke. She swayed, grabbing onto the railing for support, her knuckles turning white. Thalia ran up to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It's okay to not be fine you know," she said gently, stroking Annabeth's blonde curls as the latter leaned heavily against her. "You don't always have to be strong, you know... You don't have to be afraid of breaking every once in a while... You don't have to be afraid of not being in control..."

"But what if I go back to that place?" Annabeth demanded. "Thalia, the last time I broke, I tried to kill myself."

"I know," the brunette soothed. "But you're not that same girl."

"But I can be..." Her grey eyes looked like shattered glass. "I don't have to look that hard to find her again. Behind this new Anna is the same weak Annabeth... She's just waiting for a chance to come out again..."

"Then you tell her that she can't control you anymore, okay? You've changed, you're different. You are not the same woman who tried to jump." Annabeth nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I have to do something really quick," Thalia said, grabbing her leather jacket from the railing. "Will you be okay here if I leave for about an hour or so? I can go pick us up some dinner..."

"Depends what you pick up..."

"How about your favorite Chinese takeout?"

"Well how could I say no to that?" Annabeth laughed weakly.

"I'll be right back." Thalia promised, squeezing her friend's hand. "Try to go to sleep okay, honey?"

"Night, Thals," Annabeth sighed, shutting the bedroom door softly behind her.

Thalia grabbed her black leather jacket and car keys off the kitchen counter and slammed the apartment door behind her. She stomped to her car and slammed that door behind her too. She was enraged the entire drive to the mall. How dare he? How dare this Peter Johnson guy, or whatever the hell his name was, treat her best friend as if she were uworthy of his attention, as if she were inferior to him. Well, she'd show him... She was going to make sure that 'Percy Jackson' had the crappiest day of his life because he deserved it. And in some twisted, sick, perverse way, that thought filled Thalia with glee.

It was the first time that the smell of Blue Icing couldn't cheer Thalia up. She marched straight to the front counter, bypassing the opportunity to try a free chocolate sample. She had to sternly remind herself why she was here... and sadly, it wasn't for the chocolate. She was greeted by a handsome raven-haired young man who stood behind the counter.

"Hi," he flashed her a wide grin. "How can I help you today, ma'am?"

Hi. I'm looking for some guy named Percy Jackson... Is he around?" The young man had startling green, kind eyes, and even though she was upset, it was impossible to be rude to this guy. He wore a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing his toned and tanned arms.

"Well you won't have to look much farther," he laughed. "I'm Percy Jackson. It's nice to meet you, Miss-"

"Thalia. Can we step outside for a moment? I need to talk to you." Percy was very cooperative and did what he was asked immediately.

"What can I do you for you, Thalia?"

"You can explain to me why you hurt my friend."

"I'm sorry? I don't understand." He looked genuinely confused.

"My friend, Anna Jackson? She came to see you at lunch today and you blew her off."

"Oh, that..." He licked his lips nervously.

"Yeah that." Thalia hissed. "You broke her already broken heart... You saved her life once, and you don't even remember it!" Hearing Thalia's shouts, the owner of the sweet shoppe, Sally Jackson, hurried out to Percy's aid.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Is there problem here?"

"Yes," Thalia smiled sweetly. "There is. You see a couple years ago Percy here saved my best friend's life... She's spent the last three years searching for him, to thank him. And this afternoon, when she finally did find him, he does't even bother to remember her." Sally's face fell.

"Thalia, there's something I think you should know, something your friend should know as well... Would you step into my office with me?" Thalia nodded reluctantly and followed her into the back, leaving Percy standing outside, looking helplessly after her. Thalia was taken aback by all of the pictures in the tiny office. The walls were covered in little yellow sticky notes that were filled with a variety of handwriting ranging from tall and loopy to small and sloppy to just plain illegible.

"Please take a seat." Sally motioned to a light blue chair that looked out of place and oddly professional.

"With all due respect ma'am, I don't think I should be in here." She replied stiffly. "He hurt my friend, he deserves to be yelled at." Sally laughed lightly .

"Yes, I'm sure he does, he always does... However, I am interested to know what happened between him and your friend..."

"My friend, Anna, met him about three years ago, and he saved her life."

"How so?" Sally asked, propping her head on her raised arm, her blue eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"She was about to jump off a bridge but he stopped her. He gave her a new identity and let her take his last name so that the people who were looking for her wouldn't find her. Since then she's been searching for him, so she could thank him. As I said, she found him earlier today, and he blew her off. He had no memory of her!" Thalia clenched the rim of her seat, trying to remain calm.

"Well, Thalia, I think it's your turn to be misinformed... Percy doesn't remember anything."

"What?"

"He was... in an accident about two years ago... and he knocked his head. Percy was in a coma for eight months. Once he woke up, most of my son's memories were gone. He could remember the big things, like who I am, who his brother is, what his name is and things like that, but he can't remember the names of regular customers, the name of his brother's school, for awhile he couldn't even remember the friends he had made in the past year..."

"So he didn't remember Anna because he was in an accident?" Thalia asked slowly.

"Yes." Sally nodded. "That's why this office is full of sticky notes, they're full of reminders, memories. The memories are starting to come back, but most of these are memories that his brother and I have of him." Thalia was silent for a moment.

"Then I guess I kinda owe him an apology..." She admitted sheepishly.

"I guess you do." Sally stood up and held her hand out, motioning to Thalia to leave.

"Thank you for your time-" Thalia paused not knowing the woman's name.

"Sally." She stuck her hand out. "Sally Jackson"

"Thank you, Sally." Thalia nodded at the older woman before shutting the office door behind her.

Thalia sighed and prepared to walk the walk of shame out of the store, knowing she would have to apologize to Percy. He was sitting behind the counter, idly flipping through the latest Sports Illustrated magazine. She cleared her throat. "Hey, um Percy? I'm sorry that I stormed in here yelling at you." She kept her head low and didn't look him in the eye.

"It's okay," he chuckled slightly. "But your friend, Anna, if she wants to talk or something I'd be willing to meet up with her. Mind you, I'm not sure I'd be much help... But, I figure it's worth a shot." He grinned.

"I'll let her know you said that..." Percy pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Thalia. "Here. Just in case." He winked at her. She smiled slightly and turned to leave.

"Thalia?" He called. She paused. "Will you tell her that I'm sorry?" She nodded, smiling slightly, and left the shoppe.

By the time Thalia returned to her and Annabeth's apartment at the edge of the city, the apartment was dark and silent.

"Anna!" No one answered. "Anna, I talked with Percy and there's something you need to know! There's a reason he doesn't remember and it's not because he doesn't care about you! By the way, I brought you Hawaiian Thai Fried Rice which an egg roll and a Starbucks coffee! I didn't even have a sip of your Chai Tea Latte! Annie?" Thalia warily approached Annabeth's bedroom door which was tightly shut. She knocked softly. "Annie?" She asked hesitantly when she didn't hear a sound from within. Thalia threw open the door and burst into the small bedroom. A note lay on the recently made bed.

Thalia,

I went for a walk, don't wait up for me. I plan on being awhile...

~Anna

Thalia crumbled the note in her fist and ran to the kitchen where she had left her keys on the counter.

"Crap." She muttered to herself. "Anna's going to jump again." She grabbed an egg roll as she hurried out the door.

Thalia fumbled through her purse, frantically searching for her cell phone. Breathing a sigh of relief at having found the phone, she speed dialed the number seven and waited four rings before hearing a candy sweet voice on the other end of the line.

"Blue Icing. This is Sally speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hi, Sally... it's Thalia. I was just in about forty five minutes ago yelling at Percy and generally make a big scene?" She had the grace to sound ashamed.

"Hi Thalia, how are you honey?" The older woman greeted warmly.

"Good, good." Thalia rushed through the polite part of the conversation, not even asking how Sally was doing. "Can you put Percy on the phone, it's kind of important..." Sally was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know if that's the best idea, dear... I think you both need some time to calm down and recollect your thoughts and emotions. It was all very dramatic."

"I know and I'm sorry about that, but this really important and I don't have much time!" Sally sighed, going against her better judgement and giving into the brazen girl's request.

"Alright, he's right here."

"Hello?" A familiar masculine voice was on the other line.

"Percy? Yeah, this is Thalia, you know the girl who yelled at you not to long ago? Yeah, you remember? Oh, good. Look I need a favor, and I need it now." She spoke quickly, trying to navigate her way through the heavy nighttime traffic.

"Thalia, I don't know... I met you not even an hour ago..." Thalia lost her patience, honking angrily at the yellow taxi cab in front of her."She's at the bridge." She cried, angry tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. She blinked hard, willing them to go away. "That girl Anna? The one who you saw at lunch earlier today? She's at the Brooklyn Bridge right now and is considering jumping..."

"Call the police then! I can't do one damn thing... I'm the last person she'll want to see right now, believe me... I'll just make her more upset!"

"The police would just make her even more distressed. You saved her life once, and you didn't know her then either. Please, I'm begging you, just try one more time!" She was desperate now. Her car was a hundred yards from the bridge.

"Alright." Percy quickly conceded. "I'm on my way. I'll be there in ten minutes. Just try to keep her on the bridge until I get there."

"I'll try."

"Thalia? You know this may not work, right?"

"It has to." Thalia replied, vehemently. "I refuse to think about the alternative."

She snapped the phone shut. Thalia pulled over onto the side of the rode and parked her car, clambering out of it instantly. She weaved in and out of the other vehicles and pedestrians, racing across the bridge, frantically looking for the blonde woman; her short, choppy, black hair whipping around her. "Annabeth!" Thalia yelled. She spotted her friend not twenty feet from her. Annabeth was pale and shaking, her knuckles white, gripping onto the bridge's metal railing. She had leaned over slightly, staring into the river's dark depths which seemed to be calling to her, beckoning her dangerously closer.

"Annie!" Thalia ran up to her, panting and out of breath, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright with tears. "Annie, please don't do this." Thalia begged.

"Do what, Thalia? I'm just taking a walk…" She wouldn't meet Thalia'a electric blue eyes.

"This isn't the end, and you know that! So what if some guy isn't who you thought he was? It's going to happen, that's life for you! That doesn't, and shouldn't, change who you are!"

"I don't think you understand. I modeled my life after the kindness he showed me… And it was a lie," she whispered. "That's all my life has ever been… A lie that consumes me, a lie that chokes me until I can't breathe..." Annabeth slipped her feet out of her silver ballet flats and climbed onto the railing of the bridge. Her blonde curls whipped around her. All she had to do was let go… Her startling grey eyes fluttered shut.

"And why should you change if he changes?" A deep masculine voice asked. Her eyes snapped open and she turned to see Percy Jackson himself, struggling to keep his composure, exhausted from his run to the bridge.

"What are you doing here?" Annabeth's voice trembled. Percy took a hesitant step towards her. "Get away from me! I don't want to see you ever again!" Annabeth screamed.

"Well if you would just stop trying to kill yourself, I wouldn't have to keep saving you and you wouldn't have to see me again!" A drop of rain hit Annabeth's arm.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer!"

"Come on, just give me your hand. I'll pull you back over."

"No! Stay where you are! I mean it! I'll let go..." Percy paused.

"No you won't," he replied softly. More drops of rain fell from the heavens. "Just because I couldn't be the man you needed me to be doesn't mean you can't be the woman you want to be. My personal fails and triumphs should not impact you or your life. I gave you a new life once. Don't throw yours away like I did mine!" He had to shout above the howling wind to make his voice audible to her. Without her noticing he had gradually inched closer to her, only ten yards from her.

"What new life?" She cried. "Nothing has changed! I'm still trapped with no way out! I am still clawing at my cage but have no idea how to free myself," she sobbed. "Meeting you was supposed to release me! But you ruined my only chance of freedom! I hate you, Percy Jackson!" She collapsed onto the ground, wrapping her arms around her body as she sobbed, her howls intermingling with the winds. It was pouring now and her hair and clothes were soaked, plastered to her body.

"Annabeth." He knelt down beside her, touching his forehead to hers. "Only you can release yourself. You held yourself prisoner in that cage by putting unreasonable expectations on yourself and me, knowing that both of us could never live up to them. Why? Because you didn't want to be released. I was a jerk for not remembering you, but that shouldn't change the bright future you deserve." He paused. "Annabeth? Annabeth, I want you to look at me." He tilted her head up with his hands and grey eyes met green. "No matter what would have happened today you would still feel trapped inside."

"I just want to be happy... The only happiness I can ever remember is when you stopped me from jumping that day. You're my happiness, and when you didn't remember me it felt like there was no such thing. You made me feel like nothing ever happened. Like my happiness never even existed. "

"It did, I promise you. You just never realized it. You never took a step back to marvel at all the goodness of the world... You were too consumed in your own grief. There's a lot that you don't understand, that you need to understand, but if you jump, you never will. So I need you to get up and come to dinner with me where I will explain everything to you, and you will be very glad you didn't take a stroll on that bridge." He gave her a small smile, and offered her his hand.

"Why should I trust you?" She demanded.

"Why not?" He asked, winking at her. "It saved your life before." She laughed slightly at his words and accepted his hand, standing up. It was still raining and they were both drenched to the bone.

"Fine." She conceded. "But you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know." He smiled.

"And you're paying." He laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of doing it any differently." He grabbed Thalia's car keys from her and helped Annabeth into the black Mercedes-Benz. The two of them left, leaving Thalia standing in the rain cold, wet, shivering and alone on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Authors' Note:

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