Lost Memories

I Am Not a Happy Camper

My mother insisted on driving me all the way to Camp Half-Blood, no matter how long it took. On the way, she asked any more questions she had and I explained in more detail everything that I'd done in the past year. I told her all about Camp Jupiter and New Rome, and how they had families that lived there and grew old together. I knew she heard the wistful tone of my voice, but she didn't mention it.

When we finally pulled up at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill, my mom stopped the car but didn't let me get out yet.

"Please be careful, Percy," she said. "I don't like that you have to deal with another titan so soon after defeating Kronos. I hated watching you go through all of that, I hated seeing all of the scars you came home with. I don't want this to consume your life for four years again."

"I know, Mom," I said, taking her hand. "I hated doing that to you. I don't know why Mnemosyne is targeting me, maybe because she knows about everything I did and didn't think I'd be able to stop her if I didn't have the same help I usually do. I don't know why it's always me, I've just accepted that it comes with being a child of one of the Big Three. I don't know what she's gonna do, but I'm gonna stop it. And I'm gonna try my hardest to stop it quickly.

"Annabeth is still rebuilding Olympus after we just saved it. I'm not gonna let some immortal take that away. And I'm gonna get my life back," I said firmly.

My mother hugged me tightly. "I know you will. Just please be careful, since you won't have Annabeth and Grover and Tyson to watch your back. And if you do have to go back to Camp Jupiter after this, don't leave without saying goodbye."

I shook my head. "I won't. I promise."

She gave me one last smile before unlocking the doors so I could leave. I hopped out of the car and began the hike up the hill. When I reached the top and stood next to Thalia's tree and the Golden Fleece guarded by Peleus, I turned and waved down at my mother as she pulled away.

Then I looked down into the valley that housed my favorite place on earth. When I looked at the Big House, the cabins, the volleyball pit, the basketball court, the sword fighting arena, and the canoe lake, I smiled sadly.

I was home.

~

I tried to ignore all the stares I was getting as I walked into camp and towards the Big House. I doubted any of the campers remembered me from a year ago. I must have looked strange to them—a teenager much older than most new campers with no satyr protector and I wasn't fazed by the many strange sights I was greeted with.

The sun was starting to set as I climbed the steps to the porch of the Big House, and I hoped that whatever talk I was about to have with Chiron and Mr. D would be quick. It had been a long day, and I was ready to go to sleep.

I walked around to the other side of the porch, finding Chiron and Mr. D engaged in a game of pinochle. "Ah, Pepe, you're here," Dionysus said. I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything, knowing it was useless to correct him.

"This is the boy you were talking about?" Chiron asked, looking at me. "You seem familiar, have we met? What is your name?"

"Percy Jackson. We haven't met, I just have one of those faces," I said, hoping Chiron's thousands of years of existence would mean he wouldn't remember knowing me for what was half a day to him.

"Hmm." Chiron stroked his beard and seemed to accept my answer, but still looked suspicious. "Mr. D tells me you've lived with your family for the past eighteen years, knowing the whole time about who you really are, yet you managed to survive?"

"I'm a quick learner and my mother was very careful," I said, going along with his story, which was a little less outrageous than the one he tried to have me tell to the Romans. "Plus—" I took out my sword "—my step-father taught me how to swordfight." I didn't want Chiron sticking me in classes I had no need for. I needed as much free time as I could get to try to figure out how to help Camp Half-Blood and stop Mnemosyne inconspicuously.