Pertemis: Chasing Time

Chapter 2: A Conversation with My Old Man

Percy's POV

The last thing I knows was me falling on the ground and darkness took over. As I was wandering in my usual darkness home, the place suddenly switched. I was standing on a roof of some kind of a skyscraper. In front of me was a city, being attacked by Giants. Collapsed building, fire burning and people screaming, the city was totally in chaos like someone had dropped an atomic bomb on it. The Giants kept climbing up the highest building, looked really like the Empire State if it hasn't been seriously damaged.

There was a man looking down at the c*****e in front of me. Somehow I felt I had some connection with him, like really close. I slowly walked out from the shadow I was standing. The man was tall, build and powerful. The man didn't even look back and already noticed me coming close.

"So you're here Percy." He said without turning back at me. He had curly black hair, a neatly trimmed black beard, a deep tan like he's stayed on the beach all day, and sea-green eyes like mine. He appeared like a tourist with a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it. He also wore khaki Bermuda shorts and pink flip flops with green trident symbols attached on it. He was staring at the battle below with a glass of cocktail on hand.

I stood next to him and stared at the man next to me. I felt the urge to call him dad. I didn't know why. It just seemed right.

"Hi dad, uh...nice flip flops." I greeted.

He turned to me and grinned. He looked so kind and gentle. But I knew it would be a bad idea to make him mad. He glanced down at his flip flops, examining it. "Yeah cool right? It costed me 20 bucks from the souvenir store in Hawaii." He told me. "Oh and look like you still remember me."

"So you really are...my father?"

"Not really is," he smiled "but yes I am." He must be smiling a lot.

I glanced back at the c*****e. Somehow the place brought me back some memories, like I have been in here before. "Why are we here?" I questioned him.

"Good question" He pointed up "does it bring back anything for you?"

"Ye-yeah" I stammered. "It looks familiar, like I have been...wait, you know that I've lost my memory!?"

"Indeed"

"Dad, where am I? Why are you showing me this? How can I get my memory back?" I was about to ask him more, but he cut me off.

"This is the future Percy" he said "The dark has risen like what you said. The end is near, perhaps we have someone comes to save it."

"You mean I was a prophet?"

"No and maybe yes, listen to me carefully son." He stepped closer as I sunk down in fear. "You are the one will end this. The only way is you have to bring back your memory."

"But how, can't you just tell what happened before?"

"It is forbidden Perce. I can just tell you a little detail why you're ended up here." he said. "That day, when that stupid Thunder Brain accused you as traitor and wanted to execute you, I saved you out at the last moment. Sadly, half of you were destroyed. But then, Hades and I decided to bring you back by putting back the order half to your body and transfer my blood into your veins. I knew Zeus would kill you if he knows you're still alive. So I brought you to Rome in north California, far away from Zeus to sense you."

I wasn't sure I heard him right. True, my memory was gone. My brain hadn't felt right since I woke up from the tunnel. But one thing I was certain, that Rome wasn't in California.

"Then why did I lose my memory, sleep doesn't cause it...right?" I asked

"I afraid that you would find a way back home so I took out your memory and put you asleep in the tunnel in Rome." He explained. "I didn't want to reveal you for the next few centuries, but Hera started to play a game and I took the chance to bring you out. About your powers, I couldn't afford to save your original, but that would be for the best, because it would make it harder for Zeus to sense you. But you still have the power we have given you in your body, and you need to wake them up."

"So you mean I suddenly knew how to do sword fighting and control water." I said. "One of them was from you isn't it?"

"Yes" he confirmed. "Sword fighting was stick with your title and your sword has transferred it back to you, and the water power has already flowing in your veins."

"Wait so who are you anyway. You're so powerful and amazing."

"That's my son," he laughed and patted my back which nearly knocked me over. "You're the only that saying I'm amazing." I laughed awkwardly until his face changed to serious again.

"I'm a God Percy, an Olympian. People call me Poseidon"

I stepped back. Stunned from what I just heard. "So which means I'm a God too?"

"You would've died by now if you're a God." He said "You used to be a God Percy, a powerful one. But since that blood has been replaced by mine, you are now a half blood, a demigod."

"But I have full of your blood right?" I asked "doesn't it make me become a full god?"

He chuckled. "Technically is yes, but it just only works on mortal. But since you were a God, no matter how much of my blood move into your body, the immortal part would just start to fade in it."

An explosion occurred near us made the place rumble. "So who is the dark side you talked about?"

"It's Gaea, the primordial goddess of the Earth" he said.

"But doesn't she is a good goddess? I mean she is the mother of Earth after all."

"She's never good Percy" he told me. "She convinced her son, the Titan Kronos to kill his dad, Uranus, and take over the world. The Titans were later overthrown by the Olympians, ourselves. Gaea took a new husband, Tartarus when the Gods started ruling and gave birth to the race of Giants. They tried to destroy Olympus, but we finally beat them...barely. Now, she is wakening, along with her children. I don't know if we can successfully defend Olympus this time."

"If you cannot win them, why do you expect me, a demigod to do it?" I flared. This is really ridiculous. They couldn't afford to win the giants, so they put all the weight on me. How could I beat them?

"You are more powerful than you think Percy. You've even defeated Kro..." He paused, seemed to growl at himself for telling me something that wasn't supposed to say. "Anyway, this is why you need to get back your memories."

"And how can I do it?" I asked

"A quest will be hold soon and

you must be in it."

"So if I go on this quest," I said "I can get my memory back?"

"Eventually" Dad answered. "It is also a test for you Percy. You will sacrifice much in this journey! you will feel pains, loss and misery. But you might have a chance to bring save your old friends and family, to reclaim your old life."

Truth to be told, I hate test. Since I had lost my memory, my whole life was one big fill-in-the-black. I was ______, from ______. I felt like _____, and if the monsters caught me, I'd be ______.

There was one more question I wanted to ask him. "Who is Artemis?"

His face darkened when I spoke that name. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Just keep the name as a motivation for you to survive. Rome is a dangerous place for you, but also the safest place for now. Mark my words Perseus. Never come close to the gods or any place has their powers present the most. If they find you, they will kill you."

He waved his hand and I felt a tug in my gut, like some kind of power was pulling me back to the shadow. "Wait dad! Tell me about Artemis. What can I do in the quest? Wait I need to know!" I screamed, trying to reach him, he just kept his gaze at the horizon and finally, darkness emerged me.

My eyes shot open and the first thing came into me was a pair of piercing black eyes. I realised she was the girl I saved from the cyclops. "Oh. You're awake" she said.

I tried to sit up but she laid her hand on my chest and gently pushed me down. "Stay still, you're recovering."

I laid back like what she told, and groaned. "Where is this place?" I asked the girl.

"You're in Rome"

"Uh...don't you suppose to speak Italian" I questioned.

She chuckled that made her looked even more beautiful as her eyes sparkling. I hoped we could become good friends later on.

"No, this is another version of the original Rome. You can call it Camp Jupiter"

"Camp Zeus you meant?" I raised my eyebrow.

"That is his Greek name, and how did you know about it."

"I...don't know" I said.

Truth, I didn't know why did I come up with that. Maybe I was a big fan of Roman and Greek mythology. But speaking of the name of Zeus made my blood boiled. He had caused me to become like this. I would never forgive him.

The girl seemed to trouble thinking about something, but she quickly shook it off and looked up to me. "Never mind." She said and handed me a silver cup, "Here drink this. It will make you feel better."

I took the cup and started at the purple liquid like wine inside it. The girl took the cup and drank a little then handed back to me. "There, it's not poisoned. Trust me." She was so kind and somehow, she reminded me of Artemis. I hesitantly drank it. It tasted like coffee and just like what she said, I immediately felt better like I could run ten miles.

"Wow" I said. "This drink is amazing. Can I have more?"

"It is nectar and no, you will die if you have it too much."

She helped me to stand up and gave me a purple T-shirt with the golden letter SQPR on it. That was then I noticed I was topless. Despite the fact that my torso was wrapped around in bandage along with my right chest and shoulder, I still blushed a deep shade of red. "Uh...did you?"

She turned back and looked at me, seemed to understand what I meant. "Yeah I did that. Just a favor for saving me you know. I didn't have a chance to say thank you and you had already collapsed."

My face turned red even more. Imagine a beautiful girl takes off your shirt, and starts touching you. I didn't dare to think more of that so I put the shirt on quickly. "What's your name by the way?"

"I'm Reyna, you?"

"Perseus Jackson, call me Percy. I don't like people calling my original name."

"All right, Percy," she smiled, "it's time to show you to the people. Do you know your god parent?"

"I...uh think Poseidon" I told her.

She didn't look surprise at all. "It's Neptune, Poseidon is his Greek name. Due to your power, it's not a surprise that you're his child."

She walked to the corner and pulled down a string. I heard a bell being sounded like to rather people together. She turned back to me and gestured me to come. I stood beside her. She held my and slowly stepped out from the door saying.

"Romans, today, I present you, the son of Neptune."