I shifted so I could face him, unable to free myself from Theseus’s grasp as he only snuggled closer when I tried. I smiled and brought my hand up and slid it into Theseus’s limp one, squeezing his fingers. I thought back to my last memory.
“My last solid memory is us at the library,” I bit my lip as the flush filled my cheeks. "Though, it’s a little fuzzy after that…I remember the beach and then—wait, did you and I…um?”
Percy shook his head. “We did not have sex.”
I couldn’t say I wasn’t a tad disappointed.
“You did, however, rub yourself against my cock quite enticingly,” He growled and leaned forward to give me a searing peck on the lips.
“Oh.”
“Oh? Is that all you can say?” Percy smirked as he reached up to brush a few stray strands of hair behind my ear.
I gulped. “And then what? Did I orgasm myself into passing out?”
I really hoped that was the real reason for my missing memory.
He chuckled. “Unfortunately, no. That’s not to say you didn’t cum for me, in fact you returned the favor.”
Well, damn. I felt bad that I didn’t remember any of that.
His face fell, becoming serious. “But that isn’t everything that happened last night. Jason’s uncle appeared, breaking one of our sacred laws, and basically challenged me while I was being intimate with you. I fended him off but you had collapsed during the fight. I brought you back here to get cleaned up and have Theseus check you over.”
“Wow. I missed all of that? It must have been good not-sex-sex,” I laughed nervously, my eyes shifting away to stare at the wall over Percy’s shoulder.
“Atalanta. It’s okay to be scared,” He took my free hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "And it’s okay to show me your fear. I’m here to help.”
“I…Percy, I am scared. I don’t know what’s happening. I keep forgetting things. And not just last night, but other things. When I had that nightmare, I didn’t even know who you were, or the others. I couldn’t remember what name I was using. I can’t remember my favorite color or if I had a favorite cereal. I keep forgetting Cal.” My voice cracked at her name.
Tears were beginning to stream down my cheeks and I blubbered, “There are so many things I can’t seem to remember, and I don’t realize it until it’s staring me in the face. When I made my bowl of cereal this morning it wasn’t until I ate it that I remembered that I don’t even like Captain Crunch, and then when Jason made me get dressed I wondered why all the clothes in my bag were black and gray. Was it because they were favorite colors? I didn’t know!”
How much of my life was being forgotten?
Percy wiped away the tears so tenderly before bringing me in for a hug.
“I know, we’re scared too.” He said quietly.
At my look of confusion, he continued. "Believe me, we noticed something was not right with your memory when you first woke up. It was wrong of us not to bring attention to it, but I didn’t want to worry you. I am looking into it. Don’t worry for now, okay? One thing at a time.”
Jason had said that too, but how long before there were too many things and not enough time? We kept pushing everything aside. Were there more ‘things’, and I was just forgetting them? I needed to make a list. Yes, that’s what I needed to do. Make a list of everything I could remember, because how long would it be before I forgot everything?
I shook as I tried to hold in the tears. It hurt, but I couldn’t cry anymore. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t cry.
It was wishful thinking.
“Atalanta, my sleeping beauty, don’t cry. We’ve got you.” Theseus muttered. His voice, which was rough from sleep, snapped me out of my head as he sat up and nuzzled my neck.
I laughed through the tears as his soft three-day-old scruff tickled my neck.
“There we go, there’s that smile.” Theseus tickled my sides, making me laugh more. “It’s Valentine’s Day. No girl should cry on Valentine’s Day. Especially not my girl.”
I giggled as he unwrapped himself from me and stood.
“Our girl,” Percy reminded before looking me in the eyes and saying, "There is a lot going on, but it won't always be this way. This, too, shall pass.”
Leaning back, Theseus gave me a peck on the cheek. “It’s going to be okay, Atalanta. Whatever is wrong, we’ll fix it.”
Theseus didn’t even know why I was crying, but he was comforting me regardless. When you combined Percy’s form of comfort, stemming from logic, to Theseus and his sweet words and gestures, the two were an effective pair. The heaviness that had been building in my chest dissipated.
Sitting up on the bed, I hugged my knees close to me. “We should at least tackle one of the things. Like Clint. We can’t keep brainwashing him to push off talking to us. Won’t that break him or something?”
“I mean, right now he’s a non-issue. I could also just tell him to leave,” Theseus mumbled.
I snorted. “We can’t do that. It might bring more trouble than it’s worth.”
Percy rolled his eyes. “Fine. Tomorrow, then. In the morning we will go meet him at the inn.”
“Wait, isn’t tomorrow Monday?”
“Yes.”
“Then I need to be at school. It will have to be after.”
“Atalanta…I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Theseus said
“Why?” I asked, brow furrowed.
“For one thing, you are still struggling to control your shifts,” Percy said as his eyes roamed over my body.
I looked down to see that I was not only naked aside from a towel draped across my lap, but also completely scaled up again.
God damn it.
Okay.
I took a deep breath in and did what the others had shown me yesterday. I thought about the boys, the safety they brought me, and loosened that little ball in my mind. I watched as almost all the scales on my legs and hands receded, leaving my limbs looking mostly normal.
I touched my face, expecting the scales that were usually on my cheekbones, and smiled when I only felt smooth skin.
“I got it handled, see?” I grinned up at Percy.
Percy rolled his eyes. “If you insist on going, we are not going to stop you. Though, I will be arranging precautions.”
“Understandable.” I nodded.
Theseus clapped his hands with a boyish smile. “Good, now that’s settled. Are you ready for a day of fun? Or did you want to sleep some more?”
“No, I think I’ve slept enough.” I hopped out of bed and stretched. “Do you guys have something planned? You, Hip and Jason were pretty freaked out yesterday.”
His smile grew wider. “I’m glad you asked. We’ve prepared a day of pampering for you.”
I cocked my eyebrow at him.
“What is with that look?” Percy asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Are you skeptical that we would want to pamper you? Is this not the day for lovers?”
There was a small flame that lit inside of me when I watched Percy and Theseus’s eyes move over me slowly. Remembering that I was naked, I quickly grabbed the sheet off the bed and covered myself.
The guys chuckled, but their eyes continued to roam.
“No, th-that’s not it,” I stammered, feeling like a sheep cornered by hungry wolves.
Percy tilted his head. “What, then? No, wait. I’m guessing you feel that you don’t deserve to be spoiled by us. Perhaps because you feel that you are a burden or just don’t see that we actually care enough to try. You would be wrong in both cases.”
“Hey! It’s my thing to psychoanalyze people. Don’t steal it.”
“You don’t own the monopoly on it, Ms. North. Besides, I believe I am owed some payback for our first meeting.”