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Thalia gripped her arms tightly as she made her way down to the beach through the cold night, though the cold was honestly the least of her worries. Two years tomorrow she would be eighteen, and the Great Prophecy would be set in motion at long last. Looking at the sparkling stars in the night sky, she realised it was probably already past midnight by now. Exactly two years, then.
The thought made her stomach churn.
Looking to the west, she spotted the newest constellation spreading its light through the inky blackness: Zoë. Thalia stared wistfully for a moment, her mind circling back to the meeting on Olympus, She’d turned down an offer from the goddess Artemis, herself. An offer to become an immortal Hunter of Artemis. Their lieutenant, even. All for one irritating, stupid, lovable–
She breathed deeply, holding her palm to her forehead for a moment, and continued on to the beach. She hadn’t been able to sleep tonight (for obvious reasons) and so had decided on taking a midnight stroll, but had almost immediately felt an inexplicable pull towards the beach upon leaving Cabin One. Of course, it maybe wasn’t the best idea for a daughter of Zeus to follow a mysterious pull to the domain of the God of the Seas, but she was tired and quite frankly didn’t give a piss. Lord Poseidon seemed pretty chill compared to some of the other gods anyway. She’d be fine.
However, upon arriving at her destination and taking in the view, Thalia knew that she definitely was not fine. Sitting by the sea, letting the waves caress him in an uncharacteristic stillness was Percy Jackson. If it were possible, she felt even more tense, but she’d come for some fresh air and that’s what she was gonna get, damn it. So, despite her nerves, she allowed her legs to carry her right over to Percy, promptly dropping down next to him.
‘Hey,’ she managed, receiving a quick upturn of his lips in greeting. ‘You good?’
‘Me? I should be asking you that. You look like you got hit by Apollo’s magic bus,’ he teased, but there was little bite to it, and a tiredness had settled in his eyes.
So she hummed noncommittally. She was feeling pretty dreadful. ‘Thinking about Zoë?’ she cut right to the chase. He winced, looking down at the sand beneath him, and she sighed. ‘It was her choice, Percy. Take your time to grieve, but…let her have that, yeah?’ He nodded solemnly, and she scooted a bit closer. It really was chilly by the sea. ‘I can’t imagine how the Hunters are feeling, though,’ she continued. ‘And Lady Artemis. They’ll stick close together for a while, I guess.’
They sat in silence for a moment, watching Zoë venture across the sky in her new ethereal form, but Percy’s voice eventually broke the spell.
‘Why didn’t you join?’ and great; the question she knew was coming but didn’t want to face. Not when it was pretty clear who Percy’s heart laid with. He’d snuck onto a deadly quest to help find Annabeth, for the gods’ sakes. No way Thalia had ever had a chance. That being said, sitting in silence would be even more suspicious. And who knows? Maybe subtly venting some of her feelings would alleviate the nausea she was feeling. So, steeling herself, she replied.
‘Well, I couldn’t trust you to handle the prophecy on your own, could I?’ she tried for a confident laugh, but even to her own ears it was pathetic. Too weak and too shaky. Percy clearly wasn’t convinced either, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. She turned her head. She couldn’t bear to see that sympathetic look on his face with the state she was in. ‘And anyway,’ she said, trying to dispel the awkwardness, ‘if I’d joined the Hunt, I wouldn’t be here with you.’ He raised an eyebrow and Thalia felt a jolt of panic shoot through her as her eyes widened slightly. ‘To keep you from making yourself look like an idiot all the time, Kelp Head,’ she tacked-on lamely, cringing at her own words but passing it off as a shiver.
Eventually, the gods must’ve taken pity on her, because Percy began to speak again. ‘Thank you, Thalia. Really,’ he said, and she turned her gaze back to him inquisitively. ‘I don’t think I’d have been able to handle the prophecy without you,’ he finished quietly.
She scoffed, staring back up at Zoë’s constellation, which somehow seemed even stiller than before, as if attentively watching their every move. Gods, Thalia could really use her ancient wisdom or whatever about this whole damn prophecy right now. ‘You’d still have Annabeth, Percy,’ she said tiredly. ‘You don’t need me.’ To her surprise, he shook his head vehemently, then seemed to pause rigidly as if catching himself in the act partway through.
‘Annabeth’s a great friend, but it’s…different with you, Thalia,’ he said, and she could swear his face was redder than it had been a moment ago.
She blinked in surprise. He didn’t…
‘I mean, you went against Zoë’s orders to follow us on the quest to rescue her. She seems pretty important to you from where I’m standing,’ she put out tentatively, watching intently as he worked his firm jaw, trying to find the words.
‘She is important, and that was a big part of it, yeah, but…’ He looked at her properly now, clearly nervous but determined, and her heart filled with hope for the first time in…forever. ‘I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you knew you had me in your corner,’ he said, smiling briefly, looking much brighter than he had when Thalia had sat down, even if a bit weary still.
Thalia’s heart hammered again when her brain caught up with what he was saying, but this time in anticipation and hope that maybe - just maybe - she wasn’t alone anymore. Annabeth was back with her, and Percy was with her. Tired and beaten down, she allowed herself to lean into Percy’s side, wrapping her arms around him with watery eyes.
‘Thalia,’ his voice rumbled softly, ‘I promise. Whatever happens, I’ll be here for you.’
And with those words, she felt the thread that had been holding her together since she’d left Olympus that day finally give way, like the strings the gods were using to play with her were finally cut, as she fully-collapsed in Percy’s arms, sobbing fitfully into his chest. He held her there, fiercely protective, as her breathing evened-out and his warmth cradled her into a dreamless sleep under the starlight.
Thalia awoke alongside the sun to the feeling of a body coiled around her. A genuine smile crept onto her face as the sound of Percy’s quiet breathing filtered into her ears. They’d be fine. Really.