This one-shot was written for: Percy Jackson Fanfiction Challenges - kitty132383: The Letter Challange
Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series, all rights go to Rick Riordan.
What the future holds
"Lily, you should check the garden, if there isn't anything suspicious there then you should go back to the camp. Cam, go back straight to the campsite and tell Phoebe and the others that everything is okay. I will go in the shelter and check it, don't wait for me, if there is a problem, you will know. Meet me back in the camp. Phoebe is in charge until I go back," Thalia told her fellow Huntresses. The strawberry blonde and red-haired girls nodded in agreement.
"Of course, Captain," the ten years old very ADHD daughter of Hermes said enthusiastically and the Lieutenant of Artemis rolled her eyes.
"Just go, Cam," she said and after the little red-haired girl saluted she ran off. With a sight the daughter of Zeus approached the old shelter. She closed her eyes for a moment and she remembered. She has been in the shed before, not once. The place hasn't changed, not even a bit. It wasn't a coincidence that she has sent back her Hunters to the campsite. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to see this place without them making comments.
She hasn't been there since Annabeth, Luke and she have met Grover. In a way she has completely forgot about this place, even though it was the closest place to a home for her in years. Somehow they always ended up in this little shed.
She opened the putrid door and stepped in the dark and filthy room. The windows were covered with old dark fabrics and the only light came in from the opened door and from the holes in the roof. It was foul, the air was stale, but it was her childhood. There wasn't much furniture just a table with three legs, two broken chair and an ancient cupboard in the far end of the shelter. Without even thinking Thalia approached the cupboard and not caring about the jarring sound she opened it. Annabeth would have screamed as it was full of cobwebs, but the Hunter of Artemis didn't care.
She fixed her bright blue eyes on the cupboard and searched for the only thing in that junkyard that had any value (at least for her). She didn't need to look for hours, she quickly found it. It was a pile of paper which was tied up by some old cord she has found in the shelter years ago. With her hunter knife she cut the cord and opened the first folded paper. What she saw was a letter written with bunch of spelling mistakes and messy handwriting.
She knew that letter.
She has written it.
With her dyslexia it wasn't easy for her to read it, but she didn't care. She didn't trust the broken chairs, not even the three-legged desk so she just sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall.
Dear me,
It's silly I know. However, I don't care. Luke was just laughing at the idea, but I thought it might be interesting to re-read my life when I am older.
I have no idea what the future holds. What am I going to be when I re-read this letter? Will it happen in a year or in a decade? Am I still going to be on the run with Luke? Am I going to be married and live in the mortal world? I don't know.
I guess, you still remember when you have written this. I'm eleven at the moment, almost twelve and I'm travelling with Luke, my best friend. I don't think that I have to introduce him; after all, I'm sure he is your best friend still.
Thalia was never a crying type, but he was close to tearful when she read about Luke. She wanted to laugh, how different her life was back then, how naive she was. How different she was when she was eleven.
I have always liked this shelter; something makes it more special than any other. Luke seems to think the same as we always end up here. I'm curious what made you, I mean I, or whatever, re-read this letter now. Is your (mine) life so different than what is written in this letter?
Thalia probably would have never guessed at that time how much her life will change. Probably her younger self would have laughed out at the idea of a Luke who turned against all of them, who even hosted the Titan Lord, Kronos. She would have laughed at the absurdity of her being the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. After all, her past self has just recently refused to join.
I hope I'm going to be happy when I re-read the letter. It must be fun, I mean probably my older self, you, are laughing at me now.
Thalia wasn't laughing, she was crying soundlessly. She liked being a Huntress, she liked her new sisters (she even get to like Melia, daughter of Eris which seemed impossible only a few months ago), but she has lost a lot. She still couldn't get over the fact what happened. She has changed. The little girl who has written this letter wasn't the same person who was reading it.
I have to go now, because Luke is ready with the fire. I guess it's a good-bye, although I may write some more later on.
Yours,
Thalia
Thalia sighed and put down the paper and looked for the next one. She closed her eyes for a moment when she noticed a part of the next letter which she wasn't sure she wanted to read.
Hey myself,
A lot of things have happened since the last time I have written to my older self (you).
First of all, our little group gained a new member: Annabeth.
That little girl is amazing. She is a fierce seven-year-old who is also a genius. It isn't a question who is her godly parent, that's for sure.
Thalia smiled as she read her words. Even at that time the daughter of Athena meant a lot to her. At that time, she was her only sister. Now she gained more than a dozen, but she knew that she will never forget her.
Life as demigods isn't easy, but we are good together. I'm not sure how I'm doing in the future, but at the moment I'm happy. It's hard, but Luke and Annabeth... Because of them, life worth it.
Although I'm sure that whenever I'm re-reading it, I will be right next to Luke and Annabeth, I thought that they should write a word-or two to me too. I think the mortals do things like that, they write to each other in albums.
Annabeth:
Hey, older Thalia,
It's me Annabeth. I find your idea weird, but as I would like dessert, I have to write to you something.
You mean a lot to me. You are like my Mommy and my older sister in one person. I'm happy that you are here with me. You will never leave me, right?
There was a sad smile on Thalia's face when she read that part. She knew that this letter was written only a few months before she was turned into a tree. She left Annabeth behind, when she needed her most.
I hope you have a big smile on your face always and that you are happy.
I'm sure you deserve happiness even in the future.
Yours,
Annabeth Chase
And here goes my best friend Luke.
Luke:
Thalia tossed the paper in the corner and tried to calm herself down a bit. She knew that she needed to read it to finish with the past for permanently. However, it was still hard. When she was twelve she thought that she was in love with Luke. He seemed like Prince Charming with his blonde hair, blue eyes and kind smile on his face.
She understood now that she was never in love with him. He was everything for her, as all she had was him, but she just loved him as a friend. However, that didn't mean that she didn't care. He meant a lot to her.
She got up and grabbed the paper. She leaned against the wall again, but she didn't sit down.
Thals,
I still think that this is stupid, but I know that this makes you happy, so here I am.
I guess I should write that I care about you.
You are a special girl and I'm sure you are happy in the future.
I hope I'm around, you know, I promised you that I will and I don't want to break my vow.
I'm bad in this, so I end up my letter here.
I will never forget you.
Luke
"Thalia," someone shouted and the Lieutenant of Artemis looked up. She put down the papers on one of the broken chairs and left the shelter. She saw a fiery red hair and she grimaced.
"Haven't I told you that don't wait for me?" she asked impatiently.
"Lady Artemis is at the campsite. She asked me to take you back. She is ready with her hunting and she joins us. We are going to the Rocky Mountains now. She wants to arrive before sunset, so we better go as soon as possible," Camille said it with one breath while she was bouncing up and down.
"Okay," the daughter of Zeus nodded.
"It was so long ago that Lady Artemis was hunting with us, I'm so happy," the ten-year-old was leaping and Thalia was walking quietly behind her.
"So... What were you doing in the shelter?" Cam asked suddenly.
"Nothing," Thalia muttered.
"You weren't breaking your vow, right?" Cammy asked with her big blue eyes open, she even stopped as did Thalia.
"What?" she asked.
"Well... you didn't want us there and I have no idea what would you do in alone a filthy shelter for such a long time," Cam said in a small voice.
"I was alone, Cam. I-I just needed some time alone," she explained and the red-haired little girl nodded.
"Sorry, I just like you; I don't want to lose you, Thalia. You are a great Lieutenant," Cam said and the other girl smiled.
"Thank you, Cam. You are a great little sister," she said and the two of them walked through the forest until they reached the clearing where the camp was sat up.
"Nice to see you, Thalia," Artemis greeted them and smiled, but the demigod daughter of Zeus saw some worry in her eyes.
"It's my pleasure, milady," she answered.
Several months later Thalia was standing in the exact same place.
"You know, Thalia. What would you say for looking around and checking some close places?" Artemis asked her Lieutenant who saw a slightly mischievous glint in the goddess' eyes.
"I would do it, milady," she answered and bowed her head.
"Maybe you should check the shelter a mile from here too," the goddess of hunt suggested and Thalia was now sure that Artemis knew what that place meant for her and she wanted her to go back there.
"If that's what you want, milady," she agreed.
"You will have time, my Lieutenant. I will only send Angela to find you if you don't come back before sunset," the goddess said and the black haired girl smiled at her.
"Thank you, milady," she said softly and Artemis looked at her with mocking questioning.
"What are you thanking me for?" she asked.
"For everything," Thalia answered.
"I'm happy you are here, Thalia," Artemis said to her Lieutenant.
"I am too, Lady Artemis," the demigod said with a smile and after a few goodbyes she left the campsite.
In no time Thalia was sitting on the floor several sheets of paper in front of her. However, she didn't read the rest of the letters, but grabbed one and turned over. The other side of the paper was blank. She started writing.
To my younger self,
I know that it is impossible for you to read this but I still want to write to you.
In your letters to your older self, to me, you asked about your future.
You wanted to know what the future holds.
For once, everything has changed.
Annabeth has grown up, she is a genius, she is a well-known demigod and she is in love. Who would have thought?
Luke... well, his story isn't as nice as Annabeth's, I should leave it to that.
What about me?
I'm happy.
I found a home, where I never thought I would.
I gained more than a dozen of nice sisters.
I'm the proud successor of one of my exemplar, Zoë.
I'm Artemis' Lieutenant.
Who would have thought?
Not me, that's for sure.
My life, I have changed. Sometimes I suffered, I was sad, but now it seems that I found what I wanted to do, what I needed.
I'm a Hunter and that's my life.
I have moved on, but I will never forget you, my younger self, nor Luke and neither Annabeth.
I have finish with the past for permanently.
Yours,
your older self,
Thalia, Lieutenant of Artemis, daughter of Zeus
Thalia put down the pen and folded the letter. She put it on the top of the pile of letters and put the pile back in the cupboard. She leaned back against the wall and smiled sadly when she closed the cupboard. However, she grinned when she left the house and noticed Camille who was looking for wood for the campfire.
"Cam, wait up!" she shouted and grinned at the bouncing fiery red-haired little girl.
"Of course, Captain," the little girl answered enthusiastically.