Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

There at the base of the tree, a girl was lying unconscious. Another girl in Greek armor was kneeling next to her.

Blood roared in my ears. I couldn't think straight. Annabeth had been attacked? But why was the Fleece still there?

The tree itself looked perfectly fine, whole and healthy, suffused with the essence of the Golden Fleece.

"It healed the tree," Chiron said, his voice ragged. "And poison was not the only thing it purged."

Then I realized Annabeth wasn't the one lying on the ground. She was the one in armor, kneeling next to the unconscious girl. When Annabeth saw us, she ran to Chiron. "It... she ... just suddenly there ..."

Her eyes were streaming with tears, but I still didn't understand. I was too freaked out to make sense of it all. I leaped off Chiron's back and ran toward the unconscious girl. Chiron said: "Percy, wait!"

I knelt by her side. She had short black hair and freck-les across her nose. She was built like a long-distance runner, lithe and strong, and she wore clothes that were somewhere between punk and Goth—a black T-shirt, black tattered jeans, and a leather jacket with buttons from a bunch of bands I'd never heard of.

She wasn't a camper. I didn't recognize her from any of the cabins. And yet I had the strangest feeling I'd seen her before...

"It's true," Grover said, panting from his run up the hill. "I can't believe ..." Nobody else came close to the girl.

I put my hand on her forehead. Her skin was cold, but my fingertips tingled as if they were burning.

"She needs nectar and ambrosia," I said. She was clearly a half-blood, whether she was a camper or not. I could sense that just from one touch. I didn't understand why everyone was acting so scared.

I took her by the shoulders and lifted her into sitting position, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Come on!" I yelled to the others. "What's wrong with you people? Let's get her to the Big House."

No one moved, not even Chiron. They were all too stunned.

Then the girl took a shaky breath. She couged and opened her eyes.

Her irises were startlingly blue—electric blue.

The girl stared at me in bewilderment, shivering and wild-eyed. "Who—" "I'm Percy," I said. "You're safe now."

"Strangest dream ..."

"It's okay."

"Dying."

"No," I assured her. "You're okay. What's your name?"

That's when I knew. Even before she said it.

The girl's blue eyes stared into mine, and I understood what the Golden Fleece quest had been about. The poison-ing of the tree. Everything. Kronos had done it to bring another chess piece into play—another chance to control the prophecy.

Even Chiron, Annabeth, and Grover, who should've been celebrating this moment, were too shocked, thinking about what it might mean for the future. And I was holding someone who was destined to be my best friend, or possi-bly my worst enemy.

"I am Thalia," the girl said. "Daughter of Zeus."

-The Sea of Monsters


The only thing I knew was that I was falling.

My eyes refused to open. I couldn't even find the strength to turn my face so that I could breath. The grassy, wet ground pressed against my mouth and nose as rivulets of water ran cold around the sides of my face. I was suffocating under the weight of my own body.

Just before my lungs could actually burst, a pair of strong hands gripped my shoulder, flipping me gently on to my back. As my face, eyes still closed, was exposed to the warm evening breeze, there was a strangled cry.

"Oh gods, it's her!"

They're talking about me, I thought dimly. The simple thought took all my concentration. Do they know me? Do I know them?

I couldn't remember anything except for running through the night as if my life depended on it, the growls behind us as the hellhounds gained on us, the tightness of Annabeth's hand in one of mine and Luke's in the other-

Annabeth. Luke. Annabeth. Luke.

Where were they? They were my family, all I had. Where were they?

Because I was certain they were not here. After living so close to them for two years, I knew their sounds. I might not be able to open my eyes, but I couldn't hear Annabeth's quick, seven-year-old breaths. I couldn't hear the thump-thump of Luke's heart, more familiar to me than my own.

I tried to say his name, but all that came out was a moan.

I dimly heard a commotion as people- children it sounded like- yelled. Right next to me, I could hear heavy, uneven breathing as if someone was struggling not to cry.

Footsteps in the grass. A crowd was gathering.

Had there been a crowd?

It was so blurry. I clearly remembered running, Grover ahead of us, urging us on. I remembered pain as my injured leg flared up and I fell. Annabeth had fallen too, pulled down by the shift in weight. She'd squealed.

Luke had tried to pick me up, but I'd pushed him away, hadn't I? I'd told him to carry Annabeth, to get her to safety. I'd made him swear.

And he had. He'd disappeared with Annabeth in his arms, screaming her lungs out at leaving me behind.

And then... I had turned to Grover. My exact words came back to me, along with the echoing screeches of the three Furies, who had finally caught up.

"Go, Grover! You have to make sure they get there! They're after me, not any of you. And I will not live like a hunted animal. Even if I go into that camp, they'll follow me, forever! And I'm done! I am a daughter of Zeus, and I will never, ever run again."

He'd protested but I'd forced him. He'd backed away reluctantly as the first hellhound came into sight.

I remembered glancing behind me, seeing Luke struggling up the incline with Annabeth, just as injured as I was. They weren't going to make it. I was the only thing standing between this army and my family.

Annabeth, I'd thought.

Jason.

Luke.

All the people I had cared about in my entire life. The thought of them had given me strength to stand unmoving as they'd charged towards me.

Steel on steel, my spear in flesh, dodging, weaving slashing.

Annabeth. Jason. Luke.

...but that wasn't metal I was hearing now...

Jab, duck, block... All there had been in the world was the fight.

...were those hooves?

And then there had been pain. Fangs sank deep into my shoulder and I had stumbled, creating an opening for all the other monsters to crowd forward. I'd tried calling the lightning, but there were too many and I could feel my blood pouring out.

As the darkness had come, I had prayed to my father one last time. Protect them, please. I gave my life for them, protect them. Then there had been a sensation of rising, of a burning deep within me, and there was nothing. Then, I'd fallen.

And now the hoofbeats were coming nearer, and I heard a sorrowful voice say, "... And the poison was not the only thing it purged."

The person next to me suddenly rustled as they sprang up. "It... she... just suddenly there." That voice again. Familiar, yet... off.

More footsteps. Human, but heavier than the person who'd been kneeling next to me.

"Percy, wait!"

A second voice huffed, "It's true. I can't believe..." I really, really knew that voice.

A hand was placed on my forehead, and a boy's voice said, " She needs nectar and ambrosia." I must have made it to camp if they had the food of the gods.

"Come on!" the voice continued, agitated. "What's wrong with you people? Let's get her to the Big House." Although the voice was young, it possessed an indefinable air of authority.

I felt someone gently lift me up, propping my shoulders against their body. I summoned all my strength and opened my eyes.

The first thing I saw was a boy's face, about my age, with messy black hair and sea-green eyes. Beyond his head, I could see a mass of teenage kids in a mix of armor and pajamas, but the two I was searching for weren't there.

I refocused on the boy holding me. "Who-"

"I'm Percy," he said in a soothing voice. "You're safe now."

"Strangest dream..." I muttered, unable to believe my memories were real. I should be dead. I should...

"It's okay," the boy- Percy- told me.

But it wasn't, and I tried to tell him so. "Dying..."

"No, you're okay," he reassured me. "What's your name?"

How could they not know? Hadn't Luke and Annabeth made it? Hadn't they told them about me?

There was a gleam in Percy's eye that made me think that he already knew the answer, but I said it anyway.

"I am Thalia. Daughter of Zeus."

And then it all became too much and I blacked out.


I've always hated when people wake up and ask, "Where am I?" It's just stupid. You should never give away when you're awake, in case there are enemies in the room. Also, if you really can't figure it out, then it's your own damn fault.

So the next time I woke up, I didn't move at all, feigning sleep while I assessed the situation. I could feel something soft under me- a bed? I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept in a bed. I couldn't hear much; just vague voices and laughter that seemed to be coming from a long way away.

I cracked my eyelids. I seemed to be in some sort of infirmary. It was light and airy, but it was also empty.

No, wait- it wasn't. Next to me was a dark haired boy fast asleep in a chair, as if he'd been sitting vigil. Carefully, I raised myself out of bed.

I was still in my ragged clothes, but my wounds were gone. It was wierd. How long had I been out?

I checked my pockets. Thank the gods, my spear was still there in mace-canister form, and Aegis was still in bracelet form on my wrist. They were my weapons, the only gifts from my-

My father.

I'd prayed to him as I was dying. Had he answered my prayers for once? Had he saved my life? The thought gave me a funny feeling in my stomach. He cared. He really did. But I shook myself out of it.

My father wasn't my family. My family was Annabeth and Luke, and they were still missing.

I tried to pull myself out of the bed, but my legs were still too weak to support my weight and I fell. The thump disturbed the boy, Percy, and he woke with a start.

"You're awake," he said stupidly. His bright green eyes were still staring at me as if he half-thought I was a mirage.

He stood, reaching out a hand to help me up and I panicked. I didn't really know where I was, I didn't know who he was, I didn't even know if my family was alive, and there was no way in Hades I was going to let him anywhere near me.

Before he could blink, my spear was out of my pocket and transformed, its tip at his throat. He froze.

Yes, I know what I said, but I needed to know. "Where am I?" My voice seemed a bit off.

Percy was staring at me like I was insane. "You're at camp. Camp Half-Blood. It's okay, you're safe."

As if I would trust him. "Where is Annabeth? Where is Luke? They were right ahead of me..." I trailed off, suddenly terrified. What would I do if they hadn't made it? No. Concentrate, I told myself. "Where are they?" I demanded again.

Percy spoke slowly and soothingly, as if he was trying to talk me off a ledge. "Annabeth will want to know you're up. She sat up with you for two whole days, but then Chiron had to order her back to her cabin so she could get some real sleep. She made us promise to call her when you woke up. Will you let me call her?"

I thought about it then nodded, lowering my weapon. Somehow, I didn't think he would hurt me.

He backed out of the room, and I was left alone. I sat on the edge of the bed, massaging my temples. Everything felt wrong. I didn't know why, but nothing felt like it was supposed to. There was suddenly a clopping sound outside of the door. My spear was in my hand again.

In the doorway stood a tall man with light brown hair and a beard. Except he wasn't a man. His bottom half was a horse. "You're Chiron," I said, amazed. "The centaur."

He inclined his head politely. "And you are Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus?"

I scowled. "I don't use my last name."

"Of course."

There was a short pause.

"Um, sir," I figured it would be best to be polite. "That boy ran off to get Annabeth, but he didn't say anything about Luke. Is... Is he okay?"

Chiron stared at me, his eyes filled with sadness. "As far as I know, my dear, Luke is well. I will let Annabeth explain it to you." Normally I hated anyone calling me 'my dear' or anything like that, but I didn't really mind as much when Chiron said it. I guess it was because he didn't seem patronizing at all. Rather, he seemed as if, in the few moments he'd been standing here talking to me, he really truly cared. I hadn't seen that outside of my family in a long time.

"How's Grover?" I asked, trying to break the silence.

The old centaur looked like he was picking his words with care. "He is very well. I think he is quite happy to be back in the safety of camp."

I snorted. "He's such a baby. That boy who was here said that I've been in here for a couple of days. Are you telling me he's still recovering from the trip here?"

Chiron wouldn't look at me. "I did not mean your trip."

"What?" Where else could Grover have gone in the past few days?

Chiron still didn't look up. "I wonder, my dear, if you could tell me the last thing you remember?"

I thought. "The other night. We were running towards camp, and we weren't going to make it. I told the others to go ahead. And then... there was a fight... I guess I blacked out, because the next thing I knew there were people around, and all the monsters were gone. That Percy boy was there. Then I woke up here."

I could tell by his face that something was wrong. Like, really wrong. Before he could try to get it out, I rushed, "Look, this doesn't really matter. Where's Annabeth and Luke? Are they okay? Did they make it to the border?"

Chiron's horse half was shifting nervously and he didn't answer. Anxiety started gnawing at my stomach, turning to anger like usual. I dropped the politeness.

"I said, are they okay? Did. They. Make. It?"

I was advancing towards him, spear in hand. Suddenly, there was a squeak behind me.

A girl stood in the same doorway that Percy had used to exit. She had long, curly blond hair and familiar startling grey eyes. If I had to guess, I would say she was around thirteen, give or take a year.

Her eyes were fixed on me, and she took an almost unconscious step forward. "Thalia?" she whispered.

She took another step forward, and I stepped back.

"Thalia, it's me, it's Annabeth." Her voice was pleading.

"No," I said, backing away farther. "Annabeth is seven." My voice shook.

"I swear, it's me," the not-Annabeth said, getting even closer.

"You're not," I insisted, my voice shaking more than ever. "You can't be." But then why were those eyes, those curls, so familiar?

She approached even closer, and I raised my spear, but it was wobbling so much that it wasn't much of a threat.

Still, Annabeth- no, not Annabeth, not Annabeth- stopped.

"Thalia... You have to trust me. Listen to me. Luke always said we were family. He gave me this knife." She held out a bronze knife, its handle pointing towards me. I took it and my blood ran cold. It really was Annabeth's knife.

"You two took me in," she continued, those grey eyes on me. "We were a family. And then Grover found us and brought us here. We ran up the side of the hill, and you fell. You told Luke to take me, and he carried me away."

"I remember," I whispered.

Her eyes were brimming with tears now. "You stayed on that hill, Thalia. You fought them so we could reach the camp. And we did. You saved us."

"But..." I knew all this already. But what had happened? How did I get here?

Annabeth's eyes were burning into mine, filled with years of grief. "Thalia, that was almost seven years ago."

I was paralyzed. I could think of a hundred things to say, from You're lying, to That's not possible, but nothing came out.

Seven years.

Fuck.

"How?" I didn't even remember asking the question, but my mouth moved and my ears registered it so I must have.

Chiron answered this time. "As you were dying, your father turned you into a tree. Your spirit was still alive within the tree, protecting this camp's borders. Recently, a quest retrieved the Golden Fleece, the magic of which must have healed and revived you."

A tree. A fucking tree.

But my father had still answered my prayer, hadn't he? My spirit had protected the camp, more specifically, protected Luke and Annabeth.

But really, a tree?

"Where's Luke?" I needed time to process the whole tree thing, but Luke couldn't wait.

Tears really were running down Annabeth's face, but she just shook her head as if to say later.

Something occured to me. "Where's a mirror?" Seven years had passed. Was I in my twenties? I felt a bit bigger than I remembered, but surely not that big?

Annabeth took my hand and pulled me through the house until we came to a bathroom with a full length mirror. I stared at myself in shock.

I wasn't twelve anymore, but I wasn't in my twenties either. I looked to be about fifteen, maybe a year or so older than Annabeth.

You wouldn't think that three years could make such a big difference, but it does.

I was maybe four inches taller. My hair, oddly enough, looked exactly as it had before- black and spiky- but the face it framed was more oval, less childish. Similarly, my limbs were longer and more lean. It wasn't like I'd been fat before- if anything I'd been in need of a few good meals- but now I looked leaner, more muscular.

There were other changes too. My hips seemed wider, and oh my god. I had breasts. Real breasts.

Those hadn't been there when I was twelve.

I reached out a finger to stroke the image reflected in the mirror. How could that be me?

Annabeth laid a gentle hand on my shoulder and I could tell that she was worried about me. No matter how old she was, she still retained those little tells. A slight pull on the corner of her mouth. The faintest of creases in her forehead. It was proof I guess. This was really my little Annabeth. This was really me.

I couldn't stand it.

I spun away from Annabeth, racing out the door into the summer evening. I could hear her calling my name, but I didn't look back. I just ran as hard and fast as I could.

Finally, I saw it. The road. The hill.

The tree.

It was a great towering pine with gnarled branches and quivering needles. On a low branch hung the Golden Fleece. It really was beautiful, but I couldn't properly appreciate it.

I circled the trunk, my fingers trailing across the rough bark, until I found it. A hole, almost completely closed, that dug deep into the tree's trunk. Below it was a dried trickle of dark sap.

That was it. That was why I was back. They didn't mean to bring me back, probably didn't even know it would work. No, they went to find the Golden Fleece because someone had poisoned the tree. My tree.

My tree that was all that was left of my sacrifice.

What kind of bastard would do that?

I made a silent swear that I would find whoever dared to do this to what was essentially me. They would pay.

The wind whispering through the needles reminded me of the songs I used to sing to Jason when he was cranky. God knows our mother wouldn't have. I tried to do the math. If he hadn't died, he would have been... twelve?

And what about Luke? If he's still aging, he really would be in his twenties now. Except... what if he was dead? It had been almost seven years. Anything could have happened. Sure, Chiron had said he was okay, but I didn't really know him and no one would give me a straight answer.

I sank to the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs. What had I done to deserve this?


Annabeth found me soon enough.

I think she might have been subtly giving me time to pull myself together, because I have no doubt that she could have figured out where I was in a second.

But it was thoughtful of her.

When she sat down next to me, I leaned forward and gripped one of her hands. "Annabeth."

She looked me in the eyes and I was certain she knew what I was going to ask.

"What happened to Luke?"

Her eyes started to brim up with tears and I feared the worst.

"Oh, Thalia," she said, her voice shaky. "I'm so sorry."

"Is he dead?"

Her eyes were shut tight, but tears still squeezed their way out. "No. He's alive"

Alive! Thank the gods. But then why was she crying?

"Where is he?" I asked yet again.

Annabeth's voice was more bitter than I had ever heard it. "Kronos is rising again, and Luke... Luke is helping him. He betrayed us. He betrayed us all. He poisoned your tree."

It was worse than I'd ever imagined.

Luke was a traitor.

And I still loved him.