All rights to Percy Jackson and related characters belong to Rick Riordan and company. I'm just playing around in his sandbox of characters. Thank you so much for taking time to read my story; feel free to give feedback, read at your own leisure, or message me directly with suggestions. You all are amazing. I hope that your day is going great and that you stay hydrated :)
Thalia
Thalia stood towards the back of the group, in a black shirt tucked into dress pants and dress shoes. She wore a peacoat over it and held a black umbrella over her head to protect herself from the rain. She figured the precipitation may be symptoms of her father's annoyance.
However, she may be wrong.
The rain may have been her doing.
The back of the congregation was just as somber as the people closer to the coffin. Everyone was either crying profusely, fervently praying to the gods, or regarding the ground in silence. Thalia couldn't believe that her brother not only knew so many people, but had this strong of an effect on them.
These people were not mourning the death of a teenager, but the passing of a leader. It was initially hard for Thalia to see the boy who tried to eat a stapler as the praetor of Camp Jupiter, but after seeing him lead a team, after seeing him fight, and after seeing him in general…it was easy to see him as a hero.
Jason was dead.
Everyone in the crowd held an umbrella, making it look like one black tent protecting everyone from Zeus. Though it was raining, a piece of the sun peeked out from behind the clouds as if Zeus himself was watching the funeral rites.
As if, Thalia thought to herself. Zeus' many children had become a staple of his character, and he is no stranger to gruesome deaths. She figured that he was not shedding any tears for another one of his children meeting their end.
Somehow, the sun being out made the event a lot darker.
Though it was a high-emotion event, Reyna, the praetor of Camp Jupiter, had taken the cake. Her anguish and mourning was well hidden by a mask of pure determination and leadership. It was so well-hidden, in fact, that it made it hard for Thalia to turn away. It was like watching a reflection of herself.
Reyna would have made a good Hunter, and perhaps a better lieutenant than Thalia was. She'd never admit that out loud, though.
Thalia always liked Reyna, and she wasn't surprised when Jason had revealed her interest in him. Though Thalia was initially excited, the excitement had gone away when he chose Piper.
When Annabeth told her that Reyna expressed interest in Percy as well, Thalia realized that Reyna was attracted to the noble, semi-charismatic hero who will forever be unavailable and unattainable.
Thalia thought that sounded familiar.
Thalia watched Reyna as she and other Camp Jupiter demigod leaders carried Jason's coffin to the Garden of Bacchus, where the funeral processions were set to start. Though the other people carrying Jason's coffin seemed to be grieving for a hero lost, Thalia could tell that Reyna was grieving the loss of multiple things: a close friend, a comrade, a partner, a leader, and an inspiration.
Jason was dead.
The Garden of Bacchus was located at the top of a huge hill that overlooked the entire city. Though the hill was usually adorned with grapevines, it seemed that the Roman god of wine and madness had gone all out for this event. The grass was covered in flowers that glowed either a luminescent violet or a relaxing pink. They moved and swayed as if they were alive and communicating with one another (or swaying to a song together). Tiny bees flew around the area, but had just enough respect to avoid stinging anyone. Several other animals had gathered there for the beginning of the funeral, prompting Thalia to wonder about their relationship to her brother. The canopy overhead was covered in plants and vegetation that alternated between a bright green and a strong red. The light rain seemed to infuse the plant life with a familiar divinity, as if Apollo was playing his lyre.
As customary in Ancient Rome, the first procession within a funeral was the performance. There were professional mimes and musicians in the garden. The musicians played a combination of upbeat and gloomy songs, accompanied by rhythmic movements by the mimes. Both parties were playing as if they were simultaneously celebrating Jason's life and mourning his death.
Thalia noted to herself that these figures were only here because Jason was such a popular and high-class figure within Camp Jupiter. She knew that if he was treated according to the social class that the two of them grew up in, there would only be a few flutists playing at a low caliber of quality for a couple of minutes. However, this band of musicians was full of professionals. They had just transitioned to playing an ancient Greek melody that Thalia vaguely recognized as one of the countless odes to Zeus.
She found her mind wandering to the first time she had seen him as a young man.
Thalia was crouching in a grove of bushes. She was positioned like she was taking a knee, but her weight was on her thighs and calves as opposed to her knee. She was squatting and consciously making sure that every iota of her body was silent. Their target's senses were supernatural and on par with the most formidable monster.
Thalia slowly looked at her group of Hunters. The ten Hunters all wore white-and-gray winter camouflage and held their bows confidently. They were all staring at her, ready for the next order. Even the hunting wolves looked to Thalia for the next move. In unison, they all nodded to her confidently.
Thalia looked back at Lycaon. He was making his way towards a nearby cave. He was a tall creature, covered with dirty, dark brown hair. He wore a crown of bones on his head, probably to feed his own ego.
Luckily for the Hunters, he wore a robe.
Unluckily for others, the robe was made of several furs of other animals. He wore it like a hunter would wear a hide; with pride and strength.
He was skinnier than she thought he'd be, but he looked quick and deadly.
Everything a wolf should be.
His sinister red eyes were bright against his very pale skin and dark fur. He smiled and spoke with a low voice. Thalia used her enhanced senses to focus in on his words.
"I can smell your fear. A few more minutes of life, heroes. Pray to whatever gods you wish. Zeus did not grant me mercy, and you will have none from me."
Thalia craned her neck to see who his audience was, but she could only make out three vague forms. The forms looked human, but smelled like demigods. She didn't know who they were, but she knew that if the Hunters did their job, Lycaon was not going to kill anyone else for a long, long time.
She noticed that Lycaon was not alone. A large pack of wolves were stalking towards the three figures in the cave. They didn't have much time left before the three demigods were attacked from all sides.
With all eyes on her, she put up two fingers as if she was making a finger gun whose barrel was pointed towards the sky. Quickly and silently, her Hunters notched arrows and brought their strings back and preparation. Artemis' wolves shifted their weight on their back foot, ready to charge in. Like a band conductor, Thalia looked around to make sure that everyone was on the same page. She then focused her attention on Lycaon and quickly brought the finger fun down so that she was now pointing at the king of the wolves. Though it may have been a trivial gesture to any onlookers, the movement had significant meaning to her squad.
It was the indication to fire to kill.
In unison, a volley of glowing silver arrows sliced through the wind and ripped through the wolves around the area with frightening accuracy. The demigods jumped in surprise.
Thalia, eager to get in on the action, brandished her bow, notched an arrow, and blessed it with Artemis' sacred flame. The tip of the arrowhead produced a bright blue flame around it. For support, the daughter of Zeus notched another arrow.
On a three-count, she let them fly.
The support arrow flew towards his shoulder as the sacred arrow whistled towards his neck. To Thalia's surprise, though, Lycaon caught the sacred arrow in mid-air, before it punctured him.
Thalia admitted to herself that he was quicker than she thought.
The arrow, however, burned his hand and forced him to drop it. The arrow fell to the cave ground with a piercing clang.
While he was preoccupied with the pain of the sacred flame of Artemis, the support arrow hit him in the shoulder, forcing him back a few steps. Lycaon let loose a few curses and with a growl, disappeared into the night with his pack.
Thalia straightened up out of the bushes, thoroughly disappointed by their quick retreat. Before she could complain, one of Artemis' wolves bounded off towards the demigods in the cave. Thalia wore professional resolve once more and watched the canine run away. In response, two other wolves hustled towards the cave as well. The Hunters looked at Thalia questioningly. She gave them a curt nod that beckoned towards the cave.
The group then ran to the cave to retrieve the wolves. Once they got there, the group parted so Thalia could walk towards the small orange fire burning near the demigods' feet. Her silver arrow was lying there, with glowing Greek inscriptions etched into it by divine powers. She wondered what would ever happen if a mortal got a hold of one of those arrows. Thalia knelt, picked up her arrow, and put it in her quiver.
"So close," she muttered to herself. At Artemis' behest, they had been trying to catch Lycaon for weeks. That was the best chance that they would get in months, and though Lycaon was injured, she wasn't sure if the wise choice would be to continue the pursuit.
But it was worth a try.
She turned to the group; the brave, beautiful, and lithe handmaidens of Artemis. "Phoebe, stay with me. Watch the entrance. The rest of you, follow Lycaon. We can't lose him now. I'll catch up with you."
Thalia sensed ripples of excitement and agreement spread through the group as they dispersed to follow the king of the wolves. She smelled fear, though, likely coming from the demigods.
She stood and regarded the group from under her hood. One looked to be of Native American descent, with a beauty that reminded her of a certain goddess of love. The other looked to be closer to a Latinx background, sporting curly black hair and impish features that screamed mischief. The last one, however, looked fantastically familiar. He was blonde with powerful blue eyes that made Thalia think of her mother. It threw her off for a few seconds, so much so that when the female demigod spoke, it made her tense up.
"You're her. You're Thalia."
Thalia saw the looks they were giving her. The girl was looking at her with apprehension. The way she stood indicated a level of protectiveness and possession over the blonde guy, whose body language in turn reflected discomfort and confusion towards her.
Thalia was glad she gave up romance. It was too complicated for her.
The curly-haired guy was looking at her up and down with admiration, reminding Thalia all too well of her mother's weird, old producer/director friends that would ogle Thalia when she would walk around the house.
The blonde guy was staring at her with anticipation.
With a little trouble, she tore her eyes away from him and to the young woman who spoke to her. The demigod's declaration of Thalia's name seemed less of a question than a statement. To add a level of humanity and relatability to the interaction, Thalia removed her hood.
She locked eyes with the female. A microcosm of fear splashed over her face, only to be subsequently replaced by a face of recognition, followed by apprehension. She struck Thalia as someone who was good with words and knew as much.
Thalia asked her, "Do I know you?"
The demigod took a second to answer. "This might be a shock, but-"
Thalia noticed the blonde demigod tense and step towards her, prompting all of Thalia's attention to be focused towards him. Images of her mother and picnics (for some reason) flashed through her mind as she regarded him.
"Thalia. I'm Jason, your brother."
Her world flipped upside down, inside out, and back again.
Jason was alive.
Jason was dead.
Thalia was ripped out of her thoughts when a few satyrs roughly pushed past her. She looked at their retreating figures and saw that they were trying to catch up to the group. In the distance, Thalia could see that Reyna was leading the group to the Field of Mars.
They were probably headed there for the second stage in a Roman funeral.
The cremation.
The crowd filed into Camp Jupiter's battlefield until they got to the very center of it. The ground opened up to reveal metal steps to an underground room, allowing the group of people to move into Camp Jupiter's small necropolis. The room had red-orange walls with several Latin words all over the wall. The words pulsed golden, like they were being lit by a living energy. In the very center of the room was a funeral pyre that seemed to be made of either very metallic concrete or very rocky metal.
A few minutes later, the small room was bustling with uncomfortably hot attendees. Thalia watched wordlessly as Jason's body was taken out of the coffin and placed on a funeral pyre. His body was wrapped in regal purple robes, like some of the most beloved Roman emperors. Frank passed Reyna a torch with violet fire burning in it. The praetor said a silent prayer and lit Jason's body. The musicians all sang shrill, somber notes that sounded like all sharps. Jason's body caught on fire and Thalia felt some people look away.
She didn't.
She watched as Jason's body caught on purple fire, and then watched as the fire spread to his entire body. As it spread, it turned different colors, from red to orange, from orange to yellow, from yellow to green, from green to blue, and from blue to purple. By the time the fire had turned purple again, Jason's body was nothing but ashes.
Jason was dead.
Nico Di Angelo, dressed in black robes, stepped forward. He used an iron tool that looked like a kitchen knife to scrape the ashes into a funerary urn. He handed the urn off to Reyna, who slowly made her way to the back of the group. Thalia had to slide to the side and keep her head down to avoid getting noticed. As Reyna passed, Thalia saw no tears, but she did see raw red eyes that said more than tears ever could. The crowd followed her outside through the Field of Mars and to Temple Hill. There was a podium set up, with a picture of Jason and several flowers surrounding it. Reyna and Frank stood at the podium and cleared their throats. Frank was not shy about his tears; they flowed down his face like they were racing one another to see who could get to his chin first.
Most of the audience's heads were bowed to the ground, and Thalia recognized the heads of Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Hazel, Frank, and Leo interspersed through the crowd.
The rain intensified as Reyna held her arms up. "We have reached the eulogy portion of the funeral. Due to Jason's position of a praetor within Camp Jupiter, it is tradition for any living family to offer a eulogy. Is there anyone here who is of Jason's blood who would like to give a eulogy."
In the midst of hushed whispers and crowd muttering, Thalia was certain of one thing though; they were all trying to find her.
The praetor's famed sister: the immortal, divine head Hunter of Artemis.
According to Percy, Thalia was more of an urban myth than an actual warrior. The idea of the leader of Camp Jupiter having such an ethereal sister was an interesting topic to talk about and something that further immortalized Jason as a regal, mysterious praetor.
Jason was dead.
As people began to turn towards the back, Thalia turned slowly and walked away from Temple Hill. The rain intensified and began to blow sideways, littering her face with enough rainwater to wash away her tears. Lightning flashed in the distance as she focused on putting one foot in front of the other.
She continued to put one foot in front of the other until she finally got to the edge of the Camp grounds. By the road, there were two figures leaning against a black car. As Thalia approached the vehicle, she folded the umbrella closed, wrapped it up, and put it in her coat pocket. The closer Thalia got to the car, the more she was transfixed by it. The car seemed to be a futuristic BMW, a model so expensive that it seemed like the rain was only falling to wash any dirt and/or blemishes from the car. The windows had a fluorescent blue/yellow electric glow to it, as if there was lightning itself riding in the vehicle. The energy pulsed as if it was alive and trying to reach out to Thalia.
Leaning against the car was two tall, slender women wearing black jackets. They looked like they came from a Mediterranean background. One of them looked to be more feminine. She wore a long, expensive black coat that reminded Thalia of a fashionable trenchcoat. She had long black hair and wore dark wash skinny jeans that were cuffed at the bottom. She wore expensive boots and designer sunglasses, and finished her look with amethyst jewelry all on her body. She had a smirk on her face as she regarded Thalia, reminding her of the cheerleaders at school who knew that they were better than everyone else.
The other looked like the first appearance-wise, but she wore a more versatile black windbreaker. She wore combat gear underneath and wore black cargo pants with it. She wore combat boots as well, giving her a few inches over the other woman. She rocked a short pixie haircut and reminded Thalia of a rock star. In contrast to the first's more easygoing expression, she had more of a stern scowl plastered on her face. She was also wearing sunglasses, but her glasses looked more athletic than the other pair.
They were Astrape and Bronte, daughters of Zeus and the twin goddesses of lightning and thunder.
Her sisters.
Thalia stood in front of them and smelled ozone rippling through the air. Power emanated from them casually, like one exuding a perfume.
Bronte, the one with the shorter hair, took off her glasses to reveal no pupils. Instead of any form of organic eyes, there was lightning blue energy in their place. It crackled and struck as she spoke.
Her voice was strong and leveled. "Well. The demigods cremated his body. Do you still plan on doing this?"
Astrape's smirk evolved into a smile, but she kept her glasses on. Her teeth were blindingly white and she looked so comfortable with herself that Thalia felt somewhat inadequate. However, she couldn't bring herself to look away from Bronte's eyes for too long. She had hunted and found her sisters after a three-week quest. Once she found them, she asked them to further teach her how to use her Zeus-given powers.
For the task she was thinking about doing, she would need all the power and skills she can get. This was a path that led straight to death for the ill-equipped.
Jason was dead.
Thalia, with difficulty, looked away from Bronte's eyes and in the distance towards Temple Hill. She thought about holding baby Jason in her arms, her anguish when her mother had abandoned him, and her reunion with the only living family (non-godly) she had left on this planet.
She had never felt so sure about something since her sacrifice on Half-Blood Hill.
"Yes. I'm sure."
Astrape's smile widened as Bronte's scowl deepened. The latter put her sunglasses back on. The two of them hopped into the car and opened the backseat door for Thalia to climb in through. With one last look at Camp Jupiter, Thalia thought about the impossible endeavor she was about to embark on.
Lightning split the sky as Thalia turned away from the camp.
She was going to bring Jason Grace back from the dead.
One chapter down! Woo! Just so you all know, the story will ideally alternate between Thalia's POV and Percy's POV. This way, you'll get both sides of the story. I hope you liked this chapter and don't forget: you're important, you're amazing, and you're the best!