(Thalia's POV)
I can't explain why, but I thought I should be dead. I felt like my spark of life went poof! And yet, I was still alive- not alive but frozen in time and space. I had no sense of time or what's out there…just the darkness that surrounds me. The only thing I felt was the numbness. I was surrounded by this emptiness. I felt as if I was sinking in it, deeper and deeper, with no chance of ever resurfacing. Losing consciousness. Losing memories…
I tried to think back to what my life was like before the numbness. I got quick glimpses of abandonment, strife, and of a recent pain I don't remember the cause of. These feelings were fleeting, and didn't really spark any whole, real memories. A few names came to mind, but they didn't mean anything to me.
Luke…Annabeth…Grover…
I kept chanting the names to myself, to no avail. I couldn't remember how I knew them, or even what they looked like. Doubt crept into my mind. What if I never got my memories back? What if I never found out who Luke, Annabeth, and Grover are? Enough worrying! I shouted at myself, 'what if's' don't solve anything. I focused on the names, resuming my chant. I tried to force myself to remember, to break through the barrier that was separating me from my memories, but my efforts were fruitless. I was no closer to uncovering my hidden past.
Suddenly, the numbness was replaced by searing agony. I felt a raging fire burning through my veins, and I couldn't help but wonder if I was in Tartarus, being tortured for living a life filled with more wrongs than rights. Of course, it didn't quite add up, I didn't recall ever facing judgment, but then again, I haven't remembered much of anything anymore.
The pain still burned through my veins. I didn't know how long it's been, but I really didn't know how much more I could take. I wondered where the breaking point is; when will the pain drive me to insanity?
The pain weakened me, bringing me to the brink of death. I felt my life force fading. It seemed eerily familiar, as if I had died before. But that wasn't possible, was it? People can't die twice!
Finally, I felt relief. A blinding light appears and I fought to reach it, dragging myself closer and closer. Finally, I got there and I clung to it, pulling myself out of the dark emptiness. I felt so close to the surface, I knew that I'm almost there… just a little farther…
I opened my eyes.
Opening my eyes was like prying open a door that had been closed for thousands of years. But my hatred of the emptiness drove me past the pain. At first, I hadn't thought that I had truly escaped the emptiness, but eventually, my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the cave. I wasn't alone.
I stared at the boy's face hovering over mine. So familiar... I felt like I should know him, but no name came to mind as I gazed at the boy before me. This irritated me. I know him, I thought. "Who-" I asked.
"Don't worry. You're safe now. You're with me," he replied. He sounded so certain, so confident. It reassured me.
"Am-am I dead?" my voiced cracked. I felt a wave of fear wash over me, which infuriated me. I wasn't afraid of anything, especially not death.
He shook his head, then he inquired, "Do you know who you are?"
"I am Thalia," I answered, "Daughter of Zeus."
He grinned, his smile friendly and familiar, "Good, I was worried you lost your memories."
In my head, I finally tagged a name onto the boy. He had changed from how I remember him. His face had matured, and his sandy hair wasn't as messy as I remember, rather, it was short and cropped short. His muscles were toned and he had a glint in his eyes that I had never seen before. The thick white scar that stretched from just beneath his right eye to his jaw was new too.
"I remember you." I muttered, "You're Luke."
His grin widened.
(Rory's POV)
"Ouch!" I shouted as Tippin, a daughter of Apollo, dislodged a foot-long spike from my arm. The spike was a gift from the manticore I fought off when the monsters tried to siege Camp Half- Blood. They had charged up Half-Blood Hill growling and hissing and throwing jagged knives while swinging their clubs. I remembered thinking about how stupid it was for them to charge the hill since they couldn't get past the barrier. Nobody knew their real goal, until afterwards, when the unconscious Thalia was gone.
"It wouldn't hurt so much if you stopped moving," Tippin retorted.
"It's not my fault I'm ADHD," I grumbled.
Tippin finished dressing my wound and gave me some ambrosia to speed up the healing. I headed back to the crowded Hermes cabin since, I had to admit, I was beat. Fighting that manticore had really drained me, so I made my way through the crowd to my bed in the "Minors' corner," as we called it. 'We' being the sons and daughters of the minor gods shoved into the back corner of the cabin.
Even though I was completely exhausted, I was restless. I just stared at the empty beds around me, belonging to the kids who felt abandoned by their deity parents and left camp to join the titan army. I thought about the kids whose beds these were. Sam, only eleven years old, was a son of Hebe. He was always smiling, always optimistic; everyone was shocked when he deserted camp to join the titans. Jimmy and Lisa were children of Hecate. Meredith was the daughter of Iris. She insisted on drawing rainbows all over our beds when she was ten.
I stopped reminiscing before I could think about that last one. Her defection was the most painful, for me at least. Just thinking about her made my chest ache and hands get a little sweaty. Against my will, I started to remember Julie. The way her smile made my insides flip-flop. The way she would flip her hair and roll her eyes whenever someone complimented her. She never saw her own beauty.
I shook my head. I needed some fresh air.
I just roamed around the camp aimlessly past the twelve cabins, then through the woods to the river. I splashed some water on my face to clear my head. I couldn't stand what the titans were doing to my friends, twisting their minds, making them believe in the titans cause. I felt a burning hatred for the titans deep in my stomach. The titans were evil that was for sure. I couldn't believe some minor gods, my father included, would aid them in their bitter rivalry against the Olympians.
I was on my way back to my cabin when Grover stopped me.
He bleated, "Hey Rory, Chiron wants you to meet him at the Big House."
"For what?" I asked.
"He didn't say. He just said it was really important!"
With that, Grover scampered off, probably to find Juniper and make sure she's okay. The whole camp knew about their relationship. So, I started towards the Big House, wondering what on earth Chiron could want with me. I was, after all, only a son of Boreas, a minor wind god. No one special.
"Now let me get this straight," I interjected, "You want me to spy on the titans?" Clearly, Chiron has lost his mind.
"Well, it has been known for a while now that the titans have implanted a spy in our midst, and I hate to make use of a tactic the titans utilize, but this seems to be the only option to defeat the titans. We have no idea what they are plotting, so we cannot even begin to fathom a way to trounce the titans," Chiron reasoned.
"But why send me?" I demanded, "Shouldn't you send someone like Percy Jackson who can stand their own against a room full of monsters?"
"The titans know well how Percy is and will never trust him. Dionysus and I have chosen you because, to the titans, you seem a likely candidate to join their side of this war, as you are a son of a minor god."
I guess it kind of made sense. I took a deep breath, "So when do I leave?"
Chiron told me that I was going to be sent to this sort of anti- Camp Half-Blood the titans have created called the Academy, modeled after the first academy founded by Plato. I was going to play the part of an ex-Camp Half-Blood camper who was tired of the way the minor gods' children were treated. Once inside, I'll earn their trust, working my way through the ranks until I have found out some major details that could help us win the war.
In case my cover gets blown, Dionysus has given me a few magical grape seeds that will take me right back to Camp Half-Blood. I'm hoping I won't have to use them, but who knows? I just hope I have time to eat the grape seeds before, well… I'd rather not think about it, lest I lose my nerve.
I finished packing. Chiron told me to pack lightly since I had to make it seem like I fled the camp in the cover of night. Now all that was left were the goodbyes. There weren't really that many to make, I wasn't exactly the most popular kid at camp. To most, I was just another kid shoved in the Hermes cabin. Mason was my only true friend. I guess I should probably count Tammy too, but I doubt she'd hang out around me if she wasn't dating my best friend. Daughters of Aphrodite like her and I had never really gotten along so well. Personally, I thought they were all a bunch of prissy snobs, but Tammy and that Salina girl weren't so bad. I sighed to myself and started off towards the Big House to go over the plan and last minute details with Chiron.
I was stopped on the way.
Mason clapped me on the back and said, "Kick some titan butt for us, man!"
I mock punched him in the arm and agreed, "I'll try." Technically I was supposed to befriend the titans not fight them, but I couldn't let anyone know that, according to Chiron. As far as my friends knew, I was going on a solo quest to try to find a secret weapon to use against the titans. I felt bad going behind my friends back, but it had to be this way.
We grinned at each other for a little, then his smile slipped, "I really am gonna miss you, Rory. You know Tammy's not gonna be much fun on guys night out."
I laughed. Tammy just rolled her eyes. "Be careful, Rory," She warned, "The titans are cruel and deceitful. You better watch your back so you come back safe and sound."
"I know, and I'll be careful." I felt a shiver of fear crawl up my spine. This wasn't going to be easy.
(Thalia's POV)
"So, other than yours truly, what else do you remember from before?" Luke questioned me over breakfast. Luke and I were at some truckers' joint just off the interstate 'cause it was only 3 a.m., and I was absolutely starving, which was understandable since I had spent the last few years as a tree.
"Well, not much," I admitted, "I remember a couple names, Grover and Annabeth," His face darkened when I said Annabeth's name, I wondered why… "I know who I am; I know that I'm the daughter of Zeus."
"Do you remember your mother, at all? Do you remember the car crash?" He pressed.
I pictured my mother in my mind. At first I felt kind of glad, happy that I remembered something more from my past. But then I remembered the sort of woman she was, and I was filled with anger. I despised her. She was a terrible mother, and I didn't miss her at all.
"Unfortunately, Yes."
Luke's gaze softened, "Hey, don't be upset. Memories both good and bad are very important. They make us who we are. I know that your mother was pretty horri-"
"I'm fine!" I snapped. I crossed my arms and leaned back in the booth. "I don't need any of your consolation. My mother didn't affect me or the decisions I made when she was alive, and she certainly doesn't now."
Luke, slightly fazed, just nodded.
We ate in silence. I practically swallowed my waffles whole while Luke just picked at his food. After a while, Luke asked, "Do you remember when we traveled with Annabeth? The three of us were a team, fighting off monsters."
I took a sip of coffee, "Yeah, I remember. We almost got killed a few times, though, didn't we? Where is Annabeth, anyway?"
He got that look on his face again, and I almost wished I hadn't asked.
"Annabeth," he faltered, "isn't really with us right now."
I gasped, "You mean she's dead?" I couldn't even fathom that the spunky little blonde with those big grey eyes was…dead.
"No, she just… is a little confused right now."
"Confused?"
He let out a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "She's just… there's a war coming, Thalia, a war that could very well result in the end of the world. I just need you to trust me. Please?" He pleaded, his eyes begging me to listen to and to trust in him.
"Okay," I breathed.
He smiled, then was about to say something more, but the worn-out waitress returned with our bill.
I watched Luke as he paid the bill. His tip was rather generous, considering both of our meals couldn't have cost more than twenty bucks. He really had matured quite a bit. He looked older and wiser, more confident and sure of himself, but he also seemed a lot sadder. I couldn't help but wonder what brought about these changes in him.
"You ready?" His question brought me out of my reverie.
"Ready for what?" I asked.
"To go to the Academy, Thalia. To go home."