An evening haze had settled over the beach, mist swirling off the water. The sun had just set, leaving fiery streaks of red and orange in the clouds. The waves lapped the shore as a dark haired girl jogged along. The temperature was dropping slowly, preparing for night. There was to be a blue moon, the only one of the year. The dark haired girl slowed and began to splash little arcs of water up with her feet. A circlet of silver sat upon her brown spiky hair and a bow was slung across her back, gleaming in the last rays of light. Of course, the mist prevented mortals from noticing. The girl sighs. It had been a long day with the Hunters. This is exactly what she needs . . . The roar of the waves soothes her and the gentle waters relieve her aching feet. She tilts her head up and parts her lips slightly letting the light shine on her face.
Silvery mist floats from her tongue and disappears into the misty sky, as it travels to her patron goddess. She remains there studying the sky until giggles erupt beside her. There stands a group of teenage girls and boys encircling a roaring bonfire laughing and chasing each other round and round. The girl can not help but roll her eyes until she sees a silhouette in the background. There . . . just behind a boy is a small little girl shivering from the cold. She's obviously been excluded from the inner circle. The girl pulls her jacket tighter, and casting a glace over her shoulder, sighs and walks away. The dark haired girl feels anger rising inside of her but allows it to vanish before following the small girl.
She treads at a safe distance until at last, the girl a comes to a stop and sits down and crosses her legs. She stares up at the sky. She is so lost in thought that she doesn't see the dark haired girl sit down beside her. "Mind if I sit here?" she inquires. The small girl jumps about a foot before cautiously saying, "Oh . . . I um . . . sure", going shy. The small girl ducks her head away, cheeks burning. The dark haired girl merely laughs and collapses on her back staring up at the stars. The small girl tentatively unfolds her legs and sits back as well. They are both silent for some time. "You see those stars there? The ones that look a bit like a girl?" The small girl nods and says, "That's Virgo, right?". The dark haired girl nods in surprise. "Yes. You seem to know you're constellations well!" The small girl gives a ghost of a smile before returning to her sad far away look.
"I . . . used to live in Oregon before we moved. If you get a chance to go you should. It's beautiful with rolling mountains and creeks and misty mornings . . . And on the west coast there's even a beach. At night my family and my sisters and I all sat out on picnic blankets just staring up at the stars. They aren't as vivid here but it comforts me knowing that no matter where you are, its the same stars and constellations." The dark haired girl nods. "I never really thought about it like that. Does your family still stargaze?". The small girl sits still. "N-no. After we moved, my d-dad was in a car crash and he . . ." the girl burst out in sobs. Awkwardly the dark haired girl pats her back as the small girl weeps. Saying a small prayer the dark haired girl taps the small girls shoulder. The small girl looks up, nose running, eyes puffy. The girl hands her a tissue.
The dark haired girl says quietly, "You know . . . when someone is gone it feels as if there's a hole in your heart. You can try and fill it with memories or by busying yourself but truly . . . you're making it worse. I like to think that even though they're gone, they would still want you to continue with your life. And while everything may seem uncertain and you try to surround yourself with fake happiness, the best thing to do is let out your sadness and grasp your memories before making new ones and letting go. Being with them," the girl jerks her head toward the bonfire," is not going to fill that hole in your heart. It's your job to hang on to good memories and let the bad ones go and plow onwards. Life isn't going to be easy, but its your job to make it enjoyable." Tears trickled down the small girl's face as she buries her head in the other girl's sweater.
The dark haired girl pats her back before whispering and casting a silvery light over the girl's back. Immediately her tears slow and her shoulders stopped trembling. When the small girl looks up, her face is still blotchy but holds an expression of wisdom far beyond her years and a powerful look of determination shone in her eyes. "You're right. I have to make up for that time I lost . . ." The dark haired girl stands to leave. The small girl notices how the mist seems to cling to her. The dark haired girl helps her to stand and then points at the sky. The girl's eyes follows and there, quivering in the sky, sat seven orbs of white light in the unmistakable shape of her father's face. She gasps and turns.
"B-but how did you? How . . ." she says to empty space. She rubs her eyes. The dark haired girl was already an impossibly far distance down the beach. The small girl scrambles through the sand and yells,, "Wait! I never knew your name!". And then came an echoing reply, "T . . .ha . . .lia!". The small girl blinks as silvery mist enclosed around the Thalia and disappeared. The girl turns to stare at the beautiful moon and swears it winks at her. With a voice full of wonder, she whispers the name, "Thalia . . ."