Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Prompt/Theme: Coldest Winter
Summary: AU, His coldest winter had been when his mother died but now, as she laid to rest, he had to think this was the coldest one yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize.
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Tragedy/Angst.
Pairings: Percy Jackson x Thalia Grace - Perlia
Author's Note: This is a challenge given by mythologyrox though I treated it more like a request. Hey, rox, sorry if this isn't up to your standards and very sorry if this isn't what you had in mind. And I apologize for the shortness of it all - I know my regular oneshots for the PJO series are longer than this. Review if you like.
Warning: Character Deaths - this isn't tragedy for nothing. Different timelines, events in canon takes place differently here.
When his mother died, it had been a cold winter night in December. It had been winter and usually, Percy Jackson spent his winter cuddling with his puppets or snuggling in his beloved mother's embrace. This year, things were different. His mother died, merely a few days ago and Smelly Gabe had deemed him too much of a burden.
He was kicked out of the house. His own house. Gabe shifted to live with them once he married Sally Jackson.
Percy squeezed his eyes shut, nearly crying when he recalled his mother: her brown hair, her beautiful and kind face, her smiles and laughter, he'd never hear her voice again and see her grin and feel her warm embrace. Percy's small frame trembled as he curled in on himself tighter into a ball, his teeth chattered as cold wind bit his face and snow melted into his hair.
He didn't need a house or home to feel warmth. All he needed to feel warmth was his mother's embrace, in her arms there was no such things as cold.
But not that she was gone...
Percy shuddered as he crumpled to the ground; what was warmth?
"Hey, kid!" Struggling with the effort to open his eyes—he didn't knew it was this hard and since when had he fallen asleep? Someone was shaking his shoulders, the warmth of that person's hand brought sparks to his body and he felt the slightest hints of warmth.
"Mom...?"
"Silly," the girl, the voice indicated so, chided and when Percy opened his eyes, he saw a girl with bright eyes and black hair framing her face. "I'm too young to be your mother, brat, wake up unless you want to die!" He made a weak sound of protest, wanting to ignore her and bury his face into the snow but the older girl shook him furiously. "Idiot! I hate it when people don't listen to me. You better not fall asleep, brat! Who falls asleep around this chilly night anyway and—hey!"
The girl's voice sounded warped and from space, he could feel his consciousness slipping away from him and he didn't care. He would've fallen asleep had it not been for the electricity shooting down his arm.
"Ow!"
And that was how the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Zeus' first meeting went.
Spring
As spring of a new year swung by, Thalia, Percy learned quickly, was bossy and had all the qualities of a leader. She was stern and would take none of this tantrums his mother would bear with. It made the son of Poseidon—found out after he nearly drowned Thalia with a bucketful of water; don't ask—snort when he recalled how they first met and he'd mistaken her as his mother.
Thalia Grace was a far cry from his sweet and loving and patient mother. Because the daughter of Zeus wasn't sweet (bitter was more like it) and wasn't loving (more like hating people and things) and she was wholly impatient (just because she was older and had greater stamina, what gives her the right to yell at him when he was lagging behind?)
Percy didn't like Thalia bossing him around. But he almost wished she always did then she would remember him instead of spending time with that son of Hermes.
Percy loathed him the moment he pecked Thalia on the cheek. Jerk, jerk, jerk and that guy kept bullying him! The only bearable thing from meeting Hermes' brat was Annabeth, a daughter of Athena. They had some sort of friendly rival/partnership going on, unlike their parents' murderous relationship.
But still, Annabeth couldn't completely stave away the jealousy he felt for Luke.
Jealousy which grew and boiled into resentment the moment they lost Thalia.
Summer
Summer, to the campers were the time of gathering and perpetual hope - hope that once another year has passed, their immortal parent would claim them.
Unlike Annabeth who sucked up to her mother once she claimed her, Percy didn't even bother with his father even after the sea god claimed him, like, after five years in camp. The sea god only wanted him to clear his 'good' name and Percy was the only suitable candidate.
He did his job without question. Done, finished and forgotten, or so he thought. Percy didn't know what to think when Poseidon said he wanted to make amends to him after losing his mother. Percy wanted to spit in his father's face but since he didn't look forward on being blasted to bits anytime soon, he managed to suck it up and smile, however hollow or bitter it was.
When Luke suddenly up and left, revealing himself as a traitor and inviting Percy to join his cause, the son of Poseidon really spat in the boy's face.
Unbelievable; unlike Annabeth (again!) he didn't feel saddened at the loss of Luke.
He just wished Luke and Thalia could have traded places; then Thalia would still be alive and Luke would be dead. But then Thalia would betray them, Percy mused. No, it was okay if she betrayed the gods for the Titans, Percy would still follow her, she was the only one he cared about (aside from Annabeth and his mother) and he would devote himself to her cause.
The only thing stopping Percy from joining Luke was how the latter justified his actions with Thalia's name, for her sake. It disgusted the son of Poseidon and he vowed to put the son of Hermes out of his misery once and for all.
Autumn
Autumn—the season for falling leaves. Thalia's tree was different from the trees within Camp and outside camp, it never withered, its leaves remained forever green and healthy. But one autumn, it was different.
Percy stared in despair as Thalia's leaves started shedding its leaves, the color of poison and that was it: Thalia's tree was poisoned. He was always watching out for Thalia, even after she turned into a tree, so how, when he wasn't looking Thalia was poisoned? How was he supposed to fight that?
Fortunately for him, Annabeth - sweet, resourceful, familiar - Annabeth gave him his solution: the Golden Fleece. When he thought about it, the daughter of Athena was always there for him and he didn't even spare her a second glance - knowing her crush on both him and Luke - and was extremely sorry for it.
When he said sorry, he meant lots of things he wouldn't be able to say outloud.
No words could justify his feelings, complicated and tangled and undecipherable - his love and hate for his father and Luke, his yearning and hating for Thalia (some part of him felt resentment that she gave her life up so easily for Luke, abandoning him who needed her more than anyone else).
And he was just so sorry.
Winter
That winter where they—along with the revived Thalia and Percy couldn't remember being anymore happier than this - except perhaps, back when he was still innocent and naive and only know of the world within his mother's embrace—were to save the captured Artemis, proved to be the coldest one yet.
For many reasons, it wasn't just cold to Percy physically either.
The son of Poseidon expected things to lighten up for him since Thalia had been revived but it didn't. Winter still proved to be cold and merciless and unforgiving towards him. Ever since his mother's death, Percy had hated and feared winter, worried that it brought on some bad omen. But since Thalia was here, alive and healthy though sad and angry, by his side, he let his guard down.
For one moment, just for one moment when he could finally tell her of his feelings. Before they were going to face Atlas, they had stopped to rest before they went to their battle with the Titan and his goons.
He approached her, wanting to ease up first so he spoke of the old times - where there was only him and her, no Luke and Annabeth - but she diverged everything to Luke.
Damn him, Percy thought.
But then, after they'd freed Artemis with so many sacrifices and loss and grief, the him changed to someone elese.
What kind of father kills his own daughter? When Percy thought of it like that, he wondered how Zeus was different from Kronos. They were both paranoid and to avoid their own downfall, took it out on their completely innocent children.
When he thought such, he whispered in his mind, by his ear, of promises and wishes, of Thalia and love, of dreams and happiness. Of course, Percy didn't believe in such things as dreams and hopes, but with Kronos' help, he could bring forth his reunion with Thalia sooner, with his own hands.
So was it so wrong for him to reach out towards the golden sarcophagus?
The Four Seasons
Percy had been through the four seasons alone, both physically and metaphorically speaking, Even when there's Annabeth and other campers from Camp Half-Blood, they would never be able to fulfill the empty spot by his side, a spot to his left where Thalia and his mother used to occupied, by his side.
When his mother died, he had to go through the seasons and the years alone but then Thalia came and the pain went away. And then she was gone, first a tree then blasted to bits by her own father, and it was winter again, when he lost someone precious to him.
He hated winter but over the time, the seasons where he walked and saw people with their loved ones by their side, he felt bitter and he decided he hated the four seasons after all.
Four seasons without Thalia - he hated them.
Soon, he told himself as he clutched the golden scythe earring in his cold hand, soon they'll be together again no matter the season.
Coldest Winter
When his mother died, he thought it had been the coldest winter. But his opinion was forced to change, now. Percy spluttered and coughed blood, weakly. He gazed up blankly at the sky in Olympus, noting that Zoe the Huntress seemed to have stopped moving and was merely staring down at him.
Then blonde and grey invaded his vision, something wrong dripped onto his right cheek and for a moment, he felt a spark of warmth before it was chased away by the coldest winter that he had ever experienced. And for once, the cold he welcomed, the cold signified death like it had for Thalia so if he died now, wouldn't that mean he would be with Thalia again?
He could just imagine Thalia, her bright blue eyes and her black hair with undertones of blue, purple and green. But he chase away the thoughts of her, for now, Annabeth takes precedence. For now, for a moment in this coldest winter they had both ever experienced.
Percy wanted to wipe away Annabeth's tears but he hadn't been in control of his body for so long, he no longer knew how to move it. He could only grin weakly at his old friend, "Hey, Annie, think I'll be able to see Thalia again?"
End