It wasn't long before he was discovered. He had got up and he'd walked over to the shelter of the tree where he sat down and tried to arrange his thoughts. No luck so far. It was frustrating and it was annoying to be in that condition—he hardly even knew where he was! How was that possible? He'd never heard of anyone who had been struck by lightning and then lost all his memories (then again, he hadn't heard of anyone who'd survived something like that in the first place), which was all the more confusing since he'd lost all his memories – how could he know that?

Confusion had wrapped him up and it wasn't thinking of letting go. That is until a person showed up in the distance, coming out of the woods, climbing the hill, walking straight towards the tree. Towards Him. A sudden ray of hope shone on Him – this person could be his salvation, his only chance of finding out who he was and how he'd got here.

When the person came closer he noticed that it was a girl. Her dark spiky hair rippled in the strong wind but otherwise she seemed unaffected by it. She was looking at him with striking blue eyes that could only remind him of the brightest sky on the clearest possible day. She was tall and athletic and, when she came closer he could see, she was beautiful. There was an exquisite silver circlet on her head that made her look like an ancient princess. She was dressed in a simple silvery bandeau crop top, camouflage pants and black combat boots. She had a necklace – a very thin, long, black chain with a black pirate skull that hung to the bottom of her top. On her wrist there were several bracelets – black spikey ones, thin black metal ones but there was one, elaborate, made of silver, which caught His eye. On her back he could see a bow and arrows. She walked calmly towards him, the corners of her lips turned slightly up – he had no idea what that could mean. The girl was beautiful but she also looked distant and cold; she was mesmerizing and that was enhanced by a silver glow about her that He couldn't quite put his finger on.

"So you're it?" she said, seemingly disappointed.

"I'm what?" he asked, the confusion of his situation returning.

"Did my father send you or what?" she asked. He wasn't sure if it was a mock or she was just annoyed.

"Your father?" Nope. No idea. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you're talking about." He stood up and saw that he was a bit taller than she was. That was a start – he was tall, athletic and right now full of energy. "Actually… I don't know anything," he said. He felt that he could trust her, he had no idea why.

"You don't know anything?" the girl repeated. She narrowed her eyes at him in a moment of evaluation and then asked him: "What's your name?"

"I don't know."

"How old are you?" she shot back.

"I don't know."

"How about your parents?"

"I told you, I don't know!" he was getting frustrated again. What part of his words didn't she understand? Why did she bombard him with questions like that?

She stared at him, this time there was interest in those electric blue eyes of hers. He shook off the urge to slam his fist into the trunk of the tree and instead he breathed deeply in and out.

"Look, I was hoping you'd tell me all that stuff."

"How would I know all that stuff?"

"I don't know! Why are you here if you don't know me?"

"It was because Zeus—" she stopped herself in mid-sentence. What was she on about, He wondered. Zeus? "I was here because of the lightning. I was sent to inspect it."

"What lightning?" he asked but then it occurred to him – his lightning. "Oh. I missed it."

"How come? You were here, weren't you?" she needn't have asked. She realized the answer as soon as he opened his mouth to answer.

"It must've zapped me."

There was a moment of silence and tension in which he just wanted to know what the girl had to say. She was thinking – desperately trying to think of something, he could see as much. she looked worried but she looked like she wasn't telling him what she knew.

Then, suddenly, she lifted her arm, and her bracelets clanged from the sudden movement. As they did He watched as one of them, the silver one, turned into a round bronze shield. He nearly stumbled back of surprise.

"What the—" he started to say but the girl interrupted him as she came closer and took the shield off her arm.

"Read this," she said, pushing the inner side of the shield to his face. He was startled but then he saw some writing. It was…

"I can't," he said but then his eyes adjusted and he saw the words clearly: Aegis, a replica. He'd apparently whispered the meaning because the girl nodded and smiled.

"All right. You're good to go."

"Go where?" he had the feeling he wasn't going to like the next part.

"Camp Half-Blood. I'm definitely taking you there."

"Camp what?!"

"You'll see when you get there."

He heard a thunder in the distance and swallowed hard. Why did he have the feeling that this was wrong? The girl turned around and started walking towards the woods. He had no choice but to follow.

"I'm Thalia, by the way."

"Nice to meet you."

There was more thunder in the background. There was a storm coming, no doubt about it.

"What should I call you?" she asked innocently but then… "Buzz? Maybe Boltie. How about Zap?" she laughed. She was enjoying this.

Another thunder. Thunder. Something in his head stirred and then all he could think of were the vast skies, the clouds and the storms. The realm of thunders and lightnings. The air of the Gods – the aether. He wasn't quite sure how he knew that last bit. Just like he wasn't sure how he'd managed to read the inscription on Thalia's sword.

"Thorin," he said in the end. He caught up to Thalia and now they were walking side by side. She looked at him with curiosity.

"Thorin?" she asked and he nodded. "Does it mean anything?"

He smiled just as a lightning flashed far away in the sky. His answer came with the thunder.

"Thunder."