Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this except for the protagonist who happened to be created by my own imagination as well as the plot. I am merely divulging into the Olympian world of Rick Riordan's.
…
"Honey? Where are you?"
Where else would I go? Atalanta Jackson wondered as she moved her finger along the opened braille book.
"Tali? Are you in your room?"
Without responding, the seven-year old girl proceeded with her task. For someone who's visually impaired, Atalanta loved to read. That stood to be something she got from her mother. And when she's engrossed in one particular manuscript, it would be impossible to bring her out of the imaginative world she's currently in. This was one of those moments.
She heard steps fast approaching her path. There were two of them, she could tell. Her keen hearing never failed, a perk of being blind, if that could be considered as a positive thing for it's not a trait that she believed to be essential as some demigods' daughter.
The door burst open yet the golden-haired girl did not budge.
"There you are," Annabeth Chase Jackson declared.
Atalanta could tell that her lack of response annoyed her mother, though the older woman seemed to be trying to control her temper, probably to avoid embarrassing her child in front of their visitor.
"You told me not to go anywhere," she replied, matter-of-factly, facing the direction of the sound. "You shouldn't worry that a girl like me would be leaving her house, let alone her room. Lucky I'm blind, don't you think so?"
An uncomfortable hush swept over the area. Atalanta could sense her mother's heavy breathing. She could tell there's a mixture of pain, anger and frustration on her every breath. But she did not take anything back.
"Oh wow, Annabeth! She's a beauty!" the other companion exclaimed, attempting to shift the mood into a pleasant one.
Atalanta noticed the youthfulness on the other lady's voice. But there was something ancient in them, as if she's an aunt or something. In their little Greek/Roman ancestry world, no one can truly know.
"Beauty like a child of Aphrodite?"
Annabeth cleared her throat, completely ignoring the remark. "Tali, this is Aunt Thalia," she explained.
"Omit the aunt," Thalia laughed and the little girl felt the visitor lean towards her face. "Just call me Thalia, Tali. I'm sure there will come a time that you'll be older than me. So that does not apply anymore. Trust your mom to make me look old. But I'm sure we'll be very good friends, don't you think so?"
"You will never grow old?" Atalanta asked curiously.
"That's right, pretty girl. I vowed to never go out with boys unlike what your mom did and they rewarded me with immortality. Not only that but I also get to fly around with Artemis. So if you ever want the same thing, you know who to call."
"Thalia…" Atalanta heard her mom whispered as if to warn the immortal one.
"It doesn't matter, Thalia," the smallest voice spoke up calmly. "No boy would like a blind girl. And I think I would only be a drag to your adventures with Miss Artemis."
The two adults gasped at the words that came out of her mouth. Atalanta did not waver though. Shouldn't these adults know better by now?
With a shrug, Atalanta pulled her book closer and went back to reading. She did not need anybody's pity or fake cheerfulness to sugar coat their attempt to treat her like she was a normal kid. For someone who's blind, she could easily determine when she's being lied to just by the way people speak to her. Her mother and the perky un-aging girl were no exception.
"It was nice meeting you, Thalia. But if you don't mind, I would rather be alone."
In spite of the silence that retained, the shock was evident from the demigods. No one seemed to know how to retort to any of Atalanta's statements.
In an instant, Annabeth cleared her throat. "Tali, we will talk, okay? I will just accompany Thalia out and then we'll talk. Do you understand? You are not to leave this room," she told her daughter sternly, receiving no reaction from the unusual girl.
The adults left the room quietly. Even with the door already shut, Atalanta could still hear them talking about her. Obviously, they were worried, something that the visionless girl could not understand.
She had long accepted her worthlessness in this world. The fate had decided that she would never be her mommy's wise little child or her daddy's sea creature-talking kid. For all she knew, she must be adopted to not be bestowed with any magical power at all, whether how big or small, even considering the fact that one of the greatest combat strategist gave birth to a baby lacking the sense of sight. What an unfair setup not only for her but also for the people around her.
Her ears pricked up as Atalanta heard fast impending footsteps. The feeling of dread gradually dawned on her upon realizing her rudeness to her mother and to their visitor. There was no reason for her to act the way she did. But she did it anyway.
As soon as the doorknob was twisted, Atalanta's first reaction was to run away. Hurriedly, she stood up, went towards the open window and jumped.
Despite her lack of sight, she knew very well that it will take a bit more time before the impact. Then again, maybe when she would not even realize she had hit the road by then. Maybe, she would be dead by then.
"No, Thanatos!" she heard her mother scream.
Don't worry, mommy. Everything will be okay now. I promise, Atalanta swore to her heart as she fell from the very high building of their apartment, her pulse thumping yet without fear.
Unexpectedly, there came a flapping of wings and Atalanta was grabbed on her waist.
"What are you doing, little mistress?" a dreamlike voice spoke up.
Chill spread all over Atalanta's small, fragile physique. Whoever or whatever was holding her radiated with a powerful aura, making every cell of her body tremble. However, it was not of terror. For some reason, the god's presence gave her a remarkable thrilling emotion.
No sound came out from her dropped jaw, unable to believe that death had indeed came for her. Did that mean that it's over?
"Thanatos! I beg you to consider! Please!"
"Daddy?" Atalanta murmured.
"Please! You owe me. You know that, right? You owe us!"
True enough, the desperate voice from below came from Percy Jackson. How her father had instantly arrived at a time like this, Atalanta did not know. Needless to say, she did not care. But it just meant that no soul reaping had transpired yet. She's still very much alive.
Don't listen to them, Mister Death. Please take me with you. Atalanta prayed, tears started falling from her clouded eyes.
"Hmmm…" said the god, which resonated like singing to her ears. "The desire for death in your heart is so great, my lady. I've never seen a soul emit as much craving for…"
Thanatos's otherworldly voice trailed off in a thoughtful tone. With her eyes closed, the broken girl continued to pray, hoping and begging for the end. She never wanted something as much in her life.
To her horror, Atalanta felt them descending slowly. She would love to protest, to throw tantrums like a normal kid who was not getting what she wanted. Yet no sound or movement was produced from the troubled, little lady. The strong presence of the god weakened her, the thrill gone, replaced by a sudden soothing calm.
For some reason, Atalanta knew she was meant for him, she was meant for death. And maybe, just maybe, Thanatos can sense it too. After all, the perk of being a god was having the capability to see what can happen in the future. And the future with death was all what she can think and hope about to happen.