Hey, here's chaptere 4!
Sorry about the wait, but normally, I would type up a bunch of chapters, make sure that they make sense, then upload them, then write another chapter, and...i'm not making any sense, am I? Meh, then again, I just recently woke up so yeah :P
So yeah... enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson series, however, I do own the plot and the OCs.
The same day, but much later that evening with Thalia in the Big House
Thalia sat on one of the couches, gazing out into the window, bored out of her mind. She had been waiting for Chiron to come back with Percy and Nico for gods know how long. Thalia had long since called Emma, telling her of her arrival at camp and her encounter with the hellhounds.
"Thalia…" Emma began, "Did you remember to put the necklace on before you crossed the border?"
Thalia felt kind of stupid for forgetting such an important piece of information.
"Just be sure to put it on before you leave the camp, alright?" Emma said with a sigh.
"Alright, alright." Thalia replied sheepishly.
"Otherwise, you'll have more monsters than usual that want to eat you whole." Emma said. Thalia laughed lightly.
"Don't worry, I learned my lesson, I'll put it on as soon as we both get off the phone." She replied.
Soon enough, their conversation had ended. Mostly out of nervousness and fear of what Thalia's phone bill would look like by the thirty first if they talk for too long.
Stupid long distance calling charges.
So now here, she was; gazing out the window, bored out of her mind, with nothing to do, but waiting, and waiting only.
But how long do I have to wait? She thought to herself.
Thalia sighed in frustration. She really didn't like waiting; then again, most half-bloods hate waiting.
"How long do they have to take?" She muttered out loud.
Thalia faintly wondered what her two "cousins" would look like after two years.
She almost knew for sure that Percy and Annabeth are still together. They were just one of those couples that stay together for the rest of their lives after a ton of drama that had taken place. Thalia didn't really have a chance to get a good look at Annabeth after two years, mostly because: a) Thalia was busily defending herself from Annabeth's really scary wrath, and b) it was dark enough for Thalia not to notice any changes that had taken place.
In here, there are plenty of lights that lit up the room, giving Thalia a clear view of her surroundings. She was sitting on one of the couches in the rec room near the window, giving her a clear view of the shore as well as the skyline. It really is a beautiful sight, but she can hardly see anything since it was dark out, and with the bright lights in the rec room; it didn't really help out much when she was trying to see what's going on outside of the building.
So bored…Thalia thought bitterly.
She was about to get up and start wandering around the room so she can actually try and find something to do, when all of a sudden, she heard the door creak open. Thalia stood up and turned around only to make eye contact with an older Nico Di Angelo and Percy Jackson, who were both standing there, both their eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Chiron had already entered the room and he was currently looking at the other two children of the Big Three with a bemused expression on his face.
Thalia smiled unsurely at the two, "Hey guys." She said as she took a good look at the two.
Percy hadn't grown much, height wise, but he had definite changes, but not that much. His unruly black hair is still unruly as ever, and it was tasseled in a way that would make even Kayla swoon—she would claim that her younger "cousin" is really cute, a fact that Thalia would find very disturbing and slightly insane—and his green eyes were even greener than before, and the grey streak that he had gotten from holding up the sky, years ago, was still there, but is now more noticeable. He also seemed older and more mature with his responsibilities, a stark contrast to the Percy that Thalia had known and loved—in a "cousin-ish way—two years ago.
Nico on the other hand, had changed quite a bit. He was no longer the short twelve year old kid with the "emo" look that he had. His shaggy black hair was pushed out of his face, revealing a pair of coal black eyes that seemed to look right through you. He grew taller and looked as though he's an inch or two shorter than Thalia herself, although, one of the few things that stayed the same is the olive complexion that he and his sister had once shared.
The two younger demi-gods stared at her with disbelieving eyes. For a while, they both believed that Thalia is still Artemis's Lieutenant, and after an encounter with the Hunt, Percy had found out that Thalia had been booted out since she had broken her oath, and Artemis had refused to tell him where she went. So for three months, he, Annabeth, Grover and Nico have all been worrying about her, and frequently wondered about where she had gone. So now, their worries have been put to rest since Thalia is right there before them, alive and well, and as well as being a lot older than the last time they saw her.
Seeing the two before her, Thalia had a feeling that they might have the same reaction that Annabeth had, which was not a sight to see.
Three…
Two…
One…
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US WHERE YOU WERE!"
Nico and Percy yelled at the same time and at the same volume, causing Thalia and Chiron to wince.
"Hehe…It's a long story…" Thalia said as she began fiddling with Aegis.
"So start telling." Nico demanded, while glaring at her.
Uh oh, there goes the grudging… Thalia thought. Nico's fatal flaw: holding grudges.
This is gonna be a long quest. She thought to herself. Thalia was about to start explaining, but Chiron had thankfully came to her rescue.
"Unfortunately, you will have to wait a little while longer; I have to explain some things to the three of you immediately." Chiron interrupted. Thalia nodded and mentally thanked him for saving her from telling the two younger demi-gods the story of where she had been for the past two years.
The three sat on the couch in which Thalia had previously occupied on her own, and Chiron sat in front of them, him in his wheelchair. Thalia sat in the middle with Percy and Nico sitting on the empty spots on both sides.
"Tell me, do you know about Hecate's involvement during the First Titan War?" Chiron asked. Percy and Nico shook their heads.
"Hecate was actually born a Titan, but had sided with the Olympians during the first war. As a reward, the gods made her a minor goddess." Thalia explained, using her "tour guide" tone. Chiron nodded.
"Correct, but what wasn't recorded was that she was also asked by Zeus to create the prisons for the titans who had sided against them. So she used her magic and created an amulet that enhances the prisons that she had created, lulling the Titans to sleep, thus making it futile to escape." Chiron explained.
"Wait, then how did…?" Percy asked.
"Percy, none of the other Titans that originally had prisons have escaped during the war two years ago. It was only Kronos and Prometheus that didn't have such prisons." Percy nodded, still looking confused.
"Unfortunately, news of the amulet had spread, and many, both mortals and immortals, have tried to steal Hecate's amulet so that they can reawaken the Titans. Fortunately, none have succeeded. But there was one time in which Autolycus, a son of Hermes, has been hired to steal the amulet from her. He had tried, but did not succeed. Hecate killed him for such a thing, and after that near attempt, she had created a fourth companion. She already had three: the dog, the horse and the boar. The fourth was to protect her amulet at all costs.
"She had refused to tell anyone the animal that she had chosen as her fourth companion, as a safety precaution. And for many years to come there were still attempts, but each and every one of which have been a failure. One night, her fourth companion had disappeared. No one knew where it went, and the gods, knowing the amount of power it holds just by carrying the amulet, was about to search all over the world for it, but Hecate claimed that the Fates had visited her, telling her not to search for it until they have visited her for the second time. The gods listened, knowing that even the most powerful must listen to the Fates.
"And two years ago, the Fates have visited her once more claiming that it was time to search for it." Chiron concluded.
"But why wait two years to actually tell us about the quest?" Thalia asked.
"No one knew where you went, except for Artemis, but she refused to tell anyone about your whereabouts." Chiron replied.
Oh.
"Oh." She said.
"Wait, what's the quest about?" Nico asked.
"I was just getting to that, Nico." Chiron said paitently, "Hecate has issued that you three find the companion that carries the amulet." He continued.
"…"
"…"
"…No disrespect or anything, but why couldn't she send her own children?" Nico asked again.
"There are three items that are needed in each of your fathers' domains. I don't know what they are, but they are supposed to help you on your quest, and since it's almost impossible to enter their domains without bring summoned or getting killed, you three are the only choice of the matter. Parents, god or not, they never want to hurt their own children, so if you go, then you won't get killed." Chiron said.
There was still some silence before Percy spoke up.
"When do we leave?" He asked.
"Tomorrow at dawn. Rachel will be down here any moment to give the prophecy." The centaur replied.
"Wait, so there's no quest leader?" Nico asked his tone held very slight disappointment.
Chiron nodded, and Nico's face fell very slightly.
Thalia could understand, she remembered one time where she, Percy and Nico did some "cousin" bonding and he told the two that he's always wanted to lead a quest. Thalia glanced at Percy who looked at the younger demi-god with a look that Thalia couldn't really place, but suspected that it was one of compassion for the youngest demi-god in the room.
The four heard the door open, shortly after the silence had begun. Thalia turned her head and saw the red haired Oracle: Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Her curly red hair grew longer, and her green eyes seemed brighter. She wore red, loose pyjama pants and a yellow t-shirt, a pair of bright pink fuzzy socks and a loose red sweater.
She looked like she had just gotten out of bed, Thalia thought. Rachel yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly, letting her eyes adjust to the bright lights. The red haired Oracle froze when her eyes landed on Thalia.
"Thalia!" She exclaimed as sleep rushed out of her body, and replaced with newfound energy. Rachel quickly rushed around the couch that Thalia, Nico and Percy have been occupying, and wrapped her arms around the older girl, hugging her tightly.
"Where have you been!" She exclaimed as Rachel broke the hug not long after.
"Wait, no, don't answer that, at least, not yet. How are you? And what did you do to your hair?" Rachel asked as she finally noticed Thalia's dyed hair for the first time.
"Wait, also another dumb question, what I meant to say is that it looks great." Rachel said with a grin. Thalia chuckled lightly at the younger girl.
"Thanks Rach." Thalia replied.
During a visit to the Camp a couple months before she got booted out of the Hunt, Thalia had gotten really bored one night and so she had begun wandering around the perimeter of the camp, trying to look for something to do and she had accidentally bumped into Rachel. The two began talking, and before they knew it, it was pitch black outside, and Rachel invited Thalia to stay in her cave for the night. They had a lot of fun, but had gotten no sleep what so ever. The two had stayed in contact for the next little while, right up until Thalia's "disappearance."
Rachel laughed lightly.
"It's no problem, Thalia."
And for the first time that night, Thalia realized that she's the first person who hadn't yelled at her for not telling anyone about what happened to her and where she's going, besides Chiron, then again, he never yells at any demi-god unless it was absolutely necessary.
Rachel stood up straight and waved her hand to Nico, silently telling him to scoot over so that she could sit. The son of Hades complied and moved over a bit closer to the arm of the couch. Rachel sat in the small space between the two "cousins" comfortably.
"To be completely honest, I was kinda mad to be dragged out of my bed a few minutes after I actually fell asleep only to give a prophecy, but if I had known that Thalia would be here, I would be telling whoever was sent to get me to hurry up." Rachel joked. Chiron smiled at the young, clear eyed mortal.
"You go to bed this early?" Thalia asked, surprised that anyone would be sleeping this early in the evening. Rachel laughed and nodded slightly.
"Normally, I'd still be up, but I had pulled up four all nighters working on a history presentation that was due today, and I had to study for three tests, so I wanted as much sleep I can get after that." Rachel said as she grimaced at the thought of her schoolwork.
Thalia blinked.
I don't even get that much work; and I'm in university. She thought
"If I may interrupt?" The two girls stopped their conversation, well; it's more like Rachel stopping herself from speaking again.
"Sorry Chiron…I guess I got a little carried away, I mean…" Rachel said with a sheepish grin.
"There's nothing to forgive, but we need a prophecy." The cheerful look on Rachel's tired face disappeared and was then quickly replaced by one that was serious.
"For that one quest that has all the gods anxious and stuff?" Rachel asked. Chiron nodded, confirming her answer.
"Alrighty, one of you ask away." Rachel said as she looked at each demi-god in the eye.
"What will happen on the quest?" Thalia didn't know who asked the question: Nico or Percy, but she didn't really care at the moment.
Rachel just sat there, and for a moment or two, nothing happened. Suddenly, her eyes began glowing green and her voice changed, it sounded raspy and that there were three Rachels speaking at the same time, in perfect unison.
"Cousins earn their stepmother's treasure,
The Fan, the Pearl and the Box in measure,
To look for an amulet of the Witch-Queen
In a land full of white and green,
A land that is very far in the north,
Where stays the companion fourth,
The love of the Raven will help in times of need,
And save her life before death can proceed."
Even after she finished speaking the prophecy, Rachel's eyes were still glowing, but soon went back to its normal colour after a couple of seconds.
Silence enveloped the room once more, this time, all of them, but Rachel—who was wondering about what she said, but decided against speaking out loud—were thinking about what she had prophesized.
"The part about the witch queen means Hecate, right?" Nico asked aloud.
"Yeah, it has to be. After the first Titan War, the gods made her the goddess of witchcraft." Thalia explained, using her "tour guide" tone.
"But what I don't get is the fan, the pearl and the box." She continued, while looking at Chiron, knowing that he might know the answer.
"I think I know what it meant about the fan, pearl and box." Chiron began, thus capturing all of the demi-gods and single mortal's attention.
"After the birth of their first demi-god children, the wives of the Big Three had gotten together and each had created something that would help keep their husbands in line." Chiron explained.
"Well THAT certainly helped…" Thalia accidentally muttered out loud. Chiron ignored her comment, while the other three people in the room smirked, knowing that if one thing would never change about Thalia, it's her constant use of sarcasm.
"Hera had created a fan, so she can go anywhere in the world without having the mortals suspect that something is special about them. Amphitrite had created a pearl that allows the user to see anything about anyone. As for Persephone, she had created a box that can store anything or anyone, and can trap anyone in their place." Chiron explained. Thalia's brows furrowed.
"So you mean to say that the three of us have to travel to all three domains of our fathers, ask their wives—each of which practically hate us—to give us these things so that we'll be able to go wherever and find an amulet?" Thalia asked, her tone a cross between disbelief and sarcastic. Chiron nodded.
Thalia grimaced at the thought of asking Hera for some help. The goddess would probably end up killing her on the spot before she gave Thalia anything. She glanced at Percy out of the corner of her eye and saw him grimace as well, and Thalia suspected that Nico had the same expression on his face.
"But every five hundred years or so, they meet together and exchange their gifts, I don't know who has what for the last three hundred years." Chiron informed. Silence enveloped them once more.
"I just have one question." Rachel said out of the blue.
"What is it?" Chiron asked.
"What did I say?" Rachel asked, trying to keep her voice from reaching a painful volume.
Chiron repeated the prophecy to her. Thalia noted the way she seemed to understand some certain parts of the prophecy, but then mentally slapped herself, reminding that Chiron just explained a possibility of what the prophecy was talking about.
Chiron checked the clock hanging off the wall as soon as he had finished telling the red haired oracle the prophecy.
"Ah, I do believe that it's time for you three to get some rest," Thalia noticed that Nico was about to protest before he had been cut off by his own yawn. Thalia smiled and suppressed a laugh. Nico noticed the smile on her face and he glared at her, while Thalia in turn, and had given him an innocent look.
"I'll have someone take you back to your school, Rachel." Chiron said. The four demi-gods and mortal stood up.
"If it's alright with everybody, do you think that I could stay here?" Rachel asked sheepishly, "I usually stay at home during the school week and we get a half day tomorrow, for some reason, so no one would be asking me where I disappeared to for the night… and morning." She explained.
"You don't have to ask, Rachel," Chiron replied. Rachel grinned again and nodded.
"Thanks." She replied.
"Now, off to your cabins, and in your case, Rachel, cave." Chiron said as he ushered the four out of the Big House.
"Night Chiron!" Rachel said as she stepped out of the Big House right after Thalia had.
"Sooo, I guess I'll see you guys in the morning." Thalia awkwardly said. Before she could even take one step off the porch, she felt Rachel link arms with her stopping her from going any further.
"Uh, no, you're gonna be spending the night at my cave," Rachel said, and before Thalia could protest against it, Rachel continued, "I haven't seen you for two years, we definitely have a lot of catching up to do, as well as Annebeth" She turned to face Nico and Percy, both of whom looked really tired, "Oh, Percy, do you mind telling Annabeth to meet us at my cave too? I have a feeling that she'll want to stay as well." Rachel said with a grin.
"What-?" Before Percy could finish his sentence, Rachel began walking and Thalia was half-walking and half-dragged across the Camp, all the way to Rachel's cave.
"Umm…as much as I like you, Rachel, but why am I here?" Thalia asked as she sat down on the red head's bed.
"You're here because you're gonna explain to Annabeth and I about what happened that made you disappear from our lives for two years, and why, where you were and why, and what you were doing there and why." Rachel said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Thalia didn't reply to Rachel's statement.
They're gonna end up finding out about it one way or another. She thought, before letting out a breath.
"Now we just wait for Annabeth, but in the meantime, you have to tell me why you dyed some of your hair blue. Don't get me wrong though, it looks great." Rachel said. Thalia let out a small smile at the younger girl before her.
"One of my friends dared me to, and after that I liked it and decided to keep it that way." Thalia explained before a sheepish grin played on her lips.
Rachel looked at her suspiciously.
"I'm serious! She dared me to!" Thalia defended.
"Right…from the looks of it, you look a little too old for you to be taking on dares, Thalia." Rachel said. Thalia looked at her blankly.
"Fine, don't believe me." Thalia muttered. Rachel giggled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry, it's just its kind of hard to believe that a twenty something year old woman did a dare." Rachel said. Thalia rolled her eyes with a light smile.
"Twenty three." She corrected. Rachel stopped giggling.
"Whoa, you're twenty three?" Thalia nodded.
"How old do you think I was? Twenty nine?" Rachel shook her head.
"No, I was thinking more along the lines of twenty seven." She was dead serious.
"Wow, do I really look that old?" Thalia asked in slight disbelief.
"If it'll make you feel better, I'm bad at telling people's ages. Last month, I saw this guy who looked like he was twenty, but it turned out he was twelve." Thalia looked at the red haired oracle in disbelief.
"You're kidding." She said. Rachel grimaced.
"Not kidding. It turned out that he's my friend's younger brother, so now every time I go over to her place, he's always there, hitting on me." Thalia couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"You're right; it does make me feel better!" Thalia exclaimed.
"Not funny, Thalia!" Rachel exclaimed, her face redder than her hair. Thalia couldn't decide whether it was out of embarrassment or anger, or maybe both, but she didn't put too much thought into it, since she was too busy laughing.
"So is!" Thalia laughed. Rachel pouted for a moment. She opened her mouth to say something.
"Am I missing something, here?" Thalia stopped laughing and stared at Rachel weirdly.
"What?" Rachel asked, not really looking at Thalia, but at the entrance. Thalia blinked and looked in the same direction, and saw Annabeth standing at the mouth of the cave.
"Whoa…I just thought that you said what Annabeth said." Thalia muttered, not caring if she made any sense saying that. Annabeth shrugged and walked over to Rachel's bed.
"Can someone tell me why Percy just walked into my cabin, half asleep, telling me to meet you guys here, only to arrive to see Thalia laughing so hard she looked like she was choking?" Annabeth asked as she sat down next to Thalia.
"Well, seeing as Thalia has to leave for a quest tomorrow, I figured that she should tell us what happened before she leaves." Rachel explained. Annabeth nodded.
"But that doesn't explain why Thalia was laughing so hard she looked like she was choking." Annabeth said.
"Rachel thought a twelve year old was twenty. Turned out he's her friend's younger brother and whenever they see eachother, he's always hitting on her." Thalia explained, as a few giggles escaped her lips.
Rachel and Annabeth looked at her strangely, and Thalia realized why.
I never giggle…She thought in dismay.
"Anyways," Rachel began, attempting to clear up the awkward silence, "Now that Annabeth has arrived, can you please tell us what happened?"
All the laughter in Thalia's eyes disappeared and was quickly replaced with a solemn look.
Thalia let out a sigh and began telling her story.
This has got to be the longest chapter I have ever written in my life... oh well
anyways, review please!