But you can't stop nothing
If you got no control
Of the thoughts in your mind
That you kept in, you know
You don't know nothing
But you don't need to know
The wisdom's in the trees
Not the glass windows
You can't stop wishing
If you don't let go

Chapter Three
Reunited

"Why exactly did we have to come out here?" Thalia demanded, the 15-year-old's voice sharp.

Grover cleared his throat. He supposed out of all the women in the world, Thalia was far from the worst. He'd known her, as well as her unpredictable temper, for as long as he could remember. At the best of times, she was a good friend. And at the worst of times, well, Grover tried not to think about those.

Neither of you are getting any younger. And with her mother gone, she really should be married off soon. His father's words echoed in his head.

"I…well…" Grover struggled to find the right words. Thalia only glared at him, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "It's…completely stupid, so I'll just blurt it out." He gulped before continuing. "My parents want us to get married."

Thalia was silent for a few, painfully awkward moments. "Is it really that ridiculous?" she finally asked. "My mother's dead, and even if she was alive – she wasn't much more than a delusional whore to most people, so I could have hardly counted on her help. And at any rate, you're better than a widower twice my age."

"You…you'd really marry me?" Grover bleated nervously. He'd counted on her saying no.

Thalia burst into a fit of laughter. "Really, Grover? I'm only 15, and even if I was older – marry you? I'm sorry, but…you? You're my best friend, but I'd never consider…" She dissolved into giggles.

"My parents were just thinking of your reputation," Grover said quietly, desperate to save what was left of his pride. "With your mother gone, and…"

"Well, tell you parents that as much as I appreciate their concern, I'll take my chances," Thalia said, her mood suddenly sour. "Now, can we please go home and get out of this damned sun?"

Grover sighed. "I guess…I…" There was a sound in the distance, like two stones being smashed together, only a thousand times louder. "Thalia…what was that?"

He saw a rare trace of fear in his friend's eyes. "I don't know. My mother used to tell stories about…storms, but they haven't happened in years." The loud sound echoed again, this time seeming much, much closer. "We should get home."

Before the words were out of her mouth, water began to fall from the sky. Rain.

Both teens stared at each other for a split second before coming to the same conclusion. They took off running in the direction of home, but the unfamiliar rain was disorientating. It made everything seem strange, foreign. However, when Grover opened his mouth and got a mouthful of water, he finally realized what it felt like to not be thirsty.

And he decided water was a very good thing.

He was so wrapped in his own thoughts that he didn't realize that Thalia had tripped, nor did he realize that he was about to stumble over the exact same thing and fall right on top of her.

"Gods, Grover. Get off," Thalia hissed, standing up and trying to shake the mud off her white dress, though the rain was making quick work of the stains. "Can't you watch where you're going? I mean, I get that it's…"

Grover quickly drowned out the rest of what Thalia was saying, eyes focused on the same thing they'd both tripped over, but not a thing…a person. "Thalia, look," he said quietly, though something in his tone must have warranted her attention.

Thalia's eyes widened when she took in the sight. "Do you…think he's dead?" She took in the tiny, dark-haired form. His skin was an ugly red color. Sunburn, another word her mother had taught her – though she'd never actually seen anyone get it. He must have been outside for quite some time, she decided.

Grover shook his head, slowly flipping the boy over so his face wasn't buried in the sand. The child coughed a few times, though he didn't wake up. "Well, at least he's alive," Grover finally said.

"I don't recognize him," Thalia said, scooping the small figure up into her arms. He couldn't have been older than 10 years old. "Maybe he belongs to one of the traveling caravans, and he just wandered out a bit too far."

"The last caravan came through weeks ago."

"Okay, well…" Thalia couldn't come up with another explanation. "We should get him home, and when he wakes up we can ask him."

"That's a good idea, but…what way is home?" Grover asked. It was impossible to see too far out with the rain falling down so hard, and their narrow view looked the same from every direction "I got disorientated when we tripped over him, and I can't…remember."

"Dammit, Grover," Thalia cursed. "Come on, I think it's…this way," she said and started walking in the direction Grover was nearly certain they'd come from.

Eventually, they came to a tall hill that had a small hollow carved into the base, no more than four feet high. While Grover was panicking – they'd never seen this before; it only affirmed that they were impossibly lost – Thalia was able to see the positive in it.

"Come on, we can wait here for the rain to stop," Thalia said, crawling in without even stopping to think what could possibly be inhabiting the opening, leaving Grover with no choice but to follow her.

Once they'd become settled in, Grover was the first to speak. "Thalia, do you think this means the world's ending?"

Thalia snorted. "This used to happen all the time – ten years ago, that is. And, well, not all the time. The scholars knew when it would happen, and they'd tell the farmers, so the farmers knew when to grow and harvest their crops. But, it just stopped happening."

"Why do you think it started again?"

"Why not?"

Grover was ready to ask his next question, but hesitated as the boy stirred. Slowly, his eyes opened. Even in the dark, it was obvious that they were a startling shade of green. "Where am I? Who are you?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

It was Thalia who spoke first. "We were wondering the same thing about you."

The little boy sat up, a defiant expression on his face. "My name's Perseus, and I'm third in line to be pharaoh," he said proudly. "And…and when my family founds out that you took me away, you'll be punished."

"Excuse me? We found you out there as good as dead. And third in line to be the pharaoh? Don't make me laugh – how could someone sit on the throne of the burning sun when being outside for a few hours burns them?" Thalia demanded, the same stubborn tone in her voice as the young boy's.

"It's true. They're probably looking for me right now."

Thalia laughed haughtily. "Seriously, kid. Who are you parents? We'll take you home as soon as the rain stops."

"Rain?"

"It's water, but it falls from the sky," Grover said, taking the chance to join in.

Perseus looked back and forth at Thalia and Grover. "You still didn't tell me who you are."

"I'm Thalia. He's Grover," Thalia said flatly. Her patience was running thin. "Perseus, if you're a…royal child, why were you out there?"

Perseus didn't answer her. Grover was certain he saw fat tears in the boy's eyes. "I just want to go home," he whispered. "Will you take me home?"

Grover didn't have to look at Thalia to know she was rolling her eyes. "I'd love to, but if you insist on having us walk you to the royal palace, I'm drawing the line. You realize how ridiculous we'd look? They'd kill us all once they stopped laughing."

Perseus bit his lip and reached under his shirt, retrieving a medallion that hung on a piece of thick leather. Wordlessly, he slipped it off and handed it to Thalia. She couldn't read hieroglyphics, but it was hard to mistake what the thunderbolt and the temple meant.

The color drained from Thalia's face. "Wow…well…we should probably get you home. Soon."

Again, Grover didn't have to look to know Perseus was rolling his eyes. "That's what I've been trying to tell you."

It was silent until Grover voiced what they were both thinking. "Umm…Perseus? We really can't do anything until this rain stops."

"And we can hardly walk you home," Thalia added, handing Perseus the medallion back. She'd never been to the royal palace, but everyone from her village could recognize the spiraling towers in the distance that looked like they were made from solid gold.

"How am I supposed to get home then?" Perseus asked.

Grover sensed that Thalia was barely holding back a snide comment, so he took the chance to cut in. "We'll walk you as far as we can. But…you probably shouldn't mention anything about us to your parents." The pharaoh and his head wife – the thought was hard to comprehend.

"What am I supposed to tell them then? My father will be so angry."

"That's not our problem." Thalia's voice was cold. However, she quickly backpedaled when fat tears welled in Perseus' eyes. "Just…tell them the truth, but leave us out."

In the painful silence that followed, it was obvious that the rain had stopped. "We should figure out how to get you home," Thalia said, crawling out of the small cave. The landscape looked strangely different, as if the water had breathed life into it.

However, the golden towers of the royal palace were visible in the distance. "You just have to head that way. Everyone is probably looking at you, anyway."

Perseus looked around and took a few steps back before looking back at the pair. "Will I ever see you again?"

"No," Thalia answered.

"Of course," Grover answered at the same time, meriting a dirty look from Thalia. "I mean, not like this, but you'll see us again."

Perseus ran forward and hugged them both. "Thank you," he whispered. Something in his tone made them believe the words rarely came out of his mouth.

"You really should get going," Thalia said, suddenly eager to get rid of the kid and back home.

It wasn't until Grover and Thalia were nearly back to their village that Grover spoke. "You realize if he really is one of the pharaoh's children…" He let the thought hang.

"We saved him, which means he owes us."

"Which means the pharaoh would owe us."

A grin spread across Thalia's face. "Perhaps today wasn't a total waste, then."