AN: Been a short wait but here's the next chapter. Between this one and the next, there will be a LARGE time jump (possibly, still not sure), so look out.

Note: There are a lot of flashbacks for Thalia.

Disclaimer: I in no way own or benefit from any of Rick Riordan's works, including PJO and HOO.


Thalia VII

Starstruck


Thalia woke up again to someone's hands tending to her thigh wound. She assumed they were either Piper's or Leo's and so she relaxed and kept her eyes closed. But then she felt a slight sting as a jelly-like substance was rubbed into her skin.

She shot up but soft hands held her down, whispering soothing commands into her ear. "Relax, Daughter of Zeus. We will not hurt thee."

Her eyes slowly flickered open to see a truly beautiful girl above her. Caramel strands of hair tickled her chapped lips, and dark eyes—a familiar kind of dark—stared back at her in sympathy. The girl also had a silver circlet upon her brow and was dressed in silver camo. Her smile was kind enough but Thalia couldn't shake the feeling that the girl had something against her—something instinctual, maybe.

The girl kneeling by Thalia's thigh was saying something to her but Thalia wasn't paying very much attention.

The pretty girl looming over her smirked, repeating the words of her friend. "I am called Zoë. Phoebe is one of our best healers and she will be tending to thy leg properly. She says thy wound is going to require stitches. Thou will be able to bear the pain, yes?"

"Uh?" Thalia replied back numbly. Then she shook her head. "Pain? Yeah, I love pain."

Phoebe grumbled. "Great! You'll love this."

The daughter of Jupiter was way too distracted to cry out as Phoebe began to stitch her up with a sharp needle. She was staring straight at Zoë. She reminded her of someone. Who was it? Dark eyes, dark hair, tough exterior…

Reyna.

Thalia swallowed, glancing away from the pretty girl's stare. She had a quest to finish. She sat up as soon as Phoebe was done with stitching her leg, and she immediately started looking around for Piper and Leo.

"Looking for your friends?" Zoë inquired. Thalia nodded. "The boy is dealing with the giant automaton. Piper is getting her ankle healed."

"Who are you people?" the daughter of Jupiter ventured to ask, finally.

"Now you ask?" Phoebe scoffed. "Sure, we could've been murders but you were too busy ogling—"

"Phoebe," Zoë cut in firmly. Her friend respectfully shut her mouth. "Why don't you find Bianca and Piper and bring them to me?"

Thalia furrowed her eyebrows. "What about Leo?"

"The boy is not welcome among the Hunters of Artemis," Phoebe asserted before receiving another harsh look from Zoë and hurrying off.

Zoë sighed, smiling apologetically. "It may seem harsh but what she says is true. Artemis does not take kindly to men who dare to associate with her huntresses."

"Artemis?"

"Goddess of the Hunt," Zoë filled in, confused. "Should you not be informed of this?"

"I—I just," Thalia's tongue massacred the words as they spilled out of her mouth. "Diana?"

Zoë nodded slowly in understanding. "That is my Lady's Roman aspect. It is rarely ever used with your kind."

"And this Artemis—she travels with a group of girls—"

"Huntresses."

"—huntresses?"

"Yes," Zoë responded. "We loyally serve her, we reject all men, and, in return, we are rewarded immortality."

Thalia had heard of something similar, hadn't she? Another group of girls that stomped around in leather boots and disregarded men?

"It is good that Camp Jupiter is treating you well, Reyna. But I advise you to be wary of this Thalia girl—she has the looks of a miscreant."

"Thalia is not a miscreant. She's done more for this Legion than I have. Your Amazon methods of—"

"There is something different about her. You would be better off with me—"

"You chose your path, and I chose mine. I am not joining the Amazons."

Fuck. Thalia grasped her head in her hands, feeling her vision begin to swivel and blur. Zoë was leaning next to her in an instant, advising her to take it easy. That had been Reyna's voice and the voice of another…someone Thalia had met before.

"What happened?" a girl asked.

Thalia glanced up to see a small girl with braided hair that was a shade darker than hers.

"Bianca," Zoë called her. "It is of no concern. Come, you and Piper may sit beside Thalia and keep her company until I return. I must consult the wolves."

After she left and Piper and Bianca sat on either side of the daughter of Jupiter, Thalia made her confusion known. "She talks to wolves?"

Bianca was red in the cheeks, apparently embarrassed at being spoken to. "Yes. They are followers of Artemis. Each huntress gets her own wolf upon initiation, and we are able to communicate with them. They know far more than we do about some things."

Piper smiled. "It's really cool, Thalia. The wolves are beautiful."

She tried to smile at the smaller girl but found that she couldn't. She heard Reyna's voice again, as clear as possible in her head: I hate mango.

Thalia muttered a half-hearted reply. Every time she even thought of smiling at Piper, Reyna's pretty fucking face floated into her mind and taunted her. Gods, why were there so many pretty girls?

"Bianca says that Zoë wants us to travel with them. They know a quick route to Chicago."

Thalia turned to face Piper. "Is that so?"

Bianca nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "We know all of the—"

About her business, Thalia cut in, "Do you know how to track wind spirits?"

"I—I suppose we could," Bianca replied.

"We were told that we can find some in Chicago," Thalia continued. "After catching them, we're taking them Aeolus, the God of the Winds. Do you know him?"

"I know of him," Bianca responded, still a little taken aback by the drastic change in Thalia's demeanor. "Zoë says he isn't very…there."

"There?" Piper repeated. "What's wrong with him?"

"He is unstable," Zoë filled in, sitting down next to Piper, edging herself further from Thalia. "Thou should be wary of trusting him."

Bianca smiled gleefully at the sight of her lieutenant. "Zoë has seen everything in this world."

Zoë ducked her head but wore a proud smile. "Bianca—"

"I'm sure that isn't true," Thalia cut in, glancing from one huntress to the other. "There are plenty of things that you probably haven't seen."

Bianca immediately frowned. "Zoë has been around for thousands of years! She's seen—" At the look on Zoë's face, Bianca backtracked. "I mean, not that she's old or anything. Gods, no. That's not what I meant at all. And I'm not exactly young either, so it's not like I'm judging—"

"Bianca," Zoë interrupted, setting her hand on top of hers.

Thalia arched an eyebrow but remained silent. She risked a glance at Piper, shocked to see the girl smiling and titling her head in adoration. What the fuck was going on with her?

"You're not old," Bianca was stuttering out. "Really not what I meant."

"I know," Zoë responded patiently, sending her a friendly smile before turning to face their company. "We would be honored if thee would accompany us for the night. We can move west on the morrow."

"That sounds great," Piper agreed, clapping her hands together. "Thalia and I will go find Leo and tell him the news."

Thalia cleared her throat pointedly, smirking when Piper's eyes widened. "Oh!" the daughter of Aphrodite realized. "I'm sorry. You're the leader of the quest, and here I am affirming all the decisions."

"No, no, I don't care," Thalia lied. Of course she cared—she had a natural inclination to lead, and she wasn't comfortable with the idea of someone else even threatening to take charge. Piper wouldn't threaten her, she convinced herself. Piper wasn't fighting her to be the best.

Piper made eye contact with her and maintained it for a few long and painful moments. She obviously saw directly through Thalia's bullshit. But she smiled. "Do you think we should stay the night with the Hunters?"

Thalia couldn't help it; she instantly calmed down. Piper was making sure to hand her the reins again. She looked to Zoë and Bianca, noticing that neither girl was even paying attention to them any longer. Even though it was unnecessary, Thalia nodded her affirmation.

She stood up, and motioned for Piper to lead her to their fellow quest member. As the exited the abandoned warehouse, Thalia observed the girls surrounding the exit. There were clumps of tents, circles of hunters, and collections of firewood for later on in the night. They smiled at her and Piper invitingly, really making them feel at-home.

"Don't let it fool you," Piper commented wryly as they continued walking past. "They glared at Leo like they wanted to tear him to shreds."

Thalia grinned. "At least they didn't cage him up."

Piper stared at her weirdly but didn't comment further.

When they stopped in front of Leo, he was frowning at what was left of Festus. The dragon looked mostly put together but smoke was rising from his back. The son of Hephaestus appeared extremely stressed about the situation, wringing his grease-covered hands.

Thalia lowered herself to the ground, crossing her legs as she peered into the dragon's bronze face. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Nothing!" Leo replied incredulously. "Not a damn thing. Festus should work just fine. I don't understand. Everything checks out okay. The only issues are the ones that resulted from the crash."

Piper frowned. "Maybe some god was messing with us or something? Or wind spirits. Could that have been it?"

Thalia sincerely wished they would stop relying on her to know bits of information about the mythological world. "Could be," she supplied.

Leo exhaled slowly, scratching his brow. "Wish he didn't land on a line of fucking toilets, though."

Piper scoffed. "That's a load of—"

"No puns, please," Leo interrupted. "My heart cannot take them."

"What about that large fireball? Shouldn't that have totally destroyed Festus?" Piper questioned curiously.

"It should have affected him, definitely," Leo said. "But the outside of him is just fine." His brow furrowed. "Hold on. I got an idea."

He climbed up Festus until he reached a specific section of his back. Once there, he pulled open a hidden panel. "Oh, shit! What in Hades?"

"What is it?" Piper asked, standing on her toes to get a better look.

"His wires are frozen over!"

"Wires?" Thalia perked up. Wires meant electricity. She climbed up after Leo. She pressed her fingers against the frozen wires. "Shit. They've overloaded."

Leo nodded. "Corrupted the fucking control disk."

"Something can be done about the wiring—"

"But the disk is another story?" Piper filled in. "What's so unfixable about it?"

"Nothing is unfixable," Leo recited what were obviously the words of someone else. "I can—I can handle this, guys. Just give me some time. I can do this."

Thalia climbed down reluctantly, not wanting to completely leave Leo on his own. But she trusted him. She trusted his ability.

She made her way back towards the warehouse, Piper following close behind, but then she paid close attention to the way the maidens were eyeing Leo—like they wanted to jump him the second he turned his back.

"Piper."

"Yeah?"

"I think I'll stay behind. Why don't you try to get our sleeping arrangements figured out?"

"Sure thing," the daughter of Aphrodite said, smiling and reaching out to squeeze Thalia's hand.

Thalia mindlessly pulled away, seeing Reyna's smile behind her closed eyelids, ignoring Piper's disappointment. She felt badly about the girls. She couldn't remember everything she felt for Reyna, but she knew she definitely felt something. She didn't even know if the two of them were together.

And Piper—gods, Piper was cute and smart. Thalia had shaky, unsure feelings about her. She got butterflies before whenever their hands brushed but now? Now, all she felt was guilt when they touched. She kept thinking of Reyna.

Reyna.

Reyna.

Thalia hung around Leo for the rest of the afternoon, relieved whenever he reassured her that her presence wasn't bothering him. He actually seemed like he felt better with her around. The hunters were definitely making him feel slightly uncomfortable but they stopped glaring as much.

"Pretty girl, hand me that bristle brush," he said, laughing when she elbowed him. He took the brush from her outstretched hand, once more using it wherever he saw fit. "You know, this is nice."

"What's nice?"

"Just hanging out with you again, like before. Well, I guess that never happened but you know what I mean, right?"

Thalia shrugged. "I think so. I don't know."

"Started feeling like a—oh, never mind," he dismissed with a half-hearted smile. "Hand me that can, would you?"

"Sure thing," she said, doing as he asked.

For a moment there, she had thought that he was going to open up about something, but then he had simply shut off. Not wanting him to feel awkward after the slip-up, she decided to share something she had remembered about her life.

"I had a twin brother."

"Yeah, you mentioned that, I think," Leo said, smiling. "At the campfire. Didn't know you're a twin."

"We don't look too much alike," she noted. "He has blond hair, he's a tad bit paler, and his eyes are a lighter blue. Other than that, we share some features." She smirked, prideful. "I'm seven minutes his senior."

"You recall much about him?" He was obviously working himself pretty hard but he was still able to make conversation. "Likes, dislikes? Things like that."

Thalia shook her head in confusion. "I think he likes…staplers? Or maybe he doesn't like them. It's one of the two."

Leo bit his lip as he fiddled with another wire. "Kinda wish I had a sibling growing up. Company would've been nice."

"I think it was," she replied. "I think we were pretty close. I just remember that we were both overprotective. And I think we fought. Often."

"Better than being alone. Take my word for it." Leo cleared his throat awkwardly. "All right. I have a little more work to do on Festus tomorrow, and then hopefully I'll be done."

"We should get some rest. The sun's already gone down."

Leo nodded, placing his things back into his magic toolbelt. He climbed down from his dragon and landed shakily on his feet. "Shit," he laughed. "Legs are asleep."

"Walk it off," Thalia encouraged.

She showed him the way towards their tent, which the huntresses had provided for them. She entered but before he could, Phoebe stopped him.

"No boys are allowed to use our equipment. You'll have to sleep out here."

"Whoa, whoa!" Piper called from inside the tent, brushing past Thalia to stand in front of Phoebe. "Leo may be a boy, but he is with us. He hasn't given you any reason at all to hate him, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is the fact that he's a boy," Phoebe responded incredulously. "Are you seriously taking a male's side? And to think I liked you. I suppose you aren't even going to consider our offer."

"Not a chance," Piper admitted. She dragged two of their personal sleeping bags onto the snow outside and defiantly crawled into one. "If you won't let Leo sleep in the tent, then we'll both sleep out here."

"Don't be foolish!" Phoebe argued loudly, calling Zoë's attention.

The lieutenant made her way over, frowning at the sight of Piper, lying in a thin sleeping bag on the snow. "What is going on?"

Thalia glared at Phoebe when she started to answer. "Your side bitch says Leo can't sleep in the tent."

Phoebe seethed, stepping up to Thalia. There was a substantial height difference but the huntresses didn't seem intimidated. "Watch the way you address me, you man-loving—"

Zoë's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Phoebe—"

"Man-loving?" Piper repeated. "Just because we don't want our friend, who just happens to be male, to sleep outside in the fucking cold?"

Zoë sighed. "The boy may, if he minds himself, rest in the tent."

"Zoë!" Phoebe made to argue.

"Silence," Zoë ordered. "That is quite enough from thee. Mind thy lieutenant."

"Artemis wouldn't allow this, Zoë. You know it. When she gets back—"

"My Lady is not here," Zoë stated firmly. "When she returns, I will gladly explain everything to her. Until then, thou hast no say in the matter."

Phoebe bit her lip, placing her hands on her hips and looking elsewhere. "The girls won't be happy to hear this."

Zoë glanced to Leo before she ushered Phoebe away, murmuring, "Come. We will discuss this further."

"It's just a tent," Leo said dejectedly. "If it's such a big deal, I'll freeze. Hell, I'm hot-blooded. I'll be fine, guys."

"Shut the fuck up," Thalia said, kicking snow on him. "Piper just pulled a crazy and tried to sleep out here for you. Don't let her efforts go to shit. You're sleeping in the tent."

Leo cracked a smile, crafting a snow ball and throwing it at her face. She ducked just in time, and she would've thrown one back if Piper didn't start insistently pulling her back into the tent.

The son of Hephaestus yawned, crawling into his sleeping bag. "I'm beat, dudes. I think I'm gonna crash. Hope I don't wake up in the middle of a lake or something."

Just like the night before, Thalia and Piper found themselves sitting awkwardly next to one another while Leo slumbered close by.

"Leo told me you remember stuff," Piper brought up casually but her voice was tight. "About your past. Your actual past."

Reyna, Reyna, Reyna, Reyna—

"Yeah, just my brother," Thalia lied, getting the urge to violently punch herself in the face. "He's my twin."

The daughter of Aphrodite smiled. "What's he like?"

Thalia wrinkled her nose. "He's like me, just with a larger stick up his ass."

Piper snorted. "Seriously?"

Thalia laughed a little. "I have no idea. I didn't even mean to say that."

"There must be some truth in it, I guess."

She frowned. "I—I get the feeling he doesn't laugh often."

"He's a real serious type then?"

"Yeah."

"You're like that, too," Piper said. "Sometimes."

Thalia arched a brow. "Are you calling me a stick-in-the-mud?"

"Of course not," Piper replied easily, nudging her with a shoulder. "Your version of fun is just…"

"Not fun?"

"Well, it's fun to you. But you sometimes act more like an emotionless machine than you do a teenager."

The words were light and said with an air of amusement, but Thalia couldn't quite process the comment easily. Of course she wasn't some fun-crazy teenager. She had a fucking Legion to lead; she was a consul, for Jupiter sake.

Thalia internally froze up. There was that word again: consul. Obviously, she was pretty important back home—wherever home was.

"So, am I the only one who noticed?"

"Noticed what?" Thalia asked.

"Bianca totally has a crush on that Zoë girl. I think it's cute."

Thalia smiled halfheartedly. "Yeah, she is kind of cute."

"I meant the relationship."

"Oh, right. That's what I meant, too."

"Sure you did," Piper replied.

Hours later, she was resting in her sleeping bag, listening to the sounds of Leo and Piper dreaming away. The huntresses had assured them that none of them would be required to stay up and keep watch—"Get some rest, please," Bianca had requested with a smile.

Thalia wanted to sleep—good gods, she was exhausted—but she was scared of dreaming. Part of her wanted to know more about the past but the other part of her protested it. She didn't know if she could handle any more memories.

Reyna and Jason—memories of them caused her head to painfully throb. If she didn't take it easy, her head just might implode.

Still, though, she was so freaking tired. Maybe she wouldn't have any dreams. Maybe her rest would be a peaceful one.


She was walking in front of a collection of troops, each of them appearing worn.

"All right, you all know the rules," she insisted, scanning their faces.

Her voice was like she never heard it—completely apathetic and dull of life. But it was commanding and that was what mattered. She looked much different than she had at age ten. More composed, less threatened.

"Fair play but show no mercy. If anyone breaks any of the rules, you'll answer to your consuls." The demigods shifted their stances but didn't argue with her decisions. "Now, go receive orders from your senior centurions."

Once the campers dispersed, lithe tan fingers danced across the front of her breastplate, adjusting it swiftly. "You're an absolute mess, Grace."

"You're an absolute beauty, Arellano."

Reyna shoved at her, trying to grimace. "You're going to have to try better than that. And you know I don't use my last name. But if you simply insist, it's Ramirez-Arellano."

Thalia smirked. "If you're lucky, it'll be Grace one day."

Reyna scoffed at the horrible line but decided to tease her. "I've always found Jason sort of cute…"

Thalia glared, sniffing irritably. She tugged at her collar and looked away. "So not what I meant."

Arellano—or Ramirez-Arellano, as she insisted on being called—fought off a smirk. "Please. I can barely handle one child of Jupiter."

Thalia scanned their surroundings warily, ensuring that no wandering eyes were on them. She leaned closer, her sharp nose just barely brushing the other girl's. "Handle me? Is that what you do?"

Nimble hands found her waist. "If we weren't surrounded by a bunch of legionnaires, I'd kiss you to get you to shut your arrogant mouth."

Thalia wagged her eyebrows, flashing a shit-eating grin. It was an expression that she couldn't recall ever wearing but it felt strangely natural. "We could always ditch the games and go make out…it's not like we're actually expected to participate anymore."

The girl fixed her with a no-nonsense look. "Priorities, Thalia. That damn augur and his followers are still seeking to dig up any dirt they can on us. We have to be careful."

Thalia inhaled deeply, sensing a faint cinnamon scent invade her nostrils. So Reyna had switched perfumes. She pulled her body further away, beginning to notice the curious eyes. "We'll be back in time. Jason will cover for us. No one will even notice we're gone. I work fast."

Reyna huffed, pressing a firm hand to her breastplate and pushing her lightly. "We both know that's bullshit."

A sharp whistle broke through their conversation, and they slowly drifted apart.

"You can count on me making this up to you, mi cielo."

Mi cielo. My sky.

Thalia suppressed a smile. "I'm holding you to that, Reyna."

She woke up with a start, groaning aloud when it sank in that she had yet another dream about her past.

"Fuck," she muttered, feeling Piper begin to stir.

She slowly crawled out of the tent, noticing the sun was just beginning to rise.

Well, it was official. She knew for sure now.

She had a girlfriend, and her name was Reyna.