Chapter 10: Traitors and Failures

Having a chat in a cage full of criminals

"OW!"

Nico crossed his hands over his belly and looked at the princess, a lot of confusion written on his face. Percy couldn't blame him. He was still busy processing what just had happened. "What was that for?!", he asked her, not caring about formalities. Not that Thalia had done that. Still, some of the guards frowned at him in disapproval.

"That was for leaving me, you asshole!", Thalia yelled. Percy didn't have good emotion reading-skills, but he was pretty sure that Thalia was angry at Nico because he had left him. Well duh...

Nico didn't seem to have an answer ready for that. He just looked down, not meeting Thalia's gaze. He muttered a small apologize. Thalia sighed, probably knowing she wouldn't get more out of him, and smiled softly at him. "I missed you, Death Breath. What had happened to you?" Good one, Percy thought while he chuckled silently, I didn't think of that nickname before, but it fits him perfectly.

Nico frowned. "Don't call me that"

Thalia rolled her eyes and then to look at him in concern. "My gods, Death Breath, you look like you've just had a trip to Tartarus itself! What happened?" She looked at some wounds on his arm, from yesterday. Percy noticed they were barely healing. Stupid of him that he hadn't notice it before.

He looked at his own body and saw that there were also still some open wounds on his arms and legs. He hadn't noticed getting them during the fight, but they did needed to get treated. It seemed Thalia agree with him.

"You should get those wounds looked at!"

Nico just rolled his eyes at her. "I'm a slave, Thals, not a royal. And to answer you question: fighting in the Colosseum pretty much explains my condition." Thalia frowned at him, but still waited for him to explain more. Nico saw it and sighed. "You know I would never have left you if I had another choice, Pinecone Face."

Thalia landed another punch in his gut and muttered a small "don't call me that". Even so, Percy could still see her blushing furiously at his words. He looked around him and saw Luke shifting uncomfortably, not trying to be seen. He caught himself doing the same thing, when the princess looked around the cage.

Percy shifted a bit in the shadows, hoping it would work. Luckily, her eyes seemed to lock on Luke. She frowned at him, while he had a sudden interest in the ground beneath them. Then, realization struck her. "Luke?"

Jason Grace paced across his room, ignoring the worried expressions the maids gave him. Since the fight in the Colosseum yesterday, he hadn't seen his sister at all. After she'd stormed away, she'd locked herself in her room. Even the maids hadn't seen her. Jason knew nobody dared to enter her room if she didn't want them to. Her temper tantrums equaled their father's and weren't something anybody wished to see.

"Are you alright, Jason?", a voice behind him asked. He turned, furiously that somebody called him by his name. His anger went away, as suddenly as it appeared, when he saw the worried maid before him. Although she had only been one of his personal maids for a week, she was the only one who dared to treat him as her equal. And he surprisingly liked it.

"I'm just worried, Piper", he said before she hugged him. His eyes widened at her boldness, but he soon hugged her back, enjoying the warmth she was giving him. His head leaning on her's. He could already see her brown hair covering her blonde.

She had told him she'd dyed it when she was still at her hometown, when he asked about it. She seemed reluctant to tell him her past, so he hadn't asked more about it.

"She'll be fine", she muttered in his chest. After a while of them just hugging each other, she suddenly broke their embrace and bowed her head. Jason could see her cheeks being a darker shade of red then they were before. He could feel his cheeks getting warmer. "I'm sorry", she muttered.

A gentle smile went on his face. "It's okay Piper. I should thank you for that", his hand rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "I guess I needed it."

Piper smiled at him, but before they could continue talking somebody knocked on the door. "Come in", Jason said before the door opened and another maid appeared with a frightened look on her face. "What is it?"

The maid took a second breath, before answering. "The princess is missing, my lord. She escaped from her room and took one of the royal carriages with the help of some of the guards."

Luke looked up, stood and locked his eyes with Thalia's. Percy could feel a small tension in the air and he guessed Nico felt it too. "Long time no see, princess."

Her look went colder and her body almost seemed to radiate small sparks. "Why are you here, Castellan?" Percy saw Nico flinch at her tone, but his attention was elsewhere. She had called him Castellan, so his suspicions must have been true. He gritted his teeth and had to clench his fists to contain his anger.

Calm yourself, Percy, you still don't know much about him. But he killed my mother! Maybe he was ordered to do so? That doesn't make him less guilty. He is still a traitor of Greece. Why is he here then?

With that statement, Percy seemed to calm down. His attention returned to the conversation before him.

"Can't you see what I'm doing here?"

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "All I can see is a traitor who cares only about himself", she walked up to him until they were just a few inches apart. "All I can see is a pig who sits in its well-deserved cage." She looked up to him. Her electrical blue eyes almost sparking with anger. "Now, you will tell me why you are back in Rome, since the last time I saw you was when you were banished five years ago."

Percy frowned at the new information. He hadn't heard anything about that, but it seemed that Luke wasn't all he appeared to be. He looked at Luke, who was clenching his fists, probably to contain his anger. "You know nothing of me, princess."

Thalia opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a loud "Thalia!". She turned and saw a boy stepping out of another royal carriage. Percy glanced at him. He had blond hair and the same eyes as Thalia. He was longer than her, but looked younger. On the corner of his lip was a small scar and on his arms were some battle scars. In an instant, Percy knew he was looking at Jason Grace, the heir of the throne of Rome.

When he reached the cage, he seemed a little out of breath. Percy guessed he searched whole Rome for Thalia. "Why didn't you tell me where you where going, Thals?! I searched whole Rome for you!" You see? Why do people always say I'm stupid? I have awesome reading skills! (A/N: Sure, Percy... Whatever you say...)

Thalia seemed out of words, before she sighed. "I just wanted some time alone..."

Jason looked around the cage, saw Nico, Luke and Percy (but didn't recognize them), and rolled his eyes. "As if... Thalia, you shouldn't go off like that. You got us worried sick!"

Thalia scowled. "Us?! Indicating who exactly?"

"Our father and I", Jason said, but he seemed reluctant to continue the conversation.

"Our father wasn't worried! Why would he?! I'm just his stubborn little daughter who's in love with traitors!", she snapped at him.

"Thals, that's not -"

"Oh, just SHUT IT! We both know you are his favorite child! That I'm nothing but a failure to him", a tear escaped her eyes. Jason pulled her into a hug, waiting for her to sob on his chest, which she eventually did.

Percy frowned at the image before him. That really wasn't what he had expected from them at all... His will to take revenge seemed to crumble as he looked at the siblings. A faint memory of him crying in his mother's arms, made him shed a tear. He wiped it away and saw the Grace siblings going back to the carriages. The cage was locked again and it was dead silent.

[A/N]: Sorry for the late update! It had some Jiper and Thalico in it :). I hope you liked it!

I have an exam week this week and guess what that means? More free time (since school is so easy these days that I don't have to learn)! And do you know what that means? More updates ;D I'll do my best this week ;).

I finally got a hold of HoH! I'm so excited to read it! But since I haven't yet, please refrain from any spoilers ;). Thank you :).

I want to thank everybody! I don't care if you just read, follow, favorite or review: it's all appreciated! I do love reviews though :3...

To PJoHoOFan: Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter ;).

To Lmb111514: Thalia is just awesome ;P I hope this is how Thalia would react to these kind of things... Please tell me what you think about it ;).

To Di Blythe: I have to disagree on that one... YOU ARE AWESOME :D You completely made my day then! I had a goofy smile on my face all day, just because of your comment ;D. Here's the update and please tell me what you think about it ;P

To awesomeness: Thanks :D I've got a good look of Hagan now and will introduce him in the next chapter ;). Thanks again for the OC and if you have another that I can use, please ;P Thanks for the complement and I hope you liked this chapter ;).

'Till next time ^^

Xx Anny