Chapter 12
Thalia Tries to Kill Me
I'd love to tell you that Thalia was elated to see me, and that the four of us had a nice chat at a nice restaurant. Instead we were shouting at each other while Orion tried to kill us in San Jose.
So, you want to know how we got into this situation? Well, it all started when Coach Hedge found Backbiter under the cushion of the couch while he was looking for the remote. He decided that we should go into town since he needed a new baseball bat, and I had my sword back. Despite the voice in the back of my head, I agreed to go since I was so hungry. Gods, I could have gone for a chipotle burger and a piña colada.
Turns out we were pretty far from San Jose, but a nice farmer drove us into town. He tried to hint that he had a daughter my age. I didn't get what farmers saw in me for their daughters. And for the Gods' sake, I looked a muddling tourist right now. Who would want to date me like this?
When we got into town, I bought Coach two new bats; a birch Louisville Slugger and an aluminum one. He also bought a backpack that you could stick the bats through. It made him look kinda like a commando.
I was glad we bought his bat first because as soon as we left the store, a fight broke out a couple blocks down. I drew my sword and Coach took out his new bat. The two of us ran until we saw all the carnage.
Several hunters lay dead in the street. Others cried out in pain. I tired to pull some of them to safety, but I heard Coach scream, "Die, scum!"
He was going after a giant, though a small one. By deduction, I guessed that it was Orion. I had no choice but to run after Coach. As I got closer, I could see Reyna, Thalia, and another girl fighting too. Coach had just shattered his wooden bat, so moved onto his aluminum one.
I quickly jumped over Coach Hedge and sliced into Orion's arm.
"Foolish, boy. You should have joined Gaea's side."
"Yeah right," I retorted before ramming my sword into his leg and twisting it. He finally reacted to the attack by making a horribly pained face.
I turned my head to Thalia, who was shooting arrows at him. Each one narrowly avoided me like when I was attacked by the Ophiotaurus. Oomph! Orion swiped at me, slamming me down onto the ground.
I forced myself back up as Reyna took my place fighting Orion. He charged us, making us scatter. Then, he pulled Backbiter out of his leg and threw it aside casually.
"Get out of here, Reyna," shouted one of the Amazons.
"I won't leave you, Hylla."
"Prepare to die."
"Just go, sister!" shouted Hylla.
I grabbed Reyna, who was petrified, and dragged her away, followed by Coach Hedge. "Come on, we need to get to the statue," I said.
Reyna's legs refused to move faster, so I picked her up and broke into a sprint. The three of us stopped running when we were near the statue. Thalia appeared next to me. Her eyes widened.
"What are you doing here?"
"Trying to help you guys."
Before I could react. Thalia slapped me across the face. I jumped back. "What the hell was that for?"
"I meant coming back to life, you monster," she shouted angrily.
Thalia notched an arrow and aimed her bow at my heart.
"You have ten seconds to tell me what's going on," she growled.
I spat back, "This is not a good time, Thalia."
"You don't even deserve to say my name."
"Uh, guys. Stop fighting. We've got bigger problems," urged Reyna, who was now coming back to reality.
"You ok?" I asked.
"She shook her head. No, I'm not. I don't think I ever will be."
I pulled Reyna close to me and hugged her. "I'm sorry," I said quietly. She began to sob into my shirt again. I tried to comfort her, but my mind was still on Orion.
"Hey guys, we need to leave, now."
"I'm staying to help Hylla," said Thalia.
I wasn't sure what I was thinking, but I said, "You're choice, but you'll die."
The three of us walked over to the statue and got ready to shadow travel. Coach Hedge got on my back again.
Just then, I head a piercing scream. Then, a spear came flying out of nowhere and landed next to the statue. Orion soon came after it, but Hylla grabbed hold of his cape, subduing the giant.
Thalia looked over at Hylla desperately. I turned towards the statue and started to focus on South Carolina since the memory was still fresh in my head. Before I could leave, Thalia threw herself onto me. As we sped off into the rift, I started to choke. Thalia's grip was way too strong.
We finally landed down on the side of the road facing the ocean. Thankfully, Thalia let go and stood up. Reyna got up after her with Coach Hedge. I collapsed to the ground.
"What the hell, you dastardly beast?" cried Thalia.
Ugh! I jumped up to avoid another horribly placed kick. I realized that I wasn't getting a break because she notched another arrow. Thalia headed towards me with a menacing scowl plastered across her face, so I did what my instincts told me to do and ran.
I evaded Thalia for five solid minutes until my legs gave out. I fell to the ground, face first. I was so exhausted that I couldn't even say anything thing to stop Thalia. The only thing going through my head was I'm going to die at the hands of my ex-girlfriend. Before she could shoot, Reyna jumped in front of me.
"Thalia, stop! Luke's on our side."
"How do you know he's not faking it?"
"Because he let the Romans kill him once already to buy more time to get the statue back," Reyna said.
"I want to hear it from his mouth."
I gasped, "It's true, Thalia. I've given everything to stop the Giants."
Thalia sighed and sat down on a rock. "How is that supposed to make a difference? Anyone in your position would rise to the task. As far as I'm concerned, you're a manipulative, backstabbing, fiend."
"Thalia, that's not fair. Luke's changed."
"Look, Kardashians. We're on the side of the road. People are going to wonder what's going on. Let's get down to the beach," said Coach Hedge.
Reyna helped me get down. Thalia got herself down, and Coach Hedge—well, he was part goat. We thought the statue would be safe since no one would be walking along a highway.
"So what now?" asked Thalia.
Reyna said, "We'll take a break before getting the statue closer to camp."
"Can we get something to eat?"
"As soon as I can start teleporting again," I replied.
As Coach Hedge and Reyna went looking for firewood, Thalia sat down next to me. I had the impulse to move away from her, but I didn't. I know I hurt Thalia in more ways than I could have imagined, but I was hurt myself when she tried to attack me a couple minutes ago.
"I don't forgive you," she said sharply.
Something cracked in me—probably from Clarisse—and I said, "I don't care if you forgive me or not, I've done too much to be able to make up for, but I'm not going to focus on hating myself or act like a blubbering idiot. I have a job to do, ya know."
Thalia opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Then she tried to say something, but I only heard murmuring. Finally, she said, "I missed you."
She lean against me, kind of like when we were younger. "I'm sorry, Luke. You don't deserve all the hate I gave you. You deserved some, but not all."
"That's better, I guess."
She laughed in an exhausted way. I could tell that Thalia had changed a lot.
"My Gods, Luke. How in the name of Zeus did you come back to life, and get into this mess?"
"Actually, I came back to life twice."
Thalia shook her head. "Luke, I have no idea what has been happening. Act like I'm the one who came back to life and tell me everything."
After almost twenty minutes, I finished telling her every single little detail. Not just since I was alive again, but what led me to the rebellion and whatnot, that included Penelope. I felt like I should just make a video to show people.
"So you're here for good?"
I nodded. "Unless I die again, I'll be here until I die a natural death later on."
Thalia leaned in and hugged me. "Luke, I'd quit the Hunters to be back with you."
"Really? Won't you die if you break your oath?"
"Only if you are past mortal age. I'll age up a couple years, but I won't die. I'll be twenty."
"I'm still twenty one right now, since I was dead."
Everything started to feel fuzzy, but not because I was sick or anything like that. I felt good. Actually, I felt great because I was so excited to see Thalia. This was what I wanted all this time.
This time, Thalia kissed me. I fell onto my back and embraced her. I don't know how time passed before I started to think about Reyna.
I pulled away from Thalia and sat up. She gave me a hurt look.
"I'm sorry, I'm dating Reyna."
"Wait, you're dating her?"
"Yes, I am. I didn't even know if I would see you again—don't even try to slap me—I'm sorry, Thalia."
Thalia's face grew darker, like a lightening storm, figures since she was a daughter of Zeus. The thought of the Ophiotaurus dawned on me, but I thought better than to bring it up since she was so volatile.
Surprisingly, she didn't say or do anything. That only made me more nervous. After a few moments she stood up.
"Well, say something," I said tiredly.
"I'm disappointed in you."
She walked away without another word. I felt like total crap. Even in my weakened state, I would have rather been hit or shocked than to be told that.
.
Once I had enough energy back, the four of us shadow traveled to Beaufort. After Coach Hedge doled out money like we were kids on a field trip, the four of us split up to buy new clothes. I went into a Southern Tide since my Hawaiian shirt was torn in six place. The clerk made me feel self-conscious because he kept telling me to try Tommy Bahama. I had to convince him that 'this' was my style. I bought a couple new shirts and some shorts there.
As awkward as it was, I went to a public restroom and changed into a pair of Nantucket reds and an oxford. When I came out, I got a good look at myself in the mirror. I was starting to look like an adult, not a homeless teenager. I kinda liked it.
The four of us met up around the Apple store. Thalia mentioned that I looked like a snooty kid from a prep school. Things were starting to feel normal again. After some fighting we decided to eat at the 11th St. Dockside Restaurant.
All of us ordered expensive meals since it was on Camp Half-Blood's credit card. If more people were going on quests, I would have felt bad, but no one was spending any money. As I chewed on a piece of fillet, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Part of me wanted to believe that I was just cold since we were out on the dock, but I knew better.
"So, Luke. Tell me more about your girlfriend," said Thalia. There was that unmistakable glint in her eye that she got whenever she had the upper hand.
"What do you want to know that you couldn't ask her?"
Thalia turned bright red.
"Luke, be peaceable," said Reyna.
"Sure," I mumbled.
Coach Hedge started to prate on about baseball stats.
When the waiter asked if I wanted dessert, I declined and asked for a Moscow mule. After the waiter left, Reyna asked why I didn't get dessert.
I replied sleepily, "I might gain weight since I haven't actually done anything lately."
Reyna made a face. "You sound like Drew."
"Who's Drew?" asked Thalia.
"An annoying camper I had to work with," I replied defensively.
After several more awkward questions, I was grateful when the waiter brought me my drink. Everything was quiet until the waiter brought us the bill. For some reason, the credit card was declined, but the waiter said he'd keep trying.
When the waiter came back for the third time, I noticed that his eyes were red. And not like allergies-so-bad-you-need-Claritin, but shockingly bright red. That was never a good sign.
I finally got sick of this game and stood up when I heard the waiter's footsteps. "Listen, who the hell are you?"
I was face to face with the manager, not the waiter, and he was definitely mortal.
"I am so sorry," I stammered.
"Wrong guy, kid," the waiter sneered from behind the manager.
The manager's face flashed irritation, but he composed himself and said, "I see you all have had some trouble."
I sat back down since I felt like a jerk-wad.
"Are you drunk?" Reyna whispered into my ear.
I didn't respond because I was too busy trying to find a way out of this. They'd probably call the police, unless we looked like a reputable family. A single dad with a drunk kid and a goth probably wasn't the best cover.
"I will try again, and hopefully it will work this time," said the manager before walking off.
The waiter turned back towards us. He leaned against the docks and cleaned his teeth with a toothpick.
"You know, you were right, Luke. I'm not a mortal. I'm—"
"Your card went through," said the manager triumphantly as Coach snatched it back.
I grabbed the manager, who weighed a ton, and threw him over the railing before drawing my sword. It was safer for the manager to stay out of the fight. If this wasn't a serious situation, I would have cracked up from the look on the manager's face, priceless.
"Here's a little help, kid. I'm Lycaon."
"Don't care."
The two of us circle around for what seemed like hours. "Hey, draw your weapons," I shouted to the group.
Just then, Lycaon lunged at me. He grabbed my sword in his bare hands and shook it. That should have hurt, but he didn't get a single cut. I watched Backbiter going flying into the water with a plop. This was déjà vu.
I felt two ginormous hands grab me by my side and throw me. Lycaon basically skipped me across a few tables like a stone before I landed in someone's soup. That burned a lot. Not to mention, unlike in a James Bond movie, stunts like these leave you in speechless pain.
I looked up. Reyna was on Lycaon's back. She slammed her sword down on him while Coach Hedge swung his bat into his stomach. That should have hurt the monster, but it didn't.
"Ahhh!" Thalia screamed. She was being attacked by a pack of wolves. Then she said, "You need silver to kill them."
A thought dawned on me. We were in a fancy enough place that they might actually have real silverware. I grabbed the fork off of a table and ambled over to Thalia. I jabbed a wolf in the side, sending him running away.
"Thanks," muttered Thalia.
She took two forks from the adjacent table and charged. As we beat back the wolves, I heard a loud scream. I turned my head. Lycaon was holding Reyna high over his head while Coach jumped in vain.
Before I could react, a wolf leapt at me, sinking its teeth into my arm. I howled out in pain and stabbed the wolf in its eye, but it didn't let go. Finally, Thalia came back and shot the wolf dead with an arrow.
I mouthed, "How?"
"Silver arrows. Artemis always knows best."
I turned my attention back to Lycaon, who still had Reyna.
Thalia shot another arrow dangerously close to Reyna. It hit Lycaon square in the chest. He yelped and dropped Reyna. I grabbed her before she hit the deck. A volley of arrows whizz over our heads. Coach Hedge picked up a silver platter from a cart and jumped up in the air, whacking Lycaon in the face like a WWE wrestler. Lycaon fell into the water with a loud splash.
"Is he dead?" I asked.
Thalia nodded.
"Luke, we need to get your arm healed up," said Reyna. I could tell that she was shocked.
"Ok, but—"
Reyna cut me off: "No, Luke. I swear, if you can't stop—we're going to stay in a hotel tonight."
"Fine."
The four of us headed to the nearest hotel we could find, which happened to be a Marriott. Coach Hedge had a conundrum. If he got two rooms, he faced either keeping Reyna and Thalia from fighting, Thalia and me from fighting, or Reyna and me being together. Instead, the concierge offered some deluxe room that could hold four people. It was the same price as two rooms, so Coach took that offer.
The room was pretty nice; two sides of the room were made of glass so you could see the city, there was a living room area set up in the corner, and there were two queen beds. Coach Hedge decided to sleep on the couch, so I had to sleep in an arm chair again. That sucked.
As soon as we were in, Reyna dragged me into the bathroom to clean my wound. Gods, I cursed like a sailor when she wiped alcohol into my wound. After I was bandaged up, Thalia ran into the bathroom and claimed it for an hour so she could take a bath in the whirlpool. I couldn't blame her. We were all sweaty, grimy, tired.
Since Thalia was in the bathroom and Coach was asleep, Reyna invited me up on her bed. It felt a lot better than the chair. I stretched out and snuggled with Reyna.
When I was absolutely sure that Coach Hedge was asleep, I started nuzzling Reyna's neck. It would have been comical sense I was so much bigger than her, but at the moment I just felt so vulnerable.
"Luke, what's into you?"
"I just missed you a lot."
"Are you crying?"
"Maybe."
Reyna wrapped her arms around me.
"What happened?"
Part of me wanted to avoid telling her why I was really crying, but Clarisse's words about not running from my emotions made me change my mind.
"I'm just scared," I managed to say.
"Of what?" asked Reyna.
I straightened up.
"Of everything. I'm afraid of what'll happen once we get to camp. I'm afraid of my feelings for Thalia. I want to believe that I'm not alone and that I don't shut people out, but as I debate it, things just stop making sense and I realize—"
Reyna stopped my nervous rant by kissing me. I leaned in and pulled her closer to me.
"You're not alone, Luke. You should already know that. Everyone on the Argo II loves you. I love you."
I said quietly, "But what if I shut them out?"
I couldn't tell if Reyna could hear me, or just chose not to answer. I didn't venture to say anything else.
"We'll get through this together," Reyna said quietly.
The two of us fell asleep in each other's arms.
. . .
A few hours later, I woke up spooning Reyna between the covers. I slowly got up, making sure not to wake her, and walked over to the mini-fridge to get a bottle of water.
I started to pace around, watching pedestrians walk around outside. I kinda envied them. They didn't have half the problems I had. Sure, they had inner battles and responsibilities, but I still felt like it was easier for them just to slip away into complacency. We couldn't just forget who we were or why we had to do things because demigods always had to fight. It was a battle to find a reason to keep fighting even after you'd be knocked down and told you're expendable.
I felt a cold hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, Thalia."
"I'm sorry."
"What?
"I understand why you're dating Reyna. You needed someone to support you."
The two of us stood in the darkness, watching the busy city life together. I wondered if she was thinking the same as me. I didn't know since we weren't that close anymore.
Thalia looked at me, her electric blue eyes held my attention. There was so much pain and anger in them.
"You hurt me at the Garden of Hesperides. When you betrayed me, that scarred me. That was when I truly lost faith in humanity that day. I've never trusted anyone fully after that, not even my sisters. You ruined me, Luke."
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked softly.
"Not because I'm trying to hurt you," she said before getting back into bed.
I crawled back in bed with Reyna. Her hair smelled like oranges and vanilla. I had to admit that it was pretty relaxing. I fell asleep for good this time.
