It was late March when there was a rapping on the door.
Percy was trying in vain to understand his English assignment while Sally was typing away at her laptop for her book, occasionally offering some advice to her son, but they both knew that wouldn't go anywhere. Still, they worked in comfortable silence in the living room on an average day.
Sally had given Paul a key, and they weren't expecting visitors, so when the urgent tapping echoed from the door, they exchanged confused looks.
"It better not be a monster, I really cannot deal with that today," Percy grumbled as he tossed his pencil down.
"Perhaps it's just the mailman or something." Sally said, frowning, not considering it could be a monster until he said that.
Percy sighed heavily and opened the door, and blinked in shock.
"Uh…" He said cleverly.
"Sup, Kelp Head?" Thalia brushed passed him, inviting herself in, her silver tiara and jean jacket over the skinny black jeans and a tight gothic t-shirt matching her thick black boots as usual. "Hey Ms. Jackson, how are you?"
"Thalia!" Sally jumped up, grinning, going over and giving her a hug. "I'm great, how're you? It's been a while," She smiled warmly, and Thalia looked uncomfortable, but happy at Sally's touch.
"Yeah, good to see you." Thalia agreed. "Uh, do you think I could steal Percy for a bit? We've got issues with the Hudson."
Percy cocked and eyebrow. "What's wrong with the Hudson?" He said warily.
Thalia pressed her lips together and sniffed. "Stupid river nymphs apparently have something against Artemis. She's up on Olympus this week, so it's just us and we don't have the power to turn them into deer for being a bunch of soggy bit-"
"Right, right," Percy interrupted her as Sally frowned at the language. "I'll be right there," He ran back to his room, leaving the girls there.
"I haven't seen you since December, Thalia." Sally pouted. "Please say you'll at least stay for dinner before you take off again?"
Thalia's cheeks colored a bit and she shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, uh, I'd love to Ms. J, but the Hunters and I…"
"Hunters?" Sally frowned.
Thalia blinked. "Percy didn't tell you I joined the Hunters of Artemis?"
Sally blinked in surprise as well, but considered it while frowning slightly. "Did it happen on your quest last December?"
Thalia frowned suspiciously. "Yeah… why?"
Sally sighed. "Percy doesn't talk about that quest very often. Annabeth gave me the overview… but I think that quest in particular was very hard on him. He avoids it if he can."
Thalia looked down the hallway where Percy's disappeared off to with and unreadable expression.
"I'd love to stay for dinner, Ms. J, if that's ok."
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"First of all, there was no need to electrocute them!"
"You heard what they said! They insulted my Lady, they got what they deserved!"
"You could've waited until I got out!"
"Eh, you're fine, aren't you?"
"Not the point!"
"Oh good, you're home!" Sally greeted them at the door, placing her hands on the door frame, blocking their path. She had wide eyes conveying something to Percy who just blinked back at her ac couple times before speaking up.
"Oh, Paul's here?"
"Paul?" Thalia asked.
"My boyfriend," Sally said proudly and Thalia waved her eyebrows suggestively at Percy, who hit her in the shoulder to shut her up. Of course, that resulted in her hitting him back, only with a little electricity to get him to jump at the shock, but before it could go any further, Sally stepped between them and wrapped one arm around Thalia's shoulders to drag her inside. "Please behave you two. Paul won't understand your, ah, rivalry."
Thalia raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't…"
"Not yet," Sally confirmed, putting emphasis on the 'yet'. "Where are the Hunters?" She asked and Thalia slipped into 'lieutenant' mode.
"They set up camp on the outskirts of the city. We were hanging out around here anyway until Artemis is finished with her business on Olympus, and she understands I will still have mortal connections for the next couple decades."
"I'm honored to be one of them," Sally beamed and Thalia blushed a bit again.
She ushered the two into the kitchen where Paul was setting the table and seemed a bit surprised at Thalia.
"Hello," He smiled.
"Paul, this is Thalia, Percy's cousin."
"On our dad's side," Thalia supplied at Paul's slightly confused look.
"Oh, nice to meet you," He shook Thalia's hand and was again shocked by her strength, just like when he first met Percy. She had these shocking blue eyes that made him slightly uncomfortable, like he should start fessing up to something, but he didn't know what.
"I made a garden salad and tomato soup," Sally said, and Thalia grinned. She had said she was a Hunter of Artemis in passing, she never thought Sally would connect that to her being a vegetarian.
"Sweet," She smiled, and noticed the pack of cards on the table. "Playing cards?" She asked.
"I was hoping to play Percy in Rummy after dinner," Paul shrugged.
"He has yet to beat either of us," Sally added in as she stirred the soup.
"Wow," Thalia smirked. "Kelp Head's actually good at something that requires brains…" She teased.
Percy rolled his eyes. "Yes, actually, I'm good at Rummy, where as you aren't good at anything that doesn't require kicking someone else's butt." He snapped back.
"I am plenty smart, thank you very much, and what situation would I possibly be in that kicking someone's butt wouldn't be a valuable tool?"
"Cards." Percy pointed out, scooping the deck off the table and waving it challengingly in front of her.
"Isn't this Mr. D's realm?" Thalia said in distaste.
Percy sniffed, "I'm ignoring that part. I like Rummy."
Thalia rolled her eyes and snatched the deck, sitting at the table and quickly handing out cards between the two of them. "Rummy is a wimpy version of Poker, you know? Why don't you play poker then?"
"I like Rummy, I hate Poker." Percy said a bit tensely, and Thalia sensed the sore subject and let it drop. She was all for teasing him relentlessly, but she could tell when a subject came too close to the heart. She wanted to get one or two good hits in, not break him.
"We'll be eating in a minute, I wouldn't start another game," Sally warned.
Thalia turned with a wicked grin. "Naw, we can finish this up in three minutes, tops, right Perce? What's ADHD good for, if not some speed?"
Percy grinned wildly at the challenge.
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It was incredible, watching the two kids play cards. Strictly speaking, watching cards should not be fun, but their hands moved so fast, twitching like they often did when Percy was trying hard to hold still, picking up cards and putting them down faster than Paul could keep up.
The first hand was over in seconds and Thalia won.
"Ha! You call that being good at Rummy?"
"It's the first hand, Pinecone Face, deal again!"
"Pinecone Face?" Paul asked in amusement at their odd insults.
"I have a thing for trees," Thalia said smoothly, flashing him a sly grin as she dealt that cards again with subtle flicks of her wrist. "And Kelp Head here has nothing on his mind but bright green bacteria eating away at his brain, thus, Kelp Head."
"I resent that," Percy scoffed, beginning the next hand just as fast as the first. Twenty seconds later, he slammed his hands on the table, "Rummy!" He cried.
"No it wasn't! I meant to put that down!" Thalia yelled back.
"Really? There are already two fours down, it's a Rummy!" Percy tried to pull the card off the pile and Thalia slapped his hand.
"No, back off!"
"You messed up, fair and square!"
"Not fair, not square, and I did not mess up!"
"Did too!"
"Did not, you idiot!"
"Did too, you crazy leaf-for-brains!"
Thalia dropped the card. "Leaf-for-brains? Really Percy?"
"Yes, really." Percy sniffed, taking the card she'd forgotten. "It's my insult and I'm sticking to it."
"It's not a very good insult."
"I don't really care."
"Do you two bicker like this all the time?" Paul wondered aloud and they turned their heads to him.
"Yes." They chorused, and then laughed as they realized Sally said it at the same time too.
Percy started the cards again, and a little bit later, Thalia won again.
"You say you're good, but I'm wiping the floor with you," She pointed out, and Percy just scowled and started dealing again, saying nothing.
They were in the middle of their fast-paced pick up and put down motions when she spoke again, a bit too casually.
"So… heard anything from Nico lately?"
Percy's cards slipped and he quickly picked them up again, but was having a hard time focusing on the rapid pace now. "What in the name of Ha-… uh, why on earth would you think I'd have any idea?"
"Well, he is our cousin."
Sally heard that and turned around in surprise, but remained quiet at the stressed look in Percy's face.
"If I remember correctly," Percy said stiffly. "He did accuse me of trying to kill him, killing his sister, and then running away to be as far as possible from me. I dunno, might just be a guess, but I don't think we're on the best of terms." He muttered sarcastically.
"What happened?" Paul said before he could sensor himself. He didn't want to intrude seeing as this was obviously a family thing and it had Percy stressed pretty badly, but this talk about people dying…?
"Nico and Bianca were our cousins, again on our dad's side, and Bianca was in an accident and got killed. Percy and I were there when it happened, he was the one to tell Nico, and the kid kind of flipped out and ran away from home."
"Oh god, that's terrible," Paul said sympathetically. Percy said nothing.
"I win." Thalia said gently, placing her cards down and gathering them up to re-shuffle. "Percy here," She continued, "feels, as idiotic heroes often do, that he is somehow responsible for a ten year old boy's unpredictable actions and emotions. Nico blames you, yes, but he wasn't there, and I was. I say you couldn't have done anything if you tried, and Nico is being stupid for not listening to the whole story."
"I promised I would bring her back safely, Thalia." Percy said softly. "Before I left, I promised him I'd take care of her."
Thalia paused in her own card movements, looking a bit alarmed.
"That is an incredibly stupid promise to make, and you know it. How the hell could you guarantee that?"
"Call me stupid all you want— hell, you do—but you can't say I don't care. I thought I could protect her; call me an arrogant fool for thinking I could protect my family, but I tried ok?"
Thalia put her cards down and glared at him. "Ok, you're an idiot and an arrogant fool."
"Thanks, really." He snapped sarcastically, putting his own cards down since she wasn't taking her turn.
"You're an idiot and an arrogant fool for thinking this is in any way your fault. You're an idiot and an arrogant fool for thinking this is anywhere close to being about you. This is about Nico being lost and hurt, and Bianca finding her peace, and Zoe knowing full well it was her time before fighting alongside you and finding her place in the stars." Percy flinched at the mention of Zoe. "No, shut up! You can't feel guilty for Zoe as well, the pro-"
She caught herself as she remembered Paul was still watching with wide eyes.
"Zoe was old, and it was her time. Naturally, not because of anything you did. The whole thing with the sky and Annabeth, it really messed with you, didn't it?"
"Thalia, I'm allowed to feel guilty, even if it's not my fault. That's how I mourn. I tried to tell Annabeth, but you know how well she listens to that kind of stuff," Thalia could help but smirk, picking up her cards again.
"Well, that I do." She finally took her turn and the pace began again. "But I don't want to hear anything about this again. You better get over yourself fast or I'll ditch the girls and personally come up here to kick your ass."
"Wait, is that what this is about? You're trying to comfort me?!"
"Yeah? You couldn't tell?"
"No, honestly it just seemed like you were insulting and yelling at me."
"There's a difference?"
"I hate to admit it, but I missed you Thals." Percy smiled, over the serious conversation.
"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?"
"Now who needs to get over themselves?"
"Oh, it's still you."
"Well, you should get over yourself too, because you just lost." Percy smirked, laying his cards down.
Thalia blinked in shock.
"How'd you do that? You were losing-!"
"And now I've won. Game over," He beamed.
"You little-!"
They launched into another round of bickering and Paul sat back, trying to absorb what just happened, but failing entirely.
