I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the number of reviews, I haven't uploaded in seven months. I'm so sorry about that, by the way.
Aishani108: Don't worry, I didn't think you actually lived stories. I'm so sorry it's taken so long for this update, but it's here now!
LizziDaughterOfHades: I actually got another study hall second semester and it's been great so far. I hope this chapter is as good as the last.
whitedragon2645: Updated! Yay! Finally.
xXxZuesMasterBoltxXx: I'm glad you love my story, and I really hope the wait didn't make you love it less.
trustingHim17: Sorry I didn't update.
Evie123: Well, I hope this update makes your day, too.
IamRoseDAughterofHades: Your welcome, I'm sorry it took so long.
PJO is the best: Thank you. I'm glad you hate Luke, that was sort of the point. I've planned out the rest of the story, but I'm still not sure if Nico is going to meet Luke. It doesn't fit into the story except for one tiny part, so if they do meet it will be very briefly. By the way, I love your name.
Sonyvaio: Thank you, I'm sorry it took so long. Geez, I feel like a broken record.
Lucy: That's okay, the fact that you reviewed makes me happy. Thanks!
Lucy (again): Thank you, I actually have been feeling really really bad that I took so long, but I think it's a pretty good chapter. I was having trouble getting it right. But I think I got it. Thanks again for your support.
SummerSpirit18: Thank yoooou! I'm sorry you had a bad school week...seven months ago. But any review is a good review!
AmythestSarahJackson: Again, I am so so so so so sorry that I didn't update sooner. Yeah, they're reunited, but keep reading.
jhonny: Thank you.
ChaosGamer: Pretty nice? Kidding. Thank you.
saltwater10: I think you may have the most random name I have ever seen. That is not a bad thing. I'm glad you love it.
Guest: I updated, sorry it took so long.
Thalia: Thank you. And thanks for the luck.
Mrs-diAngelo25: I'm glad you love it, I'm so sorry I took so long to update.
ThalicoXTratieFan4Ever: Do you still check every day? I think if someone took seven months to update, I would stop checking every day. But if you do, you may be my favorite reviewer ever!
Shadow-wolf-rises: Thank you. I'm going to finish this story, I swear. It might take forever, but I'm going to finish it.
Meeeeeee23: I will keep going, promise. What's meepo?
Ijusttaserdyou: Yeah, I'm not really going for sweet. But thanks anyway!
infinity heart star lightning: I'm going to keep updating this story until it's finished. Don't worry.
Blueberry Vampires: I'm sorry you had to wait so long. I hadn't thought of the possibility of Thalia being pregnant, but I guess I'm surprised you're the first person to mention it. I may have to go rethink my plot line. I updated, and don't worry, you're going to find out what happens.
AmandaDaughterOfHades: You're very straightforward, aren't you?
Me Myself and Not You: Thank you! I'm not quite sure what you meant. I think people didn't like that chapter because it's such a horrible thing to have happen, not because it's a bad chapter. But thanks anyway!
oOShattered StarsOo: Watch me update.
redwaves9: This story still is incredible, I hope. There will be more updates until I'm finished with the story. I'm not going to quit on this story.
Elizabeth B-Lover: Yes.
I don't own Percy Jackson or Escapist by Nightwish.
Chapter 11 – Escapist
watch?v=WNkZzaVQKdY
It had been a month since Thalia had come back, and she still hadn't gone back to her foster mother. Amy Moore had wanted her back but Hades di Angelo had stepped up and said that Thalia was welcome at his house, and after a thorough inspection of the di Angelo household and a background check on Hades, Persephone, Bianca and Nico, the state had agreed to give Hades and Persephone legal guardianship of Thalia. Nico had been allowed to give her a bed in his room, after promising that the two would not share a bed, and the there would be no "fraternization" (to use his father's word).
Thalia hadn't gone back to school yet, and as far as anyone was concerned, her return wasn't in the near future. She had thought about taking online classes, but decided to do so a while later. Now, Nico came home with homework, and explained what he could to her. She liked it because it made her feel a little less useless, and he liked it because he had someone to help him with homework.
In the morning, Nico would wake up to the sound of his alarm clock and start getting ready for school. The alarm would wake up Thalia, too. For the first two weeks she shot out of bed and to her feet, unconsciously thinking that something was wrong, her mind still on the streets for those few seconds. But after a while it passed and when Nico's alarm went off she opened her eyes long enough to say goodbye to him, then roll over and go back to sleep.
Before Nico left the room, he would give Thalia a kiss on the forehead. Sometimes she would roll over and smile at him, then get up to have breakfast with him. Sometimes she would mumble a sleepy goodbye. And sometimes she would just hum at him, and he would try to get out of the room as quietly as possible so he wouldn't wake her up. Sometimes he would wake up with her in the bed next to him, and he would know that she'd had another nightmare. Sometimes she would scream in the middle of the night, and he would wake her up and hold her until she went back to sleep. Sometimes Bianca would come in, sometimes she wouldn't.
In the afternoon three times a week, Thalia would go to therapy. It was a group therapy, and she hated it, but she liked hearing about people who's lives were as fucked up as her own, so she went. Afterward she would go to a coffee shop down the street and drink hot chocolate until Nico got out of school and came and joined her. He would order a coffee and she would order another hot chocolate, and he would ask her why she never drank coffee, to which she would respond, "I'm not addicted to caffeine." He would laugh and tell her about his day.
They hadn't gone back to being a couple yet, but they didn't need to. They understood each other so well.
Which was why Nico was nervous the first time it happened. It was the last period on a Friday, and he was staring at the clock waiting for the bell to ring. It was 2:13 when he started getting a strange feeling in his stomach. He looked down to check his phone, ignoring his science teacher droning on and on about some particle or another and hoping that Thalia had called or texted. She hadn't.
When the bell rang at 2:21 (it was a minute late) Nico was the first one out of his seat, and the first one out the door. He ran to the parking lot and got into his car.
"Thalia?" Nico called, walking through the door.
There was no answer.
Nico took off his jacket and kicked off his shoes, then began walking upstairs, checking the living room and kitchen as he went. He called her name a few more times before reaching his bedroom (which he now thought of as theirs).
Thalia was sitting on her makeshift bed on the floor with her back to him. She was staring at something in her hands.
"Thalia?" Nico said as he took a few steps toward her.
She didn't move.
As he knelt down in frot of her, he realized that she really hadn't moved at all since he'd first seen her sitting there. Her eyes were glassy and was staring down at a picture of the two of them. It was about a week after they'd started dating, ad they were at the park together, sliding down a slide that was obviously too small for them. Bianca had taken the picture. They were laughing.
Nico put his hand on Thalia's shoulder and shook her. "Thalia!"
Her head snapped up and her eyes focused on him. She frowned. "Nico?"
"Are you okay?" he asked, moving his hand to hold her upper arm.
Thalia gave a small laugh. "What do you mean? Why aren't you in school?"
"School got out half an hour ago."
She looked confused, and glanced at the clock. "Wow. I guess I dozed off." She looked back at him and realized he still looked concerned. "I'm fine, Nico. I guess I just didn't get enough sleep last night."
Nico sat looking at her warily for a moment, then shrugged and stood up, offering his hand to Thalia and helping her up. "Come on. I've got homework and it's your turn to make dinner."
The second time it happened, Nico had decided they needed a little fun. He took Thalia out to a club, using fake Ids to get them in. Of course, that was part of the fun.
They danced for a while, laughing at the stupid pop songs that were being played. Eventually they went to an empty table ad sat down.
"Want something to drink?" Nico asked, spreading his jacket on the stool.
"Sure. Soda?"
Nico nodded. He frowned and rifled through his jacked then patted his jean pockets.
Thalia smirked. "Looking for this?" She held up his wallet.
Nico glared at her and snatched his wallet back. "I'm going to have to punish you now."
She laughed. "Really?'
"Really. There may be coffee involved."
She laughed again, and Nico couldn't help but smile. "Get me coffee and there may be tickling in your future."
He shook his head and walked off towards the bar.
Thalia looked down at her hands, the smile fading from her face. The last time she'd been in a club like this was in Queens, when she was running away. She didn't have someone like Nico then. She didn't have anyone.
She rubbed her face and folded her hands on the table. Her head felt too full, like it was stuffed with memories that wanted nothing more than her attention. She closed her eyes, feeling as though she might scream, and then…
The feeling in his stomach was back. Nico looked over at Thalia sitting at the table. She was sitting with her hands on the table, looking down.
"Kid," he heard. He turned around and realized it was his turn.
"Can I have a coke and a ginger ale?" he asked, pulling money out of his wallet.
"Lemon in the coke?"
"Lime."
The bartender turned around and poured the drinks. Nico glanced at Thalia again, then turned around and put a ten on the counter. "Keep the change," he said, picking up the drinks and walking away.
He set the drinks down on the table. "Thalia." She didn't answer. He shook her arm. "Thalia."
She blinked a few times and looked up. It took her a second to focus on him. "That was fast," she said, smiling.
"I've been gone for ten minutes." He looked at her skin. It was pale. "Are you okay?"
"I'm actually not feeling that great." She slid off the stool. "You wanna get going?"
"Sure," he replied, grabbing his jacket. "So I guess I just spent that ten dollars for nothing."
She stared at him in disbelief. "the sodas were ten dollars?"
He laughed. "No, I left the guy a tip."
Thalia smacked his arm. "Why did you do that? All he did was pour a fucking drink."
They walked out the door laughing.
The third time, they were home alone. They were watching Mulan, which Nico had recently learned was Thalia's favorite Disney movie.
The Huns were being buried by an avalanche when Nico looked down at the popcorn bowl and pouted. Thalia looked at him and laughed.
"We're out," he whined.
She laughed again and reached across him to steal the remote and pause the movie. "I'll make some more."
He watched her walk out of the room, swinging her hips. They'd gotten closer over the past two-and-a-half months, and he was hoping that someday they would go back to what they were before.
Persephone was very health conscious, so they never bought microwave popcorn. Persephone insisted that pouring oil in a pot with popcorn seeds was healthier than popping it in the microwave with the fake butter. Which was great, but to pop popcorn on the stove took forever.
Thalia put the oil and popcorn seeds in the pot and turned the stove on. She watched the blue flames flickering.
She liked Nico. She wanted to go back to before Luke, before she left, before Rachel. But she'd tried that before, and she knew that she would get hurt. And she knew that Nico might get hurt, too.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
The popcorn was burning. He could smell it.
"Thalia?" he called. She didn't answer. He got up off the couch and went into the kitchen. She was staring at the stove. Smoke was coming from the pot.
"Thalia, what the fuck?" He crossed over to her and turned off the burner, then looked at her.
"Thalia?" he said, shaking her shoulder. She didn't move. "Thalia." He kept shaking her, but she stared blankly at the pot of burned popcorn.
He didn't know what to do. She'd done this before, but she'd always woken up.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Bianca's number. The call went to voicemail. Of course, she probably had class.
He wasn't going to call his dad, no matter what, and he knew Percy was "studying" with Annabeth.
"Thalia," he said again, shaking her shoulder. His voice croaked in worry. She still didn't move.
He pulled out his phone gain and dialed 911.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"My friend isn't answering me. She's…" how could he describe this? "She's staring at the stove and her face is all blank."
"Are you sure she isn't messing with you?"
"Yes, I'm sure! She looks like she's spacing out but I can't get her to wake up."
"Has your friend experienced any trauma recently?"
Nico swallowed. "She was raped about 2 ½ months ago."
"And has this happened before?"
"Yeah, but I was able to wake her up."
He thought back to the day he'd gotten home from school and found her on the bedroom floor, the day they'd gone out to the club, and felt sick.
"Tell me your address and an ambulance will be there soon."
He rattled off his address and hung up.
He brushed the hair out of her eyes. He was scared for her, but her eyes were what broke his heart.
Instead of being electric, they were like glass – fragile and empty.
I am so so so so so so so sorry that I didn't update sooner. I feel so bad about it. But I swear I'm not going to give up on this story. It might take a long time, but I'm going to do it. I'm not going to be one of those people who quits on my story. Even if I die. I will come back and possess someone and make them finish this. I think it was my friend who really got me to finish. She went and read my story, and then she would tell me that she hated me every time she saw me. I got the message.
For anyone who cares about my life, I got freshman of the month in December! I told my parents, and they both laughed and said that they would never have gotten that. My parents were problem children. I also made high honor roll 3rd quarter, with a 90 in Geometry (my worst subject). I got a job at a restaurant (I may have mentioned that before), but I think I'm going to quit because I got a summer job that starts next weekend, and I can't work during the day at an amusement park and then at a restaurant at night. My parents and I are talking about being an exchange student in France junior year, which would be amazing. And I'm taking a song writing class at school, which is so much fun.
Wow. I just realized how much of that note was about school. I guess I need to get out more.
I realized the other day that my aunt is pregnant and due next month, but when I last updated she wasn't pregnant. Well, she was, but we didn't know. Which was a serious reality check for me.
I am going to update as soon as possible, whether that's next week or next year. But I'll try to update sooner than next year. And summer vacation is coming up, so I'll have more time to write.