AN: Hello everyone. I hope everyone has been enjoying a happy holiday season, and that the past year was not too horrible. I know it's been a while since I last updated, and we've been all through the apologies and the explanations before, but I'd rather just say thank you for sticking around and for reading the chapters whenever I do release them. This story has been at the back of my mind for years and years, and I do hope I will finish it this year. It's remarkable how a story I started in middle school (The Fall of Percy Jackson) and this sequel could still be gathering views, reviews, and favorites/follows, almost exactly eight years later.
I'll be finishing up university soon, so these next few months might be my last chance for some time to really finish this story. I hope I can wrap it up in a satisfying way, especially knowing that I'm a much better writer now than when I was 14 lmao.
Again, thank you for following this story / me, for all the favorites and reviews over the years. I have some really interesting twists and turns planned for this story, and hope to dig more into the characters than in the previous story. Hopefully, you appreciate what I have cooking up for yall.
And with that being said, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO, I only own my own OC's and plot ideas.
Thalia's POV, Prior to Joining chaos
For some people, no amount of time can fix a person's grief. They can be lost in it, consumed by it, and destroyed. Many had suffered that fate after the Primordial war, having lost friends, lovers, parents, children, and others. And as strong as she was, a certain daughter of Zeus was left hollow by the grief felt after the war.
Thalia Grace, Lieutenant of Artemis' Hunters, daughter of Zeus, and demigod hero of the Second Titan War, was now a maid to her father's killer—another loved one she had lost, in a way. The King of the Gods was dead: faded into oblivion, naught but a heap of dust left of him when he fell. And the man who did it was her former best friend, Percy Jackson. The events of the war, and the trauma of seeing a close friend murder her immortal father, had left her traumatized. A shattered self-image from the once infamously tough Huntress, Thalia was left empty behind the smile she was forced to wear around Percy, Orion, and Annabeth.
What had happened to Annabeth was the worst of it, in Thalia's eyes. No amount of convincing or private conversations could snap Athena's daughter out of the spell she had been placed under by Tartarus and Erebus. Primordial magic had overpowered her logic centers, and the once painfully logical and reasonable demigod was now all but that when it came to Percy. "You're a liar, Thalia. The gods betrayed Percy. They betrayed me," she would say, over and over the point where she would become angry with Thalia, lashing out at her former friend for espousing what she thought was nonsense. But Thalia never stopped trying.
It was most difficult for her at first, having to live with the nightmares of Percy's vicious killing of her father. Reliving it in her dreams was bad enough, not to mention hearing her cousin and his family telling stories and joking about that moment over the years. But days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Years and years passed, and Thalia's fire had slowly dwindled into naught but smoldering embers—alive, but near the end of the line. More than once she had hurled herself from the edge of Olympus, hoping for an escape from this living nightmare, but she would just shoot back up into the sky, landing in the same place she had leaped from. After the third time doing this, she had stopped, realizing this nightmare would have no end.
At least she had Zade with her. Although his bitterness with Percy and Annabeth and the Primordials had outlived her own, at least she had family with her to make it easier. As horrible as it felt to think of it, she knew that suffering with him had made them close, forging a bond that did not exist before, which in turn allowed her to make it through the days. Zade's charm had kept her fire smoldering on after years and years of pain and suffering, and she owed a lot to her younger brother. And yet the days pressed on, Percy and Annabeth living their happily ever after, his cousins' Zade and Thalia living in a nightmare.
Decades into their "stay" on Olympus, another face came into the picture. When Orion was born, Thalia and Zade made an agreement to treat him right and try and teach him as much as they could about life before the Primordials. They knew that whatever he would be taught about the world would be skewed and twisted, which saddened Thalia especially because he was a great kid. Headstrong like his parents, with the old Percy's kindness, and Annabeth's wits. The makings of a powerful hero.
Thalia and Zade would tell him stories about Percy and Annabeth back in the old days, about Thalia, Annabeth, Grover, and Luke's journey to Camp Half-Blood, Thalia's last stand, Percy's journeys from retrieving Zeus' master bolt and Hades' Helm of Darkness, to saving Thalia's pine with the Golden Fleece. They went into the nuances of Thalia coming back to life, joining the Hunters, and Percy's role as the child of the prophecy. This went on until they got up to the present, and how they ended up on Olympus. The purpose may have been to stress the admirable qualities of his parents to him, but in the end, Thalia and Zade were comforting themselves, finding solace in a past that once was, and most likely never would be again. As much as they tried to convince Orion of the truth, his mother and father's influence could not be broken.
Thalia noticed how hard Zade had it. It seemed that part of Percy blamed Zade for everything that happened to start this whole situation. Sometimes his old self would shine through and he would treat Zade with respect and kindness, but most of the time, he seemed indifferent to Zade's situation of eternally serving his older cousin like an indentured servant. It was only more crushing when they went back through the stories of the old days with Orion, to talk of Percy's compassion, loyalty, and sense of purpose. Oh, how times change.
And about to change, they were.
"Another day suspended miles in the air, forced to serve my friends with hard labor. What a life you live, Thalia," she said to herself in the mirror, getting ready for the day. Her hair was a scraggly mess, unable to be tamed by a mere hair comb. Her classic spiky punk rock hairstyle was long gone, as she didn't care to keep it up anymore. The motivation was gone, and with it, her identity was fading away.
She sighed at the sight of herself. Paler and skinnier than ever, she looked like a shell of her old self. If it hadn't been so many years of feeling like this, she would have broken down into tears. But at his point, she felt numb: a longing for any kind of feeling.
Thalia put down the hair comb and took off her nightgown, walking over to her closet to put on her black servant's uniform given to her decades ago. At least it was her favorite color, she thought.
She looked down and ran her fingers along her torso. The once strong build she had was fading, her blessing of immortality and good health from the Hunters being replaced by a mere 'gift' of just immortality by the Primordials. She had to take care of herself to stay healthy, now, and she certainly had not been doing that. Thalia sighed again, putting on her uniform, and walked out of her chambers.
As awful as it was living in captivity thousands of feet in the sky, she couldn't help but marvel at Annabeth's remodeling of Olympus over the past fifty years. She had made extraordinary progress, adding in features she had always confided in Thalia that would make the place look better, and Thalia had to admit that Annabeth was right. The place was stunning, even with the darker tone it had since the Primordial war.
Thalia continued walking out of her chambers and down a Primordial Obsidian staircase suspended atop a stretch of clouds from her small home towards the Throne room. She saw Zade a ways in front of her and called out to him.
"Hey Zade, wait up!" she yelled. Her younger brother turned and managed a smile and a wave at her sister. He waited for her as she tiptoed her way across the steps. Despite the decades she had spent up here, Thalia's fear of heights had never subsided.
When she caught up with him, Zade was smirking. Thalia's brow furrowed.
"What's got you laughing?" she demanded. Zade threw up his hands.
"It'll never not be funny that you're Zeus' daughter and afraid of heights, is all" he said, stifling a laugh. Thalia managed a smile, but the thought of her father always brought up dark memories for her. The image of Percy ripping out his tongue and twisting his blade in his chest had never stopped haunting her.
"Oh ha-ha," she said, pretending to be amused. She punched him in the arm, and he feigned a wince to make her feel better, having seen her expression darken. Over the years, Zade had learned to pick up on these signs, and Thalia silently thanked him for it.
The two continued on their walk towards the throne room, gazing upon the magnificent archways, columns, and classical Greek features built into the different assortment of structures on Olympus. It was hard not to admire Annabeth's skill.
Thalia cleared her throat. "Are you training with Orion again today?" she asked. Zade nodded his head, and a pained expression took his face.
"Same old, same old. The worst part is that he's becoming a good swordsman, and I just know that those skills won't be used for good down the line." Thalia simply nodded. They had gone through this conversation hundreds of times at this point as if their life was on an eternal loop.
They crossed another section of stairs before approaching the main entrance to the throne room. Thalia took a deep breath—it never got easier seeing Percy and Annabeth in the former thrones of her father and Hera. As the siblings walked into the throne room, they saw Annabeth sitting by the crackling hearth, using a compass to sketch out a design for another part of Olympus. Annabeth looked up and acknowledged her former friends turned servants, showing a slight smile to Thalia. Despite what she believed happened during the Primordial war, Thalia had still saved her life multiple times in her youth, and bonds like that are difficult to break.
"Good morning my lady," Zade said distastefully, mockingly bowing before Annabeth. Thalia looked away, not wanting to catch Annabeth's glare. The Queen of Olympus stood up from her seat and approached the two of them.
"Zade, when are you going to learn that comments like that get you nowhere, especially if my husband were around. Now, go to the kitchens and prepare some Ambrosia and Nectar," she replied. Zade looked confused at first.
"Am I not training with Orion today?" he asked. Annabeth shook her head.
"He has a better teacher today. Percy should be coming back from his excursion…" she looked at the sundial she had constructed on the western branch of the throne room, saying "any minute now, actually." Zade grimaced and nodded at Annabeth, walking away to grab the food of the gods for his masters. Annabeth turned towards Thalia and sighed.
"You would think he would show a little gratitude for not rotting away in Tartarus, wouldn't you?" she asked. Thalia blinked, almost stunned. She knew for a fact that Annabeth would act the same way should she be under those circumstances.
"Sometimes suffering with others is better than a life of loneliness and misery," she retorted, defiantly. Annabeth laughed, amused.
"As if spending your days in Tartarus could possibly be better than living on Olympus, Thalia. You've been down there. Spare me the theatrics, will you?" she said, dismissively waving her hand. Thalia felt anger for the first time in years, rage boiling under her lips.
"HOW DO YOU NOT SEE WHAT YOU'VE BECOME, WISE GIRL?!" she yelled, startled by her anger. The emotions were so overwhelming that she nearly collapsed after her outburst but found her balance quickly. Anger and sadness had filled her voice and every inch of her body before she began to uncontrollably weep. Annabeth's jaw hung low, mouth agape. It had been many years since she had seen Thalia show any amount of emotion. The Queen of Olympus' brow furrowed angrily, and she once again waved her hand dismissively.
"How dare you accuse me of 'becoming' something, Thalia. Look at yourself! The great Lieutenant of Artemis' Hunt reduced to nothing more than a skeletal servant" she spat back angrily. Annabeth's face almost showed a bit of regret as soon as she said it too, as Thalia's demeanor instantly turned from angry to crushed. The daughter of Zeus stumbled back and ran out of the Throne room, away to her chambers.
Annabeth called after her. "Thalia! Wait, I didn't mean that!" she cried, but Thalia couldn't hear her. Her ears were ringing from Annabeth's words, the deepest fillings of betrayal and hurt reinvigorated after lying dormant for decades. She cried violently as she ran back to her room, nearly falling from Olympus in the process. As if that would do anything, she thought.
She returned to her room an absolute wreck. Gasping at air, her mind started racing at a million miles an hour. What seemed to be a panic attack was setting in, and she struggled to choke down pockets of air to fight off what seemed like impending doom.
Doom.
The word rang in her head over and over, as if her time had come. She had to make it stop as quickly as she could. She threw her door open and walked to the edge of Olympus, where the pathway met the sky. Looking over, her heart raced in fear, yet she wished this one time that Olympus would not throw her back to where she was standing.
Doom.
Moros. The Thracian Drake. Zeus' final words as Percy cut out his tongue. Horrible images of pain and despair flashed through her head. She screamed but no sound came out of her mouth, as if the very fire that was keeping her alive was ceasing to be. But she knew that was not the case. She was immortal, save for injuries in battle.
Injuries in battle, she thought, realizing there may be a way to end her suffering once and for all. She rushed over to Zade's quarters, knowing he had made some makeshift blades and knives out of the kitchen silverware. But on her way over, she stumbled once more, but this time not for a lack of strength or willpower. It was as if vertigo was setting in. Her whole word was spinning, revolving around a focal point that was herself. She nearly passed out from dizziness as she scrambled to her feet.
Doom.
She was almost to Zade's door, still gasping for breath as tears and snot streamed down her face. Just before her had touched the door, she felt an enormously powerful presence engulf her, and simultaneously, a powerful yet somehow familiar hand grabbed her own. She recognized this power, but she could not place where from at first. Her mind raced a million miles an hour as she turned her head towards the being. Could it really be?
"D-dad?" she whispered pitifully, expecting the Thunder God to be before her. Her eyesight focused on the being; a tall man riddled with scars. When she looked at his skin, she thought she could see the night sky and the heavens swirling in impossible dances across it, but the illusion quickly faded, and his skin turned normal. When she looked into his eyes, there were galaxies and constellations and what seemed like distant supernovae continuously swirling. She realized she did know this man, as she had met him before, fifty years prior at the end of the Primordial War. It was Ouranous; Father Sky.
The being gave Thalia a pitiful look, placing his powerful hand on her soldier. His eyes were impossibly old and full of knowledge, and he sighed deeply before responding to her.
"No, my child. But you are of my bloodline and have a noble heart. You carry so much weight within it though, and I plead to you that ending your life is not the way," his deep voice replied. Thalia had tears beginning to well in her eyes once more. Ouranos wiped them away and stared deeply into her own eyes as if he was peering into her soul.
"Can you help me," she croaked. Ouranos smiled subtly and nodded. He snapped his finger, and a portal shaped like the Milky Way appeared where Zade's door has once been. Her jaw dropped in disbelief. Ouranos laughed softly to himself.
"Thalia Grace: Daughter of Zeus, Lieutenant Hunter of Artemis, and now a servant to Percy Jackson," he started. Thalia winced at the last part. Ouranos noticed this and continued, saying: "There is work to be done, and you still have a role to play in setting Earth on the right track. However, many years will pass before you return to the place you call home, and challenges that your brain is not yet able to comprehend will present themselves to you. You may even lose your life. All you have to do is come with me through this wormhole, and my father will explain the rest to you." Ouranos took a step toward the Milky Way portal, gesturing for her to join him.
Thalia had a perplexed look across her face, as she wondered about the last sentenced Father Sky had said.
"Your… father? But I thought Chaos wasn't an actual… being. Just eternal nothingness," she said, confused. Ouranos looked at her, his face expressionless.
"My child, you must make up your name now. Time is of the essence," Ouranos replied, pointing behind her towards the general area of the Throne Room. Thalia could hear Annabeth calling out Percy's name, followed by the roar of a massive beast. The Thracian Drake—Moros. The Mount of Tartarus and Erebus' champion.
Doom.
Thalia smiled, feeling determination well up within her. Her empty vessel was being filled with feelings she had not felt for what seemed like an eternity. Her fire had been lit, the once dying out embers managing to blaze upon a new fuel source. But what was that feeling, she wondered, feeling energy course through her body. Ouranos smiled at her, and she felt another surge of electricity run down her spine.
"That would be hope, Thalia. Now, your decision?"
Thalia cracked her neck and then her knuckles, grinning wickedly at her Great-Grandfather, one of the oldest beings in all creation. She nodded her head and smiled.
"Absolutely. Let's do this," she said, walking towards the portal. Ouranos smiled back at her, taking her hand and stepping through the Milky Way together.
Thalia couldn't describe what she had seen or experienced on this journey, as time and space behaved in ways her mind could not comprehend. She swore she could see every event that had ever happened, that was happening at that moment, and that would happen in the future, but the flashes of colors, light, and the gravitational distortions rippling through the images and her body caused her to make no sense of what she was seeing.
After what seemed like a few minutes, she appeared on a walkway in a city, with a view of a world that seemed like an impossible pocket of vibrant architecture and life, seemingly plopped right in the middle of space, floating among the cosmos. Gazing up at the galaxies and stars all around her, she fought back tires at the sight. She never thought she would see something other than Olympus ever again.
Ouranos saw her reaction and waited patiently for her to come back to her senses. After she snapped out of her trance, she looked over at his scarred face, which seemed to be examining her.
Thalia apologized. "Sorry, it's just—"
"A lot to take in, I know" Ouranous finished for her. Thalia nodded, and he gestured for her to follow him.
"Welcome to Oblivion, Thalia. This is where we live, my father, the Nephilim, and me, as well as noble and courageous heroes we found, who represent our values. Maybe you'll see some familiar faces here," he hinted, winking at his Great-Granddaughter. Ouranos continued, "Chaos created this as a safe haven for us, impervious to the universe around it. Time flows differently here, as you will come to learn very soon." The two of them walked along a pathway towards a massive staircase.
"Now, this is where we part ways, for now. Remember Thalia, you are safe now," he reassured her. Thalia had not realized it, but all this new information was causing her to feel uneasy. She let out a deep breath and bowed before the Primordial.
"I cannot thank you enough, Lord Ouranos. I never thought I would leave that place. Now, uh, where do I go?" she asked. Ouranos gestured up the staircase.
"Just follow that until you make it into a great hall. You can't miss it. Your audience with Chaos awaits you," Father Sky said. Thalia started walking up the stairs, before stopping and turning back around. But before she could say anything else to the god, he had vanished, stepping through another portal that looked like a collapsing star. She wondered if they had to look like that, or if the appearance was for show.
She gathered herself and started walking up the steps, that electric feeling coursing through her body with every step. What had Ouranos called it again?
Hope.