hello again dear friends. yes, i rewrote this. for those of you who have not read my original version, you can skip this note.
so, a very amazing commenter on ao3 (thanks demorit) pointed out that there was a lot wrong with my old one.
1. keeping the timeline in mind, Reyna doesn't actually get to CJ until after SoM
2. even if she did, it doesn't make much sense for an eight-year-old to be praetor (not to mention, the timelines were confusing me so)
3. likewise, Jason was actually in the fifth cohort, instead of the third. Leo and Jason will still come in, it'll just be in a later work of this series :)
with all this being said ^^ there will no longer be other timelines, it will all be in 2000. also the first couple of chapters will be the same as it was.

{2000}

(thalia)

Thalia kicked the rock, watching as it skipped over the cracks in the sidewalk. She forgot how long she'd been walking- days, weeks, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had to get away. Away from her mom- who couldn't be bothered to do anything but drink- away from the monsters- that always seemed to follow her- away from her past- she'd even stopped using her last name- away from everything- which was easier said than done.

She sighed, turning the corner. She'd been trying to find a convenience store or gas station, someplace she could get something to eat and clean herself up. The last time she checked, she'd been in Huntington Beach. Progress, considering she'd started back in San Diego.

Her eyes scanned the area in front of her, consisting of obviously newly-renovated buildings and trash-covered grass. She lifted her arm, running her hand along the brick wall that belonged to the building next to her, as she kicked the rock again. A man walked past her, grunting when she bumped into him. She muttered a half-hearted apology but grinned triumphantly as she looked behind her, watching him turn the corner she just came around, unsuspecting, and slipping his wallet into her back pocket.

She'd been living off of pickpockets and loose change found on the ground ever since she left home. No, not home. It was just a house. Especially since Jason- She stopped herself. She couldn't go thinking about that. Luckily, she spotted a 7/11 to take her mind off of it.

::

She pulled the door open, ignoring the look the clerk behind the counter was giving her as the bell above the entrance rang out. She couldn't blame him. Her choppy black hair was a rat's nest, and she hadn't changed in two days. Her skin had taken on a more yellow tone and her freckles had become more prominent against her cheeks because of the sun.

Walking to the back of the store, toward the restroom, she grabbed a pack of gum and a stick of deodorant, swiftly sliding them into her sweatshirt pocket, unnoticed. Pushing on the door, she stepped into the restroom, locking it behind her. She flipped on the water faucet so the clerk wouldn't hear her quietly opening the packages. She tossed the plastic in the trash, throwing paper towels on top of them so they weren't seen. Turning to the mirror, she washed her face and arms, put on a fresh layer of deodorant, and, popping a stick of gum in her mouth, walked out of the bathroom.

She went to the second aisle- after staring at the signs for a solid minute, trying to read them through her dyslexia- and grabbed a box of Little Debbies and a new pair of socks. If there was one thing she never wore twice- it was socks.

The clerk, David, raised an eyebrow, "This all?"

She nodded, "Uh-huh,"

"Your parents?" he asked after a moment, scanning her items

"In the car," she replied easily, sliding a couple of bills across the counter.

It was bullshit and she knew it and she had a feeling he knew it too, but he didn't say anything as he handed her a grocery bag- instead opting for waving. She waved back, leaving the 7/11

::

Thalia weighed the stone in the palm of her hand, tossing it between her fingers, before throwing it at the sign ahead of her that she figured said

WELCOME

TO FABULOUS

LOS ANGELES

CALIFORNIA

She figured here probably wouldn't be the best place to stop, especially since she only had twenty bucks and this was practically the land of the rich. She hadn't stopped in the last town, though, and her feet were killing her. Plus, she hadn't eaten or slept in over twenty-four hours. She didn't have a watch, but she figured by the lack of light in the sky and the position of the stars, that it was around ten o'clock.

She stuck to the side of the road, hiding in the dark and retreating further when the occasional car drove past. After a close call with a sketchy-looking guy- the result of turning down the wrong alleyway- Thalia didn't want to take any chances.

She passed by hotels, shops, apartments. There was a constant of shouting, horns honking, and curses through the air, coming from the busy streets and passing vehicles. It was crowded, and Thalia used that to her advantage. She slipped between crowds, followed behind people old enough to be her parent, inconspicuously walking under store balconies and past storefronts. A few times she managed to score a wallet or some bills but tried not to do it too often, afraid of attracting attention to herself.

Thalia walked under the sun, feeling it beat down on her back and soak through her black clothing. She passed MGM, slowing slightly, before figuring that it'd be too busy, too risky. She walked through Monte Carlo, a pirate ship, pyramids, and a ton of other tourist attractions, wandering aimlessly. The air smelled like sulfur and burning rubber. LA was loud and boisterous and she didn't know the first thing about it. She didn't know how much anything would cost or what rules applied, so she picked a random building- Lotus Hotel and Casino and decided that was the one she'd walk into.

The entrance had a big neon flower, the petals blinking and flashing yellow and pink. She'd never seen one before, but she figured it was a lotus going by the name of the casino. A woman approached her, offering a plastic card. Thalia eyed it suspiciously.

"I don't have any money," she lied

The woman laughed, eyes lighting up as she threw her head back, "Sweetie, that's alright. Consider it a gift,"

Thalia didn't reach for it, at first. She'd learned to be suspicious years ago- when she saw a cheerleader on the street whose form flickered from gorgeous to hideous, a dog that seemed to enlarge in size within a matter of seconds and had rows and rows of teeth. Once, she had even seen a horse with wings hidden behind some bushes.

There was something about the woman, though, that filled Thalia with warmth and made her toes tingle. She had the same feeling a mother would, she supposed.

Thalia relented, outstretching her arm and grabbing the card, smiling hesitantly at her.

"...Thank...you?" It came out more of a question than a statement, but the woman laughed again.

"Of course, Thalia,"

That should've been it. When the doorwoman had called her by her name even though she hadn't given it. But, the only thing there was a nagging voice, whispering in the back of her mind. Plus, when she fully stepped into the Lotus hotel, she forgot everything.

The lobby was a game room. The entire lobby- with indoor waterslides, bungee jumping, VR, a huge TV, and what seemed like thousands of different video games- was one giant game room. Thalia ignored the murmur in her head as her eyes widened as they landed on the far left wall. Lining it, was a table full of any snack, any drink, any food you could imagine. Thalia's stomach growled just looking at it.

There weren't any adults that she noticed, besides what seemed to be staff, which was a little weird. Maybe they had decided to stay in their rooms.

She shrugged it off, shouldering the backpack she had gotten at her last rest stop, and started forward.