Thalia knew the exact moments that Luke had been born. His spirit in Castellan had shuddered before dimming just lightly. Hermes had started to spend his time away more.
And Apollon told Ariadne who told Percy who told Annabeth who told her.
She went to check in on them. Hermes was holding onto his son tenderly while to no one's surprise May was making peanut butter sandwiches. The god traced his finger over the baby's face and she knew he was imagining the scar that ran through there.
She wondered how it felt to the gods to see the future that they ran from come to pass. Thalia had never forgotten the look of horror that Hades and Persephone had sported when Nico and Bianca fell into the Sleep. The look of resignation that Nico bore when he realized that not even their efforts could let him escape his fate. The way Ariadne had hugged the boy gently when they visited her.
[No one mentioned the mix of relief and sadness and guilt that the twins and Will all wore.]
But Rachel had looked at Nico and the twins in horror before she whispered: "Twins snuff out the angel's breath". Ariadne and Percy had looked so terrified that it took Nico forever just to get them to look at him.
Thalia focused back on the scene in front of her. Another woman appeared with sparking green eyes. They swirled as dark as moss yet as she looked upon the baby, her eyes turned a brighter green that you didn't see, not even emeralds. Chocolate brown curls fell down her back in ringlets with a braided bun that was situated in the middle. The woman was shorter than her as she smiled kindly at May. There was something almost familiar about her.
"Maia," a voice beside her breathed. Percy and Ariadne were at her side. The demigoddess was holding onto her brother's wrist. Ever since she had been released, the two could be found side by side. Though more often than not they were at sea.
One of their half siblings claimed to be a better fighter than them and Ariadne took that as a challenge. She destroyed them with their powers and then she let Percy use Stormsturge to destroy them at swordwork.
(That was also an interesting development. Nico, Thalia, Annabeth, Clarisse, and Percy had lost their signature weapons. They had all just faded away in their hands. The Moirai had claimed it was because they were not the same people as before but Percy thought it meant something else. Ariadne's weapons were still in their place after all.)
The girl's eyes filled with tears. Thalia was suddenly reminded of the fact that she had gone around collecting mother figures like pokemon cards. Amphitrite… Aphrodite… Leto and Maia. She watched as the younger girl straightened before releasing the buns on her head. Her hair fell in waves that framed her face before she fluffed it around her head.
"What are you doing," Percy questioned, reaching out for her. A mischievous smile lit up her face as she produced a small camera from somewhere . "I'm getting blackmail material and establishing my place as Hermes' favored person ever."
She jumped down from the hill before casually making her way to the door. It definitely looked better without the small monster plushies around the land. Thalia and Percy scrambled to follow her. The door was opening before they even reached it and Hermes was still smiling as he saw them.
"Wait, May," the god stated. "Mother, please let me introduce you to three of the Fated."
Pulling Thalia to the front of the triad, he calmly said, "This is my sister, Thalia." He put a hand on the twins' shoulders. "And these are my cousins, Percy and Ariadne. Children of Poseidon."
The three of them bowed, and with each of their connections to the nature spirits (For Percy there was Grover. For Ariadne there was the gods and the fact that she met Maia once before. For Thalia, it was her time as a temporary nymph alongside her work with Artemis), they gave her the salute of prestige.
The nymph blushed lightly before she turned her attention back to the babe in her hands. She began to sing through the colors of the winds weaving protection onto the child's spirit. (Ariadne smirked to herself because according to her Maia, those were also the lyrics she sung to fuel Hermes' mischief.)
May ignored the trio though instead turning her attention back to the Olympian. From the way that Percy and Ariadne had tensed, it was clearly about a pivotal role in their future-past.
May… May wanted to be the next oracle… and if…if the oracle was cursed in the previous timeline alongside the fact that May was impure.
("My son," she hissed in a dry voice. "Danger. Terrible fate!")
Hermes looked more hurt than worried. "You couldn't marry if you became the Oracle," he complained. "You couldn't see me anymore. And that's only if the curse broke with you."
May put her hand on his arm. "It will," May insisted. As if said Oracle wasn't cursed and she hadn't been driven insane once already.
Scowling, Ariadne butted in on the conversation that Hermes and May were arguing about, "Are you dumb or are you stupid?"
"What," May demanded. Thalia didn't miss the flash of jealousy in the mortal's eyes as Ariadne went to stand at Hermes' side. If Thalia still cared for things like that she could understand. Hermes had relaxed drastically once Ariadne made it to his side as if invisible strings of tensions had been the only thing holding him up. He looked at peace with Ariadne there.
[Thalia had never seen him that relaxed in anyone's presence other than the Twin Archers.]
"Are you dumb or are you stupid," the younger girl repeated slowly. She scowled as she stared at the woman. "Lord Hermes just told you that there is a curse on the Oracle and that it wasn't safe to do it so why would you still want to try?"
The lady lifted her head as if she could look down on Ariadne. Thalia and Percy inched forward. Just in case. Percy because he didn't want to tell Luke that his sister beat up his mother and Thalia because she didn't want to tell Luke that Percy and his sister beat up his mother.
"I can do this. I wasn't shown these visions for no reason," the woman scathingly replied before frowning as Ariadne laughed mockingly. "The Oracle is cursed. By magick as old as the gods under the power of a full moon in the tongue of the ancients and you think that you a mere mortal that only knows of our world because you slept with one of the youngest Olympians can break it as if the gods hadn't been trying since day one? You think that you, an impure maiden, because while virginity is a social construct… your hymen has still been breached and your womb has been filled with the essence of a god… you truly believe that you could break a curse on the Oracle. Do you even know the stipulations to be the host of Pythia? You have to be a maiden and that kid over there shows that you are no longer one. The fact that I could still sense the lingering touch of Hermes on your body—"
She grimaced while a small flash of jealousy passed through her eyes. Just what was going on with that love triangle? "Means that the two have once again lain with each other. Pythia will not move to you. She alongside the curse on her spirit will ravage your mind and soul until nothing is left but a pale imitation… until you are nothing but mere husk of stupidity because Hermes told you that the spirit will not move on and you believe that if you took it then you would be take on its long living curse in some foolish quest to live by his side forever."
Ariadne leaned in close to the mortal, two different shades of blue eyes meeting each other head on. May was red in face whether it be fury or jealousy or embarrassment… Thalia didn't know but— Ariadne spoke calmly and clearly, "You will never be a god."
It was quiet in the room following her declaration before May stormed out. Percy dragged his hands down his face as he stared at his sister, "Really Ariadne?"
Shrugging and giving him a smile, she turned to the small babe in his grandmother's arms. Ariadne was really the only one who had the courage to walk forward. Bright blue eyes blinked up at her before a flash of something crossed his features. Something like recognition deep within his soul.
Before she could say anything, Percy pushed her out of the way to stare at the child. "Hello, Luke. I'm your godfather, Percy."
Ariadne wasn't talking to Percy. It would be worrisome if he knew it was just because she was jealous. After Percy declared himself Luke's godparent, Thalia also threw her hand in to claim the position as his godmother.
She had turned red in anger then refused to say anything else for the rest of the trip. Even Hermes couldn't convince her to speak. (Not that it mattered, he kept whispering jokes that made her laugh loudly.)
Regardless of everything else, Percy had somehow managed to convince May to raise Luke on Castellan. Rachel was showing the woman other ways to use her gifts that didn't involve hosting a cursed spirit.
Their Luke ran and hid whenever his mother or younger self appeared in his line of sight.
Percy, however, had caught him trailing after the duo eyes glaring at the hellpups that got too close for comfort.
The next two years pass by quickly. In the sense that whenever Ariadne came down from Olympus… her visits had to be supervised. Not just because she still wasn't trusted around a lot of things or the fact that sometimes her mind regressed into pre-seal thoughts era… No, it was because the first three times she had been left unsupervised… she started teaching Toddler Luke how to sword fight. Well, how to caduceus fight.
She gave him a toy version that the Stolls were now selling in their store. The two had been found completely reps and destroying a makeshift dummy. The boy had been delighted and she smirked as she began laying down her claim as the favorite amongst them.
And Percy had dragged his sister with him when he went to check in on their mother. Like before she had dropped out of school to take care of her uncle. (The same uncle whom the twins noticed being taken care of by Apollon.)
Ariadne smiled to herself as she saw the god helping even if she refused to acknowledge it. She was still too broken to think of a relationship. (Percy pretended that he hadn't seen her kiss the god on the forehead after a particularly bad instant with one of his sons though he didn't know who.)
And then, their Uncle came to them with a special request.
Ariadne and Percy stood on the roof of the house across from the Grace's family home. They never knew anything about Thalia's past. No one really did. The girl kept a tight lid on it.
But they can understand why now.
Her mother was batshit crazy screaming herself hoarse for Zeus. He wasn't coming back. His affection for anyone that wasn't Hera was as abrupt as the lightning that made up his essence.
Ariadne's brow furrowed as the woman finally passed out. Little Thalia made her way out of the house followed by a small blond child.
They never heard about a younger brother. None of them did. She looked him over. He was— he was so much like Ariadne it was scary. His mere potential for the storm was stronger than Thalia's. She was more lightning. It made sense that she would grow to be a hunter. But this little boy… he was the storm. He had a lot of potential. He wasn't greek. She knew that much, so that meant he was what?
[Apollon's soothing voice whispered into her ear:
Arms and the man I sing, who first made way,
predestined exile, from the Trojan shore
to Italy, the blest Lavinian strand.
Smitten of storms he was on land and sea
by violence of Heaven, to satisfy
stern Juno's sleepless wrath; and much in war
he suffered, seeking at the last to found
the city, and bring o'er his fathers' gods
to safe abode in Latium; whence arose
the Latin race, old Alba's reverend lords,
and from her hills wide-walled, imperial Rome.]
Rome.
Percy and Annabeth had met Janus before. He was a roman god.
Ariadne cast a glance over to her brother. Seems like there were still some secrets to be uncovered. [But weren't they the same people just with different names? She was thinking too much about this.]
His inner storm was more tempered and controlled. It wasn't as wild as Ariadne's but it had the potential to be deadly if he let it all out. Ariadne wasn't surprised when Percy [when did he learn how to create her water slide?] leaped down into the kid's backyard.
The twins couldn't stop the smirks on their faces when Thalia pushed the little boy behind them while brandishing a pair of safety scissors. Not the scissors would do much against monsters, but it was still cute.
Though they both knew that any version of Thalia Grace would sooner rip their tongues out of their mouths before letting them call her cute.
"Who are you," the girl asked warily. Ariadne could already see the making of a leader in her. The way she kept them in her sights and eyed the distance between them and her mother. She was sizing them up also. Probably trying to calculate her chances at beating one of them.
It was no chance at all, but it was still admirable.
"We are your cousins," Percy started before the little girl snorted. "Mom is an orphan. Her parents were only children and their parents were only children."
"But your father was not an only child," Ariadne mocked. Percy looked at her, taking in the disdain and superiority in her expression. He wanted to groan because there was no way she was about to get in a pissing contest with a seven year old. And the way that Thalia cocked her hip out basically stated that the child was going to give up either.
"Okay, everyone calm d--" Ariadne pushed him away, grabbed ahold of Beryl's wrist, and threw the woman to the ground harshly. Twisting her arm around her back to make her drop the glass shard in her hand and pressing her deeper into the ground, she sneered when the woman cried out in pain. "Quiet. You just tried to attack my brother… Prince Perseus of the House of Poseidon and King Zeus' nephew . You're lucky I don't slit your neck."
"Ariadne, you can't just say that in front of kids," Percy groaned, dragging his hands down his face. The two kids had screamed and stumbled away when she deflected their mother's attack. "I don't even like kids, Percy. I didn't even like kids when I was a kid."
Sighing, Percy looked back at Thalia, "I want you to go pack all of your things and your brother's stuff too. Uncle has requested that we take you to a safe place ."
He had not said that, but the hints that he kept "subtlety" dropping in Ariadne's immediate area had been enough. And neither twin missed the relief that had been on Thalia's face when Ariadne had proposed the idea of them taking her back to Castellan.
They thought it was a simple case of not wanting to revisit her past. Thought it had something to do with her mother. After all, were you really a demigod if you didn't have some sort of parental issues?
[Not that this new generation will have to deal with that. They'd make sure of it.]