Chapter 1
Thalia
Thalia was really starting to hate her ADHD. Hestia had only given her one mission in the past two years, and she was on the verge of failure. The 'attention deficit' part of her ADHD resulted in her having trouble keeping track of time. Not that the monster battles and the multitude of near-death experiences helped, but, you know.
Semantics.
All in all, it resulted in her glancing at a newspaper one day, and realizing that she only had three weeks to get to the edge of Manhattan.
For normal people? No problem, just drive in from Pittsburgh, or take a plane from Houston, be there in less than a day.
Thalia, however, had no such luxuries, for a great many of reasons.
First, she was demigod, a child of Zeus, no less, and thus attracted a lot of monsters.
Second, she was taking care of her now four year old brother, Jason, who was also a child of Zeus (or Jupiter; it didn't matter to her, they were both terrible fathers.)
Third, she was still only ten, no matter what her mental maturity might be, and could neither effectively reach the pedals of a 'borrowed' car, nor did she have enough money to purchase a plane ticket or a cab ride.
And finally, she didn't trust anyone other than herself, Jason and Hestia, so there was no way in hell she was asking for a ride from a stranger all the way from North Carolina to New Jersey.
So, as a result, she and Jason had basically walked through day and night, with only brief periods of rest for recovery and the ever frequent monster attacks, all the way to Jersey.
Their relentless trek had paid off, she supposed, as they arrived in what they thought to be New Jersey with two days to spare. Only for her to realize that they had completely overshot their target, and were now in the middle of Manhattan, near Central Park.
She had given up asking for directions to the nearby 'New' state. The New Yorkers would either look at her weirdly and keep walking, or give her a series of directions that, although most likely simple to New York residents, were ridiculously complex to her tourist and ADHD brain.
"Go down 6th street," they said. "Take a left onto 21st." It was too many directions for her to remember, and her dyslexia would prevent her from reading the street signs correctly. Apparently dyslexia and ADHD were like a package deal for demigods. The ADHD she understood, what with her ridiculous reflexes and all, but she thought the dyslexia was just stupid. The gods' personalities had evolved (mostly) to conform with modern society, so why couldn't their children be able to read the modern language.
Thalia was only slightly annoyed about it. Just slightly.
Now, Thalia had simply resigned herself to stealing enough cash to get her a cab ride into New Jersey. Thievery had become second nature to to Thalia after two years on the run. She stole food and other supplies from convenience stores, and she pick-pocketed cash to cover up her stealing with small, legitimate purchases.
She also stole weapons from the monsters she had slain, as well as fighting moves from the more humanoid ones like dracanae. The young girl had collected a respectable amount of loot, most of which were stored in various camps that she had built and resided in with her brother up and down the East Coast.
Thalia had become well-versed in archery, which she used for hunting whenever they were deep in the wilderness, along with hunting knives, but her favorite fighting style by far was with a spear and shield.
She had first discovered her prowess in this technique about a year ago during a skirmish with a squad of dracanae. Her bow had broken a few days earlier, so she couldn't take out any from a safe distance and was forced to use a sword and shield.
Thalia had managed to take out three, one of which had wielded her future spear, before her sword was knocked out of her hands and she was pushed back. Her small retreat had taken her to where the spear had fallen. She had picked it up and taken out the remaining four snake-ladies in seconds, and before she even realized what had happened, the fight was over.
Thalia had stood there in muted shock, staring at the piles of golden dust before her gaze started to shift between the ground and the spear in her hand.
She vividly remembered the grin that had slowly grown on her face as she weighed the weapon in her hand and tested out a few motions. To her delight, she seemed to instinctively know what to do; how to shift her weight and adjust her grip on the spear so it best suited her situation, with much more controlled and precise movements than she had with the sword.
The young half-blood abandoned her trip down memory lane when she realized her little brother was waking from his slumber in the baby carrier, (which he was somehow still able to squeeze into).
"Thalia?" he said sleepily, "I'm hungry."
Thalia patted her pocket and grimaced.
"All I have right now is a granola bar, Jason," she responded, "That'll have to do until tonight. I bet Aunty Hestia will cook us a big dinner after we find what we're looking for."
Jason visibly perked up at that.
"Yay! I love Aunt Hestia's dinners!"
Oh yeah. Hestia may have continued visiting them like twice a month to check up on the two. And she may have helped them keep up with their education, at least so they knew how to answer curious adults. You know...just maybe.
But one of the best parts about Hestia's visits was that she would provide them with decently large, home-cooked meals (at least they tasted home-cooked) after their studies. And because it was Hestia, the literal goddess of the home and hearth, a home-cooked meal from her tasted like Elysium. In fact, it was so comforting to Thalia that any nectar or ambrosia she ate tasted like one of Hestia's dinner.
Thalia was almost drooling at the thought.
"Alright Jace. If you want and Aunty Hestia dinner tonight, I need you to be quiet while I try and find some money. And by find I mean pick-pocket some rich douche's wallet," Thalia said happily and booped Jason's nose.
Ok, Lia" he giggled, then quieted down, munching on his granola bar.
With that, Thalia started scanning the street looking for potential marks. There seemed to be a lack of what Thalia had dubbed 'pompous rich assholes' (in her head of course. She was not ruining her little brother's brain yet). She supposed most were actually in their offices today.
Glancing down the street again, she suddenly scrunched up her nose as it detected a truly rancid odor, one noticeable even through the polluted Manhattan city air. Her gaze swept through the area before resting upon the odor's source: a severely overweight man, bearing a remarkable resemblance to a tusk-less walrus.
His clothes were even grimier than Thalia's a remarkable feat considering she was homeless. His faded jeans were dirty and looked potentially soiled, and his beer stain covered shirt did little to cover his abnormally large beer belly.
The smell was not all that caught Thalia's attention though. When the walrus-man turned around, the young thief spotted a wad of cash sticking out of his back pocket.
Thalia had no qualms regarding what she was about to do. He was most likely on his way to buy alcohol, wasting the money just like her mother had, instead of on something important, like food (not that he needed any more). And judging from the bruises on his knuckles, his source of income likely wasn't legal either. Not Thalia's method of getting money was legal, but she didn't beat anyone up, she was just a pickpocket.
Again. Semantics.
Adjusting her course, she faced the other side of the street, halting a few feet behind Walrus Man and-'holy shit' she thought, 'is it even possible for a human to smell this bad?'. She wrinkled her nose again and patiently waited for the crosswalk signal to turn green.
After it did so, Thalia set her pace a little quicker than the Walrus, planning to grab the money as she passed him. As she approached him, flexing her fingers slightly, Jason, in what Thalia's opinion was the smartest, best-timed, and loudest distraction ever, let out an ear-splitting cry, as if in the process of being hacked to death.
Thalia brought her hand around to cover Jason's mouth, cooing at him as she tried to shush him. During the motion, her nimble fingers deftly lifted the cash out of Walrus Man's pocket and tucked it under Jason's shirt, hidden from view.
Glancing up at the man before speed walking away, Thalia saw him spare Jason a look of annoyance, laced with disgust, as well as what Thalia thought was a sort of sadistic greed.
She tensed, recognizing that look. She had seen it in her mother's eyes before she delivered a beating to Thalia.
Thalia rushed to get herself and her brother away from the man, hailing a cab and entering before remembering that she didn't know where in Jersey she was supposed to go.
'New Jersey end of the Holland Tunnel, young one,' Thalia heard a voice in her head, recognizing it as Hestia's.
"New Jersey end of the Holland Tunnel please," Thalia repeated out loud to the driver.
Sparing her glance and giving her a once over, the man shrugged when Thalia held up the cash, and started driving towards her destination.
Traffic was brutal. The normal thirty minute ride was nearly two hours, and they almost got there too late.
When Thalia and Jason finally reached their destination, it was 6:20 in the afternoon, a mere ten minutes before the time that was given to them by Hestia.
The driver was a little hesitant to dump them at the end of the tunnel, but Thalia gave him an extra twenty and he decided they weren't his problem anymore.
Unsure of what to do, Thalia elected to just wait in the nearby park and keep an eye on the tunnel entrance.
Jason had fallen asleep n the ride there, so Thalia was content with just sitting in the shade of a tree and waiting for 6:30 to come.
It was 6:30 on the dot when her senses flared up. She looked over at the tunnel and spotted a young boy of about seven or eight walking out. He was dragging his feet from exhaustion and was wearing an over-sized hoodie and jeans.
Thalia stood up quicky, but approached him slowly as he wandered around the park. As she neared, her skin started to tingle, and she knew not only that he was the result of Hestia's request, but that he was a demigod as well.
When she was close enough, she spoke softly, but loud enough so he could hear her.
"Hey kiddo. You need some help?"
He whipped around and Thalia got a good look at his face. He had midnight black hair, slightly matted with dirt and grime and blood, but still had a windswept quality to it. His face was covered in bruises, with a black eye and split lip to accompany them. But his most prominent feature was easily his eyes. They were a sparkling sea-green, which stood out even more against his bruised skin.
He stepped back quickly.
"W-what?"
Thalia smiled reassuringly.
"Are you hungry?"
The boy stared at her for a moment before his eyes glazed over briefly, as if listening to a voice in his head.
Slowly, he nodded. "Okay."
Thalia's smile widened slightly.
"I'm Thalia. And this," she shook Jason awake, "is Jason. Jason, meet..." she trailed off, looking at the black-haired boy.
He hesitated for a moment, before replying quietly, "Percy."
"Meet Percy," Thalia finished. "We're gonna go get some food!"
Jason yawned.
"Wha' 'bout Aunty Hestia's dinner?" he asked.
"We can eat Hestia's dinner later," Thalia answered gently, "Percy is hungry, as are we, and we have enough money left over to get each of us something."
Percy looked at them weirdly.
"Isn't Hestia a name from Greek mythology? Like Goddess of the Hearth of something?"
"That's right kiddo," Thalia said, surprised. "We have a lot to talk about."
"Indeed we do," a familiar, comforting voice said.
Thalia's head whipped around, her grin growing on her face.
Jason had a much more verbal reaction. "Hestia!" he said gleefully, a smile threatening to split his face in two.
Hestia smiled warmly at Thalia's little brother, before shifting her gaze over to Percy.
Percy was staring at the goddess wondrously, but Thalia could see a cautious spark in his eyes, telling her he was wary of the new arrival.
"Your name," he said doubtfully, "is Hestia?"
Thalia watched as the soothing smile on Hestia's face appeared to have an effect on the suspected demigod. His shoulders lost some of their tension and his posture became more relaxed. However, his eyes still held that spark.
"Indeed, child." Hestia answered, her voice as calming as the day Thalia had met her.
At the sound of her voice, Percy's eyes lost their suspicious glint and widened slightly.
"You're-" he began shakily, "you're the voice in my head. Always telling me that there's hope. A reason to stay."
At this, Thalia saw an expression on Hestia's face she didn't think she'd seen before.
Melancholy.
"Yes, child." She said somberly. "And I'm sorry you had to listen."
The boy opened and closed his mouth a few times before words actually came out. "I'm sorry. I-I just couldn't-" he paused, "I couldn't stay there anymore. He-he just wouldn't stop. He-" Percy broke off, breathless, as if realizing Thalia and her brother were still there.
"I know, child." Hestia pulled Percy into a hug, voice filled with sadness and compassion. "I know."
Percy clung to the hearth goddess, seeming to relish the protective aura she gave off. Hestia waved a hand, and food appeared on a picnic table nearby.
Thalia could see the message loud and clear in her eyes. Though it did help hearing her voice in her head. 'Give him space. Let him release on me. If he wants to tell you later, he will. If not, don't push him.'
Thalia nodded, and brought Jason over to the table, where they began to feast.
While Jason was munching away happily, Thalia was pondering the new boy.
'I wonder who his parent is. He mentioned a 'he' so female maybe?
She glanced over at Percy, who had removed himself from Hestia's embrace and was now talking to her.
'Judging from his face, his home life probably isn't good.' Thalia thought. However, he still radiated a certain type of strength that marked him as a powerful demigod. Honestly, she was surprised he had no wounds from monster battles. With an aura powerful enough to rival her own, Percy should have been hounded by monsters.
'Although,' Thalia's musing continued, 'Hestia seems to have taken a liking to him. Maybe she smothered his scent?'
A thud jolted Thalia back to the present. She looked over, and saw Percy had taken a seat next to Jason, with Hestia adjacent to her.
Percy kept his head down, but glanced up at her occasionally. "Who-" he hesitated, his word soft-spoken, "who are you really?"
Thalia smiled. "Well... my name is really Thalia, and his is Jason, but we're both children of the King of Olympus."
Percy brought his head up at this. "You mean Ze-"
"Don't say his name." Thalia interrupted. "We don't want anyone to know we're here, and he, from what Hestia has told us, always pays attention when his name is said." She glanced as the mentioned goddess. "Most gods are actually like that, right?"
Hestia considered it for a second. "Yes. But typically only when their name is insulted or something like that." She answered. "They don't usually answer when called upon for help. Unless it will make them look good."
"Basically," Thaila continued, "they're like celebrities. But with ultimate smiting power for whoever dares slander their name." She waved her hands dramatically.
Percy grinned a little at that, but winced and settled his features back to neutral. "So your father is...the Z-man."
She chuckled at that. "Yup. That's my dad." She said. "But Jason is a bit more complicated. His father is a different version of the Z-man."
"What?" Now Percy looked extremely confused.
Thalia looked to Hestia, hoping she would explain. Which indeed she did.
Thalia zoned out for that part, but zoned back in when Percy spoke. "So who is my father? And am I Greek or Roman?"
Hestia smiled looked at him. "You are a child of the sea young one. A son of Poseidon."
Thalia's eyes shot to him. "I thought you said you lived with your father." She blurted out. "Shouldn't your mother be the god?"
Percy immediately shrunk back in on himself. "He...he's my stepfather, technically. And my mother's...gone."
"Oh," was all Thalia could say. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize." She didn't know whether gone meant she left or was dead, but it didn't matter. This kid was alone.
Then she realized why Hestia had giving them this mission. It wasn't to repay her favor. Hestia didn't do that. She did everything without expecting or even wanting compensation.
It wasn't just to find Percy. It was to help him. To help him find a family. To show him what Hestia had told him. That there was hope.
Thalia slowly smiled and looked Percy in the eyes, electric blue meeting sea green.
"Hey kiddo." She said. "How'd you like to become part of our family?"
And here's chapter 2! I wrote most of it in one sitting, then proceeded to get writer's block twice in just the last scene. It's quite annoying actually.
Note: Self-edited like all my chapters. Sorry for any mistakes.
Question of the Chapter: What is a movie that you really like that is not as well known? Mine is Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Anyway, I will actually respond to some reviews from the previous chapter. I probably won't do that on my Hunger Games crossover though.
brookeyy14 and WildMan98: Thanks a bunch! And thanks for understand sporadic updates, plus the torture that is physics.
Vincius Sarraff: Thanks for the confidence!
Just Asking: I already have the pairing (for Percy at least) in mind and it won't be perlia. I do actually have a story also in the works that I'm considering making perlia so yeah. If I finish it first, it might actually be the next thing I post.
Thanks for reading! See ya!