Hello guys! So I hope you all enjoy this chapter because it's one I know a lot of you have looked forward to what happens in this chapter, and I have to say that I do kinda love Thalia, though you guys might not at the start.
The next four days passed well enough-the next morning Sally rented a minibus and drove the kids back to camp-since the borders were healing up well enough that there wasn't any huge concern about monsters anymore.
Things were good- though Percy did have strange butterflies in her belly at times when she was with Annabeth-though the blonde didn't seem to realize the effect she had on Percy-though Percy had noticed Luke snickering at times when Percy did blush-and as much as she loved Luke she did occasionally hate him, he enjoyed teasing her far too much.
They also started making plans-Sally had spoken to Annabeth privately after arriving in Camp, offering to let Annabeth stay with them during the bulk of the year since she didn't want to stay at Camp constantly but she'd had troubles with her parents during the year-and of course Sally had at the urging of the kids who had all grown fond of the mortal, agreed to stay in camp until Percy's birthday before taking Percy, Nico and Annabeth home-but not Tyson who would be visiting Poseidon to work at the undersea forges-though he was staying until after Percy's birthday.
And of course there had been a tiny bit of muttering about Nico from the younger campers but they soon heard the stories and Nico was quickly the camp's new hero-and his fellow Campers in the Cabin for the determined but non Olympian gods seemed to be treating him well enough-which was good because
Percy would have probably murdered the first person to bully her baby brother.
It was in the middle of the night on the fourth day that things shifted.
Annabeth and Grover had been sleeping over in her Cabin with her and Tyson-it technically wasn't allowed but Chiron tended to still turn a blind eye-Percy had no doubt that he could remember the trio's attachment issues they'd suffered after their first quest and the fact that Annabeth and Grover would definitely just sneak out after curfew to join Percy in her Cabin anyway.
They'd stayed up late, Grover telling the two girls and one Cyclops of his pre- Polyphemus adventures and Percy and Annabeth told him about their own adventures on the quest-especially the Luke turning into a guinea pig-which Grover and Tyson both laughed at
And they fell asleep like that, not in their beds but with all the blankets heaped on the floor and draped over shoulders as they sat in a circle.
And Percy found herself in a dream again.
She knew it was a dream because in the dream it was daytime and she was by the lake again-which was deserted.
And sat there was a familiar black haired girl. She looked somehow different than she had whilst also somehow not having changed much at all. Her skin seemed to shimmer golden-like Nico's had for a while until the magic of the fleece wore off. Maybe that was because of how the magic had healed her tree.
"Hey Thalia."
"You came back." Thalia turned her head, "Didn't expect that." her electric blue eyes met Percy's sea green, "Somethings changed. Do you feel it."
"I... I didn't until you mentioned it." but she could feel something now, magic in the air-it felt like a storm was coming-and when she looked up the skies suddenly turned black, thunder crackling through the clouds. "But that sky doesn't look great."
"A storm's coming." Thalia's electric blue eyes met Percy's, "Things are changing fast. I can feel it."
"Thalia-" was it just Percy or was the girl almost fading-it was disconcerting, but as she faded Thalia twisted, looking back towards Half-blood Hill and pointing.
"You best get over there now. You wouldn't want to miss it." and then Percy was jerking awake back in her cabin-but she could hear thunder rolling outside.
She bit her lip, glancing sidelong at the sleeping form of Annabeth. Something was happening, and Percy was pretty sure it involved the Thalia... she should wake up Annabeth but... she didn't know what was happening, so for now she tossed her own blanket on top of Annabeth and slipped outside, closing the door behind her and wrapping her arms around herself tightly as she made her way through the dark up to the tree on the hill.
It was being guarded by the Stolls, and Tavis got to his feet when he saw her, "Hey, Percy what's up?"
"I can't sleep." Percy shook her head, "I wanted to come out here-do you guys want a break?"
"I could have a nap." Connor admitted, "As long as you're gonna stay out here until Silena's due to take over."
"I can do that." Percy smiled as the two sons of Hermes exchanged looks and nodded before heading back to camp.
Once they were gone she moved to the tree, sitting down with her back against the trunk.
It was strange-it almost felt alive-but Percy pushed away that thought, staring out into the distance away from camp.
She stayed like that until she head soft footsteps and she turned her head, eyes narrowing when she saw a familiar figure. It was Nico, clad in black pajamas's, and he was barefoot, shivering slightly.
"Neeks what in the name of your dad are you doing out here?"
"I felt weird." Nico darted to her side and dropped down, "Something's going on isn't it."
"I dunno. I think so." Percy wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close. At least her pajamas's were fairly thick, Nico's were thin and would never keep him warm.
"What is it then?"
"I dunno Neeks." Percy frowned, "But the fact that you felt something too..." the two kids of the Big three that were in Camp had both felt something even if they weren't sure what it was. That had to mean something didn't it?
"It... it feels really weird to me." Nico muttered, "Like... something... you remember when I went to the hospital because I broke my wrist training with you-"
"Of course." Percy frowned, "You spent most of the time freaking out because you could sense death-is that what you feel now?"
"No. No what I feel now feels like the opposite. It's weird." Nico's nose wrinkled and he shook his head, "I don't like it Percy. It feels weird to me."
"It'll be okay Nico I promise, whatever it is-" there was a cracking noise, and both of them jumped, Percy looking around frantically as she scrambled to her feet and dragged Nico with her, dragging him away from the tree as she twisted to look at it-and the crack had been the roots-they were moving, shifting unnaturally and Percy gripped Nico's arm tightly, her eyes wide in horror as the roots moved and moved, uncovering-
"Is that a person?" Nico gasped out, his eyes wide as sure enough the roots pushed a body away before settling and stilling, and Percy knew who it was.
She'd seen her before-she looked like she had in Percy's dreams except for the fact that she was covered in mud.
"Nico." Percy dropped to her knees quickly, remembering her mothers makeshift first aid lessons, "Nico go to the Big House and wake Chiron now. Bring him here." as she spoke she pressed her fingers to the pale girls neck-and there it was, slow but there, a heartbeat.
"Who-"
"Nico go." Percy barked the order sharply and Nico gave a jerky nod before sprinting off down the hill towards the Big House, and as he did Percy pressed the back of her hand to the girls forehead-she was cold but Percy felt like her fingers were getting the little static electric shocks you sometimes got.
She swallowed hard, shifting her grip on the older looking girl, pulling her half into her lap, mind racing.
She wished she had a blanket or something to warm her up.
Well now she understood the last line of the prophecy she thought somewhat hysterically. The Fleece hadn't just purged the poison of the tree-and Kronos had gotten a small victory after all hadn't he? Even if Alabaster hadn't known this would happen there was no way Kronos hadn't-but he knew Percy would never play along-Thalia was another chance to control the Prophecy since he hadn't known about Nico.
She let out a slightly hysterical laugh as she clutched the unconscious girl closer. Annabeth was going to freak out-and so would Grover.
Then she felt the girl shifting and she looked down as the girl coughed weakly and electric blue eyes fluttered open. "I-who are you?" her voice was incredibly faint, "Where-the strangest dreams.. I... I know you don't I?"
"You remember the dreams?" Percy's voice was gentle as she brushed Thalia's hair out of her voice, "Listen it's okay. You're okay-"
"I was dying-I... I don't- A-Annabeth. Grover-"
"They're fine." Percy's voice was soothing, "They're fine Thalia. It's going to be okay they're fine I promise."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Percy-I know yours." Percy shifted as the girl tried to sit up, offering her support. "You're Thalia Grace. Daughter of Zeus. You-"
"I died..." her voice was so weak and shaky and Percy's heart went out to her-she wondered how disconcerting it must be. "What happened to my friends-to A-"
"She's okay." Percy said gently, "As is Grover, they're both asleep right now."
"Where am I?"
"Camp Half-blood." Percy let out a slow breath, "You're safe here. No monsters are gonna be able to get to you-" the Fleece was still powering the boundary after all, a fact which Percy was eternally grateful for. "You're safe now."
"H-how long... how long's it been. What happened to me?"
"You were dying, you were dying and your father saved you by preserving you in a tree." Percy explained.
"I-I saw you didn't I." Thalia's voice was soft, "I think I was dreaming-I know I've seen your face before."
"I mean, in the dreams yeah, and technically once before that when I was younger." Percy faltered, "It's... Annabeth is nearly fourteen now."
"What?" Thalia looked heartbroken at that, "That means it's been nearly seven years."
"Nearly yeah." Percy shook her head, her voice soft, "I am sorry Thalia. I really am."
"How am I alive now?"
"Someone poisoned your tree, the boundary that keeps monsters out was failing because of it so there was a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece to cure your tree-but it seems the magic of the Fleece worked better than we expected." Percy shifted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "Though I feel like we should have expected it-the Prophecy did say that it would work better than we expected."
"Percy!" that was Nico's voice, and Percy shifted, turning her head to see Nico sprinting towards them, "Chiron's coming now!"
"Who's that?" Thalia frowned faintly, turning her head to look at Nico, who skidded to a halt, his eyes wide.
"Holy Styx who's that Percy?"
"This is Thalia Grace-"
"Wait-wait Clarisse explained the story. She's our cou-"
"Yep." Percy nodded, "That's the one."
"Oh..." Nico blinked, "Wait-" his gaze focused on Thalia. "Were you a tree?"
"Apparently-who are you again?"
"That would be my baby brother Nico."
"Brother?"
"I'm adopted." Nico piped up, "She's Poseidon's daughter and I'm Hades' son."
"What?" Thalia's eyes widened, "You're my cousins?"
"Yeah." Percy nodded, "Yeah we are-" then she heard the familiar noise of Chiron's hooves, and then he was there, his eyes wide.
"When Nico told me a girl emerged from the tree I wasn't sure what to think but it's true- Thalia Grace yes."
"Yeah." Thalia nodded, "I... I think I know what's happened." she managed to say slowly, "I don't really understand but Percy said I was a tree for a while."
"Yes." Chiron let out a breath, "Nico, go and wake Luke tell him I've asked him to guard the Fleece-I know Silena was due to take over but under the circumstances I think it's best if Luke stand guard. He's the oldest Camper."
"Of course." Nico nodded, "I'll tell him what's happened."
"Good, now, Miss Grace, can you stand?"
"With some help maybe." As Nico rushed off to wake Luke Percy slowly got to her feet, helping Thalia stand, and together they made their way down to the Big House, Percy pretty much holding Thalia up as they walked.
