Here it is, chapter 3.
Thalia was sitting on the floor of he bedroom, painting a picture of her dad, her mom, and herself gathered around a little baby. He would have little blue eyes that were just like Thalia's. She finished adding the last touches to the painting and set it out to dry. She idled the rest of that summer's morning running through the sprinkler in her swimsuit out on the front lawn. When she came downstairs for lunch, she brought her painting with her.
"Mommy, look what I made! It's our whole family. Me, you, Daddy, and Jason."
"That's wonderful, sweetheart." She walked over to the fridge and pulled down the one magnet that didn't have some sort of bill or form under it. "Why don't you put it up where we can all see it, hm?"
Thalia nodded and picked out a spot that was just barely in her reach; the very center of the refrigerator. Perfect. She went to eat her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When she was done and full, her mom took her to Target to pick out new school clothes.
Thalia chose the ones that wouldn't make her stand out too much, but weren't as girly as all the other girls' clothes were bound to be. She chose a few pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts, and a nicer shirt for the first day of school. Perfect. She was all set for second grade.
On the way back home, they stopped off at Thalia's school where the class lists were being given out. Please, please, please, was what Thalia thought over and over while they were in line. She held her breath as her mom reached out to receive Thalia's class list. And it was…
"Miss Katherine Soleil. That's your second grade teacher. She's in room nine." Thalia could barely keep her excitement inside her as they drove home. Especially when she saw her father standing on the steps of the house. He'd come to visit again. The last time he'd visited, he'd talked her mom out of the drink.
Two of her hopes were complete. But would the third be?
Thalia sat down on the couch a day later. The next day would be the first day of school. She turned on the TV and found herself watching some celebrity news channel. The only reason she didn't flip the channel was because the first image that flicked up was of she and her mom the day before in Target.
"…actress has rarely been seen happy, much less out and about with her seven-year-old daughter. Last year, one of Thalia Grace's hopes for this upcoming school year was to see her mom sober and nice. Does this mean her mother has abused her in some way? And what has made Ms. Grace so happy? Well, that's up next, after the break."
Thalia could hardy believe it. Why should these people care what was going on in their lives? Why couldn't they just care about their beeswax?
Thalia's dad picked her up right after school one day in late February, but instead of going in the direction home, he drove somewhere else, but Thalia couldn't think of where. She eventually became so excited in this guessing game that she began gripping the seat in front of her and shouting out guesses.
"Thalia! Enough! Sit back down, put your seatbelt on, and stop yelling." Once she'd done just that, Zeus (Jupiter, rather–Thalia didn't know he was Jupiter, though) continued. "We're going to the hospital."
"You mean–Oh my gods!" She'd picked that phrase up from her mom.
•••
Late that night, Thalia woke up to her father gently shaking her awake. "The nurse says we can go in now."
It took a while for the words to register, but once they did, Thalia forgot all about being tired. She instantaneously felt invigorated. She practically dragged her father down the hall to her mother's room. When they cracked the door open and peeked in, they saw Ms. Grace looking down into a little bundle. Thalia crept in with her father just behind her.
"Mommy?"
"Take a look at your little brother, Thalia."
Thalia strode to her mother's bedside and found herself bent over, her black hair falling around her face. There he was. Little Jason. His tiny little eyes were squinting, his itsy-bitsy mouth slightly agape. Thalia was overfilled with joy. Everything in her life was perfect. She had Miss Soleil, her mother was nice, she now had a baby brother, and her whole family was together. A sense of euphoria passed over Thalia. It was perfect. It felt right. And she knew it would always stay like this. Always.