Chapter Three: I Extinguish A Big Ball Of Doom

Thalia Grace

I gripped the steering wheel of the sun car… which I had dubbed the Big Ball Of Doom. I could feel myself sweating. Sure, I had faced monsters, and birds making nests on me, and Percy after he just woke up… but this was by far the worst thing I had ever done. I offered a quick prayer to Dad. Please please please get me out of this one alive.

"Speed equals heat, so start slowly and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up," Apollo instructed. I tried to nod… but I found that it was hard to move.

"What's wrong?" Seaweed Brain asked from behind me.

"Nothing!" I said, trying and failing to keep my voice steady. "N…nothing is wrong." To prove it, I forced myself to move. I pulled on the wheel. Let's go up! I thought, faking enthusiasm, hoping I could trick myself into it. The bus seemed to respond to the slightest movement of my hand, and with the big jerk I had done, it lurched upwards with a speed that nearly made me sick.

"Ow!" Grover protested.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"Slower!" Apollo ordered.

"Sorry!" I said again. "I've got it under control."

"Thalia, lighten up on the accelerator!" Percy called.

"I've got it, Percy!" But I didn't change. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Loosen up!"

"I'm loose!" I cried.

Apollo snickered. "We need to veer south for long island," he said. "Hang a left."

I tried to carefully turn, but the action came out as more of a jerk. Percy, who had been sitting across the aisle from Grover, was thrown into the satyr. Grover cried out. Apollo winced. "The other left," he noted. "Ah... a little lower sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

I took to the "correct" left, then tilted the wheel downwards. Down. Down. That was a good thing. Down was good. Down meant less distance to fall if we crashed. But as I turned... err, tilted... it was like the Big Ball of Doom turned into the Wild Rollercoaster Ride of Assured Death and Destruction. We were heading towards the ocean. Oh gods, no.If we landed in the ocean, Poseidon would likely send a hurricane after me. Maybe not, since Percy was here too. But in the same way Percy stayed away from flight, I stayed away from crashing into the ocean.

On second thought, I think most people did.

"Take the wheel!" Grover pleaded Apollo.

"No worries," said the sun god. "She just has to learn to... whoa!"

"Pull up!" Percy insisted. If I hadn't been so scared of crashing, I would have yelled at him. Percy, at fourteen, had no clue how to drive.

He was right about that though, I had to reluctantly admit. I quickly tilted the wheel up, and we blasted higher.

"There! Long Island, dead ahead," Apollo said. I zoomed up, ready to get out of the sky. It was freaking me out."Let's slow down, dear, dead is only an expression."

I'm under control. I can do this. I'm the daughter of the lord of the sky. This is easy. I'm under control. I can do this.

"Brake!"

"I can do this!" I told myself.

"Brake!"

I tapped the break... only it must have been with more force than I thought, because we were suddenly plummeting downwards. We almost bounced into Lake Heracles, where several campers were canoeing. Oops.

I looked at Apollo. He was smiling nervously. "Well, you were right, my dear. You had everything under control. Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

I sighed and slipped out of the driver's seat, and waited for Percy. "Hey, Seaweed Brain, can you give us some help?" I asked.

He nodded, then concentrated on the water. Rocks rose to the top. I jumped onto one, and though it bobbed, it supported my weight. I jumped from one to the other, as did Nico and Grover. Apollo just appeared on shore, and Percy dived in and came up on the other side, perfectly dry. I waited for the Hunters to follow me, but they had their own idea. Magia shot an arrow onto a nearby tree... not my tree, thank gods... and the thirteen girls ziplined to the shore. "That was so fun!" Bianca exclaimed.

"It is the first of many adventures thou shall have as a Hunter," Zoë assured her.

"Whoa, is that a climbing wall?" Nico said next to them. Someone answered in the affirmative.

"Why is there lava pouring down it?" he questioned next.

"Little extra challenge," Percy responded. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Chiron; Zoë, have you met..."

"I know Chiron. Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters- follow me."

Grover, who was salivating by now, looked up at my ex-girlfriend. "I'll show you the way," he told her.

"We know the way."

"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here if you don't have a good guide. Can't trust the border magic, like my old Daddy Goat used to say!" Though he had tripped, he didn't seem to notice. He never even stopped talking.

Zoë rolled her eyes and followed him. I stuck my tongue out in their general direction.

Apollo began walking back to the Doom Machine. "Take care, sweethearts!" he yelled after the Hunters. I saw Phoebe flip him off- a dangerous move, but luckily, Apollo either didn't notice or didn't care. He winked at Percy instead of smiting them. "Watch out for those prophecies, Percy. I'll see you soon."

"What do you mean?"

He ignored the son of Poseidon, turning to me. Flashing a dazzling smile that almost made me melt, he hopped back into the bus. "Later, Thalia. And, uh, be good!"

His smile grew wider as I froze. Gods don't just tell you to be good. Unless they're your parent, I mean. I wondered what was going to happen... what I was going to do... that made Apollo tell me to be good.

As we walked to the Big House, Percy and Nico chatted. I ignored the mindless talking and general touring going on. Eventually, we got to the huge four-story farmhouse, which, in honor of the Christmas season, was decked in fire and holly. Inside, even more fire roared safely in the fireplace, heating the house. The smell of chocolate wafted through the air. Chiron and Mr. D were playing cards in the parlour.

It took him about a turn to see us, but when he did, he smiled widely. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be...

"Nico di Angelo," Percy exclaimed. "He and his sister are half-bloods."

"You succeeded, then?"

I sighed. "Well..."

"What's wrong?" Chiron demanded. Then suddenly, realization seemed to dawn. "And where is Annabeth?"

"Oh dear. Not another one lost," Mr. D said in an almost robotic voice.

I frowned. Another one? "What do you mean? Who else is lost?"

Grover burst into the room, smiling like he had just gotten married to Artemis herself. It contrasted with his appearance, which was bruised and busted. He had a black eye, a large cut, and some red lines that looked like someone had simultaniously slapped and scratched him. "The Hunters are all moved in!" he announced.

"The Hunters, eh?" Chiron inquired. "I see we have much to talk about. Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film."

"But... oh. Right. Yes, sir."

Nico inquired as to the rating of the orientation film... did they even have ratings. It was too long before he happily skipped off with Grover.

As soon as he had left, Chiron nodded to Percy and me. "Now, perhaps you should sit down and tell us the whole story."

We sat. "Okay," I said. "It was a typical extraction. I was forced to resort to some Mist manipulation, but that turned out okay. We blended easily until Seaweed Brain here decided to go for a single-handed slaying."

Percy glared at me. "Thorn was luring Bianca and Nico away. They wouldn't have survived."

"We were coming! We would have noticed!"

"Yeah, right! Anyway, so I fought Thorn, almost died twice, and eventually got..." and he muttered something that sounded like "rescued."

"We had the fight," I continued. "I mean, we ran into difficulty, but nothing major. Then the Hunters show up out of nowhere. Between us, we take Thorn down... but the Hunters didn't wait for Annabeth to get out of the way... and she went down with him."

Chiron looked like he wanted to cry. "So... she's dead?"

"No... Artemis said she was 'lost.' Whatever that means."

"We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately."

"I'll go," Percy and I said in unison. We glared at each other.

"Certainly not," Mr. D vetoed.

"What?" I exclaimed. "You can't leave a half-blood to die like that! It's against camp values! That's... that's sick!"

I doubted Dionysus could hear me over Percy, who was making similar complaints. Mr. D held up his hand, and we quieted. "From what you have told me, we have broken even on this escapade. We have... ah, regrettably lost Annabelle..."

"Annabeth," Percy corrected sharply.

"Yes, yes. And you procured a small boy to replace her. So I see no point risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead."

"Annabeth may be alive," Chiron argued. "She's very bright. If... if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate."

I nodded. "That's right. Luke would want her alive." Luke loved her like a little sister, as did I. I refused to believe that he could harm her.

Mr. D smirked. "In which case, I'm afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own."

Percy stood, nearly knocking over the vase of poinsettias on the table. "Percy!" Chiron exclaimed.

Percy didn't listen to the warning tone. "You're glad to lose another camper! You'd like it if we all disappeared!" he accused.

Mr. D yawned. "You have a point?"

"Yeah! Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn't mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization too. Maybe you could try helping us out a little!"

There was silence. Dionysus and Percy glared at each other. Finally, Mr. D poised to say something, and I pursed my lips. There goes the last of my friends, I thought miserably.

"SO COOL!"

I glanced at the door. Nico was standing there, pointing at Chiron. "You're… you're a centaur!"

Chiron smiled, half amused and half nervous. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form for first encounters."

Nico ignored him and turned to Dionysus. "And, whoa! You're the wine dude! No way!"

"The… wine dude?"

"Dionysus, right?" Nico looked like he was about to explode from sheer excitement. "Oh, wow, I've got your figurine!"

"My… figurine?"

"In the game Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too. And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"

"Well, that's gratifying." I almost snorted. Dionysus looked extremely confused, and it was killing me.

"Percy, you and Thalia go down to the cabins," Chiron broke in. "Inform the campers we'll be okaying capture the flag tomorrow evening."

"Capture the flag?" Percy questioned. "But we don't have enough..."

"It's a tradition, a friendly match whenever the Hunters visit."

I snorted. Friendly? With Zoë and her gang? "Yeah, I bet it's real friendly."

Chiron motioned very slightly to Dionysus and Nico. "Run along now," he advised.

I grinned sheepishly. "Oh, right. Come on, Percy," I said as I grabbed his arm and began to drag him out of the Big House. The moment we were out of Dionysus's hearing range, I rolled my eyes. "You've already got Ares on your bad side. You need another immortal enemy?"

"Sorry," he muttered, but he didn't sound too sorry at all. "I couldn't help it. It's just so unfair."

I dropped his arm and stopped. He almost fell over. "Percy... everything is unfair. Sometimes I just wish..." That I was still a tree? That Luke was still good? That I had chosen Zoë?

No, you don't wish that.

I sighed. Percy looked at me comfortingly. "We'll get Annabeth back," he promised- he probably assumed that was the issue. "I just don't know how yet."

Though I wasn't really thinking about my lost little sister, I took the excuse. I never wanted anyone to know about my relationship with the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. "First, I found out Luke was lost. Now Annabeth..." I hoped my trailing of would seem melancholy enough to convince Percy that this was my biggest issue.

"Don't think like that," he told me.

"You're right, we'll find a way."

We walked further, this time in silence. Eventually, we got to the basketball court. Hunters had taken over- Phoebe, Magia, Rose, and the new girl (the one who was likely my replacement; not Bianca). Phoebe was arguing with Anton from Ares cabin. "I'll break that up," I told Percy. "You circulate around the cabins; tell everybody about capture the flag tomorrow."

"Alright. You should be team captain."

I really didn't want to. "No, no, you've been at camp longer. You do it."

"We can... uh, co-captain, or something."

He wasn't going to let this go. I nodded a half-ascent. Let him take that as he will. As soon as he saw, I started towards the basketball court.

"Hey, Thalia?"

I turned back, to where Percy was standing uncomfortably. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what happened at Westover. I should've waited for you guys."

I waved him off. "It's okay, Percy. I probably would've done the same thing." I paused. That wasn't really what I should be saying... I mean, I should be apologizing. "You know... you asked about my mom, and I kinda snapped at you. It's just, I went back to find her after seven years, and I found out she died in Los Angeles. She... um... she was a heavy drinker. And apparently, she was out driving late one night about two years ago and..." I swallowed. I didn't want to cry.

"That's why you had trouble with the sun van."

Huh?"What do you mean?"

"The way you stiffened up. You must've been thinking about your mom, not wanting to get behind the wheel."

You idiot, Seaweed Brain! Is that really what you think that was about? I glared, and almost corrected me. Yes, I loved my mom, but she made her choices. Did he think I was afraid I'd make the same choice? I wasn't going to. Then again... it's better if he assumes this. At least he didn't guess that I'm afraid of heights."Yeah," I muttered. "Yeah, that must've been it."

I turned and walked towards the basketball court. He stared after me for a moment, and then headed to Ares cabin to begin his rounds. As soon as he was gone, I sprinted towards the basketball courts. "All right, break it up!" I called.

Phoebe and Anton looked at me. The Hunter girl dropped the basketball she was holding. "Thalia Grace," she said. "Who do you think you are, telling a Hunter what to do?"

"Who do I think I am? I'm a daughter of Zeus, one of the leaders at this camp, and physically about two years older than you. So why don't you run off before I give you a spanking?"

A bow appeared in her hand. "I am not afraid of you," she assured me.

Anton gulped. "And neither am I, Thalia. Anyway, aren't trees supposed to be all serene and stuff?"

"Hey, Anton?"

"Yeah?"

"You know Clarisse's electric spear?"

"Uh-huh?"

"You know how much that voltage hurts when it touches skin?"

"Yeah…"

I looked at my hand. "Did you know I can summon three times that much voltage in one finger? Gods… can you imagine how much that would hurt if it accidentally brushed someone?"

Anton ran off without another word. It was common knowledge that out of all sons and daughters of Ares, he was the most cowardly. There was a rumor that he was also the great-grandson of Hypnos, and some of the lazy, sleepy qualities had been passed down the line. Phoebe looked at me. "Can you really do that?" she asked.

"What? Ummm, I don't actually know. Maybe. Why, wanna find out?"

She narrowed her eyes, and then sighed. "I like you, Thalia."

"What?"

"I think you are strong, smart, and fun. But I can't forgive you for breaking Zoë's heart."

I nodded once. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I can't forgive myself either."

"You could apologize. Maybe then I could forgive you."

"What's it matter?" I asked. "Apologizing isn't going to stop Zoë from hating me."

"She doesn't hate you."

"What?"

"She doesn't hate you," Phoebe said, slowly, as if she were speaking to a small child. "She's hurt. She's been hurt for seven years now. You did that to her. But you know the crazy thing? Thalia, I truly believe you can take that hurt away. You can make Zoë laugh again. She hasn't laughed in seven years."

Phoebe turned and started to walk away. But then, quickly, she stopped. "Thalia… we all thought you were coming back for her. We all thought that you would drop the male and come be with Zoë forever. But you didn't. You never came back for her. Not in seven years."

"I was actually kind of occupied."

"With the male?"

"Actually, with being topiary. Dad turned me into a tree."

Phoebe laughed. "Thalia Grace… I think that's the worst excuse I've ever heard."

Still laughing, she walked towards Cabin Eight.

Author's Note: So, everyone! What do you think so far? Am I going where you expected? Can you see this happening in canon? I can.

Anyway, I hope you're enjoying Starcrossed. Keep an eye out for chapter four, "I Attempt to Loosen Up!"