A/N: Happy Valentines day! As a gift for my dear readers (who I hope will leave a review) I've decided to post a fluffy chapter. It's slow, but it's needed to establish a few things. ;)
Thalia's eyes flew open as her stomach gurgled a warning and moving with speed she didn't know she possessed, she sprinted towards the restroom. As soon as the door clicked shut, the daughter of Zeus collapsed against the toilet and began to vomit violently. After what felt like hours, Thalia's empty stomach seemed to settle.
Drenched in sweat, she leaned against the commode, struggling to catch her breath. She should've known this would happen; not right away, but it would've happened eventually. Thalia closed her eyes and listened to the frantic beating of her heart.
She hated flying, what kind of child of Zeus is afraid of heights? She was a failure, an embarrassment to her father, king of the gods.
Thalia opened her eyes, her heartbeat had returned to normal, and her breathing had evened out. Moving slowly, she got to her feet and staggered over to the sink. She stared at her reflection, a tall, pale girl with unruly black hair and electric blue eyes. Upon closer inspection did she see that she was far paler than usual, that her hair was plastered to her skull with sweat, and exhaustion flickered in her eyes. Thalia sighed deeply and turned on the faucet, rinsing her mouth and began to finger fluff her hair, trying to get it back to some semblance of order.
Fifteen minutes later, the huntress slid back into her seat, trying to ignore the questioning glance the recently awakened Arianna shot at her. "You alright?" asked the Hispanic, a frown playing upon her features. "I'm fine, just needed to use the bathroom" lied Thalia, shifting in her seat in attempt to get comfortable. Arianna raised an eyebrow, but Thalia ignored her questioning look and leaned back in her seat, shutting her eyes closed.
On their journey to Texas, Thalia and the other two girls had taken the bus and train, so she hadn't been forced to deal with her fear of heights.
"So, tell me more about this camp" said Arianna, breaking the silence. Thalia sighed. "Camp Half-Blood is a place where demi-gods stay for the summer, or year-round if their parent is especially strong. Monsters hunt down demi-gods by tracing their scent, the scent of their divine parent. Some demi-gods are lucky and their scent is weak, monsters leave them alone for the most part. There are some actors and actresses I'm sure you've heard of that are children of Aphrodite, and some don't even realize what they are. But, demi-gods like Amber and Rayne, they have to stay at camp all year and rarely leave. If they do, it's only every few months to visit their mortal parent, and the visits are never longer than three days. It's just too dangerous" explained the hunter.
Arianna's face paled. "Do you mean that I'll be stuck at camp all year?" she asked in a worried voice. "I'm not sure exactly, Chiron would have to be the judge of that" she said awkwardly, struggling to find the right words.
"I've never been outside of Brownsville before, unless you count visiting family in Matamoros (1)" said the Hispanic, subconsciously twisting the black Puma sweatband on her right wrist, and pushed it back to reveal pale skin marred by ugly, thick scars that crisscrossed across her flesh. Thalia stiffened and narrowed her eyes, but before she could speak, Arianna pushed the sweatband back into place, successfully hiding the scars from sight. The younger girl glared at the huntress, silently refusing to explain the marks.
Thalia cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable. "Tell me more about yourself" she said, trying to change the subject.
Arianna smirked, the wary hostility dying down a bit in her eyes. "Like what?" she asked, leaning in closer, so close Thalia could feel the girl's gentle breath on her face. "Like, your favorite color, your favorite food, stuff like that" mumbled the taller girl, feeling a bit self conscious. Arianna chuckled and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "On one condition; for every question you ask me, I'm allowed to ask a question of my own" she said. Thalia's brow furrowed, her mind said no. But, somehow, her traitorous mouth opened up, and she heard herself agree.
"What's your favorite color?" questioned the older girl. "Sapphire blue" responded Arianna, leaning back in her seat, watching the huntress with curious hazel eyes so bright they appeared gold. "Do you have any family?" asked the Hispanic. Thalia clenched her teeth, and she forced her muscles to relax. "My mother died in a car crash" she responded coolly. Arianna's expression shifted to one of momentary pity, replaced by one of longing. "I never knew my mother.. My father told me that after she gave birth to me, she gave me to him to raise because she wasn't an ideal parent figure. I have brief memories though, weird since I was only a baby when she gave me to him. Well, they aren't so much memories; a woman's voice humming, the warmth of a smile, that kind of thing." Arianna fell silent, a look of gloom settling onto her features.
"My mother was a famous TV actress, and a junkie. She rarely came home before eleven; sometimes she didn't even come home at all. When she wasn't working, she was home drunk or out getting high." Thalia's voice was filled with bitterness, and a muscle in her jaw twitched.
A moment later, the daughter of Zeus felt something warm envelope her hand. She glanced down and saw Arianna's slim hand laying over hers. The younger girl's hand was incredibly warm and her skin was soft. Her fingers were long and slim, strong with nails so long, they were like mini daggers. Arianna gently intertwined their fingers and she gave the huntress a reassuring squeeze.
Thalia felt electricity travel up her spine. Arianna said nothing, she held onto Thalia's hand, her thumb lightly stroking the top of the huntress's hand.
The action soothed her, and Thalia felt the bitterness and anger towards her mother fade, replaced by warmer feelings, feelings of peace and serenity.
"We have a couple of more hours until our flight lands" said Thalia quietly. Arianna nodded and leaned back in her seat, her thumb stopping its gentle caress, but her hand remained in the older girl's grip. "Think Amber and Rayne will stay asleep the rest of the trip?" she asked, jerking her chin in the directions of the other girls. Thalia glanced over her shoulder and grinned at the sight that greeted her eyes.
Rayne's head was nestled against her chest, blond hair hanging over her eyes. Amber's head was tipped back, her mouth opened wide. A small line of drool dribbled out from a corner of her mouth. Thalia chuckled as she turned back in her seat. "They'll stay asleep alright, both of them need all the sleep they can get. Speaking of, how are you feeling?" Arianna shrugged and reached up to massage her tender skull. "I'm still a bit tired, but I'll be fine." Thalia didn't look convinced.
The younger girl gave the huntress's hand another squeeze and shifted her weight in attempt to get more comfortable and she smirked. "Well, with those two sleeping like the dead, we'll have plenty of time to talk" she mused, brushing stray curls from her eyes. Thalia smiled and squeezed Arianna's hand back. "Of course, I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have" she responded. Arianna smiled broadly, and Thalia found herself smiling back.
A/N: 1. Matamoros is a city in Mexico.