Prompt 7: I've always been curious about Thalia's perspective of hanging around Percy and Annabeth once they're a couple. It's an interaction that's not really ever seen and I think it'd be really sweet.


This was a really interesting concept—I feel like I partly covered this idea in the Hamburgers after the War prompt response, so I tried to touch on some different things here. And it kind of turned into being more about Thalia and Annabeth's friendship, but I hope it's still a satisfying snippet!


As she crossed the green in the middle of Camp Half-Blood, Thalia's head was spinning a bit. It had been nearly six months, but she still couldn't believe that her brother was back in her life. The warm June breeze blew through the camp, rustling the strawberry fields. Thalia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. Being back at camp was always harder than she expected. She could start to feel the borders close in around her. Nothing against Camp Half-Blood, but Thalia definitely preferred the freedom of being out in the woods with the Hunters.

However, it was worth being back at camp to get to spend time with Jason. She wished there was more she could do to help him with reclaiming his memories or with the upcoming quest to the ancient lands, but her primary responsibilities now were with Artemis and the Hunters. She'd told him to keep in touch, though, and she would do what she could. Mostly, she was still just happy to get to see him again and talk to him.

Speaking of talking to people…there was one other person Thalia needed to stop and visit before leaving. But when she poked her head in the Athena cabin, there was no one there. She found the cabin at arts and crafts, but minus their head counselor.

"I think she's at the Big House," Malcolm Pace said. "Doing more research."

Thalia thanked him and made her way up to the Big House. Sure enough, she found Annabeth on the porch, sitting cross-legged in a rocking chair, blonde hair falling out of a messy bun, head bent over a silver laptop. She was so absorbed that she jumped when Thalia said her name.

"Oh, hi." Annabeth brushed her hair back from her face. "What're you doing here?"

"I stopped in to see Jason." Thalia hopped up on the porch railing. "And I thought I'd check on you."

"I'm fine," Annabeth said, her voice flat, not even trying to hide the lie.

"You're not," Thalia said, and she knew she was right when Annabeth didn't bother to correct her.

Annabeth turned her eyes back to her laptop. "Have you heard anything?"

Thalia shook her head. Annabeth was still looking at her laptop, but she must have been watching Thalia in her peripheral vision because her shoulders slumped. After a moment, she said, her voice small, "I miss him, Thalia."

"I know."

They were quiet for a couple of minutes, Annabeth tapping away on her laptop, Thalia alternately watching her and occasionally glancing through the rec room window, where Mr. D, Chiron, and a couple of satyrs were engaged in a game of pinochle. It had been nearly six months since Percy had disappeared from his bed in the Poseidon cabin. For six months, Annabeth had spent nearly every moment searching for her boyfriend. They hadn't really been together that long, just a few months, but Thalia knew their relationship had deeper roots than that. She'd been there when Percy had snuck on the quest to rescue Artemis, more determined to rescue Annabeth than the goddess. She's spent a semester as Annabeth's roommate, hearing stories about Percy this and Percy that, and their adventures from the previous two summers at camp. The moment that stood out the most, though, had been from last August, on Olympus, when the staircase connecting the mountain to the elevator had begun to crumble. Thalia, Grover, and Percy had made the jump, but Annabeth, injured, hadn't had the strength. When she'd leapt, she'd only managed to half grab the ledge. When she'd started to slip over the side, Percy had been the first to grab her. Thalia could still recall the intense look on his face when he grabbed Annabeth's arms. It had hit her, in that moment before she and Grover had grabbed Percy in turn, that there was no way he was going to let Annabeth fall.

She told Annabeth some of this, then pretended not to notice as Annabeth surreptitiously wiped her eyes. Finally, Thalia said gently, "You're not fine, kiddo. But you will be."

Annabeth smiled slightly at the old nickname. "You know, I'm older than you now."

"Doesn't matter." Thalia swung her legs back and forth. "I can still picture that seven-year-old kid who threatened Luke with a hammer." They shared a smile, then Thalia added, "She was tough. She still is."

Annabeth swallowed and swiped her hand across her eyes again. She dropped her eyes to her laptop and, in a tiny voice, said, "Jason showed up with no memories. Like, none. What if…" she bit her lip as her voice trailed off.

Thalia's heart squeezed. She slipped down from the railing and instead perched on the arm of Annabeth's chair, putting her arm around her friend's shoulders. Annabeth leaned her head against Thalia's side, a tear slipping down her nose, and Thalia was reminded of a night nearly ten years ago, after the fight in the Cyclops mansion. It had been their last night before reaching Camp Half-Blood. None of them could sleep, but they'd been too tired to keep trekking across Long Island. Annabeth had laid down, but Thalia heard her sniffling. When she'd touched the little girl's shoulder, Annabeth had at first flinched. Then, she'd turned over and buried her head in Thalia's side, letting Thalia hold her as she cried. Now, as then, Thalia's chest ached, wishing she could do something to make her friend feel better. But she knew now, like then, that there was nothing she could do to fix this heartbreak. So she simply stayed there on the arm of the chair, her arm around Annabeth's shoulders, and let her friend cry.

Because sometimes, just being there was the best she could do.


***Thanks for reading! Happy almost-release day for The Sun and the Star!***