A/N: It's been a while since I've read PJO, so excuse any inaccuracies. I just felt like writing a no-nonsense, all fluff oneshot today. This story has some... suggestive tones and explicit language, but nothing actually explicit in terms of content. Just a whole lotta implication. These characters are probably OOC, but I lowkey do not care. I hope you enjoy!
Thalia laid back in the too-cramped driver's seat of the Mercedes; her chosen refuge for the night.
So far, her night had consisted of three miserable, futile hours of shifting and turning. Apparently, having ADHD and persistent dreams that showed the terrifying reality they lived in weren't good for sleep quality. Imagine that.
Her musing was harshly interrupted by three rapping knocks on the passenger side window.
Thalia looked over, barely discerning the darkened silhouette of one Percy Jackson as he leaned down to make himself visible. Reaching out with her left hand, she unlocked the doors with an audible 'click' and Percy climbed in.
Thalia looked over at him, taking in his haggard appearance and the bags under his eyes. Given her current state, she decided not to comment on it.
"You look like shit." Was the first thing out of his mouth.
She raised an eyebrow, reassessing her earlier restraint, "Pot, kettle. That's tough talk from the walking cadaver that just sat down in my passenger seat."
He pulled down the passenger visor and checked the mirror on it, wincing at the visible exhaustion on his face, "I didn't realize it was so obvious."
"You look like death warmed over."
The corner of Percy's mouth quirked up into something resembling a smile as his eyes crinkled, a bit of the fatigue beginning to lift at the familiar motion, "That's far too pedestrian. Perhaps death freshly heated and ready to serve?"
Thalia laughed openly at that, "unevenly heated by an easy bake oven, maybe. Consider donating your body to science."
"Nah, we can't just go around handing out weapons of mass destruction to mortals." He joked, a dimple visible from his halfway smile as he begin flexing his muscles with all the pageantry of a body builder.
He looked good, she had to admit, the hours of training at camp had treated him well, but she wasn't one to let a comment like that go unpunished. Thalia simply reached over and punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could, bringing his ego crashing back to reality.
Percy simply smiled again in response and idly rubbed the shoulder as he glanced over, his sea green eyes meeting hers for a moment before he leaned back in his seat in silence.
"Not that I don't enjoy the interruption to my sleep, but did you knock on my door and barge into my car just to be a dick, or did you have a purpose to your visit?"
There was a beat or two of silence, and for a moment Thalia wondered if he had fallen asleep.
"Couldn't sleep and I was betting that you couldn't either. I just…" he trailed off, searching for the words.
Thalia could hear the worry in his tone, and guessed that he was likely sleepless for the same reason that she was. Her eyes softened, "I'm worried about her too, Perce. We'll bring her back."
He nodded resolutely, his jaw set and visibly straining from the tension as he clenched it. When he finally spoke, his voice came out weaker than she thought it would, "I know we'll get it done, we always do, I'm just worried." He paused to collect his thoughts, "Annabeth has had my back for nearly as long as I've been aware of the divine world. Fighting today – without her, I mean – felt wrong, scarier somehow."
Thalia ignored the pang in her chest at that and let out a small smile as she turned her head back to look forward, "Trust me kelp head, nobody is quite so adept at worrying over Annabeth as I am, well except maybe for Lu-" She cut herself off violently before she could finish the sentence.
Thalia saw Percy glance over in her peripheral vision, having caught her momentary slip, and she thanked the gods that he had the tact to leave it alone as she finished her thought. "Anyways, what I'm saying is I know how you feel. Annabeth may be the de facto handler of us Big Three kids these days, but she wasn't always like that, and back in the day I spent probably twenty three out of the available twenty four hours in a day just worrying about her alone."
Percy mouth cracked open into a wry grin as he chuckled and looked at her from the corner of his eyes, "Handler is about right. I can't count the number of times that she has saved me from doing something stupid that probably would've gotten me killed. The only payment she takes in return is calling me heritage-related nicknames, which I think is pretty fair."
Thalia barked out a laugh, "Oh we were all going to do that with or without your permission, barnacle boy. You earned 'em, so you best wear 'em with pride."
Percy's crooked grin widened further, "I wouldn't have it any other way. Honestly, it's hard to imagine her as anything less than completely capable. Half the time I'm convinced that she leapt from Athena's skull, just as fully-formed and instantly prepared to handle the foolishness of any sea or ocean related demigods."
Thalia smirked in return, "Make that the foolishness of any sea, ocean, air, or lightning related demigods. She grew up while I was gone and now not even I, the famed Thalia Grace, am safe from her wrath."
They shared a laugh at that and allowed the conversation to lapse into silence for a moment as Thalia reflected on her current situation. It had been difficult to come to terms with the betrayal of Luke, and sometimes remnants of a time long gone would pop up to remind her of her history. It had hurt her to learn of the betrayal, more than she thought possible.
Frankly, it scared the shit out of her.
She had always been self-reliant, never needing anyone else to handle the shit that was thrown at her, or at least she had thought she was. She had only ever made one exception to that rule, and now Annabeth was paying the price.
"I can practically hear the gears turning in your head from here, you're thinking so hard. Feel like sharing?" Percy interrupted her musings for the second time that night and Thalia glanced over to see innocent curiosity on his face.
They had fallen into something comfortable over the summer, bonding over the weight of the burdens that no other demigod who didn't have the world on their shoulders could understand, as they quickly became fast friends. At first each had been wary, unsure if the other would buy into the omnipresent tension that existed between their fathers, but Thalia didn't really give a shit about Zeus's take on anything, and Percy was nothing if not irritatingly amiable.
They hadn't talked about Luke, though.
She sighed, curling in on herself slightly as she tilted her head to gaze out the window. "Just thinking about Luke."
Percy made a noise of understanding, "Ah, I see." He paused, "You don't actually have to share, you know."
Thalia nodded miserably, "I know, but it's not like it's going to change anytime soon. I wish I would wake up and this would all just be a terrible dream, but I'm not that lucky. It just sucks, y'know?"
Percy nodded, collecting his thoughts "I wish I could say that I knew how you felt, but I didn't have what you guys had with Luke. He was a mentor – however briefly – to me when I first came to camp, but then the quest for your dad's master bolt happened and soon after it all came out…" He trailed off, "I know how much it hurts to lose a friend, though, and I'm sorry."
Thalia snorted in amusement, "Sorry for what?"
He glanced at her in surprise and then scratched the back of his head ruefully as he let out a wan smile, "I'm honestly not sure. It's just not fair is all."
"That's the life of a demigod, eh? Bitching and crying about the unfairness of it all and then an early, shallow grave." She muttered morosely.
"A cheery one aren't you" Percy remarked with amusement, "Not that you're wrong, mind. At least your first grave was both temporary and pine-scented?" He looked at her, levity alight in his eyes, "I'll be sure to install one of those little pine tree car fresheners at your second grave. Your third, too."
A reluctant laugh forced its way out of her, morphing into something that sounded suspiciously like a sob before she cut it off, "I suppose there are worse options, and cheers for that." Thalia's eyes seemed to lose focus as she stared out the window and into the inky black of the night. "Annabeth was seven when Luke and I first met her."
Percy grew quiet in response, waiting for her to say more. She guessed that he was likely curious about their history with Luke, and he had the emotional intelligence to understand she was trying to get something off her chest.
"I remember her looking so small, vulnerable, when we first found her. I was only twelve and Luke was fourteen, but we were all she had, so we stepped up."
Thalia looked into Percy's eyes, a fire replacing the sorrow that had once shown in hers. "He gave her the knife she still uses today and told her that he wouldn't fail her like her family did. He promised us that he would be there for her. First he promised it to her, and then to me as I made my last stand, and he broke each promise like it was fucking nothing to him. It ain't fair, but I won't fail her like he did." The fire dimmed for a moment as she finished her statement in a smaller voice, "I just hope that I haven't already."
Percy stared at her, eyes wide with an expression she couldn't quite discern before it shifted into one of conviction, "Thalia, I would bet every dollar and drachma in the world that Annabeth knows you'll save her, knows she can count on you. I'm sure she's already cracked the whole titan plan and is just waiting for you to swoop in with an express delivery can of whoop-ass as the final piece of the puzzle. You'd know it if you heard the way she talks about you, especially now with Luke's… situation. I don't claim to be all-knowing, but I do know that you could never fail Annabeth like he did. You wouldn't let that happen."
Thalia paused, and then looked at him and with a suspiciously watery smile, "you know what mermaid man, you're alright sometimes."
Percy cracked out a laugh, "Finally! I was waiting anxiously for you to complete the pair. Just so we're clear, you're a good friend and a good person, Thalia. Whatever happens, your friends know they've always got their trusty cattle prod to back them up."
"I take two issues with that. First, cattle prod?! Second, what's all this 'they and them' business?"
Percy grinned, "Just figured I would check if we were official there, circuit breaker. I know you've always got my back, just like I've always got yours."
She looked at him with begrudging respect "It's practically a wonder of our age, but somehow you managed to worm your way into my life and then grew on me like a festering sore, so yeah we're official there. I'm curious how many of these nicknames you have stored away."
Percy's grin only widened, now looking nearly predatory, "Oh I've got loads. I keep a list of my favorites to use later."
Thalia looked at him in mock outrage, "That's cheating! I'm over here coming up with things off the top of my head with my razor sharp wit and you're ruining the integrity of the competition! Show me the list." She commanded.
Percy's eyes twinkled in that infuriating way and Thalia knew that he wasn't going to budge on this. "That's for me to see and you to find out. It's all about pacing here. Plus, I don't want to tempt you into taking me into the name-calling octagon of the ozone own-zone."
A delighted peal of laughter tore forth from her lips as she looked at him with barely-contained mirth "You spend all night thinking of that?"
"Oh, I've been sitting on that one for months. I came up with that during my second period intro to physics class around August."
She smirked slightly, "Daydreaming about me in class, too? For shame, Percy Jackson. What would your mother think?"
He laughed, though a slight blush settled on his cheeks as he did, "No shame here, sorry, a guy's gotta have a hobby. Besides, you've met my mother. She'd probably just be glad that I wasn't plotting ways to set new school expulsion time trial records."
"All I'm saying is that I bet I could get kicked out faster." Thalia said in a sing-song voice.
Percy stopped short, adopting a serious look that clashed with the laughter that visibly danced in his eyes, "You take that back."
Thalia raised a challenging eyebrow, "Take what back, exactly?"
"That you would get kicked out faster!" He exclaimed with a laugh, "It's the only thing I'm actually good at. Let me just have this one thing!"
She looked at him in disbelief before they both lost the battle and began cracking up with laughter. After she had recovered, she wiped her eyes and responded, "I am convinced there is nothing but saltwater in your head, or at least that the brine has pickled your brain."
"I resent that!"
"You mean resemble?" She bit back.
"That too, but that would be admitting defeat."
"Never change, Percy, never change."
The conversation lapsed into silence for a few minutes at this, both of them enjoying the comforting presence of the other as they sat with their thoughts.
"You ever wish it was different?" Percy interrupted after a few minutes of contemplation. "Our lives, I mean."
Thalia glanced in surprise at his words, but understood what he meant immediately. Every demigod wishes it was different at least once in their life. For Thalia, though, it was even simpler "Oh, all the fucking time."
"It just feels like we never really got to be kids, y'know? Like, I'm not dumb, I know what has to be done, and I'll do it because what choice do I have? It just never feels like we're doing anything just for the sake of it, just for ourselves."
She hummed in response, ignoring the way her chest tightened as he revealed each of his own insecurities to be a mirror of her own, "how do you mean?"
He sighed, looking almost embarrassed, "It probably sounds childish, petulant even, but I don't know any other way to put it. It just feels like everything we do is because of some greater cause, some greater evil just on the horizon. Mortals our age are obsessing over their crushes and spending time with friends, not idling through sleepless nights worrying about the return of a several thousand year old ancient threat."
Thalia looked at him strangely, "Percy, you're only fourteen. There's still plenty of time."
"I can still do that, of course but..." He trailed off again looking frustrated, "It feels like I lost something along the way for those concerns to seem so small to me. Most kids can't wait to be sixteen so they can finally have some freedom, but I'm just sitting here fucking terrified of my own birthday like a weirdo" He finished, a moment of vulnerability visible on his face as he said it.
Thalia hesitated for a moment in indecision before reaching out and grabbing his hand, clasping it firmly in hers. He looked up at her in surprise and she caught that same slight blush as before. She noted it with interest, mentally adding a second tally.
"If it makes you feel better, there's no guarantee that it'll be you. We both qualify, and I have seniority. That means I can pull rank for first dibs on all Olympus-saving related prophecies." She joked, putting on a display of confidence that she hoped only rung hollow to herself.
He laughed openly and gazed at her with open admiration for a moment, "How do you do it?"
"Depends what you mean by 'it'. You asking for me to give you The Talk with just the two of us here?" For effect, she fluttered her eyelashes and leaned against him for a moment.
Percy spluttered for a moment, blushing again as she did a mental victory lap at adding a third tally. After all, three's a pattern. "N-no that's not… oh fuck off." He cracked a grin as she finally lost the battle and burst out laughing, with Percy quickly following her.
"Seriously, though," Percy continued after they had recovered, "How are you always so strong, so… composed? Nothing phases you, no matter how long the odds."
"I would say the same about you. I had never before had the misfortune of meeting someone quite so relentlessly positive as you. You're stronger than you think, Percy." Thalia looked at him, and then past him. For a second that seemed to stretch out to eternity, she was a million miles away. Then, in a voice so small that she hoped he might not hear it, she finished, "And maybe I'm not as strong as you think, but you said it yourself, what choice do we have?"
He shrugged helplessly, momentarily lost for words, before she felt him squeeze her hand. She refocused, meeting his eyes, entirely unready for the iron-clad determination she saw blazing back at her.
"Then in that case, I'm with you every step of the way, Thalia. Maybe neither of us is strong, but that's okay." Keeping eye contact, he raised their intertwined hands to be visible to them both before he tightened his grip, "I guess we'll just have to be strong together."
Gods he was sappy, and maybe so was she, based on how much better that made her feel.
Percy opened his mouth before cutting himself off and closing it again. Thalia opted to simply raise an eyebrow in an implied question.
He seemed to ponder a moment, considering his words before he spoke, "I talked to Apollo earlier, you know, though I'll be calling him Fred from now on.
She snorted, barely holding back her incredulity, "Famed sun god, Fred?"
Percy chuckled at that rubbing circles absently on the back of her hand, "The homeless guy was also Fred. Apparently his intervention with this train was a big no-no and he's dealing with some heat for it, so he's incognito. He still managed to sneak by for a chat, though, and I have good news for you."
"Oh, do tell."
"You aren't the child of prophecy."
She looked at him, simultaneously confused and halfway daring to hope. "How do you know?"
"I asked Apo-, sorry, Fred. I figured he would know because he's the god of prophecy and stuff. Anyways, apparently your sixteenth birthday came and went, with you just as pine-like as the birthday before and after. You might be biologically fifteen, but in the eyes of the fates, you can drink in the United States."
"Hmph, apparently the fates like 'em young and malleable. Creepy."
Percy guffawed at that, "You sure tempting them is wise? Is the comically large deck that is currently stacked against us not enough?"
She grinned in response, "They're the ones who deigned me unworthy of the challenge, I'm just evening the score to where I thought it was." Her eyes softened as she looked at him, "It doesn't matter, though. I think we both know that I was always going to be there with you at the end either way."
She released his hand and he looked at her with a question in his eyes as she raised her arms, "C'mon now ocean man, bring it in." Thalia pulled him into a tight hug, pretending not to notice how he held on to the hug for significantly longer than normal. She resolutely ignored the the pleasant tingling sensation that the contact left as they broke apart.
"It's probably better this way anyways." Thalia continued, "I know you'll make the right choice Percy, you're just that kind of person."
The look he gave her in response floored her. Open admiration and something else played clearly across his face. She had a theory about that.
"You're beautiful." He blurted, and then immediately cringed at his own outburst.
She felt a rush in her stomach as a soft blush rose to her own cheeks, even as her mouth quirked into a teasing grin. "I know, but it's nice of you to notice."
Percy looked away, "sorry, I uh…" He cleared his throat, "ignore that."
"Psh, and throw away the first genuine compliment I've gotten in years? Not a chance, kelpie."
He looked at her in disbelief, "I appreciate you sparing my pride, but years? I know plenty of people who are intimidated by you, but nobody in the world would deny your beauty."
She smiled a slightly sad air to it, "oh I know, but they would never say it to me. It's just nice to hear sometimes."
"Then rest assured, Thalia Grace, you are the most beautiful woman I have yet laid eyes on." Percy said, affecting a pompous tone.
She giggled (?!) in response, "Percy, you literally just spoke to Aphrodite, I'm pretty sure that sentence is untrue by definition."
"Oh sure, Aphrodite was pretty, but not beautiful." He looked away as he swallowed hard, "not like you are, anyways." His gaze returned to her as his smile turned to one of bravery and mischief. He had gotten an idea, never a good sign.
"Here, I'll prove it to you." Percy quipped, "I swear on the River Styx that Thalia Grace is the most beautiful person I know."
Thalia gaped at him and waited for a few, hours-long seconds to pass as she observed… no change whatsoever.
Well, shit. He was being truthful, and she certainly wasn't going to complain. She bit her lip, unable to take her eyes off of him even as his eyes flicked downward, tracking the motion and lingering there
She smiled brightly at him, eyes tracing the sharp edge of his jawline, "Well, to circle back to the original topic, I might not be able to help with the whole weight of the world situation, but I'd consider this to be spending time with friends." Then she looked at him, the fire of a challenge in her eyes as she ignored the disappointment that he covered well, "and maybe it's got the crush part covered too." She winked at him as she finished the sentence.
Percy's eyebrows practically disappeared under his hair with the force that he raised his eyebrows, but he was nothing if not quick on the uptake, "Just maybe?" He teased falling back on that damnable grin.
"Maybe. Let's play truth or dare." She shot back daringly.
"You're really trying to condense the teenage experience into one night, aren't you? Next you'll tell me you brought alcohol."
"I fucking wish, but no, and it's called time-efficiency, you liquid layabout, look it up. Now, are you in or out?" She challenged, ignoring the part of her that was cheering for both, ideally in sequence.
Percy grinned back, matching her attitude, "You've got another thing coming if you think I'm backing down, thunder thighs. Yeah I'm in."
"Thunder Thighs?!"
He simply laughed in response, "Now that one I was saving for a special occasion. Now, I believe we have a game to get to. Ladies first?" Percy gestured with his free hand.
Thalia glowered for a moment before cracking a smile. She couldn't be truly mad at the nickname, it was way too good for that, but she at least had to put on a show of disapproval first. She looked him in the eyes, "Truth or dare?"
Percy chuckled lightly, "I think I already chose truth tonight, so dare."
Thalia smiled victoriously, glancing at his lips, "Okay, kiss me then."
Percy practically jumped as he stared into her eyes, "Not going to grant me the mercy of a slow build to the finale? Some game of truth or dare this is." He joked, his smile matching hers.
"I've never been known for my patience, and I knew what I wanted. This was just an excuse." Thalia gloated.
"Patience is for suckers anyways." Percy agreed, leaning forward. His hand moved to hold the side of her face as he ran a thumb across her cheekbone, their faces barely separated by charged air as he closed the distance and met her lips in the middle.
Thalia wasn't ready for the rush she felt as they both melted into the kiss. She ran her tongue across his lips with a request and he groaned in response. He deepened the kiss without hesitation, lighting a fire in Thalia's stomach as their hands explored each other's bodies.
It was an intense and heated few minutes later when they finally rediscovered the need for air and pulled apart, though he certainly didn't complain when she went back for seconds. Or thirds, for that matter.
She looked at him, that same daring in her eyes as before, "budge up shark boy, I'm coming over."
He hardly had a moment to consider her words before she had thrown her legs across the center console and climbed on top of him before he could protest. His breath caught in his lungs even as he blushed at her coy smile.
"Well, well, well. You'll never believe what I've just found." Thalia taunted.
Percy blushed even deeper, "Noticed that, did you?"
"Hard not to, given my position"
"You're a regular comedian." Percy grumbled, "Any chance I could convince you it's just riptide in my pocket?"
"I was unaware riptide had such girth, Percy."
"Yeah I thought not."
Thalia leaned her head down and past his as she whispered in his ear, "don't get self-conscious on me now Percy. It's mutual." With that, her lips captured his, effectively silencing his complaints for a few minutes.
When she finally broke away, they were both panting, lips swollen from the intensity. Thalia let herself relax into him, wrapping her arms around his toned body as she tucked her head into his neck.
"Now," Thalia said, "as much as I want to fuck your brains out in this car-"
Percy coughed in surprise.
"It's probably best if we didn't do it in a car next to the Lieutenant of Artemis." Thalia continued, ignoring his surprise. "She might as well be the final boss of celibacy. Let's just cuddle."
Percy, ever-adaptable as he was, recovered admirably quickly. Wrapping his arms around her he placed a light kiss on her temple that completely tied her stomach in knots. Thalia knew she was being forward, more forward than he was used to probably, but she had faith that he'd adjust.
He hummed in thought, "I suppose we'll just have to say it's still my turn, and you can take a rain check on the dare, then. Only because I've got a soft spot for you, though."
She laughed into his chest at that raising her head to meet his eyes. "Well aren't I lucky? Besides, I can think of a few spots that I wouldn't quite describe as soft." Percy blushed "I'd hate to be greedy, though." She continued, humor coloring her tone. "For such a generous offer you get at least one in return."
"Oh! I guess we're both lucky, then. I dare you to kiss me again."
She looked at him and smiled softly when she saw that same familiar smile, "You're impossible, you know that?"
Though their lips reunited with the same hunger, this kiss was gentler than the last few, loving might have been an apt descriptor, had been willing to use it. She pulled back, taking a beat to memorize his face in that moment before laying her head back against his chest.
"You know, I had no idea you were a romantic." Thalia felt Percy's chest rumble against her as he spoke, "Perhaps I shouldn't have removed 'Nicholas Sparks' from the list of nicknames."
Thalia could hear the levity in his tone, and a smile curled across her lips in response, "Proud of that one, aren't you? It's for the best you nixed it. Any other time and I would've sent you to a watery grave for the nerve."
"I am quaking in my boots."
She smirked "and here I thought you were just vibrating from excitement, which might be useful, but I guess a girl can only be so lucky." Percy laughed and didn't reply as he started running his hands through her hair.
"I do have one question, though." Thalia said, seeing his head tilt down as he looked at her.
"What's that?"
"How many dares do I get, exactly?"
He grinned as he stared back at her, worries forgotten entirely, "as many as you want."
Thalia decided it would be his turn for a while.