Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, The Kane Chronicles, and Magnus Chase are all owned by Rick Riordan. This is not made for any profit, personal or otherwise. Please support the original series.
Warning: This chapter starts off pretty darkly. Please read with caution if you are sensitive to gore.
Chapter Three: Thalia Grace: Release
Demigod dreams were never good. It was universal that, if you had a godly parent, you were stuck with having nightmares for basically your entire life. It did not matter who your parent was or how powerful you were, you had dreams that would make most therapists run for the hills rather than try to deconstruct them.
That being said, the more powerful you were, or rather, if you had an important part to play in Fate's game, you tended to have the worst dreams.
One unknown benefit to joining the Hunt was that, for whatever reason, all demigod dreams stopped. Or, at least, your run of the mill dreams did. You could still be visited by gods in your dreams, or get super important information if you were involved in a quest, but, as a former candidate for the first Great Prophecy, Thalia had found her dreams to be relatively non-existent, aside from a nightmare here and there. She suspected Artemis' blessing had something to do with it, but she had never quite gotten around to asking the goddess about it.
After the events at Montauk? Oh boy, was she missing the lack of dreams.
It had started out normally enough. She was running through the forest, her sisters at her side, laughing and joking as they rushed to their next destination. True sisterhood, in every sense of the word.
But then the screaming began.
Thalia felt her body grow weak, and suddenly, she found herself incapable of moving like she normally did. Instead, she watched, in horror, as her sisters started dropping to the ground. One after another, with various deadly wounds. Hunters torn to shreds from monsters, from enemy demigods in the Titan war. Phoebe, her eyes staring at nothing, with Orion's arrow in her chest, the Amazon Kinzie joining her moments later. Even those who she knew to be alive had fallen: Reyna, with her head crushed. Kowalksi, missing the lower half of her body.
Even after that, Hunters with faces that she did not know fell at her side, identifiable by their silver parkas alone, and each death was just as gruesome as the ones before. And, most disturbingly at all, those two.
Bianca, with her olive skin charred, her hair blackened and singed, an eyeball grotesquely hanging out of its socket. Zoe, mouth foaming, her chest caved in, staring up at the stars.
Thalia could handle that, even as she screamed and tried her best to move, to help, to do something. She was no stranger to death, even as she mourned her beloved sisters in the Hunt. But then, it became so much worse.
Annabeth, a hole through her chest, slashes up all on her arms and face, those stormy grey eyes staring beyond Thalia. An older woman with dark hair, Sally Blofis, cut cleanly in half. Paul Blofis, only his head remaining. Jason, his heart impaled, eyes rolled up in agony before he died.
A small, bloody smear, with little ocean-blue clothes stained permanently red with blood. Estelle Blofis. And, in a cruel mockery of how she discovered him, Percy. Arm shattered, leg twisted the wrong way, caked in his own blood, and sea green eyes bloodshot, staring at her, accusingly, mocking her for being late, too late to save him, to save them, to save his family-
Thalia awoke with a yell, breathing heavily. She looked wildly around, disoriented. Where was she? Why wasn't she on the beach? Where was Percy?!
She located Percy first, one bed over from her. She was relieved to see his chest slowly rise and fall, even as the gold bedding blinded her slightly. There was only one god who would have something so obnoxious on their bed. They must have been brought to Apollo's place, or at least, an infirmary on Olympus. Thalia had been forced to visit enough times to vaguely recognize his very distinctive...tastes.
As her mind slowly stopped racing from her nightmare-gods, she hated having those again-she started putting the pieces together. Poseidon had arrived to calm Percy down when he was losing it on the beaches of Montauk. He had held her and Percy together as they sobbed (and a not so small part of her mind had raged, against her will, at how comforting it was, and how Percy was so lucky to have not one, but three parents, all of whom loved him), and then...nothing.
Poseidon must have forced sleep upon them, Thalia realized. It was probably for the best, considering her and Percy's mental state: sure, she wasn't as likely to lose control over her powers as Percy was (another benefit to being a Hunter), but still. A part of her chafed at being manhandled.
"Thalia."
She started, and then looked around. The voice of her patron came from a pair of chairs across the room, the traditional silver Hunter garb clashing horribly with the moon goddess' twin's colors. Sitting next to her was the twin himself, Apollo. He looked drained, much like he had during his time as Lester.
Before Thalia could respond, a groan sounded from the next bed over: Percy was waking up, and in a flash-quite literally, considering he was a god-Apollo was at Percy's side, gently helping him sit up. Normally, Percy probably would have reacted negatively to immediately being touched upon waking up (gods only knew how bad his psyche was damaged after Tartarus), but he must have been extra out of it to not immediately attempt to punch Apollo in the face.
Then again, considering what had happened...
As Apollo started checking over Percy as he started fully coming to, Artemis walked to Thalia, placing her hand on her lieutenant's shoulder.
"Thalia, how are you feeling?" Artemis asked.
It was truly a testament to the last few years of having her attitude tempered that Thalia didn't immediately respond with sarcasm, because how could she possibly feel anything but awful, considering the circumstances?
"As fine as I can be, I suppose." Thalia slowly said. She tried not to make it too obvious that she was trying to keep one eye on Percy, because the goddess she had vowed to turn her back on men on was right in front of her, but she knew that Artemis was likely fully aware of what she was doing.
And, honestly, likely didn't care as much as most people would assume. Sure, Percy held the honor of having the grudging respect of most deities (some with an extra emphasis on 'grudging'), but as far as Artemis' feelings on him went, he was deemed 'okay for a man', and would probably not smite him immediately for a minor offense.
Gods were fickle beings at the best of times, after all. Even the more down-to-earth ones.
And so, Hunter and patron watched as Apollo fussed over Percy, who was slowly becoming more aware of what was happening, and had started sputtering, attempting (and failing) to fend off the sun god.
It did her good to see that, despite being a literal living legend and having gone through some major shit in the more recent past, Percy was still the same guy he always was, even if just more damaged than normal.
But as Thalia watched, she saw his shoulders begin to slump, his already half hearted attempts to fend off Apollo's hands become steadily weaker, and she knew that Percy had finally become cognizant enough to remember why he was here, instead of being on a relaxing vacation with his family.
Before she could voice her thoughts, Artemis quietly muttered, "I have Estelle Blofis in an enchanted sleep in another room. She will be fine until we deal with...whatever is going to come of this."
Well, there was one thing down. But...
"...Who is going to take care of her? Percy surely can't, not after...everything. Not by himself."
Thalia vaguely realized that Artemis was staring at her, but she couldn't take her eyes off of her cousin, who had gone quiet and was dealing with Apollo's treatments with total apathy.
"Thalia Grace."
She winced; even after all of these years, she still hated it when people used her last name. Still, she turned to the moon goddess, who had cocked her head to the side slightly, considering the young woman before her.
"You remember your pledge, do you not?"
Thalia blinked. "What-"
"You said that you would turn your back on the company of all men. That is the Hunter's pledge." There was no accusation in Artemis' tone, just a neutral, matter-of-factness that was unsettling Thalia. "And yet, you immediately hugged a male mere seconds after receiving my blessing. You have adapted well over these last few years, but I must ask. If it's for a friend of yours, for a male, what would you do, if they needed help?"
Thalia felt like that was a trick question. What was she suppose to say, "no, I would let my friend suffer when I could reach out a hand"? Or, "he is a dirty boy, let him suffer, down with all men"? But then, she only knew how to answer one way, and that was her own.
"If someone needed my help, regardless of who they were," she started slowly, "then I would offer it to them. Unless they were absolute scum of the earth, but...I don't think I could turn away from someone who is innocent, or who is trying to protect someone."
A few terse moments passed, the background noises of Apollo's hums of approval being tuned out, as Thalia waited for a reaction. Was Artemis about to smite her for not giving a more anti-male answer? Or perhaps, was she about to put Percy out of his misery, thinking that she would remove the source of the current conflict (and likely gain the favor of multiple divine beings in the process)?
Then, Artemis smiled.
"Yes, that is a very you answer. I am proud to call you my lieutenant."
She turned back towards the two men in the room, still smiling, before she spoke again.
"We have seen and dealt with much over the past few years. An almost civil war, the Titan war, the Giant war...my brother's struggles against Nero." She paused here, frowning. "Deities are not one for change. And yet, thanks to your friend there, we have all changed, and for the better, I think."
She turned back to Thalia. She seemed to be debating on something, before Thalia interrupted her.
"Wait, my lady, are you trying to say-"
Artemis held up her hand. Thalia quit talking.
"I would make you an offer, Thalia. I am no exception to the rule that I do not like being in debt to others. And yet, I, perhaps out of all of the gods, owe Perseus the most. He healed the heart of Zoe within a mere week of knowing her." She looked back towards Percy, and Thalia's eyes followed. She felt Artemis' gaze snap back to her.
"For the sake of your friend, for the one who has helped us in so many ways, and for the one who has sacrificed so much for us all..."
As Thalia's head turned, she saw Artemis' eyes gleaming. Those silvery orbs were blazing with power, but Thalia found herself not intimidated at all. On the contrary, she felt oddly at peace with what she suddenly knew was coming.
"Thalia Grace." And here, she didn't even flinch at her full name. "Would you like to leave the Hunt, to return to the side of men, to aid your dear friend?"
Thalia didn't know how to react. Was she getting kicked out of the Hunt for her friendship with Percy?
Before she could figure out what to say, Artemis held up a hand. "Allow me to explain, sister. This isn't a punishment, nor is it even something I am recommending. I want to give you an opportunity, but it is up to you if you wish to take it."
At Thalia's confused nod, Artemis continued. "Perseus has been through a very unfortunate ordeal. Not only has he lost almost all the he holds closest to his heart, but now, he is left with just his infant of a sister. I doubt that his mental state will allow him to be fully prepared for what being a father entails, and I doubt there's anyone whom his sister can go to."
Thalia grimaced. She hadn't even realized that, without Sally or Paul around, Percy was going to take the mantle of parenthood much earlier than what he had ever planned for-if he ever had. She didn't know if he and Annabeth had even considered having children: most demigods didn't make it to the point where they could have them in the first place.
"In addition, the fact of the matter is that Perseus...needs help. After all he has been through, after the quests and wars that he has been through because of us..." It was Artemis' turn to grimace. "It is time for us to return the favor. Some of us, such as our father, would consider simply not killing him payment enough. However, I disagree. Perseus is a true hero, and deserves the happy ending that he was so cruelly robbed of.
"So, with that being said, lieutenant...I would make the offer that, with no repercussions, you may leave the Hunt, and aid your longtime friend in his recovery. I would also ask that you take this time to...make your own peace with your demons."
Thalia wanted to protest, wanted to argue: but unlike earlier, when she was simply unable to come up with the words herself, Artemis had silenced her before she could even make a noise. The goddess looked at her with such sadness, and Thalia found herself losing the fight in her quickly.
"I know that you said that you were okay after the losses you have suffered in your life...but Thalia, sister, you have never taken the time to fully heal from that which you have lost. Your time stuck in that tree, the betrayal of someone special to you, and the deaths of so many of our sisters and your...no, our, brother..."
Thalia could see the millennia of pain and loss in Artemis' eyes. Gods didn't often view death the same way as mortals did; even for the ones who did care, such as Hermes and Poseidon, they still usually held sorrow for a few select individuals. Not to say they didn't care about their mortal children or lovers (for the most part), but a deity could blink and suddenly lose thirty years, and to them, it would be as if it had been a moment.
It was different with Artemis, who had gotten so close and personal with so many young women, who had been broken and beat down by life, and from men in particular (although not always). She felt each death closely to her breast, and Thalia knew that, even now, her patron missed her dear former lieutenant Zoe very much.
As if reading her thoughts (and perhaps she was), Artemis whispered, so quietly that Thalia had to strain to hear it, "I just do not wish for you to follow Zoe's path, to where she was only freed from her hate at the end of her life."
Well. Damn. What could Thalia say to that? More importantly...if Artemis cared for her that much, to where she was willing to let go of her lieutenant...
It wasn't like Thalia had quite the same issues as the rest of the Hunt when it came to men. Her friendship with Percy, Nico, and her brief time with her long lost brother proved that. Despite being betrayed by Luke, whom she could have become so much more with, she had never been able to completely lose herself in that hatred.
Rather, it was her past that she needed to deal with. Her mother, her issues with her father, dealing with Hera and Jason...meeting Luke, Annabeth and Grover, dying and getting turned into a tree, being resurrected and meeting Percy, and so many others, and joining the Hunt...
There was so much to go over. And even though Thalia was of the mind to grin and bear it, as she always did, something about the way Artemis choked on Zoe's name just made her heart ache. That could be her, later down the line. Perhaps not anytime soon, considering how long Zoe lived, but would her end be found, clinging to her hatred of her past, only being able to let it go as she stared up into the stars one last time? Perhaps with another hero, another Percy, who would allow another lieutenant of Artemis' hunt to heal in her last moments?
Thalia's eyes started to water, despite how much she tried to hold it back-and was rather surprised that she could still cry, after letting loose after discovering Annabeth's fate-and Artemis leaned forward, catching her in a hug, staining Thalia's shirt with tears.
After a few moments of silence, to where even Apollo had gone silent, they pulled apart. Thalia smiled weakly at Artemis, and nodded. Artemis reached her hand up, placing it against the tiara resting on Thalia's head, and muttered, "I release Thalia Grace from her pledge to the Hunt. She will no longer turn her back on men, and she will sacrifice her immortality in order to do so."
And with a flash, the tiara shimmered, and then disappeared. Or, at least, Thalia thought it did: suddenly, she found it impossible to see, and she worried that losing the Hunter's blessing had caused her to go blind, before a quiet, watery chuckle came from her sister, and a pair of hands suddenly brought the light back on. More specifically, Artemis had moved her hair to the side so she could see.
She was suddenly much taller than her former patron, with her hair long and falling well past her hips. Her body felt heavier, and her arms and legs felt longer, almost unnaturally so. With a start, Thalia fully came to realize that she was older.
"Sister, wha-" And she clamped her mouth shut, because suddenly, her voice was a bit deeper than it used to be, more grown up and mature sounding.
"I have returned your years to you, from when you joined my Hunt, sister." Artemis explained, still smiling through her tears. "I cannot give you the years you lost as a tree, sadly, but, if memory serves, you are now a year older than Perseus once again."
Thalia smiled weakly, before the sound of Apollo coughing caught both of their attentions. Looking over at the sun god revealed a sad smile of his own, his hand placed on Percy's shoulder in an attempt to be comforting to the young man. Percy himself was staring at Thalia like he had never seen her before, shock etched upon his face. Thalia would normally make a pot shot towards him, but for now, she would let it slide.
Apollo stood up, with his twin following seconds later. Thalia swore that they were communicating with their eyes alone, and then they both turned to the demigods.
"I believe now would be a good time to go before the Council," Artemis started, "and once there, we can come up with a plan for the future."
Apollo hesitated, and glanced at Percy. "I'm going to be honest, I think a certain sister of ours is going to be furious. But, we are on your side, Percy Jackson. Do not let Athena's words get to you."
He held out his hand to Percy, as Artemis did the same for Thalia. The demigods locked eyes, then grabbed onto the proffered hands, and with that, the twins led Percy and Thalia out of the Olympian infirmary, and towards the throne room.
A/N: ...I've gotta be honest, I've been struggling with the end of this chapter for a month now, but I think I'm satisfied with it. Next chapter, we will be getting the rest of Olympus involved, as well as setting up the immediate future for our favorite demigods. The next couple of chapters are still going to be a bit heavy, but after that, we should move on to the meat of the story, and turning down the angst and such, although there will still be plenty of that. One does not simply move on quickly from losing your family and lover, after all, and our heroes are in for a very rough time before things get better.
I will be upfront, I'm going through a bit of a turbulent part of my life. I quit one job, went on vacation, and have started another that has led to me being exhausted more often than not, so I have been rock bottom with my motivation. In addition, I had a general outline for the first three chapters: after this, I'm going to need to do some story boarding, and there may be a move across the country in my near future, so the next chapter might take longer to come out. That being said, I am definitely not abandoning this story, although I might put out some shorter stories in the meantime. I've had a few real quick ideas that could be easily written up, so you might see a few things here and there. That being said, I'm going to work on the next couple of chapters during the next couple of days, at least get them started, and hopefully the words will write themselves.
Until next time!