Disclaimer: Don't own PJO or the Whiskered Warrior.
Lunar Phases
Reflection
Penance.
Although the word can refer to religious duty performed by Christian priests, most know it for its other use: Self-punishment delivered by an individual who feels as if they had done wrong, yet will not be tried by another for it. An attempt to atone for wrongdoings, the few who try to take this route are those that adhere to a moral code. The punishment can be physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental. Physical punishment is the most common, self-inflicted wounds being a favored method. As for the others, the repenting will isolate themselves from friends and loved ones, struggling to live alone.
December 22nd, 2008
The snow fell calmly around the peak of Storm King Mountain. The Yondaime Hokage took in the feeling of it. This world. It's nature. The energy that came from it was similar to what he'd been used to, but different. It felt...off. Not quite as strong as what he was used to, almost as if it were muted after being torn every which way but Sunday. As if something significant to it was ripped away, splintered and erased. The strange absence faded as he cycled more Natural Energy, purified it within himself and released it back to the world.
Minato Namikaze smiled slightly as he watched snow gather in his palms. The simple appreciation for something so mundane and natural almost brought tears to his eyes.
How long has it been since he could feel so clearly? That he could think without it being like his head was stuck in a fog? That he could move without feeling as if he were wading through a swamp? Weeks? Months? Years? Whatever the actual time was, it felt like forever. He was going to do whatever it took to keep from ever feeling like that again.
That goes without mentioning what I did to Naruto.
Minato's smile waned at the stray thought. His hands fell into his lap and he hung his head. Memories of his time as Arashi were still strong, and the fight that occurred under an hour before…How in the world was he supposed to apologize for what he did? To his son's girlfriend? – Kami, help him, his son had a girlfriend! How old was Naruto now? Sixteen? Seventeen?! He had so much to catch up on! – There was no way he could make up for that.
The faint tickle of that being's energy tugged at him and Minato pulled himself from his funk to re-immerse himself into his meditation. If his thoughts strayed too far and he lost his 'balance', the defenses Sage Mode granted him against the gods would fall and he would become Arashi once more. All he could worry about for now was the fractured Natural Energy that sought out his guidance. It was all that mattered, to correct the flow of nature and keep himself grounded with the energy of this planet.
It would be his only duty in this self-exile. Strange, though, how it felt like something was trying to speak to him through the energy. Meh, it was probably just his imagination.
The cold snow was soothing on Naruto's aching back. It could have been anywhere between five minutes or five hours since Arashi beat him into the ground for a second time. He didn't know, his head spun whenever he kept his eyes open for too long. A rapid series of crunches stirred him from his dazed rest.
"Di immortales, Naruto!" Oh, good. Bianca's here to witness his lowest moment in life yet. Yay. The twelve-year-old's hand grazed over his battered face and he let out a gurgled hiss when he tried to flinch away. "Oh, geez. That's–um...Gosh, that looks really bad."
Hm, well that didn't sound good.
"Naomi! How's Thalia?!"
"Bruised, but breathing!" Naomi called back.
Thalia...? Naruto struggled to get up and get a bead on his girlfriend. Bad idea. He managed to lift his head off the ground, before the world spun. His head dropped back down and his eyes squeezed shut.
Fox!
What?! I'm busy!
Doing what?!
Well, currently I am trying to fix your atomized rib cage! The Fox growled. Stop trying to move, Boy! Your mate lives, your bastard father fled, and you're alive! Accept the win and move on, but stop squirming or we'll be here all day!
Naruto let out an aggravated huff. He'd move on once he could actually move without wanting to vomit out his liquified intestines.
Don't be so dramatic, Boy. The Fox huff. That's probably just the concussion.
I have a what? Naruto groaned when he felt something shift in his chest and a loud crack broke through the air. On the plus side, he could breathe again without his ribs feeling like a car was parked atop them. Hurray.
"Naruto, you–Whoa!" Bianca flinched back as his jaw snapped back in place with another loud snap. He could see The Fox's sneer in his mind's eye. He took a deep breath through his nose and then glared at the mental projection.
"Ow."
Oh, I'm sorry, was that your shattered jaw I just repaired? Did you want a warning?
A little bit, yes.
Too bad. Now clench your teeth, your spine needs some work.
"Hel does that me–? %&*$!" The Vanir curse ripped from his mouth as his spine was forcibly realigned with a loud ker-krick-crunch.
"...Where in Hades did you learn that?!" Naomi gaped as she and Thalia walked over to join them.
Naruto's eyes locked with Thalia's as she rubbed at her throat and favored her speararm. He glanced at the injury when she stood beside him, there was a dark bruise around her neck that made his baser instincts run hot with anger. He quashed the feeling and raised his eyebrow at her, silently asking if she was okay. Thalia rolled her eyes before she crossed her arms and gave him a flat stare. He chose to interpret that as a 'yes, I'm fine', rather than the 'You're the one that looks like he was hit by a bulldozer and lost' that it was.
"Naruto!" Naomi's bark had him look back at her in mild annoyance. "I asked you a question."
"Boston." Naruto grumbled. Other than picking up a few new words that rarely left his lips, his 'day-off' in Vanaheim was a complete waste of time. All the Vanir did was try to impress him or bed him. Alf laughed his head off when he complained at the dinner table about it being a land full of 'Uncle Freds'. Then threw him back to the literal wolves that were the immortal residents of Hotel Valhalla.
Bastard.
"I should wash out your mouth in Lady Artemis' name! You were raised better!"
"My spine just broke and healed in the same hour, excuse me for expressing my pain verbally." Naruto dryly retorted to one of his more outspoken anti-curse 'sisters'.
"Yeah, well, there's impressionable ears here."
"She's right." Bianca huffed at him. The whiskered teen glowered at her.
"I'm sorry, how many times did you call Jeremy a 'dumb boy', but mean something else entirely?"
Bianca's eyes widened to owlish degrees.
"...You, uh, you know abo–?"
"I'm/He's the son of Lady Artemis." He and Naomi said simultaneously, one more deadpanned than the other. The latter crossed her arms. "Of course he's aware of the enchantment."
"I'm not. What enchantment?" Thalia, her voice a little hoarse from having her windpipe crushed, croaked. Bianca dug around in her pocket before she gave the older demigod a sliver of a golden cube. Ambrosia. Naruto wondered what it tasted like for her.
Some kind of burger I'm sure. The Fox snorted.
You're supposed to be healing me.
Unlike you, Boy, I can multitask! Also, your mate is still waiting for an answer.
Naruto planned to get the dumb fox back for its 'mate' comments as he met Thalia's curious gaze while she nibbled on the food of the gods.
"Mom wasn't a fan of some Hunters' more," he considered his words. "...colorful language."
"Which is why we're all going to pretend this day never happened," Bianca said with all her authority behind it. The effect was ruined by her mighty childish pout. Naruto arched his notched brow.
"So, you'd rather tell my mother, your patron, that, instead of assisting us in our time of need as she instructed, you and Naomi beat me and Thalia up for laughs?" He asked. Bianca took a minute to answer. He leveled her with another flat stare. "Bianca."
"I'm weighing my options."
"What?! No! No way! I'm not getting stuck on laundry duty because you didn't want to get busted for swearing again!" Naomi cut in with a scowl. Bianca rounded on her and whined.
"But-But Lady Artemis gets so angry! ...Well, more disappointed than angry." She amended before groaning again. "Regardless, it's still not something I want to experience again after what happened in Wisconsin."
"Aww...Deal with it." Naomi patted her Lieutenant's head as she whined again. Naruto almost wanted to ask what had happened in Wisconsin to make the Lieutenant of Artemis' Hunters react that way, but thought twice about it when the older Hunter looked down at him with another scowl on her face. "Are you going to get up anytime soon?"
"…I might stay here just to spite you, don't tempt me."
"Are you really enjoying sitting in the snow that much?" Thalia asked, a smirk spreading across her face. He looked at her with a retort on the top of his tongue, glanced at her healing neck, and then hung his head with a sigh.
Well, Fox? Is it safe for me to move yet?
You'll be short of breath, sore all over and have a limp for the rest of the day, but you can move now. The Fox grumbled. Do not attempt to drive that mechanical monstrosity.
"...No, not really. My butt's getting cold." Naruto admitted. Thalia snorted and offered her hand to him. He took it and nearly fell on her when his left knee buckled after he got to his feet. She pulled his arm over her shoulder and helped him stand, possibly using it as an excuse to give him a hug. Judging by the slight smile she had, that might be exactly why she did it. He gave her a wry smirk. "My hero."
"I will drop you, Whiskers. Don't tempt me." Thalia huffed his own words back at him around her smirk before she sighed. "This birthday sucks. We put in all this effort and your dad still got away without a scratch."
"Well, it's not all bad. We killed a Mountain Troll that was inhabiting the area."
"Your dad killed it."
"We indirectly killed it?" He tried to shrug, moved his right shoulder a millimeter, and realized how bad of an idea that was. He bit back the whine that almost slipped out and silently lamented the unflattering canid traits he got from the Arcadian's bite.
For all you know, I did that. The Fox sneered.
Please. He rolled his eyes. You'd never shut up about it if you did it.
…I hate that you're right.
"What's a Mountain Troll?" "What was a Troll doing this far south?!" Bianca and Naomi asked, the latter a little more upset than the former.
"A Mountain Troll is a Far Northern monster species, and I have no idea." Naruto sighed. Naomi looked ready to tear into him with more questions. He could feel his patience wear thin. His body ached and he was hungry after healing so much. "Let's just get back to Manhattan before my mother decides we've taken too long."
"I call sho—" He cut into Bianca's exuberant claim.
"It's my truck, and Thalia's driving."
"You trust her behind a wheel after what she did to the Sun Chariot?" Naomi asked. The 'she' in question looked a little insulted.
"That was a year ago. I was fifteen then, I'm eighteen now." Thalia huffed. She smirked at him and he sighed, well aware of where this was going. "And, unlike Whiskers, I'm legit."
"What are you insinuating?" Naomi frowned.
"Uncle Fred gave me my license."
"…What does that mean? Apollo taught you how to drive? When?! How?!"
"In that order: he made my license – and even more surprising, it works; Yes; About nine years ago he gave me some lessons here and there that stuck; and with the Sun Chariot, what else?" Naruto deadpanned. He pinched the bridge of his nose and bowed his head as a headache became apparent. "Any more questions? No? Good. Now can we please go back to Manhattan before Mom comes looking for us?"
Naomi huffed while Bianca frowned, before both rounded on their feet and stormed ahead. Hm, maybe he was a bit out of line with his sour attitude. On the other hand, they didn't just get utterly steamrolled by their own fathers.
"What are we going to do about the apartment?" Thalia asked lowly as she helped him along. He tightened his arm around her shoulders.
"I have no idea," he sighed. "We'll figure it out after I get a nap in."
"Okay." She gave him a soft squeeze around his side. His still tender ribs protested. He let out a low hiss and she loosened her grip. "Sorry."
"You're fine, Tree Girl. Just help me back to the truck."
December 23rd, 2008
Thalia awoke in a room that was dark and quiet.
It was unfamiliar, vastly different from her bedroom. The realization in her groggy mind made her try to rise up and investigate further. Something warm and slightly heavy was wrapped around her midsection and pinned her to the bed. She looked down to find a familiar tattooed arm wound loosely around her waist, which she then followed up to the face of her boyfriend. Whiskers' eyes were closed, still asleep by Hypnos' whim, and steady breaths flowed out of his slightly parted lips.
Her heart sped up at the sight and, unbidden, her lips pulled back into a small smile. Whiskers had slept the entire two hour drive back to her – still destroyed – apartment. He managed to stay awake and stand on his own as they reported their failed attempt to trap Arashi back to Artemis. After assuring his mother that despite the failure they were all relatively okay, the Hunters were ordered to rejoin their group for another vital hunt. Once they were gone, Whiskers retired to his room and – without a television to keep her occupied, her GED study guide missing, and her own bedroom destroyed – Thalia followed shortly after. An agreement was made to keep the arrangement under the literal definition of sleeping together, and they spent a good portion of her birthday evening talking about what her plans had been and what they could do tomorrow.
Still a little tired, Thalia relaxed under his embrace and rested her head on the pillow beside his. Just for five more minutes, of course. If anyone saw this she might…. Well she didn't know what she'd do, but this was her Whiskers time.
Then, someone knocked at the front door.
Thalia tried to ignore it. Then they knocked again. And again. And again.
Rap-rap-rap.
Rap-rap-rap.
Rap-rap-rap.
It became quite apparent that the knocker was not going to accept being ignored.
Well, Thalia thought as her temper reached its limits, bordering upon what she could only describe as psychopathic rage, someone's just volunteered to become the latest victim to a lightning strike.
Rap-rap-rap.
Rap-rap-rap.
Rap-rap-rap.
Olympus help her, if the knocker didn't change up their tempo, she was going to ensure that the bolts would strike the same place twice! As soon as she got Whiskers to let go–Did his arm just tighten around her?
"Don't engage. They'll give up and go away eventually." Whiskers' groggy voice tumbled out as he nuzzled his head against hers. His nostrils flared and her body was pulled against his – this was another 'bite' thing, wasn't it? Not that Thalia was complaining, mind you. Apparently, Whiskers' more affectionate qualities were even more prominent before he took his morning meds. Something she filed away to address (or take advantage of) later. She caught a glimpse of the clock over his shoulder.
"Whiskers," she half-hated the way her whisper came out with a breathy sigh. "It's seven-twenty."
"Don't care. Comfy."
"How long have you been awake?"
"Not important." He huffed. "Cuddle time."
No, Thalia did not squeak when Whiskers pressed his body against hers. Oh, gods, his body was so warm and his chest was so firm–No, bad Almighty Libido! Now was not the time to act up! Not when her boyfriend wasn't in his right state of mind! She squirmed a little and tried to slip out of his grip, but his hold tightened further. Heat flooded to two places on her body when a low rumble emanated from his throat in protest of her attempted escape.
Okay, so, Whiskers really liked to cuddle before he got his medicine. Good to know.
"But I have to use the toilet." She told him. Ha! Now he had no choice but to free her!
"Then go."
Thalia had to endure a few moments of nuzzling while she processed that retort.
"Whiskers," She finally settled and followed with, "That's disgusting."
"Don't care." His head ducked down and pressed his lips against–Oh, okay! This is some new ground they're breaking! Thalia was not prepared for this new step in their relationship—again, she wasn't exactly opposed to it, either, it was more so that she was not ready for it to happen at seven in the morning! Whiskers' lips pulled from their ministrations on her neck just for a brief moment and he mumbled against her skin: "I'll do the laundry."
Then he continued kissing her neck.
...Hoover Dammit, the Almighty Libido was winning!
Throughout this, the knocking persisted. However, apparently the knocker got impatient five minutes into Whiskers' newfound exploration of Thalia's neck, and decided to speak.
"Thalia!" The familiar voice tickled at the daughter of Zeus' ears. "Are you there? It's Annabeth!"
Annie. Thalia realized and her face burned. Oh no, this was the worst case scenario. Annabeth hadn't known Whiskers had moved into her apartment, let alone that they were dating. They had been so determined to keep it a secret from Artemis, they might have forgotten to tell Annabeth. Or anyone, really.
Wait, then...was Pollux the first camper that knew? No. Not important. Thoughts for later.
She jostled Whiskers' side, urging him to wake. He did his stupid sexy growl again and a shiver went up her spine.
No, no! Down, Almighty Libido! Down, she says!
So, at a loss – and suffering from the torment her least favorite inherited aspect bestowed upon her – Thalia did the only thing she could think to do: she let off a static discharge. Sure, it barely amounted to more amps than something a slightly charged doorknob would release, but it was a shock all the same. Whiskers instinctively jerked away from the source of his pain and, given that his bed was not as big as hers had been, he fell to the floor as a consequence.
Ugh, dammit. Now Thalia was mad at herself for ruining the best morning she'd had thus far in her birthday week. She would have to ensure there'd be more cuddle time, later. In the meantime, she had to go see why Annabeth was here.
Thalia hopped off of the bed, straightened her sleep shirt and fixed her pajama pants, before she made a sprint for the door, lest temptation take hold of her once more.
"Coming, coming," She said, far grumpier than she had intended. After making sure there were no ruffles in her clothes that would count as evidence for...well, anything, she opened the door and gave her best friend a smile. "Annie! Hey, Annie! Hi, Annie! What's-what's up?"
"Thalia." Annie smiled in return, until her grey eyes flicked to something beneath Thalia's eye level. They stayed there. Her jaw started to drop and the daughter of Athena let out a rather uncharacteristic: "Uuuh…?"
"'Uuuh' to you, too?" Thalia cocked a brow. Weird, what was that about? Annie pointed at a spot on her neck. The daughter of Zeus tilted her head. Okay, Annie's neck seemed fine. Then why was she–?
Oh, no.
No.
No, no, no!
Thalia's hand slapped onto her neck, where Whiskers' lips had had their wicked way with it. Raised skin, slight sting of pushing on a forming bruise. Yep. Definitely a hickey.
...Crap! Whiskers gave her a hickey!
"Who did you–?!" A soft series of footsteps made Thalia's ears perk up. Annie's eyes flicked to the source and bugged out of her head. "N-Naruto?"
"Hey, Annie." Whiskers' low groggy voice rumbled out of his mouth after a yawn. She felt his annoyed stare on the side of her head and she half-lamented over her decision to wake him. "Did you have to shock me, Tree Girl? You couldn't just, I don't know, push me out of the bed?"
Whiskers, no! Why?! Why couldn't you just stay on the floor, for like, five more minutes?!
"Out of the bed–? Why were you–? Thalia Grace! Are you two–?!" Great, Annie was in her detective mode now, evident by how she cut herself off several times, and a scowl was settled on her face. Her best friend regarded her with hurt grey eyes, before she gestured between the two. "And just when were you going to tell me about this?!"
Crap. Damage control. Thalia needed to run serious damage control!
"Annie, it's not what it looks like!"
"Oh, yeah?" Annie narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Tell me then, Thalia, what am I supposed to think it looks like? It cost me a huge favor with Clarisse so I could come visit and wish you a belated happy birthday in your destroyed apartment – and yeah, you better believe that I'll get to that in a second – and you frantically answered the door in your pajamas with a hickey on your neck. Then Naruto — wearing a shirt, a pair of boxers and nothing else — also comes out from the same direction as your spare room, which is where you both had to be sleeping since I can see that your room no longer exists!"
Damage control? What in the Hades was that? Thalia failed to come up with a response to the spot on observation.
"Just–" Annie pinched the bridge of her nose. "At least tell me you two used protection?"
Something cracked as Thalia's world tilted and her face lit on fire. Whiskers', likewise, choked on air. Ah, wonderful, they were both going to die of embarrassment together.
"Wha–Annie, no! We were just cuddling! Only cuddling! Not–none of that!" she eloquently answered. ...Wait, did she just admit to–Worry about it later.
"Oh, really?" Annie arched a golden brow. What was with the skepticism?! Just because her father was Zeus, it didn't mean Thalia was some kind of deviant! "And the hickey?"
"That was Whiskers!"
"Wha–What are you talking about? I woke up to an electric shock!" Whiskers protested, a scowl on his bright red face. He glowered at Thalia. "I still wanna know what I did to deserve that."
"You–You're the reason she's grilling us like this!" Thalia refuted, scowling at her boyfriend.
"I'm the reason–?! I woke up half-dead!"
"Don't be so dramatic, all I did was give you a bit of static!" Thalia growled back at him. She gestured at him, fighting the heat that wanted to engulf her face. "You–You're the one that was all…hugging and k-kissing and–"
"What?! N-No I didn't!" Whiskers protested. That filthy–Did he really want to pin the blame on her for this!?
"Yes, you did! Look!" Thalia pointed at her neck. "That's your lips' doing, Whiskers! Not mine!"
"I know you're trying to hide something, Thalia." Annie sighed. Thalia rounded on her with an outraged scowl. What was that supposed to mean?! Annie leveled her with a flat stare. "I mean, he's the son of Artemis."
Oh, like that excused everything?!
"He did! Of his own volition! He was all nuzzly and huggy and got super-super affectionate..." No, wait, her A.L.'s lust seeped into her words and made them sound wistful—which she wasn't! She had to reel that in and bring back the outrage. Thalia shook her head and gestured at her boyfriend. "It's because he was bitten by Lycaon!"
"...He was what?!" Annabeth gaped. Both of them looked at Thalia's now wide-eyed and red faced boyfriend.
"...I, um, I need to go take my meds..." Whiskers mumbled. Good, he seemed to understand why it happened. He refused to meet Thalia's gaze as he turned and fled towards the bathroom. Seconds after there was a slam that indicated he'd closed the door shut behind him.
Oh, terrific.
Now she had to tell her emotionally stunted boyfriend that she wasn't mad about him giving her a hickey and that she liked it. Ugh, she could already feel the embarrassment that was going to wash through her from that conversation. Knowing her luck that goddess would probably pop in and give her unwanted two cents about the whole thing.
"Just-Just come in, Annie." Thalia rubbed her face and tried, really tried, not to express her frustration over the day's start. "Take a seat. I need to go talk to him."
"Thalia, wha-? No! You need to explain this! Both of you!" Annie groused as she threw her arms up, but crossed the threshold into the apartment. "I haven't heard from you in weeks, Thalia! Is this why?! And what do you mean Naruto was bitten by Lycaon?! Wouldn't he be a werewolf?! Is he a werewolf?! Why isn't he a werewolf?! How long has he been living here?! How long have you two been cuddling?!"
"Annie, I promise that I will explain everything to you, but–" Thalia's gaze flicked back to where Naruto had disappeared to before meeting the grey eyes of her best friend once more. "I have to go tell Whiskers that I'm not mad at him. Just give me five minutes. Please?"
"...Fine, but I'm counting." Annie pouted and plopped down on the stool by the kitchen island. She tapped the face of her wristwatch. "Five minutes. A second more and I'm coming after you for my answers."
"Thanks, Annie." Thalia gave her a grateful grin. There was hope yet for this day to not suck like the past two had. She burst into a hurried walk, others might have called it a light sprint, to the guest (or rather, now the only) bathroom. Before she could touch the doorknob, a clatter followed by a low muffled curse came from the other side.
The previous day's chaotic start caused Thalia to throw caution to the wind, and she threw the door open…
…Right into Whiskers' face.
"Gods—&$*%!" Whiskers cursed in that weird language and stumbled back, his right hand half-cupped over his face. He tripped and fell over the edge of the bathtub/shower, whereupon he promptly hit the back of his head on the tiled wall and cracked it. Hopefully, just the wall.
"Crap, sorry Whiskers!" Thalia hurried in and helped him back to his feet. She winced when she saw blood running out of his nose. Great. Just great. She got optimistic far too soon. "I'm so, so sorry!"
"Ish fine."
"No, it's not, I broke your nose!" Thalia grimaced. She hoped it didn't stay crooked, she liked his nose. Gods, could this morning get any worse? Best not tempt it. "I'll grab a towel."
"Tree Girl, don't wor–" A crunch interrupted him and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Ow. Freakin—A warning! Some kind of warning, you stupid Fox!"
"Did...Did it just–?" Thalia stared at Whiskers' fixed nose while he grabbed some toilet paper and wiped away the blood. It was a little gross to see him blow out dried blood through his nostrils, but she wasn't going to say that out loud. It'd be rude and very inconsiderate.
"Heal my broken nose without bracing me for it? Yes. Yes it did." Whiskers grumbled as he sat down on the toilet and rubbed his face. He grimaced and let his hand fall to his lap. "At least the swelling is already going down."
"I'm sorry." Thalia mumbled again. Whiskers looked up at her with a bewildered smirk.
"For beaming me with the door? I doubt you planned to do that."
"I didn't–!"
"Which is why I forgive you." She tried her best not to blush at the small smile he gave her, but she did offer a small smile in gratitude. He took her hands in his and arched a brow. She rolled her eyes, but tugged him up to his feet all the same. As soon as she did, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek. Annnd the blush she'd fought back won out and was atomic now. Dammit, Whiskers. Curse your suave, boyish charms! "And why I forgave you for shocking me. Still though, please don't do that again."
"I'm sorry," Thalia mumbled as she wound her arms around her boyfriend. "I, um, I think I panicked."
"Because I got clingy?"
"No, that was...I liked that." Thalia gulped, the fire burning within her uncertain where to go. Thankfully, almost mercifully, it raced upwards towards her face, and caused her ears and likely her freckles to glow. Whiskers' own face took on a redder hue – did the Fox replenish his blood, too? That's impressive... and off topic. Stupid ADHD. She gave him the small smile that she refused to show anyone else. "And, um...the other stuff."
"...The other stuff?"
Thalia rubbed a hand over her hickey.
Whiskers' face immolated.
"Oh." He mumbled. He cleared his throat and looked away. Ugh, he had to stop acting so bashful and cute about it. It was not helping her retain any sense of composure. "That. Yeah. I'm, um, sorry I...sorry I did that without–"
"Whiskers," Thalia interrupted him. She physically guided his gaze back to her by putting a hand on his namesake. She saw uncertainty reflect in his eyes, and the light in them seemed to dim as he withdrew into himself. It was something she wasn't used to or liked seeing him display.
It was the same look he had before the first time he kissed her just a week into their relationship. He damn near had a panic attack after he'd left her stunned. It took a deep conversation before dinner, along with several reassurances, that he was allowed – and encouraged – to do so more often.
"Hey. I liked it. Besides, that's all you did. You didn't do anything wrong, and I'm not mad at you, okay?"
He swallowed and gave a curt nod.
"And-and maybe we can cuddle more later?" She asked.
"Y-Yeah. After we, um, talk to Annie?"
Thalia smiled and started to nod before her eyes widened.
Shoot, she almost forgot about the time limit!
Annabeth Chase was many things, primarily among them, she was smart. However, her intellect centered on academics and Greek history. She could name every element on the Periodic Table, every president or leader of every existing country, and had memorized facts of the Hoover Dam to the point that she'd imbued knowledge of it to her small circle of friends. That last one was now a bittersweet victory. If Percy, Thalia or Grover made one more "Dam" joke…
The one thing she wasn't good at, and didn't know how to handle, was relationships. Primarily, interpersonal ones. Romantic interpersonal relationships, especially.
Heck, her own parents' barely had a relationship outside of 'teacher-student', and the one time she tried searching for that on one of her school's computers, she learned there was a certain stigma attached to it. A very popular one, at that. She tried to calm her burning cheeks and bury the memory of some of the things she witnessed. The recollection of the rabbit hole she had almost dove into and could've gotten expelled for — that was a strange thrill in and of itself — rushed to the forefront of her mind and she fought it back.
Past near-mistakes aside, Annabeth's confidence in the romance department was rather dismal. It was why she was so rude towards Rachel Elizabeth Dare upon their first meeting – at least, that's what she told herself in retrospect. Her complicated relationship with Luke and the shift at how she regarded her Seaweed Brained friend Percy were also factors that she really didn't try to rationalize. The few times she did, she got...distracted, to say the least.
Needless to say, Annabeth didn't have a means to really help or even understand what her two older friends were going through.
Especially when they haven't told me anything! Annabeth lamented in mild annoyance as she watched the second hand tick ever closer to the four minute mark.
Seriously, Thalia was supposed to be her closest female friend – the "bestie" as Silena Beauregard had explained when she'd gone to her for relationship advice after her quest – so why was she getting blindsided with this development?! That had to be breaking several friendship laws. She'd have to confirm with Silena later.
Granted, Naruto could have told her, too, but they weren't as close as they had been when they travelled together. Back then, Naruto had been her fearless 'big brother', as much a hero to her as Luke and Thalia were. Now, he'd fallen from her favor after she'd learned he dropped out of school and when he rejected joining them on her quest. She understood why he did both, but the challenge to her beliefs and the indirect rejection to her leadership still stung.
After what felt like forever, Thalia finally reappeared. She looked a little flustered, as did Naruto when he emerged shortly after with jeanson. The lone male in the room went to the stove and started rummaging through the cupboards to start making what looked like a breakfast.
"Everything good now?" Annabeth asked. Mm, that was probably a bit more abrasive than it needed to be, but she was annoyed! She couldn't be held accountable for being annoyed!
"Yeah. Sorry, Annie...It's just–This week's been–Ugh!" Thalia sat down across from her and groaned into her hands. A faint shimmer of static danced over her fingers before it flickered away. Annabeth felt the annoyance bleed away into concern.
"That bad?"
"Up until yesterday, Thalia used to have a bedroom." Naruto mumbled from where he was making...an omelet? Naruto could cook? Di immortales, Thalia has a cook—No, wait, focus Annabeth!
"And we'll get to that." Annabeth frowned, glancing at the large, clear plastic barrier that barely held the weather at bay. "Thalia, what's going on? You're ignoring Chiron's calls and I haven't been able to get through to your cell phone–"
"Oh, dammit. I knew I forgot to do something while we were out Sunday!" Thalia groaned. She rubbed her temples. "Ugh, sorry, Annie."
She really wished they would stop calling her that. She was sixteen–No! Annoying as the nickname might be, focus!
"Okay, let's start there." Annabeth folded her arms. "What happened to your phone?"
"Um, static discharge?" Her bestie sheepishly smiled. Annabeth's eyes went half-lidded.
"...Thalia."
"It was Whiskers' fault!"
"What?! How was that–?" Naruto turned to scowl at her and she glared back at him.
"Colorado."
"...Alright, yeah, that was my bad." He mumbled before going back to the omelets. Annabeth blinked. Did he just–? Huh, go Thalia. Wait, did Thalia know–Did Naruto know–? Worth the risk asking.
"Hold on, does that mean that you know what happened behind the Colorado Incident?!"
"It wasn't an Incident." Naruto grumbled. Thalia huffed and crossed her arms, clearly disagreeing.
"He was smack dab in the middle of it," she said. She scowled at his back before looking at Annabeth once more. "Whiskers, in all of his brilliance, took on Lycaon alone. The dome was his Egyptian friend's way of keeping it isolated."
"Di immortales…" Annabeth gaped as her mind raced. Naruto, a mortal, took on the First Werewolf alone and, given that he was still alive, came out on top. That was...that was amazing. Stupid? Oh, exceptionally so, but it was still amazing all the same. It sounded like something that came out of Ancient Greece, where a regular mortal became a hero. Except, now something else that was important — aside from questions relating to the Egyptian pantheon — came to mind. "Is that how–?"
"Yes. That's how he got bitten." Thalia grumbled. She drummed her fingers on her arms before she sighed. "As for how he's not a werewolf–"
"Uncle Fred stopped it." Naruto cut in abruptly. He sprinkled something into the pan before continuing. "He and Asceplius developed an imperfect, one-time cure. It and The Fox stopped the enslaved wolf-transformation part."
"But he kept some other features." Thalia finished. She shrugged. "His instincts and senses are more...keen."
"That's...Terrible grammar, but I understand what you mean." Annabeth mumbled while her friend rolled her eyes. The daughter of Athena rubbed her chin in thought. "So...You don't turn into a wolf?"
"Selene, Helios, Cthulhu, Primus... No, Annabeth, I do not turn into a wolf, a dog or somewhere between the two." The mortal drawled tiredly as he opened the fridge for something. The aroma was getting a little distracting. Annabeth tried to ignore it and the disappointment she felt at knowing he wouldn't turn into a wolf. She had been wondering if she could train his werewolf form.
"Well, that's what he says anyway. Still haven't seen him on the night of a full moon," Thalia said with a smirk. The son of Artemis let out a dry laugh. She snickered before smiling at Annabeth once more. "But really, no. His senses are more on par with a grizzly's than a wolf's, so he has special medication that helps him control them and the instincts that come with it."
"Almost like a diluted form of lycanthropy?" Annabeth hypothesized. The older teens shrugged. Right, they probably didn't care as long as it wasn't an issue. Ugh, why were her friends all so against potential academic discoveries? She'll just have to pick up the slack for them. "Okay, well, then I guess that answers the questions I had about your phone and October...but what about the past month? Why didn't you come back to camp, Thalia?"
"Oh. Um." Thalia started looking around her destroyed apartment. "We were dealing with a, uh, thing. Yeah."
"A thing?" Annabeth asked with as much skepticism as possible. That was a Seaweed Brain worthy deflection. She was, actually, kind of disappointed in Thalia. The daughter of Zeus squirmed under her questioning gaze.
"Don't beat around the bush, Thalia," Naruto said as he walked over and set a plate down in front of her. The omelet looked amazing, with cheese, celery, and …chopped ham? When did he cut the ham? She didn't hear him use a cutting board! Ugh and it smelled so good, too! Another was set in front of Thalia before he took a seat beside Thalia with his own. Naruto looked Annabeth dead in the eye.
"I was enslaved by Hecate."
Annabeth stared at him, omelet forgotten.
"...Questions," she finally managed. "I-I have so many questions."
He nodded and started eating. The questions flowed like water from the Hoover Dam, in steady controlled bursts. Either Naruto or Thalia answered, sometimes both at once or they shared a look and gave out measured responses. Regardless of their secrets, the revelations that came as the questions were answered floored the daughter of Athena. Several in particular stood out.
First, confirmation of Hecate's defection was accompanied by that of Eros and Psyche. Silena and the others in Cabin Ten were going to be pissed. Eros was Aphrodite's most trusted 'assistant', and one of the strongest minor gods out there... That he betrayed Olympus was extremely 'bad news'.
Second, the fact that Thalia and Naruto started dating and living together literally a day after their first kiss. That was tied with the shock of it being Thalia who first admitted her feelings — Annabeth was so proud, and jealous, of her: Proud because it took a lot of guts to own up to one's feelings, and Thalia had been denying them for a long time; Jealous, because Annabeth had yet to take that step. — and planted one on Naruto's brainwashed lips. That the son of Artemis reciprocated both the kiss and the feelings associated with it was just as surprising as it being what broke the spell. She would inquire further about that down the line.
Third on the list of surprise revelations was that Naruto had a father. ...Er, rather, that his biological father was alive and also enslaved by Hecate. His father also happened to be some kind of uber hyper mega ninja assassin. With magic. A scary ton of magic. Magic that let him teleport anywhere he wanted. The complexities of it made her yearn to pursue that line of questioning, but it along with the other topics would have to wait.
Because finally, the cherry on top, the rebellious minor gods had put a bounty on her best friend's head.
"Thalia," Annabeth said after taking all of this in. "I think you need to come back to Camp Half-Blood with me."
AN: Posting now because there's storms in my area.
Enjoy the early update.