#also artemis was hunting thalia for a long time so there's some debate that thalia could have been the prophecy child anyway

[bright-eyes-strawberry-lies]

We know Thalia threw Percy under the bus by making sure he'd be the prophecy child instead of her...but Percy wasn't able to do that to Nico even if he wanted to. He has no option to be immortal. The prophecy was always going to fall to Percy because he's two years older than Nico and that's how time works.

[chironshorseass]

magnificently cursed

Annabeth kisses Percy Jackson at the winter solstice; because of this, things may turn out for the better—or is it the other way around? The only thing she knows for certain is that she has a special loathing for fatal flaws and prophecies.

or,

A canon divergent au in which many things happen at once.

read on ao3

Dum spiro, spero

(While I breathe, I hope.)

That was one of the first Latin phrases Chiron had taught her, all those years ago. It was what she hung on to when life carried on by a thread.

And when she’d been left, alone, to die, that was what she remembered. And also rocks, and blood, piling up on her. She’d begun to think that that was the only way of life. Rocks and blood.

Or maybe it wasn’t blood, maybe her vision had been drowned in scarlet. And maybe those weren’t rocks.

No, it was a fact that those weren’t rocks.

In her feeble brain, she knew. This was the sky.

This was the world.

But she couldn’t give up, because then everything would come crashing down. She’d die anyway, but the rest of humanity, Luke...they still had a chance.

Percy still had a chance.

But it was a ravenous pain, holding the world. One that gathered on her shoulders like burning steel and flowed through the rest of her body in a river of magma.

Dum spiro, spero.

While I breathe, I hope.

But she could barely breathe.

The weight of the world had been shoved onto her shoulders, all for betrayal. She was dimly aware of Luke (a friend or foe) and Atlas (a foe) , and someone else, standing there, watching. She wasn’t sure. It was hard to see anything when her mind delayed any comings and goings for just a few seconds.

Sweat had meddled in her eyes. She couldn’t clear it away.

Ringing echoed in her ears. She couldn’t scream for it to stop.

But every cell in her body screamed, and it wouldn’t stop. Everything screeched and cried and hollered, but she was sure that she made no sound.

All she wanted was for someone to take this agony, this torture, away from her. To burn it just like it was burning her.

More rocks fell.

Blurs from the outside of her hellish sphere discussed things.

Laughter.

Crying.

Ichor.

Ichor.

It trailed from someone’s legs like fresh honey. An immortal. She couldn’t hold her chin up to see who it was, however.

But that person made themselves known.

Artemis. She’d kneeled down next to Annabeth. Her face was streaked with gold. More ichor. Then she turned to say something, maybe to Luke. The goddess seemed distressed, angered.

Luke. Traitor. Friend.

Traitor.

A clang followed, and she had just enough energy to lift her eyes and see the chains that now littered Artemis’ feet. She’d somehow been trapped, like her, and—

More pressing weight from the sky. More backstabbing pain.

I am going to die.

And if she was going to die, she wouldn’t be able to breathe, and if she wasn’t going to breathe, she wouldn’t hope.

Better to die than hope, then.

Artemis’ flashing eyes appeared from the depths of her darkened vision.

Annabeth understood too late what was about to happen.

Chains free. Distressed goddess. Ichor. Laughter.

This was a trick played beautifully by Atlas—and Luke. They wanted to see Artemis trapped, just like her. They also wanted Annabeth free.

She let out a groan, a sound of protest. It was no use.

Artemis had already taken her place, holding what had nearly toppled over. Annabeth’s shoulders had never felt so light.

The last thing she saw was Percy’s face. His dimpled smile and his eyes the color of the sea on a clear day and his curly hair.

“Sleep tight, Annabeth,” he said.

Then he faded away, and she saw nothing at all.

While I breathe, I hope.

.

Percy had rescued her before. It went both ways, really, but this felt familiar. Riding some kind of horse—this time on Blackjack—with him tucked behind her, flying to safety. Well, she wasn’t sure if meeting the gods at the winter solstice could count as “safety,” but it was close enough.

He came for me.

Thalia flew closeby, on a pegasus with Grover. She remembered the knowing smile the daughter of Zeus had given her, right after Grover had crushed her into a hug.

“He didn’t come for Artemis,” she’d said, talking about Percy. It was hard not to blush.

Afterwards, They’d taken to the sky, dark comets streaking through the stars, through Zoë.

The guilt of what had happened would come to grasp her with greedy fingers, but it was smothered by Percy’s arms around her. Just like in Siren Bay. Just like after leaving Polyphemus’ island, injured and barely conscious.

And as New York’s city lights replaced the stars in the sky, that feeling of warmth also overcame the dread of what was to come.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”

The wind tickled her words, just like it did her face, but Percy still heard.

Her neck was barely craned to him, and yet, she could see how close they were now. It made her grip onto Blackjack’s neck tighter.

He gave her one of those rare smiles, as though he’d been caught in the moment.“You don’t have to thank me for anything.”

She thought about Luke, for a second. He would always love her; that’s what he’d promised. They were family. And then again, Percy was always with her when she needed it the most. Ironic, maybe. But she couldn’t dwell on it.

Instead she said, “You did kind of save me, though.”

“Yeah, but you already thanked me, like, a bazillion times.” He tilted his head sideways. “Besides. You would’ve done the same for me.”

.

Percy meant to tell her. But the words were tangled up in his throat, just like they had been when the Olympian council debated on killing him.

Destroyer, they’d proclaimed.

Perseus. Destroyer.

In the end, Artemis hadn’t chosen Annabeth as a member of the hunt. But rather, Thalia.

Annabeth was alive and she wasn’t a hunter and from then on, he could breathe properly.

.

Staring at that lock of grey hair, she recalled the events that led them here. A pain that they both shared now.

She touched the streak gently, and they stayed there, swaying to their secretive music. It was the kind of song that stitched them together, two souls molded into one horrible moment.

But it was more than just the horror that connected them. In the vibrancy of Olympus, it felt like they were creating the beautiful moments, too. They’d become a luster that outshined the rust in their thread of life.

“So,” she said, swaying to the music. “What were you going to say to me earlier?”

“Athena doesn’t approve,” he mumbled, not meeting her eyes.

“What?”

“I just...I wanted to say that…” He grabbed her wrists that were currently locked around his neck, taking her hands in his. This time, his gaze landed on her, only her. “You mean so much to me. I never want to see you go.”

Annabeth shook her head; she still didn’t understand where this was going. “You won’t. I changed my mind—about the hunters.”

Percy breathed out a laugh. “I didn’t think I could feel so relieved in my life.”

“Me neither,” she smiled. “I don’t think that kind of life was for me, anyway. But…what does my mom have to do with this?”

He regarded her for a few seconds, until he finally relented. But not before checking both ways in case Athena was around.

“She knows what I want to tell you, but she doesn’t approve.”

“And that is…”

Maybe she had some idea as to what was going on. But she wanted to hear it from him.

It was exhilarating and frightening all at the same time.

He took a deep breath; when he spoke, the words tumbled out of his mouth like burnt offerings.

“I want to be with you—but not if you don’t want me to. As more than friends. It’s cool if you think it’s too fast, though, or...I just—I thought you’d leave me, and that scared me so much. And—I realized that I really like you. But only, only if you want to, obviously.” He pursed his lips. “I’ll just shut up, now.”

As more than friends.

I really like you.

She didn’t think she was prepared to hear this. It sent her reeling, tumbling into echoing chambers where it was only her and Percy’s words. Over and over.

“Annabeth? Are...you okay?” he asked.

She blinked, and she saw everything clearer. The softness of his voice, his eyes, concerned. The sensation of her hand in his. The plumpness to his lips. She wanted to kiss him, and badly.

“Mom doesn’t approve?”

He shrugged. “I mean, I guess.”

“I want to, though.”

Annabeth felt her cheeks flush at that, but she didn’t care.

“You’re...sure?”

“Yeah, Seaweed Brain. If you haven’t noticed: I really like you, too.”

“Really?” His eyes were wide, filled with wonder. But then he cleared his throat. “I mean, cool. That’s...cool.”

She snorted. “Okay, now—come here.”

And that’s when she kissed him. And everything felt perfect.

Though there was something that she’d forgotten. Something that had lured her into wanting to join The Hunters in the first place.

The hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap.

She squashed it down. Prophecies have double meanings, anyway.

.

“I do not approve of your friendship with my daughter.”

Athena had told Percy this. She’d told him many things. Like how his fatal flaw was personal loyalty, but she herself didn’t seem so sure.

But Athena was right, she was always right.

Except when it came to Annabeth. He didn’t care if she didn’t approve.

(Maybe that was his mistake.)

.

Annabeth thought that they could manage long distance—and they could—they’d been successful in calling daily and sending emails.

It was fine; she was finally happy.

Something in her had clicked at getting to see Percy smile at her when she’d call him her boyfriend, all sweet and loving, or just whenever he appeared on the IM. Her stomach filled with butterflies whenever he laughed at her jokes and whispered “goodnight” like a soft melody. Even though she never dared say, “I love you.”

It was all fine and good.

Until Luke appeared.

He’d knocked on her door, and her stepmother had answered.

She’d expected someone from camp, when Helen had called to her. There was a small flicker of hope there, that it was Percy.

But when she opened the door and stepped outside, her heart stopped. Her breath hitched.

“You,” she said through clenched teeth. Before he could react, she’d pointed her knife at him, slick and quiet as a panther.

His gaze flicked to that old  knife, and he had the nerve to smile.

“You still use my knife.”

She ignored him, moving closer, pointing the blade directly at him. “You here to finally finish me off?”

He patted his pants and shirt, then carefully raised his arms.

“I’m unarmed, see? Just wanted to have a talk, that’s all.”

“Like you wanted to have a talk back on Mt.Othrys? When you left me there, to die?” Her voice shook, but she held her ground.

Luke winced. “Five minutes, Annabeth. That’s all I’m asking.”

He looked terrible, like he’d aged twenty years. Every word he muttered out seemed to steal a part of him, leaving him there to rot. His skin stuck to his face, pale and hollow.

“Consider this as a truce,” he said. “I don’t plan to hurt you. I swear on the Styx.”

Thunder boomed. Reluctantly, she lowered her knife. But she wasn’t stupid, that knife wouldn’t go anywhere.

“And what do you want to talk to me about?”

“I need your help.”

She shook her head. “Luke, you know I can’t—”

“Kronos,” he breathed. “This is about Kronos.”

Her hand tightened against the pommel of her blade. She waited for him to elaborate.

“He...wants to use me as a stepping stone. He’s gonna take over the world, if I let him.”

“I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“You don’t understand, Beth.”

At the mention of that nickname—that so few people ever used—she had no choice but to meet his eyes. They’d once been a bright blue. Now, they were shattered discs. Like his mother’s.

“I…” He moved his jaw from side to side, a nervous tick that had plagued him ever since coming to camp. “I can’t possibly do it. He’s gone too far, and I have no choice but—”

“ Why are you telling me this, Luke?”

“Because—”

“You know what? Whatever it is, I can’t help you.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but she spoke before that could happen.

“You nearly killed me, Luke. You get that? You nearly killed me. Do you know how messed up that is? How, how could you do that? We were family once!” She was screeching now, her voice reverberating across the cobbled San Francisco streets.

She felt the sharp sting of tears, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of letting them fall.

Maybe by now, everyone in the neighborhood was listening in, but she didn’t care. She wanted to scream. She wanted to hurt him like he had to her.

A shadow crossed his face. Guilt. He felt guilty.

Traitor. Friend.

“Look, I...I know this won’t mean anything to you, but I’m sorry.” Her eyes fixed themselves on anything but him. “I just—he’s using me, Annabeth. In everything.”

“And what am I supposed to say to that? Too bad? I’m sorry? This was your choice!”

“No, you don’t understand.” His entire body shook. Annabeth had never seen him so terrified, so unstable. He’d changed, she realized, from that confident hero she’d once looked up to. “I want to run, ‘Beth. Fuck everything. I can’t take it anymore. I want to—to go with you.”

He’d left her utterly disarmed, her armour melting away. Was Luke...actually switching sides?

“Go...with me?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes,” he gasped. “Gods, yes.”

“So you’re...having second thoughts? You want to go to camp?”

Hope blossomed in her heart, no longer the shriveled flower that it had once been.

Luke sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, through that grey streak. It was a symbol now, representing the two people she’d bled for the most.

“No,” he said, and that hope began to wilt once more. “You still don’t get it. I want to run, like the old days. Get away from all of this crap. From the Titans and the gods—everything. Just me and you, and we can finally be free.”

She laughed, water leaving her hope alone and escaping, running down her cheeks instead. “More like you don’t get it.”

“As if you knew even the slightest bit about what’s going on.”

“Wake up, Luke! This isn’t a fucking fantasy! People are counting on you—on me! And the old days are over! They’re over...because of you!”

“No, they’re over,” he insisted, “because of Thalia.”

“Please, Thalia made her choice—”

“Just as you’re doing now and just as I did before! Run with me, Annabeth, or let me die in the hands of Kronos. There is no in between. I wouldn’t leave you like Thalia did. You know Kronos controls me, you know the only way for me to escape him is to hide.”

She still shook her head. “No, no we have to stop him. We can’t just run like cowards, that’s not how it works! And I can’t leave Percy—”

“Ah.” His eyes blazed with a strange light, as though he’d found a missing puzzle piece. “So that’s what this is about. Percy .” He chuckled to himself. “He’s going to leave you in the end, you know that, right?”

Despite the dryness to his tone, Annabeth felt like his words were drowning her in an eternal pool of memories.

Worthless.

Freak.

Your mother didn't want you. Your father didn't, either.

And then…

A single choice shall end his days.

“You don’t know anything about Percy and me,” Annabeth seethed.

He sneered. “Oh, but I do. A little bird told me that you’re finally dating him. That he’s controlled every single thing about you since day one, leading you right to his trap.” His lips widened to a grin, watching her face. “Yes, I have spies. I’m sure you knew that already, though.”

A voice screamed in her head, that all he did was lie; that he was the one controlling her. But right now, nothing seemed logical, only that grin of his and the way it was crushing her garden of hope.

“You need me, Annabeth. More than you will ever know.”

Tears fell down her chin, swam in her eyes, distorting Luke. He stood there, silent, waiting for her to fall like prey to the arrow.

Yes. Go with him, rid yourself of responsibility.

No. Percy saved you from Luke. You love him, even if he might die.

Yes.

No.

Yes—

“There’s no way, Luke. After everything you’ve done...and now you’re asking me to leave the people I love? And no, Percy has never controlled me. Like Thalia did, hell, like you did— I made my choice. To stick up to him even when I know he might leave. Because I care for him, and he cares for me! Unlike you!”

He scoffed, moving closer to her. He could probably hear her thumping heart.

“Those are his words, not yours. Honestly, I thought you’d be better than this, Annabeth. Better than being with that bastard. Listening to him instead of me. We’ve been through so much together, have experienced more things than you and him will ever share. He wants me dead. He wants me to destroy our world by letting Kronos take over me.”

“You can still choose to side with us, Luke,” she begged, voice cracking. “It doesn't have to be this way!”

“Ah, choosing, choosing, ” he laughed, stooping to her eye level. She couldn’t escape, back against the door. “You see, Annabeth, with choices...sometimes...you don’t have one.”

She still held her knife; he was close enough for her to easily stab him with it. As though reading her thoughts, he stepped away from her, only for him to extend his arms. An invitation.

“Go on, do it. Fight me. Your beloved mother would approve, you know. Wise thing to do and all that. After all, this is the last chance you’ll get.”

She was silent, mouth parched, while her eyes rained down more and more tears. It was strange, the way he talked like he wouldn’t exist anymore. The way he implied that Kronos would do something to him.

Staring at him, openly waiting for her killing blow—she couldn’t do it, no matter how much she wanted to.

You loved him once, like he loved you. Or does he still love you?

No matter how hard she tried, her heart still held a part of him. Her knife slipped from her hand.

“I see,” he said. “You’re still that small, seven year-old girl. Weak and helpless.”

“Get out.”

He let out a breath. “For the record, you’ve just helped his plans stay in motion. When the world ends and crumbles at your feet, remember that you had your chance, and you didn’t take it.” He closed the distance between them again, only for her to shove him off.

“Get out, and don’t even dare touch me.”

He did listen to her, lowering one foot to the bottom step of the porch, but not before turning around, regarding her. Something like disgust brimmed in his eyes.

“This will all be your fault. You and siding with Percy Jackson. One day, he’ll be your undoing.”

“I said, GET OUT!”

.

“Annabeth? What happened?”

“Nothing, just...had a disagreement.”

“Was it someone from camp?” her stepmother asked.

Annabeth knew that Helen tried to make an effort with her nowadays, but she still didn’t feel like sharing anything. With anyone. Least of all her.

“Something like that,” she managed to mutter out, before she turned and dashed for the stairs.

She crashed in her bed, feeling the sobs already.

Stepping stone. What had he meant by that? Was Kronos going to kill him?

Suddenly her room seemed much too small for her. Shortness of breath. That’s what she felt.

The world might end and it will be your fault.

You could’ve killed Luke, once and for all, and saved Percy.

You could’ve—

She screamed into her pillow, deafening the sound. Deafening her cries, brutal and untamed. To her, it was never clear when she fell asleep that day. Only that, eventually, she did.

At first, she dreamed of the ocean. She’d always admired it from afar; it was the perfect work of art. Swirling colors that changed hues with the light. The ocean was the mirror of the sky, only more powerful. She knew this because she knew its offspring. She knew Percy.

He was there, standing atop dark, jagged rocks. They were black, a stark contrast to the blues and greens. His hair whipped around in the wind, though that was the only thing moving about him. His hair and nothing else. Then she realized that the sea wasn’t moving either. It didn’t take long for the wind to stop its whistling, as well.

She longed to run to him, to kiss him, to hug him...but she was a third-party spectator, drifting off into the sky as if her soul was unanchored to her body.

Meanwhile, the world held its breath.

Control, a voice whispered.

She tried to speak, but her lips wouldn’t move.

Control, it whispered again. That’s all he wants.

Percy chose that moment to look up. His eyes were dark, she could tell, even from her distance. Dark and green. Before she could so much as attempt to call his name, he dove into the mass of water, away from the rocks, and disappeared into the safety of the sea.

It is fatal. But it is his.

She turned. And there it was, that voice. She gasped when she saw the figure from which it was coming from. Luke. He was levitating just like her, in the middle of the ocean and sky. Only his eyes didn’t match the background. They were golden . Everything about him glowed, from his skin to that facial scar. His voice wasn’t his, not really. It sounded like rocks grinding, like rotten apples, like —

Luke … that face, stared down on her. Then the voice came, that horrible, rasping voice. His lips split into a smirk. “They don’t call flaws ‘fatal’ for nothing.”

She screamed, and everything disappeared

This time, her dream shifted to camp. She was sitting by the lake, her hair dripping wet. Luke was there, too. Normal Luke. The one who used to smile and ruffle her curls whenever she talked about architecture, the one who wore orange t-shirts and sandals and was looked up to as camp counselor. Next to him, she seemed much smaller, helpless. But it dawned on her that she felt this way because she was, in fact, much smaller than him.

This was a memory—when she was around nine, maybe.

“You know we can try again, right?” Luke was saying.

He was gentle when he dragged her into his arms and he was gentle when he held her there, keeping her warm.

“The naiads tried to drown me,” she said, sniffling. “I’m not swimming again. Not in a million years.”

“I thought you wanted to be the best swimmer at camp?”

His eyes were blue, she noted; they matched the calm waters of the lake. Normal blue and normal Luke. Just as it always should’ve been.

She looked away, arms crossed.

“Irene was right. Athena doesn’t belong in the water.”

“Hmm. Maybe Athena doesn’t. But you aren’t Athena. You’re Annabeth, and you can do anything.”

“Tell that to the naiads,” she grumbled.

He smiled, making his eyes crinkle. “I did. And they agreed to let you be. I do have some charm, you know.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “The ladies can’t resist.”

She shoved him, grimacing. “Yuck!”

“Hey, girls love it! Now, come on.” He stood, and in he went to the canoe lake, disrupting the peace of the smooth water and splashing her everywhere. Holding his arms up, he signaled for her to jump as well.

She shook her head at him.

“Aw, come on! Don’t be scared, ‘Beth! I won’t let go of you. I won’t let you drown.”

“…Promise?”

“Promise.”

She didn’t need to hesitate anymore; all she did was jump into his waiting arms.

I won’t let go of you.

I won’t let you drown.

But he did. Time was cruel; no wonder Kronos wished for a war, for revenge. Time brought change and destruction. Birth and death. It shriveled things and turned them to dust. Luke may have loved her once, but Time broke them both apart into tiny shards of glass.

.

School was on the farthest corner of her mind the next day. She woke to the feverish sun sneaking through her pale curtains. Immediately, she wanted nothing but to curl under the covers. To melt into them like candle wax until no one remembered her. Or better yet, so that everyone would grieve. So that they would look for her in every corner of the world but never find a single trace. She’d be a legend, a strange happenstance from that past.

“Ah, yes. Annabeth Chase. The girl who vanished and shook the world with her mystery.”

Nothing like that happened. Though she did stumble into the bathroom from the nausea, only for her stomach to find nothing but water. She dry heaved and cried, tremors running up and down her body. She must’ve collapsed—lost her balance—because for a while, she laid there, on the cool bathroom tiles and staring at the wooden ceiling like some discarded doll.

Her father found her in that state. He rushed to her, wrapping her in his arms like she was five years old all over again and tucking her in bed.

Her eyes fluttered open a few times, catching Frederick’s wrinkled forehead and wrinkled eyes. He was worried. Concerned. She wasn’t going to lie: that was a nice change.

“—A fever,” he said. She didn’t hear the rest.

Helen said something in response. Annabeth couldn’t focus on that, either.

“I’ll stay by her bedside until she wakes up. Maybe that’ll help,” her father said.

I should be sick more often, she thought, then drifted off to sleep.

Hellish nightmares followed her there. Some were of Percy, burning alive. Others were of Luke, his eyes golden. Once in a while, she’d wake up, only to feel her eyes weigh down on her face. All those times, she’d have no choice but to welcome her nightmares again.

Hours or years or days passed before she could manage to be awake fully. The sound of a typing computer lulled her brain, but she had a mission; she wouldn’t let her mind slip away. She craned her neck to where the clicks and clacks echoed from, blinking a few times in the process.

There sat her dad, on her desk chair.

“Dad?” she croaked.

He turned, then beamed once he saw her fully awake.

“Hey, sweetheart. How’re you feeling?”

“Mm. Better.” She yawned, sitting up fully. “How long was I out?”

Frederick wheeled his chair toward her, arms resting on his thighs and brows furrowed. “Since yesterday morning.” He held his palm out and touched her forehead, murmuring, “Fever’s gone, at least. We should take you to a doctor, though, now that you’re awake.”

“No, wait. Dad. I’m not—”

“You’re not sick?” he finished for her, eyebrows raised. “The evidence presented in front of me says otherwise.”

“Yeah, I know, but…I was fine before, and this happened after I saw…”

“Your friend?”

“I mean, he’s not—” But she stopped herself before she could say, ‘ he’s not my friend.’ Instead she nodded and said softly, “Luke, yeah.”

Frederick handed her a glass of water, and she drank, slowly and carefully.

“I don’t pretend to understand everything going on with this…second titanomachy,” her dad said. “But I…I’m worried, Annabeth.”

Why did his visit make you sick? What is going on?

She knew that’s what he meant to ask. But the comment was left unsaid, a strange buzzing filling into the after-pause.

She shrugged. “Probably the nightmares. Sometimes that can happen, just never…to this extent, I guess.”

She watched him purse his lips. He knew almost nothing about her, even if, these days, he tried. He tried, but she still had half of a goddess. It was a part of her that he would never fully see, hidden away from his eyes in case it ever became a nuisance, a disturbance.

.

Recovery came quickly. Nevertheless, she missed half a week of school. She made sure to study and email her teachers—finish everything she had to finish—but really, that was just an excuse to not think about anything else.

Like Percy, for one.

What Luke had told her stayed in the shadows of her days. Her dreams, too—as well as her strange illness. Or at least the memory of it. She hadn’t lied to her dad when she’d said that dreams affected her in more ways than one, but this was a new record.

A god was trying to warn her of something. Perhaps it was Kronos’ doing, even. In any case, the dreams had taken a toll on her.

Percy and Luke and everything had taken a toll on her.

How much truth had been shown in her dreams?

Were they prophetic? What would happen to Luke with those unnerving, glowing eyes?

He’d talked in a voice that wasn’t his—an ancient voice—warning about Percy and control.

They don’t call flaws ‘fatal’ for nothing.

The last time she and Percy talked about fatal flaws, neither of them knew what his flaw was. Yours is hubris. Carrying the world on your shoulders feels easy, doesn’t it?

But what was Percy’s? Could it really be…

There was this terrible feeling, a tightening in her chest.

Suddenly, she was aware of an incoming IM. The air in front of her shimmered like water. Percy. Fuck. Without thinking, she swatted at the mist with her hands, clearing it away before it could form into the image of her boyfriend.

That’s when she realized: Percy couldn’t see her like this. He knew her too well; he would ask questions and she’d have no choice but to answer. For some reason, she couldn’t trust herself to bring up Luke in front of him. To bring up her dreams.

In came another call. With a swish of her arm, it disappeared again.

She could imagine Percy’s confused expression as he sat on his bed, wondering why his girlfriend had deliberately decided not to answer. So she stumbled over to her desk and opened her laptop. She unlocked her email and typed:

I’m sorry Perce. I was going to tell you that I can’t answer because my cousin Magnus is in town. He’s with me in my room at the moment. Didn’t want to freak him out lol. Also he’ll stay here for a bit. Probably until June. I hope it doesn’t bother you so much but I think that we should communicate via mail. Less risky and all that haha. So yeah I hope you’re well and say hi to Sally for me <3

Your gf,

Annabeth :)

She clicked send.

Gods, she hated herself sometimes.

Coward, Luke’s voice taunted, in her mind.

“Shut up,” she muttered.

But it was the truth. She couldn’t even face her boyfriend. Couldn’t even tell him about what was on her mind.

You think that he might leave, once he sees how weak you are. You couldn’t even see your oldest friend without it taking a physical toll.

She swatted those thoughts away like she did with Percy’s Iris Messages, but it was no use. They were here to stay, drawn with permanent markers in her brain.

Percy replied right away. He told her that it was fine—that not to worry. It would only be a month until they saw each other in person, anyway.

See Percy. After all this time.

They’d planned that, too. Annabeth would take a detour to New York City before arriving at camp, and they’d spend the afternoon at the movies like a normal teenage couple before they had to act the complete opposite of that.

A small, horrible part of her was glad that she’d lied to him. That she could fall on the excuse of her cousin Magnus—never mind that she saw him last when she was seven and had no news of him since then.

She had to, though, she had to lie to protect him from herself. So she curled up in her bed and waited for June.

[jflashandclash]

Traitors of Olympus IV: Fall of the Sun

Twenty-Three: Thalia

Rabbits with Ratbbitude

             Axel must have lost his mind. And not in the “a god drove me mad and now I’m trying to kill my loved ones” kind of way. In the “I finally cracked and see the white rabbit” kind of way.

           At least, that was the only conclusion Thalia could come to when Axel started berating the rabbit she and Reyna caught.

           Fortunately, they found a rabbit quickly after leaving Axel and Calex to their heart-to-heart. This must have been a gift from Tyche, since Thalia didn’t want to stray too far from the river and the boys, and she also didn’t want to walk in awkward silence near Reyna for too long.

           After a tree branch caught Reyna’s breastplate and made a sound worthy of a horror movie, Thalia had Argentum and Reyna fan out to the side, to scare animals towards Thalia instead of away. After all, praetorian armor and shiny dogs weren’t exactly designed for stealth. They had more of the “look at me; I’m important” ring to them.

           They weren’t gone for long before the praetor and hound helped corner a rabbit straight into Thalia’s net.

           “Not bad for a praetor.” Thalia grinned. Reyna might need some stealth work to become a huntress—if she’d ever have interest—but definitely not bad. When Thalia thought of how easy Reyna had escaped Thalia and the huntresses’ confines before, Thalia should have expected no less.

           Argentum held his head high with pride, his tail darting back in forth happily. Thalia wondered how often Reyna’s guard dogs got to hunt and whether or not Reyna would want to set up a doggy play date with the wolf pack. Although Thalia knew Reyna did the whole bath house things with her female comrades, she felt like Reyna didn’t spend nearly enough time with the girls.

           As they walked back, no longer having the hunt as an excuse for silence, Thalia debated on all the questions she wanted to ask Reyna. Things still felt kind of weird with the whole Axel-threatening-her-with-Mayan-love-poetry-thing. (Axel was SO weird.) But she got the vibe Reyna didn’t care, didn’t feel threatened, or was amused by the whole thing.

           If anyone was acting awkward, Thalia figured it was her; despite the love potion, Thalia felt guilty having thoughts about any boy, never mind it being Axel. With Euna, Thalia hadn’t known if there might have been a loophole in her huntress vows, but the Boys Have Cooties Rule was pretty well established.

           Which bought Thalia to the things she was really worried about: one boy in particular and her huntresses.

           “How were the huntresses before you left? And how was the camp?” Thalia asked. “Eminent destruction still on hold for the day?”

           With all the time Thalia spent on the hunt, Jason often, shamefully, slipped her mind. With everything that happened between Axel and Pax, she was passively worried about him. He was powerful, but she didn’t want a god taking her little brother from her again. Er—he was her big brother now, right? Being a huntress was confusing and made aging stupid. Major downside to immortality: no more birthday parties.

           Thalia also felt guilty for encouraging two huntresses to leave their pursuit of the Teusmessian fox against Artemis’ direct order to continue, and Artemis wasn’t always known as a forgiving goddess. Thalia wondered if Artemis and her sisters were still locked in a challenge they could never win, like catching the Energizer bunny.

           “Lesedi and Christiana were still scouting for the camp when I left. No contact from the gods, as support or enemies, other than the ‘near-Death’ experience that Calex had.” Reyna shuddered and Thalia thought about what it must have been like for Calex to race Death. While they had been going through the jungle, the Brit had been double checking everyone else’s movements, like he was scared they were going to grade his forest-traversing skills on grace and coolness. Despite his insecurities, she had to give him some kudos for racing death and winning. Grace and coolness points earned regardless of jungle-traversing skills.

           “That rabbit looks… strange,” Reyna said, changing the subject and making Thalia wonder if Reyna was also nervous thinking about her own troops in the upper world.

           Once the rabbit froze up in Thalia’s net, she stopped paying it much attention. Thalia held her net up to peer at the tiny mammal in the turquoise lighting.

           He was a cute little thing. For some reason, she strongly felt it a “he.” His ears were long, twice as long as the average rabbit in the United States, except maybe the jackrabbits Thalia had hunted in the desert. His fur was the color of the desert, a light brown. Admittedly, Thalia—in her years as a huntress—had never seen a rabbit look so annoyed and put upon. This rabbit combined both expressions flawlessly. It was like Nico in tiny rabbit form.

           Then she noticed the weird thing: this rabbit had a long, curled-up tail, like that of a chinchilla.

           “I really hope this is a rabbit,” Thalia grumbled, lowering her net so she could more easily dodge around hanging vines and would-be snakes.

           “How do you think this rabbit is going to get us across the river?” Reyna asked.

           Thalia rolled her eyes. “Like I have any idea what Cat Breath is thinking. He wasn’t exactly forthcoming with instructions. He didn’t even specify dead or alive.”

           “One is slightly more amendable than the other,” Reyna muttered. She used her spear to push away a snake dangling in Thalia’s path.

           Thalia really didn’t want this quest to go from “hunt the rabbit” to “rabbit resurrection,” so she had to agree. “We should name him,” Thalia said, carefully hopping over a tree root that poked up from the soil.

           Argentum made a soft clang when he jumped to the other side alongside his owner.

           “He doesn’t look like a Cottontail,” Reyna snorted at the rabbit’s long appendage.

           “What about Bugs?” Thalia said. The sound of the blood river was getting closer. They would meet up with the boys soon. She held her net up again to see if the rabbit reacted to the name.

           He glared at her apathetically.

           “And what are you going to do if Axel needs to kill Bugs?” Reyna asked, the humor thinly veiled in her voice.

           Although Thalia had hunted down and killed plenty of animals, beasts, and monsters during her time as a huntress, these wide, black, vaguely irritated eyes suddenly felt a bit too personable, like he was a little punk rabbit. Thalia heard stories of the augury readings at Camp Jupiter, where they sacrificed stuffed animals for various ceremonies.

           With her spare hand, she made a tiny spark. “He can try.”

           They laughed as the forest broke to reveal the shoreline, where Axel and Calex were still seated.

           “Axel,” Thalia held up their catch, “You can’t hurt Mr. Bugs.”

           For a moment, no one moved but the dogs. Aurum sat up, alert, then rose to join Argentum at Reyna’s side. From the way Axel’s jaguar ears were flattened into his hairline, and the way Calex smirked, Thalia got the impression that Axel just shushed Calex. Ugh, boys, Thalia thought.

           Axel closed his eyes and exhaled. His ears twitched up, seeming to contradict the forlorn expression. “Thalia… I’m sorry.”

           The mire in Thalia’s chest died. “What?” She held Bugs up higher and realized, with horror, what he was talking about.

           “I’m going to have to cut out and eat his heart,” Axel said.

           Calex’s jaw dropped. “Are you bloody serious?”[1]

           Queasiness overtook Thalia. Had Axel eaten rabbit hearts before? Had she given someone mouth-to-mouth that had eaten a raw bunny heart before?!

           “Gross!” she said. Thalia glanced to Reyna, to see if Reyna would support finding another way across the river and, maybe, sympathize over her mortification of exchanging saliva with this guy.

           Reyna’s face was twisted up, like she could barely repress a laugh.

           Axel’s serious face cracked into a smile.

           “Augh.” Thalia rolled her eyes. “Could you at least pretend at something less gross next time?”

           Axel rose. He dusted the dirt off his leather pteruges and the pants under and then stood straight. He coughed into the back of his hand. “Thalia, let me see Bugs.”

           Calex stood up beside him, picking his golden bow up from the ground. He reached up, like he wanted to grab the black scarf he usually wore around his neck, only to remember he’d put it in his bag, since it was way too hot down here for winter wear. “Mate, you’re not actually going to eat his heart, right?”

           Axel tried to give Calex a blank stare, but couldn’t quite manage to repress his smile. “Give me the rabbit.” He walked over to remove Bugs from the net.

           That was when he held the rabbit at eye level by the scruff of its neck.

           And shouted at it.

           Everyone jumped. Aurum and Argentum growled. Without realizing it, the four of them had been speaking hushed voices, only slightly raised to keep over the slurp of the river. Axel’s yell was so unexpected and loud, Thalia feared whatever monsters lived here—or those Lords of Xibalba—would show up to complain about noise code violations.[2]

           He didn’t stop. In some staccato, foreign tongue, he snapped at the rabbit.

           The rabbit, if possible, looked more annoyed.

           “Axel, what the Hades?!” Thalia said.

           “You’re giving away our position to anyone within this underworld and the next three over!” Reyna snarled.

           Axel waved them off with his free hand without breaking eye contact with the rabbit.

           Calex blinked in confusion. “Axel, have you gone mental? I don’t think the hare cares. Leti antal t’u’ul—”[3]

           “You can understand him?” Reyna asked.

           Calex’s confusion turned towards them. “Of course—Right.” He seemed to realize Thalia and Reyna were in the dark about his I apparently speak obscure languages thing. “Yea, ‘love speaks all languages.’ It’s an Eros thing. He’s repeating himself a lot. Let’s have a look see…”

           Axel hadn’t paused in ridiculing this poor bunny, and Thalia had a suspicion he might bore the tiny thing to death. If pushed, it might break and jump for the blood river. Maybe that was Axel’s plan: to force autosacrifice the way teachers induced sleep during horrible lectures.

           “Uh, he started something with… giving this rabbit lots of titles. They’re a bit posh. ‘Father of all Hares,’ ‘Child of None,’ and the likes. Then something about, ‘To you, one who stole my father’s boat, one who stole my uncle’s boat, thief of my family’s property,’ and ‘then, you shall undo it therefore, it shall be returned again,’ else…”

           Calex tilted his ear to the side, and began to translate, at almost the same time Axel was moving his lips to shout,

           “’I will pull it,

           I will rip it off,

           The way our fathers did before me,

           And their grandfathers before them,

           Ending the tail of the taleless rabbit,

           Beginning the tale of the tailless rabbit.’”

           Thalia’s head spun at that last verse. This reminded her of stories about the sphinx, though she heard they had upgraded from riddles to pop quizzes.

           The rabbit rolled its eyes. “Okay, fine. Would you just stop? No one has talked like that for, like, a thousand years,” the rabbit said.

           “Okay, fine. Would you just stop—” Calex started to repeat.

           “The rabbit spoke in English,” Reyna told Calex, her eyes wide.

           Axel and Calex seemed as shocked that the rabbit spoke in English as Thalia and Reyna were that it spoke at all.

           All of them stared at the fluffy bunny.

           Thalia had met plenty of talking monsters, though, she suddenly realized, very few talking animals. Thalia wasn’t ready for her little Bugs to speak and braced for a, “What’s up, doc?”

           Its accent was a bit too Hispanic to pull the typical Bugs Bunny voice, though she assumed there was some Spanish Looney Tunes voiceover.

           “You’re not supposed to be able to speak,” Axel said, “Your flesh was condemned to be devoured and homes be left to wander, thus spat by the Framer and the Shaper, by She Who Has Borne Children and He Who Has Begotten Sons, because you could not worship them with words.”

           Thalia glanced over to Calex, who shrugged. “No idea.”

           “Holy K’an Ti! Do people still address the creators like that?” the rabbit asked. “We other animals may not be as longwinded as man, air bag, but we got words.”[4]

           “Santiago and Frasco’s boat…?” Axel growled. “The boat—”

           The rabbit shuddered. “Please, just don’t start talking with repetition again. I’d rather you rip off my tail. I’ll get Frasco and Santiago’s boat. I’ll talk to my friends for help. Augh, you sound like my great-times-one-thousand grandpa. Now, let me go.”

           Axel glared, then gently set the rabbit down.

           Bugs shook himself out, used his back leg to itch behind his ear, then examined Axel. “What jackass told you to address us like that anyway?”

           Axel’s entire body tensed. Thalia had taken more notice of his muscles at Lemnos Resort than she was willing to admit, and she was happy he hadn’t done that motion while they were under the love potion. His knuckles went white around his sword hilt.

           “The boat,” Reyna reminded the tiny rabbit.

           Bugs snorted and hopped off into the jungle, this time along the shoreline.

           Aurum and Argentum watched his movement like they were barely resisting another hunt.

           Reyna made a whistling noise, and they dematerialized. Thalia really needed to ask what happened when they did that. Did Reyna carry a spare Pokeball around that none of them had noticed?

           “So,” Thalia said, “Your family has a boat.” Although watching the rabbit berate Axel was fun, she was mad. “You couldn’t just tell us that we were crossing on a boat, instead of freaking us all out like a jerk?”

           Axel’s muscles slowly relaxed. He released his sword hilt and raised an eyebrow at Thalia. “Huntress, if I’d have told you I needed you to catch a rabbit with a tail, so I could yell at him until he fetched my uncle and Santiago’s boat, when all of you already think I’m lost geographically and losing my mind, how would you have reacted?”

           Thalia crossed her arms. Earlier, she’d removed her parka and stuffed it into her backpack, so she could feel the cool touch of her Aegis bracelet. “I would have caught the rabbit.” That previous urge to hit him across that dumb goatee returned.[5]

           “Lieutenant,” Reyna said.

           Calex stared at her.

           Thalia didn’t realize until then that her fingers had sparked.

           Calex cleared his throat. “Right. So, chatting with rabbits..? How did you learn to chat with a rabbit like some old chap? That uh, family business? Typical Pax tradition?” He sounded eager to avoid a fight.

           Axel tilted his head towards Thalia in confusion, like he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong.

           In Thalia’s rulebook, openness with the team and trust were necessities. Although Luke would have never wanted to worry Annabeth or the others at Camp Half-Blood, Thalia often wondered if things would have been different if he’d voice his opinions more openly, if he could have gotten help.

           They needed to get across the river and work as a team to get to Euna, but Thalia sparked her fingers one last time, for good measure and to remind Axel she was here to keep him in line.

           “Axel,” Calex said.

           Axel sighed and nodded to Thalia. “I underestimated you, huntress, and for that I am sorry.”

           “The rabbit is right,” Thalia said, almost more annoyed he apologized, “You speak like the representative of an ancient geriatrics ward.”

           Reyna choked on a laugh. Calex let his escape.

           Axel sighed and shook his head, smiling softly.

           He turned to Calex before remembering that Calex’s question had also revolved around how he couldn’t talk like a person from the 20th or 21st century. Thinking that meant a lot from Thalia: some of the girls she hung out with referred to Jesus as “that youthful upstart.”

           “Uncle Frasco told me to talk to the rabbits like that if I ever ended up in Xibalba,” Axel said. His lip twitched, like he couldn’t decide to smile or frown. “He was kind of like… a more willful Ajax—”

           “So willing to jeopardize people’s lives for a practical joke,” Calex said.

           Axel decided on a cross between the two expressions: a sad smile. “Still pranking me from the afterlife.”  

           Reyna took a step forward to touch Axel’s shoulder.

           Without looking at Reyna (or, if Thalia had to guess, thinking through any consequences) he slipped a hand up to enlace their fingers.

           “Hey, praetor, huntress.”

           Reyna almost kicked the rabbit that seemed to materialize at her feet. Reyna and Axel released their hands to go for their weapons.

           Bugs itched behind his ear with his foot, careless of his potential incoming obliteration. “Come on. We got his boat ready for you.”

           Reyna and Thalia exchanged a look.

           “For us?” Reyna asked.

           Like Hades Thalia was hopping onto some ancient Mayan boat to cross a river of blood without their guide.

           “I mean, Prince Longwinded and the Yoruba pup can come along, but you two are the ones who captured me. It could have saved you a mouthful and me a headache if you would have just asked for the boat instead of Prince Longwinded.”

           Calex grinned. “Cat Breath, Prince Longwinded. You’re acquiring quite the list of titles, mate.”

           Axel sighed. His smile turned crooked as he bowed to Thalia and Reyna and swept a hand towards the shoreline. “Ladies first.”

           Thalia rolled her eyes. Reyna snorted. They took the lead after the rabbit, Calex and Axel keeping their eye out for attacks from behind.[6]

           Bugs hopped into the jungle bordering the river. His path paralleled the banks from the safety of the canopy. Thalia had seen other animals do this: a safer way for typical prey to travel.

           “So you’re trying to get to Tartarus,” Bugs said as he hopped along. With the way he faced away from them and the slurping din of the river, his voice sounded small.

           Thalia frowned, trying to remember if she and Reyna had discussed Tartarus around the rabbit.

           Reyna resumed using her spear to push extra foliage and vines out of the way. “You were following us before we captured you,” she guessed.

           “The forest has ears,” he said. “I’m getting the boat to shut up Prince Longwinded—”

           Axel grunted behind them. Thalia almost hoped he’d speak up in protest and further prove Bugs’ point.

           “But, you never asked anything in return for releasing me and christening me with the name, ‘Bugs.’”

           “You’re keeping the name?” Reyna asked in surprise. She shoved some wisps of stray, black hair out of her face. Sweat stuck the pieces she missed to her cheek. She must have been boiling in her praetorian cloak.

           The rabbit paused to glance back at them with what Thalia could swear was an incredulous look.  “Of course,” he said. “How am I supposed to know what to be called if I’ve never been named?”

           “The longer we stay here,” Calex muttered from behind, likely to Axel. “The more you and that dodgy prick of a brother make sense.”

           Ahead, Thalia could see something long, narrow, and colorful through the trees. There was movement around it, and the closer they got, Thalia could make out four deer. Their fur was a chestnut brown-red, except for a grayish portion near the heads. Their front legs looked shorter than the typical deer Thalia had hunted in North America or Artemis’ sacred stag. The single stag present had horns that protruded backwards, like a gazelle’s, instead of branching out into a network, like an elaborate keyholder.

           Similar to the rabbit, Thalia blinked to realize these deer had long, red tails that curled into a question mark behind them.

           Thalia clenched her bow, wondering if Calex was doing the same. Yes, these were just deer, but deer could trample an unwary hunter, and maybe Xibalba deer liked to nibble on trespassing demigod flesh to prepare for winter. This could have been a trap. How would that look on a gravestone: death by startled deer.

           “Free advice in exchange for releasing me,” the rabbit said, “Different underworlds often exist in one place at one time. It can just depend on who is guiding you as to what the underworld looks like, and how you make it from one underworld to another.”

           As they got closer, Thalia thought she could hear a conversation happening ahead. When Reyna’s armor clanked softly, the conversation abruptly halted. The deer all froze, staring directly at them.

           For a disorienting moment, Thalia had to wonder if all animals could talk, including animals in the upstairs world, and if their feigned silence was the best orchestrated hoax of the mythological world.

           Bugs didn’t mind the deer’s attention. He continued hopping forward. “You will not make it across the Red River. No one has. The Lords of Xibalba don’t make it so easy to dodge the Houses of Torment. The Pax princes before Prince Longwinded, they didn’t make it across. Just ask Lord Santiago how he hurt his leg.”

           Thalia could hear Axel puff up his cheeks and pop them. One more piece of information to beat out of Axel later.

           “You’re close to the heart of Xibalba, which means you’re close to the heart of Tartarus. If you want to get to Tartarus, you need to be the one that takes charge.”[7] Bugs’ ears twitched towards Thalia.

           The deer bolted further down the shoreline.

           “Why me?” Thalia asked, wiping some sweat off her brow. She was glad they weren’t going to be lunch for a pack of ravenous deer.

           “The Mayan prince can get you there, assuming everything goes right. But, if he panics, his homeland will grab him and hold him here, as he will be fighting against his nature to leave this place. I’m unsure the Yoruba pup has an afterlife or how strongly the Orisha would pull him. Praetor, you have a similar chance to the Yoruba pup, since I don’t know if you have any remnant connection to Coaybay and the op’a from your Taino descent.”[8]

           Thalia glanced to Reyna. The praetor looked as confused as she felt.

           She could hear Calex gulp behind them.

           “You, huntress, are almost full Greek. If you come to a place of in-betweens, a place where the worlds converge, and you take the lead, you will naturally find your way home,” he said.

           “To Tartarus,” Thalia corrected, uncomfortable with the assertion that Greek Hell was home. If she was about to come upon some new property, she would need to do some major redecorating.

           “Whatever,” the rabbit said, hopping through the break in the trees onto the bank.

           The long, narrow object the deer had clustered around was a canoe. It must have been carved from one tree, as there were no seam lines signifying separate pieces of wood.  Along the exterior, there were colorful depictions of warriors and animals dancing. The bottom, unfortunately, was stained with blood.  Here and there, jade, obsidian, and pearl were imbedded into the decorations. There were perfectly four paddles waiting to be used.

           “She’s beautiful,” Axel muttered.

           When Thalia glanced back, she saw Axel’s expression had gone slack. He puffed up his cheeks and popped them wistfully. For some reason, the reaction gave her the uncomfortable feeling that their guide had never been here before.

           A rabbit giving directions and a guide who had never been to the place they were leading them through. Great, Thalia thought.

           “Yea, your dad and uncle put a lot of hard work into carving and painting this thing. Why do you think we had to steal it from them?” Bugs asked. He stopped hopping beside the boat, and sniffed the exterior.

           Axel scowled.             “Rabbit, I was only half-joking about eating your heart.”

           “Yea, yea. I heard your friends. They don’t have the gut for you to do it. Yellow-livered colonizers.”[9]

           “Are you complaining that our presence is keeping you alive?” Calex asked.

           The rabbit didn’t respond to him. Bugs turned and hopped back towards the jungle, like something had spooked him. “Just uh, when you fall in, don’t drown.”

 Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy and I hope you have an awesome New Year’s Eve!

 Footnotes:

[1] I resisted ALL the jokes I could have made with the Britishism. It was difficult…. But I persevered. Though Calex is mad they need to cross that bloody river.

[2] Little does Thalia know, this is what happens in the real Popol Vuh.

[3] Yea, the grammar is awful in this one, and I really need to actually sit down and study again, but it is supposed to say, “He’s a rabbit.”

[4] “If we couldn’t talk, then the louse couldn’t have delivered a message to Hunahpu and Xbalanque from their chiich.” “Who?” “Eh, you’ll read about it in Jack’s stand alone novel. Don’t worry. It’ll be a lot less confusing when you get the whole story.”

[5] Get in line, Thalia.

[6] Between his years of crushing on Reyna and his recent interest in Thalia, I think it dangerous to expect Axel to focus on their surroundings if he’s bringing up the rear.

[7] Mel’s betacomment: “Wait�� is the underworld… racist?”

Jack: huh…. Apparently? XD

[8] Because our lovely lady is from Puerto Rico.

[9] What’s something that Romans, Greeks, and Brits all have in common? XD