Percy Jackson's New Side (Book 2) - Destruction: The Dawn of the Forgotten

Chapter 29: The Siege of Olympia Part 1

Forward in Time

Thalia POV

"Alright, let's go now." I said. I ran my hand through my short, half-messy hair, my hand briskly brushing the silver circlet I wore. I checked once more if I still had my skull earrings on, which both were there. I pulled my black leather jacket closer to myself. It was cold outside of Camp Half-Blood. 

The sun was barely up, it's rays spilling over the horizon. It reminded me of a squirting orange.

"Thalia," an all too familiar voice called behind me.

I whipped around and kneeled before my father, who accompanied by the other Olympians. They were all in a shorter height than normal, about seven feet. My friends behind immediately bowed behind me.

"Rise, Thalia," he said.

I rose, my eyes meeting his. Every time I saw my father in person, stood in front of him and experienced his aura, the emotions that rolled off him, I was always a mix of emotions. Today, looking at his electric blue eyes, I could not detect a single betrayal of thought. But that was usual.

What was also usual was my mix of feelings towards him when I saw him. To me, he was my father. But when I was a demigod, he was the King of the Gods. No love to spare for his children. And that always made me pursue after him, just wanting to see, to sense a glimmer of pride for me, just for me in his eyes and in his heart. I wish he could just praise me for a moment. 

For a second, I saw most of the Olympians' gazes fix on me. I stared around, wondering if they could read minds looking at their smirking and pitiful faces.

I stood straighter, a defiant feeling of pride and stubbornness settling inside of me. I had a right to receive love from a parent after my  mother's alcohol problem and my brother's disappearance and eventual murder saving Apollo. Especially when I was in a mood after being betrayed by Luke, who thankfully returned to us and by my side once again.

It pushed me into a deeper train of thought. Luke was no longer the Luke I knew. I closed my eyes as I remembered when I first found the silver circlet, something I could only do with Luke's help. Without Luke's help, I wouldn't have been stable through that period of time. And when he finally came back, he wasn't my older brother anymore; he was a stern, yet empathetic and reasonable person who was unlike the Luke I met all those years ago.

"Are you all ready? Is everyone here, Thalia?"

My eyes snapped back open. I looked behind to see my friends' concerned looks and the Olympians confused gazes. For a moment, I thought angrily how they could not possibly understand my feelings. But I knew that was an excuse; the Olympians could barely get close to a mortal for the fear of having to deal with the pain of them dying. And plus, I had no right to question anything they'd been through their whole lives, a millennia.

I nodded quickly. "Yes, Father," I said as if I were bored. I was not. I was curious about the mission, yet scared and excited for it. 

Zeus nodded. "Very well. We shall wait here for the Eternals. Until then, say your goodbyes."

I leaned against my pine tree, the one I was in before I got out, my eyes closing and my mind drifting away. I could hear my fellow friends and Trainers saying goodbye to the campers and giving the counselors friendly advice on how to deal with certain situations. 

I stared out towards the strawberry fields, which were completely empty. All of the campers were gathered on the hill. No one was anywhere else. And as soon the campers left the hill, going back to their activities, it was time for personal goodbyes between people who were going to Olympia, Greece, and who weren't.