𝙄𝙉𝙁𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙀𝘿; heroes of olympus

jason is having a mental breakdown

ERITH JAY
THALIA WAS HOT.

She hardly looked like her brother. Her dark hair was a mess on top of her head. The crown on it made her look lovely. Her blue eyes, which were her only similar trait to Jason, shone brightly. She looked like she could boot stomp Erith.

From Leo's expression, she could tell he felt similarly. She wasn't sure whether she should be annoyed or impressed at his taste.

But before she could decide, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushed forward and hugged him.

"My gods! She told me you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you." That line carried a million laughs and a million words of grief. As if Jason was something that could save her. "That little scar on your lip―you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Leo laughed. "Seriously?"

Erith grinned.

Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers―excellent source of iron."

"For goats, maybe," Erith replied. She wasn't keen on eating metal.

"W-Wait," Jason stammered. The boy looked absolutely shell-shocked. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face, like she was afraid he might vanish. Erith's heart stuttered at the gesture, and she felt an ache of want. She wish she had siblings―biological siblings, not her siblings on the godly side―that loved her this much. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right," Thalia said, and Jason's expression lost itself for a minute. "But we have to talk," Thalia continued, and his expression went back to disbelief. "Let's sit."

Piper did better than sit. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if Hedge hadn't caught her.

Thalia rushed over, finally letting go of Jason, who stumbled like he might fall just like Piper. Erith's arm brushed his and he glanced at her, a look of grateful warmth.

"What's wrong with her?" Thalia asked, kneeling over Piper. "Ah―never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"

Erith was glad Thalia wasn't aware she was a child of Apollo. She didn't want to meet those blazing blue eyes.

Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

Erith bit back a hysterical laugh. Smell the Gatorade. Surely Thalia would be trying to smell Gatorade right now.

Thalia looked at Leo for the first time, in an accusatory way, glaring. Erith wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

"You and the satyr," Thalia ordered, then stopped, as if just seeing Erith for the first time, and Erith did meet those blue eyes. She froze―not literally, thankfully. She'd already done that on the trip. Thalia studied her for a few seconds, then walked over. "You're weak."

"Thanks," Erith said, because she was always one for wit, even in front of a dark-haired hunter who she was both afraid of and admired to bits.