Betrayed But Never Forgotten

We have a talk

Thaila pov

It was 9:05 PM, and Will still hadn't arrived. I was sitting with my back against the rough, cold surface of the boulders at Zeus's Fist, the moonlight casting eerie shadows across the clearing. 

The night air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine needles and distant strawberry fields. My fingers drummed nervously against my silver hunting knife as I scanned the darkness.

A sudden rustle in the forest made me tense. Years of hunting with Artemis had honed my instincts, and I immediately reached for my bow, nocking an arrow in one fluid motion. Just as I was about to release, a flash of blonde hair caught in the moonlight, and Will Solace stumbled out of the bushes, leaves stuck in his hair.

"Gods, Thalia! Don't shoot!" he yelped, raising his hands defensively.

I lowered my bow, my heart still racing. "You're late, Solace. And you nearly got yourself a new hair accessory made of celestial bronze."

Will brushed leaves from his orange camp t-shirt, looking apologetic. "Sorry I'm late. Had to get past the cleaning harpies. They're extra nasty tonight—one of them nearly took my head off near the volleyball courts."

As he walked over, I noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the way his normally immaculate appearance was disheveled. Whatever he wanted to talk about was clearly weighing on him.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, trying to keep the impatience from my voice. Will and I didn't have active conversations every day—or any day, really. Our paths rarely crossed except during capture the flag or council meetings. This secret meeting felt strange, out of character.

Will leaned against the boulder next to me, sliding down until we were shoulder to shoulder. For a long moment, he said nothing, just stared up at the star-filled sky. The silence stretched between us, filled only by the distant hoot of an owl and the chirping of crickets.

"What do you think about Percy and Annabeth?" Will finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. I took a deep breath and looked into the night sky, finding the constellation of the Huntress—Zoë Nightshade—as I gathered my thoughts.

"I loved them," I admitted, the words feeling like they were being torn from somewhere deep inside me. "Percy as a cousin and Annabeth as a friend. We went through Tartarus together—not literally, like they did, but... you know what I mean."

I paused, trying to make sense of the conflicting emotions swirling inside me. "But then... one day I just started hating them. Like, I even slapped Percy outside the dining pavilion. Hard. But I don't even know why I did it. I just felt this... rage. This uncontrollable anger." My voice cracked slightly. "And the worst part is, I can't remember what triggered it. It's like... like there's a fog in my mind."

Will turned to look at me, his blue eyes serious in the moonlight. "I think something is going on, Thalia. Something bad. And I need your help to solve it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, though a part of me already suspected what he was getting at.Will rolled his eyes, but there was no humor in the gesture. "Do you not think that something happened, involving your brother?"

The mention of Jason made me tense. I had noticed the change, of course. How could I not? One day, everyone was treating Jason like just another camper, the next day he was suddenly everyone's favorite hero, the most powerful demigod who ever lived. Even I had found myself agreeing with others about his greatness, though something deep inside me had always felt... wrong.

"I noticed," I said quietly. "It was subtle at first, but then... it was like overnight everyone forgot about Percy's achievements and started talking about Jason like he was the second coming of Hercules."

Will nodded eagerly. "Exactly. And here's the thing—I'm a son of Apollo, and we can sense when people are lying. It's not as strong as Piper's charmspeak, but... I could tell when campers were lying, and they were. All of them. It was like they were... possessed, or..."

"Or charmspeaked," I finished, the realization dawning on me.Will's eyes lit up. "You're a genius, Thalia! That's exactly what I was thinking. But Piper wouldn't do that, which means..."

"Which means someone else has that power," I muttered, my mind racing through possibilities. "But who? And why target Percy, Annabeth, and Piper?"

Will leaned in closer, his voice dropping even lower. "I don't know yet. But we have to figure this out. And we can't let anyone know what we're doing. If someone really is manipulating the camp, they could turn their power on us next."

A chill ran down my spine at the thought. "Wait," I said suddenly, doubt creeping in. "What if you're wrong? What if Percy and Annabeth really did do those things? What if they really did betray us?"

Will looked at me intensely, a mix of determination and sadness in his expression. "Do you really think Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, saviors of Olympus multiple times over, would do those things? Percy, who gave up godhood for the sake of other demigods? Annabeth, who held up the sky and navigated the Labyrinth? Do you really believe they'd just... leave? Without saying goodbye to anyone?"

I shook my head slowly, side to side. Deep down, I knew he was right. It didn't make sense. None of it did.

"We need a plan," Will continued. "We can meet every day, same spot, same time. You can try to see if you notice anything strange during the day—watch Jason, watch how people act around him. I'll keep talking to Nico, see if he can sense if... if they're still alive."

The possibility that they might not be made my stomach twist with dread.

"Alright," I said, standing up and dusting off my jeans. The silver circlet that marked me as Artemis's lieutenant caught the moonlight. "I'll watch. And listen."

Will nodded and got to his feet. He hesitated, then reached out and squeezed my shoulder briefly. "Be careful, Thalia. If someone really is manipulating everyone... they won't like what we're doing."

"I'm a daughter of Zeus and a Hunter of Artemis," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "I can handle myself."

Will gave me a weak smile before turning and disappearing back into the woods, the darkness swallowing him whole.

I stood there for a moment longer, alone with my thoughts. "I hope Will is right about this," I sighed to the empty clearing. The wind rustled through the trees, almost as if in response.

Then I turned and ran through the woods, toward the Artemis cabin, the night enveloping me in its embrace. As I ran, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were missing something important—something that might explain why my best friends had vanished without a trace, and why I couldn't remember when I had started to hate them.

Tomorrow, I would start watching more carefully. Tomorrow, we would begin to unravel the mystery. But tonight, all I could do was run, and wonder what had really happened to Percy, Annabeth, and Piper.

All done, thank you Green-eyes301291 for always being the first to read my new chapters