𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫. ── 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐯. 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞?

For a minute, 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 little scar on your lip—you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Leo laughed. "Seriously?"

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

Aella snickered. "Excellent source of blackmail as well."

"W-wait," Jason stammered. "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. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit."

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

Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah—never mind. I see. Exhaustion. Her stomach—there's a huge wound, you guys." She frowned at the satyr. "Don't you know nature healing?"

Hedge kneeled. "I—we didn't notice."

Jason frowned. "Is she going to be alright?" He sat next to Aella and tried to help her up. She, of course, refused the help. 

"It's fine," she said, "I'm literally fine! It was just because I was using my power too much."

Piper groaned. "Ouch!" When Thalia looked at her, she shrugged, "my ankle. I hurt it a bit ago."

"You and the satyr," Thalia ordered to Leo, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer. I'll bring Ellie with us."

"It's not a big—" Aella began, before the huntress cut her off. "It is a big deal. You need to rest a bit. And..." Thalia sighed and hushed her tone. "I can't do this without you, Ellie. I just— I'm a bit nervous. I mean, the first time I'm meeting my brother for years!"

"What are you two yapping about? We're kinda freezing!" Piper yelped.

"It's cold out here!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."

"Come on, Hedge. These three need time to talk." Leo snapped.

"Humph. Fine," the satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."

Hedge carried Piper toward the entrance. Leo was about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, man, could you, um, stick around?"

When Aella glanced at him, she saw something in Jason's eyes that she didn't expect: Jason was asking for support. He wanted somebody else there. He was scared.

Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my specialty."

Thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the four of them sat at the fire. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Jason studied his sister like she was a scary device—one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seemed more at ease, as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives, which Aella wasn't too sure about. But still she regarded Jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. Aella, on the other hand, leaned against Jason and was clearly trying to sleep, but the tension between them wasn't subsiding. Leo took a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twisted them together.

Finally, it was clear that he couldn't stand the silence. "So ... the Hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' thing—is that like always, or more of a seasonal thing, or what?"