𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝗘 ━━ l. valdez

𝐗𝐗𝐗 ; just like any good trophy hunter (and she liked the way it tastes)

title from 'the bolter' by taylor swift

౨ৎ･ﾟ:*

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."

"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."

piper 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. hypothermia. ankle." she frowned at the satyr. "don't you know nature healing?"

hedge scoffed. "why do you think she looks this good? can't you smell the gatorade?"

thalia looked at leo and i for the first time, like why did you let the goat be a doctor?

"you two and the satyr," thalia ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. phoebe is an excellent healer."

"it's cold out there!" hedge said. "i'll freeze my horns off."

but i knew when we weren't wanted. "come on, couch hedge. these two need time to talk."

"humph. fine," the satyr muttered. "didn't even get to brain anybody."

hedge carried piper toward the entrance. leo and i were about to follow when jason called, "actually, guys, could you, um, stick around?"

i saw something in jason's eyes i didn't expect: jason was asking for support. he wanted somebody else there. he was scared.

leo grinned. "sticking around is my specialty."

i nodded. thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the four of us 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. but still she regarded jason in a kind of amazed trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. i watched as leo took a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twisted them together.

oddly, leo spoke first. "so... the hunters of artemis. this whole 'not dating' thing—is that like always, or more of a seasonal thing, or what?"

thalia stared at him as if he'd just evolved from pond scum.

i nudged leo in the ribs with my elbow. "don't mind leo. he's just trying to break the ice."

i glared at him accusingly.

"anyway," jason said. "thalia... what happened to our family? who told you i was dead?"

thalia tugged at a silver bracelet on her wrist. in the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she almost looked like khione the snow princess— which in relation, made her kind of look like me.