The Divine Comedy || bloodlines

First Impressions

THALIA

December, fifteen years old

APOLLO, FOR THE HOMELESS STRANGER must have been the sun god, really did live up to his promise of transport. It was one of those automobile-carrier trains, fully equipped with three decks of luxury cars. Thalia didn't know exactly how fast they were going, but the sun and shadows rippled by the steel-mesh side of the train like a flip book turned up to the max.

Soon after she'd figured out the hot-wiring situation, and found her alt-rock stations, there was a knuckle-tapped knock against her window. She couldn't really make out his voice, but she guessed Percy was asking if he could join her. Sighing, she gave a half-hearted shrug.

"Nice coat," she said as he slid into the shot-gun seat. "I think you'd win camp fashion week with that."

Percy looked down as if he'd forgotten his own spoil of war—the mist altered version of the Nemean lion's pelt. He pulled the brown duster closer around himself, playing with the sleeves up to his wrists. "Oh, yeah. Lots of awards with this one. But that wasn't the monster we're looking for."

Thalia's laugh was partly amused, partly agonized. "Not even close. We've got a long way to go."

"Yeah, Ariana said. She, Grover, and Zoë still don't really have any idea who the monster is, but the General said it would come for you. Some isolating kind of tactic. It's gonna appear and battle you one-on-one."

Thalia tried to keep her emotions, sans a sarcastic enthusiasm, off her expression. "He said that?"

"Well, something like that. Yeah."

"That's great. I love being used as bait."

"No idea what the monster might be either?"

Thalia shrugged, which as close as she felt like getting to saying she had no fucking idea. "But at least we have a direction to head in. Artemis was headed to San Francisco, so we should start there."

"Why?" Percy frowned. "Annabeth was talking about it like it was awful, too. What's so bad about San Francisco?"

"The Mountain of Despair is right there, so the Mist and Titan magic is woven around the area. Monsters swarm that place, especially close to the winter solstice."

"Oh. Lucky us. What's the Mountain of Despair?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know?" She thought Chiron would've told him—hell, maybe even Ariana, since she seemed to know so much. "Ask Ariana or Zoë. Gods know, the hunters are the experts at everything."

Percy was quiet for a while. He sat with his shoes on the seat while Thalia drummed against the wheel, and then suddenly turned to look at her again. "That's why you don't get along with Zoë."

Thalia frowned. "What?"

"The Hunters tried to recruit you," Percy guessed.

Caught a little off guard, Thalia felt her fingertips pulse with electricity. She pushed down her anger, though. "Almost succeeded," she admitted. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoë was pretty persuasive."

"But what?"

"Luke," she said tersely, "and Annabeth."

"Oh."

"Zoë and I got into a fight. Said I was being stupid and that I'd regret my choice. She said Luke would let me down someday."

Thalia watched the sun from the corner of her eyes, flickering through the metal curtain. They seemed to be traveling faster every moment, the air itself speeding up around them. She stared at the back of the car in front of them, eyes glazing over a license plate she'd never see again.

"What do you think of her?" Thalia asked, suspicion and silence eating at her gut. "Ariana, I mean."

Percy blinked, startled at the abrupt topic change. It took him a moment to respond. "Oh, uh, I don't know. She's okay. Kinda kicked my ass in the amphitheater before capture the flag. Weird fighting style."

"You said Luke was in the museum with the General?" Percy nodded. "Did he say anything about her?"

Percy was quiet for a moment. "The General said most of it, but Luke seemed to know her, yeah." He leaned forward, shifting to turn his body toward her. When he spoke, it was with urgent uncertainty. "Why? You think she's with the titans or something? I don't know, the General seemed to—"

Thalia wasn't sure if she should say anything, and she thought over the question as he spoke. Did she really have any reason to make him suspicious of her? Ariana herself hadn't done anything to deserve that, but it was better safe than sorry.

"A little after I met Luke," she said, causing Percy to fall silent, "he told me about this...kid named Ariana he'd met on the run. She was really little, maybe six years old, and she was great with weapons and stuff. They got separated just a bit before he found me."

The train was silent except for the whistling tracks and the ruffling curtain. Percy leaned back against his seat, resting his chin atop a knee. "I mean, I guess that makes sense—just from a sword skill perspective. But the General seemed to hate her, so I'd say that goes in the pro column."

Sighing, Thalia leaned her head against the wheel. "I'm not saying she's with them necessarily, but...Luke seemed fixated on finding her again. Even after we found Annabeth, I don't know if...I don't think Luke got over losing her back then, and I don't know if he's given up now. Something like that...that loss doesn't just go away, Percy."

Her brother's young face came back to her—blue eyes and a soft scar. She knew that, if somehow he was alive, she'd do anything to get him back. But Luke had always felt so intensely, so obsessively, and Thalia wondered how far he'd go to get her back.

"You really think he still cares about her?" Percy sounded doubtful. "He doesn't even care about Annabeth anymore."

Thalia didn't answer.

"You haven't seen him lately," Percy warned. "I know it's hard to believe, but—"

"You don't know what you're talking about," she scoffed.

"I get that I haven't known him as long, but Luke's changed. You won't recognize him."

"Do me a favor." Thalia grit her teeth. "Get out of my car."