Man Down

Chp 3: Perseus Jackson

As the crew sailed east of the docks towards Black Jack cove, Percy retreated below deck to his captains quarters to change. He was stopped by a certain Thalia Grace.

Each member of his crew had a different story, many of which were only known by him alone. Will Solace used to live and work at the royal apothecary with his father and mother but had had to flee when his father was arrested for flirting with the Queen. Ethan Nakamura was an orphan that had gotten into trouble after he started a brawl in a tavern that ended up killing one of the King's best guards. Hazel was with Nico and Bianca when the crew - smaller at the time - had found them, shipwrecked on a small island off the coast of Káto Kósmos, a nearby country. Bianca had died in a raid soon after. Nico and Hazel were the ships youngest members, but they had proved their worth many a time. 

Thalia was one of the few whose story was known by a few more. 

Thalia Lupa Grace was a princess, heir to the throne of Tempus and daughter of King Zeus. That much, everyone on board knew. But the only few who knew her story past that were Percy, Luke and Annabeth. Luke and Annabeth used to work at the palace. Many of the crew once did. But what made them different, was that they worked closely with the royal heirs. Annabeth was the first to know of Thalia's forbidden sexuality, and Luke was the big brother figure she never had. As the oldest, Thalia was never really allowed or expected to be vulnerable. She had to be strong for her little brother. But with Luke, she could let down her carefully manufactured walls and cry. And she would cry. Often, hard and without stopping.

When she was told that her father had arranged a marriage for her, she had snapped. She had told the two of them that they would be leaving and made them pack their bags. They managed to escape, but the ferryman at the dock was unwilling to let them buy a boat, so lashed out at Luke. He still had the scar to this day.

They had stolen the boat and rowed far away from the coast, where their small ship had been intercepted by The Black Pearl, and they joined the hearty crew. Annabeth's wit made her a valuable ally to have, her strategies often keeping them alive. Luke and Thalia could put up a good fight if needed, so were also handy to have along. 

Thalia blocked Percy's way into his quarters by standing squarely, hips wide and arms crossed. She was slight of frame, but she made up for it in strength. Wrestling with Luke had given her enough muscles to stand her ground, even against someone double her size. Percy was not double her size, but larger than her all the same. He stopped and waited for her to break and spill, or move out of the way. She broke. 

"Seaweed Br-" a glare shot her way. She ignored it. "Seaweed Brain, we're in Tempus territory, the Royal Guards will slaughter us on sight." she jabbed an autocratic finger at the wanted posters pinned to the walls that depicted horribly incorrect sketches of all of them except herself. The posters also had written at the bottom: "Wanted, Dead or Alive" on all of them except Thalia's, which said instead: "Bring to King Zeus directly".

Perseus chuckled and ran a finger around Thalia's face and chin, just to annoy her. She jerked her head away and made for her dagger. It was a mocking gesture, as she wouldn't hurt him, he knew. They had clashed in the first few months of their acquaintance, but only because they were so similar. 

"Thalia, princess-" she spat at the nickname. Percy didn't even flinch. "I've been doing this for years. I've never been caught. Ever. What makes this time any different?"

"This time, there are more Guards than ever, what with the Princess coming over" she used the word like an insult. To her, it was. It meant weak and vulnerable. Percy chuckled again. 

"Thalia, as I said, I've been doing this for years. I've fought off far more, and far worst, enemies than a couple of Royal puppets. Don't you trust me?" he pouted, faking hurt. She snorted and moved aside. 

"Make sure Piper lays off the booze" at that Percy gave a bark of laughter. 

"I may be skilled with a sword and a brilliant pirate, but I'm no god. No-one can get Piper to lay off the booze anymore than anyone can get me to sell The Black Pearl." he patted the wood panelling beside him. "Now, go get changed if you're coming." she shook her head. 

"I'll stay" he shrugged. 

"Your loss" and with that, he walked into his rooms and locked the door behind him.