Where You Go ― Jason Grace

xix. the grace family reunion

FOR A FEW MINUTES, no one spoke. Jason studied his newfound sister like she was a complicated explosive that would explode if not handled properly. Thalia seemed a little more at ease, as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than long-lost relatives. But she still regarded Jason in an amazed kind of trance, maybe remembering a little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler.

"So," Thalia finally said, "who's your friend?"

"This is Ophelia, daughter of Mer—Hermes. She's my, uh... my friend?" Jason's cheeks were pink with embarrassment, and he didn't look at either of them. 

Thalia raised an eyebrow, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "You don't sound too sure about that." 

"Hera stole our memories," Ophelia was quick to explain. "We woke up three days ago on a bus with Piper and Leo. We've gotten bits and pieces of our memories back, but it's still mostly blank."

"Hera?" Thalia asked, the amusement fading from her face instantly. "How do you know that?"

Jason explained their quest—the prophecy at camp, Hera getting imprisoned, the giant taking Piper's dad, and their rapidly approaching deadline.

Thalia was a good listener. Nothing seemed to surprise her—the monsters, the prophecies, the dead rising. When Jason mentioned King Midas, she cursed in a foreign language. "I knew we should've burned down his mansion," she said. "That man's a menace. But we were so intent on following Lycaon—well, I'm glad you got away. So Hera's been... what, hiding you all these years?"

"I don't know," Jason said. He brought out the picture from his pocket. "She left me just enough memory to recognize your face."

Thalia looked at the picture, and her expression softened. "I'd forgotten about that. I left it in Cabin One, didn't I?"

Jason nodded. "I think Hera wanted for us to meet. When we landed here, at this cave... I had a feeling it was important. Like I knew you were close by? Is that crazy?"

"Jason, when you're dealing with the gods, nothing is too crazy," Thalia said. "But you can't trust Hera, especially since we're children of Zeus. She hates all children of Zeus."

"But she said something about Zeus giving her my life as a peace offering. Does that make any sense?"

The color drained from Thalia's face. "Oh, gods. Mother wouldn't have... You don't remember—no, of course you don't."

"What?" Jason asked.

Thalia's features seemed to grow older in the firelight. "Jason... I'm not sure how to say this. Our mom wasn't exactly stable. She caught Zeus's eye because she was a television actress, and she was beautiful, but she didn't handle the fame well. She drank, pulled stupid stunts. She was always in the tabloids. She could never get enough attention. Even before you were born, she and I argued all the time. She... she knew Dad was Zeus, and I think that was too much for her to take. It was like the ultimate accomplishment for her to attract the lord of the sky, and she couldn't accept it when he left. The thing about the gods... well, they don't hang around."

"So..." Jason didn't seem to be able to finish the question.

Ophelia reached for his hand. Thalia offered hers as well, and Jason took them both.

"When I was about seven," Thalia said, "Zeus started visiting Mom again. I think he felt bad about wrecking her life, and he seemed—different, somehow. A little older and sterner, more fatherly toward me. For a while, Mom improved. She loved having Zeus around, bringing her presents, causing the sky to rumble. She always wanted more attention. That's the year you were born. Mom... well, I never got along with her, but you gave me a reason to hang around." A faint smile made its way onto Thalia's face. "You were so cute. And I didn't trust Mom to look after you. Of course, Zeus eventually stopped coming by again. He probably couldn't stand Mom's demands anymore, always pestering him to let her visit Olympus, or to make her immortal or eternally beautiful. When he left for good, Mom got more and more unstable. That was about the time the monsters started attacking me. Mom blamed Hera. She claimed the goddess was coming after you, too—that Hera barely tolerated my birth, but two demigod children from the same family was too big an insult. Mom even said she hadn't wanted to name you Jason, but Zeus insisted, as a way to appease Hera because the goddess liked that name. I didn't know what to believe."