memory (hiatus)

Chapter 3: Blushing Teenagers

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Rick Riordan owns everything except my plot. 

Thalia's POV:

"Is this really necessary?" Jason complained.

Thalia laughed. She felt the same way about parties, but it really seemed that her dad was going through with the plan. Normally Thalia could convince him out of it, but not today. Her dad had insisted that they celebrate Jason's dischargement from the hospital.

"You're lucky, Jason," Thalia said, patting down his blond hair a little. "You don't have to wear this!"

She gestured to her lacy black dress that was far from her usual ripped jeans, leather jacket, and loose shirt outfit. Jason only wore a suit, which was different from his usual jeans and t-shirt, but it wasn't like he really remembered those days, so how could he complain?

"You didn't like suits then, and you still don't like them now?"

Thalia winced as Hera, their wonderful stepmother slipped into the room, dressed in a black dress with a turquoise, green, and gold feather like top–the colors of a peacock's plumage. Jason smiled, a little awkwardly. Hera had always favored Jason over Thalia, partly because he looked more like he could be her son. Jason had blond hair, while Thalia had dark hair that looked more like their dad's hair. To be honest, the only feature they shared were their electric blue eyes, inherited from their dad. Jason didn't really remember any of that stuff though, so cue the awkwardness.

"Um, yeah. Not particularly," Jason said.

Hera tittered at that, and brought out two pins from her purse. "Your dad would like you to wear these."

Hera pinned the blue gem studded badge to Jason's tie, and the silver arrow shaped brooch to Thalia's dress. It clashed magnificently with Thalia's silver tiara, but she didn't really care. She was keeping that tiara on, no matter how strange the fashion statement. It signaled her member status of her sorority.

Hera pursed her full lips, painted a startingly bright red. "Thalia, are you sure you want to keep wearing that tiara? It doesn't really seem to work with your outfit."

Thalia silently told herself, don't get angry, don't get angry, don't get angry. "I'm okay. It works well enough."

Hera shrugged, flicking her wrists from where her golden feather bangles hung. "All, right. If you say so."

Hera sauntered out of the room with a flip of her dark curls.

Thalia returned to her preparation; slipping on her black converse underneath the dress, touching up her dark red lipstick, lining her eyes with a thick line of eyeliner, stroking up her eyelashes with mascara, and fluffing up her dark hair till it was the spiky way she liked it to be– till it was the dark, edgy, look she liked.

Jason tapped his foot impatiently throughout the whole thing. Thalia smirked as he held the door open for her, ruffling his hair when she walked out towards the car. She knew he was smoldering behind her, and that already made her evening much better.

The days when their mother still had custody of them, and when their dad was still unknown and across the country, had not been good days. Their parents had had a fling, that had ended up in a drunken marriage right before their dad married Hera.(The marriage between their parents was quickly annulled the next morning, but their mom kept the Grace last name) The marriage(between Hera and her dad) had been an arranged marriage, and Thalia had always known that the name Zeus Grace could often be associated with the words; scoundrel, dirty thief, ladies' man– as well as businessman, father, husband. She'd also known that the name Beryl Grace could be associated with; fake, annoying, irritating, clingy– as well as actress and starlet. Thalia had been the unexpected baby, and born just a few months after their dad's wedding day. Their mom had used her to try to lure their dad back, but she'd never really cared for her.