Chapter Text
Running.
They were running.
Running from what, you might ask? Well, the biggest fucking horde of hellhounds Thalia had ever seen and three other monsters. What were the other monsters, you may ask? Oh, just the three Furies, of course. The Fates just love to fuck around and find out, don’t they?
There were deafening barks, cackling, and sounds of cracking whips behind them, quickly approaching. Thalia knew that the quartet of demigods and satyr couldn’t afford to stop and fight, so she summoned Aegis, which seemed to help marginally.
Lightning flashed above them in response to her anger, but she couldn’t stop running. She had to make it with the others. So they could keep their happy family safe.
Luke. Annie. Thalia. And Grover now, she supposed. He had wormed his way into the little band of delinquency over their travels to camp, despite his initial reservations on transporting all three of the demigods.
But the monsters were catching up, why couldn’t they let the demigods get away . Looking at the hoard, she knew there was no way they could all make it. Looking between her family, the horde, and camp, she realized that someone had to fight. They couldn’t outrun the beasts, so they needed to…alleviate the grass of the things treading on it, ha .
She could take the monsters, she knew it would be all too easy. But she also knew her family wouldn’t leave her behind before they all got to absolute safety. So, what she thought:
“I can hold off these chicken-shit bastards!”
What she said:
“Keep going, we’re almost there!”
And she silently stayed back and engaged the horde.
Everything was blurring together for her. Slash, block, strike, dust, repeat. It was working.
Until it wasn’t. Suddenly, a hellhound sunk its maw deep into her shin. She screamed in anger and zapped him with lightning. Think you got me? Think again, you fucker. Distantly, she heard someone yell her name.
Somehow further incensed by the blood running down her leg, the monsters swarmed her. Oh, shit. Ok, just gotta get through this. She quickly sent a prayer to her father, for all the good it might do her - which wasn’t going to be much, if she was truthful.
So, she reengaged for battle, vowing that her family would be safe. She’d rather be as still as a fucking tree before she would let her family get hurt. The hellhounds seemed to be disappearing at a steady rate, but more kept coming. Fuck you, H, for trying to get rid of me. So she had to keep going. For my family.
But she could feel herself tiring, fights were hard and required stamina. She, along with Luke and Annabeth, had been killing monsters for months, but never had they fought so many at once - even if the dogs were more interested in her, rather than her family.
They were everywhere, but that was fine, she could be everywhere too.
As she fought, the Furies and hellhounds got in a few scratches, but it wasn’t enough to stop the daughter of Zeus. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help but notice that the dogs had her circled. If she could break through the ranks, she could get to camp. Just one or two at a time to clear the path. Thalia lunged for a hellhound, twisting to avoid its maw, and stabbed. One of the Furies lunged for her, but she feinted to the left, causing the Fury to kill a hellhound.
Thalia saw her moment of opportunity and ran. She did her best to sprint, but she was already exhausted. Fighting wasn’t meant to take a long time, most only trained for duels or to fight off the occasional monster - Thalia was used to more than most were, but she was reaching her limit.
So, she ran. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She was almost across the border, she could make it! But, she got reckless so close to her goal and didn’t notice the hellhounds still emerging from the shadows all around her. One got a well-timed lunge for her leg and then another grabbed her arm as she stumbled. There was screaming, but Thalia thought she heard yells outside of her own. I can’t stop now!
It was at the top of the hill that Thalia fell. She half-expected people in camp to emerge and fight off the monsters in order to protect her, it wasn’t as if the fight was quiet. But no one came, and she distantly heard someone say “I’m very sorry, child.” And then, there was nothing but a black void.
There was now a tree on half-blood hill that hadn’t been there before.
She was gone. Really gone.
Luke was having a difficult time with the adjustment to not having Thalia anymore. But she was his best friend, his soulmate! He had a right to be upset and angry and lost. The two had been through so much together. They fought together, Thalia had saved his life more times than he could count. Now there was a missing piece to him. And he didn’t think he would ever find that piece again. He was broken, and he wasn’t even the one who died. I’m so pathetic .
But now he had to take care of Annabeth, of their Annie, who was way too young to have to deal with any of the shit being a demigod meant, let alone this . It was hard for the both of them and now he had to be mature for Annabeth about it? He was 12 for fucks’ sake - he should be allowed to have a breakdown. It was unfair on so many different layers.
And of course, after years of praying to the gods and their parents, Zeus decided that he would finally grace the children by stepping in. The best course of action was obviously to turn Thalia into a godsdamn pine tree!
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair!
The gods had no right to feel pity after everything the children had had to endure on their own. Why couldn’t the kids just be transported to camp? It couldn’t have possibly been that hard for gods to spend less than a minute to collect and transport people. There was a whole god whose deal was transportation. Help would be nice.
Not even that far. Just to the safety of camp, so that no one had to die fighting like Thalia.
Luke would give everything he had to convince the gods that half-bloods are important and should be cared for. He didn't believe it was that hard to give a shit. Hell, he had been able to give a shit about Thalia and Annabeth barely a day after he had met each of them. It wasn't a huge ask.
Luke spent the time he wasn’t crying in the training arena. He was taking out all of his anger on the poor dummies. There were almost none left but his anger was not nearly ignorable enough. He would have to do something to burn off all of his emotions so that he could be there for Annabeth. And not yell at her for something that wasn’t her fault, because that was unfair.
So, he simmered in his anger, slashing at dummies thinking Fucking gods, fucking monsters, fucking EVERYONE!
Imagining that the dummies were monsters helped. That monsters were surrounding him and Thalia together. But together they were decimating the monsters. And doing well. Monster carcasses littering the ground, limbs scattered around from the carnage. Some monsters would disintegrate into a fine golden dust. Others would remain, left to bleed out. Blood and dust would blend together into a glittering mud, making other monsters slip and fall in similar manners.
Then, the visage melted away into a much darker reality. A Thalia-less reality. Where not all of the monsters are dead. Where the only one dead is Thalia. Who is on the hill.
He was trembling.
He fell.
He started crying.
His bloodlust had subsided and he moved to sit in the armory - crying and wallowing.
In his tears, he wished to tell Thalia, “Thals, I just want you back,” Rising and shifting to an angry tone, he continued “if I have to kill all the gods to make them save you, I will.”
Because if they can turn her into a tree, they can turn her back and save her.
He made his way back to his new home, Cabin Eleven. Which housed neither of his sisters.
Kronos had been planning for years. All he needed was someone outside of Tartarus to orchestrate it. He had known, of course, about the sky-spawn and the sea-spawn, even if his offspring didn’t realize what was right under their noses. All he needed was one of them to control. Preferably, it would have been the eldest - he had wanted to reclaim his throne sooner rather than later, could you blame him? But either could have worked.
It was annoying of course, when there were agents of the sea constantly watching the child of Poseidon, Perseus Jackson. He needed a demigod or such an immortal to “swoop in” and “save the day.” It was difficult, but not impossible for a being such as himself.
However, the child of Zeus (Thalia Grace, he had learned) was a separate story. She did not seem controllable, not without many safeguards. She was unreliable where the boy was pliable due to his young age. The girl had already learned her tricks and was stubborn - Thalia possessed the same quality of arrogance that her father, his son, had. She would not be so easily controlled, but that wasn’t to say she wouldn’t follow Kronos. And he did so like the idea of Zeus being overthrown by his own daughter.
So, he planned and bided his time.
For the girl, he would send as many monsters to hunt, but not kill her. He would make Thalia believe the gods didn’t care - which would not be difficult to prove. Kronos would infiltrate her dreams, planting ideas of hate and rebellion. He would talk to her, bide his time until she was finally swayed.
The plan seemed to work fine, and in pursuit of the girl, he found the boy with her. An angry boy, with much hatred and betrayal in his heart. It was this boy that could help Kronos convince the girl, he was sure.
He applied the same measure of dream-contact to the boy, Castellan, as he did to Thalia. He influenced the boy to talk of rebellion. It did not take much to sway him, even if the boy was not yet aware of the eyes on him.
It was not working. But, Kronos could be patient - he had already waited a millenia. What was a couple more years? It was of no pressing issue, he had 8 more years until the girl was old enough.
And if the girl was not swayed, she could be dealt with by the more deadly monsters he had told to stay away. The sea-spawn was still an option. In fact, there was much more flexibility within the sea than there was the sky - the boy was the better, smarter choice if not for an old being’s sentimentality.
As for Perseus Jackson, the boy was not yet aware of his heritage. Judging by his own spies on the mother, the boy would not be made aware for many years. Kronos would use this to his advantage. He was a well connected being, but the mother was clear-sighted. There were not enough demigods under his control to make a move yet. Yet, Kronos was prepared for when such an opportunity would arise.
He would send many monsters to attack the boy while he was with his mother, but they would not be there to kill him, they would kill the boy's mother. Then, a demigod or other such being would appear as a saviour and “save” the boy from his death. A melodrama of revelation would occur as Percy is told that the gods sent the monsters - that the gods were responsible for his mother’s death. Then, the demigod would tell Perseus that he needed to be transported to safety and Perseus would be brought to Tartarus where he would be trained. It was simple. Of course, he would need to convince at least one powerful immortal to bless the child in order to survive the Pit. He had several in mind, though he hadn’t approached them yet.
If both plans coalesced, then perhaps the Castellan boy would be the “savior” of Perseus Jackson. And nothing in the prophecy said that he could not have both Thalia Grace and Perseus Jackson fighting for him.
That had been Kronos’ ideal plan: to have both children fight for him.
Unfortunately, the girl was a moot point now that she was a tree. But that could be dealt with in time.
What he wanted now was the boy and for that, all he needed was a demigod to play as 'delivery-boy.'
Castellan seemed willing to deliver.