We Olympians (A Percy Jackson AU) || BOOK 1

Chapter 16 || Thalia

Thalia sighed, staring at the board in class.

"Hello, students. I hope you had a great first month of school!" Mr. Blofis said.

Mutters and groans were what he received in return. Particularly from Thalia.

"Well, since I'm not feeling very good today and they can't find me a substitute teacher, I'm allowing you all to go outside to enjoy the fresh air, just as long as you don't sneak off campus." Mr. Blofis gave the jocks all a warning look. "Your homework tonight is just to write a page about how independence is important, but how it's also detrimental sometimes."

Mr. Blofis sat back, drinking his tea as the students all filed out. The moment Thalia got to leave her seat, she could feel a lingering gaze on her back. When she turned around, she saw Percy. His sea-green eyes were swirling slightly as they met her electric blue ones. But the moment he caught her looking at him, he sharply turned away. 

She didn't know if it was her imagination or not, but she thought she saw hurt flashing through his expression. But as quickly as it came, it disappeared. Percy just... walked next to his group of new friends, which Thalia couldn't help but feel mad at for taking Percy away from them.

He doesn't belong to you... a voice said in her mind.

Thalia felt her heart sink slightly. Sure, she didn't own him... but she wanted him back. She wanted to ruffle the living daylights out of his already messy jet black hair, squeeze the life out of him in a bear hug she knew he hated, and eat ice cream with him in the park like they did when they were kids.

"Hey, Thals," she heard a voice and turned to see Annabeth next to her.

"Hey, Annabeth. What--"

"We have to go talk to Percy," she said immediately.

"No, we won't talk to him. We tried yesterday. Nico and I. He just ignored us and acted like a total douche. He belongs with his new group of friends," Thalia muttered bitterly.

"But I have to remind him of the good times we had together," Annabeth said quietly. "If those good times mean nothing to him... then he wasn't the person I thought he was from the beginning. If he's really the Percy I know and love... he'll come back."

"And if not?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"Then..." Annabeth swallowed what appeared to be a sob. "So be it."

Thalia couldn't believe the words coming out of her best friend's mouth.

"So be it?" she asked incredulously.

"I knew a great Percy, Thalia," Annabeth whispered, "And if this Percy isn't the one I knew, I don't wanna ruin the person I remember in my head. At least my memories will be great instead of the awful ones I have now. Don't you agree?"

Thalia, even though she wanted to refuse as much as Annabeth did, nodded. They both wanted him to change and they wanted to be his best friends again. But if the new Percy was a douche... they didn't want their childhood memories to be douched.

"And how are you going to remind him?" she asked.

"With this," Annabeth said, taking a book out of her backpack.

Her eyes widened. "You... You still have that?"

"Don't act like you don't still have that ice cream spoon from the first day you guys hung out," Annabeth shot her a look and Thalia guiltily looked down. Embarrassment coursed through her veins.

Sure, she had kept that spoon. Was it encased in a clear box? Maybe. Did she care about it with every beat of her heart? Possibly. Did it mean the world to her? That was something she had to say yes to.

"Percy," Thalia said when they caught up to him.

He seemed to stiffen slightly, but turned around nonetheless.

"What?" he snapped. "You guys have been staring at me for the last few weeks and it's really uncomfortable. Can you just stop?"

Their hearts sank as they looked at him. Annabeth's grip on the book seemed to tighten and she sighed, looking at Thalia. She shoved the book back in her bag and cleared her throat.

"We just... We just wanted to hang out, Percy. Just like old times. Would you... be down to hang out in our old spot?"

"Why should I do that?" Percy asked, as if he was trying to look away.

Suddenly, Annabeth grabbed his face and turned it so that it looked at her. The moment their eyes locked, Thalia could see a change in Percy's face. She didn't know what it was, but it changed. And Thalia liked it.

"Percy... this isn't you," Annabeth whispered.

All that could be heard was their breathing. Soft. Anticipated. For the first time in the two weeks Percy had been at school, Thalia could see an emotion displayed across his face. It was unclear what emotion it was, but it was there. And she loved it.

"And..." Percy's voice cracked slightly. "And who are you to tell me that?"

Annabeth took a step back, as if she'd just been slapped in the face. Guilt flashed slightly across Percy's face, so tiny that Thalia thought she imagined it.

"What happened to that person I saw as a brother?" Thalia grabbed his arm before Percy could turn away. "Where did you go to make you turn into this monster that you are now?!"

Her angry breathing slowed as Percy's eyes met hers. Sea-green. Just like she remembered them. They were the only thing about Percy that didn't change in the four years they'd spent mourning over his disappearance. Now, it felt like that was for nothing.

"Percy, please..." Annabeth said. "Can you just please... come back to us?"

Percy's gaze flickered onto hers.

"Why are you doing this?" he finally asked.

"Because I'm trying to make things the way they were when we were younger!" Annabeth's tone was becoming harsher. "You... You're not supposed to be like this! You're supposed to be kind, funny, sarcastic, and the little goofball I knew as a kid!"

"Well I'm not a kid anymore, Annabeth!" Percy shook her hands off of him. "And I'm not who you knew. You can't revive the past, so I suggest you quit trying. We're done, Thalia and Annabeth. DONE. And you can't undo it."

"Fine," Annabeth seemed to be swallowing hard to fight her tears and anger, "But if we're done... so is this."

She grabbed the book out of her bag and shoved it into Percy's hands.

"I guess I kept it for nothing," she spat before storming away.

Thalia looked straight into Percy's eyes.

"I wish I was lying..." she breathed. "But you disgust me."

And she ran after her best friend, abandoning her other one.