10 years ago*

[chameno_koritsi]

Thalia opens the front door cautiously and dumps her backpack onto the floor. She never knows what to expect from her mom when she comes home from school so she's always careful.

"Mom?" she calls out because it's better to let her know than to sneak in. "I'm home." Thalia tenses but there's no response.

"Great, she's passed out again," Thalia thinks and heads to the kitchen. The meager PB&J her mom had packed for lunch is a distant memory and Thalia knew that if her mom was passed out, that meant dinner was up to her.

She hears her mom's quiet sobs just as she enters the kitchen and she stops. "Crap," Thalia thinks freezing. She takes a deep breath and, smelling sherry, she relaxes. Sherry means her mom wasn't going to try and get violent. Her mom hadn't tried anything since Thalia turned ten this year and proved she could defend herself by giving her mother a black eye but you never knew.

"Mom?" Thalia questions and the sobbing breaks.

"Come here honey," her mother says, more steady than Thalia had expected. She holds out her arms for a hug but pats the seat next to her when Thalia makes no move. "I've got a couple of things your father wanted me to give you when you were old enough."

A flutter of joy hits Thalia's stomach before her anger stomps it down.  She sneers, "Why would I want anything from him?"

"Just come and see," her mother sighs and takes a big gulp of the sherry.

Not sure what to do but not wanting to seem like she was scared, Thalia crossed the kitchen to see what her mother had.

"I saw some ravens today," her mother murmurs as Thalia takes the seat. Her mother sounds scared. "One tapped on the front window."

"Who cares about a stupid raven?" Thalia replies seeing the photo her mother claimed was her dad (just the back of a head and a blurred face) and..."A bracelet and a can of mace? What the hell?"

"Raven's are a bad omen. Promise me you'll be careful outside?"

"Like you care," Thalia fires back. She doesn't trust it when her mother is like this.

"Thalia!" her mother says, her voice rising but she takes a deep breath and calms herself. She finishes the glass of sherry and pours herself another. "Just be careful. There's an ill wind."

"Whatever. Can I go now?"

"Yes but promise me you'll keep these with you?" Her mother holds out the bracelet and can of mace.

"If it means you'll leave me alone," Thalia says and snatches the items from her mother's hand to race to her room.

*From The Battle for the Labyrinth.

Comments

[chameno_koritsi]

Embarrassed and frightened, Thalia rubs the tears away and nearly falls off the roof jumping to her feet.

"What the fuck?!?"

[theoi-npc.livejournal.com]

"Shhh. It's okay, I'm not going to harm you," Zeus replies.

[chameno_koritsi]

A sense of calm Thalia doesn't trust but can't fight takes hold and she sits again.

"Who are you?" Somehow she thinks she knows but she wants to hear him say it.

[theoi-npc.livejournal.com]

"I am your father."

[chameno_koritsi]

Thalia wants to deck him. To hit him so hard he falls off the roof but whatever spell had calmed her keeps her from doing this. That and something about him says this would be a very bad idea.

"Joy," she says instead.

[theoi-npc.livejournal.com]

Zeus ignores her disdain.

"You mother gave you those a bit early but I fear she was correct. You are in danger. Hades has discovered you."

[chameno_koritsi]

Thalia holds up the bracelet and can of mace and raises an eyebrow. "These are supposed to protect me?"

"What the hell am I doing talking to some guy on the roof in the middle of the night? And this guy's my father? It's like some dream. That must be it, I'm dreaming," she thinks.

[theoi-npc.livejournal.com]

"Yes," Zeus replies and gestures for her to give him the items. He puts the bracelet on and it spirals out to form a shield with the head of Medusa upon it and when he presses the trigger for the mace it telescopes to become a short spear. "This is a copy of my Aegis and it will strike terror into the hearts of your enemies. It won't be affective against gods or titans but few mortals or monsters will stand against it. This truly is the better weapon of these two. Don't forget that."

He then turns them "off" and gives them back.

[chameno_koritsi]

"Okay should have stayed away from the peppers tonight," Thalia thinks.

"Why does Hades care about me? Why would he want to hurt me?" she asks. Heck if it's a dream might as well play the part.

[theoi-npc.livejournal.com]

Zeus looks off into the sky for a moment before he answers, "Because you exist. I broke an oath and you are the result. Guard yourself child, the Stymphalian birds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stymphalian_birds) are here."

[chameno_koritsi]

Thalia wakes with a start and nearly falls from the roof. She looks around but doesn't see the man who claimed to be her father. What she does see is that she is covered with her bed blanket. She didn't bring her blanket up to the roof.

She hears some thing far off, from the direction of the rising sun. Shielding her eyes from the glare she sees birds flying towards her but they seem like they are made of metal as the sun reflects off them.

"What the hell?"