Thalia Grace (wasatree) wrote in somerealityrpg, @ 2019-12-21 14:47:00 |
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Nico had asked Thalia on the network if she were experiencing whiplash, and Thalia had almost laughed hysterically. Whiplash didn’t even cover it. First she’d had the unpleasant discovery that her ex-best friend-turned-mortal-enemy was her roommate. Then they had a giant public fight on the network and a series of private fights in their apartment. And then, when they’d finally come to some sort of tentative understanding, he’d disappeared. And when she was finally getting over the strange disappointment of his leaving, he’d come back again. Without any memories of any of the progress they’d made over the past few weeks. It was enough to make Thalia want to bring down a lightning bolt on the entire stupid villa. But there were people she liked in the villa, including Hugo, so going to him to vent all her crazy, messed up emotions was probably a less destructive way of handling things. Even if she did really want to bring down a massive lightning bolt on everything. The minute he opened the door after her knock, she stepped forward for a hug. Artemis would probably disapprove of her First Lieutenant willingly touching a boy, but these were desperate times. Hugo immediately said yes when Thalia asked to see him. He didn’t know everything, but he knew enough about her life to understand how difficult Luke’s arrival was for her. Still, Hugo was worried about saying the wrong thing although he tried to keep Bill and George’s advice in mind while he waited for Thalia to arrive at his apartment. He opened the door immediately and stood back just enough to allow her to step into his waiting arms. “Shite day, huh?” “This is totally not a Good Land,” Thalia muttered, her words muffled against his shoulder. One of the drawbacks to having her age stuck at 15 was that she was also stuck at the height she had been when she was 15. And while that wasn’t a problem in the Hunt, it did leave her shorter than most adults in the mortal world. “You saw he came back?” There was no need to specify who. “And he doesn’t remember a thing about being here.” Hugo, remembering how Bill and George told him sometimes it was just about being there and not saying the exact right thing, held her tightly. He really did feel badly for Thalia. She barely lost Jason and Luke before the latter showed up again. Not to mention their complicated history. “I talked to him a bit,” Hugo admitted. “I didn’t realize who he was at first.” He exhaled sharply. “Damn, he doesn’t remember?” Hugo was still pretty new, so he didn’t know how everything in Goodland worked. It was extra cruel that Thalia had to deal with a new Luke. “No, so all the fights we had before, all the baggage…” Thalia pulled away and wiped her hand over her face. Luke’s return had reopened old wounds that had barely started to scab over. Now she felt them as keenly as if they were real and raw and fresh, bringing up all the pain and betrayal she had felt when he had turned against the gods. “I just…I can’t go through all that again.” Hugo hoped his face didn’t betray his panic. He didn’t want to screw up and was afraid of saying the wrong thing. However, he nodded because he did understand how difficult it must be to deal with something only to have to rehash it all over again. “Maybe you don’t have to? Maybe you can just...not deal with it until you are ready?” “I thought about it,” Thalia admitted as she stepped into his apartment. She figured the invitation was implicit. “I was going to see if Diana would mind me crashing on her couch for a few days. But it seems too much like running away, you know?” Thalia was Zeus’s daughter: pride drove a lot of her decisions, even if they were stupid ones. Hugo was a Gryffindor so he understood the fear about “running away” from something. Pride could be dangerous, but he definitely had some too. “Yeah,” he agreed as he shut the door behind her. He gestured toward his sofa. “You can always crash here too if you need.” He plopped down on the aforementioned couch and added, “Want to sit? Need something to drink?” He knew he had plenty of drinks, but wasn’t sure about anything edible. He made a mental note to go shopping in case of future visitors. “You have roommates,” Thalia pointed out. “And hiding out at someone else’s place definitely feels like running away.” Except going back to their apartment and facing him didn’t sound any better. Maybe she could claim that this was already in the plans, and salvage her pride that way. She plopped herself down on the couch. “I’ll have any juice you got,” she said. Given how demigods were already born with battle-ready senses that made them twitchy, she didn’t do well with caffeine or sugar. “And tell me what’s been going on with you. I need a distraction.” Hugo quickly got the juice and returned. He handed it to her and raised his eyebrows. Should he go along with the change in subject? Emotional stuff was hard! “You are changing the subject,” he said finally. “I’ll go along with it, but just know I’m ready to listen whenever you want, okay?” He recalled what his uncles said about making himself available, but not pushy. “Anyway, same old, really. I think I’m going to help my mum with a Christmas tree, but no idea what to get her for a present yet.” He shrugged. “Asked the entity for help with that so we’ll see.” Thalia gave him a mock salute to indicate she’d heard his offer. She definitely wasn’t ready to talk more on it, though. At least not yet. Maybe. She wasn’t sure how she felt at the moment, and talking about other things seemed safer. “That must be weird, having her like, your age. And getting along.” She made a face. “I never want to meet my mom at my age. I mean, I wouldn’t want to meet my mom at all, period. But I think she’d be even worse than she was when she was younger.” “I wonder how a god winds up with a mortal,” Hugo replied. “Like in my world, witches and wizards are usually separated from muggles unless you are born to muggles, but we are still in the same area, you know? Does a god just, like, swoop down from Olympus?” Hugo thought it made a funny picture; it also made him wonder how the gods lived with themselves just abandoning their children and their parents. “Like your mom was obviously beautiful…look at you…” He blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Not that you are not. Just that…” He rolled his eyes. “I’m going to stop talking now.” Despite his vow, he added, “But, really, say your mom does come here. Can your dad just, like, appear here?” He hoped, for Thalia’s, sake, they didn’t show up. His stumble drew a small laugh from her, and Thalia preened a bit. Even a Hunter of Artemis could be vain enough to appreciate being called pretty, especially when said Hunter had Zeus as a father and the ego to go with it. “Ugh, I hope neither of them do,” she said, sobering. Her thoughts on her parents were complicated, even more than her feelings about Luke. “My mom would just be an alcoholic mess, and my dad…” She grimaced. “Seriously, having a god stuck here, being bored? Not good for anyone. Plus, my dad looooooves the ladies. I don’t know how much your mom’s told you about Greek gods, but basically most of the bad things that happen in Greek mythology is because my dad can’t keep it in his pants.” “I can’t say I was too interested until I met you,” he admitted. “It sounds like shite though.” It made his small problems petty. He, at least, knew his parents would always be there for him, even if they didn’t always approve of his choices. “You are better off without them,” he announced. “You’ll have to meet my gran. She adopts everyone. You’ll fit right in.” He guessed she should meet his mum too, but considering he was just getting to know Hermione, that seemed weird. Molly just seemed easier, especially with the woman gaining memories of her future. Thalia nodded decisively. She was better off without her parents (even if she really did want the approval of her father), and that was why she had run away from home when she was just nine years old. “I’d love to meet your family sometime,” she said. It wasn’t just because she’d loved reading about them in the books, but because they were important to Hugo. The closeness of the Weasley family had always been a source of envy and comfort to her and Annabeth, when they’d been cold and shivering out on the streets. |