I never thought I'd end up sneaking out of an official Olympian event—one with demigods and gods staring at me like I was the star of the circus—only to end up in a McDonald's with Thalia. But hey, if life has taught me anything, it's that chaos comes with its perks. In this case: cheeseburgers.
There we were, sharing a sticky table, a couple of greasy trays, and catching up like we weren't champions in the middle of an Olympic version of The Hunger Games (movies Apollo made me watch). Sometimes, normalcy tastes like cheap ketchup and cold fries—and honestly... I'm not complaining.
I told her about Estelle, my sister. Thalia's face lit up, and not with killer lightning, but with a genuine smile.
"A little sister? Didn't see that one coming."
"Me neither." I pulled out my wallet like a proud grandpa and showed her a small, slightly wrinkled photo.
In the picture, a baby with brown hair and blue eyes was tugging hard on the hair of a blond guy wearing a look that screamed "this wasn't in the divine contract." Apollo, wearing a ridiculous cardigan and an expression of existential pain.
Thalia burst out laughing, loud enough to scatter some pigeons from the table next to us.
"That's real?"
"Yep. My mom took it a couple months ago, the first time Apollo came to visit. It was a great combo: crying, diapers, and a sun god admitting he had no baby-handling experience. Unforgettable."
She raised an eyebrow.
"A couple of months ago? That was before the solstice…"
That's when I realized I'd messed up mentioning the date. I glanced at her sideways, caught.
"Yeah. Apollo told me about the plan before all this spectacle began. He made sure I was on board from the start. Let's just say he was... very persuasive."
Thalia fell silent, chewing slowly—not the burger, but the information. I knew she didn't love being part of a divine conspiracy. Neither did I, to be honest. But Apollo had this way of wrapping you up with shiny promises, poetic speeches, and that "trust me, I can't fail because I'm hot" smile.
I decided to change the subject.
"What about you? Part of me thought you'd represent your dad."
Thalia snorted like she'd just smelled something rotten.
"Zeus showed up at my cabin a few weeks ago. Asked me to represent him, with all that dramatic 'blood of the king,' 'family glory' nonsense—you know how he is…"
"Subtle as a lightning bolt at a wedding."
"Exactly. I told him no. Artemis stepped in and said she'd already chosen me as her champion, that Zeus had no right to take me. He got mad—shocker—and ended up asking Artemis for one of her hunters to represent him. She refused at first, but eventually, they picked someone else."
"Who?"
Thalia shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Reyna."
I almost choked on a french fry.
"Reyna? Reyna Ávila Ramírez-Arellano is representing Zeus?"
I ran a hand through my hair—more out of shock than style. If I got a coin for every weird thing happening that day, I could buy my own McDonald's.
"Great. Reyna represents Zeus, Hylla represents Hera... what's next? Octavian resurrecting to represent Hestia?"
"Don't even joke about that," Thalia growled, taking a fierce bite of her burger.
We both went quiet for a while, like we were waiting for the ceiling to collapse or for a god to show up disguised as a janitor.
"This is all insane," I finally said.
"I didn't want to be part of it, you know?" Thalia admitted quietly. "I wasn't thrilled about being Artemis' champion. But I guess when an immortal goddess chooses you... it's hard to say no."
I glanced at her, smiling. "The Thalia I knew would've been offended if she hadn't been picked."
Thalia smiled back, but there was something melancholic in her expression. Like she missed that version of herself too—or remembered when things were simpler: monsters, weapons, and sarcasm. No divine politics or glorified death tournaments.
We stayed there a little longer. Laughing, talking, pretending—if only for a moment—that Olympus wasn't about to get more chaotic than ever.
And for the first time in days, I felt almost... normal.
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We were heading back to Olympus in the Empire State Building elevator—the one that always felt like it was about to explode or drop you straight into the Underworld by mistake. The music was a painfully slow instrumental version of Dancing Queen, and not even the fact that we'd just skipped Olympic protocol for burgers made it bearable.
Thalia stood next to me, arms crossed, staring at the ceiling. The silence was comfortable. Strange, coming from us, but comfortable.
Until she opened her mouth.
"Hey, when I got to Olympus before the introductions... I heard a rumor," she said with a half-smile, like she already knew how I'd react.
"About what? Zeus going vegan?"
"No, about you." She glanced sideways at me. "That you and Annabeth... broke up."
I stared at her. Not because I was surprised, but because, for a second, I considered pretending I hadn't heard. But the ding of the elevator announced our arrival at Olympus, and when the doors opened, her words still hung in the air like a storm cloud unsure of when to strike.
We stepped out without saying anything for a few seconds. Then, with a smile that came out sadder than I intended, I said:
"It's true."
Thalia stopped in her tracks, looking at me like I'd just told her Poseidon opened a pizza place in Brooklyn.
"Seriously?"
I nodded. I knew she was dying to ask a thousand questions, but I also knew she wasn't the type to pry without permission. So I gave a little head gesture—"walk with me"—and we kept going.
"It's been a few months. I guess news travels slow to the Hunters," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Thalia clicked her tongue, softly.
"I'm surprised. After everything you two went through..."
"Exactly," I said with a shrug. "It was mutual. Friendly. No drama. Like we were two functioning adults—imagine that."
"Disturbing. Almost like seeing Hera smile."
We walked up a marble staircase that shone so bright it felt like they'd charge you just for stepping on it. Silence returned, heavier now. And this time, I was the one to break it.
"A few months ago... we were looking at options to study in New Rome," I began. "We wanted to stay together, make it work. But things got complicated."
"Why?" Thalia asked, turning slightly toward me.
"Because apparently, when you're the child of one of the Big Three, it's not enough to survive wars, prophecies, titans, giants, and more than one apocalypse," I replied, my smile bitter. "To get into New Rome University, you need three letters of recommendation—from gods. And, well, I'm not exactly on good terms with a lot of them."
Thalia frowned.
"Seriously? Like it's a scholarship from the Fates?"
"Worse. To get those letters, you have to do favors for them; missions; errands. Basically jump back into the circus and dance to whatever tune they play. And Annabeth... she was ready to help. To go find them, to push. But I..." I paused and took a deep breath. "I didn't have the strength, Thalia. Not anymore. I gave up."
She looked at me with that mix of barely hidden compassion and righteous anger that was so her. I just laughed—a short, bitter sound that stabbed somewhere deep in my chest.
"Can you believe it? After everything I've done... saving the world multiple times, stopping cosmic disasters, putting up with Ares without punching him—and I can't get into college without sucking up to three gods. Sometimes I wonder if I should just open a stand in Long Island selling T-shirts that say 'I survived Tartarus and all I got was this lousy emotional debt.'"
A few seconds passed, and out of nowhere, Thalia hugged me. No warning. Quick, firm—just enough to hold me together without making me fall apart.
"Take it," she whispered. "I don't give hugs. Especially not to boys."
"I'll mark it on my calendar," I said, trying to sound funny while wiping my eyes as discreetly as I could.
We pulled apart, and Thalia gave me a light shove on the shoulder.
"Come on, let's find our... what would you call them? Solar twins?"
"Divine pain-in-the-neck siblings?"
"Perfect. Let's go see what Apollo and Artemis want. I'm sure it's nothing complicated. Just something simple like... saving the universe before dinner."
And so we kept walking.
Just a little tired. But less broken.
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Loving the little bond that Percy and Thalia are forming and it's just getting started :)