Blade's Edge || Deception Book II ||

Chapter 43: An Overdue Conversation

"This . . . was your room?" Thalia said after a moment of silence. "It's a lot. . .more simple than I thought it would be."

"I'm still mortal. And the gods are gods."

"So . . . you basically spend thirteen years alone?"

"Well, no," I admitted. "I was usually with at least one god. Training, practicing," I wrinkled my nose, "helping them . . ." I trailed off. "But yeah, in the ways that counted."

"That must have sucked."

"I wouldn't know. That's how I grew up."

Thalia looked around the room, then to me, searching my face for answers. She knew that I knew that the time she'd spent with Annabeth and Luke on the run was the only time, excluding now, that she'd felt peace. No matter how hard it may have been, she'd at least had company. And I never did. It was wrong in all sorts for me to be jealous of her, but I couldn't help it. You're both here now, I reminded myself. There's no point in it.

Apparently, whatever Thalia saw there was a pass in her book because she sighed and sat down on the floor. "I suppose no demigod ever has an easy life."

I figured that was as close to an apology I was going to get from her. Artemis definitely had a thing for stubborn lieutenants. "Want some lemon raspberry cookies?" I sat down across from her and opened the bag.

Thalia wordlessly reached inside and pulled a cookie out.

"It's not poisoned, you know," I said as she peered at it.

"Oh, it's not that." She took a bite and gave me a thumbs up at the taste. "I was just wondering about you."

Gods, she was direct. I fought down a smile. "About me what?"

"About how you seem to have two different personalities. It freaks me out."

I burst out laughing at her comment and only laughed harder as she stared at me in shock. "I get that a lot from people I first meet," I said as I recovered. "Sorry. I'll try to stick to menacing and dark if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Kinda too late for that," Thalia muttered, though I caught a ghost of a smile on her lips. "You know what, I think I've decided that maybe you aren't too bad."

"Hmm," I replied. "I should hope not. I mean, I can't have the lieutenant of Artemis thinking that I'm a stuck-up, pompous idiot, right? That'd dethrone Ares and his self-inflated head."

Thalia stared at me for a moment and then cackled in delight. "Skies, you're something. You're eighteen, now?"

"Nineteen," I corrected. "Just this September."

Thalia blinked. "Hold on." She paused, thinking, then sighed. "Nevermind. You're one year older than me."

"You're fifteen," I pointed out.

"If it wasn't for being turned into a tree, I'd be eighteen right now."

"Oh. Right. Wow. Being a tree for five, six years must have been something."

"Tell me about it," Thalia sighed. "But I wasn't conscious. I just woke up and suddenly found Annabeth the same age as me."

"Must have been a shock," I said, and Thalia nodded in agreement.

We sat in comfortable silence after that for a few moments. My mind jumped to Luke. But, perhaps the subject matter was still too fresh to dig back up, and I'd be able to avoid that conversation.

But then, Thalia said, "You said you were Luke's lieutenant."

I blinked in surprise. Alright, I was wrong. Maybe becoming a Hunter had simply wiped it all away. "Yes," I said carefully.