The Ghosts of Millennia

Nico and Thalia Have an Attitude-Off

She wasn't shivering anymore. She pulled her scarf off of her mouth and took a deep breath of the biting, winter air. A smile appeared underneath her fur-lined hood. "So, Newt?"

"Oh, right." Nico smiled sheepishly back. "Thought he needed a name. It's a joke. Back in Ms. le Fay's lands, they had this exam called the N.E.W.T. because they're obsessed with naming stuff after animals. I have a stupid sense of humor, except for sarcasm."

"Not as bad as Latino hammer-boy." Nico suppressed a laugh. "I can do the weird names too." She lounged on Newt's back, supporting herself with her arms. "I still remember when you called Mr. D 'the wine dude.' And don't ask me to forget, because I don't forget."

Nico groaned. "I was ten!"

"And apparently you're still at it."

He looked down, embarrassed. "I didn't want to name the gods outright. Names have power."

"I'm surprised you went this long without shouting at me for being a Hunter."

"...I kind of forget that you were one."

"Thank Artemis, I've seen a miracle."

"Hey! Attitude's my thing!" Thalia laughed; it echoed throughout the frigid winter air. "How did you work things out with them?" Nico asked. Thalia knit her brows, confused. "The Hunters. I thought you hated them, and then you come back, and I find out you replaced Zoë Nightshade as their leader."

"Oh." She wiped a melted snowflake off cheeks red with cold. "I hated Zoë, because she told me Luke would betray me, and he did. I loved Luke. I didn't want to admit she was right. But we got along better during the quest, and I made my peace. I had to join for the sake of the Great Prophecy... but I'm glad I did."

Nico was taken aback. "You weren't eavesdropping on Annabeth and me before breakfast yesterday, were you?"

"No. Why?"

Nico clamped his mouth shut. It was too dry for him to speak another word. He thought no one could understand his feelings about the Wizard Genocide, but suddenly...

Hestia, do you have something to do with this?

"Nothing, nevermind."

"I want to talk to you about something," Thalia said.

"What is it?"

Thalia started playing nervously with the hem of her parka. But she kept her eyes trained on him. "Do you know how I met Annabeth?" she asked.

"No."

"My mom, well, she wasn't exactly... stable. And after she gave Jason to Juno, I lost it. I ran away and never looked back. Zeus guided me to Luke, and, eventually, Annabeth. The two of them helped me survive. Eventually, Grover found us and brought us to camp."

"And then you turned into a tree. I remember that when I first came to camp."

Thalia nodded. "So many monsters were chasing us that there was no way we'd all make it out alive. I made my final stand on Half-Blood Hill, ready to die for my friends. Dad turned me into a tree to save my spirit from the Underworld." She paused. For a second, her eyes were far away. "You know why I did it? I'd spent my life running from my problems, from Mom, from the monsters. I was tired of it all. I wanted to do more than run. I wanted to fix things." She smiled sadly. "I'll admit, when we first met, I didn't like you much. But I'm realizing that maybe it's because I see myself in you. Don't make my mistake. You can't give up hope. And you can't run from who you are."

Nico laughed bitterly. "I've got the Jacksons, my friends, and Will. I've never been happier. I'm fine with running."

"I went hard too, after I found out Luke went to Kronos. It's easier not to hope once everything goes wrong. It's a lot harder to fix things."