More Than Anything

by Greiling

Chapter 1: Borrowing Books Is What a Library's For

Summary:

Percy Jackson, meet Thalia Grace

Percy Jackson had been looking at the girl for 20 minutes now. Not in a creepy way, but there was something about her that caught his eye.

He had meant to be doing an assignment for his Hellenic Studies class. The professor, an old man named Chiron, had assigned a 2000-word paper on class differences in ancient Athens, which Percy had, of course, not started yet. It wasn’t like he didn’t mean to! But he had to find a spot to work and get snacks, and then his roommate called him about getting lunch with his sister tomorrow, and… time just got away from him. Not his fault, really. And it didn’t help that there was a hot goth sitting maybe 20 feet away from him.

She caught his eye when she had thrown a paperback at some guy being too loud on the other side of the library. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her since, taking in every little detail. Her black eyeliner, the silver piercings in her ear, her skull bracelet that hung on her wrist; it was all captivating to Percy. He saw how the light of her computer glowed over her face, how her fingers tapped repeatedly on the desk, and how her eyes pierced right through his. Oh, he thought when he realized, fuck.

“You gonna keep staring at me, creep?” she said, her voice cutting through the silence. He quickly tried to recover by scrambling with his pen, but the chuckle he heard from the other side of the shelves caused him to simply lower his head in defeat. “Yeah, real fuckin’ smooth, man,” the girl said. He looked up and saw her shaking her head and turning back to her computer. He took a breath and stood, making his way over to her.

“Hey…” Percy started. The girl looked up at him, waiting for the words to leave his mouth. “Yeah, no, I really don’t have anything to say in my defense,” he said with a nervous chuckle. The girl smirked, “It’s fine; I don’t really think you’re a creep. Maybe. But, y’know, you do give off that vibe when you’re staring at someone for an hour.” “It was, like, 20 minutes, tops,” Percy said defensively. The girl laughed and turned back to her laptop. “Whatever, like I said, it’s cool.” Percy nodded. He looked over the girl quickly once more. She wore blue jeans, a faded t-shirt for the band Joy Division, and a leather jacket. Her spiky black hair complemented her piercing blue eyes. He looked at the desk; a pencil, a small notebook, a pack of gum, and a laptop stacked on a few books lay in front of her. Percy looked at one of the books. “Oh, hey, can I borrow that?”

The girl looked up. “Sorry?” “The book. Um, Mass and Elite in Democratic Athens, the Ober book? I, uh, need it for a paper.” The girl looked at the book, running a finger along the spine. She lifted her computer up and took the book into her hands. Percy could see the calluses on her fingertips as she handled the book. “What class?” she asked him. “Um, Hellenic Studies. I’m minoring in it.” She nodded again before looking into his eyes. “What do I get out of it?” “Um, sorry?” “Well, I mean, you’re asking me for a book which, yes, you need, but is also critical in letting me continue my studies.” Percy was bewildered. “Are you serious? Just find another book!” “Tsk-tsk,” said the girl, “I don’t want another book. The words of Mr. Ober hold my laptop up in a way not even Pillars of the Earth could.” Percy’s face had a blank expression. “No? Ken Follett? Gothic Cathedr– oh, it doesn’t matter.” She stands. “Point is you want something I have, and I want something in return.”

She was a good six inches shorter than him, but for some reason, she was more intimidating than anyone he’d met before. “What do you want, then?” he asked. She bit her lip in thought as her fingers tapped the spine of the book. Shit, that’s hot, he thought, as his eyes flickered to her lips, then back up, hoping she hadn’t noticed. She smiled playfully and tapped the book to Percy’s chest. “I know. You seem like you’re from around here,” she pauses. “Oh, um, yeah, no, I am, yes,” Percy says once he realizes the nature of the pause. “Great! And you have good music taste...?” Percy nods. “Okay! So, tomorrow, you are going to take me to some bar concert. I’m talking, like, underground rock, grunge, the works, like, real punk shit.” “‘Punk shit’?” “Yep. I just moved here; I need a lay of the land.” She pushes the book into Percy’s chest. “You up for that, stranger? For your precious essay?”

Percy takes the book from her, still clutching it to his chest. “Um, yeah, sure.” The girl smiles wide. “Great! Okay, meet here tomorrow at around 6:30.” “Evening?” “Yes, evening, dickhead. Meet me here and we’ll be off.” The girl sits down and taps her laptop back on. “Now, go go, run along and finish your essay. Gods knows you’ll need all the time you can get; I mean, ‘Hellenic Studies’? Who would do that to themselves?” Percy smiles and starts to walk away before turning. “I’m Percy, by the way,” he says, extending a hand down to her. The girl looks up at him and smiles as she shakes his hands, her smaller and more calloused hand fitting neatly into his with a firm shake. “Thalia. Nice to meet you.”

 

---

 

Percy didn’t know how he got there, but he woke up in a stranger’s bed. 

Not a stranger’s, really. It was Thalia’s, the girl from the library. He could tell that from her sleeping form next to him. Percy couldn’t remember any events that led up to him waking up in her room. Vague flashes of bright lights, loud crowds, and something more... intimate, were all he had to go on. 

He also didn’t know how he ended up in just his boxers. He sat up in the bed, the dark blankets falling down to pool at his hips. Thalia shifted beside him. He looked at her. She was in a t-shirt, not his, but it was clearly too big for her. But the only other thing she was in was a pair of black panties. Percy sucked in a breath and let it out in a sigh as he realized what they must’ve done. Fuck, he thought. We fucked.

He poked Thalia’s shoulder. “Thalia,” he whispered, “Thalia. Wake up.” He was shocked he remembered her name. He didn’t remember almost anything after she introduced herself to him. 

She stirred and turned to him, her eyes opening groggily. “Ugh, fuck, what time is it?” “I dunno,” Percy said. “Look, did we... y’know?” Thalia looked up at him. “You don’t remember.” Percy shook his head. Thalia smirked and shook her own head. “Fuck, man, you know how to make a girl feel special.”

Percy sighed. He took the covers off him and got out of bed. The clock read 2:17 a.m. on Thalia’s nightstand. He started looking around for his clothes. 

“Leaving me? C’mon, stay the night; I’ll fill in the blanks for you tomorrow.” Percy shook his head at Thalia’s offer as he found his clothes. Putting them on, he shook his head again. “Um, no, look, thanks, Thalia, but I should get home. I don’t even remember how I got here, and my roommate’s probably gonna be pissed if I’m not awake in the morning.”

Thalia huffed, clearly annoyed that Percy is taking off. “Fine, go. Get home safe.” Percy made a motion to protest, to explain, and not leave with a layer of hostility, but Thalia turned back, lying on her side away from him. He sighed as he grabbed his phone and took off.

About fifteen minutes later, he found his dorm. He was surprised at how close Thalia was to him. He quietly slipped in, careful not to wake his roommate. Or, by the way, two sleeping bodies were in the bed, his roommate and their girlfriend. 

He stripped off his clothes and put on sweatpants before climbing into bed. He opened his phone and went to his socials. Instagram, TikTok, even fucking Airbuds even, there was a new person that popped up under "following" and "followers": Thals. He could only make the logical assumption as to who that was. He then went to his contacts, and, lo and behold, the name Thalia was the newest addition.

He plugged his phone in and shut his eyes. He tried to recall what had happened since they exchanged names in the library, but all to no avail. He eventually relented and allowed himself to drift off to sleep. He wondered if we would get to see Thalia again, to explain to her why he left. Why he really left.

Notes:

One down.

Heyyy. Hope we like my first venture into this treasure trove.

Sidenote: I DO NOT ATTEND NYU

Another Sidenote: Yes, I know Percabeth is endgame, but Perlia (Percy/Thalia) is just as good and would've been incredibly interesting to explore had Annabeth not been a major character/love interest. Also, why can't we have cool ship names like we do for ships like RadioApple, Scoundress, or fucking Wolfstar!? Henceforth, Perlia shall be known as... Shockwave (Yes, I know it might not be original, and yes, it's a transformer, but still!)

Chapter 2: Nothing Fixes Tension Like Bacon (Or: “Bacon, Bacon, Bacon”)

Summary:

Just, like, coincidence stuff, or something. idk guys I'm really sleep deprived

The next day, Percy woke up and immediately regretted opening his eyes. 

Upon sitting up and looking to his right, he saw his roommate swapping spit with their girlfriend.

“Jesus!” Percy exclaimed, throwing a pillow at them and collapsing back onto his mattress. “At least wait till I’m not home, Jace!”

Percy had been roommates with Jason Grace since day one of freshman year. They had gotten off to a rocky start but had since become inseparable. A big part of that, perhaps, was due to their group of friends, whom Jason and Percy had met before Christmas of last year, and one of whom was sitting on Jason’s bed with her tongue down his throat.

“Aw, grow up, Perce!” said Piper. She un-straddled her boyfriend and stood up. She was a stellar contrast to Jason. Her dark brown hair clashed with his blonde, her tanned skin stood out against his pale, and she was nearly a foot shorter than him. The couple had been together essentially from the moment they met. And Percy had had to be a victim to their affections for all that time. 

“Fuckin’, let me sleep,” Percy groaned. A pillow collided with the side of his face. “Sorry, man, gotta get up.” Jason said, putting on his gold-framed glasses. Piper had disappeared into their bathroom, leaving just the two guys. 

Jason was objectively attractive, as was Percy. They both had the same athletic yet slender build. Though the differences did come in their personalities. Percy was very much of the mindset that if something wasn’t a whole-hearted passion of his, it wasn’t worth doing, whereas Jason would put blood, sweat, and tears into the most minor of tasks. Such as waking up.

“It’s nearly 11. You’re lucky it’s Saturday, Perce. Where were you last night? We were a bit worried till you texted.” “I texted?” Percy asked. Jason nodded. “Yeah, you said you were just out late with a friend. Guess you got home when Pipes and I had fallen asleep.” Jason picked up one of Percy’s shirts, a grey tee with a fantasy-esque trident on it. “Get dressed; we have lunch with my sister in an hour.” “W-What?” Percy groaned, sitting up and reluctantly pulling on the shirt. “Shit, man, I told you about this yesterday, remember? She’s just transferred from Ithaca and moved here. Hasn’t even had a day of classes yet.” “Didn’t the term start, like, a month ago?” “It started three days ago, Percy. Seriously, c’mon, I promised her I’d introduce her to you two.” “‘Us two’?” Jason nodded. “Yeah, Piper’s coming with. Now hurry up!”

Thirty minutes later, Percy was wearing a blue flannel, blue jeans, and that faded grey tee and was sitting in the back of Piper’s Honda Pilot. No, not sitting; lying down. He was desperately trying to go back to sleep, but Jason’s constant talk about his sister was not helping. “She’s about four months older than us; she’s studying songwriting and doesn’t have a roommate. She’s essentially what you’d get if you took Nico, made him more confident, a little less pale, and a girl.” Percy just groaned. “She sounds very interesting, Jace; now let me sleep.” “Percy, c’mon, we’ll be there in lik– HOLY FUCK!” Jason was cut off by Piper swerving erratically and holding down the horn. “Fucking asshole!” She shouted at a car that had cut them off. “Dickhead! Sorry Percy, sorry Jason, you guys okay?” “Fuck, Pipes,” groaned Percy as he finally sat up. 

They pulled into a parking garage down the street from the restaurant they were going to, a nice place called Stella’s. Percy stuffed his hands in the pockets of his flannel as Jason and Piper walked hand in hand. “I’ve only met Thalia once; it’ll be nice to see her again,” said Piper. “Her name’s Thalia?” asked Percy. “Yeah. Why?” “No, nothing. I just actually met someone named Thalia last night. Um... that’s why I was in so late last night,” he chuckled, trying to regain his typical steady flow of humor. “Imagine if it was your sister, right?” This got an uncomfortable smile from Jason.

The three of them entered the restaurant. It was a nice place, nothing too fancy. Jason looked around before seemingly catching someone’s eye. He started off into the restaurant, followed by Piper and then Percy. Jason stops at a booth. “Hey, sister,” he says. “Jason!” The woman in the booth jumps out and hugs him. She looks about 5’8” and has short, spiky black hair. Percy gets a feeling of familiarity from her, even though he only sees her back.

It’s not until she turns around to hug Piper that Percy sees the piercing blue eyes. Fuck me, he thinks to himself. 

It’s not a one-sided reaction. Before Thalia wraps her arms around Piper, she pauses when she sees Percy over their shoulder. She smirks playfully as she hugs Piper, but her eyes never leave Percy. She’s bewildered but quickly hides the reaction as Piper pulls back and sits next to Jason. Thalia smirks wider. “And who’s this, Jason?” She says, walking toward Percy. “This is my roommate, Percy Jackson. My best friend.” Thalia is full-on smiling now. “‘Percy,’ huh?” She says. She extends her hand to him. “Pleased to meet you, Percy.” Percy shakes her hand, baffled. A small *zap* shocks him as their hands make contact. Memories from last night come rushing back. Percy gulps, “Likewise.”

 

---

 

It was an awkward meal. Jason and Piper had already sat next to each other on one side of the booth, so Percy was stuck next to Thalia. He thought about trying to squeeze in so that Jason, Piper, and he could all be on one side, but he felt that could maybe look odd.

Thalia was clearly enjoying herself. As soon as she sat down next to Percy, she pressed down hard on his foot with the heel of her Converse. “Ow!” he exclaimed. “Oops, sorry.” She was not sorry. 

Once they all ordered drinks; waters for them all and a strong black coffee for Percy; Jason began the conversation. “So, is it the same Thalia, Perce?” Thalia cocked her head. “Sorry?” Before Percy could plead to Jason not to throw him into a grave any further, the blonde opened his mouth. “Apparently, last night, Percy met another girl named Thalia, and... well, he was home quite late. Anyways, he told us about it and said it’d be funny if it turned out to be you.” Thalia chuckled. “Oh, yeah, that would actually be funny. Well, it wasn’t me. I remained man-free last night. Woke up alone.” She punctuated this by placing her hand on Percy’s thigh under the table. 

Percy sucks in a breath, but neither Jason nor Piper notices, as they had a little side conversation for a few moments. Shooting her a glare, he quickly grabs her hand and moves it off him. She gives him a pouty glance from the side of her eye before moving both arms onto the table. “So, Percy, what was this other girl like?” asked Thalia, gaining the table’s full attention again. Percy takes a breath and picks up his knife, beginning to twirl it against the wooden table. “She was cool, y’know. Kinda... ‘alt,’ and all that. A bit clingy, though. Didn’t want me leaving her room.” 

Jason chuckles as Thalia lightly scowls. “Yeah, doesn’t sound at all like my sister,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. This earned him a harsh stare from Thalia and a light elbow to the ribs from Piper. “Fuck off,” Thalia said. She sat back, angling back and towards Percy. “Sounds like you didn’t have that good a time with her.” “Eh, it’s not that, I just... I mean, honestly, I don’t really remember what happened after we initially met. 

The waiter comes back with their drinks, and they order: Blueberry pancakes and bacon for Percy, French toast for Thalia, eggs benedict for Piper, and an English breakfast for Jason. After they place their orders, Jason steps out to go to the bathroom. Piper, consumed by her phone, doesn’t notice the exchange Percy and Thalia proceed to have.

“You really remember nothing?” Percy looks at her. “No. Honest. I’ve had a spot of amnesia before, but I always remembered something. But last night... did we...?” Thalia chuckles and leans back, “What, fuck? Wouldn’t you like to know, dick.” “I would, actually. I don’t like not knowing what happens with my body.” Thalia sighs. “Oh, so sad you might’ve gotten laid, and you don’t remember it. Was it really that bad?” Percy turns to her fully and whispers so Piper won’t hear “So we did fuck?”

Jason returns before Thalia can answer. “Um, Pipes, Leo needs us at the studio…” He looks at Thalia and Percy as he trails off. “I’m sorry, Thals, is there any way you can give Perce a ride back to our dorms? Piper and I, we can’t miss this.” Thalia looks at Percy before turning back to her brother. “Um, I mean, I gues–” “Great, thank you, Thalia. We’ll see you on Friday?” Thalia nods slowly as Jason and Piper get their coats and quickly head out. 

“Who’s Leo?” Thalia asks Percy as their food comes. They send back Jason and Piper’s orders. “Friend of ours. He runs a channel on the school radio; Jason and Piper help him.” Thalia nods at the response. She eyes Percy’s bacon longingly. He sees where her gaze ends and smirks. “Want some?” She nods. He pushes the plate towards her. She picks a piece up and lifts it to her lips, biting down with a satisfying *crunch*. She moans in appreciation, her eyes fluttering closed, blushing a bit as she opens them and sees Percy raise an eyebrow. She swallows and looks at him. “I’m sorry for making you feel bad about it. I blacked out a bit too, if I’m being honest.”

Percy smiles, even though he’s a bit shocked at the sudden swing in attitude. “Wow, all it took was bacon for decency? I should carry a plate of it around.” Thalia laughs as she finishes the piece. “Careful, Jackson. I’m still pissed. I had fun last night, and you did just walk out. Not cool.” Percy raises his hands. “You tell me what happened, and I’ll say ‘sorry’ too.” “Okay,” says Thalia. “C’mon then, let’s go. I’ve got some time before class; I’ll walk you through the night.”

Notes:

Look, I'm gonna be honest; the concept of this came from a movie my boss badly explained once, and I don't remember what it was called. Sorry if it's, like, poorly written or bad or whatever; I'm a bit pissed that Norris won the WDC today, and on top of that, midterms are coming up, and it's just ahkjlfuehbf.

Chapter 3: Tales From a Prius' Front Seat

Summary:

I'm like 80% sure this is based on an episode of HIMYM, but it's been so long since I've seen the show to know

(also sorry if it's a bit long, other chapters might or might not be similar lengths)

“Uhm, t-Thalia? We didn’t... pay,” said Percy as he stumbled out of the restaurant, pulling his jacket on and following a speed-walking Thalia.

Thalia looks back and smirks as she power-walks away from the restaurant, turning the corner into a parking lot. Percy follows. “Yeah, so? They don’t know us; it’s fine.” Thalia makes her way to a black Prius. “C’mon, Jackson.” 

Percy gets in the passenger seat and looks around the car. “My stepdad has this car,” he says. “It’s cleaner, though. The light smell of cigarettes fills the air, punk music CDs lie in the centre console, a Burger King cup lies on the floor of his seat. “Yeah, sorry about the mess; I wasn’t expecting company,” says Thalia as she starts the car. 

Percy looks out the window as they drive away; a waiter from Stella’s runs out the door. He shrinks down as the waiter looks around before returning inside, a sense of guilt forming in him. He shoves it away as he looks over at Thalia. “I feel like we should’ve paid.” “Tsch, grow up. You know how many people don’t even tip waiters? That money wouldn’t have helped them; it would have just gone to their boss’s coffers.” She smirks as she looks back at Percy for a second. Now, you want to know about last night?”

Percy nods.

 

---

 

Thalia had noticed the boy staring at her from around minute three. 

She’d just thrown a paperback at some asshole wearing an eyepatch on the other side of the library for being too loud. Something she immediately regretted since she had been enjoying the book, a gothic novella about personality. 

She was staring at a blank Google Doc page on her laptop, which she had stacked on a few books so she wouldn’t have to bend her back that much. She groaned as she stared up at the library’s ceiling.

Nothing she was doing could jumpstart her writing. She went on her phone, drummed her finger and a pencil on the table, tried scribbling some song lyrics in her notebook; nothing worked. Eventually she resigned herself to leaning back in her chair and taking a pack of gum out of her pocket, popping it into her mouth and chewing. 

That was when she noticed the boy.

It was just a quick glance, but she knew immediately he was staring at her. She didn’t mind it at first; she thought it was a bit cute, actually, the way she knew he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She busied herself by rapping her fingers on the table again, reaching and then pulling her arms away from her computer.

After seven more minutes of the feeling of his eyes not leaving her, she grew a bit bored of it.

After another three, she started to get annoyed.

After seven, she couldn’t take it anymore. She turned her face to look at him and, sure enough, caught his sea green eyes looking right at her.

“You gonna keep staring at me, creep?” she said, her voice cutting through the silence of the library. She saw the reaction; he tried frantically to avert his gaze; he picked a pen up and scribbled for a few microseconds on a piece of paper before eventually just lowering his head down to his table. She chuckled and shook her head. “Yeah, real fuckin’ smooth, man,” Thalia said as she turned back to her computer.

Not a minute later, and she turned her head once more at the sound of footsteps as she saw the boy approaching. “Hey…” he said, and well, we know the rest: He awkwardly tried to apologize, and then he asked for a book she was using to prop up her computer. This was when Thalia really looked at him. He was about half a foot taller than her. He was in a navy hoodie and blue jeans, the collar of an orange t-shirt peeking out from under his sweatshirt. He had messy black hair that ended just at around his ears, and his eyes were a pure sea green. He was fucking hot. 

After they introduced each other, and Thalia got the boy, Percy, to agree to a “date”, she sat down as he walked back. She watched him leave, heading back to his table. She looked back at her laptop, then back at Percy, who had sat down back at his desk. She looked again at her laptop, then back to Percy, who this time was looking at her. She smirked and stood, walking over to him.

“So, I just remembered; I’m supposed to be spending time with my brother tomorrow…” She said, leaning against the bookshelves. “Ah,” said Percy, “so a rain check on the outing then?” Thalia chuckled. “I mean... the night’s still young. We could just move it up a night.” Percy looked at his laptop, at the blank page that he had said he was supposed to be filling with an essay, but then he looked back to Thalia. She smiled at him. “Fine, alright.”

He stood and started packing his things up. “Can I leave my stuff in your room before we go out? I’m not gonna carry a backpack with me across bars in New York.”

They never left Thalia’s apartment.

When they entered, Percy had first marvelled at how lucky she was to get a single. “Don’t get me wrong,” he said, “I love my roommate a bunch, but I wish I had my own space so I wouldn’t need to walk in on him fucking his girlfriend so much.” Thalia laughed at this. “Yeah. Guess they felt bad for the transfer student.” Percy raised an eyebrow. “Where’d you transf– oh fuck, is that Green Day!?”

He had seen Thalia’s extensive vinyl collection and rushed over. She laughed as she joined him on the floor next to the milk crate carrying her records. “MCR, Joy Division, Dead Kennedys... gods, Thalia! You’ve got taste!” Thalia smiled. “I know.” She stood and walked over to a minifridge she had hidden under a pile of blankets and pillows. “Beer?” Percy nodded, catching the can Thalia threw at him. They both cracked open their cans and took a swig. “Wait, Thalia…” said Percy, something catching his eye. He flicks through the records all the way to the back and pulls out a seemingly out-of-place vinyl. “You have Heathers on vinyl?”

After a couple more beers, they must’ve been drunk, as Thalia was now sitting on her bed, jacketless, as Percy was singing a bad rendition of “Meant to be Yours” after “Kindergarten Boyfriend”, really trying for all the notes out of his range. Thalia couldn’t help but chuckle at the show he was giving her. He ended it by collapsing at the foot of Thalia’s bed on his knees, looking up at her. She leaned in. “Do you wanna stay here tonight?”

She could see the emotion fly through Percy’s head as he processed the question, like his mind and memory were at war with each other. He nodded. “But I don’t wanna…” Thalia’s eyes widened. She saw the sincerity in his eyes and nodded slowly, even if she was a bit disappointed. “O-Okay. We don’t have to.” She stood, and Percy stood with her. “But I sleep in a shirt and underwear, so I expect the same from you,” she said, playfully.

Percy nodded. He stepped back and took off his hoodie, then his jeans. He was wearing blue boxers, but Thalia could imagine everything that was happening underneath. She blushed as she followed suit, taking off her jeans. Percy was definitely staring at her legs, but when she told him to turn around so she could change shirts, he did. 

Thalia was now in an oversized black t-shirt. She looked at Percy. “You know what? You should take off your shirt.” Percy’s eyes widened. “I– o– Um, why?” Thalia shrugged. “Why not?” Percy still looked a bit confused but complied. Thalia sucked in a quiet breath when she saw his bare torso, lines of muscles lightly defining his stomach, his chest firm and strong just from sight.

She turned away as she blushed. “Okay… just lemme get ready; you can head to bed.” She went into the adjoining bathroom and took a damp washcloth to her face. Easy, Thalia, she said in her head, don’t scare him away.

She comes back out to find Percy passed out in her bed. She smiles as she walks closer. She sees his phone on the floor and plugs it in on the nightstand next to him. She pauses and grins and holds the phone to his face. It opens.

She quickly puts in her number, and before she can stop herself, she navigates through all his socials and follows herself. The image of a cute blonde in a UC Berkeley sweater catches her eye. She sees that Percy’s following her. No, she thinks, he’s not mine. It’s fine. Just some girl. Doesn’t even live in this state. Get it together, Thals.

She sets his phone down and switches off her lights. She climbs into bed next to him. It’s twenty minutes before she can fall asleep. She looks at him. Who is this blonde? She turns her back towards him and shuts her eyes. 

The next time she opens her eyes, it’s Percy shaking her awake and abandoning her in the middle of the night.

Notes:

PJO SEASON 2 PJO SEASON 2 PJO SEASON 2!!! We're finally gonna get live-action Thalia Grace!!!! I'm not sure if you could tell, but I'm quite a fan of hers

also i wrote this at like 1:30 am so my sleep schedule is officially shot

It's not my fault! I was watching Bottoms (fantastic film, I.L.L)

Chapter 4: I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends (To the tune of “K.” by C.A.S)

Summary:

Percy and Thalia have, get this, ANOTHER CONVERSATION. Also soft launch but not really some side characters (even some that aren't in the tags)

Percy sat back against the car seat as the Prius turned into a parking garage.

“So we didn’t fuck?” He asked Thalia as she parked in a spot. She shook her head. “No, no, we didn’t. Not that I didn’t want to.” She chuckled. She switched off the car and turned to face him. “It was better that we didn’t, though. I was thinking about last night when I woke up this morning. The second time.” She took a breath. “I’ve still got some skeletons, and it’s probably best not to rush into anything that serious... that physical.”

Percy nodded. “Yeah. That’s fair.” He let out a breath. “I genuinely have no memo– I was singing?” Thalia chuckled. “Oh yeah. Don’t worry, I took videos. Many.” Percy blushed and put his head in his hands. “Fuck. Y’know, I can normally handle a Coors or two–” “Oh, it wasn’t Coors.” He looked at her, eyebrow cocked in an unspoken question. “Yeah, my uncle taught me and Jason how to make our own alcohol when I was... 15?. We essentially drank a mix of red wine, beer, and ethanol.” Percy’s mouth dropped as he chuckled and sat back.

“Fuck.” Thalia nodded at his statement. “Fuck indeed, Jackson.” She looks around the parking lot. She sighs and sits back, turning to him again. “Do me a favor, Percy?” “Yeah?” She looked back out the windshield. “Don’t tell Jason? I mean, it’s probably not a good idea to say his best friend almost slept with his sister, but it’s also just... look, I– there are some personal reasons as to why we both wouldn’t be cool with it.” “With me sleeping with you?” Percy asked. “No, with anyone sleeping with me.” Percy nodded. “Okay.”

Thalia smiled kindly at him. “Thank you, Jackson.” She gets out of the car, and he follows suit. “So, what are we, friends?” Percy asks as they walk out of the parking garage. Thalia shrugs. “I mean, I think we can be. We didn’t actually fuck.” “And we…?” “And we won’t, Jackson.” Percy nods. “You’re nice, fun, maybe a little smart,” Thalia continues. “And you’re my brother’s roommate. I think we could be friends. Should be.”

They stop at the corner of Mercer Street and Waverly Place. Thalia leans against a wall and reaches in her jacket pocket. She pulls out a pack of cigarettes, Marlboros, and places one between her lips. She shrugs at the eyebrow Percy raised as she takes out a black Zippo lighter, the initials “T.G.” on one side and a dark yellow lightning bolt on the other. She lit the cigarette and took a drag. 

Percy can’t help but appreciate the way the smoke curls slowly from her lip before dissipating in the cool September air. He quickly looked away from his new friend. Friend. He pulled out his phone: an apology text from Jason, a few emails, and the occasional TikTok sent by his friends. He checked the time; it was almost noon. 

“Oh, yeah, I wanted to ask,” said Thalia, tapping the ash onto the pavement. “I may or may not have put my contacts into your socials,” Percy laughed. “Yeah, I noticed when I got home.” She raised her hands in mock defense. “Anyways, when I opened Instagram, I noticed someone you were following. Blonde girl, grey eyes, pretty hot,” she chuckled. “I just wanted to... she why you didn’t wanna do anything last night? She your girlfriend or something?”

Percy had tensed as soon as she said the word “blonde”. He chuckled nervously. “Um yeah– I mean, no, she’s not my... not my girlfriend.” He turned from her, looking down the street. “Okay.” Thalia wasn’t blind and noticed his sudden shift. “I’m sorry, is it a sore topic? I didn’t mean to–” “It’s fine.” She blinked and pushed off the wall. She walked up next to him. “...Ex?” Percy looked out across the street, where there was a couple taking photos of different slices of pizza in the display case. “Yeah.”

Thalia nodded. She snorted and tossed her cigarette to the ground, crushing it with the heel of her Converse. “Shit, Jackson, I’m sorry.” Percy nodded solemnly. She turned to him. “Hey, man, like I said, she’s cute. I can see why you must’ve liked her.” Percy chuckled, lowering his head. He mumbled something under his breath that she couldn’t hear. She paid it no mind.

Thalia walked to the other side of him. “This place is a fucking maze,” she said, looking up at the buildings. “Ithaca was a lot more close-knit, more cozy.” “Upstate?” “No, dipshit, Greece,” she said as they both chuckled. “Yeah, upstate.” Percy looked down the street, seeing surprisingly not a lot of folk walking the street. “What, you looking for a tour, Grace?” Thalia shook her head and turned back to him. “Nah, I should probably get going anyways. I too have a paper due Monday.”

Percy smiled and began walking past her in her direction as she fell in beside him on the inside of the sidewalk. “Don’t suppose it’s about ancient Greece and we could share some sources?” “Hah! Fuck no, Jackson. ‘Hellenic studies,’ my gods, who would do that to themselves?” Percy laughed, a bit flushed and embarrassed. His hand rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I mean, I’ve always been a bit intrigued; my mom always loved ancient Greece. Fuck, I’m named after one of those myths!”

“Persues?” Thalia asked as they rounded a corner. “Yeah. Besides, I’m minoring in it.” “Really?” “Yeah. I like it. I took a course last year about Greek literature; we read a bunch of epics and plays, and I really liked it.” Thalia nodded, grinning. “So, you’re a reader?” Percy shrugged. “From time to time. I take it you are?” Thalia nods. “God,” Percy continues, “tell me I didn’t pluck Shakespeare off your wall and start chanting ‘to be or not to be’ like a lunatic last night.” Thalia chuckled and shook her head.

“Good,” Percy affirmed as they continued down the street. “So what’s the essay for?” Thalia smiled. “I’m taking a gothic literature class, and we read The Picture of Dorian Gray over the summer. We need to write about the ‘underlying themes Wilde showed in each of the three main characters.’” “Those being Dorina Gray, Basil, and Lord Henry?” Thalia cocked an eyebrow at Percy’s inquisition. “You’ve read it?” “Oh yeah. It was great. I used it for an essay about internalized homophobia in high school.” 

Thalia’s mouth essentially fell open. “Dude... that’s awesome! How– I didn’t peg you for a literary guy, Jackson.” Percy simply smiled. “Wow. Finally, my brother’s hanging out with some good people.” Thalia said as they rounded another corner.

They approached their dorm building. “Wait, you’re here too?” Thalia asked Percy. “Yeah. When I was leaving your place, I walked out into the street, and it took me, like, fifteen minutes to realize that I had just left my own building.” Thalia laughed as she scanned them both in. “Shit, Jackson. That’s kinda ironic.” 

They entered an elevator. Percy pressed floor seven; Thalia pressed floor nine. “So what’s your major?” Percy asked her. She chuckled. “What?” he asked. “Nothing. No, I just... it’s stupid; it’s from a show; it doesn’t matter. Um, I’m studying songwriting.” “Oh, sick, no way! You’re gonna be, like, a mus–” “Not ‘gonna be,’ I am, Jackson,” said Thalia, a hint of defensiveness flaring in her electric blue eyes. Percy noticed it, and, instead of feeling nervous, he actually found himself enjoying her passion. “Cool, cool,” he said.

“I played in a band in high school.” She said, a bit quietly, her cheeks red. “We weren’t any good. But I liked it. My m–” she paused, her voice cracking a little before she took a deep breath and continued, “My mom always said my voice and my mind could take me places. I wanted to show her she was right.” Percy, while not knowing the exact reason, wasn’t clueless as to why she seemed to gain so much more weight on her shoulders at the mention of her mother. Jason had told him, although not a lot, that their mother died a few years ago.

Percy nodded. “I’d like to hear you play sometime. I’m sure you weren’t awful.” Thalia, seemingly rejuvenated by this moment of levity, chuckled slightly. “No, we were awful. Truly.” Percy shook his head as the elevator dinged.

He stepped off but turned towards her before the door shut, placing his foot on the threshold. “Y’know, I’ve seen your dorm; you haven’t seen mine. Wanna take a gander?” Thalia rolled her eyes. “Jackson, you don’t even remember my dorm room.” “All the same, it’s not fair. I’m afraid I insist, madam.” 

Thalia rolled her eyes harder and stepped off the elevator. “So I’ll finally get to see where my brother lives?” “That you will,” said Percy, “and where he and Piper–” “AH! No! Jackson, please, he’s my little brother, that’s... euwgh.” Percy chuckled at her discomfort. “What? You didn’t think he was a pure little virgin, did you?” Thalia shuddered as they progressed down the hall. “No, but I’d like to think of him that way.” 

They continued walking, passing some odd dorms. One had a skull and a sun on the door, one had the letters “R.E.D + C.L” on it in a clashing red and gold font, and one had two bursts of cartoony-looking flames on one side and the Canadian and Chinese flags on the other. The final two were the most interesting. One looked like a Pinterest board with cutouts of skateboards, movie posters, tridents, lightning bolts, and more on it, with a bisexual flag in the top right corner and the straight ally flag in the top left. The one across from it had both stickers of flowers and rainbows and more, as well as weights, swords, and other aggressive things, with the letter “C + S” in the middle of the door. Percy stopped in front of the former.

“They’re pretty loud, y’know,” said Percy, which got him a “Shut the fuck up, Jackson!” from Thalia, who promptly punched him hard in the arm as she laughed.

Notes:

Thank you all for reading!!!
I like this length; I think I'm gonna keep most chapters around this.
Hope everyone's having a happy holiday season. Seniors in HS: You're getting into College, I believe in you.