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uzumaki-rebellion · 4 years

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“Stark’s New Intern” Chp. 13

Summary: Erik works the first day of the Stark Expo and makes a discovery...

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"The most important time in history is, now, the present So count your blessings cause time can't define the essence But you stressin over time and you follow the Roman calendar These people into cloning like Gattaca, you can bet They tryin to lock you down like Attica, the African diaspora Represents strength in numbers, a giant can't slumber forever…"

Black Star—"K.O.S. (Determination)"

"When can we meet Tony Stark?"

The chunky white girl with the dark goth hair and stank attitude glared at Erik as he stood before a podium giving the introductory remarks to the two hundred plus fourth through sixth-grade students who were attending the morning children's track of the Stark Expo.

Erik squared his shoulders and glared back at her.

"It's rude to interrupt someone's speech without raising your hand when they are explaining what is about to happen. How about you wait and let me finish?"

The girl's lips curled up in surprise and she looked around as the other children snickered at her. She rolled her eyes at Erik and folded her arms.

"Now…to finish my remarks, I'd like to say that the Children's Expo is going to be filled with various activities that you can fully choose to participate in throughout the day. Lunch will be at twelve-thirty and provided for all of you inside the Learning Annex tent located right next to the convention center…what is it now?"

The same white girl raised her hand and Erik could hear a few exasperated sighs coming from some of the other kids there.

"Will there be gluten-free food provided, because—"

"Did your parents fill out the registration form and check off gluten-free?"

"Yes—"

"Then why are you wasting our time asking about it?"

"I just want to make sure—"

"We are providing gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, non-processed, locally sourced foods for those with dietary concerns. Anything else?"

Erik's lips curled into a scowl and a little Black girl with two tiny braids laughed out loud at his expression and quickly covered her mouth when he glanced over at her. She was the same girl that the chunky white girl had talked over at the beginning of Erik's presentation. He softened his expression at her and she visibly relaxed and dropped her hands on her lap.

He swiped his hand on his touchpad and the projected image floating behind him changed to a map of the expo space.

"Restrooms are located by following the blues lines on the walls and if you have questions or concerns, we have adult guides throughout the expo halls that can help you at any time…"

The same problem child's hand flew up.

"Stand up," Erik barked at the annoying girl.

The girl stood up, her lips tight, and her eyes still challenging him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Katy—"

"Everyone, Katy wants some attention right now. She's been asking questions that could be answered at the end of my little talk. She's spent time whispering to people around her and being a distraction, and she has also been rude to many of you. So, Katy, the floor is now yours, we'll all just sit here and give you all the attention you want."

Erik stepped away from the podium and held his hands clasped in front of his waist.

The children stared at the girl and Katy's face, that had once been smug, slowly drained. His mother who had been a school teacher would've handled the girl a lot better, but Erik knew this type of child. He went to school with a lot of them like her. So used to being considered smart, gifted, and "special" all their life that they tended to become conceited and grew a holier-than-thou ass-hole mentality. If there was a high-income family attached behind them, they were even worse. Katy had made fun of some of the other kids who had asked good questions by belittling them with comments meant to make them look stupid. Now Erik was making her look stupid.

"Can we get back to me giving everyone information now?"

Katy said nothing.

"Sit down then," he said.

She plopped back down and he didn't hear a peep out of her for the rest of his presentation. At the end, he answered pertinent questions and released the youngins to adult handlers that matched the color-coded badges all the children wore. Forty minutes of talking, ten minutes sprinkled throughout with Katy interrupting, and twenty minutes of Q & A already had him drained from being around kids the rest of the day. He expected to hear from Tony about Katy from some of the adult handlers in the room who helped with supervision, but he didn't care. Don't start none, won't be none is what his Mama taught him.

"Are you giving a tour Mr. Stevens?"

Erik turned to see Athena making a child-sounding voice.

"Thank God no," he said with a big grin on his face.

"My track is over and the high-schoolers are going to eat lunch now, so I have a break. What do you have next?" she said.

"The Track C group. Junior high. I thought the little kids would like graphics better but they seemed to come alive more when I just talked to them and ignored my pictures."

"You're good at talking. You get excited about what your explaining and its infectious."

"It doesn't feel that way."

He glanced around. No one was watching. He cozied up to her and put a hand around her waist.

"Can I come back over tonight?"

"Be mindful, Sir," she teased, pushing back from him.

He kissed her on her lips.

He'd been swimming in her pussy for three days straight and shit was so good she had him daydreaming about her while he worked with the expo crew team to set up. He didn't even try to be discreet with her anymore because she had him hooked. She glanced around then rubbed up against him, letting her lips rest on his lush mouth.

"Could I borrow him for a second? Or do you need to hump his leg?"

Giselle stood with a palm pad in one hand and a bunch of teen badges in the other.

Athena stepped back from Erik.

"These are some badges for a few attendees who just arrived and weren't able to pick these up downstairs."

Erik took the badges from her. "You can pass them out at the beginning of your presentation. If there are some left because the attendees didn't show up, I'll take them back for tomorrow. We found some people trying to sell these outside."

"Alright," he said.

"Do us all a favor, try to stay professional and stop pawing at each other," Giselle snapped.

Athena rolled her eyes.

"I'll see you tonight, Erik," Athena said walking away.

Erik watched her swing her big hips in her tight ass slacks and he couldn't help but make a sound of approval under his breath. That was enough to annoy Giselle and she sucked her teeth.

"Don't be mad. I was tryna get with you, but you turned me down."

She ignored him and took her spot near the back of the room waiting for Erik's next session to start.

She cut her eyes at him.

"Be pissed at yourself…"

She crossed her legs and Erik noticed the deep split in her skirt and the sexy heels on her feet. Damn, she could still get it. He sat next to her. Giselle's fingers flew over her touchpad.

"I'll be professional, okay? Thanks for reminding me."

He patted her thigh and she moved her legs away from him.

"You plan on being mad at me all day?"

"I'm not mad at you."

"Jealous?"

"Of what?"

"Athena and me. You know we smashing."

"That's your business. No one needs to see it here is the point."

Giselle was cute when she was annoyed. The pout on her face was actually kind of sexy to him.

A surge of junior-high aged attendees filed into the space snagging seats. Erik stood up and headed to the podium. Checking his watch, Erik started promptly.

The junior high track was straight fire. The students were attentive, laughed at a lot of the graphics he put together for them meant to add humor to science and technology, and his Q & A session went over the allotted time because so many young people wanted to stay behind and talk to him. He had to finally type up his email and give it to the tons of questions that had to go unanswered. So many bodies flocked around him vying for his time. Giselle had to come rescue him, guiding him away from the crowd.

"They got you acting like Pepper," he joked.

"They bum-rushed you like you were Tony," Giselle said.

Her voice was pleasant. Actually friendly. He regarded her face with curiosity.

"You sound impressed."

"Actually, I was. You were great."

"Just great?"

"Okay…okay…that was a fantastic session."

"Ooh, fantastic. I leveled up in your eyes."

The expression on her face made her look open to him.

"You had lunch yet? I'm going to grab a bite and then I have to head over to the mini-lab and work there for two hours."

"No, I just had a latte earlier."

"Let's go eat…unless you have to go to your next station."

"I can eat."

He was surprised she agreed to go with him.

He steered her to the lunch pavilion in the tent outside the convention center, and they fixed themselves hearty plates of fancy catered food. They sat outside the tent on the steps of the convention building and ate their fill.

"Ah vitamin D," Giselle sighed, holding back her face to the sun when they were done eating.

She looked beautiful with her eyes closed, her lips slightly parted, and her hair resting on her shoulder. Erik ate his food while watching her sunbathe. He was still feeling her and didn't know how to get past her reticence toward him. She must've felt his eyes on her because her lids raised up slowly and for a second, Erik was lost in her face. He wanted to kiss her again and leaned forward toward her…and she was letting him.

"Hey, Devika!" Erik said pulling back from Giselle when his peripheral caught sight of her.

Tony's personal secretary strolled past carrying two bags.

"You need help?"

Erik threw away his empty plate and stepped to Devika. He took the bags from her.

"Thanks, Erik. That was a struggle," Devika said.

Her eyes took in Giselle.

"How's it going?" she asked.

"Good. I have to head over to the mini-lab. Where do you need to take these?" he asked.

"You're in luck, these actually need to go to the lab. The morning crew forgot to take these. Extra sample slides and tubes."

"Cool. I'ma head out. Holla at me later?"

His eyes gazed at Giselle.

"Maybe."

He grinned and walked with Devika.

"Are you two dating?"

"Me and Giselle? I wish."

"She doesn't like you?"

"I think she does, but she has this thing about being professional and not fraternizing while working together. Stupid."

"It's not stupid, Erik. Sometimes mixing business and pleasure backfires. I made that mistake once…"

Devika's eyes darted away from his and they both saw Tony walking toward them. Stark's eyes took in Devika and Erik knew immediately who she was talking about.

"Stevens," Tony said.

"I'm on top of stuff."

"I know you are. Lab?" he said pointing the bags.

"Yeah."

"I'll head over with you. I have a free twenty minutes so I'll show a little face…Devika I need to cancel dinner with Hartzel and Cook tonight."

"This is the third time—"

"I know. I just don't have the energy for those guys right now."

Tony walked ahead of them and Erik kept up with the bags. Devika pulled out a tablet and canceled Tony's evening plans.

The mini-lab was a replica of one of Stark Industries' actual working labs. It gave students the opportunity to see real-world applications with hands-on experience first-hand. Tony swept in to the usual fanfare and Erik handed off the lab supplies to another intern.

Erik walked around the finished lab and was shocked to see a microscope that he wanted to use back in L.A. but had no private access to. There was also other equipment he needed to be able to test the vibranium. The irony. The shit he needed but couldn't use in Los Angeles was right in front of him for little kids to play with.

Erik walked over to Samira the lab coordinator.

"Is there an evening shift?" he asked.

Samira glanced at her tablet and swiped the screen a few times.

"I have enough people, but if you want to hang out—"

"Yeah, put me on the list," he said while calculating what he would need to be able to run a discreet experiment out in the open.

###

Erik slipped past Samira and three other interns as they shut down the mini-lab for the night. He volunteered to power down all the science equipment, clean them, and pre-set them for Saturday morning so Samira and company could go eat dinner and take off early.

The vibranium was in his pocket and he moved to the back of the lab and snagged the tools he needed to take a sample of the metal and test it. He needed to be in and out of the convention center by ten and it was already seven at night. Three hours to do as much as he could to learn the properties of the metal. He would have to use episcopic illumination carefully. He had several options to choose from, so he opted to use crossed polarizing filters first until he saw that the amount of equipment in the lab was extensive enough to go full out. He decided to go with a differential interference contrast using unstained samples of the vibranium. Time was of the essence.

He worked fast and printed up results as they came, erasing any traces of his use of the equipment, including printouts of data. He felt jumpy as he heard footsteps move back and forth in the front of the entrance.

By the time he collected what data he could in the amount of time that he had, Erik was already strolling to his hotel room with his head full of wonder. Vibranium was not from earth. It had no trace of any elements found on the planet he walked on. His father and his people had been using something literally from outside of the world. The discovery actually made his hands shake as he took out his room keycard. He was excited. Dumbfounded. Even more curious. Aroused in a way that made his skin tingle.

He opened his door and across the hall, Giselle opened her door and put an empty room service tray on the ground.

Dressed in a hotel robe, her eyes met his as she stood up.

"You're back late," she said, a sly smile on her face.

Erik walked over to her door and slipped his left hand behind her neck and his right hand around her waist. Giselle's eyes had that same look she gave him at lunch, and when he crashed his lips on hers, he knew he wasn't leaving her until what needed to be done was done.

Chapter 14 HERE

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#stark's new intern #killmonger #tony stark #marvel cinematic universe #black panther fanfiction

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strickenice · 7 years

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Thalia and Zoë - Classic Tropes: Rivals to Lovers

Word count - 3,366

@pjosapphicweeks

When Thalia first met Zoë, she hated her...

It was sometime in the late 1990′s, maybe even in the early 2000′s.

Luke and her were on the run again, this time with a 7 year old knife wielding blonde girl who claimed to be Athena’s daughter.

A silver arrow sliced through the air as Thalia jumped over a log. A hellhound was after them this week, a baby one by the looks of it. Courageous little dog, to try to attack a child of one of the big three, but then again Thalia hadn’t quite got a grip on her powers.

Silver clad girls emerged from the woods, shooting at the unfortunate monster. At a girl’s command, one that looked 14 with a bright silver tiara on her coppery forehead, the girls let fire row after row of arrows. The hellhound yelped, but puffed up in yellow smoke within seconds.

Luke collapsed next to Thalia, Annabeth trying to help him up. Her fierce grey eyes darted from Thalia to the girls in silver.

Thalia turned around, avoiding the strangely dark and stormy gaze, to focus on ancient berry blue ones.

“Who are you,” Thalia demanded, holding Luke’s recently stolen golf club.

The girl with the tiara stepped forward. Her hair was a glossy charcoal colour, braided into a mohawk french and tied off with various silver ribbons.

“I was about to ask thou the same thing.”

Thalia frowned. Who uses thou nowadays?

Thalia looked at her tiara more closely. It was inbedded with pearls and made with silver. A piece of white stone had been shaped into a crescent shape and placed at the very center. Her eyebrows knitted together, it was a strange fashion statement. It looked nothing like the Barbie tiaras she use to wear when her mom decided to take her in public when she was 2. And it was definitely more valuable.

“I asked you first.” Thalia said slowly. The girl pierced her lips and slung her bow onto her back.

“Zoë Nightshade.” She stated proudly. “Lieutenant of Artemis, goddess of the hunt and patron to mothers and maidens.”

Thalia almost didn’t process this information. Her throat dried up, it never occurred to her that Artemis would still have followers like in the ancient times. Then again, she never thought Hera would still hold grudges but that still happened.

“Thalia, daughter of Zeus.” She muttered. Zoë’s eyebrow went up a little, and her high expression dropped a little. A couple of the girls muttered something about her father, then Zoë raised her hand and they silenced.

“And the other one?”

Thalia turned back. “That’s Luke Ca-”

“I meant the girl.” Zoë put her hands on her hip. Thalia paused her sentence. Annabeth looked up.

“I’m Ann’beth, but you can call me Annabeth. Don’t call me Annie, I hate it.” She stated, half annoyed about having to introduce herself.

Zoë nodded slowly, glancing back at Thalia. “Her parent?”

“Athena.” Thalia said. “She said it was Athena.”

Annabeth glared up at the sky before going back to applying a splint to Luke’s arm. Thalia hadn’t noticed it was broken, but she was pretty sure they were out of any godly foods or drinks.

Zoë noticed this too. “Phoebe, take care of the male. We’ll judge what to do with him later.”

A girl paced forward, an unhappy look on her face. Annabeth looked up at the silver girl in front of her, inspecting the grey cargo and silk blouse, before agreeing to help carry Luke off.

Thalia watched them walk off, before slowly the girls left until it was only her and Zoë.

She didn’t know what to think of the lieutenant just yet. It appears that Zoë didn’t either.

“I haven’t heard of a big three child in a while.” She started. “How was thee claimed?”

Thalia scowled. “What do you mean by ‘claimed’, and why do you talk like you just were in Romeo and Juliet?”

Zoë scowled back. “Romeo and Juliet was a terrible... play.” She stated. “And what I mean by ‘claim’, how did you know Zeus was thy father?”

Thalia rubbed Aegis nervously. It hadn’t been around her very long, but she had developed an annoying habit of needing to touch it, to make sure it was real.

“I always knew.” She stated. “He use to visit my mom.”

Zoë tapped her fingers against her waist, contemplating this information. “It’s a wonder thou has last as long as thy did.” She hummed. “That is, with a male companion.”

This time Thalia noticed the disgust.

“What? Luke? What’s so wrong with him?” She snapped at the girl. Zoë looked at her with an unreadable expression.

“You can’t possibly defend his kind.” She stated, a cold grip on her voice.

“His kind?” Thalia exaggerated. “What? He’s a demigod, not a mortal.”

“That’s not what I-”

“I know what you meant. You’re one of Artemis followers, eternal prudes.”

Zoë’s eyes flashed at this term. “Prude? How dare you! Men are selfish and care nothing of the females, all of them are evil. All of them, even this Luke.”

Thalia’s gut boiled with rage. How dare she! How dare this prude tell her that Luke was evil, there was no way on earth he was selfish and careless.

Thalia bit her tongue, her arm hair standing on end.

“Luke is not evil.” She stated through clenched jaws and gritted teeth. “And your little group are wrong. Men aren’t all like whatever you’re brainwashed into believing.”

“You are blind, Thalia.” Zoë insisted. “One day thee will realize that men are all but one thing - loyal. Luke will break your heart, and when he does I’ll be there to give thy a Hunter’s title.”

With that, the lieutenant turned and stalked off towards the new pillar of smoke in the distance. Thalia had no choice but to follow, because that was where Luke was.

The Luke that wouldn’t turn against her

She thought that was going to be the last time she saw the Hunters. Especially as she was dying on that hill. Grover had to physically tear Luke away from Thalia to get him to safety, and in her dying breaths she sent out a silent last laugh to Zoë.

She closed her eyes and expected a river.

She waited for the River.

Waited.

And Waited.

But when she opened her eyes again, a bunch of kids were staring down at her in pure astonishment. A boy with green eyes, terrifyingly sweet green eyes much like the waters of the ocean, watched her as someone helped her up.

“Who are you?” He demanded, holding a sword. His armour was sideways, she noted, and he was older than her.

“Thalia.” She muttered. “I’m Thalia, daughter of Zeus.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd and eyes turned to the green eyed boy. He stared at her with a mix of surprise and sadness.

“Where am I?” Thalia muttered.

“Camp... half-blood.” The green eyed boy said. Thalia blinked.

“I... Shouldn’t I be in the underworld? I died, right?”

Someone cleared their throat and stepped forward. The person... looked strangely familiar. She was 13, maybe 14, with half combed frizzy curls and medium skin. Grey eyes, almost like storms, watched her intensely.

“Thalia? Do you... remember anything?” The girl whispered.

Thalia tried to remember. Her head felt like it was filled with sap and cotton. But she noticed a small dark scar on her collar bone.

“... Ann’beth?” Thalia whispered. “No... that can’t be, you’re 7?”

Ann’beth shook her head. “Thalia, I just turned 14.”

“But that’s not...” She looked at her hands. She didn’t feel like an adult, and she was certain she didn’t look like one.

“Where is Luke?” She asked, looking back up at the crowd. The green eyed boy frowned.

“He’s not here.”

“Why!” She demanded. “Why not!”

“Thalia...” Annabeth took another step forward. “Luke... turned against a Olympus. After you were turned into a tree-” That was a shocker. She had been a tree? “-Luke turned colder. Just last year, he stole your dad’s masterbolt and attempted to frame Percy... Then he poisoned you.”

Thalia turned around to look at the tree behind her. A giant Christmas tree, one some snobby egotistical rich person would have gotten, stood tall above her. A gold object fluttered on the bottom branch, a dragon curled around it’s trunk. She could barely make out a scar in the bark, just slightly darker than the tree. She looked at her inner forearm and noticed a matching scar.

“No... he wouldn’t-”

“He did.” The green eyed one stated. “Luke turned against Olympus for...”

The air got colder and she got a chill down her spine. Zoë had been right, not like she would have admitted that. But... so had Hal. That future telling man told her this would happen, and she had been so arrogant and believed he would love her.

That quest with Zoë started out with a lot of tension. But Thalia noticed a slight change in behaviour. Zoë had given Percy that pelt, even though he insisted she have it instead. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed Zoë either had a crush on Percy or hated him so much that she was killing with kindness.

The former didn’t seem as... Zoë-like, so she went with the latter.

The days zoomed by. Bianca made for good side company, a neutral ground point, until she sacrificed herself for the others. Zoë had to physically drag Percy away as he went semi-catatonic. Thalia had seen Percy selfishly through himself into battle, but she started to question if it were really selfishness. He looked pained when he watched Bianca dash out there. He held a statue in his fist, staring off into the distance.

Thalia left the boys in the back of the truck they found and sat next to Zoë.

There was a soft silence for the first mile.

“You can say it.” Thalia whispered. “You were right about Luke. About boys being selfish.”

Zoë glanced at her, surprised at the change of attitude. Thalia was surprised too.

“I... I suppose I could have been wrong too.”

Thalia blinked. “What do you mean?”

Zoë’s berry blue eyes turned back to the dusty road.

“Percy... isn’t like that I thought he would have been.” The sentence sounded foreign to her.

“What do you mean?”

“I... went we first met, I told thee... you... that all men were evil. But Percy... even with the weapon he bears-”

“Riptide?” Thalia stated. “What does that have to deal with him?”

Zoë bit her lip. “I can’t talk about it.” She stated. “But... He’s not selfish.”

“He defied my orders and went for your flag.” Thalia stated.

“But he’s not selfish.” Zoë tapped a rhythm on the steering wheel. “In fact, he is quite opposite. Dare I even say that his fatal flaw is to blame.”

“His... you’re saying his fatal flaw is selflessness?”

“Not exactly.” Zoë admitted. “But... I’ve seen very few with this, especially children of the sea, but I believe it is personal loyalty. He would give anything to save a friend, even his own reputation or life.”

Thalia thought for a moment. She had done that but... she couldn’t have the same thing... right?

“What about you?” She asked. “What’s your fatal flaw.”

Zoë glanced at Thalia. Then sighed.

“I trusted too easy. I believed everything I was told, with hopes that they were good people. It was that flaw that brought me to the hunt, millennia ago.”

Thalia watched her features. She hadn’t noticed before, but Zoë had an ancient beauty to her. Like a goddess.

“I might join.” She blurted.

Zoë jumped in shock.

“I... I mean, the great prophecy.” Thalia stated. “If I don’t turn 16, Percy becomes the child of the prophecy. Right?”

“Unless the Fates decreed otherwise.” Zoë said. “But are you-”

“No, I’m not sure. But... If I need to, I will.”

They all stood in the throne room. Zoë was next to her lady, battered up and barely hanging on to conscious. Some of Apollo’s handmaidens, if they even were maidens, were attending to her.

Zoë whispered something to Artemis, and the child goddess nodded.

“Thalia, please step forward.” Zeus announced. Thalia stepped forward, all eyes on her. Percy’s arm was around Annabeth, holding her up. Grover was nervously nibbling on his shirt collar, his eyes wide and watery.

Zeus began to drone on about stuff she decided wasn’t important, then Artemis stood up.

“Due to recent events, I will offer you a place as lieutenant of my hunt.” The goddess announced.

Thalia blinked, shocked. “But Zoë’s lieutenant.”

“I have been lieutenant for millennia. It is time I step down to a lower position. I nominated you as my successor.”

Thalia’s heart fluttered a little. To think that the two didn’t get along a week ago would have confused anyone, but now...

“I accept.” Thalia stood up straighter. Zeus glanced uncomfortably at Hera, then at Thalia.

“Are you sure you want to-”

“I am not the child of the prophecy,” Thalia stated. “Percy is. Tomorrow I will not turn 16, I will be leading the hunt onto our next adventure.”

She got down on one knee and bowed her head.

“I, Thalia daughter of Zeus, pledge myself to Artemis. I shall turn my back on the presence of men and romance, serving until my needs are fulfilled.”

Artemis clear her throat. “I accept your pledge.”

Thalia glowed silver, and she stood a different person. Zoë limped over and placed the tiara on Thalia’s head.

Thalia noticed a change in her thinking while Percy was AWOL.

Before her stood a boy roughly her age, overgrown blond hair that reminded her of a hedgehog, and blue eyes that painfully reminded her of her mom’s.

“Who are thee!” Zoë demanded, her arrow changed on the boy’s chest. Beside the boy were two people - a girl with possible hypothermia and a elf with brown curly hair.

The blue eyed boy’s gaze went from Zoë to Thalia, and they widened. He fished for something in his pocket and pulled it out, glancing at it.

“... Thalia?”

Thalia noticed her girls tensing up. It’s never good if a boy knew a hunter’s name, even more so when the hunters didn’t know him.

“Answer the question.” Thalia demanded.

“I’m... your baby brother.” He whispered.

Thalia dropped her hunting knife.

“Jason?” She gasped. “You- Oh my gods. The scar...”

She took a small step forward, remembering that day. “You tried to eat a stapler, oh my gods it’s really you. I... I thought-”

She paused, then turned to her group. “Attend to them, treat them as if they were one of our own. The girl has hypothermia, Phoebe tend to her. Hunter, Sophii, set up camp and alert the others.”

The girls nodded and went to work immedantly. Thalia’s electric eyes met berry ones.

“Zoë, you will come with me.” The coppery girl shouldered her bow and nodded. Jason mumbled something to the elf and the two followed Thalia to her tent.

The entire time they talked, Zoë stood in the corner with a concerned gaze.

Thalia ushered the boys out and walked over to Zoë.

“You know what this is, don’t you?”

The ex-lieutenant nodded slowly. “It has been a while, but I recognize a praetor from anywhere.”

“Praetor? Like a leader?”

Zoë nodded. “Your brother has served for a long time, I’m surprised he isn’t colder.”

Thalia bit her lip. “I thought he was dead. Any Jason is better than No Jason.”

Zoë grabbed Thalia’s hand. Her fingers were warm and sent tingles down Thalia’s spine.

“Jason isn’t cold,” Zoë reassured. “I have a feeling about him, the same kind I had with Percy. I do not always agree with the queen of the gods, she cost me my first home, but I can say one thing.”

Thalia’s heart was pounding with anticipation.

“Jason is not like Luke. He is a true ally to the hunt.”

Thalia ran across the lawn that August night and tackled her brother in a hug. Jason let out a startled grumble and collapsed, half conscious. Percy watched the two, frowning.

“What?”

“Reyna was right. Jason really does look like the All American boy, and you look like the person who’ll rob him at gunpoint.”

Thalia let out a laugh. “I do not!”

“Do too.” Annabeth grumbled, half smiling.

The hunters made themselves at home, chatting up with roman girls, offering places in the hunt.

“You look tired.” Percy noted when Jason and Annabeth walked off. Thalia pierced her lips.

“No I do not.”

Percy scanned her features. His eyes were colder, much colder. But they had a small spark in them.

“You’re right, you look like you might be in love.”

Thalia choked. “What gives you that idea?!”

Percy nodded in Zoë’s direction. “You have that puppy look Annabeth told me I had.”

“Hunters don’t fall in love, Percy.”

“Sure they do.” He stated. “It’s just a matter of taking that risk for a second chance.”

Thalia looked at Aegis, the silver bracelet on her wrist.

“I swore off love, so did Zoë. What if she doesn’t like me back?”

Percy watched the hunter with a blank face.

“Ask Drew.” He stated. “She’ll be able to tell you. I can’t though, I’m not that skilled.

Thalia bit her lip. Then she walked over to a group of Aphrodite children, leaving Percy alone by cabin 1.

They noticed her, falling silent as she approached.

“I need to talk to Drew. Alone.”

The girls half glared at her, but left until there was only a girl with pink lined eyes and sleek black hair.

“What do you want, hunter?”

Thalia cleared her throat uncomfortably. “I... need to know who Zoë is in love with?”

Drew’s eyebrows knitted together. “Why?”

Thalia bit her lip. This seemed so much harder, but Percy was right. She did like Zoë, more than a hunter should.

“Oh my gods, you have a crush?” Drew whispered, suddenly excited. Thalia shushed her, eyes wide. “Okay geez, sorry. I need to get closer to her.”

Thalia sighed, then beckoned the love child to follow her. Zoë noticed Thalia approaching her and decided to meet her halfway.

“Thalia,” Zoë started, “I need to-”

“Oh my gods, so cute!” Drew squealed. The entire camp went silent. “Um... oops... I’ll just leave-”

“Wait, what is going on?” Zoë demanded. Drew held up her hands and backed away, doe brown eyes wide and innocent.

“Zoë, I have come to realize that I like you more than a friend...” Thalia’s voice was hoarse. Everyone’s eyes were on her now, spotlighted and critical.

Zoë’s mouth dropped a little when she noticed what Thalia meant.

“You... love me?” She whispered.

Thalia nodded. “I know hunters can’t do-”

Zoë engulfed her in a hug. “Oh gods of Olympus, I love you too!”

Thalia stumbled back a little, then smiled brightly. When the two parted from the hug, she noticed the child goddess standing in front of cabin 8.

“M’lady.” Thalia held up here hands. “I can explain.”

“You do not need to.” Artemis walked towards the two. “Neither of you do.”

Zoë bowed her head a little. Campers gathered around, curious.

“You can not stay within my hunt, romance is something that is notorious for being incompatible with partial immortality. I do not wish to see my two favourite hunters suffer from heartbreak due to dying in combat. Upon your wish, I shall release you both.”

Thalia thought for a moment. She told herself for years that she will never turn 16. But now she was given that chance, and to grow old with a girl she loved.

“I accept.” Zoë stated. Thalia’s heart fluttered, and she made up her mind.

“I accept as well.”

In a flash of gold light, she felt the immortality slip away from her. Zoë grabbed her hand and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Of all the people, I never thought my rival from ages ago would have been the reason I left the hunt.” Zoë smiled. “But I would not have it any other way.”

#thalia #thalia grace #zoë nightshade #zozo #femslashweek #pjofemslashweek #pjosapphicweeks #sapphic #aesthetic/story #3366 #thalia and zozo #femslash #lesbians #pjo #hoo #fanfiction #aesthetic

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