Snowfall

Handwriting

Unknown to about everyone, Percy was, surprisingly, a wonderful artist. He kept a sketchbook full of pencil drawings in his dresser, and would periodically take it out to sketch. Thalia knew about his drawings and would sometimes visit while he was in the middle of something and just sit by his side and watch as he created a masterpiece.

His handwriting was also surprisingly good. Under almost all his drawings he would leave a short little note (Greek, of course) and Thalia was amazed at how beautifully the symbols were formed. She, in truth, was the complete opposite. Her handwriting was terrible and she had never even dared to attempt a drawing. Considering the fact that she grew up without ever attending school, it was accepted. A lot of the campers never were taught to write, or even read, and were usually taught by Chiron and the elder campers.

Percy, since she was most often around when he drew, often would sketch a portrait of Thalia. She could never understand how he managed to capture every little detail, each freckle placed carefully upon her circular face, the birthmark that sat hidden wrapped around the base of her ear, her long eyelashes, even the small scar she had on her right cheek from an accidental maiming in dual with, ironically, Percy.

At some point in this process, Thalia decided she wanted to make her attempt at a drawing. Percy was overjoyed to let her borrow his sketchbook and urged her to start with something simple, like, perhaps, a pen. He volunteered Riptide and Thalia set the pen down on the desk that sat in the cabin corner, taking Percy's spot in the rolling chair and glaring at the pen for probably a minute straight. Then she began.

It was, of course, horrible. Not a single line was straight and it just looked like a blob of lines. Percy said that some light shading would round it out, but she wasn't even going to dare try that. Then he just told her to sign it. She did without question.

"Well, not a bad first try," Percy said while studying the image. "But can we talk about that signature?"

"You told me to sign it!" Thalia said defensively. "I did. Should I not have done my name? You usually just write P. Jackson, I thought Thalia was fine."

"No, not what you wrote, but how you write it," Percy corrected. "Your handwriting, to be specific."

"I taught myself to write! I didn't have the leisure of going to school like a normal kid," Thalia pointed out.

"Still!" He wrote her name directly below where she wrote it, very lightly, and it looked twice as good. "I just don't understand. Try and copy what I wrote."

Thalia tried, but it was squiggly and disoriented, which destroyed the nice effect she was going for. "How can you get such perfect lines!"

"Practice?" He guessed.

"It's probably the ADHD," Thalia murmured. "That must be it."

"Are you forgetting that I have that too?" Percy said. "I manage."

"Greek letters are harder than English letters! Most kids don't learn to write in Greek," Thalia protested, but Percy just shook his head.

"It's not like I'm writing English. We're both doing the same thing, Thalia, you're just worse. Accept it Percy smirked, thinking he had finally beat her at something.

She came up with a plan of her own, and a mischevious grin appeared on her face. She stood from the chair, stepping towards him, advancing, closer, closer, ever so close. She pushed him back onto an empty bunk and was straddling him in moments. She leaned down next to his ear, whispering quietly "but I'm better at much, much more."

Indeed she was. She proved it.