ichor - jason grace

XVII

For a minute, Jason and Thalia faced each other, stunned. Then Thalia rushed forward and hugged him.

"My gods! She told me that you were dead!" She gripped Jason's face and seemed to be examining everything about it. "Thank Artemis, it is you. That little scar on your lip - you tried to eat a stapler when you were two!"

Nell let out a loud bark of laughter that she couldn't hold back. "Oh, I'm sorry, dude. But a stapler?"

Leo laughed. "Seriously?"

Hedge nodded like he approved of Jason's taste. "Staplers - an excellent source of Iron."

"W-wait," Jason stammered. "Who told you I was dead? What happened?"

At the cave entrance, one of the white wolves barked. Thalia looked back at the wolf and nodded, but she kept her hands on Jason's face like she was afraid he might vanish. "My wolf is telling me I don't have much time, and she's right. But we have to talk. Let's sit. "

Piper did better than that. She collapsed. She would've cracked her head on the cave floor if Hedge hadn't caught her.

Thalia rushed over. "What's wrong with her? Ah- never mind. I see. Hypothermia. Ankle." She frowned at the satyr.

"Don't you know nature healing?"

Hedge scoffed. "Why do you think she looks this good? Can't you smell the Gatorade?"

Thalia looked towards Leo, an accusatory glare as if to ask why Hedge was trusted to be the doctor.

"You, Nell, and the satyr," Thalia ordered, "take this girl to my friend at the entrance. Phoebe's an excellent healer."

"It's cold out there!" Hedge said. "I'll freeze my horns off."

"Wuss," Nell teased, walking over to Piper.

Leo seemed to get the hint. "Come on, Hedge. These two need time to talk."

"Humph. Fine." The satyr muttered. "Didn't even get to brain anybody."

Hedge carried Piper towards the entrance. Leo and Nell were about to follow when Jason called, "Actually, you two, could you, um, stick around?"

Nell saw something in Jason's eyes that she didn't expect. Jason was asking for support. He wanted somebody else there, he was scared.

"Sure thing, sparky," Nell said softly, earning a curious look from Thalia.

Leo grinned. "Sticking around is my speciality."

Thalia didn't look too happy about it, but the for of them sat at the fire. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Jason studied his sister like she was a scary device - one that might explode if handled incorrectly. Thalia seemed more at ease as if she was used to stumbling across stranger things than long lost relatives. But she still regarded Jason in kind of an amazed trance, maybe remembering the little two-year-old who tried to eat a stapler. Leo took a few pieces of copper wire out of his pockets and twisted them together. 

Finally, Leo spoke up. "So... the hunters of Artemis. This whole 'not dating' things - is that like always, or more of a seasonal thing, or what?"

"My Gods," Nell sighed.

Thalia stared at him as if he'd just evolved from pond scum.

Jason kicked him in the shin. "Don't mind Leo. He's just trying to break the ice. But, Thalia... what happened to our family? Who told you I was dead?"

Thalia tugged at the silver bracelet on her wrist. In the firelight, in her winter camouflage, she looked like Khione - just as cold and beautiful.