bring out the thunder.

Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, huntress, PHD in Being Better Than You

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Jane watched as the new ghost appeared in front of her. Her mother hadn’t been enough to haunt Thalia. The girl was already over it. But Luke? She had just lost him. The blond girl fell on her knees and lowered her head. A small smirk crossed her lips but it quickly turned into a loud and ill laugh. A whole new feeling was taking over the girl. A rush of adrenaline running trough her veins and the sensation of power were taking her sanity away.

That was amazing. She could feel every single ghost down her feet, craving for liberty and for the chance to cause panic and horror. But in that moment, the only screams she wanted to hear were the ones that were about to escape Thalia’s lips. She knew that it wouldn’t take long till the Zeus’ girl lose her sanity. But Jane didn’t want to wait. She stood up, raising her head and taking the blond hair off her face. Step by step she approached the ghostly boy “Make her suffer.” she whispered in his ear and took three steps behind to watch the scene, her head partly tumbled to the right.

“Do it.” she repeated. Somewhere inside her head was a part of her trying to stop but it wouln’t  be enough. Jane needed to do that. She was willing to listen to the other girl’s screams and to watch tears streaming down her face. She wanted more power.

[graciousthalia]

When the thick curtain of terror began to drift away, unfolding her eyes to reality, she realised how much she had screwed up in those seconds of insanity. Thunder shook the sky above them, loud enough to scare the shit out of every living creature in a 20 mile radius. Her eyes drew a line from Jane's golden pupils to the boy's own. "That's enough, Stewart.", she breathed, air failing to reach her lungs. Her hand reached for the top of her chest, pounding to stay awake. "You proved your point. Leave him out of this."

In those words, hopeless and useless, Thalia used what little force she had left to leave that place in spirit. She was now the thunder. Voices in dejavu trembled against the walls of her mind. Do as I taught you. Steaming her vision, she focused in order to master the upcoming storm. It was impossible not to acknowlege Luke's ghostly presence, surrounding her, taunting her in silence. Maybe he said something. More hurtful words to crash her. But she couldn't hear. It was only senseless whisper. The room seemed to be a cauldron of images and mixed metaphors, or maybe it was just her. Lifting an arm, as if trying to stop the boy from approaching further, she shoot.

A crack. A thud. Nailed it.

"I said: LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!"

As the lightning struck against the ceiling, dropping it nearby Stewarts' head, the girl found strengh to move even just some inches, falling back by the wall to regain energy. Her arm pained for the ghost's touch, but it was only inside her head. After the sensation of power, reality made its move, and she found herself panicking in the bloodcurdling fear she could have killed the girl. "Jane? JANE?"

She rushed back towards the wreckage. Taking a careful look around, she became aware of what she'd done. You'll find it in your heart to forgive me, father. Kneeling down to search for Stewart's body, she wished not to be making an even bigger mistake.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Thalia was touching every single wound Jane had. She pushing the girl and Jane knew that but it was hard to control herself. Therefore, she didn’t. The blond turned around opening her eyes that were almost golden due to the rage she was feeling. “You want to see my powers, Grace?” she said. Her voice came out weird. Almost like there were more than one person talking at the same time “I’ll let you see them.” she continued and started walking towards the girl. Without even being that close to her, Jane could already see what she wanted to. Mirrored inside Thalia’s electric blue eyes she could see all her memories and between a lot of ghosts, she found a special one. A woman. She looked a lot like Thalia but her appearance was of somebody who didn’t had showered in days. Her hair was black and messy, her eyes seemed tired and were surrounded by dark circles. She was wearing a robe had a bottle of vodka on her hands. She could see the woman yelling and Thalia and threatening her with the bottle.

“Found it.” Jane said with a smirk “Now, why don’t you say ‘hello’ to your mother?” and so, she called the ghosts. She could feel the ghost’s essence leaving the underworld and in a matter of seconds, the woman raised from the ground. She had her eyes directed to Thalia and Jane could only laugh at the situation. That was what she wanted. Power. She could feel it running trough her veins and traveling her whole body. Her head wasn’t hurting anymore and neither was any other part of her body. Her wounds seemed to be insignificant and a wave of joy hit the blond’s body. She took a step behind, letting Thalia stay face to face with her mother and allow the show to continue.

[graciousthalia]

Laughter silenced into a sigh before Thalia could think of a witty remark. The tireness didn't bother her anymore, her will of survival crumbled in panic when, taking form at her feet, where before she had only met Stewart's lustrous eyes, the shape of a woman destroyed by age. Tall, slim, once one of the most beautiful creatures, but now tiresome and sad, marked by death. Not so different from what Thalia had known in life. She looked at her in outrage. Despise, even. It terrified her. Eyes wide, her heart had stopped. "M-Mother?"

The ghost crackled. "Learned some respect, didn't you, little bastard?" She approached. Thalia quivered, her hands once resting on her legs rushed back  to support her falling torso. When tears fell at the sight of her dead relative, she looked away. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.

"GO AWAY!", she shouted, drawing another disgusted laughter from the creature. "Is that a way to treat your mother, now?", the ghost was getting closer. Her dead hands reached out for her daughter's face. Her fingers were cold, but tactless. It was nothing but a wintertime wind. "Is that a way to treat your mother after abandoning her, bastard? Answer me! Is that? Is that how I raised you? LOOK AT ME." 

It's not real. It's not real. Jane's powers were incredible indeed. Regardless, while the exterior suffered, Thalia's inner conscience was safe and sound. Or almost. She forced her eyes way from the ghost once again. "Leave me alone", tears felt warm on her forearm, reminding her she was alive.

"That is all you wanted, wasn't it? That's why you left me to rot!" 

"You did this to yourself. YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF!"

It was with these words that she lost it. The ghost rushed into her, struggling against whispers of death, her spirits being torn and scattered. The pain crushed her soul. As grief and guilt and alcohol attacked her. The memories pierced through her skin, and at the exterior's hostility, the handling of situations so that the daughter of Melinoe's daughter could use it as a weapon, Grace's doomed soul was nothing but tenderness and melancholy. She was a master of showmanship. She almost had her. Had Thalia not fought Melinoe herself once before, and learned her tactics, she would have played the game in disadvantage until she broke. It's not real. "You're not real."

And with that, the ilusion collapse. Thalia torn apart. Eyes now blurry, her vision could focus on nothing but the shades of blonde in the figure across her. For a moment she forgot where she was. Everything was darkness and gold. Golden eyes. One last memory crossed her sight again, one final rendezvous took place, as she found the breath parting her lips.

"Luke..."

[graciousthalia]

.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

“Shut the fuck up.” Jane muttered, clenching teeth again and forcing herself to step behind. All the hate and frustration towards her mother started poisoning her soul again but she was stupid. She kept holding herself back and keeping in mind that Thalia only wanted to piss her off but it was hard to control the impulse she was having to let her powers take control again.

When Thalia hit her face with the knife Jane simply kept her face turned to the side the blow had turned her face to and took a deep breath. Her fists shaking because of the pain and also hate that were starting to consume her. Her cheek started bleeding with the impact and she simply whipped it off the sleeve of her shirt, then forced a smile, her eyes still closed. “Time to stop.” she said and turned her backs to Thalia, starting to walk away.

She knew that Thalia wouldn’t simply let her go but she was getting on her limit. All her muscles were hard and even with her eyes closed, she knew that they were yellow but she didn’t want to hurt Thalia even tho she was asking for it.

[graciousthalia]

Jane's resistance, her rage. It got her tired. Sucked away the energy, replacing it with an everlasting desire to refill for more. A part of the girl, one she decided to ignore, knew all she did was wrong. She had gotten to this situation under the claim of volunteering to be Stewart's test subject. But it was a lie. Yet another one. It was Thalia who was taking advantage. She knew how painful this was. Before the war, she'd have her own fair share of entities trying to get a rise out of her. It wasn't right. Using someone like this. She felt guilty. But the guilt was attenuated by a side of her she didn't realise existed. The side who wanted to win. The side she had suppressed during the whole of her battles against Luke and his monstrous army. The side that, once before, had considered joining Kronos. This side was fueled by rage. Or was. Now, it was fed by her wish to survive and take the most of it. She was growing selfish. Hell, she deserved some credit. Stewart had power, but she didn't want to use it. Somehow, Thalia always thought she could see herself mirrored in the blonde girl in front of her. But Thalia would never hold back. She never hesitated before mastering her thunder. Gifts like that were meant to be used, not despised. In times like this, prudence wasn't an option.

She breathed. "Had enough yet, kid?" I know I did. The more she wanted to deny the more she acknowleged that this small brawl had her heart pounding. The girl rested her hands on both knees, putting her head down. "Open those damn eyes. I can tell when a mission succeeds. No shame on that. Besides-", she took a deep sigh, raising her head with an angry grin. "Yellow's not exactly my least favorite color."

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

“Don’t you fucking dare to mention my mother!” she yelled and watched a knife shock against the statue a few inches away from her head Thalia was really making her get angry but nothing had pissed the girl more than the simple mention of her mother. “Fuck.” she said to herself. For a few seconds she didn’t know where Thalia was. She looked around when she felt something grab her arm.

Jane was getting really tired of Thalia playing with her. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again they were a bit yellow “Get the fuck off me” she said clenching teeth. She extended her leg to kick Thalia’s foot, making her vacillate, giving Jane enough time to get off the reach of the knife and jump back. She shook her head making her eyes turn blue again. The girl was determined to keep herself calm.

[graciousthalia]

She blow was sure and tight, but it wasn't enough to make the girl fall down. Those few inches of pain insisted on spreading, but her blessing wouldn't allow it. The smile never escaped her lips. She saw it. Stewart had tried to hide, but she god damn saw them. Those big, round luteolous yes. The memories went back to the closest glimpse of that tone Grace had ever encountered. But they were gold. Gold, and not yellow. Shaking the memory away just in time to give Jane a chance to escape, Thalia was able to get back on her heels. Showing her teeth, she rushed forward to meet the girl again. Something in how Melinoe became part of the conversation deeply unbalanced Stewart's anger management issues. All she had to do was push harder.

"Sore subject, Jane?", she breathed, drawing another blow with the back of her knife, punching it on the side of her face before trailing her legs. "Are those mommy issues I see?"

It was mean, and she felt filthy about it. But it was for the greater good. She would have to crush the girl before bringing her up.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Jane kept her eyebrow raised. Thalia was really creepy sometimes and that was a very suspicious situation. “Fine.” she muttered. She wasn’t expecting for Thalia to grab that knife. She had said that they weren’t going to use any weapons but fortunately Jane threw herself on the ground avoiding the knife. She growled and stood up, getting ready to fight but every time she tried to grab her sickle a knife flew in the way. “You’re cheating, Grace!” she yelled at the girl “That’s not fair!” she jumped to the side to avoid another knife but cheating wasn’t enough to piss her off. She took a deep breath kept avoiding the flying weapons. Jane was a girl with a short temper but the lever of rage she had to hit to get out of control was way bigger than that. And it wasn’t on her plans to hurt Thalia.

The girl ran to the middle of the room, staying next to the statue. It was big and large enough to protect her from the knife as long as she kept spinning to avoid staying in front of Thalia. She was running like an animal and Jane wasn’t expecting anything different from a huntress but she had her techniques herself. “What the fuck you think you’re doing?” she yelled when a knife made a scratch on her shoulder, alittle bit of blood staining her white shirt. The girl gave herself a mental note to never drop her weapons next to Thalia again.

[graciousthalia]

She couldn't help but laugh even louder at Jane's annoyance. It wasn't fair alright, but neither was life. If she wanted to team up, knowing every single weakness of said companion was the least she could do. The odds were on the table now, and Thalia was only beggining to understand that. This? This was just a game, some one-on-one time to skip time and distract from the joys of incarceration. But deep down, and whole-heartedly, she knew that those scratches were nothing compared to what she could save Stewart from if they became partners.

"Hey, your mom doesn't give a shit", she called up, breathles as she moved. "And neither does my dad" Thalia liked this, this adrenaline. It was like training with Artemis all over again. "So I guessed we could play tutors." 

She followed as the rookie hid behind the statue. "Lesson one, Stewart", Thalia jumped, throwing a knife to one side as she landed on the opposite, catching the girl from behind and twisting her arm, bending her over enough to rest the blade on her neck and whisper to the girl's earlob. "Enemies cheat."

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

“Oh c’mon grace you totally got it you’re not stupid.” Jane said. It bothered her that Zeus had built that incredible cabin for his kids and the kids of other gods had to push themselves inside the Hermes’ cabin so they wouldn’t get eaten by the cleaning harpies. It was not fair but at least now Zeus was getting what he deserved. Jane wasn’t on Kronos side. She would never dream of it but she hated Zeus and nothing could change that. She agreed with her mother when she said that he was the most selfish between the gods.

The girl raised an eyebrow when Thalia told her to drop her sickle, but she did what she asked and sat in front of her. “I can summon the ghosts according to the person I want to use my powers against. I can travel into their past to find the right ghost and invite him to this world so he or she will come. Or I can simply haunt someone with the ghosts I want to.” she said and looked away “But I don’t know how to do it. It only works when I’m angry, sad or whatever.” she continued. Fortunately or not, Jane was feeling okay, meaning that she’d have troubles to show Thalia her powers but she was still up to trying.

[graciousthalia]

"We need to change that, then", the grin went from playful to downright devious. She wanted to see what would happen. Thalia understood what she meant. Back in the days when she couldn't control the lightning, there was nothing she could do but wait for the battle frenesi. Those tenuous seconds when the blood is upon her hands and she can nearly taste it, the few moments of sanity before giving in completely -- that's what she needed to focus on. If Stewart could channel these moments and use it to direct her skills at an enemy, she could prove herself a worthy ally. It was no secret the games were near, and survival rested on associating with the right players.

Standing, and grabbing a small knife, she waited until Jane was fully up and threw it at her, only fast enough so she was sure the girl would dodge it. "Training's officially started" In the meantime, she bent down to pick up others and rushed around the room like a hunting animal, giving little to no time so that Stewart wouldn't be able to arm herself. Karma would kill her for that in the future, but playing dirty was the first strategy she could think of to get an edge out of the ghost girl.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Jane walked in and looked around a bit suspicious. The Zeus cabin was incredibly big and she had to admit that it was a beautiful place. At least as beautiful as the cabin of a camp can be. There was a big statue of Zeus in the middle of it and it and Jane wondered how creepy it would be to sleep with that creepy marble statue staring at her. And still, she considered Thalia very lucky for having that cabin for herself. The blond girl kept a few time looking around. It was quite suspicious that Thalia had suddenly decided to help her knowing that they’d have to kill each other in the games so Jane decided to take her help but still keep an eye open. She couldn’t go around trusting everyone.

“Bite me.” she muttered finally turning around to face the other girl “So what now, Grace?” she continued, her blond hair partly falling in front of her eye. She hadn’t brought any weapon except for her Stygian iron sickle, knowing that she could end up having to fight one or two guards if they had followed her. Fortunately, Jane had been very careful when walking to the cabin and the guards were mostly positioned in the forest and in the ways that could lead to outside the camp meaning that Jane simply walked normally all the way to cabin 1 “Am I supposed to start some kind of satanic ritual here with that creepy star and shit?” she asked sarcastically.

[graciousthalia]

Thalia laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what you're into? Sorry, Stewart, you're not really my type." She had to admit, it felt pretty damn good seeing Jane's expression when she entered the place, even though it was nearly impossible for Thalia to feel anything other than bitterness and disgust toward it. It was hard, pinpointing how she felt exactly. All Grace had ever known was that she loathed that Cabin as much as she did to her father. Nowadays, said hatred was painting grayer every time she thought about it. The lines were blurry. She couldn't tell anymore.

"Drop the sickle. We're not using weapons tonight." Doing so she threw away her own shield. "Eh, don't be stupid. The creepy star is a pentagram. You should know it. First I want some intel. How do your ghost powers work?" Thalia sat down, a feline smile pulling her lips as she gazed at the girl challengingly.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I'll give you something to cry about || Jane and Thalia

Jane walked slowly to her cabin to rest a little before meeting Thalia in the Zeus cabin. Even tho she was supposed to be there in 15 minutes. The girl wasn’t really excited to practice her powers she would rather sleep the whole day and keep ignoring the fact that she had powers like she had been doing lately. She spent a few minutes lying in her bed listening to the screams and laughs of the Hermes’ kids and the only thing that made her stand up to go was the fact that she knew that her powers could save her life during the games.

She left the Hermes’ cabin and started walking towards the Zeus’ cabin. She was probably a few minutes late and she knew that Thalia wouldn’t be happy with that but Jane was just going to say that she had accidentally fell asleep or something like that. When she finally arrived she stood in front of the door and knocked 5 times “Grace?” she called.

[graciousthalia]

Minutes seemed like hours as Thalia paced from one side of the Cabin to the other. Running from Cabins 8 to 1 was tiring, yet knowing that it was empty, the danger was smaller. Easy to get to know a place when you're the first person to live there in fifty years. She wasn't one to be kept waiting. The thrill of seeing the Melinoe girl in action, on the other hand... It was worth it. She'd lied. The daughter of Zeus had only dreamed of witnessing the ghostly powers with her own eyes. It had been easy to extract information from the nymphs, but it's not like she would have risked being spotted in the woods. She was smarter. But Jane didn't need to know that.

When the knocking started, she was already impatient. She let the girl knock one, twice, until she felt she'd been karma'd enough. "You're late", she mused, the trademark smirk appearing as she indicated for her to come in, and shut the door behind them, keeping a watchful eye for any guards who could have seen them. 

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Good.

Great then. When are you up to it?

[graciousthalia]

Fifteen minutes. Zeus' Cabin. Right before the curfew. In the worst case scenario we'll catch the guards with their pants down. 

Try not to get caught.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Not. An. Option. Grace.

[graciousthalia]

... Fine.

But I'm still in for the show.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I’ll take your help but I won’t use my powers on you. That’s not an option.

[graciousthalia]

Aw, come on. I faced your mom and lived to tell the tale. Denying that is almost insulting of you.

Don't worry. I can take it. I might bend, but I don't break. I'm just curious.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

-raises an eyebrow- How?

[graciousthalia]

Hey, I had to master my own spooky powers once before, you know?

Also, I'm kinda immune to battle wounds. You need to practice your ghost skills on someone, right? I can be your guinea pig.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

If you really want to know, Thalia, I have no fucking idea of how to use my powers and I highly doubt that my mother will help me.

[graciousthalia]

I could help you.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

-sigh- Sure. I should have guessed.

Won’t do it.

[graciousthalia]

Damn, so cold. It was an honest question. I'm always curious when the rookies get cool abilities. 

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Will do. It won’t take long since I’m starting to have weird bad mood crises.

How do you even know about it? Sometimes you really creeps me out, Grace.

[graciousthalia]

You learn a thing or two about stealth when you have to hunt for Artemis.  And the woods aren't exactly the best place to keep a secret.

Didn't answer my question.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

I might have punched a few guards today.

[jane-stewart-melinoe-kid-blog]

Eh I usually don’t. I tend to ignore their presence.

[graciousthalia]

Props for having this kind of will. 'Fraid I can't say the same about myself. Do remember to give me a call next time you're at it.

*leans forward, a smirk upon her lips* How's the spooky ghost powers going?