DA : Chapter 76: Making Choices III

( Thalia POV )

Thalia … was pissed. Oh sure, near all powerful primordial goddess with domain of Sky and Storms.

Capable of firing blots with more kick than that bastards Master stick without tiring in the slightest, taught by Nyx and the past council in everything from politics and war to home economics of all things, and if she wanted to be a little vain, a smoking hot body putting almost all other goddesses save for fellow members of the council to shame.

Her own palace and servants at her beck and call, all the time in the world, and best of all, no more stupid oath of chastity. Granted the last benefit was in a tricky spot at the moment.

However! Now she wasn't just a warrior getting to run around in the woods, hunt and fight to her hearts content, and basically be a bit of a crass bitch when the mood suited her. Now she was a council member, a political representative and power with scary levels of authority.

Damn shame that power, especially in the political and social sense, came with baggage and leashes. That meant that she couldn't break her foot off in Aeolus' ass as the pompous twat droned on and on, trying to weasel some benefits and deals for his neutrality or possibly moving to Mount Cartier.

No thanks! Last thing she needed was to castrate him if he tried to put the moves on her again at home.

"I don't see why we need him anyways," she growled as she flashed to the House of Primordials and started walking up the steps to their villa. "It's not like he's even a heavy hitter and any storm spirits he releases can be tied down between me and Jason."

She scoffed as she mindlessly kicked her feet, unconsciously willing her storm boots to dissolve into anklets of crackling electricity and her clothes changing from a semi-formal chiton reaching past her knees and braided hair into a snug tank shirt and short shorts with her hair in a loose ponytail.

"Stupid, smug, spineless wind god," she muttered as she moved to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of chilled nectar from the fridge rather than snapping her fingers and willing it into existence.

She didn't really need to eat anymore but the familiar sensation calmed her down as the liquid energy settled into her stomach. She hummed as she glanced around the kitchen, wondering if she would cook regular food or just grab some ambrosia from the fridge as well but in the end shrugged and left towards the living room.

As she walked she focused back on the planet and noticed that several of the protogenoi weren't on the surface at the moment. She could only feel Jason in Florida, Styx and Phoebe in their mountain, and Nico in New York.

"Wondering where Perce and his ladies are?" she mused, pointedly ignoring a small and familiar pang in her chest every time she thought about it. Damn feeling had been an annoying itch for the last two years (surface time).

She arrived at the living room and was about to lay back on large sofa and possibly turn on the TV when she caught some sniffling. She glanced around until noticing that the patio doors were open and just beyond Andromeda was sitting at the pool edge with her back to Thalia.

She could also see the slight shake of her shoulders and caught another sniffle making her frown before she approached slowly. Andromeda seemed to be so out of it that she hardly noticed Thalia getting closer.

"Andy?" Thalia started after getting just within a few feet making Andy jump with a gasp.

She glanced back for a moment but then hastily turned her face away and rubbed at her eyes. Sadly for Andy, Thalia had clearly seen her puffy eyes and tear streaks.

"Andy, what's wrong?" she asked tenderly, waiting as the goddess finally, slowly, turned to face her again.

"N-nothing …" she mumbled.

Thalia didn't even validate that crummy lie with a response. She merely sighed as she got a little closer and sat beside Andy and let her feet sink into the pool as well with mild amusement as Andy gasped from the low voltage introduced to the water from Thalia's anklets. Finally settled she turned her face and stared at Andy in the eyes, silently demanding a proper answer this time.

The Love goddess seemed oddly defensive for a minute or two before sighing in defeat, her lips barely forming into a pout.

"I um … I'm sort of in trouble and might have made things worse," she said cryptically.

"With who and for what?" Thalia continued.

Andromeda glanced down at her lap hesitantly for a moment before taking a deep breath and answering. Suddenly it seemed as if some dam had broken and everything just came spilling out, at one point through sobs, at other times with Andy making the biggest goo-goo eyes Thalia had ever seen when she mentioned how she felt about Percy.

It took a good hour or so thanks to Thalia interrupting several times with questions for clarifications. Who knew Love and Desire were such complicated domains?

Thalia always thought it just involved diving into every pair of pants and panties within sight given how Aphrodite behaved. 'Damn, even after years without Artemis I still get a bitter taste whenever I think of that damn whore,' Thalia thought with a grimace as Andromeda finally tapered off.

"So let me get this straight," Thalia said after a full minute of silence. "You love Perce," she said avoiding using names and possibly drawing his attention. "… but in the romantic way…"

A shy nod.

"And not only that but of all things the very core of your Love domain is honed in on him as are all your domains. Now because of that you won't even stand the thought of being with anyone else."

Another firmer nod.

"And holding back is starting to hurt you but when you told our queens, they didn't take it too well."

"All things considered I think they took it extremely well," Andy muttered as she looked at the stars beyond their little floating island. "But I don't know if they'll be willing … or if Perce even feels that way about me."

Thalia snorted slightly drawing the other goddess' gaze before saying, "Are you sure you can't just wait it out and move on? I mean, is it really that bad or maybe you haven't found mister right?"

Andromeda gapped at her, in apparent shocked silence.

"Y-you think this is just a passing thing? Just a habit I can break?" she asked in an oddly cold voice making Thalia get the feeling that she might have said the wrong thing.

Andromeda suddenly stood up, glaring sharply at Thalia. "I see that huntress' teachings are still ingrained in you. Well news flash, I'm not that sham of a Love goddess and this isn't some passing thing. I love him, I always have, and it took my own powers acting up for me to realize it."

"And then what?" Thalia asked back, falling back on her usual stubbornness and familiar distrust of love deities in general.

They just always seemed to cause all manner of discord around them and now the council was getting some of that drama barely a month in after being formed. "Who's to say that you won't have your love shift again then you'll just—"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as she jumped back, narrowly avoiding the fist that plowed into the marble she'd just been sitting on. She landed in a crouch and looked to see Andromeda's fist buried past the wrist in the miniature crater at the pool edge, the goddess giving Thalia a piercing glare.

"Let's get something clear," Andromeda said in a dangerous tone that immediately reminded Thalia of Percy during the rare times he was really pissed off. "Just because I can love multiple people doesn't mean I can't be faithful or only stay with one person.

Being a Love goddess means I can adjust but once my feelings cement and are returned, they don't change. I don't love him because of my domain, it just means that I can't lie to myself and deny it like some others," she nearly spit the last words venomously while narrowing her eyes at Thalia.

She then slowly got up with her fist still clenched.

"Don't you dare call my feelings a bluff or a phase," she practically snarled before beginning to walk past Thalia and back into the villa. "And by the way, maybe you should rethink why exactly you joined the Hunt in the first place." Then she was gone leaving Thalia confused as she narrowed her eyes.

What the hell did she mean by that? Everyone knew she joined to avoid the damn prophecy … even if it did leave her feeling guilty about dumping it all on Percy's shoulders.

She'd have liked to be there for him and offer support … but then again he already had Annabeth at the time. And then he upped and disappeared without telling her and it hurt knowing he just left rather than being taken against his will or something.

Only for them to be reunited and surprise! Another gorgeous woman on his arm. At least he had succeeded and was happy now and so was she … right?

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Don't forget to throw some power Stones, to keep the story going.

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