2 am; where do I begin,
Crying off my face again.
The silent sound of loneliness
Wants to follow me to bed.
Thalia couldn't sleep. Even when she had lived on the streets with Annabeth and Luke, she was less restless. She had been with the Amazons for about 6 sleepless nights, and although Queen Hylla was just and smart, Thalia would've preferred the company of the Lady Artemis and the Huntresses far more. She tossed and turned, regretting ever retreating to the bed. It was too quiet. Yes, Thalia enjoyed her peace. Yes, she used to be aggravated with the others when they woke up. But she wouldn't have had it any other way. She was lonely.
I'm the ghost of a girl that I want to be most.
I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well.
Thalia seemed to be almost transcendent, constantly lost in thought. Her own father, Zeus, burnt all of the Huntresses with harsh bolts if lightning in fit of frustration at Artemis. He spared only his children: the Goddess of the Moon, and Thalia herself. She would rather have been a tree than suffered with the Amazons, surrounded by people yet still so alone. With the Huntresses, Thalia was truly alive, truly present. It had made a nice change from being a pine. Of course, Zeus took that away from her. Now, she was a ghost of who she once was.
Dancing slowly in an empty room,
Can the lonely take the place of you?
I sing myself a quiet lullaby.
Let you go and let the lonely in
To take my heart again.
At the mass burial of the Huntresses, a week into her life with the Amazons, Thaila attended alone. No one else was in the room. There was no music, so Thalia quietly murmured the lyrics to a lullaby she'd thought she'd forgotten, one that she had sung to Jason to get him to sleep, because her irritating mother was too drunk to stop the wailing. She swayed slightly and subconsciosuly, and let her family go. Their spirits would be in Elysium. There was no other place worthy of the Huntresses.
Too afraid to go inside
For the pain of one more loveless life.
Cause the loneliness will stay with mme
And hold me till I fall asleep.
When Thalia returned to the Amazon building, the Amazons seemed to be in mass preparation for a guest. She thought nothing of it. Perhaps Hylla had a suitor spending the night, who she would then likey enslave. Thalia didn't particularly cre. She had never cared for boys, and it felt strange to be able to love after spending so long with a vow to remain single. Thalia once again retreated to her bed, ignoring the shrill calls of other Amazons for her to help them. The bed was too cold.
I'm the ghost of a girl that I want to be most.
I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well.
Dancing slowly in an empty room,
Can the lonely take the place of you?
I sing myself a quiet lullaby
Let you go and let the lonely in
To take my heart again.
Thalia dreams of another lonely girl, another lost soul that wouldn't dare admit except it themselves. Thalia dreams of another girl just like her, one that she can love.
It's shouldn't have come as a surprise when it's Reyna who came to visit Hylla, given that their sisters, but Thalia had long since forgotten that people still loved, still had someone left to care for. Yes, she had Jason, but Thalia could admit that they were strangers and Jason didn't need her love and care. They shared a small nod to acknowledge the presence of eachother, but Reyna engaged in conversation with her sister.
Thalia didn't realise she'd been drumming the lullaby against her leg with her fingers until it was over, and her hand felt too still. She was alone, other than the frustratingly idiotic males in Cages behind her. She was supposed to be paying attention, but Thalia had zoned out. "Aren't you supposed to be watching those prisoners?" Reyna said, raising a dark eyebrow as she emerged from the shadows. "Aren't you supposed to be watching New Rome?" Thalia retorted, raising a black eyebrow in order to mirror Reyna. "Frank is more than capable, though I'm sure the legion thrives when I'm at camp. I had other commitments, whilst you seemed to have your head in the clouds. Chatting with father?" "I don't pray for that dickhead. I worship myself, the true Goddess." Lies. Artemis was the lone subject of Thalia's prayers. "Goddess of what? Loneliness?" Reyna mocked, walking closer to Thalia. Her perfect braid swung as she moved. Thalia's heart leapt, a thrilling reminder of the of the Huntresses."You're one to talk. Didn't my little brother reject you? Shame, you were so obsessed with him." "Is that what you think? Please, he's obsessed with me." They both laughed, and talked more. (This converstaion consisted of a lot of stories exchanged about Jason.) For once, Thalia didn't feel so lonely anymore.
Broken pieces of
A barely breathing story
Where there once was love
There's only me and the lonely.
Since their conversation, Thalia and Reyna had become closer. Although Reyna had returned to Camp Jupiter to fulfill her duties, they Iris messaged. Although ridiculous stories about a younger blond Superman contributed, the true roots of their bonding had been the fact that they were both lonely. They both had a sibling they rarely spoke to left in the world, and a couple of friends. They were like two broken pieces of a smashed glass bottle. Something complete and content destroyed. But, these shards fitted together. Whilst they didn't make a whole bottle, they were still more complete. Thalia knew her rising love was unrequited- she was doomed to be alone forever, even if her vows were now worthless. Once, Thalia had had love. Now, she couldn't even recognise if it was right in front her. The issue was, neither could Reyna.
Thalia visited Camp Jupiter. She planned to visit Reyna, and she knew that Jason would be visiting too. Thalia thought he should just stick to one Camp and be done with it. When Thalia arrived, she did not expect people to be dancing. In fact, she did not expect them to be dancing well. They were Romans- barbarians, who stabbed and didn't slice. How could they- with the exception of Frank, who was repeatedly falling over himself and Hazel-be graceful and light on their feet? Thalia felt out of place. She wore black skinny jeans, a leather jacket with silvsr studs in the corner, and an old, fading Fall Out Boy T-shirt. She saw Reyna, who was in a dark purple blouse and black leggings. Clearly she hated dresses as much as Thalia. "What is this?" She asked the Praetor of New Rome. "A celebration for a year since the war with Gaea." Reyna replied with a scowl. "It's loud. Do you wanna go somewhere quiet?" Thalia pretty much yelled. Reyna nodded and led the way. It was crepuscular, but Thalia could make out Reyna's strong jaw and obsidian eyes. The room they were in was empty. It was silent, but the two lonely girls stared at eachother. Reyna began to hum a tune that Thalia recognised as her lullaby. "Do you memorise everything I sing/say? Or do you record me 24/7? I understand the obsession with me, but this is a bit far." "Be quiet. It's your own fault that you're dopey enough to go off into your own world and hum, Dwarf." "Wow. Does SPQR stand for Stupid Prissy Queen Reyna, then?" "Though 'Queen Reyna' would be accurate, anybody with the brain of a Harpy knows that SPQR stands for Senatus Populus que Romanus, which means the Senate and People of Rome, since you lack the intelligence to translate four basic Latin words." Reyna began to hum again. "If you hum you have to dance. I bet you can't, since you walk like a pigeon overdosing on nectar whilst shitting itself." "Make me, Ligno." (A/N: Ligno=tree in Latin) Reyna continued to hum in challenge. Thalia smirked and pulled Reyna to her feet. She held onto her hands, and began to sway so that they were slowly dancing in the isolated room to the lullaby. Electric blue eyes met obsidian black ones. Then, much go Thalia's happy shock, Reyna kissed her firmly on the lips.
Dancing slowly in an empty room
Can the lonely take the place of you?
I sing myself a quiet lullaby
Let you go and let the lonely in
To take my heart again.