Chapter Summary: Thalia's plan is not really planned.

Contains something from my thalianca one-shot, "Stuck on You."

Thalia couldn't stop hyperventilating.

None of this made any sense to her. Everything was so very wrong, it sent her mind spiraling at 70mph, and her lungs were trying desperately to keep up.

Centaurs, cyclopes, dracnae, and various other creatures, even some Thalia didn't recognize, marched in the ravine. This had to be the army Juno warned about. The army that was heading towards Reyna.

"Centaurs," Thalia managed. "Good guys...they trained heroes...why?"

Frank choked. "That's not what I learned. Centaurs are always getting drunk and killing heroes."

Thalia got another flash. She had fought alongside centaurs hadn't she?

"Chiron," she muttered, but if her companions overheard they didn't show it. "Gods...I don't..."

Hazel gripped her forearm. "Let them pass," she whispered. "It's okay."

Towards the back of the army, Thalia spotted him. Twenty feet tall and armored. Huge snakes slithered from his head, and he looked like something that had washed up on a beach somewhere. If he was half as smelly as he looked, Thalia was sure his stench alone could kill most of Camp Jupiter.

Not a real refreshing thought.

"Polybotes," Hazel informed them. "Bane of Neptune."

"Poseidon," Thalia translated shakily. "God of the Sea."

"He sure looks like he came from the sea," Frank replied, scrunching his nose in disgust. "Crap. Thalia, you might not want to look."

"Daughter of Jupiter!" Even through the walls of the storefront, they shook from his bellow.

Polybotes had found their abandoned car. He crushed it beneath his heel, tugging some of the reptiles from his head, whispering to them, and flinging them into the tall grass.

"What are those?"

"Basilisks," Hazel said. "I—I learned about them in monster class at camp. They're poisonous and breathe fire."

"The poison isn't dangerous enough?" Frank muttered.

"Oh, great," Fleecy muttered angrily. "Now they're headed this way."

Thalia was dizzy and Hazel's grip was the only thing keeping her grounded, but she managed to meet Fleecy's irritated gaze. "Sorry."

Fleecy shrugged. "It's not you. Monsters always think they can just waltz right in here, knock down all the shelves, and they never bother to pay."

Iris cleared her throat. "I can handle this, Fleecy."

Thalia buried her face in her hands as more images assaulted her. She fell to the floor and Hazel was unable to support her weight.

Fleecy dropped to her knees. "Oh, goodness, your friend doesn't look too well. I need to run and get her some herbal tea."

"Thalia, you are far too confident of your abilities. It makes you impulsive."

"To manipulate the Mist, all you must do is simply will it so, trust in what you say, and snap your fingers. Go on now, child. Try."

"You and Percy are natural enemies, but you are very much alike. You will either be the best of friends, or you will end up killing one another."

"Your mother, child...she has passed away. I am sorry. It is too late."

"You will always have a home here at Camp Half-Blood."

Thalia gasped as her mouth was pried open by delicate hands. Something warm was poured down her throat, and she couldn't help but swallow it.

"It's okay," Frank said. "The army marched on."

"That's not good news," Thalia griped. "It just means Polybotes is that much closer to Reyna."

Before she could amend "Reyna" to "Camp Jupiter," Fleecy was pouring more tea into her.

Hazel looked a little curious at the use of the praetor's name, but she thankfully left it alone.

"Iris made this killer rainbow," Frank explained further. "It disintegrated any monster that came close. Polybotes ordered them to keep moving."

Fleecy looked proud of her mistress. Iris dusted her hands off on her long, tie-dye skirt.

Iris kneeled in front of Thalia and pressed fingers to her temple. "Memory sickness," she mused to herself. "Are you feeling better, huntress?"

Thalia nodded shakily. "I'm just...dizzy."

She knew dizzy didn't even begin to cover it, but her friends already looked nervous enough. The last thing they needed was an amnesiac having a panic attack.

"Then we have a lot to talk about," Iris chirped. "Follow me."

"You're going to need help locating Thanatos," Iris began. "I am strictly nonviolent, unless in terms of self-defence, but I can offer you some advice."

"You know where he is?" Frank guessed.

"No," Iris admitted, gazing at him thoughtfully. "Alaska is beyond our sphere of control. But there is somebody who would know. Seek out the seer Phineas. He is blind, but he can see the past, present, and future. He knows many things that the gods do not. He can tell you where Thanatos is being held."

"Phineas," Frank echoed. "I remember something about him. A story."

"In the old days," Iris said, nodding in agreement. "He committed horrible crimes. He used his gift of sight for evil. Jupiter sent the harpies to plague him."

Thalia winced. Phineas wasn't going to be too fond of her.

"The Argonauts, including your ancestor, Frank, the Prince of Pylos, drove the harpies away in exchange for Phineas's help. That was eons ago, but Phineas has returned to the mortal world. You will find him in Portland, Oregon."

"That's on our way anyway," Thalia noted, nodding. "Maybe I can beat some answers out of him."

Iris hesitated. "However you chose to enlist his help, you must promise me one thing. If he is still plauged by harpies, do not kill them, no matter what Phineas promises you. The harpies are not evil. They are my sisters."

"I swear," Thalia recited like she had done it a thousand times already, "on the River Styx."

The ground rumbled, but Iris leaned back in her wicker chair, placated.

"One more thing," she said, turning her attention to Frank. "You will have to clear those basilisks off the hill."

"Fire-breathing, poisonous snakes," Frank clarified slowly. "I have to deal with them."

"They would be terrible for business," Iris reasoned. "Besides, you won't be able to leave until they're gone. If your friends try to battle them...well, I foresee bad things happening. Frank, only you have the ability to kill the monsters." She looked at his spear meaningfully. "I wish there was another way. If you had some weasels, for instance. Weasels are deadly to basilisks."

"Fresh out of weasels," Frank admitted.

"Then you will have to use your father's gift."

Frank rose unsteadily. "How do I use my spear?"

"Hold on," Thalia argued, rising from her seat. "Frank isn't going out there without back-up."

"Thalia," Iris looked almost sad. "Daughter of Z—Jupiter. You face many challenges. You will play a very important role. It would be a shame if you died at the fangs of a basilisk."

The goddess laughed and it sounded like bells. "Besides, Artemis might stop buying from our store if I let her lieutenant melt her own face off."

Thalia paled, taking her seat again. If what Iris had foreseen was her getting her face burnt off, then who was she to argue?

Sure, she didn't like leaving Frank to battle them alone, but she felt like they could trust Iris. The goddess seemed confident that Frank would succeed.

Trying to have a little faith in someone that wasn't herself for once, Thalia wished him luck.

Portland was not like she imagined. At all. It was relatively quiet, and most of the buildings surrounding them were coffee shops and antique stores. She wasn't quite sure what she had expected, but it wasn't this.

After they managed to steal yet another vehile, their feet throbbing in pain from sprinting for so long, it had been a four hour drive from Medford to Portland.

Phineas, however, well he was exactly how she imagined. He was ugly, and old, and plagued by harpies. It was obvious he was blind. He was chasing off the harpies with a weed whacker and, 8 times out of 10, he missed. He hadn't seemed to notice the demigods yet.

Frank flinched when Phineas landed a lucky hit on an unsuspecting harpy. The harpy screamed, something that boiled Thalia's blood, and flew away.

"They're trying to take his food," Hazel noted.

Thalia nodded. Everything smelled so good, she couldn't blame the harpies. "It's not like he needs it," she remarked hatefully. "C'mon, let's go pummel him for answers."

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," Frank spoke up. His eyes flashed nervously when she spun quickly to look at him. "Um, I mean, it's just...maybe we should try reasoning with him first? He has a weed whacker."

Hazel nodded in agreement. "I don't think pummeling him would be very effective."

"It'd be fun," Thalia muttered, but she acquiesced. "Alright, c'mon. Let's go reason him to death."

Thalia stormed towards the ruckus, snatching a burrito from a table and unwrapping it. Phineas heard the crinkling of the aluminum and furrowed his brows, narrowing his milky white eyes in her direction.

"Chicken," he snarled, making his way towards her with his weapon of choice. He moved with all the grace of an elephant on roller blades.

"If you whack me, old man, harpies are going to be the least of your worries," Thalia warned, taking a bite out of the burrito. Mmm. She felt bad that the harpies had to miss out on this. She wasn't exactly big on sharing—it was a fuzzy memory, but she was pretty sure she had actually skipped that day in kindergarten to wrestle snakes—but she tore off a couple pieces of her burrito and flung them on the ground for the hungry harpies.

"No, demigod!" Phineas shrieked. "These harpies have been torturing me for millenia! They are finally feeling my vengence!"

"Calm down," Thalia said between bites. She wasn't sure how she did it, but she waved her hand, dismissing the harpies. They cocked their heads in slight interest before they obeyed, flying off. "They're gone. We have a lot to talk about, Ferb."

"Phineas," he corrected, practically hissing. "How did you do that?"

Thalia shrugged. She realized he couldn't see the notion, so it was a waste of time. "As amazing as I am, that's not what we're here to talk about."

He sniffed the air, his lips snarling. "You're a daughter of Jupiter." He cursed under his breath, which no doubt smelled of mushroom soup and denture cream. "How dare you come to me! Your father cursed me to be plagued by these harpies! All because he feared my power—"

"Are you done?" Thalia asked, irritated. "I'm not here to punish you. Sadly."

Hazel's fingers twitched and Frank crossed his arms over his chest. Thalia felt safe knowing her friends were ready to step in if necessary.

"I have been punished enough," Phineas snapped. He cackled, and the sound was as bitter as anti-freeze. "It is true that Jupiter cursed me. The gods were angry. I revealed too many secrets. For example, you, Hazel Levesque, are supposed to be dead," he quipped, turning his gaze to Frank. "And your lifeline depends on a piece of wood."

That didn't surprise Thalia. The way Hazel talked, the way she had reacted in the car, the times she had seemed to almost blackout—well, it was all too familiar. It was clear Hazel was placed out of her time.

But Frank? Well, she wasn't sure what Phineas meant about his lifeline but it didn't sound very good.

Phineas seemed to have a bit of fun poking and prodding into Thalia's future. "You are going to lose your life, Daughter of Jupiter." He smiled like he was maintaining a friendly conversation. "Does a vow mean nothing to you?"

"Shut up," Thalia cut him off, angry mostly at herself for letting his words have an effect on her. "I'm here to make a deal," Thalia continued, unaffected by his seething curses. "I need to know where the giants are hiding Thanatos."

Phineas chortled, but he took a seat at a plastic table. "Oh, I knew something was different about you," he said. "Your scent is off, but I still sense it. You're not Roman at all, are you? No, Romans do not compromise. Greeks, on the other hand..." Phineas smiled, and it looked very similar to a hyena. "Greeks aren't exactly fun to make deals with."

"You have my word," Thalia interrupted, very aware of the bewildered stares she received from her friends. "What do you want?"

She wondered if Phineas would puke if he could see himself now—thin mouth pulling skyward to reveal cracked and browning teeth. "One of the harpies is faster than the others," he explained, leaning back in his white plastic chair. It looked like it would crack beneath his weight at any second. "You saw her, I'm sure. She almost made off with a slice of delicious pizza."

"The red one," she remarked stupidly, realizing he wouldn't exactly know the color of her feathers. "I mean, the one you injured."

"Yes," he hissed. "She escapes me every time! If you capture her and bring her to me, I will give you the answers you seek."

Thalia nodded. She realized he couldn't see that, either. Gods, she was insensitive.

"You got it," she said. "But we'll need some more food."

Phineas looked reluctant, but he nodded his permission. Not that she needed it.

Frank and Hazel stuffed different types of food into their bags, thankfully understanding that Thalia deemed this a good opportunity to stock up. She snatched a granola bar up and they marched through Portland, searching for signs of the harpy. She couldn't have traveled very far—not with an injured wing and an empty stomach, anyway.

"There she is," Frank motioned.

Thalia still couldn't see what he was talking about. Her vision had to be as strong as Phineas's.

"On the playground," Frank continued, realizing she hadn't spotted her.

Thalia hummed, picking up her pace. Now that she was close, she could really make out some of the harpy's features. She had the head and torso of a human, but the legs and wings of a chicken. Her hair was a startling red that matched her feathers, and she was scrawny and fidgeting. It was no wonder, with the way Phineas was starving them.

Hazel cleared her throat. "We aren't really...giving her over to him, right? You saw the way he was treating them." She shook her head at the mere thought. "That man—he needs to die. Again."

"We'll think of something," Thalia assured. "Even if he has to have her just long enough to tell me what I need to know. We can free her afterwards."

"That can't work," Frank said. "Phineas can see the past, present, and future, remember? He already seems suspicious of you." He leaned forward to whisper, like there would be dire consequences if his voice was heard. "He called you a Greek."

"I could call him a lot worse," she dismissed. "Look, how else are we supposed to do this?"

"Chance," the harpy's voice surprised all of them. She looked like she was about to scurry off again.

Thalia couldn't let that happen.

She hurriedly unwrapped the granola bar. "Hey, chick," she said, ignoring Frank's suppression of laughter. "What's your name?"

"Name?" the harpy echoed. "Name, name. 100,000 + Baby Names: The Most Complete, Fascinating, and Helpful Name Book You Can Find." She shifted her feet on the monkey bars. "Ella."

Thalia's lips quirked. "Ella," she repeated. "Are you hungry, Ella?"

"Hungry," the harpy repeated. "Hungry by H.A. Swain." She cocked her head to the side. "Thalia Apple?"

"No," Thalia murmured, confused. She gestured with the food. "Granola bar. Not an apple."

"I think that's a book," Hazel muttered, and Thalia was stuck by the intense glimmer in her eyes. She couldn't tell if they were marred by tears or peppered by the light drizzle. "Thalia Apple must be the main character."

Thalia hummed thoughtfully, making it look like she was actually thinking something besides: Eat the freaking granola bar, Ella, so we can get the Hades out of here.

"Let me try," Hazel urged, gently plucking the granola bar from Thalia's hands. "She seems a little intimidated by you."

Hazel smiled gently. "Ella, it's okay. We just want to be your friend. We brought you food."

"Granola?" Ella asked, sniffing the air. She hesitantly wobbled forwards. "Granola is very good for harpies."

She snatched the bar before any of them could blink.

Thalia sensed the hungry harpies circling above and she glared at them one good time and it was enough to send them flying. She realized it was probably a daughter of Jupiter thing.

She almost jumped in her skin when she realized Ella was staring at her helplessly, munching on the granola bar. "A half-blood of the eldest gods, shall reach sixteen against all odds. Sixteen. You're sixteen. Page sixteen, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Potato and chile soup."

Thalia barely caught herself against the side of the slide. Her ears rang, and she felt so lightheaded she was sure her nose was going to start bleeding. "Ella," her voice seemed to spook the harpy, who shifted her gaze. "What...what did you just say?"

"Potato," Ella answered. "Chile."

"No, not that," Thalia said, shaking her head almost frantically. She felt a familiar darkness clasp her heart, tightening it in its fist until her pulse jumped and her blood rushed to her pounding head. "Those lines. I know those lines. They...they're part of a prophecy."

"I don't know the prophecy. I just know one of us is going to save Olympus...or destroy it."

Percy.

"No," Thalia had said to a cute girl with curly black hair. She had eyes like Nico—like coal, like the smoke of an oil fire. "Really. There's some big prophecy that pretty much says I'm going to destroy the world when I turn sixteen. Rough, huh?"

The girl agreed. "No pressure. Well, if it's any consolation, I don't think you're going to destroy the world."

"Thanks, B."

"B," Thalia said aloud, receiving a rather strange look from Hazel. She didn't have time to wonder what it meant. "Sorry. Where did Ella go?"

"She got scared by your freak out," Frank said. He pointed to the top of a three-story brick building. "She's up on the roof."

Thalia took off quickly, angry at herself for losing her focus yet again.

"Multnomah County Library," Frank translated for them as soon as the approached the doors. "It looks like it's open."

The library was huge. For some reason, it made Thalia think of Annabeth again. Most of her flashbacks were like that—she would see something that reminded her of someone in particular, and it would trigger a plethora of emotions, most of which she wasn't prepared to feel.

"Let's find a way to the roof," Thalia suggested, already navigating through the stacks. She couldn't afford to keep falling into her memories. As much as she wanted to remember everything, it wasn't exactly safe for her to lose her focus in the middle of a treacherous quest. "Found the stairs!"

Hazel was the first to approach Ella again. "Ella, hi. Sorry we scared you."

Frank pointed to the books surrounding Ella. Some of them were torn to shreds, missing half or more of their pages. "These things she's been saying—they're coming from books. She has all these memorized?"

Thalia picked up a copy of A History of Horseracing. "Ella, do you remember the third paragraph on page sixty-two?"

"Secretariat," Ella filled in. "Favored three to two, in the 1973 Kentucky Derby, finished at standing track record of one fifty-nine and two fifths."

Thalia slammed the book shut and tossed it on the ground. She scoffed in disbelief. "Verbatim."

"Amazing," Hazel breathed.

"She's a genuis chicken." Frank.

Thalia didn't like this. It was no wonder Phineas wanted to capture her. It wasn't because she had tortured him or even because she had tried to steal his food. Ella was special. If she could memorize books—if she was reciting prophecies—well, she probably knew a lot of things other people didn't. Things that Phineas didn't know. That made her a powerful asset to possess. Thalia thought about the possibilities, but quickly shook off her thoughts. She would never wish harm on Ella, but she could admit that the harpy was valuable.

"Ella," Thalia began again, sighing when the harpy flinched again.

"Just...speak really soft," Hazel suggested politely, smiling reassuringly when Thalia spared her an impatient glance. "You have a really commanding voice. You probably sound too much like the Big Man himself."

Thalia released a breath but nodded. She cleared her throat, edging closer. She tried not to look like a mountain lion as she did so. "Ella," her voice didn't even sound familiar, "I want to help you. We're going to break this curse. We need to figure out a way to beat...Phineas."

Ella shook her head wildly. "N-n-no! No Phineas. Ella is quick. Too quick for him. But he wants to ch-chain Ella. He hurts Ella."

"I won't let him hurt you," Thalia replied vehemently. Hazel's concerned glance reminded her to soften her voice again. "I need you to help us. You know his weaknesses, Ella. How can we defeat him?"

"N-no, tricks are for kids. 50 Tricks to Teach Your Dog, by Sophie Collins, call number six-three-six—"

"Okay, Ella," Hazel said patiently. Her voice sounded like honey, soft, smooth, and slow. Deliberate. "But does Phineas have any weaknesses?"

"Blind. He's blind."

Thalia and Frank both rolled their eyes at one another.

"Right," Hazel said calmly. "Besides that?"

"Chance," Ella said. Hadn't she said something about that on the playground? "Games of chance. Two to one. Bad odds. Call or fold."

Thalia's lips tugged into a smirk. "He's a gambler?" she asked. "He can't predict a game of chance?"

Ella explained, but Thalia's devious mind was already churning.

"Phineas sees the future," she summarized. "He sees important things. But he can't see small things, like random occurrences, games of chance. It makes gambling fun for him." Thalia smirked, rubbing her hands together. "He won't be able to resist."

Hazel nodded like it was starting to make sense to her, too. Thalia wouldn't be surprised if she had already come to that conclusion before them all. "If he loses, he has to tell us where Thanatos is. But what do we have to wager?"

"Life or death," Thalia responded a bit too quickly. "The prize has to be something Phineas wants."

"Not Ella," Hazel said. She was already gently pouring nectar over the harpy's wounds.

Thalia couldn't bring herself to disagree. "What else would he want?"

"Sight," Ella answered. "Sight is good for blind men. But nope, nope. Gaea won't do that for Phineas. Gaea keeps Phineas blind, dependent on Gaea. Yep."

Frank's eyes shot wide open. "I know," he said excitedly. He looked a bit guilty as he pulled two vials from his jacket. "Gorgon's blood."

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "Here's some Latin for you, Roman. Ad victorem spolias. To the victor go the spoils."

"I'm sorry," Frank managed. He visibily paled, and his throat bobbed. "I just—I—"

"Whatever. I probably couldn't be trusted with it anyway." She narrowed her eyes in warning. "Just don't do it again, or so help me—"

Frank saluted shakily. "You got it, boss."

"Hand 'em over," she commanded. "I got a plan and it doesn't involve letting you two die."

"What about you?" Hazel asked worriedly, but it mostly sounded like a challenge.

But Thalia was already hurrying down the stairwell.