Thalia's POV

"How do you plan on finding Hepheastus? He won't drop his location over any device even if one of his kids made it. There's too many risk factors," I worried, crossing my arms and glancing about the open tunnel space. Our group had gathered rather inconspicuously in the corner for some good old mission talk.
"He'll answer," Thia promised, "I've talked to him already."
"Things are a little different now," Andy frowned. "There's no bet he will. In that case, who do we find next? We can still try the transmission but it's best to have a back up plan going into this."
"Artemis is out of the question," Reyna pressed her lips into a thin line. "Aside from her, every other god has seemingly disappeared. Where we'd find them I don't know."
"There might be someone who can help," Emily mumbled, "I just worry it'll put stress on him."
"Who?" Marianna asked.
"Jamie," Emily sighed.
"Jamie?" Thia's eyes lit up in an instant. "He's here? Where?"
"Easy, tiger." Before she could run off, I set a firm hand upon her shoulder, "he's...fragile."
"What do you mean?" Thia frowned.
"She'll have to see him to understand," Hazel explained.
"I'll take her," I offered. I was one of the few people Jamie trusted, and I didn't know what effect Thia would have on him. He'd been there when Kronos showed up and as far as any of us knew he was the only kid from New Athens to survive. Seeing his mentor could go one of two ways.
"He's not hurt is he?" Thia worried, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip.
"No." Shaking my head, I beckoned for her to follow. "He's just little, and the things he saw have a large impact on the psyche of an eight year old."
Thia nodded, but I could tell by the look on her face that she was nervous. I couldn't blame her. Jamie made a lot of people nervous ever since he'd come stumbling into camp, soaked to the bone, and rambling 'Tick Tock' over and over again.
Pausing in front of the door to his room I made sure Thia was collected enough before letting her in. She stepped in first and I entered close behind. As expected, Jamie sat tucked up against the corner with his knees to his chest. Leah's cloak swamped him and he stared blankly at the empty space in front of him.
"Jamie?" Speaking softly as not to startle him, I whistled a little tune to get his attention. He whistled back before turning to look at me. "You okay buddy?"
"Ye-es," He nodded. "I'm okay Miss Sparky."
"Good." Smiling, I straightened up the cloak on his shoulders. "I have a surprise for you, but I need to make sure you're okay to handle it."
"I can," Jamie insisted, peering at me with his startling silver eyes.
"Alright." Sighing, I waved over my shoulder beckoning Thia forward. She crouched slowly by my side and extended a hesitant hand.
"Hi Jamie. Remember me? It's Thia."
He regarded her for a moment with those silver eyes of his saying and doing nothing. Then, he began to quake. At first I was worried until his tiny fragile arms emerged from the cloak. He held them out like a toddler asking to be picked up.
"Thia!" His voice wavered like a sputtering wind and she scooped him up with care.
"Hi buddy," Thia grinned. "You okay? Is my mom treating you alright? She didn't make you do chores did she?"
"No," Jamie shook his head.
"Wow, thanks," I snorted.
"I like Miss Sparky. She's nice," Jamie whispered. He always talked softly. Almost like it was impossible for his voice to go any louder.
"I like her too," Thia smiled faintly. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Where are the others?" Jamie glanced around expectantly.
"Uh," Thia swallowed tightly, "you listen to me okay Jamie? Can you do that?"
"Uh huh," he nodded.
"You know your friends? Well, they aren't with me right now. They won't be visiting you okay? They're going all the way to where Cerberus is and they're gonna play with him and keep him company. So they're okay, just sleeping for a while." Thia studied him for a moment.
"Oh," Jamie spoke slowly. "I see."
"Yeah," Thia nodded. "But it's okay. Like I said, they're gonna have a big doggy to play with."
"A b-big doggy,"Jamie's voice broke and little tears rushed down his cheeks. It occurred to me how much he understood despite his age. He was too young to lose such innocence. "To take naps with and play tag with? And they're gonna go to bed on t-time. Lights o-out a-t eight."
"Lights out at eight," Thia nodded.
Still, Jamie's bottom lip trembled and all I could think was how confused he must be. He had to have some understanding of it all but there was no way for him to piece it all together. His brain just wasn't that developed yet.
"Tick Tock!" He sobbed, nestling his face into her shoulder, "Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock..."
"Jamie," I sighed. "Tick Tock isn't here. He's gone. We spooked him off."
"No!" Jamie cried shaking his head, "Tick Tock is always here! Tick Tock-Ti-Tick Tock doesn't go away."
"Jamie-"
"Tick Tock goes with you," Jamie's hand clasped either side of Thia's face and his eyes seemed to glow brighter than before. "He goes with you. He-he-hates you. Make him go away! I don't want him h-here. Not with my Thia. Not-n-not..."
Jamie's breath became too sporadic for his body to keep up. He went limp in an instant. Thia was quick to ease him to the ground.
"Let me see his vitals." Sighing, I did a quick pulse count and made sure his breathing had begun to even out. Once I'd determined that there was no immediate danger to his life I turned to study Thia. She looked genuinely frightened. "Are you okay?"
"H-his eyes..." her voice sounded impossibly distant.
"What about them?"
"It was like he was seeing through me. Like there was someone or something else there. He was so terrified." Thia shook her head looking pale.
"We need to keep an eye on him," I decided "Something odd is going on here and I don't know what it is."
"He can stay in my area, it's quiet and separate from the main-"
"That works."
Neither of us moved for a moment. We were both still too stunned by what had happened. He'd grown so possessive, almost like keeping her alive from whatever threat he'd perceived was a matter of life or death.
At last, Thia collected him, though it seemed Jamie was now sleeping. He looked so peaceful compared to his previous state.
— — —
"So?" Luke raised an expectant and hopeful eyebrow when I returned to the group.
"Nothing."
"What happened?" Emily frowned.
"I honestly don't know." Shaking my head, I tried my best to explain what I'd seen but it was clear the others were just as confused as I was if not more. They were also equally afraid.
"We can figure more of that out later," Frank determined. "For now, I guess we try the transmission."
"I'm on it," Andy volunteered, jogging off to a small table in the corner of the room that housed the odd contraption.
"So, he just-freaked out?" Luke frowned, crossing his arms.
"Seemed like it," I nodded.
"You say he's a son of Apollo? Clear sighted more than others?"
"Yes," Leah agreed. "Why?"
"Well," Luke settled his chin in his hand, "what if he isn't seeing exactly what's in the present but he's projecting into the future?"
"That could explain it," Reyna sighed, "but that opens many doors and circumstances. Like how far into the future can he see? Is it set in stone or does it act like a prophecy? Is there interpretation? He's also eight so how much of it is from a little boy's perspective?"
"What if he's not seeing into the future?" Marianna's brow scrunched in thought. "What if he's able to see things we can't?"
"Like what?" Emily wondered.
"Well," Marianna sighed, "Kronos and Thia are directly connected in whatever universe the fates have designed. They've also fought more than once and now he knows for certain Thia's alive. What if Jamie can tell when she's being watched? He did say that Kronos follows her wherever she goes. Maybe Jamie is able to see through Kronos?"
"That-that would explain it," Leah stammered. "When I talked to him it was like he was afraid of what he himself was doing. Like he was there hurting the hunters himself."
"That's gotta be terrifying for a little kid," Luke mumbled. "But how is he able to do that? I mean sure, abnormally strong powers for a child of Apollo exist but I have never heard of anything like him before."
"He was there when the camp was destroyed, maybe at some point during the chaos a connection was established. Some sort of fallout from Kronos or Thia's powers. They were trying to kill each other so it's plausible some stray magic or something missed and rooted itself in him. It may not have been strong enough to kill him so it's just there," Leah explained.
"Well I'll be damned," Reyna sighed. "This is the craziest shit I've seen and I've seen a lot of crazy shit."
"Guys!" Andy called, "I got a reading and coordinates. We can move out whenever."
"Great," Hazel smiled faintly." Now, to determine where we're going and how we're getting there."
"And who we're taking," Reyna added. "If Thia goes Jamie won't stay here."
"But he'll be in danger," Marianna worried.
"He's important," I countered. "While I hate to say it he's a chess piece in this game. He may be the smallest one, but he's got a big role to play."