Honey, I'm Home!

Thalia had been gone for days. Just how many nights had passed, she wasn't quite sure. The journey alone from here to home and back again had been substantial, but she hadn't felt like leaving immediately after Aureus's funeral. His death hadn't been taken well by anyone, and she would've gladly stayed longer, but she knew leaving Abaven without a word and not returning for a long while would likely not go well for her. This potential alliance and all its outcomes was important, and she knew deep down that Aureus wouldn't have wanted all of them putting their lives on hold because of him. Begrudgingly she bid her farewells and began the journey back to the East, torn between whether she was making the right decision or not. Staying would be easy, but she wasn't sure the easy way was necessarily the right one. Likewise, ruining things with Theory would be devastating in its own right.

By the time she arrived, it was nearing dawn. The faintest sliver of pink had begun to creep over the horizon, though the sky remained largely dark and littered with stars. The world was quiet, eerily so, and combined with her forlorn mood everything seemed infinitely more dreary. A light fog hung low over the lands, and the rapids send up a gentle spray of mist as they rolled over the rocks. Thalia ambled alongside the river, silent as a specter as she drifted through the fog. It was hard to get her family off her mind, especially Aureus and his untimely death. It wasn't fair - but that shouldn't be surprising to her. The Fallen God was known for being merciless and vengeful, but losing him was hardly something she could easily come to terms with, especially living so far from home. She let out a sigh as she walked, watching the way the water crashed violently against some rocks and more gently against others. Death wasn't unlike these rapids, she supposed - some was violent and quick, and there was nothing they could do about it other than heal and endure. A sigh left her lips as she continued on, wondering if her absence had been noticed. Part of her hoped not.