Yes, of course I do not own PJO... Please enjoy the story and review (hopeful) :P

"Did you... did you love me?" Those words from the speaker could have made someone's day. This very words that could have made her the happiest she have ever been, light up her whole life, strengthen the purpose of living have instead popped her hopes, crushed her heart and seemed to drag out the very meaning of life. It made her feel great.

But the feeling of betrayal could not fill into her when she was half-delighted that Luke Castellan had finally made Annabeth happy with his last breath, even if the little girl... Gods, she had to stop calling the now taller than her Annabeth a little girl... didn't show it. Her heart seemed to lightened at the thought that Annabeth was happy but only for a moment.

Thalia lied down under the statue tears streaming down her face. A cyclops was looking questioningly at her but she didn't have the heart, she just didn't want to glare at the cyclops. Crying was a strange thing for her to do. She never let her weaker self show, if she could help it. She had held together all this years, just to have the record broken, to be defeated by this simple sentence.

Because it was directed to the girl held in Percy's arm. She knew it, after all he made it obvious enough. All those times when they were running away and the number of times he hugged her, kissed her even, were nothing to him. He wouldn't even bother with her location, didn't even care if she was alive, didn't even mention her name. She was just a friends, just a companion, an acquaintance, of no use once she refused to help him. She was just a toy he played with until she was too used.

It wasn't like she hadn't known this before. The number of times she had watched him kiss a salesperson and steal things, flirt with the waitress? She was Thalia Grace, the best fighter in the century according to Chiron. She had beaten Luke and Percy who both came in second to her only. She knew a hundreds of methods to run, escape, attack but she have been too blinded to even notice all that she didn't matter to him.

There was never a us, it was purely her imagination, her hopes, her wishes. Because as much as she wanted to deny it, she knew she couldn't. She loved Luke Castellan and yet there he was, pretty much admitting that he loved Annabeth. She could almost understand what Percy felt. Not fully, but almost. Because Percy Jackson knew that Luke was dying, his love of his life would come back to him. Just like she knew her love of her life was already dying, on the other side of Olympus not even remembering her. He might as well have totally forgotten about her.

Because all this time she loved him, took care of him, it was all one-sided. She couldn't feel resentment but there was one thing that she could understand from her empty heart. It was, is, always will be...

Just a crush.