Thalia lay with her head against the brick wall with a five year-old blonde little girl curled against her left side and a twelve year old sandy-haired, blue eyed boy with his arm around her shoulders on her right side. She was the only one awake, sitting in the soft but unbearably cold snow, without a jacket. She and Luke had given their jackets to Annabeth, afraid that she'd get frostbite if they didn't. It was around seven and the sun had just risen over the small town they were resting in. They had been waiting for the Starbucks around the corner to open, which should be around now.
"Wake up, Luke." She whispered while using her leg nudge his. She was only wearing a pair of black jeans, a blue long –sleeved shirt, black mittens, old black converse, and a white beanie over her black hair, so she was eager to get into the welcoming warmth of the café. "Wake. Up." She continued, poking his side. He was one heavy sleeper, she noted. So—not wanting to wake up the sleeping child—she found his hand rather close to her face. She bite it.
Before he could yell, she shoved her mitten-covered hand against his mouth as pain crossed over his features. After half a minute she removed her hand. "You wouldn't wake up." She shrugged as he got up, whispering profanities under his breath. "Shut up." She sighed. "I don't want to take care of a cussing five year-old." She continued as he helped her up. He smiled at her signaling she was forgiven. Luke looked from her to Annabeth.
"Can you carry her?" he whispered with a pleading grin. I looked at his accusingly.
"You know I don't like little kids. Besides you always carry her, and I always carry the luggage. The luggage is heavier than Annabeth!" I whispered back apologetically. He stood next to her, watching the sleeping child with a peaceful look on her face. She was the perfect picture of innocence.
Luke sighed and dragged Thalia a few more feet away, so they could talk. He was taller than her, and her height barely reached past his nose. "She told me last night that she thinks that you don't like her." he revealed. Thalia turned her head to watch Annabeth. "Don't you?" he asked hopefully.
Thalia sighed in defeat. "I'm warm up to her. It's just that—you know. Even though her family doesn't love her much, I doubt they come home drunk every night at two in the morning to hit her. I'm just—I'm jealous." She exhaled, turning around so that her back was facing Luke, and he couldn't see the sudden moistness in her eyes. She hated talking about these things. Especially to Luke. It made her feel fragile and weak—a feeling she despised.
He looked at her bowed head in concern. "I'm so sorry, Thals." He said as he tried to give her a hug.
"No. Come on before Midget wakes up." She said while she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
Luke bent down so he was sitting on his heels, and in level with Annabeth's sleeping form. "Come on, Annabeth. We're getting food." He told her. She slowly opened her eyes, and put her arms up, to ask if he would carry her. He scooped her up in his arms and she sleepily wrapped her arms around his neck. Thalia gathered their luggage, and hid it behind an old coke machine.
"Come on, Thals—before I die of frostbite." He smiled. Thalia laughed and playfully zapped him. He jumped slightly. "Ανάθεμα αυτό, Thals! Cheater!" Luke laughed. Thalia puckered her lips and said, "No I'm not! I'm using my resources wisely!" before zapping him again. The half-asleep Annabeth stired and said, "Stop flirting with Luke, Thalia." She said groggily.
Thalia fumed and started cussing while walking a good twenty feet ahead of them with balled fists. Luke just stopped walking and stood there and laughed along with the giggling Annabeth. She angrily stomped into Starbucks and sat at a booth alone. Luke and Annabeth passed the window, and opened the door heading towards her booth.
Luke slid in next to her with a smile while Annabeth sat across with the identical expression. Thalia stubbornly crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "So, Annabeth—what do you want for breakfast? You can have anything you want." He told her. Annabeth beamed at him, and jumped out of her seat to go and scan the menu by the counter. Luke put his arm around Thalia, but she shrugged it off. "What does Thalia want for breakfast?" he asked with a smirk while capturing her hand in his. She tried to pull her hand out of his, but failed.
"I'll have whatever you and Brat don't eat." She answered. He shrugged off the name she'd called Annabeth—Thalia was just angry at her.
He poked her side. "You're too skinny. You'll pass out in the middle of fighting a monster if you don't eat."
She glared at him. "Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not!
"Are too!
"Am not!
"I'm getting you something." He told her before he slipped out of the seat and approached Annabeth.
Luke came back carrying three mugs of hot chocolate and three chocolate chip muffins. Thalia looked the other way; until she suddenly felt weight bounce onto her lap, and a face bury itself on her neck. Little arms wrapped around her sides, and Thalia listened to the muffled, "I'm sorry."
Nobody had ever hugged her, other than Luke. But when this little girl—half her size wrapped her arms around Thalia, it made her want to cry. Thalia unexpectedly enveloped the little girl's petite frame. It felt like Annabeth was her daughter, who had misbehaved and wanted to be forgiven. Thalia balanced her chin on the younger girl's head. "I'm sorry, too, Sweetie." I said as I kissed the top of her head.
"I love you guys." Thalia said for the first time I her life. She stared in Luke's eyes; which danced with excitement. "I love you too." he said, and Annabeth replied with the same answer. They chatted quietly as they ate about nothing in particular. When they finished breakfast, Annabeth asked Luke to carry her.
"I'll carry her." she told them as she scooped the young girl in her arms. They walked out of the Starbucks smiling.
"We can be a family." Annabeth whispered. Thalia nodded with a smile and Luke and Thalia wrapped their arms around each other's waist. "Mommy," Thalia said as she pointed to herself. "Daddy," she continued pointing to Luke. "And Baby." She smiled lastly, cuddling Annabeth. "We'll never get separated—and whatever happens we'll forgive, and love each other.
"Just like a normal family." Luke smiled as he kissed her on the cheek.
"A normal, but extremely dysfunctional crazy family?" Thalia asked with a grin.
"Always."