For the Drabble Game Challenge. LukeThalia, love letters, for Danie.
"Can I…. Can I have a moment?" Thalia asks.
Travis and Connor look at her, then at one another. After several long seconds, they nod, their expressions surprisingly serious.
Travis squeezes her shoulder before opening the door to Cabin Eleven. "Okay, guys. Move out! Let's go bug the Apollo Cabin!" he calls.
There's a groan and rush of disgruntled chatter, but no one challenges him. Soon, all the members of the Hermes Cabin file out.
"His stuff is still in there," Connor says. "It didn't seem right to just throw it out. Whatever the circumstances, Luke was still family."
"Thank you," Thalia says, managing a weak smile.
When everyone is gone, she goes inside and finds his old bed. Thalia touches the mattress, her eyes closing for just a moment. "Oh, Luke," she whispers before opening her eyes again.
It feels wrong to go through his things. He's only been dead for a few hours, and the pain is still so fresh, so stinging. She steels herself and digs.
Clothes, little odds and ends collected over the years… She pulls out a photo, and her heart seems to break all over again.
They look so young, so happy. Thalia thinks that maybe it had been the happiest she had been, in spite of the hell they had endured. Luke has his arm around her, his head resting on her shoulder.
A tear falls from her eye, and she suddenly feels as though all the air has been sucked out of the room. She gasps, clenching her jaw and forcing herself to breathe.
Thalia sets the photo on the bed. She's sure no one will miss it if she takes it.
More photos follow of them, and, after a while, of Annabeth. Thalia adds them to the collection.
At the very bottom is a bundle of papers. Curious, Thalia removes them, looking around. She knows she shouldn't look through them. Even if he's gone, it feels like a violation. But she can't help herself. She needs to feel close to him again, even if it's only temporary.
She carefully removes the top paper and unfolds it, finding her name at the top.
Thalia,
I visited your tree today. I keep hoping you'll come back again. I know it's impossible, but it doesn't hurt to hope, does it? Maybe it does. Gods, it breaks my heart more and more, knowing that you're gone, that you're never coming back.
I thought we'd have more time together. I thought we would have forever. We had a good run, didn't we? But it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough.
I never got to tell you. You see, I had this big plan. When we were finally safe at camp, I was going to tell you that I love you. I wanted to for so long, but it didn't seem appropriate when we were fighting for our lives every day. I'm sure you suspected. I could feel it.
We would have been great together.
Maybe a miracle will happen. Maybe you'll come back to me, and everything will be okay. I promise you, I won't give up hope.
-Luke
Tears splatter the paper, warping the ink in a few places. Thalia folds the letter, holding it against her heart for a moment before setting it on top of the pile of photos.
She rummages through the rest of the letters, a sad smile tugging at her lips. Each one is to her. He had never stopped thinking about her, never stopped loving her, never stopped hoping that she would come back.
If only things had been different. If only she had found a way to come back sooner. She's certain she could have stopped him from joining Kronos.
The door opens behind her, and Thalia stashes the letters away, as though she has been caught doing something wrong. "Travis said you were in here," Percy says, kneeling beside her.
"I wanted to say goodbye," she whispers. "He was my… my friend."
Percy puts an arm around her, pulling her into an awkward hug. "I'm sorry."
Thalia forces herself to be strong. She climbs to her feet, offering him a shaky smile. "I'll see him again one day," she says simply, retrieving the letters and the photos. "I have to rejoin the Hunters. Goodbye, Percy."
And as she starts to leave, she pauses at the door, giving Luke's bed one last look. "Goodbye, Luke."