So I was listening to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and having a ton of feels and this story idea suddenly came to me. This is part 1, inspired by the first movement. I recommend listening to it when reading.

Please read and review!

Disclaimer: If I owned PJO, Luke would not have died.

1. Full Moon

The boy sat beside Thalia, leaning against the brick wall of an alley as they watched the sun set. Luke, he said his name was. His hair was unkempt and streaked with dirt, falling over his high cheekbones. He sat cross legged, his hands absently fidgeting with the hem of his trousers.

He had said that he was fourteen, yet the way he sat reminded Thalia of someone much older, someone who had seen more than what average kids his age should see. She wondered if that was what people thought when they looked at her.

He was like her. He understood.

He was proof that she was not going mad.

He was proof that she was, in fact, was not alone.

"The sky," Luke breathed. "Pretty nice, huh?"

Thalia tilted her head upward.

The night was cloudless. The moon hung full and swan-like, bathing the dark slender forms of bare branches and curling leaves in a soft, moonlit sheen. A sprinkle of stars glittered above, complementing the immanent moon to silver perfection.

Thalia took in a breath.

"I've never seen stars like these before. And the moon... Wow."

Her gaze roved across the skies, hungrily drinking in everything. She found herself opening her eyes as wide as she could, desperately trying to capture the entire splendor of it.

She sighed. How had she lived her miserable twelve years, yet never known about something so wondrous?

She let herself explore the stars. Constellations that she had never truly believed existed leaped out at her; patterns blossoming into existence with every sweep. It was not until now did she truly understand what she was missing: the wonders of the galaxies, vast and inexplorable, wonder striking to behold...

Stories came back to Thalia. Andromeda and Perseus, love forged out of pain; The hunter Orion, dashing across the sky, bow raised, chin high; Hydrokhoos, cup bearer to Zeus. She had never before felt so close to them.

Family was not her mother's drunken yells or her father's indifferent absence. Family was not a cold mansion she got lost in, or expensive toys she never wanted. Family was here, watching myths unfold through the heavens like the stories of her own life, feeling the firm presence of her new friend beside her.

For the first time, Thalia Grace was at home.

"What're you thinking about?"

"Nothing much."

"Seriously? Come on. You're actually quiet."

Thalia stared at her knees, the image of the regal-faced girl with silvery clothes swimming through the forefront of her mind. He will let you down, she had said. Just like all other men. The words echoed around Thalia's mind, making her want to kick something. How dare she have the nerve to tell her that? She was probably making it up. She couldn't tell the future. Yet the contemptuous, bitter look in her eyes, and the firm certainty of the way she spoke nagged at Thalia. The hunter had been hurt before.

But that was her past, not Thalia's future. Thalia silently cursed herself for even thinking about what the hunter had said. She had a new family now, better than anything those cold silver girls could offer. And the boy in front of her would never let her down.

She pushed the thoughts out of her mind.

She absently reached for her knife, It needed sharpening, definitely. But it wasn't there. Her hand skimmed across the cloth of her jeans, feeling for the hilt of the dagger at her belt. Yet it wasn't there.

Thalia scanned the tent she was in, and checked her clothes and sleeping bag. Nothing. She frowned, and rounded on Luke.

Where's my knife?" Thalia demanded. She scanned Luke's face, her gaze lingering at his mischievous smile. He stared at her indifferently, as though uncomprehending, yet Thalia could see the laughter sparkling in his blue eyes. It had to be him. It couldn't be anyone else. Annabeth wasn't like that. Besides, Thalia thought resentfully. He was pretty much the only person who could try stealing her stuff and not get blasted by lighting.

And the worse thing was that he knew it.

"What are you talking about?" he asked innocently.

"My knife."

Luke frowned. "Why do you keep suspecting it's me?"

Thalia sighed in exasperation. "You're dad's Hermes. And even if he wasn't, who else can it be? Annabeth won't steal my stuff."

He shook his head. "No idea what you're talking about, Thals. Maybe you lost it on the way here."

He smirked. "The great daughter of Zeus lost her knife!"

And then Annabeth burst into giggles beside her. Thalia looked down questioningly, only to find Annabeth standing next to her, hiding something behind her back and doubling over with giggles.

"Hey!"

She grabbed the little blonde girl's hand. Annabeth tried to pull away, but Thalia was quicker. She snatched back her knife, glaring at both Luke and Annabeth.

"See?" Luke said casually, raising his palms. "Wasn't me."

Thalia sighed. "Huh. Sure. Not you, huh? Of course it was you! Nice idea, making Annabeth help keep it for you."

She patted Annabeth's head, shooting Luke a dirty look. "Don't listen to him, okay?" she told Annabeth. "His mind is screwed. You're too good to be a useless, thieving bastard."

"Now, now, Thals," he said, faking seriousness. "We don't want her going around talking to people like that, do we now? She's also too good to be a vulgar, temperamental punk."

"You're such a jerk, you know!"

"And you aren't?"

Thalia sighed, rolling her eyes, and kicked him in the shins.

Should have joined the hunters. They're right. You boys are full of crap, you know."

Luke's grin only got wider.

"That's right! But you didn't join them, did you, because then you won't be able to see me anymore."

Thalia's mouth flapped like a fish.

"It had nothing to do with you!" she yelled, blushing furiously.

"Come on now. Lying is bad for the soul."

Luke wrapped a casual arm around her shoulders, smirking.

And Thalia could pinpoint the exact moment when she realized that her knife was not the only thing Luke Castellan had stolen.

It was night. The woods were quiet, except for the distant hoots of an owl and the rustle of leaves.

Thalia heard a rustle from behind her. A branch snapped from somewhere close by. Monsters? Thalia's fist closed around the hilt of her dagger.

A snake-bodied woman slithered out of the darkness, hissing. Her fangs were bared as she lunged straight at Thalia's face. Her eyes blazed with bloodlust. In her clawed hands, she held a spear.

Thalia stepped backward, ready to strike, but before she could even raise her dagger, the snake woman lashed out, knocking it out of her grasp. It clattered out of Thalia's hand, landing somewhere in the grass a few feet away. Thalia backed away, trying desperately to find her weapon, yet in the dark, it was impossible. Her heart raced. Chaotic panic rushed in her ears. She stumbled backward blindly.

"Luke!" she yelled. Her voice was ragged. "Help!"

Several more monsters appeared behind their leader, hissing excitedly. The dracaena charged, pushing Thalia against a tree. Its claws sank into Thalia's shoulder. Pain shot from the fresh cuts, and Thalia bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. She tried to free herself, yet the monster had her arms pinned above her in a humiliatingly helpless position. The dracaena leered down at her, unable to believe her luck. The other monsters formed a firm circle around them, hissing excitedly.

Thalia was trapped.

"Well! A daughter of Zeusssssss. Lovely treat!"

Thalia tried to scream, but the creature slapped a rough palm over her mouth.

The dracaena raised her spear, levelling it at Thalia's chest. Thalia squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart beat hummingbird fast, her legs shaking. Her toes curled to breaking point. Was this how she was going to die? She had survived through Halcyon Green's prison. She had killed packs of hellhounds. Now she was going to perish by the hand of one snake woman? Fury rippled through her, yet there was nothing she could do. She tried to summon a lightning bolt, but with the monster so close it was impossible to concentrate.

Then the creature's grip slackened, and Thalia heard a strangled, hissing cry from in front of her. She opened her eyes.

Luke was there. His sword glinted in the moonlight, covered in monster dust. He smiled at her, relieved.

"You alright?"

Thalia's knees felt weak.

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine."

He gently pulled her up.

"Then you owe me," he smirked.

Thalia glared at him. Now that the danger was over, she was starting to focus on other things, like how infuriating her companion was.

"No you don't. I saved you from those hellhounds in Maine!"

"Yeah, right after I saved you from that crazy giant."

"Fine," she relented, putting as much contempt in the word as she could. "Only because I will be sure to save your ass some day later. And you'll be thanking me on your knees."

He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Now, isn't that reassuring?"

Luke's lips pressed against Thalia's. The warm smell of him filled her. His arms wrapped around her waist and she found her fingers tangled in his hair. She felt him smile into her lips as he pulled her closer, pressing them close. Fireworks exploded in her head. Arcs of electricity arced through her spine.

The moonlight above gleamed, casting its silver rays on them.

Annabeth slept soundly beside them, snoring contentedly, but that did not matter at the moment.

Overhead, the moon glimmered and the stars twinkled. And Thalia Grace believed that happy endings were not that impossible, after all.

For a while, Thalia was happy. She had Luke. She had Annabeth. She could not hope for better friends, better family.

Heaven, Thalia learned, was not an ethereal, mysterious place somewhere up in space. Heaven was Annabeth's voice as she announced that she had killed her tenth monster. It was the extra $10 Luke stole her so she could buy that shirt she loved. It was Thalia, Luke and Annabeth's footsteps as they fought side by side. It was the kisses stolen in the deep of night, when Annabeth was asleep and there was no one else in the whole world.

But heaven would not last.

Soon Grover came, and led them toward a place called Camp, where thy would be safe and protected. So they headed that way, step by step toward a new haven.

(And death.)

The monsters were coming. There were so many of them; a sea of snarls and dripping fangs. Sheets of rain poured down, lightning streaking across the sky like jagged gashes.

Thalia ran, her left leg dragging behind her. Already it had been savaged by a hellhound. She could no longer feel herself through the blood and pain of it. Her vision was blurring through a haze of agony. She could hear people shouting around her; Luke's voice urging her on, Annabeth's high-pitched cries telling her to keep going. Then the monsters' excited growls drowned them out, rising in a terrifying crescendo of bloodlust that deafened her, blinding her.

Her arms were broken. A wound in her side was draining her of all she had.

Thalia could not go on.

She could feel it.

She was dying. Step by step, she was dying. She would never make it.

Her vision darkened and she collapsed. It all started to dim; Luke and Annabeth's yells, the monsters, the pouring rain and jagged lightning melting into darkness and agony and a wish for this to end. Warm, sticky blood oozed from her wound, pooling at her side. There was so much of it, she could not stand to look. Please, let this be over.

She tried to hold on to something - Luke's hand. He pulled at her, guttural screams tearing at her ears. No, she tried to tell him. She could not go on... Please...

In the dim haze of what she could still see, Thalia made out the silvery light of the moon above, swimming in and out of focus, beautiful and serene. Suddenly she found herself desperately trying to cling onto it, to memorize every detail. Luke's hand was warm inside hers, pulling at her.

She realized that she couldn't just give up like this.

Summoning all her will she got to her feet. The world swayed alarmingly, but she knew in that moment that she was going to go down fighting. Her vision was red and full of static, but an impossible surge of power had seared through her like flame. She would protect her friends, her family.

She saw Luke there, behind her for the last time. Blood covered his face, twisted in agony and terror. His eyes were wild and filled with horror, yet still as startlingly blue as she remembered. A wave of emotion surged through her, her heart filled to bursting point. There were so many things she needed to say to him, it all choked up in her throat and for a second she could not breathe. I'm sorry. Please be safe. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for saving my life more times than I can count. Thankyouthankyouthankyou.

Love you.

I'll never forget you.

Instead, all that came out was the one word that meant all of it.

"Run!"

She threw off his hand and drew her shield.

The monsters came, swarming over her, ravaging every inch of skin they could reach. Her lips were raw and flaky, her tongue feeling like it had been broiled over a slow flame. Jets of anguish shot through her with every breath as she watched her own flesh get torn apart, her own blood splattering the ground in a dizzying red wave.

She fell onto the ground. This time, she could not get up.

Moonlight filtered through the bodies of the beasts into her fading eyes, bright and beautiful that for a moment she was mesmerized. She thought of Luke and his annoying pranks, of him saving her life more times than she could count. She thought of sweet little Annabeth and her startling wits. She thought of how they were going to be safe, safe because of her.

Fine, she remembered herself saying. I'll be sure to save your ass some day later. And you'll be thanking me on your knees.

Then came the smile. Everything fell away in the dim pulse of pain. She no longer saw the foam of the monsters' teeth anymore. She no longer heard their growls, their savage roars. She did not hear the terrible, guttural scream of her name that pierced the night. All she still had was her insane smile as she lay dying and dissolving. She could have laughed, too.

Then the world spun into darkness.

Love you.

I'll never forget you.

Please review.