Sequel! Yay! And so soon! Double yay! Well, this is just the prologue to get you hooked. I hope you like it! And thus, we begin Contentions.

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO!

Prologue

"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."

-Napoleon Bonaparte

Thalia was breathing hard. There were cuts and gashes all over her body and she ached physically and mentally. She was tired of fighting. She just wanted to collapse in Apollo's arms and sleep forever. But she couldn't give up, not after everything they had been through. Not after all the sacrifices that people had made for her.

She called on the remnants of her inner strength to summon a bolt of lightning to strike down on the pack of monsters that were started to swarm her. She felt the electrical charge on her skin and the particles around her rearrange. Suddenly there was a deafening boom, a flash of bright light, and a wave of heat. She opened her eyes to see charred grass and the golden dust of monster disintegration around her. She gratefully took in the mini rest, letting her guard down to try and get oxygen back into her lungs.

It was a mistake.

"Thalia!" She heard Apollo's warning yell as he ran towards her. "Duck!"

But even though she heard it, she was a bit slow—too tired—and registered his warning too late. Just as she turned around, there was a loud smack as something—she suspected it had been a monster's arm—hit her across the shoulder, just barely missing her head and almost knocking her out. She flew ten feet away, rolling on the trample grass.

Right towards the cliff side.

The breath had been knocked out of her, but it had also awakened her senses. It was a good thing, too, otherwise she would've dropped down the few hundred feet to the crashing waves and jagged rocks below. An ugly death. But even as her legs flew over the side, threatening to bring her torso along with it, she grasped onto the edge of the cliff with all her might.

She felt her arms screaming as she held on with all her might. Why oh why hadn't they made them do pull-ups at Camp? The blood was starting to leave her arms as she dangled and tried to get a foothold. She found one and tried pushing herself off of it to climb onto solid ground, but it broke away beneath her feet. Her stomach gave a lurch as she slipped and scraped her front against the cliff. Her hands gripped the edge tighter. She could already tell they were starting to slip.

"Thalia!" Apollo yelled. He tried to run after her, but he was swarmed with more monsters. They were easily defeated, but there were so many.

Thalia couldn't believe this. This was how she was going to die. After everything she'd been through, all the tears and pain and fighting…she was going to impale herself on a rock and get washed away with the tide. Great, just great.

Despite herself, she felt tears prick her eyes. Why was life so unfair? Why couldn't the monsters, hell, even the gods leave her and all the demi gods alone? She was so tired of it! She just wanted a normal life. She wanted to be able to do something with her friends and not have to worry about getting attacked.

At the same time, she realized she was whining. She also realized that, if she had a chance to do it all over again…she wouldn't change a thing.

She heard Apollo calling her name and her heart skipped a beat. See, if she hadn't gone through everything she had, she wouldn't be his right now. She wouldn't be in love with most incredible man. If she hadn't been a demi god, she wouldn't even know him.

And that right there seemed to shove things into place, because without Apollo, without her friends, without Camp…she didn't have a life at all.

She felt one of her hands slip from the cliff edge. She gave a small yelp as it dangled near her side for a moment. She scrambled to get a grip on the cliff, but her hands kept slipping.

This can't be it, she thought. Not yet.

But as her fingers continued to lose grip, all of her hope seemed lost.

A glimpse of what's to come...hmmm...be prepared! The drama starts right away! And, of course, we'll get some Thalia and Apollo conflicts arising!

Thanks for reading and review please!

-Akatsuki Child