Title: Anchor in the Storm-
Characters: Thalia G and Luke C
Status: One- Shot

Helloooo my lovely fans. Welcome to my new one- shot (drum roll) ANCHOR IN THE STORM!
There will be a sequel to this, so be on the lookout. Read on, viewers, and, remember to ENJOOOYYY.

Oh, I forgot to put this when I first posted: BEWARE- THERE IS SWEARING!

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson.

It wasn't like I had planned to become the evil titan lord Kronos, go psychopath and basically try to destroy western civilisation.

At first, all I had asked of life was a friend who understood my problems. You know, the ones about the crazy mother, the god father and the old lizard men who try to steal my chocolate bars.

You know, just your average demigod.

So the gods sent me Thalia. Gods, that girl played with my head. That gorgeous, arrogant, sweet little- ahem, punk…

Thalia was my other half. My best friend. Soul mate. Call it what you want. You get the picture.

For a year and a bit, we were just two teenagers against the world. We lived on the streets, roaming from city to city like nomads, fighting monsters, starving, getting wounded, almost dying… good times, good times…

Then came that day when we ran into that fierce little blond haired girl in flannel pyjamas. And as soon as I had looked into those deep, grey eyes, I knew that this gorl would play a huge role in my life, and for better or for worse, we took her in. Taught her about her heritage. About the gods.

Gave her a new family. Those other people, those mortals- they may have shared DNA with Annabeth, but family are the people who you have a history with, who you love and the feeling is mutual.

Me and Thalia became Annabeth's new family. But I knew that my happiness couldn't last long. It never did.

A couple of nights after we found Annabeth, I discovered a different type of happiness, one that I had never in my wildest dreams thought I would experience. It was a welcome relief in such dark times.

I should probably start at the beginning.

Annabeth had been extremely sick for the last couple of days. Deep, rattling coughs, a constant pallor to her normally bronze skin, her naturally bouncy and glowing blond hair limp and stringy; her huge, intelligent grey eyes sunken and hollowed out. She had lost weight she couldn't afford to lose.

In short, she looked like an owl with those huge eyes and small, shrunken body. It was so sad. And, as uneducated as I was, even I knew that if my little fighter didn't get any real medical help soon, she would die. Just thinking about it sent a stab of pain through me.

I couldn't lose my little Annabeth. We didn't share blood, but she was more my sister than any other children Hermes may have had.

To wake up in the morning and not be able to look into those wise, deep grey eyes that held more pain than a seven year olds should've would kill me quicker than any monster could.

I left Annabeth sleeping at the campsite, with Thalia keeping watch. I slipped into the woods, Thalia's electric blue eyes watching me silently.

I wondered aimlessly for about an hour. I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care.

I was reckless, shouting in anger, slashing at random trees with Annabeth's bronze knife which I had borrowed back since she was unable to wield it.

I realise now why I was being so impulsive- I wanted a fight. I wanted to attract the monsters so that I could unleash my fury on them. Unfortunately, at the one time I wanted a fight, none came my way.

Exhausted, I slumped down on a tree stump, head in hands. That's when the tears came. Before I knew it, my cheeks and hands were wet with salty water.

The fact that I, Luke Castellan, was crying, was so shocking that my shock turned into anger straight away. I raised my head to the skies. Note to self: do not ever, under any circumstances, anger the gods. Especially the extremely temperamental and arrogant Zeus. Bad things happen.

"You think you're so high and mighty," I yelled impulsively, standing up suddenly and lifted my clenched fist into the sky, which had suddenly gone calm and deadly quiet, like the calm before a storm. "Sitting on your fat arses on your thrones, you think your so damn important, watching us mortal like we're a fucking TV show! Well, a tip for you, Your Majesty Fuck Face Zeus! Lower your ego! You're just a fucking bastard who doesn't give a fuck that there is a little girl dying down here!" Oh no. The tears had started again. Coincidence that suddenly black storm clouds had rolled across the sky and now a full blown thunderstorm was being orchestrated? I think not.

I laughed bitterly. "I don't care if you blast me with lightning roght now. Do it. Kill me. Kill your daughter. Kill anyone you like. Just save Annabeth!" On that last sentence, to my utter shame, my voice broke. I lost my sudden anger. I just felt like curling up into a ball and sobbing my heart out.

But I had to be strong for the girls. I was a father figure. As far as I knew, fathers aren't supposed to cry. But I could be wrong. It's not like I've had much experience with fathers.

I slowly made my way back to the campsite, following the path of mayhem- strewn branches, foot prints in mud and slashes on tree trunks.

I don't know how but it seemed like just a couple of minutes later, I was lying in my ratty sleeping bag, back turned to the camp fire, ears tuned out to everything that was going on.

When something touched my shoulder, I tensed. "You're not the only one who's worried, you know," Thalia said.

"I never said I was," I retorted, still not rolling over. I couldn't let her see that I've been crying. I couldn't be weak.

"Look at me, Luke," she pleaded suddenly, like she had been reading my mind and knew exactly what to say to piss me off.

But I couldn't disobey that voice.

I rolled over.

Thalia was sitting cross legged next to me. I stayed buried under my covers though, hoping she wouldn't notice my bloodshot eyes.

So, of course, she noticed.

"Luke," she whispered, touching my blotchy cheek. I couldn't help it. I put my hand over hers and held it against my cheek. It felt really soothing.

She didn't say anything else.

That's what I love about this girl. She doesn't question my actions. Sometimes understands them more than I do. In this case, Thalia seemed to get that I wanted reassurance that everything would be okay. Some comforting words. No, not even words. Just a comfortable silence. I pulled her down so that she was lying on top of the sleeping bag. Her arms wound around my neck and I buried my face in her black web of hair. She smelled like pine needles.

I was content.

A sudden snore from the other side of the small campfire caught out attention, and like over protective parents, both of our heads whipped around. It was just Annabeth and her blocked nose.

In the dimly flickering fire light, she looked pitifully small and fragile, weak and sickly; a flower that had been deprived of sunlight and water. She looked wilted, like a shrunken old lady. I was worried, very worried about my little soldier.

I suddenly became aware that Thalia was lying next to me. Like, right next to me. She had somehow wriggled into my sleeping bag.

But it wasn't awkward at all. It seemed like it was just natural to lean over and kiss her gently on the lips. The kiss wasn't passionate, or hot, or anything like that. It was short and sweet. A friend seeking comfort in a time of great need.

So then why were our hearts racing in harmony, our faces matching bright red, our palms sweaty as we held each other close through the dark night…

Ooooh, it's Thuke. Aside from Percabeth, they're my favourite couple.

While I was typing this, I had an idea for the sequel. Be on the lookout for My Happy Ending. It's a songfic, and in Thalia's POV.

And remember- Reviews: I am motivated. Motivated: work. Work: happy readers. Happy readers: happy me. Happy me: inspiration.

Did anyone catch the Demigod Diaries hint?

Banana Out. :P