Thalia Grace's life before and during her life with Luke and Annabeth. Written for ShadowPalace and WindowChild's contest.

Thalia Grace wasn't surprised when her mother slapped her. She wasn't surprised at what she got when her mother beat her until she bled on her tenth birthday when she asked for a cake. She was used to the beatings, and lying when someone asked her how she got the scars that went along with it. Thalia thought she couldn't be surprised. She was mistaken when she had discovered her powers when throwing an apple at her door in a fit of fury. She had picked up the apple, and when it touched her hand it sizzled and turned brown. Ever since she had been practicing, slowly waiting, planning on running away. Then, her mother got fired from her job, didn't have enough money to buy her liquor and cigarettes, and the beatings got worse and worse.

Then, her mother crossed the line.

According to the information she got out of her mother when she was drunk, Thalia's father had given her a small stuffed eagle, and it was the Thalia's prized possession. She adored the small animal. She kept it in her backpack during school, and she slept with it at night. She kept it by her side always. She named it Eggy. One day, on the first day of fourth grade, her mother snatched the eagle as she was placing it lovingly into her ratty backpack.

"You'retoooldforthis." She slurred. "Saygoodbye."

"Mom! No!" Thalia gasped. Her mother had never touched Eggy before, so why now? "What are you doing?"

"Gettingridofthis." She called from the den. Thalia ran into the room, where her mother's hand was hovering above the fireplace.

"Mom!" Thalia screamed. She couldn't lose the one connection to her father. She threw her hands out in front of her. "Stop!" Before she knew what was happening, her mother was on the floor, her hair sticking up like she was electrocuted, and Eggy was in the fire.

"No!" Thalia shrieked, sticking her hand in the fire in a last attempt to save her beloved eagle. She yanked it out, and dropped the scorched stuffed animal on the ground. Thalia's mother cackled.

"That's what you get for being a horrible child."

Thalia's eyes welled up with tears. "Mom! That was the one thing Dad gave to me! The one thing I have that is mine!"

"You're father hated you! He didn't want you! He left you, Thalia!"

Tears spilled over Thalia's eyes. She grabbed the remains of Eggy "I hate you!" She ran upstairs, packed her backpack with a few clothes and tenderly placed her burnt stuffed animal in last. "I'm sorry Eggy." She flew downstairs, screaming curses at her mother before running outside her house. She ran in random directions, a left there, and right here, anything to just get away. She ran for miles, through the small suburban towns, adrenaline pulsing through her, sweat beading along her forehead. She ran with her head down, the backpack bouncing on her back, trying to look as normal as possible. She ran, enjoying the one thing that had brought her joy before she ran away. She ran, until she ran into someone. Literally.

"Oh my gosh! Sorry! What-" She glanced up, into the startling blue eyes of a boy.

"It's okay." He said. He looked anxious. "Who are you?"

"Thalia."

"You have a last name?"

"Not anymore."

"What happened?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

"I don't have a home anymore. Who are you?"

"Luke."

"Do you have a last name?"

"If you won't tell me yours why would I tell you mine?"

Thalia smirked for the first time in ages. "Why aren't you at school?"

"I don't belong in school. A monster could eat me."

"Monster?"

"You wouldn't get it."

"I don't care. I want to hear."

"Well, I'm a demi-god. Half god-"

"Half human. I've learned about those in school. Hercules was one, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, but he was famous. Not all of us can do all of that. Most of us die in painful, nasty ways."

"Great. More pain. Bring it on."

"You're not coming with me." Luke said, getting her message after a minute or so. "You're not a half-blood."

"Can a half-blood do this?" Thalia said angrily, holding her hands out. She concentrated, and Luke looked bored, but with an air of anxiety. She held her hands out in front of her. After a minute, Luke spoke up.

"Point it at me, if you think it'll help. I can almost guarantee nothings going to happen." This made her mad, and she threw her hands at Luke. Instantly, he fell on his butt, his hair sticking up on end.

"How did you-What did you-What?"

"Can a half-blood do that?" She asked again.

"Yeah. Well, I don't know any mortal who could. Can you read?"

"Barely. Words get all jumbled."

"Would you be able to stay still for an hour?"

"No! I wouldn't be able to stand it! I took up running to get rid of all that 'pent up energy' as my mother said."

"Where do you come from?"

"A town named Jaderfance. You?"

"Westport."

"Never heard of that."

"It's not in this state."

"Whaat?"

"I ran away."

"I know."

"Do you want to come with me? I don't know if you're a demi-god, but maybe I can show you how to live out on the streets."

"Sweet!"

"Prepare to be hungry a lot."

"I'm used to it."

"How-"

A screeching of tires and a horn blaring interrupted Luke. Thalia's head whipped toward the sound just in time to see a small gray Sedan to get crushed under a sixteen wheeler truck. She fell down as the license plate came hurtling toward her hand into her face. She cried out and cursed as the rectangle piece of metal clattered to the sidewalk in front of her. Ignoring the blood rushing down her face, Thalia picked up the license plate and squinted to read it. After a while, she gave up. She handed it to Luke. "Read it."

He squinted his eyes and examined it. "A6J984I9."

"What? Are you sure? Positive?"

"Yeah. Pretty sure."

"That's my moms number." She said, running to the street before the Sedan burst into flames.

"No!" Luke shouted, and followed Thalia bravely into the wreckage. "Thalia! Get out!"

"I can't! That's my mother!"

"You don't know that!"

"I do!"

"From where?"

"From this!" Thalia said, holding up a small charred envelope. "It has my name on it."

"It doesn't mean it's your mom!"

"But it does." Thalia said, sitting down in the middle of the ring of fire that was closing in. Luke coughed, and took her arm.

"Are you mental? Come on! We've got to get out of here!"

"No, let me die. She's the only family I have. Please, let me die."

"No. I'm not going to let you." Luke said, attempting to drag her.

"Stop!"

Luke disobeyed her order and picked her up bridal style. She kicked and scratched, but he held tight. He bowed his head as he ran through the flames and back onto the sidewalk. Police sirens could be heard, not too far away. He plopped her down.

"What's the matter with you? I thought you hated her!"

"I do. But... she's my mother."

"My mother's a freak with glowing green eyes. I ran away years ago."

"What's your point?"

"Give me the envelope."

"Why?"

"Give it to me."

"Why?"

"Just give it to me."

Thalia clutched it closer to her. "No." Luke pulled it out of her hands, and walked to a stranger watching the burning car.

"Excuse me, miss? Can you read this for my sister?" Thalia limped up next to him, and nodded.

"What do you want me to read?"

"This." Luke said, handing over the envelope.

"Why can't you read it?"

"We have dyslexia, ma'am."

"Such a sweet boy." She murmured, and took the envelope.

"Thank you."

"Dear Thalia, I'm sorry. Please don't hate me. I'm your mother. Come home. Don't run away. You're father was a god, Zeus. I thought I should tell you that. Love, Mother."

"Thanks." Luke said, taking the envelope back. He looked stunned.

"Wait, wait wait. Who's father was Zeus? What's this about running away?"

"Nothing." Thalia spoke up. "Family joke."

"Umm... okay. Do you know who's in the car?"

"My mother." Thalia said, whipped around, and stalked off. The women looked stunned.

"She's just kidding..." Luke said, and the women looked relieved.

"If you're sure."

"Positive. Bye, and thanks." Luke said, and ran towards Thalia. "Thalia! Come here!"

"What?"

"You're dad is one of the Big Three! You've got to go to camp."

"I'm not going anywhere. You hear me? I'm not going to some camp. I hate doing what people say. I'm sick of it. In my world, this might be America, but no one is free."

"Well then, come on. We gotta move."

Thalia nodded, but took a step toward the accident, where firemen and police were spraying water and extinguishing foam on the fire. Luke placed a hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off.

"'Bye mom. I don't forgive you yet, but I don't hate you anymore."

When Thalia turned around after a moment more, she and Luke watched in silence as the officials cleaned up the mess. They heard when a man declared Celeste Grace dead. Thalia was trying not to cry, and Luke tried to ignore it. He placed his hand on her shoulder again, but this time she didn't shake it off.

"C'mon Thalia. Lets get away from this place."

She nodded, and started to walk. They walked in silence for hours until the sun was setting.

-o-

They began to get to know each other, living on the streets. They were living together on the streets as runaways for about two years, when one day they ran into a young blonde girl who was named Annabeth Chase.

"Hi." She said when they first met. "Who are you?"

"I'm Thalia, and that's Luke. Don't worry, we're not gonna hurt you."

"Are you monsters?"

"No."

"Okay." She said happily.

"Come with us, and it'll be alright." Thalia decided after a bit more of chit chat.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Awesome!"

-o-

And so they lived together for a few months. One day, when they had made their way to New York, a little kid with a limp had come up to Luke.

"Are you Luke Castellan?"

With a start, Thalia realized she still hadn't known Luke's last name. "Yeah, we'll go to Camp Half-Blood. Come on guys, lets go."

The boy with the limp grinned. "I didn't expect it to be that easy."

"Well it is."

"Great. Lets go. I'm Grover, by the way."

"I'm Thalia, that's Luke Castellan, and that's Annabeth."

"Cool. Come on!"

-o-

"They're coming! Annabeth, Grover, Luke, come on!" Thalia urged. "Hurry!"

"But Thalia!"

"Go! I'll hold them off!"

"You'll die!"

"I don't care! Just go!"

"Thalia!" Luke pleaded, his brilliant blue eyes full of pain. Those eyes almost made her stay, she was really tempted, but a tug on her sleeve reminded her. She glanced down into Annabeth's terrified gray eyes, and she saw the blood seeping through her jeans from the gash on her leg that prevented them all from getting over the hill.

"Take her, you guys! They're almost here!"

"Are you sure?" Luke asked, and Thalia could hear the begging.

"Positive." She said firmly. Then, lips were planted on hers for a second, and all too soon, they were pulling away. Thalia gazed into Luke's eyes, both of them filled with love for everyone on the hill right then.

"Go." Thalia said, pushing Luke gently. "Go on. I'm not afraid to die."

"Bye Thalia." Annabeth said, and hugged her. Thalia knelt and returned the embrace.

"Bye, sweetie. Stay safe and kill some monsters for me when I'm gone, will you?"

"Promise." She said, and they pinkie swore.

"Now you." Thalia said, standing up. She didn't say anything more, just kissed him. "Goodbye."

She watched them go over the hill as the first monster attacked her. She watched as Luke look back.

"Grace!" She called out as the monster's claws raked over her body. "My last name is Grace!"

And she felt nothing but pure bliss as Luke nodded and made and X over his heart and pretend to poke his eye, the universal sign of cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. She took the promise was being made over that he would never forget. And she believed him as the monsters mauled her. When they were done, the only sign Thalia was still alive was her barely pumping heart. She felt her body stretching, her skin hardening, and holes breaking as her father turned her into a tree. Her loyalty to her makeshift family became her roots, and they dug far enough into the ground to reach China. Her attitude became her type of tree, (Pine; spiky on the outside, prickly on the inside, but sometimes soft)

Then, everything in Thalia Grace's mind went blank.

-o-

Until she fell to the ground, her eyes meeting the emerald green eyes of a boy about her age, maybe a little younger, staring into her eyes.

"Who are you?" He asked, but it was not the fact of being alive again that gave her strength to answer. It was the the gaze of a blonde girl with gray eyes that gave her the power to do that.

"I'm Thalia." She said, panting, but her heart filling with an almost invisible flame of hope at the sight of that girl. "Daughter of Zeus."

Again, Written for the ShadowPalace and WindowChild's contest. I hope you like it and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE R&R! I don't even know if Annabeth was there when Thalia was revived, but I'll never know because I lost my SoM book AGES ago. Probably is the longest chapter I've ever written.