A/N: I do not own PJO
Rain pelts the two of them as they stand, shivering in each other's arms.
He rubs his hand soothingly over her raven locks, but Thalia trembles in his arms, her skin cool like porclain. "It'll be okay," He promises, an empty promise he can't keep. "I know." Thunder crashes, a warning they can't ignore.
Fifty five seconds.
"Please," She begs. "Stay." For once she is powerless, hands linking around his neck. Percy's lips are soft and warm, sparking contrast against frozen skin. Lightning slams against the side of their entwined hands.
They meld together, becoming one in the pouring rain. Droplets batter them until they are soaked, and droplets stream down her cheeks when she tilts her head. "I won't leave," he caresses her face, the pads of his fingers brushing tenderly against her cheek. "Never."
Fifty seconds.
That's not true, she wants to cry, but there is no time. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Kelp Head," But she's crying again, tasting salty droplets on her lips. She kisses him, presses her lips to his for one last moment.
"I'll find you." He grips her hand so hard it's painful. "It's stupidly clichéd and crazy. I'll find you. I swear."
Forty five seconds.
Thunder crashes again. Time stops for the two of them, swimming in their tears and spinning around and around in their own private bubble. "You were always too determined, Percy." She loves that about him, but he hopes the impossible.
He hopes what she wishes would be possible.
He doesn't reply, only pulls her ever closer until there isn't the barest trace of space between them. His chin rests on the top of her head, soaking in her presence that will soon be gone.
Forty seconds.
It would be easier to walk away, to leave before heartache sets in. One step further…
His eyes halt her in her tracks.
They shimmer in the light, broken and battered but held together for her. And she can't bring herself to leave, so she steps closer, closer until they end up the same as they once were.
Thirty five seconds.
Time is running out. The breath is knocked from her lungs, both clinging to one another in one last desperate embrace. If they could run, they would, but there is no escape. What Father decries is law, she reasons, and holds him ever closer.
"I'll be your home," She ventures. Her words grow panicked and hassled, slipping from her lips in a tumble of desperation. "You can run to me…and I'll be there." He nods. It is almost imperspectible, but she sees it.
Twenty seconds.
Time flies by. For once they just stare, drawing in each other for the last time. Their lips meet, passionate and loving and gentle all at once. When he pulls away she is shaking.
"I love you." She says it without hesitation, because there is no going back.
"I love you more," He counters, and they both laugh weakly—even in separation they are still stubborn, opposite ends of a magnet attracting and clashing in a shower of sparks. "Forever."
Ten seconds.
He kisses her again. He doesn't know what he's doing, but he needs to feel her. All he can see and feel and taste is her and her and her, and he dreads the moment when he lets go.
It comes all too soon.
Five seconds.
They pull apart. There is nothing to say, but he cups her cheek. "I don't care," He whispers, his voice hoarse and scratchy from grief. "I'll find you—by the gods, if I have to jump into Tartarus I'll do it for you."
She's not sure what to say, but her reply comes spilling. "I'll wait for you."
Zero seconds.
They stay for a second longer, until she turns away, no longer able to watch him. The wind pulls at their backs as they walk away, treading two separate roads that will intertwine in the distant future.
This came to me in a flash of inspiration, so...review if you understood or if you didn't(Apparently this is very confusing to some.) Thanks for reading!
~Johanna