of half-bloods and happenings
maybe
.
Thalia blinked in the sudden sunlight, eyes adjusting from the dimness of the taco restaurant to the harsh atmosphere of the desert. Of course, the first thing she focused on was Percy; like it or not, she cared about him, and worried what Ares - or Aphrodite, for that matter - had said or done to him. Sure, Percy was a seasoned quester and a hero now, from what she'd heard, but he was still just a kid, and he certainly wasn't the sharpest sword in the armoury.
Percy told them a shortened version of his encounter with the love goddess. His face was open and honest, and his story sounded legit enough, but Thalia could sense he was hiding something. Surely Aphrodite wouldn't come all the way out here, at risk of ruining her clothes with dust and sand and other unspeakable things, to deliver a mere warning? There had to be another explanation, another piece to the puzzle…
And then it dawned on her.
Sure, they were on a quest to save Artemis. But Thalia knew that Percy only came, only ran away from camp; only put himself at risk on this adventure because of Annabeth. The two were best friends, but Thalia wondered now if they had the potential for something else...for something more. After all, Aphrodite was the love goddess.
And Thalia cursed herself for being so stupid. She had noticed their casual banter, their cutting comments - well, more Annabeth's than Percy's - that held deeper meaning, the way they always teamed up for anything and everything. Looking back on it, it was screamingly obvious, and so Thalia wondered why the two of them just weren't together yet. They seemed like they should be - they acted like they were half the time, for Zeus' sake. She remembered the side glances Percy gave Annabeth when he thought she wasn't looking, and the way Annabeth always seemed a little more distracted with him around. Thalia shook her head in disbelief. It was clear they liked one another, but would it really take one of them nearly dying - she used nearly because she couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't accept Annabeth as dead - to see it?
Thalia sighed. She watched Percy as he walked on up ahead, next to Grover, silent. Sure, he was an annoying Seaweed Brain, but he was her friend, and so was Annabeth, and even though Thalia cringed at the thought of them doing...whatever couples did, the inner romantic inside her smiled. Somehow, she knew they'd pull through this all right, and hopefully Percy would get over his thickheadedness and see just what Annabeth meant to him.
He'd better realise it, Thalia mused, quickening her pace. Or I might just have to shock him into a decision. Literally. She caught up with Percy and Grover, her eyes trained on the ground, and hid a smile. Maybe, just maybe, with Percy and Annabeth together saving the world, maybe everything would turn out all right.
.
Author's Note: So, basically, this is set in Titan's Curse, when Percy has just finished his audience with Aphrodite in the limo. Any requests for a drabble, please review and ask for anything you want! Thanks!