Open Mic
Thalia had a secret hobby that she absolutely adored. However, no one knew about her favorite pastime. The daughter of Zeus knew exactly what kind of looks she'd get if they heard about it.
Every so often, Thalia would take a break from the Hunters for a few days, wandering. Artemis tolerated her, but she knew the goddess had no clue what she did and didn't like not being in the know. Thalia was alright with that as long as no one knew her secret.
Thalia loved to sing. Not only did she love to sing, but she was great at it! One half of her loved to perform, to be admired, and to show her talents, but the other half of her loved to just sit there with her guitar and play the notes, sing the song, and enjoy the music.
On these days that Thalia left the Hunters, when she disappeared for a few days, that was where she went. During the day, she wandered, ate at cafés, and met friends. At night, Lieutenant Thalia of the Hunters of Artemis was just Tanya Hunter, a name she'd long since made up for cover stories. It was close enough to her real name that she responded, but far enough away to create an alter-ego.
Thalia had always looked older than she actually was. Tanya was 19, she was from New York, and she had learned to play the guitar from traveling musicians before becoming one herself. That was all anyone ever knew about her. Thalia made sure of that.
It was as if she was a different person when she was Tanya. She saw the world through a different light, and it made all the difference. She got away from the war, the monsters, and even the Hunt. She became Tanya, in more ways than one.
Thalia was in the process of changing clothes to become Tanya, in the town of Parkersburg, Iowa. She had regular places in many regions of the country because of how often the Hunters traveled cross-country, and Parkersburg was one of them. A few years earlier, the town had gotten hit by a tornado. She'd come by and paid her respects to the destroyed houses and injured.
Tonight, Tanya brought a deep blue guitar with three small lightning bolts on the bottom. She was wearing black leather boots, black jeans, and a dark blue (long-sleeved, since it was autumn) loose-necked tunic. Around her neck was a silver chain with a charm that Annabeth had given her 3 years ago after the Battle of Manhattan. It was a lightning bolt, outlined in blue that had a gold "T" in the middle.
She looked up as someone approached her. "Tanya," said the middle-aged woman with red hair and brown eyes. They embraced, and Tanya smiled. "Mina!" Mina was the owner of the place at which she sang. "You're on. You need anything?" Tanya shook her head. "Thanks, Mina, but I'm good. Just an intro!" Mina winked at their inside joke. "And a little elbow grease…." Tanya finished, "And it'll be great!" Mina and Tanya hugged one more time, and Mina led Tanya out, staying a bit ahead of her.
Mina walked out on stage. "This is Tanya, with a cover of OneRepublic's 'All We Are.'" She heard a slight smattering of applause, and walked out on stage, seeing several familiar faces. "Hey, everybody. Hope you like it." She'd already tuned her guitar and warmed up, so she began her song.
"Tried to paint you a picture,
The colors were all wrong.
This song had always reminded Thalia of Luke. These two lines reminded her of how she thought of him at first, and how he had become a completely different person. She'd tried to help him stay the person he was, but that wasn't truly him.
Black and white didn't fit you,
And all along,
You were shaded with patience.
Thalia understood Luke. She understood his daddy issues, she understood his rough life. He'd been patient, more patient than she'd been at his age, and he'd always encouraged her and Annabeth. She really didn't get where things had gone wrong.
The strokes of everything
That I need just to make it,
And I could see.
Thalia had needed Luke, all that time. She'd needed the comfort he brought, the love that he gave. Yes, he was bitter and vengeful, even as a child, but he was the closest she had to family.
Lord knows I failed you,
Time and again,
But you and me are alright.
In the end, she'd failed Luke. She'd allowed him to become the embodiment of rage towards his father. Thalia knew that Luke had forgiven her, even though she didn't think she deserved it.
We won't say our goodbyes
You know it's better that way.
She had never said good-bye to him. That was her biggest regret.
We won't break, we won't die,
It's just a moment of change.
She knew that if she died, and reached Elysium, the first thing that Thalia Grace would do would be to find Luke, and tell him she was sorry. Sorry for everything.
All we are, all we are,
'Cause everything is great,
All we need, all we need
Love is headed by.
She'd let him slip through her fingers, that day that she died.
I walked a minute in your shoes,
They never would've fit,
Thalia understood Luke, but she could never have done what he did. That, she would never understand.
I figured there's nothing to lose,
I need to get
A self-perspective on these words,
Before I write them down
She just wished she could talk to him one more time.
What I learned and my ship
Has run aground
Thalia had grieved, even if no one knew it. She had missed Luke. Hearing of his death, and only hearing of it, and how it came about… It had nearly destroyed her.
Lord knows I failed you,
Time and again,
But you and me are alright.
We won't say our goodbyes
You know it's better that way.
A tear slipped down her cheek as she sang, unnoticed. I'm sorry, Luke.
We won't break, we won't die,
It's just a moment of change.
I'm sorry I failed you. I'm sorry it took you dying for me to see that...
All we are, all we are,
'Cause everything is great,
All we need, all we need
Love is headed by.
That I loved you.
Ooh,
Every single day that I can breathe,
You change my philosophy,
She would never forget him.
Never gonna let you pass me by
She wished she could get a second chance. Thalia knew, if she could just go back in time, she could put Luke on the right path.
So don't say your goodbyes
You know it's better that way.
I will miss you. Until the day I die, I will miss you.
We won't break, we won't die,
It's just a moment of change.
Don't be anyone but who you are, Luke. Don't you remember me saying that?
All we are, all we are,
'Cause everything is great,
All we need, all we need
Love is headed by.
I hope you're happy now. That you're at peace.
"So don't say your goodbyes
You know it's better that way.
We won't break, we won't die,
It's just a moment of change.
I'm sorry I failed you.
All we are, all we are,
'Cause everything is great (that's right?),
All we need, all we need
Love is headed by."
Yeah, Yeah
Oh, Oh,
Goodbye, Luke. Thalia played and played, and her voice grew soft.
So don't say our goodbyes, you know it's better
We wont break, we wont die,
Her fingers were sore, but she smiled as she finished.
All we are, all we are,
Cuz everything is great,
All we need, all we need,
Cause love is heading by,
I'm sorry I let you die without telling you I was sorry.
She heard clapping and cheering. Tanya stood and took a small bow, walking off-stage to receive a hug from Mina. "Beautiful as always, honey. Good job." Tanya smiled in thanks. "Thank you, Mina." Mina put a hand on Tanya's shoulder, which was strange since Tanya was taller than her. Thalia smiled as she dropped her disguise. She walked over to put her guitar away. "Do you know when you'll be back, Lieutenant?" Thalia, who had just closed the case, put the guitar back where it stayed when she was with the Hunters. "No, I don't." Mina knew Thalia's secret because she was a daughter of Apollo, who had little enough power to be able to survive outside the borders of Camp.
Thalia turned to her friend and smiled, one last time before she left. "Whenever I need to."
Love it? Hate it? Wish it were never written? Go ahead and give me your opinion. I'd love to hear it!
If you guys want more, just tell me. I have a few more songs I can work something in with. This is originally a oneshot, but if enough people tell me they want another, or a few more, I'll do it! Your wish is my command!
Thank you a ton for reading!
AthanasiaElpis