Thalia's POV
I saw his blond hair and felt my cheeks turn pink. It was Luke.
He came up to me, his lovely periwinkle-blue eyes sparkling. He closed them and kissed my lips. I closed my eyes as he kept kissing me. Once, twice, three times. I had to pull away, and he chuckled. I blushed harder.
Even I can't believe I'm going all 'girly-and-gaga' over this boy.
"Goodnight" he whispered, squeezing my hand. "Love you"
"Mmm, love you too" I murmured, hugging him. He finally let go of my waist, and I went back to my cabin-Cabin One. I sighed as I lay down on the uber-soft bed with cloud-white sheets and pillows. I felt butterflies in my stomach. I felt light. I felt happy.
I rolled on my bed, finally falling asleep.
Laughter filled the dark place. The voice was like metal scraping on metal. It was evil and metallic.
"You think you are worthy enough?" the voice asked.
"Yes, and I accept your offer. I'll do anything, my Lord" I gasped when I heard the voice. It-it was...
"Oh, come to join us, daughter of Zeus?" the voice chuckled. "No matter, you will soon make the same decision your partner has done" his voice was so mocking when he said 'partner'.
"Thalia?" Luke's voice suddenly asked. It was the first time I'd heard him scared or nervous ever since we came to Camp.
"What are you doing here, Luke?!" I screamed. But I couldn't find him.
Suddenly I was falling endlessly; into an abyss of evil and darkness. I screamed and screamed even when my throat was raw; but there was nothing but that scraping, metallic laughter filling my head.
I woke up abruptly, panting and sweating uncontrollably. The sun was beginning to peek out when I heard frantic knocking. I walked to the door.
"Who in Hades is fucking rapping on my door at this godly hour?!" I hissed, still weak from my most recent nightmare.
"Me" Luke's voice cut clear through my next words. His voice was troubled.
I immediately opened the door. There stood Luke; his hair tousled and his eyes dark and frightened.
"Luke" I said, closing the door and letting him sit on my bed. "Th-Thalia...I-I had this dream" he finally said after a long silence of holding hands and a deep breath.
"Kronos" he choked out. I stiffened. "He-he offered me power. I'm sick of all of this, Thalia. I want to change everything. Don't you?" I knew what he was talking about. I always did. And I always agreed; I always understood.
But not this time. "Yes, I'm tired of this, Luke. But to give up? To Kronos?" I asked him, staring at him. Electric-blue met periwinkle-blue.
"He told me to offer you power, too"
"Power?" I asked, losing myself. Power-that was my weakness. Suddenly a memory flashed through my mind like a wound.
Thalia climbed into the unreliable car carefully, making sure baby Jason was fine and content. A hamper filled with who-knows-what was sitting beside them. Their mother was at the wheel.
Thalia didn't say anything.
Soon, the old black car stopped. Thalia found that they were in an extrememly secluded spot. Innumerous trees made it impossible to see anything.
"Give Jason to me, Thalia" her mother's voice said softly. Thalia tensed. "No"
"No?"
"No"
"You will give my son to me, Thalia!" her voice was menacing-horrifying. Thalia had some pretty rough experiences with her mother, but this was the first time she used that tone.
Thalia backed up into a tree. "I won't let you hold my brother. You're a demon"
"Give him to me, you worthless piece of shit!" my mother yelled, trying to grab Jason. But Thalia was too quick.
"No!"
Suddenly her mother's fist came in contact with her jaw; then her gut. Her mother was beating her like usual. But Thalia curled around Jason. "I won't let you. You'll kill him" Thalia said weakly.
Suddenly Thalia felt a surge of pain at her neck. Then she black out.
Thalia's mother, Lori, scooped baby Jason into her arms hastily. Jason cried loudly, but her mother didn't even try to stop him.
He will be gone. And soon.
Lori swiftly went deeper into the enormous place, before she met a pack of wolves. The one in the center was gigantic, and Lori went straight to her. "Ah, I see you've chosen wisely" Lupa said seriously. "Take care of him" Lori said gruffly before traveling back to where her car and daughter was.
Lori stared at her daughter. Her short, spiky black hair that was the exact color his. Those electric-blue eyes that were his. That pale complexion and physique that was hers. Her freckles.
Jason; that boy who had icy-blue eyes like Lori's. That blond hair from her own.
She collapsed on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably with tears streaming down her face.
Soon, Thalia awoke. "Where's Jason!?" her voice, frantic and nearly crazy. Lori kept sobbing.
"You killed him! You killed him! I hate you! I fucking hate you!" Thalia screamed, shaking her violently and pounding fists into her.
Lori didn't even bother to do anything.
When she she ran out of words, Thalia just screamed and screamed until her throat was raw. She kept pulling her hair, she beat up herself for being so weak; that she couldn't protect Jason.
Tears stained her face so heavily that she felt like her face was brittle and stiff. That was what she was. Brittle and useless. She couldn't even protect the only person that mattered in her life.
Lori drove into the night, stopping at their crappy place. Thalia had thrown the hamper.
It was empty. This entire trip was a trick. That hidden spot was perfect for killing and burying Jason.
The car finally stopped. Thalia stormed inside while Lori went straight into the kitchenette and brought out bottles of alcohol. Lori drank three bottles for the whole night, loving the fesity feeling and not caring whatever Thalia did. She could be dead by now and Lori would keep drinking.
The next morning, Thalia was gone.
That was the same day I met Luke at the dragon's cave. The real Luke.
And Annabeth. No, I can't be weak. I have to be strong. And I am strong.
"No" I said firmly
Luke's aura darkened. He was scowling. "Well, I accepted. I made the right choice, Thalia. Your pretty smart. Don't you realize what this means? I can finally cure my Mom. We could rule right over this cramped piece of shit called Camp. We could even rule over the gods; our useless parents. And...We could find Jason" he said quietly.
My heart twisted, tightening until I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. "I..It's..Luke, I just don't know" I said quietly. Suddenly, Luke stood up. "Please make the right choice. Because if you don't..." he pleaded, tears slowly filling his eyes.
"But I need you. I still do" I whispered, reaching out to him. He responded immediately, and soon we were kissing softly yet passionately. He held my waist securely; lovingly. I wrapped my hands around his neck.
I woke up on my bed, spooned with Luke. It was a nice morning if my dream wasn't about that laughter.
I realized kids were walking past . "Luke, get dressed" I said, pulling on my CHB shirt. His eyes snapped open, taking a moment to register my words.
After dressing up and quietly slipping out of my cabin, Luke faced me. "Have you decided?" he asked nervously, and I knew he had talked to Kronos again.
"Luke, what happened to you? Please, get ahold of yourself" I said desperately. His eyes darkened. "I have. And I still have" he said darkly.
"Luke, this isn't you! What the hell has Kronos done to you?! Luke!" I said cried tearfully when Luke walked in a fast pace, muttering.
I collapsed on the log, thinking while crying. What had I heard about Kronos? Everything I heard about him was useless to this situation, except for the fact that he was called the Crooked One. And that he could manipulate everyone so easily.
But reasoning Luke wasn't going to work. It never did.
After Luke died in 'The Last Olympian'...
I stared at Luke's broken body while Hermes cried, sobbing over his dead son. How useless.
I swiped away my tears roughly. My father had called me.
After the party..
I was back to being the Lieutenant of Lady Artemis' Hunters. My silver wreath sat atop my spiky black hair like a tiara. My silver clothes glittered in the moonlight.
We trudged on, looking for a place to rest. My entire soul and body yearned for Luke. Before I had met Annabeth, we were so happy-so perfect.
Yes, I'm blaming Annabeth. Because if it wasn't for her she wouldn't have the cursed blade that killed Luke. Luke...he loved Annabeth. When he asked Annabeth if he ever loved her, I knew I was gone.
Oh, poor me, blah blah blah. I don't care anymore; no one knew but the three of us. I shouldn't even cry for that bastard. I should stand strong and proud, the Lieutenant of my fellow Hunters.
But like all those other lovesick Aphrodite girls, I knew I could never forget him.
I wondered when had he started liking Annabeth. That girl would hyperventilate every time she saw him.
I can't say I'm not jealous. I know it's irrelevant to feel that, but it was true. I was completely forgotten. I was used to being ignored; to be forgotten. But hating Luke for loving Annabeth more than me was a new low. Bitter resentment waved through me. I wondered if I had been better off to die like normal half-bloods. Or to stay at 'home', my mother's place. Of course I couldn't.
The best thing I could wish was that my mom had never taken me and Jason to that bloody place. Jason was the only reason I stayed. I was about to run away when I saw the bulge in my mother's stomach and realized she was already four months pregnant.
I was overjoyed, and waited until my mother gave brith to Jason. She would always leave me and baby Jason to drink or to act in some unknown show.
I took care of him. I stole money whenever I could get ahold of it to buy whatever Jason needed. Sometimes I'd make a meal when I was starving.
But it never mattered; it was Jason that I loved. He was my only light. I loved his sweet, innocent laugh. His cute, toothless smile and those icy-blue eyes. But this was Jason, not my mother.
I didn't care anymore how my mother would rage about anything, how she would always beat me for some small reason or no reason at all. I remembered that she would always look for money in the house and I would always beat her to it, making her beat me again.
I decided that if Jason was killed, I would've liked to have met Grover alone. Or to meet another satyr from another Camp. Yes, that was the second-best wish. Then I would never be involved with this kind of crap.
My eyes; shocked and angry, were becoming lifeless.
Images flashed before me. Jason. Luke. Annabeth. Good times when we were on the run. The Hunters and Lady Artemis.
The sword still clung to my chest. It had gone straight through. I close my eyes and shut my mouth as I fell.
Finally, I could rest. After millenia, I could relax. I would be safe at last.
And maybe, just maybe; I could finally be with the man I still love.