Note: This story was inspired by a song of the same name by A Rocket to the Moon. Enjoy my very light Perlia :)

Her knives glinted silver in the dim moonlight. The hellhound let out an anguished cry. She smirked at the sound, revelling in the release she felt. This is what she was born to do.

There was no worrying about old friends, no reliving their deaths in her dreams, no confusing feelings to contend with.

There was only the thrill of the hunt, and Thalia Grace let herself drown in it.

Monsters flooded the abandoned construction site that was their battlefield. Their claws clacked noisily against metal beams and concrete blocks. Thalia surveyed the enemy through experienced eyes. Hellhounds would keep to the ground but chimeras were part-cat; instinct would drive them higher.

The demigod craned her head skyward, her gaze meeting the looming figure of an unfinished skyscraper.

"Everyone, hold the perimeter," she commanded, already dashing towards the bare structure and sheathing her blades. Thalia knew she had to act quickly; she couldn't give her Hunters a chance to follow. They'd been doing that a lot for reasons Thalia just couldn't understand. She could obviously handle herself in a fight. There was no need for backup.

She scaled the building, her movements lithe and silent. A chimera came at her somewhere between the third and fourth floors. Thalia brought Aegis up before she even knew what was happening: a reflex, honed through years of battles. More proof that she didn't need anything else but moments like these. Her heart hammered away in her chest, each beat pumping more adrenaline through her system. Yes, this is what she lived for now.

Thalia twisted away from the beast's swipe, butting it under the chin with her shield. The chimera gave a grunt and swung its lion head, tracking Thalia as she darted away. And so began a dance. Its snarls and yowls were the music, her dips and parries were the steps.

Her spear found purchase in its shoulder. Thalia drove it in deeper, electricity arcing down its shaft. A spasm tore through the chimera, the smell of burnt fur wafting from it. The beast wrenched away, yanking Thalia's spear out of her grasp. In one fluid motion, the Hunter unhitched her bow and nocked an arrow. It took her less than two seconds to aim and release. Her arrow found its target, lodging its silver tip into the chimera's left eye. It attempted to dislodge the weapon, its throaty roar echoing, reverberating, calling...

And suddenly, one had become three and the music had surrounded her.

The dance sped up, its tempo racing.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, Thalia slipped. She didn't know how she was knocked out. All she remembered were the sounds of swordplay and the panicked gaze of sea-green eyes.

~o~o~o~

"For the last time, I want to see her," Percy stressed. "I need to know she's okay."

"Thank you for the ambrosia," one of the Hunters told Percy stiffly. She actually looked like she was in physical pain from thanking the boy. "Thalia is recovering. It would be best if you left."

Percy looked forlornly at the tent where Thalia had been taken into. It was on the opposite end of the campsite. "But—"

"Goodbye Son of Poseidon," the Hunter quipped, turning heel.

The teen gave a groan of frustration before stomping away, his footfalls crunching through the undergrowth.

Why so glum Boss?

"It's nothing, Blackjack," Percy replied as the winged equine landed next to him.

Girl problems?

"Hunter problems," the demigod corrected, stroking his pegasus' neck. "They won't let me see Thalia and there's something I need to tell her."

So? Blackjack prodded, pawing the ground with one restless hoof.

"So what?" Percy parroted.

I don't see why it's such a big deal, he snorted. You've snuck into high security monster prisons, Boss. This should be easy peasy.

~o~o~o~

Thalia woke slowly, the last dregs of unconsciousness clinging to her mind. A dull ache permeated her body and she was only dimly aware of a commotion happening outside. The voices overlapped, sounding more irate than battle-ready. She wondered what was going on, and why no one had come to alert her.

"Psssssssst."

Zeus' daughter already had her hunting knife pressed firmly against the intruder's neck before she realized who it was. "Gods Percy, don't sneak up on me like that. I almost hurt you."

"Almost?" Percy croaked, eyeing the wicked sharp blade curved at his neck.

"Sorry, just a bit jumpy," Thalia said, pulling her knife away. She sat back down on her cot and sighed. "Those chimeras had the upper hand for a while."

"I know," Percy stated. He sat down next to her, twirling Riptide's pen form in his hands. "I was there."

"Oh...oh right," she mumbled. The din from outside was getting louder. "Would you mind telling me what's going on? I can't believe the other Hunters let you in here."

Percy gave a nervous chuckle. "They didn't exactly let me in..."

A high pitched whinny pierced the air, accented by the sound of strong wingbeats and a hoard of less-than-pleased girls. "Percy, what are you doing to my Hunters?"

"Don't worry Thalia, it's just Blackjack," Percy reassured. "He offered to be the diversion. I needed to sneak in to see if you were all right."

"The thought's appreciated," Thalia said with a gusty sigh. "But as you can see, I'm fine. So I'd appreciate it more if you called off your Pegasus."

"He says he's having too much fun to stop," Percy announced, his face turning grave despite the levity of his comment. "And Thalia, you're not fine."

"What are you talking about," she frowned. "The ambrosia patched me up. I'll be back on my feet by tomorrow."

"That's just it," he pointed out. Percy looked sternly at his friend and added, "You have to stop."

"Stop what?" Thalia asked ardently.

"All this," Percy said, gesturing vaguely at her. "You can't keep this up, Thalia. Nectar and ambrosia won't heal everything."

"I am a Hunter of Artemis. You expect me to stop hunting just because you said so?" Thalia challenged. She stared at Percy, titling her head up ever so slightly to see eye-to-eye with the taller teen. "I don't think so."

"You don't get it," Percy started, staring back at his defiant friend. This was Thalia, daughter of Zeus, after all. "The way you've been fighting...it's as if you don't care about staying alive. Your Hunters see it as bravery, but it's not. It's stupid Thalia, nothing else but stupid."

Thalia stayed silent for a while. Deep down, she knew that he was right. That hunting had become her vice. That life just didn't seem as appetizing after Luke killed Annabeth. But how could she say that? It would be like admitting she'd been wrong for the past three years. So instead, she argued. "You don't know anything Percy. This is my vocation, is it wrong to put all my heart into it? So I'm a bit reckless, so what? I've saved lives. I have Zeus' power and Artemis' blessing! I control lightning! I'm coursing with electricity!"

"And someday, you might short out," Percy said quietly. He was looking up at her now. Thalia's indignation had driven her to her feet. "Do you really think there's nothing left to live for?"

"I live for the hunt," she stated.

Percy could sense Blackjack tiring. He probably had less than a minute left with Thalia. "You live for the hunt, you live for the thrill. But that...that's no life. You're lost Thalia, admit it. If you stray any farther away, I won't be able to call you back."

"I don't need to go back," Thalia proclaimed, a sense of finality hanging on her words. "There's nothing to go back to."

"Fine," Percy said, standing up and making his way to the tent's exit. A maelstrom of emotions raged in him, frustration, fear, and loss few of many. Though he tried not to show it, his agitation leaked into his speech. "I'll be seeing you then."

And with a sharp whistle and the pounding of hooves, he was gone.

~o~o~o~

"Faster Blackjack, faster!"

I'm trying Boss. I'm trying as hard as I can, but the snowstorm...

Snow pelted the boy and his Pegasus as they rode the tempestuous winds. Chiron's Iris message was still fresh in Percy's mind. Something had happened to Thalia. He only remembered bits and pieces of the message, just the important parts.

"Gravely injured," the centaur had said. "Her choice. Too much. An overdose."

The words rattled inside his head. A different scenario played out every second, each one so much worse than the last.

Maybe Blackjack could feel his Boss' distress and fought harder against the elements. Maybe for once Zeus was helping him along and quelling the gales. Percy didn't care. The rush of emotion he felt as he spotted Peleus' glittering form curled up at the Camp's borders wiped all pre-existing thought from his mind.

Blackjack glided into Camp Half Blood's fair-weathered expanse. The black Pegasus landed right in front of the Big House, his raven-like wings flinging powdery snow everywhere. Percy slid off his steed with practiced ease and made his way towards the familiar wooden door.

"Chiron," he hissed urgently.

The centaur trotted over, grimfaced. "Percy, you've arrived."

"Chiron," the teen repeated. "How is she?"

"She's stable," Chiron informed his camper. "Stable and alive."

Relief washed over Percy, along with confusion. If Thalia was fine, then why was Chiron so solemn? "So everything's alright?"

"You should see her for yourself," Chiron told him. "She needs a friend right now, not a teacher. I will take Blackjack to the stables."

Percy found himself frozen in place, dreading what he'd see in place of his favourite Hunter. What had happened to Thalia to wrack the centaur so badly? He listened to Chiron's clip-clops until the snow muted them. A silence would have draped itself over the cabin if not for the soft breaths that came from the other occupant.

Swallowing his apprehension, Percy tip-toed closer to the only bed, hoping he wouldn't wake her up if she was asleep.

"I thought I told you not to sneak up on me," her weak voice chastised.

"Thalia...," he called, stepping closer. She lay cocooned in several blankets; her eyes closed and face pallid. "Thalia, what happened?"

She choked on a breath, shame bearing down on her like a solid force. "I...I got hurt, Percy. I got really hurt. There was only so much time left, and no one could contact Artemis."

Something on the bedside table caught Percy's eye. It was an empty glass. Chiron's message played through his mind again. Overdose. "Oh Thalia, the nectar, you didn't..."

"Ambrosia too," she muttered with a sardonic attempt at a smile, opening her eyes to look at her old friend. "I didn't have a choice."

Percy gasped, the spark had left her blue orbs, and, Percy noticed, the silver glow had left her skin. "You're mortal."

She nodded sadly, tears stinging at the back of her eyes. "It was all my father and milady could do."

Percy knelt numbly at her bedside. He never thought it was possible, turning a demigod mortal. Noticing movement at the corner of his eye, he glanced back at Thalia who was rubbing furiously at her eyes. She was a mortal, vulnerable to everything she craved. Percy stared into those once electric eyes, now a duller baby blue.

"I-I've always wondered," she said, throat clenched and voice heavy. "What life would be like if I was mortal...but now, I take it back. I take it all back. I want my old life back Percy. It was all I had. What will I do now? I shouldn't even be in Camp."

And out of the blue, he was holding her hand. Percy didn't know what to do in a situation like this, but somehow, this felt right. He felt a tingle scurry up his arm, an electricity of a different sort. "You'll do whatever you want to do."

"Percy, you idiot, it doesn't work that way," Thalia sniffed.

"And when have you ever followed the rules?" Percy retorted.