Jar of Hearts [THALUKE: During Titan's Curse]
Disclaimer: I do not own PJO and any of its characters. They belong to Rick Riordan. Simlarly, I do not own Jar of Hearts. It belongs to Christina Perri.
I've removed the lyrics so that it doesn't break any rules that this website has set. Please visit my wattpad version if you want the version with lyrics! Links are up on my profile. So go there and click away (cos i have no idea how to insert links into stories).
Dedicated to my lovely friend annabethandpercy4ever, just as she requested :)
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No. That's final. It's a no for Thalia. No more. She had to end it. Luke – the good one – was still imprinted on her mind, every detail fine-painted. She wished with all her might that that Luke could come back.
Stop. She told herself. Come on, Thalia. You're stronger than that. You must do what is right to end this destruction. Never in her life Thalia had thought she needed a man. She was headstrong and independent. But she found herself hesitating because of Luke even now, when he was standing in front of her, tempting her to join his side – the evil side.
Luke must learn something. She was her own independent self now, no longer the young twelve-year-old girl who, together with him, thought that they could face the world. She no longer needed him by her side. She could face the world alone now, or with her new friends. Just thinking about those childhood memories brought tears to her eyes. Thalia always thought that crying is only for the weak but someone once told her that crying is for the strong because you must have faced many difficulties in order to break down so badly. She can't even bring herself to say his name. It had a bittersweet feeling in her mouth. Bitter because of his betrayal, sweet because of all the memories they had shared and the promises he had made – had made, but broken. He literally had made her feel like she was his most important person in the world at that time, and she genuinely believed that they could continue taking on the world together. That was one of the reasons she rejected being a Hunter at first. Because she truly believed that she and Luke could have a wonderful future together. But who knew fate would drift them apart?
By betraying her and her friends, Luke was no longer the Luke she loved. Luke lost the love Thalia loved the most, which was their love.
Thalia could barely cope with the news that Luke was the one to poison her tree after she came back to this Earth. She had so much to process and that simple news of Luke joining Kronos' army devastated her, even though she put up a strong front and refused to cave in. Thalia could also tell that Annabeth was very affected by the news, as she knew Annabeth always adored Luke and had a soft spot for him. She learnt to cope with the pang of hurt in her chest whenever she thought about Luke. She felt like half of her was missing; her loyal, trustworthy partner-in-crime who she grew to have some feelings for.
And now, standing before her, is the blond-haired boy himself, tempting her to join Kronos' army. She must admit, those points Luke made were valid. Her father never bothered to contact her before, and all she wanted to do was to impress him and get his attention. She thought about all the times she, him and Annabeth spent together.
"If you join me, it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world."
Old times. Thalia thought. Better world.
She heard both Zoë's and Percy's warnings and in that instance, she knew what she must do.
Her eyes full of pain, Thalia looked as if she wanted more than anything to believe Luke. She wanted more than anything for him to be correct, just like old times when he taught her things.
She then levelled her spear and said, "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore."
After hearing Percy say "together", she charged Luke with all her might, not bothering to spare him like in her duels with him when they were younger. She knew she could easily beat Luke with her skill. It was her heavy heart weighing her down.
As she fought, she screamed, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE LUKE CASTELLAN? YOU AREN'T LUKE ANYMORE. YOU'VE CHANGED!" Thalia kicked Luke in the stomach and he doubled over in pain. She felt her vision go blurry and instinctively used her hands to wipe her eyes, and realised they were tears.
Luke had no right to do this. Who was he? How could he do this to everyone who loved and cared for him? Thalia knew Annabeth had a small crush on Luke before she met Percy and Luke's betrayal must have broken her inside out even though she chose not to show it. Fortunately, Annabeth has Percy with her. For Thalia, she had no one.
What once could be love was now incinerated to ashes. Thalia knew she loved Luke as a brother, and there could have been something more if she had not been turned into a pine tree and if Luke had not turned evil. She knew it would take quite long to get over him, to even believe that he turned evil, that he was no longer the innocent blue-eyed boy that she once loved.
Luke left scars on those who loved him. And what else did he do? He captured their love for him and tortured it, taking advantage of it. He had a unique collection of hearts in a jar.
Backbiter grazed Thalia's left arm and it was at that moment she completely believed the Luke she loved was gone. Gone forever. She glared at him, eyes full of anger, hatred and pain and in those blue depths she could see worry and fear but they became cold immediately. She charged with renewed energy and used her shield to knock Luke off-balance.
Thalia had made her decision. She would never ever fall for Luke's tricks again. He betrayed her friends and even poisoned her tree. She gave up her life for him and Annabeth five years ago and that was how he repaid her? By poisoning her?
She was always a strong girl but she grew even stronger in those months after she became human again. The news of Luke joining Kronos' army devastated her but she managed to pick up the pieces that Luke shattered, one by one, all by herself. Beneath the strong exterior was a vulnerable little girl whose heart had been shattered into a million pieces by a guy she thought was worthy of her love.
She gave him her life but he betrayed her. And now he wants her back. Thalia is not a toy to anyone and she did not allow anyone to play her. She's stronger now, no loner needing Luke for support.
Thalia disarmed Luke and Backbiter flew aside, a good few metres away from him, out of his reach. She pointed the tip of her spear at his throat and was very tempted to slice through his neck cleanly and quickly.
"Don't kill him!" An all too familiar voice broke the silence.
"He's a traitor, Annabeth. Stop. There's no saving him anymore."
Who did Luke think he was? Even at this moment of time, when Thalia was contemplating whether to kill him or not, Annabeth still defended him, saying that they could bring Luke back to Olympus and that he could be useful.
Luke certainly had a huge impact on Annabeth's life and he certainly had captured her heart too, just like what he had done with Thalia's. He's a living example of a destroyer of love.
Thalia hesitated for a while. Of course she could not bring herself to kill Luke. As someone once said, "One cannot stop loving someone. Either you never did or always will." Thalia knew she loved Luke and she definitely could not end his life.
While Thalia was pondering, she noticed from the corner of her eye Luke slowly getting up and then in one swift motion, he lunged for her spear. Fortunately, Thalia had quick reflexes. Her instincts immediately kicked in and she kicked Luke away. She barely registered the "NO!" coming from Annabeth when Luke lost his balance and fell from the cliff.
It took Thalia some time to get over the fact that Luke became evil. She was devastated for a point of time but she managed to pick up the pieces. Nevertheless, there would always be a hole in her heart that she would never be able to fill. She still could not believe that she had kicked Luke off a cliff. Guilt washed over her and tears began running down her face uncontrollably. Even Annabeth was trembling from the shock. If it wasn't for Percy, Thalia would have been skewered by the many javelins and arrows that the monsters threw.
As they were escaping, thoughts raced through Thalia's mind like the monsters' speeding arrows. She recalled the first time she had met Luke. The first time they held hands. The first time they kissed when she was twelve. The first promise he made that he would always be together with her and Annabeth. And the promise he made to her that they would always be together, forever. The promises that he would never leave her side and would always support her.
But he broke them all. He broke them all the moment he joined Kronos' army. He destroyed their love when he fought against her. He dragged their love down with him when he fell off the cliff. And now that Luke wanted her again, it was too late. He had been brainwashed and was no longer the sweet and caring boy she had fallen for. He would never get her back again. She had learnt from this mistake. She would not trust men so easily in the future.
She knew what she had to do.
Now as she watched Zoë taking her last few breaths, she realised that Zoë was right about men all these while. They only stayed for advantages and then cast females aside after they were done with them. The only exception and the only boy she trusted now was Percy. It was at that moment she decided not to make the same mistake again. And to prevent that, she decided to swear off all men and become a Hunter, just like Zoë.
Who do you think you are?
Thalia learnt her lesson. And she paid a heavy price. But she felt free knowing she did the right thing although she did regret kicking Luke off the cliff.
Who did Luke Castellan think he was? What right did he have to mess up with Thalia's life?
Now, with her sisters in arms, she was determined to forget all the bad deeds Luke had done. She buried her feelings for him and looked forward to create a new life on her own.
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Completed: 28 November 2013
Update: This was written last year too. I re-uploaded it as separate one-shots. So far this is my favourite out of the all three haha. It's the least clichéd. :P