A/N: As you may have figured out, the italics are the reasons they can't be together, and then the regular text switches back and forth between reasons Thalia loves Luke, and reasons Luke loves Thalia.
He had a way with little kids. Well, he'd had a way with Annabeth, at least. And while Thalia had never been fond of small children herself, this had always struck a chord in her. Annabeth had been bright and mature for her age, but even if she hadn't, Thalia was pretty sure that Luke would have treated her the same way. He was a kind person, when it came to those who couldn't protect themselves, and Thalia took this to mean something about his character.
She was a hunter. It was his fault that she was anyway, but besides that, there was no going back from a choice of such volume. It had been her ultimatum, and she had saved herself and everyone else in one fell swoop. Only one thing had been left to shrivel and die, abandoned for the greater good of the universe.
She was beautiful, in his eyes. He had always thought that both she and Annabeth were, but since Annabeth had once been seven, he'd thought it of Thalia first. She never knew this, of course. In fact, she'd always thought something of the opposite. His type appeared to be a more regular beauty, such as Annabeth's pale features and silky hair. But no, he liked something far less definable than that. He liked people who had a story, who he had a story with. And that was something Thalia had always had.
He had grown up, leaving her behind. The same way Annabeth had, he had aged, abandoning Thalia in the body of the girl she had always been. He was all grown up, and she was still the awkward pre-teen who had just begun to feel the vengeance of hormones. And after joining the hunters, she knew that she would always be that girl. He would be reborn, his years doubling hers yet again. They were lifetimes apart.
He was the first boy ever to enter her life. Being a daughter of Zeus, Thalia's father had obviously been absent from her life. And for one reason or another, she had just never made any male friends. They were too frightening, in a way. She wasn't sure what to say to them, or how to act around them. Luke was different though. He was easy to befriend, and easy for her to like. He was the first boy to claim her heart, and the only to stay there.
She was always his second. It was an unavoidable conflict, which she had always kept in the back of her mind. While had always loved her, sometimes more than either realized, Annabeth always reigned across his care and worry. He was in love with her, for most of his life, while Thalia was merely someone he loved.
Luke thought that perhaps she understood him. She listened to his stories with a sympathetic ear, even if he couldn't tell her everything. He told her more than Annabeth, at any rate, finding her the less painful person to share with. She was his best friend, in no uncertain terms, while Annabeth was something else. Thalia truly cared, about him and about his secrets, and that had always endeared her to him.
She had been gone for five years. Dead, her spirit locked within a tree. He had mourned her, and wondered about her, and then eventually moved on. That's what happened, after all. And once she was back, it was already too late. For both of them. He had stopped pining, and she had only started.
She loved him for himself. He had a story of his own, and uncountable troubles, but he was still Luke. She loved his appearance, his mannerisms, and even his desire for revenge. It was just who he was, and she was the only one who understood that. He was Luke, and she loved him for it.
He had turned against everything she believed in. Joining Kronos, becoming Kronos. While Thalia had never had a wonderful relationship with her father, her thoughts aligned more with Annabeth on this. They owed the gods their life, even if they didn't want to. And his plan for retribution only brought pain, for her and for everyone else.
He loved her for herself. Her uncontrollable spirit had never turned him away, or scared him in the least. She was the wild, untamable girl, who had saved his life without even knowing it. When they found each other, that was when it got better. Of course, it eventually got worse, but those were some of the best days of his life. She was not definable beauty or kindness, but she would always be those things to him.
He was dead. This was the greatest obstruction of all, it seemed. He was unreachable, even after it was all over. They would have to wait, and if Thalia was truly immortal, the waiting would never end. Time, old Kronos's great empire, got to play one last trick. It was always evade them, never allowing them to catch up.
A/N: Quick shout out to the song "Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins. It's very Thuke-ish in my opinion, and I listened to it on repeat without it getting annoying. Yay for Judy Collins! Thanks for reading! Please review!