She sat there, the darkness sweeping over the meadow, she had left the ring of silver tents about a mile behind. She needed some time to think. She took the silver circlet off her head and threw it onto the ground. She truly hated that thing, this wasn't her. She crouched and took a deep breath, she was overreacting; joining the Hunt of Artemis was something she needed to do whether she liked it or not.

She picked the circlet back up and stared at it, the silver was glinting in the last of the sunset and she could see her reflection. She almost didn't recognize herself at all. Her hair had grown out, she could literally braid it now, her freckles were beginning to fade, her skin tanned and perfect but possessed a silvery glow, the glow of Artemis's blessing. Her blue eyes were sad, like they had seen it all. Well they had, she had been through a lot. She placed the circlet back onto her head and then decided to unclasp the locket around her neck. It was a silver locket, a gift from her father for her birthday when she was a child. It had ornate designs in blue and black gemstones on it to look like lightning. She opened it and staring at her was his face.

She could see his familiar smile, his sandy hair, his beautiful blue eyes. He had been her Luke, the Luke she had fallen in love with, and the Luke that she had continued to love to that day. That Luke's memory still lived inside her.

Her eyes began to sting from the tears she was trying to hold back. She shut the locket and scolded herself for crying. He loved Annabeth, he never loved you. It had always been Annabeth, it had never been her. She knew that if she and Annabeth were hanging off a cliff and Luke could only save one, he'd save Annabeth. He didn't need to say it for her to know it. She noticed it right after Annabeth had started traveling with them. Thalia sighed and decided to stuff the locket into the pocket of her jean shorts and dried her eyes.

She sat in the long grass and looked up at the sky. She loved watching the sky, twilight was just beginning to mix with the sunset and the stars were beginning to pop out, a crescent moon waiting for the stubborn sun to finally sink into the Earth for it's turn to shine. She listened to the frogs and crickets that were beginning to chirp. It was peaceful but she wasn't at peace, she was a tornado on the inside, she was far from peaceful. She wanted to cry, scream, and kill something all at the same time. She was still furious with him for turning his back on her, on Annabeth, on their family.

Luke sat in his stateroom thinking about one person in particular. Her image invaded his mind and no matter how hard her tried to shake her from his thoughts she'd always sneak back and invade his thoughts making it impossible for him to think. He fiddled with the golden drachma in his hand and walked over to the fountain that sat on a polished oak table.

He made his offering, "Show me Thalia Grace."

The daughter of Zeus's image filled the message, she was sitting in a meadow, she looked different but still beautiful. Her hair was braided over her shoulder, her blue gaze locked upon the stars. He wished that things were different between them, he wished he was sitting there holding her in his arms, whispering how much he loved her in her ear, telling her how gorgeous she was. He wanted to sing to her, sing their song, maybe once she listened to the lyrics again she'd understand why he did what he did. He wanted so badly to be sitting in that meadow with her singing Yellow to her while she rested her head on his chest and muttered along with the lyrics.

Luke was legitimately looking at his mirror, as cheesy as it sounds, she was his other half. Thalia was his mirror, he needed her for his existence. She was his anchor, his rock, the only thing that kept him doing what he did. For years he had talked to her tree hoping that she could hear him, confessing things to her that he never told anyone else, leaving flowers, sometimes even falling asleep under her tree. It was the only way for him to cope with her death. Sometimes he'd see Annabeth out there talking to tree like it was her best friend and he'd envy her, Annabeth hadn't known Thalia as well as he had, Annabeth didn't love Thalia like he did.

Luke remembered the night he drove that poison deep into the trunk of her tree. He had regretted it, he felt something inside him snap, it was the one thing tying him to her, and he was killing it slowly with a poison that could only be cured by one thing that had been lost for ages.

He deposited another drachma and just watched her. Wishing, wanting to be there with her. He had screwed up, he knew he did, he didn't need to be told twice that he screwed up. He had lost her, and he had no one but himself to blame.

That night, in the throne room on Olympus, Luke lay there, bleeding. He had decided to right his wrongs, make her realize that he was sorry. Annabeth sat on the floor beside him, telling him that he was a hero.

Then he went into tunnel vision, her face filled his thoughts, "Did you love me?"

Annabeth stuttered and finally answered, "I loved you like a brother."

Luke wanted to scream, it hadn't been Thalia. It had been Annabeth sitting there, the one he had asked. He had loved Annabeth in the exact same way she loved him, a sibling way. Thalia on the other hand had been a completely different type of love. Every time he heard her name his heart would race, her face would invade his thoughts, his palms would get sweaty.

Luke said his last words and just as he tried to say the last on him, he felt his breath leave him. He had meant to say, "Tell Thalia I love her, and I'm waiting, I wouldn't dare enter Elysium without her."

However he had never gotten to utter those last words. He watched silently as she walked over to his body, wrapped in a white shroud and shed tears. He wanted to badly to scream out that he was right there with her. He wanted to just scoop her up in his arms and kiss her, let him know how much he truly did love her, to apologize, to make all of her hurt go away.

He got his chance, the next summer, there was a war, she got hit with a poisonous spike. She laid there in the grass, her brother, Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and Phoebe surrounded her.

"Oh gods Thalia why did you take that spike for me?" Annabeth sobbed.

"Because you need to be here with Percy." she whispered, her blue eyes were beginning to gloss over.

"Thals, I waiting." Luke whispered.

"Thalia, please don't die." Annabeth sobbed.

"Luke." she whispered.

"Luke?" Percy asked curiously.

"He's waiting for me, I'll be alright Annie." Thalia whispered.

Annabeth squeezed her sister's hand, "Please don't go."

"Annabeth you were the best friend a girl could ask for, please just be as happy as you can." Thalia whispered.

Annabeth nodded and buried her face in Percy's shoulder, "Percy watch out for Annabeth please. I'll be watching you."

Percy chuckled sadly, "I will Pine Cone Face."

"Jason, choose what makes you happy." Thalia whispered to her brother, "I'm sorry we didn't know each other better."

Jason nodded, "It's ok Thalia, you can let go."

"Grover you were the bravest, best satyr the world has ever seen." Thalia whispered.

"You were the bravest child of Zeus there ever was Thalia." Grover sniffled.

"Phoebe, you're in command now, take care of the girls." Thalia whispered.

Annabeth stared down at her best friend, her sister, and smiled, "You can let go now Thalia. He's waiting for you."

Thalia smiled, she died smiling, her vision tunneled and she found herself standing in a dark place with black grass. Luke standing at the gates of Elysium, smiling at her sadly, "I've waited for you."

She ran towards him and threw her arms around him, "Gods I've missed you."

Luke stared at her she had died at a day before sixteen, he died a twenty two year old man. However that didn't matter to him. He kissed her so passionately that he swore Aphrodite was doing a victory dance. The goddess had visited Luke multiple times in Elysium and she had told him that he hadn't gotten to say goodbye to Thalia because he didn't even need to wait a year to see her again. He waited everyday at the gates, not entering until he saw her again.

"I've missed you too Thals." he whispered.

"You waited?" she asked.

He nodded, "It wouldn't be paradise without you."

Together then entered Elysium hand in hand, living in eternal happiness together. Maybe they weren't destined to be together in their mortal lives but no one ever said anything about their eternal life. Elysium had just gotten a whole lot brighter for him.

Annabeth walked into her cabin on night, months after the war she had lost her best friend in, and found a note sitting on her pillow. She walked over to it and found that it was addressed to her in a very familiar manuscript.

Annie,

I'm in Elysium, I'm with Luke. He told me to tell you he misses you and that we'll see you again one day, hopefully years in the future. I took that spike for you because you deserve a happy life with that Seaweed Brain of yours. If you ever need me, summon me, Nico can always help you with that, I'm always here if you need me.

Thals

Annabeth smiled and tucked the note into the book her was reading and settled into her bunk for bed. Thalia was in Elysium with Luke, the life they had deserved so many years earlier. She couldn't help but be happy for her best friend and now knowing that she could talk with Thalia anytime she needed she felt a lot better. Thalia always had the best advice. She was happy for Thalia, who was finally at peace with Luke who was also at peace.

Luke walked up to Thalia who was sitting on a bench in the street across from their home in Elysium and smiled, "What are you thinking about Thalia?"

"Nothing, I just wrote a note to Annabeth and asked Nico to deliver it for me." Thalia whispered.

Luke kissed her softly and smiled, "Well, we should head in."

Thalia nodded and grabbed Luke's hand, walking happily down the street towards their well deserved state of eternal bliss.