'Lo!
Thalia, Annabeth and Luke... I can't. Thinking of them makes me tear up.
I don't own Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan does.
Enjoy...
Annabeth clutched Luke's hand and they made their way up Half-Blood Hill. Thalia's tree seemed to glow as the setting sun shined bold and orange behind it. The bright light crept through the leaves and cast beautiful, complicated patterns on the grass around it.
It was a week since the two demi-gods had reached Camp Half-Blood meaning a week since the day Thalia was preserved as a pine tree, which was now illuminated by the sun's sinking rays.
Annabeth and Luke sat down at the bottom of the tree still holding hands. It was the second time Luke had visited but Annabeth had been too upset still when Luke came the first time – it wasn't that she wouldn't have wanted to come with him, he hadn't told her he was going.
"Do you want to say something, Annabeth?" Luke asked tenderly.
"Yeah," Annabeth seemed to be fighting tears.
"Go on then," Luke urged.
"Thalia…" Annabeth attempted to stop the inevitable flow of tears she was holding back but they all came out in one little wail ensued by sobs that shook her little form.
Luke pulled Annabeth into a hug and rubbed her back. Her blonde curls tickled the son of Hermes's nose. "Come on, my little owl," Luke soothed. "Carry on."
Still with her face hidden in Luke's chest Annabeth shook her head. "I can't."
"Yes you can. You can do anything, Annabeth," Luke said. "And hey! Look, you're getting my new shirt all wet!" Luke said jokingly.
Annabeth pulled back a little to see the large wet patch where her tears had been absorbed by Luke's new orange tee shirt. She chuckled a little but it wasn't that long before she started to cry again.
"We can come back another time," Luke suggested.
"No, I'll do it now," Annabeth stated. She wiped her face a few times on her top and sat up, still nestled in Luke's long arms. The little girl breathed in once, twice and then thrice.
"Thalia… Firstly, thank you so much for what you did – you died bravely and a warrior that even the people who never knew you will remember," Annabeth began truthfully. "I miss you so very much. You are the sister I never had the privilege to have."
Annabeth took a few more calming breaths.
"I keep getting this pain in my chest when I think of you, but I think that might be my heart mending itself. I hope you understand, it's like, since it broke seven days ago it's been fixing with each good memory – not breaking further as people would expect. I know it won't fix all the way though – even Apollo couldn't heal a broken heart."
Luke felt hotness pricking behind his eyes. Annabeth was so grown up for her age – she was tiny and adorable but she was so wise. It was like she'd been on this earth for hundreds of years – opposed to her actual seven – learning the way things went; how it's not perfect.
"I know you haven't left us behind, you're still here," Annabeth sniffed deeply and pointed to her heart.
She looked to Luke and he nodded with agreement. "Right here," Luke pointed to the place in his chest where his heart resided.
"I love you, Thalia and I always will," Annabeth said. She stood up from Luke's lap and kissed her hand, the little girl then proceeded to place that same hand on the tree. "Love you."
Luke stood and did the same; he placed a kiss on his hand then rested it on a branch. "Yeah, me too… I love you, Thalia."
"Luke you're crying. Pease don't," Annabeth pleaded. When a person you know barely ever cries, when they do it worries a person more than ever.
"I'll be okay," Luke assured Annabeth as he wiped away a stray tear. "We'll be okay."
"We will," Annabeth said in her bravest voice. "Of course we will."
"Come along, my little owl," Luke extended his arm and Annabeth grabbed his large hand with both of her small ones. They made their way down the hill.
"We'll visit soon," Annabeth called over her shoulder and walked closer to Luke. We will be okay, she told herself. We will.
~ The End ~
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