The idea for this fic has been nagging me for a really long time now, so here it is my very first Thuke fic.

Timeline: After TLO but before TLH.

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Percy Jackson *sigh of resignation*

Thalia leaned her head against the back of the door of the Zeus cabin and sighed. As usual, the cabin was empty. She had needed to get away from all that noise . The bonfire, the singing all of it. "Hey Thalia, you ok in there? Do you need anything? " called out a voice from outside the cabin. It was Grover. If it was anybody else she wouldn't have answered. But no, not to Grover. "No, I'm great Grover. Thanks," she said, the tone of her voice polite but sharp.

The tiny voice in her head whispered Liar into her ear. She tried to ignore it but she knew it was right. She was not ok. But now was not the time to dwell on herself. She had to get some sleep. The Hunters left at dawn tomorrow. While the other Hunters were using the Artemis cabin she wanted to use her cabin. She didn't know why, but she just had to.

She walked towards her bed and on reaching there she noticed an envelope on the pillow. She picked it up and turned it around it in her hands before opening it. She pulled out the letter and as her eyes recognized the untidy, disjointed handwriting, tears, threatening to spill out, began to prickle at her eyes and she felt a surge of anger and sorrow swell within her. The letter read:

Dear Thals,

Well, surprised at me, aren't you? I imagine you are because I'm surprised at myself. I know that you didn't expect this from me and that you're probably pissed as hell at me right now.

He got that right. She was pissed as hell at him

I got Silena to put this on your pillow before the war. And also I forgot to mention that if you're reading this it's probably over. Look Thals, I know that you can't for the life of you understand why I did this but I've told you. I was just so angry at them. The Gods. They hadn't done a damn thing for us but expected us to do their dirty work. Why should I? So that's what I did. I just refused to do their work for them.

Thalia understood his anger. She felt the same about her own father sometimes.

I just want you to know that I never ever, ever gave up on us. I love you so damn much that it hurts to be this far away from you and to hurt you so much. But I have to. I am so sorry for everything. I never broke my promise though. I waited for you to wake up. I helped in a way, if you can call poisoning helping. I waited all the time.

And I missed you too. So much. But I couldn't let it show. Because if I did, even if I let a little of my love for you show, He would use it against me. He would use YOU against me. So didn't show it. Do you remember what I told you at the top of the hill? I told you I'd wait for you forever if I had to. I would do anything for you. That was a promise. I will never stop waiting for you. I'm probably dead right now but it doesn't matter because wherever I am, I'm still waiting. And even if we're at different ends of Hell, I'd would wait for you. And I would fight to be with you.

Because somewhere along all this shit, I realized that love is worth fighting for. YOU are worth fighting for. I love you, Thals. Don't give up on me please.

Yours forever, Luke.

Thalia didn't try to disguise her pain or hold back her tears anymore. She let them flow. A tear fell from her eye, perfectly transparent. Then another. And another. They kept falling till there weren't any more left. She sobbed and sobbed for the man she loved and had lost.

She wished she had saved him, so he would be with her right now. Not dead. With her. Next to her. She had never told anybody but she had joined the Hunters because she knew that Luke was never going to come back. And she didn't want to betray the memory of their love so she had joined the Hunters ensuring that she would never fall in love with another man again.

Their love had been different. They had kissed only once. A slight brush of lips. Their physical contact had been limited to fights and accidental brushes. But emotionally, they had connected with each other in an unimaginable way. Their love was of the rarest and the purest kind. Unconditional.

This was the reason Thalia picked herself up, wiped away her tears and went outside to the first rays of sunlight. She had the letter in her hand. She put it in her bag and waited for the other Hunters to stream out. She knew Luke would wait for her. She wanted to let him know that she would come to him. It didn't matter how. She just would. And she wouldn't rest till she found his arms.