Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot of this.
"THALIA!" she heard Phoebe shout. "Thalia!"
She raced toward her fellow Hunter to help in the brawl against Gaea.
Jana repeated the call. "Thalia!"
She whipped her head around and sprinted towards the Hunter in the hands of a Hyperborean giant, shooting an arrow right through its skull. Jana did an expert tuck-and-roll, landing on her feet.
"Thalia!" Sam yelled. "Help!"
She turned from Gaea towards the cry, mistaking the Cyclops's mimicry for her second most trusted Hunter's plea.
And that was both the best and worse choice of her life.
Too late did she realize that Sam would've never called for help - the daughter of Athena had too much pride.
Too late did she remember the giant Cyclops lumbering towards her; the one she'd seen while saving Jana.
Too late did she notice the huge tendril of earth shooting towards her, aimed right at her chest.
But everyone, Hunters, campers, legionnaires, Gods, Titans, and monsters alike, all stopped to see the invincible daughter of Zeus and lieutenant of Artemis-
Fall.
And a split second later, all hell was released - this time, not literally.
For in that moment, the moment in which Thalia Grace was caught off guard, all of the pent up energy within her was released-
Released, in fact, so abruptly, that it caused a flash storm so powerful it did her father shame:
Millions of storm clouds appeared in one moment, thousands upon thousands of volts of lightning were unleashed, miraculously only hitting the enemy. The electricity in the air made every's hair stand on end, while the smell of ozone made their noses crinkle. Gales of wind were formed, pushing at the ocean nearby and causing huge waves to crash on shore and flood the monsters away. Gaea herself was struck by both water and lightning - causing a reaction more powerful than ever imagined.
As 'Queen Dirt Face,' as Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon had so elegantly put it, exploded, everyone on the battleground shielded their faces and held onto the nearest object in an effort to stay in place.
Only a moment passed, before the end came. The end of the biggest war of the century. And the Gods had won.
Thalia could barely register the movement around her until she felt the trickle of nectar down her throat. Apollo stepped forward to heal her, but even he could not restore the strength that her energy outburst had sapped or undo the harm that Gaea had caused upon the child of Zeus - who, at the moment, felt no shame in leaking tears for one of his most prized children; the other being Jason.
Her blurred vision focus when the first fully recognizable face appeared. Phoebe hugged her, something that rarely ever happened. Thalia could see the watery eyes.
"Don't cry," she managed, coughing slightly. "It was time."
Phoebe reluctantly stood back as Artemis approached.
Thalia started, "My lady-"
But Artemis cut her off. "No," the goddess said softly, staring at her half-sister and lieutenant with shock, pride, and grief all at once. "You saved us all."
Artemis would've said more, but a certain child of wisdom and the son of the sea both collapsed. A hand wave from Apollo gave them the strength to stand again, and when Annabeth Chase did, she hurled herself at Thalia, engulfing her in a tight hug.
Thalia awkwardly put her arms around the blond, and chuckled, remembering how they had been in the exact same position the night before they'd met Grover.
"Where are we going to go?" Annabeth had asked for the first time.
Thalia had responded by patting her back and saying, "I don't know, honey, but I promise I'm not going anywhere that you and Luke won't be."
She'd locked eyes with the son of Hermes, and she wanted so badly to tell him how she more than liked him.
Yet she'd held back, by both the fact that she didn't want to get hurt like she'd been when Jason had 'died,' and also because she knew how much Annabeth admired him. The seven-year-old just didn't know that it was a child's infatuation, rather than love.
"Okay," the younger girl'd responded, promptly falling asleep against Thalia. She'd tried hard not to laugh, but to no avail. She just couldn't help the soft chuckles that escaped her lips as she stared down at the daughter of Athena hugging her waist, her dirty blond hair strewn over Thalia's chest and her intelligent grey eyes shut tightly.
Thalia's chest heaved in a conscious effort to laugh in the moment, but no sound came out of her mouth. Annabeth got the message, however, and a she let out a small giggle for the both of them.
"Where are we going to go?" Annabeth asked, obviously thinking about the same thing that Thalia had been.
Thalia gave a small smile. "I know where I'm going, honey, but I'll still always be both where you and Luke will be - but maybe physically in one, and mentally in another."
"Okay," Annabeth whispered. A moment later, she added humorously, "who knew you could be so deep?"
Thalia shrugged and half-smiled, but then winced and breathed in raggedly. Annabeth pulled back, worried, and even though Thalia could see her vision slowly fading, she gave a smile.
"Bye, Phoebe," she whispered, addressing the teary-eyed Hunter. "you'll make a great lieutenant. Later, Artemis." she looked at her father. "See you, Dad, Hera," she said softly. "I won't forget you, or Percy, or any of you really..." Thalia gazed at her brother. "Love you, Jase," she told him.
Thalia took a deep breath, and locked eyes with a certain daughter of Athena's.
"And I love you, too..."
Her eyes shut involuntarily.
"Sis."
Then her vision went black, and she went tumbling into the abyss that was death.
EVERYONE watched as Annabeth hugged Thalia tighter, moments after her chest stopped moving and her eyes shut.
Percy Jackson peeled Annabeth off of Thalia, guiding her away from the body of the girl that had taken her in and practically saved her life.
Who had treated her like family when both of theirs failed them.
Who had taken her in, even though she was an extra mouth to feed; had shared her feelings, when their brother had turned; and been there to help, when Percy had gone missing.
People continued to stare as every Olympian gave their blessing to the savior of the world, who lay almost peacefully beneath the shroud - white and blue, with a bright golden lightning bolt stitched in the center.
Prominent and proud, just like the girl beneath it.
I knock on the brown door, the one to the house in the center of Elysium.
Despite my nerves, when the door opens to reveal a very shocked son of Hermes with a quite familiar scar on the left side of his face, I don't stop my smirk.
"Miss me?" I tease, enjoying the gaping that my former crush is doing. I'm glad that death releases me from my oaths, because here, I can finally complete the last goal in my life - and death.
So I can't hold back a grin when Luke rushes at me, embracing me and twirling me around, my feet a foot off the ground, despite the fact that it's so out of character for myself. Even I know it.
"Come in!" He gestures into the house, and I laugh both in amusement and pride when I recognize the structure for Annabeth's dream house; the one that she drew designs for whenever possible - in the dirt, with chalk, with stone, in the sand, anywhere.
Luke wraps an arm around my shoulder, smiling down at me.
"How did you get this?" I ask, still looking around the house and soaking in the features I'd grown accustomed to seeing way back when.
Luke smirks mischievously. "Never underestimate me, Thals. But at least I've got something I can look at and feel proud about."
"What's to feel proud about?"
His eyebrows arch. "You should feel proud, too. Our little girl did this."
I almost blush, but Thalia Grace does not blush, so I hold back. I look back up and realize that Luke's still staring at me.
"Our little girl, eh?" I ask, teasing him again.
But he only smiles down at me, pulling me closer, if possible.
"Our little girl," he whispers, confirming. I can see the prideful spark in his sky blue eyes; the one I know my own electric blue ones mirror.
And when our lips connect for the first time in my entire life (and death), I swear I see fireworks.
Ahh... the cheesiness of Thuke. I felt like doin' this 'cause I was bored and I really don't know why I don't feel like working on YC now.
But anyways... fluffy little one-shot, thought I'd give this pairing a try. Never written Thuke before.
...I just realized that.
Read, Review, and always Recycle!
~Luke