Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form, own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. If I did, Percy's food would be purple, not blue.

'Thoughts' "Speech"

"Give me the weight of the sky!

I didn't wait for her answer. I took out Riptide and slashed through her chains. Then I stepped next to her and braced myself on one knee – holding up my hands – and touched the cold, heavy clouds. For a moment, Artemis and I bore the weight together. It was the heaviest thing I'd ever felt, as if I were being crushed under a thousand trucks. I wanted to black out from the pain, but I breathed deeply. I can do this.

Then Artemis slipped out from under the burden, and I held it alone. Afterward, I tried many times to explain what it felt like. I couldn't.

Every muscle in my body turned to fire. My bones felt like they were melting. I wanted to scream, but didn't have the strength to open my mouth. I began to sink, lower and lower to the ground, the sky's weight crushing me.

Fight back! Grover's voice said inside of my head. Don't give up.

I concentrated on breathing. If I could just keep the sky aloft for a few more seconds. I thought about Bianca, who had given her life so we could get here. If she could do that, I could hold up the sky.

Thalia and Luke went spear on sword, lightning flashing around them. Thalia pressed Luke back with the aura of her shield. Even he was not immune to it. He retreated, wincing and growling in frustration.

"Yeild!" Thalia yelled. "You never could beat me, Luke."

He bared his teeth. "We shall see, my old friend."

They started to fight fiercer, one clashing against the other more frequently. All the while, I felt on the verge of collapse from the viscous weight of the sky. Luke suddenly screamed, as he felt Thalia's spear slice off one of his fingers.

Blood flinging on the ground, he spun, and hacked a foot off the shaft of her spear.

They circled around each other, both breathing hard, trying to find a weakness in the other. Thalia looked ready to burst into tears. Her face, still grimy from the journey there, combined with fear, and anger, made her look so young.

Luke look enraged at the loss of his finger. He suddenly attacked, flinging himself at Thalia in a wild, wreck less manner. She simply sidestepped and bashed the inside of his knees with her shield.

Luke cried out in pain and fell solidly to the ground. It seemed like Thalia didn't have the strength or the will to finish him off, because she simply stood over him.

"Luke…why? Why have you done these things? I know, we talked about overthrowing the gods, but… this?" She said, motioning to the chaos Luke's army was causing in San Francisco.

"Thalia. All of this can stop. Join me. All this fighting, this bloodshed, can stop once the gods have been punished!"

As Thalia looked at Luke, I could almost see her heart breaking as she said "No."

Luke nodded his head, almost as if he expected that answer. He leaped to his feet, almost blindingly fast. Thalia had no time to react. "No!" I screamed as I saw his knife drive through her stomach.

Thalia fell to the ground in a heap. Annabeth rushed over, and tried to help her stem the flow of blood from her wound, but it kept gushing.

Annabeth gave Thalia the last of her Ambrosia and Nectar, and turned to face her former friend.

YOU MONSTER!" She screamed, and leapt at Luke. She punched, kicked, hurting him anywhere she could, desperately trying to cause pain to the traitor.

As a last effort, I saw her push Luke backwards. Luke tried to correct his footing, but he slipped on something. It was foot of shaft he sliced off Thalia's spear!

I saw my chance coming. I was going to have to time this just right. As soon as Luke was near me, I let go of the sky and rolled to safety.

"Argh!" Luke screamed in pain, trying to get to one knee, to get away from the sky before he was trapped there.

I looked away from him and to where Thalia laid. She was shivering now, and looked pale.

Hearing, an agonized groan of defeat, I turn around to see Artemis, standing triumphantly over Atlas. Atlas was bleeding Ichor from wounds on his neck, and chest. He looked, pleadingly, into the eyes of the one who held his life in their hands.

"P-Please, have mercy."

"After what you have done to countless maidens, mortal and immortal alike? No, I shall not let you continue to plot against Olympus!"

"Don't kill me, I-I can't…"

"I'm not going to kill you. But you will not be able to infect other's minds with your evil anymore!"

And, with that, she placed her palm over his forehead, and began whispering in Ancient Greek. Atlas's body seemed to be turning brighter and brighter with each moment. Suddenly, his body disintegrated into pure light. That light then flew, as if by some secret command, towards the funnel of dark clouds that was the sky.

The light found its way to Luke, and as he was in the final throes of death himself, too weak to hold the sky up any longer. It seeped into him, and also, apparently, gave him new-found strength, for he got back on his knee and held up the sky with renewed vigor.

"What did you do?" I asked Artemis

"I gave Luke the Spirit of Atlas. Now, so long as the sky need be held, he alone will have the strength to endure it."

"Good. He deserves it for what he did to Thalia…..Thalia!"

I ran to where she was, her head cradled in Annabeth's lap.

Even with all the Ambrosia and Nectar, I could tell just by looking at her…it was too late.

"Hi Percy…" she said, barely louder than a whisper

"Thalia, your going to be ok, let me-

"No, Percy. Just keep me company, for awhile longer?"

I nodded, tears blurring my vision.

"Annabeth?" She asked

"Yes?" she sniffled

"Don't be sad. I'll see you again… both of you."

I didn't know what to say. My friend was lying there, dying, and I didn't know what to say!

She looked at me, one last time. Then she looked at Luke, struggling under the sky. A tear rolled down her face, as she died, knowing that while she suffered very little, Luke would have to continue on through time, eternally suffering.

Annabeth layed her head down on Thalia's chest and cried freely, the pent up emotions just let out.

I felt numb. I had only known Thalia for a short while, but she was one of my closest friends. I raised my head, and looked towards the path that led down from the Mt.

Monsters of all kinds were flooding the walkway. They kept switching between looking at us, and looking at there washed up commander, Luke.

A Demi-god yelled "Kill them!"

As they rushed towards us, I had just one thought:

'Thalia was right. She will be seeing us again. Soon"

A/N: Yea….. well, I tried to make something half-way decent. Reviews would be welcome, especially criticism, we all need a lot of that.

I'd like to give a shout out to Sistergrimm, Music5692, etphonehome10, and percabeth777 because they all ROCK at writing FanFiction. The song that inspired me to write this "masterpiece" was Blurry by Puddle of Mudd (One of the lyrics=the title) Listen to it, or don't it's your choice.

Updated as of 8/1/10