Hiss. I am angry. I'm bored and can't think of where to go on any of my other stories, so I am simply writing crap from a series that I no longer enjoy.
Thalia Grace had never feared death.
She had run away from home at ten years of age. She had wandered around on her own for a few weeks until she had met Luke. The two of them had spent two years together, inseparable. She had needed him like she needed her right arm.
With him by her side, the possibility of death had never once crossed her mind. Not when they fought monsters, not while they nearly froze together in the middle of the wilderness. Some might call her reckless, but that wasn't it. Not at all.
She didn't take unnecessary risks. On occasion, Luke might, but she could prevent that. She had been the only one who could keep him from doing something stupid. All it had taken was a light touch and a word, while fixing her intense gaze on him.
Luke had been her best friend, and the betrayal had hurt more than anything. Thalia had taken knives without flinching. Arrows had pierced her skin. And on the day she had become a tree, a whole army of monsters had attacked her. Luke's betrayal had hurt more than any of them.
The people who had only met her after she had learned of Luke's traitorous actions might have thought she was suicidal. She wasn't. She didn't fear death, but she thought that placing her life in danger unnecessarily was foolish.
She had always been strong, independent. Luke had called her his little warrior when they had met. He had been taller than her, and had used his longer reach to ruffle her hair. She had laughed and shoved his hand away. Brave Thalia.
She and Luke had been so close that she had never even thought about the possibility of his death, let alone fearing it. Then Annabeth had joined their merry band of freaks. That seven year old girl had managed to make Thalia question everything she had ever thought, ever been sure she knew.
Annabeth had been five years younger than her and seven years younger than Luke when she had met them. She had been so intelligent, so fierce, and yet so innocent.
Thalia had never feared death for herself. But for Annabeth, she cared. If something had happened to Annabeth, Thalia would have held herself responsible. She would never have forgiven herself. She would live in anguish, terrified at the thought that Annabeth had been sent to the Asphodel Fields.
Thalia had known that Annabeth would never be sent to the Fields of Punishment. Now, she was certain that when Annabeth died, she would be greeted by Elysium. Anything else was impossible. She deserved the best of the best.
She had never feared for Luke. Not until the day when she had learned that she might have to kill him. She had promised that she would do what she had to do. Not to Chiron, not to Annabeth. Not to anybody except herself, until she had vociferated that promise to Percy.
It wasn't his death that she had feared. She hadn't been scared of him dying. She didn't want to kill him, but if he forced her hand, she would.
He had been her best friend. She had feared the final judgement. Not for her, but for him. He had done bad things in his life. He could have been sent to the Fields of Punishment. Unlike Annabeth. Luke had never been like Annabeth.
When she thought about it, it had been even worse when Luke had sacrificed himself for the greater good. He had done both good and evil with his life. He could have ended up in the Asphodel Fields. Worse, Thalia thought, than Punishment.
After she had returned from her tree state, she had met the one person whose death she was sure she would never fear.
Percy Jackson.
He was like her in just about everything. Except for the fact that he feared death. He was scared of watching people he cared for die. He was scared of awaiting the judgement himself. Scared of being punished for the crime of existing, even now that he had saved Olympus.
He would fear his own demise, but she never would. It wasn't because she was cold and heartless. She loved him. He was like a brother to her.
It was because fearing his death would be like fearing her own, and that was the one thing that she didn't do.
Some people would say joining the Hunt had been a cowardly action, the action of someone who wanted to hide from her problems and avoid death. She had gotten that before. But they were wrong. That wasn't why she had accepted Artemis's offer.
Thalia wanted peace. Annabeth wanted to be an architect so that she could build something that would last. Thalia didn't want to build a physical monument. She just wanted all the work she had put into her Hunt to last. Fighting monsters for all eternity was something she had been born to do, and she had trained others to do the same. Training them was the only time when she ever felt at peace with herself.
She remembered how she and Luke had playfully teased Annabeth about her first fighting lesson. They had been all business when they actually started. That hadn't been a time to mess around. Annabeth had a natural gift with the knife Luke had given her, but talent could only take you so far.
Thalia slowly got to her feet. The sky was grey and cloudy. Snow was falling gently to the ground. Her Hunters were sleeping.
Thalia reached for her bow. She examined it, her head tilted to the side and her eyes curious.
The bow was gracefully curved, the balance impeccable. It was perfectly smooth, with none of the blemishes that weapons made by mortal hands carried. Thalia stroked it lovingly. She reached for her quiver and plucked out a silver arrow.
She held it lightly in her pale hand, staring at it for a moment. Then she fitted it to her bow, pulling back on the string with practised ease. The silver arrow flew through the crisp, chilly air, piercing the trunk of a tree.
She remembered how difficult she had once found archery. Immortality had given her time to hone her ability. She wouldn't have been able to do that in death. It was a curious thing, but for demigods, death was when they lived. Lived the normal life that they had always wanted to have. She hoped Luke was doing that.
Without being aware of what she was doing, Thalia strode forward, trudging through the snow, to retrieve her arrow. She wrapped her slim hand around its shaft and yanked it sharply, pulling it free. She had had to do that before. And many of those times, it hadn't been a tree that her arrow had damaged.
Thalia stiffened. She slowly rose to her full height, releasing the arrow in her hand and letting it fall to the snow dusted ground. She had heard a footsep. And it wasn't any of the Hunters.
She lowered her bow, reaching for her hunting knife instead, turning to face the threat.
She let go of her knife's hilt and stowed her bow away.
With a small smile, she stepped forward to embrace the person who had approached her.
"You look older," she told him as she stepped back. Percy Jackson smiled, shoving her shoulder. His midnight hair was frosted with a touch of grey at the temples.
"Well, we're not all immortal," he replied. "It's been years, Thalia. I haven't seen you in the past decade. How've you been?"
"Has it really been that long?" she queried absentmindedly, dodging the question. He nodded. It didn't matter to her. She wasn't dying anytime soon. He, on the other hand, had to enjoy every single instant. He had turned down immortality. "How's life treating you?"
"Pretty good," he said, green eyes sparkling. "Annabeth's been missing you. She showed me a few pictures of you two and Luke the other day. I think she misses having adventures every day."
Thalia didn't answer. She felt a stab of jealousy in her gut. Annabeth had showed those to him? She had always thought that those would just be theirs. Hers and Annabeth's, now that Luke was gone. She hadn't expected Annabeth, of all people, to show them to anyone.
She supposed that that was what would happen. For someone who had immortality, despite a distinct lack of a fear for Thanatos's kiss, it was inevitable that eventually, she would be left behind. She would hunt forever, while Percy and Annabeth lived.
"Isn't Annabeth coming to visit?" she demanded playfully.
"Aren't you?" Percy countered. "So much easier. We have a specific place where you can find us. Any time you stop by New York, you're welcome to come. Or, at least, that's what Annabeth says. She won't let me start a miniature war."
Thalia laughed mockingly, noting with relief that a touch of her attitude had returned to her. She placed a hand at her hip, eyes bright. "Oh, yeah? I might."
"Hey, I never promised I wouldn't fight back!" he protested.
Thalia laughed, a genuine laugh, pushing him backward.
She didn't fear death. She never had for herself. But now, if the only person whose death she had feared died, she would be ready for it. Annabeth would be ready to die, so Thalia would have the strength to face it.
Thalia Grace was content.