Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All rights go to Rick Riordan

Barely Breathing

She may have woken up fatigued, but she could feel the energy slowly returning to her body. This was a good thing, because everybody else was staring at her with their mouths wide open.

Thalia knew she was injured; she knew that everybody else did too. Yet everybody stood there watching her, as if they expected her to heel herself. Of course, it felt like she was… but that didn't give them any right to just stand there. They were obviously other half-bloods; shouldn't they be used to this?

She was barely breathing, and she had to be the one to spur the others in motion. Go figure.

"Well?" Thalia asked the two demigods in front of her. Her voice came out weaker than she would have liked and it wasn't strong enough to break through the shock on the two half-blood's faces.

The boy, at least, had initially been helpful, but he had come to the same conclusion as everybody else. Thalia didn't know what that conclusion was, but she sure hoped that it didn't take all day for the demigods to get over it.

"Well?" She tried again, this time louder. "What are all of you looking at? You heard the boy! Go get some help!" The girl standing next to the boy flinched, but Thalia received no other response.

Did she need help? Thalia wasn't sure. She seemed to be healing, slowly. The question was: what had injured her in the first place? The dream she had, the one where she was dying, replayed in her mind. It seemed so real, but couldn't be. She hadn't been dying, had she?

"Hey! I'm on the ground over here! Would someone do something?" She yelled. The coughing afterwards must have proven the point, because the blonde-haired girl standing in front of her snapped to attention.

"She needs help," Blondie confirmed, "We need nectar and ambrosia. Now!"

"Should we move her to the infirmary?" One of the half-bloods asked as he rushed forward with a bag of ambrosia.

"No," the blonde girl answered, taking the bag, "she should stay near the fleece." The other boy nodded.

Finally, the demigods scrambled into motion. The girl fed Thalia ambrosia as another boy ran back to get a medical kit. Some of the demigods were sent to find her possessions, though she wasn't sure why they'd have them in the first place, while others were dismissed back to bed.

"How do you feel?" The blonde girl asked.

"Better," Thalia replied, "So, where are we?"

"Camp Half-Blood," a boy, Thalia recognized him as the one kind enough to ask for her name, replied. He handed the girl something.

"And you are?" Thalia asked.

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon," he answered, holding his hand out before realizing that Thalia wasn't in a position that allowed her to shake hands. She nodded before turning her attention to the girl. The blonde seemed stunned at first.

"Annabeth," she replied.

"Annabeth?" Thalia repeated, sitting up. "But, you can't be. Annabeth is seven, and you're, what? Thirteen?" The blonde girl nodded.

"You've been… out of it for six years, Thalia." Annabeth explained.

"I have?" Annabeth nodded.

"Your dad turned you into a tree," Percy informed Thalia, receiving a glare from Annabeth.

"He what?!" Thalia asked, thinking that she must have misheard. Percy opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by another half-blood reporting to Annabeth.

"Percy will show you," Annabeth told the demigod, "Won't he?"

"Uh, I guess so," Percy replied, "It's this way." He led the other camper away, leaving Thalia alone with Annabeth.

"So, what was that kid saying about me being a tree?" Thalia asked.

"Do you remember the fight on half-blood hill?" Annabeth asked. Thalia nodded. "One of the hellhounds bit you, and you would've died if Zeus hadn't turned you into a tree."

"My dad turned me into a tree," Thalia repeated, letting it soak in. She looked around. "Which tree?"

"That one," Annabeth replied, gesturing towards a big pine tree. A golden fleece hung around one of the branches. "It's been guarding the camp every since." She looked back at Thalia, and for the first time, Thalia gave her a good look.

Annabeth hadn't changed much. Of course, she was taller, and slightly more muscular, but she still had the curly, blonde hair and startling grey eyes. She was tanner, too, but she held herself with the same confidence Thalia had admired in the seven-year-old. Annabeth's young curiosity stilled showed in her eyes, but there also was the presence of knowledge that no seven-year-old had.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"How's camp been?" Thalia asked.

"Good," Annabeth replied.

"Is Luke here?" Annabeth flinched.

"Luke… was here. He left."

"Why?"

"He… uh… decided he didn't… want to… be on the gods' side anymore."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth sighed.

"Thalia, he decided to start working against us. He's working with Kronos."

"What?!" Thalia asked, but the look on Annabeth's face told the story. Thalia remembered all the times she and Luke had been complaining about their dads, but she never thought he'd take it that seriously. He wouldn't do this, would he?

Part of Thalia knew he would. She just didn't want believe it.

"What about Grover?" Thalia recovered, changing the topic.

"He's doing fine."

"Does he have his searchers license yet?"

"Yep; he received it last summer."

"Only last summer?"

"He successfully completed a quest."

"Well, that's good. Anyways, I need to stand. Help me up." Despite Thalia's demanding tone, Annabeth smiled and held up her hand.

"Careful."

"I'm good. So, let's go see this camp I've heard so much about."