(Around itself)

[Thalia]

1.—Savin' Me

Stab, thrust, twist, writhe, and with every move, fluid and set with murder in her eyes, every single step she takes, she's killing. In the shoe's of Artemis, she follows dutifully, learning how to really and truly be. The goddess of everything that Thalia never knew—she's gonna give it all to learn, and grow, and become.

Show me what it's like to be the last one standing; teach me wrong from right and I'll show you what I can be… I'll leave this life behind me.

2.—The Call

Her eyes aren't really focused, everything's cloudy and distorted and blurred together like paint that's runny and wet; his voice is washing over her slowly, like he's not certain of what to say.

You'll come back when they call you; no need to say goodbye.

And she answered the call, only to find that he had lied. He was uttering goodbyes thousands of times over, all in her direction.

3.—Follow

It was true—everyone knew the name of Thalia Grace, her voice, every feature, every weird tick she had. Because they were all ready to either follow her to Hades and back or run scared to their mommies with her image burned in their minds. Seriously, she made the Minotaur look like a very angry baby goat.

4.—Save Your Scissors

Her eyes fall to the floor, her heart thumping madly in her chest, and suddenly she's that little girl again watching her mother fall all over another man that's ready to leave, and everything in her mind draws a blank but one face. His blond hair, blue eyes, beautiful and pale scar.

She's too tough to let him ever walk all over her again. And she accepts that, along with an oath and a family that's certain and permanent.

5.—I Miss That You

He hands her the chocolate bar with a grin and sits beside her on the park bench and he tells her that, seriously, she shouldn't be out at night alone, and she just punches him in the arm and starts to walk away, aware of the stranger—soon to be best friend—following along slowly.

With a blink she's in front of him, her spear poised to kill. It happens too fast and he's not grinning anymore; amidst their raging minds she can hear it, loud as day.

I miss you.

6.—Drops of Jupiter
(rating applies)

It's quiet, her eyes thousands of years older than they really should have been, staring into godly blues that shouldn't—couldn't possibly—exist anymore. "What are you looking at?" And in an instant she's pissed, but that doesn't change that—gods, this is him. It has to be.

It's only years later, when they meet again, that she's feeling so high off of this new body's—same soul's—love that she can swear she can reach up and hold the stars in her hands. He was never supposed to come back.

7.—I Will Not Bow

So, this is what war feels like?

Too bad for the monsters, she's on the winning side.

I will not bow.
I will not break.
I will take your breath away.

And I'll survive.

8.—What Can I say?

It's so slow coming, and really awkward, and kind of out of this world when he grins at her with a weird Hispanic charm and stutters out something she assumes is supposed to be English. He's kind of cute and has something that seems entertaining, so she decides not to kill him. Yet.

But what the Hades is she supposed to say?

9.—Iris

She's holding his face—she's kind of afraid that she's squishing his cheeks—in both of her hands, looking over every single detail and memorizing how he's changed and grown. And he's kinda handsome, she thinks as tears huddle in the corners of her eyes.

Everyone's watching, she knows they are, and she doesn't want them to see her break down but this is her late brother come back alive. And she's got to tell him somehow that she knows, she remembers.

10.—Crawl

Really, she thinks in utter annoyance and puffs her bangs out of her eyes; she hates Hera with every fiber of her being.

And she considers crawling.

11.—The Best of Me

We got older, but we're still young.

It's just a day. One of those with sunlight and clouds, birds—they're really getting annoying now; it's noon, for Heaven's sake—winds whistling secret calls to each other. And every day like that and varying so greatly, they grow older but never age. They become wiser and reflect on misunderstanding, then go and gossip with each other about anything normal girls talked about.

Well, minus boys.

We never grew out of this feeling
that we won't give up.

12.—Break My Fall

She was surprised to find out about her brother's ability to solidify air, really she'd never even thought of it, but what really grabbed her attention was when she was tumbling through the heavens to test that very ability (it's not like she can die), eyes squeezed so tight that she was afraid the winter breezes would freeze her lids shut, she felt that power—something breaking her fall.

And it was coming from her.

13.—What I've Done

She'll sit in her cabin and cry, hold herself, curse and scream and kick at everything—anything—she'll summon lightning, she'll find old pictures and tear them up, and then she'll think about how helpless he was, how she could've stopped herself had her instincts not kicked in. But when it's time to face the world, she's just what they want—the unbreakable, unimaginably strong and… emotionless daughter of Zeus, a smirk sprawled across America with wits to match.

And she accepts immortality and hopes time really can heal all wounds. To forget what she's done.

14.—I'll Be

She can sit and watch them curl up into each other's side, she can stand by and play coy as she yells at them to get a room, she can be there when that idiot hurts her—it's only a matter of time—and the girl needs a shoulder to cry on… not that the Athenian ever would, since she's "too strong". She can be—she will be all of that.

15.—Breathe Today

It's when Annabeth gives it to her straight—Luke died a hero, he gave his life willingly—that she feels she can finally breathe.

16.—Beauty in the Breakdown

She's fingering her Hunter's bow, staring intently at her reflection in their makeshift camp when another young girl, probably born only in 2561—7 years ago—comes up grinning, informing you that she's joined you and your sisters and the year seems to smack her in the face.

She's old.

Her sisters are a little worried when she throws open Artemis' tent flap and stalks inside, only to come out with a small grin and lack of a silver circlet.

Free

17.—Until the End

She has to, watching her friends running for the hills, heavy breaths being pulled from their lungs, it's just something she knows; surrounded by creatures from every circle of hell and above, all lurking and lunging desperately to take her life.

Why give up?
Why give in?

So she keeps going until the end.

18.—Savior

Watching from the background, standing in the distance, she witnesses their continuous battle—push, shove, bend under the other's will. She can see it—Annabeth doesn't hate him, but she's trying desperately to save him before he's all gone and he swears that he loves her but he can't be changed.

19.—I Don't Care

Whether he dropped dead, even if he kept pushing on, she couldn't care less by now; if he just disappeared from her life forever, it would only make her life easier. But then again, easy isn't what she's used to.

Behind Blue Eyes will be used for Luke—

20.—Breath

She can see the empty, blank expression hidden behind every outer shell of anger and hunger, and she can feel the breath slipping from her lungs—you gotta fight just to make it through, cause I will be the death of you—but someone manages to catch her before she crumbles. Two strong arms holding every shattered piece of her.

21.—Hopeless

She can stand up to thousands of monsters, take on every and any god that opposes her, but as soon as she stands before open air with no supports or if she steps into the lake—gods, she turns into such a freaking wimp. Percy thinks it's the funniest thing since Hades' underwear.

22.—Broken

It's only been a century or two and she's leaning over the rail of some restaurant that she thinks is in China—maybe Japan—when she spots him. He's young, maybe four years old, crying at a table, a mop of brown curls. And she whistles, hoping she can get a smile out of the kid—she doesn't do well with tears—but the moment he looks up her throat closes. Because those eyes—those eyes—they're the prettiest blue she's seen in the last hundred years.

It doesn't take long to feel like she really does have to heal his breaking little heart—even if it's just from a paper cut or something stupid like that.

She breaks when his parents gather him up in their arms, scolding him for running off, and she's alone again.

23.—Jumper

She's thought about it, jumping into a free fall—literal and not—wondering if she would catch herself or not, but as soon as she turns her head, really only for a second, when she sees him sitting in her apartment after being kicked out of the Hunt, she hesitates. He's drinking something, green eyes twinkling with… amusement, that—

I wish you would step back from that ledge.

I would understand, you know, if you didn't.

Sure you would.

Can you put the past away?

"Would you shut up? I'm trying to concentrate."

And he shrugs.

24.—Fade Away

That's really her only fear, out of this whole being immortal and dying in battle—you know how that ship floats—she's afraid that every memory she's made will fade away.

25.—The Only Song

She's heard rumors—apparently it's pretty cool—but she's not willing because that would be the only song she heard before she, you know, swam to her death. Sorry, but the Sirens weren't exactly on her Top Ten Ways to Kick the Bucket.

Artemis seems to agree when she passes her some wax with a smile, and they keep up the chase.

26.—Vindicated

"Well, you know," he grins at her, a clean fresh face, as they approach the alley, "you're always right about this stuff."

They meet a hammer, blond curls, grey eyes, but no monster. It feels good keeping up this record she's got.

27.—Superman

She really can't stand to fly.

She's more than a bird, or… or a plane—it's not easy being a daughter of Zeus with a serious fear of heights. So when someone new shouts 'Superman' from the crowd she really feels like her spear's been neglected for far too long.

28.—Here Without You

It was kinda hard to admit, but every night his face would just…you know, appear, and she'd get so…so tired. Tired of watching him destroy himself—her only family—tired of pretending she doesn't care, tired of wishing that he would give up and come back to the right side. And her eyes open and she's still there without him.

29.—A Lonely September

Well, she thinks, it could be worse.

It could be, like, December. Now that would suck.

30.—A Twist in My Story

Alright, so all in all her life had gone from bad to still pretty not-good but with friends and then everything turned to crap. She was really just looking for something new, and Artemis had the perfect spin to throw in. Thank you, lady.

31.—A Thousand Miles

They've traveled over thousands of miles, searched and trekked and hunted and done everything that the goddess has asked, just as they're supposed to. And now they're taking up those same miles to go to some camp with some crazy demigods, and she's the only one excited.

32.—Lightning Crashes

She can feel it shake the foundations of the world, and underneath lies the scream that slips from her mouth and hundreds of monsters disintegrate on the spot, eyes closed. Every camper or hunter around her, suffering under the weight of war, let out a cheer so loud that she has to grin.

Yeah, that was just her doing the whole 'daughter of Zeus' thing. No biggie.

33.—Headstrong

He's only just met the girl, yeah that's true, and she's his best friend's sister—really awkward—but watching her move and give orders rather than take them, hearing stories from Annabeth he realizes something. She's headstrong and she's gonna take on anyone.

34.—Face Down

It's been rumored for years—well, between her and Annabeth—but she's never really had the courage to ask him. And the two of them are sitting out after another incident in Capture the Flag; the time seems right. So she asks; she asks about Sally and Gabe and what she heard really went down.

He just looks at her, completely calm and shrugs. "Yeah."

Do you feel like a man? When you push her around?

35.—Paralyzer

They think she's intimidating in battle, but what really makes her enemies shake in their boots is her paralyzer—Aegis.

36.—Fake it

Turning down Luke's offer and moving on like it's all okay—the chance to just be with him and hold all the power she's ever needed… that's what tempts her the most—well, honestly, she had to fake that smile for longer than she wanted to. And she feels like a hypocrite when she tells Annabeth that Luke's really worthless.

37.—A Farewell to a Friendship

It's the only real relationship she's ever had with anyone but her brother where she could just smile because they were beside her or laugh at their stupidity, so saying goodbye was exactly as she thought it would be. Near impossible.

38.—The World I Know

Her perspective is changing daily as the world evolves and develops and she's some place that she's never been to before.

This world has become one she doesn't really know, from the intro to punk rock and the Wii to whatever this hunk of space junk in her hand is. Seriously, she growls, how do you work this?

39.—Either Way

When she's finally ripped from that stupid tree, she has time to think about how he was almost kind and true, and then she gets the news about how he poisoned her tree. And she prays that she never has to see that other side of him.

40.—Remember to Breathe

It's difficult when she steps from the trunk and crumbles to the ground in a broken and messy heap trying to remember to breathe. Then her line of vision is met with another—green and bright and worried—and he seems to remind her that it's kind of necessary to live.

41.—Made For You

She remembered a conversation she once had with Annabeth about him, about how much he was like her and that it probably wasn't healthy, and that they would either be best friends of enemies, and she feels that she somehow managed to keep him right on the line; they were always fighting but managed to be loyal and keep each other balanced out, almost like they were made for each other.

All it really took from her was to think of him as some weird cousin.

42.—Into the Nothing

She was so mad at him and her and just—just everyone which, despite common belief, is why they ended up in that stupid Cyclops' layer, because they had been planning out which safe house they would be running to next without her and that made her feel so…so weak and useless. So she dove into the nothing of a warm voice and a demon's grin and had to watch Annabeth become the hero, the golden one. Again.

43.—The Shade of Poison Trees

Going in and coming out—it all feels the same, like someone's got a firm grip on her heart and is using that as leverage to pull her in or yank her out, like a rag doll being drug around. But the taste of poison burning on her tongue, which she does spit up immediately upon rebirth, gives everything a mask of… well, really it gives everything a shade of red and hate.

44.—Chasing Cars

That's kinda how everything between them starts—after he gives her the chocolate bar, of course—when she's ranting about her mother (it's true, you can get chocolate wasted) and he throws in some minor, absentminded side comments then she turns to him and makes him swear that this is going to be real; they're going to be a real family.

He pulls her from the road as a car slips by, and he's extremely close, and he swears it. She shoves him away and grins.

45.—Marchin' On

It's not like you really have a choice—you really can't just lay down and tell yourself you're done, that this adventure, the chapter of your life you're still dwelling in is now over, especially if you're a demigod—so she won't; she takes nothing lying down, everything she can move she does a thousand miles further than necessary and even though it makes her tired, she's still marching on and she will until her dying breath.

46.—Dreaming With a Broken Heart

She can take the dream, easy. So what if that guy was just hurled off a cliff, and who cares whether those two people are trying to kill each other? That's all fantasy, including her dreams of him, it's just that when she wakes up, that fantasy has become fact and he's really betrayed her and that person actually died and someone had to win that fight. The dreams are the easy part.

The waking up is difficult.

47.—How To Save a Life

She could've stopped him and she knows it now, but it never really occurred to her how until it was too late. If she had pulled him back, made him sit and talk with her, if she had stayed up and listened and convinced him then he wouldn't have pledged loyalty to everything evil and he would still be breathing, living, standing at her side just like best friends are supposed to do. The worst part is that she didn't get to see him go, tell him it's okay, that he was the true hero in the end.

48.—All the Right Moves

If she knew them, she thinks, then she wouldn't have an evil Titan lord as her best friend, she wouldn't have been a tree for a good chunk of her life, and Annabeth wouldn't have taken so long to get with that idiot Seaweed Brain.

49.—Pictures of You

They lay beside her bunk in the Zeus cabin each night, all grinning at her from a time that no longer exists, reminding her of what they used to be. A family.

50.—Black Balloon

That's what she is—not fat, so get that out of your head—but she's like a balloon, a nice black color which happens to be her favorite. She could float endlessly in her own world, her own mind and just stay free for all eternity. But there's, on occasion, been a boy that got a hold of her with fascination and then sent her back on her way and left her behind.

Her father, her brother, that boy in fourth grade that she may or may not have shocked when he tried to kiss her, and then Luke—he of course had earned his chance on holding tight to her only to let her go once again.

She decidedly prefers the endless sky.

[Thalia]

(Never felt so strong)

Whoo! Thalia, yeah! I love her, in case you couldn't tell.

The little line break with that song title and Luke's name is because that song came up on my Pandora radio and it fits him perfectly, so I don't want to ever forget it whenever I come back to him. I know, I know, very unprofessional, but I prefer to dance on the line of spontaneous and prepped so… get over it (insert grand smile). And I think I used Iris on my last list, but oh well.