A/N: Thanks to those that reviewed on my last chapter. Not as much as I was hoping for, but still better than nothing. So, somewhat against my better judgement, I've decided to write a new chapter :)

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO

~15 Years Ago~

Artemis was distraught. She had never lost a patient she had tried to help, especially not such a strong demigod. This happening was like a direct blow to her pride. She tried to console herself, at least the baby lived. But it was no use, she had to go to hunt to blow off some steam.

When she arrived at the hunter's camp, it was very early in the morning. The only one up was Thalia, on guard. Artemis knew she would probably electrify everything in a 20 ft radius if she found out her best friend had died. That boy, Perseus though.. he hadn't taken it well at all. Although I do not like boys at all, I can say that at least Perseus would be a good father. He made sure his child was safe and taken care of, before he ran off towards the lake, which was already churning so much it's a miracle the camp hadn't been flooded yet.

Although she really didn't want to, she knew she had to tell Thalia what had happened. Taking in a deep breath to steady her nerves, she walked towards her position in the trees.

"Hello, Thalia." Artemis said, without looking up at her.

"Hello milady, is there something I can do for you?" Thalia asked, looking slightly confused at Artemis' tone.

"Yes, Thalia.. If you could please come down here and sit by the fire, I have some… unfortunate news to share…" She trailed off there, not wanting to be blunt with it.

As Thalia got down from the tree and sat by the fire, with the grace only a hunter could have, she was starting to worry. Artemis never took someone off guard duty without someone to replace them. This either meant that she had personal business, or that something was wrong with the hunt.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be the former.

"Thalia, don't blow up on me, at least not right here. I will take you somewhere deserted to do so, if you wish to." Artemis said, knowing Thalia would be severely angry and wanting to take out her anger on something.

"Ok milady, but what is this about?" Thalia asked warily, this was getting worse and worse by the minute.

"This is personal for you Thalia... You know tonight your friend Annabeth went into labor?" Artemis asked, dreading these next few minutes. She loved her girls like daughters, and hated to give them bad news.

"She did?" Thalia asked excitedly, "How did it go? Was is a boy or a girl? What's the name?" Thalia shot off questions faster than Artemis could answer.

"It was a boy, they named him Blake, as for how it went…" she trailed off, not sure how to continue.

Thalia sensed her mood darken, and she suddenly became very worried. "What happened milady? What's wrong?"

Artemis shook herself mentally, stop being worried. You're the prideful Goddess of the Hunt, Thalia is merely a lieutenant. You are strong and can handle yourself, there is no reason to keep beating around the bush. She thought, and it helped her get over her worries and just tell her.

Although it didn't stop her voice from coming out a whisper when she said "Annabeth is dead."

Thalia was very confused. What did Artemis just say? Annabeth is dead? No, that can't be it. Annabeth was strong, there was no way that childbirth would kill her. This all has to be a prank.. Yeah, Percy is known for playing pranks.. How he convinced Artemis to help him, she had no idea, but… it has to be a prank.

But the deathly silence that followed said something different.

"What did you say?" Thalia asked quietly, hoping she had misheard.

"Annabeth is dead, Thalia. It's okay, let it out. No one would judge you for mourning over the loss of a friend." Artemis said, worried that Thalia would just bottle up her emotions and eventually explode.

Thalia didn't know what to do or say, Annabeth was her oldest friend, aside from Luke, who had given himself to destroy the Titan Lord Kronos, all those years ago. She couldn't have died, all she did was give birth! Then Thalia thought of something..

"Milady, how do you know that she is dead?" Thalia's voice cracked on the last word, unable to hold in the grief that she was feeling.

Artemis seemed to pale just a little bit, but answered anyways "I was there, helping to give birth, as a repayment for saving me and Olympus several times. I tried to save her Thalia, but once her life string has been cut, not even Godly intervention can change her fate."

Thalia seemed to visibly calm down, as she saw that Artemis was right, not even the Gods could go against the Fates. That doesn't mean she has to like it, though. "Milady, take me somewhere deserted please. Preferably not a forest, I'd hate to burn it down." she told Artemis, knowing that blowing off some steam would be good.

The next thing she knew, she was in a desert, and when she looked around she realized it wasn't just a desert. It was Gila Claw, Arizona, the same place Bianca had died by Talos. She went over to the buildings, and unbottled all her emotions.

When she looked around again, she found that the buildings around her, concrete and all, had been blasted to smithereens. The wooden buildings were on fire, slowly burning away. She watched it happen with fascination, when she felt someone behind her.

She turned, but relaxed when she saw Artemis. "Take me home milady, I'm okay now. Well, as okay as I can be."

There it is, we have a name. I don't know if it's perfect, and if I get a suggestion for a name I like, it'll be changed in here. This probably wasn't the best chapter, but it's showing how Thalia reacted to the news of Annabeth's death. Again, please review! Constructive Criticism is very helpful and very much appreciated!

Thanks for reading,

~Lou