I just realized that I skipped chapter 2, so here's chapter 2. I am so sorry about that. This comes before All I Need.

I don't own Percy Jackson or A Thousand Years by Christina Perri.

Chapter 2 A Thousand Years
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They would pass each other in the hallway. Exchange glances, but never words. Nico's friends noticed, but didn't say anything. Sometimes Percy would smirk at him, and Nico would look away, pretending that he hadn't noticed. Then he'd go back to thinking about her.

She didn't have anyone to notice anything was different, but really nothing was. She was still sarcastic, she still snapped at teachers, she still ignored everyone. In her head, it was different. Instead of thinking about how much she hated everyone, she thought about him. She once thought maybe she was a bit harsh on him, but quickly pushed the thought out of her head. Life was harsh, the sooner he learned that, the better. God knew she'd learned it early enough.

They shared some classes. She always sat in the back, hoping the teacher wouldn't call on her. He sat nearer the middle. She watched him during the classes, although she denied it to herself. She wasn't watching him, she was just…staring ahead and slightly to the right, exactly where he just so happened to be sitting. And she just so happened to be looking slightly up, so she could see his silky black hair that almost looked blue when the light hit it, and his incredibly pale skin, and the back of his black t-shirt with the tag hanging out, and…

What?

She didn't like him. She wouldn't admit it to herself. It didn't matter. Nobody wanted her. Nobody had ever wanted her. Especially not a teenage gothic boy who – she'd admit this – was slightly hot.

Snap out of it he told himself. He tried to concentrate on what the French teacher was saying. But every time he tried, his thoughts wandered off.

She was a foster kid? Why didn't anyone know that? Why didn't she tell anyone?

Why don't you tell anyone about your mom?

Damn that little rational voice inside his head.

The bell rang, jolting him back to reality. He grabbed his French textbook and notebook and stuffed them into his backpack. It was lunch time.

"Hey Dead Boy." Percy greeted him.

"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Grover stood in front of them, and he would have been jumping up and down if it hadn't been for his crutches.

Nico laughed. "It's enchilada day, isn't it?"

"Yes! And they're going to be out if you don't get going!"

Percy laughed, too. "Alright, alright!" They began walking down to the cafeteria.

Nico hated the cafeteria. Their food was awful, and the ladies were mean. But it was a break from classes, which he welcomed. He grabbed a sandwich, a bag of chips, a chocolate chip cookie, and a soda, ignoring the lunch ladies' glares. Seriously, they were creepy sometimes. Like they wanted to eat him.

Annabeth was already sitting down at their usual table eating a salad and reading a book when Nico sat down. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Thalia sitting at a table alone, picking at a sandwich. His heart beat a tiny bit faster for a second, until Percy sat down next to him. "Hey, babe." Percy said, giving Annabeth a quick kiss. She smiled at him before going back to her book. Nico noticed it was in Greek.

"God, Annabeth, do you ever do anything but read?"

She glared at him. "Shut up, di Angelo. At least I'm passing my classes."

"Hey, I'm passing my classes." Nico said, unwrapping his sandwich.

Percy laughed. "Sure, and you're a straight C student. Congrats, man."

"Says the one failing English."

Annabeth looked up sharply, and began lecturing her boyfriend. Percy shot Nico his I-will-kill-you-later glare. Nico grinned.

Nico guessed Percy had conveniently forgotten to tell his girlfriend about his English grade. Oops.

Thalia watched them from a few tables over. Specifically Nico. Maybe she was ready to admit she liked him. Maybe. But to herself. She wouldn't tell anyone else.

But then she shook the thought away. She knew what love was like. She knew what had happened to her parents. She knew that every time she began to like a foster home, she was taken away. She knew that if she started trusting him, she'd fall. Just like always.

Watching him pick at the disgusting sandwich that she knew tasted like cardboard, she knew that there wasn't a chance. There wasn't a chance that he'd be different. Because they were all just people, in the end. And they'd all leave her.

The final bell rang, signaling the end of school. Nico watched Thalia pick up her bag and leave quickly. He followed at the same speed. He was determined to catch her this time.

He knew she would go to the alley again. He ran to find Bianca, his sister, and asked her to bring his bag home. She paused, then smiled and told him she would. She looked like she understood, but he didn't dwell on it.

"Thalia?" he called into the alley.

She looked up sharply. "What the hell, di Angelo?"

He picked his way towards her. "What do you mean?"

"I swear, you're stalking me. What do you want?"

"I just want to talk to you."

She shot him a poisonous look. "There, you've talked to me. Now go away."

He ignored her. It was amazing. She was sitting in a dark alley behind a disgusting restaurant, she was glaring at him, and yet she was still beautiful. Damn it, he thought, I sound like a pathetic little girl. Somehow, he didn't care.

"Thalia…" He trailed off. He didn't know how to do this. "I…I…"

"You what, di Angelo?"

He took a deep breath. "I like you." It wasn't as hard as he thought.

She just stared at him. Then she stood and walked away, without another word.

Time stood still. He wanted to scream. He wanted to do something violent. But he knew that he had to be brave. He wouldn't let her be taken away. He wasn't going to force her into liking him, but he wouldn't give up so easily. Besides, he was used to rejection. Especially from girls.

Two blocks away, Thalia curled up in a different alley, sobbing. She didn't want to hear that from him. It made it even harder. She admitted it now. She liked him, too. But she was afraid. She knew he would leave her. But hearing him tell her something like that, it made it even harder to know he would leave her. Because sometimes she wanted to just try it.

She didn't know how long she sat there. Finally she picked up her school bag and walked back to the place she was staying.

"Thalia? Are you alright?" Amy Moore asked, looking at her foster daughter in concern.

"Fuck off!" Thalia yelled, and ran up the stairs to her room.

The metal kept her grounded, reminded her that this was real. The silver metal tipped with red. It was her savior.

Again, so sorry about skipping chapter 2. I am laughing at my stupidity as we speak.