A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm really glad that people are enjoying the story. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter although it's maybe a lot more philosophical than the others. If you have time I'd really like a review to tell me whether you prefer scenes like this or scenes which are more lively, with talk between the characters rather than first person retrospective narrative.
The Show by Girls Aloud
Thalia's POV
I stared at the tree on the horizon. It was marking the boundary of Camp Half-Blood. Sighing, I led my huntresses up the hill and through the boundary. The Camp looked very different to the last time I had been there. There were more cabins but it was still the same old place and it was full of memories. Memories of Luke.
No-one ever saw past my façade. It was a carefully composed mask, a show. I'd used it all my life. When I sat in the car talking to Percy whilst we were on the quest to rescue Artemis and Annabeth, I'd used it then, pretending that I had been afraid of driving the sun car of Apollo because my mom had died behind the wheel. But of course it was because of my fear of heights.
I'd used it again when I fought Luke on Mount Tam. I still loved him then. But he betrayed me, turned to Kronos, to evil. So I'd had to move on, and I joined the Hunters of Artemis. It was my way out.
If I'd known what would happen to Luke before we arrived at Camp all those years ago, maybe I could have changed him and maybe I would never have used my mask.
