Enjoy! Disclaimer: All Percy Jackson characters belong to Rick Riordan!

On the Brink

Extreme pain.

That's all Thalia felt when the basilisk's poison began creeping through her system. She had been able to momentarily fend off its attacks, and she vaguely remembered Apollo jumping through the trashed roof to lead the monster away from them. Watching him leave, her vision became blurry and tunnel vision edged its way into sight.

The last thing she remembered was trying to stand on her feet but failing and collapsing onto Annabeth. Then she blacked out.

It was a spring day, early in the season when there were still patches of snow trying to cling to the remnants of winter. It was a pleasant seventy degrees outside—a little chilly when the wind blew, but otherwise perfect weather.

Thalia was at the archery range with some Apollo kids, practicing her skills with the indestructible bow Apollo had given her for Christmas. She was getting better everyday. Even the Apollo kids, who had finally accepted her relationship with their dad, noticed her improvement.

Thalia notched a bow, pulling back and feeling the strength of her muscles in her shoulders and back. She breathed in deep, held it for two seconds, and slowly exhaled. At the apex of her exhalation she released the string. The arrow spliced the air and struck the target two inches left of the bull's eye.

"Nice shot," a deep voice praised.

Thalia felt a smile lift her face as she glanced over at Apollo. "Thanks."

He smirked. "Of course, it's still not perfect." He stepped close to her, standing behind her. He mimicked her stance, molding his body around hers. Thalia's heart lurched in her chest.

"It's all about your form," he mumbled into her ear. He ran his hands down her arms. He took a bow from the quiver beside them and placed it in her hand. He covered her hands with his own and then led her arms into notching the arrow.

Thalia's stomach flip-flopped.

Of course, Apollo knew exactly what he was doing to her. He smirked. "Even the slightest movement makes a difference." He placed a large hand on her flat stomach and the other on her shoulder. As she inhaled, so did he, feeling her muscles stretch underneath his touch. She exhaled, and then he mumbled, "Release."

The arrow flew and struck right in the center.

Searing pain ripped through her stomach. Blue eyes flittered open and stared at the damaged car ceiling. She vaguely heard Annabeth arguing with Nico. It smelled like alcohol. The stench burned her nose. But her stomach was burning too, crawling up her insides and scratching its way up her throat. She cried out. The darkness swallowed her once again.

Running. They were always running.

Sirens were blaring a couple streets down. Thalia's legs ached and her lungs shrieked for air. Each step against the hard pavement caused a flash of pain to erupt in her ribs. She had taken quite a pummeling before finally killing the damned monster.

Despite the pain, Thalia continued following Luke's tall, lean form through the streets. They had stuck together this far. They could survive. Somehow, they would make it.

Suddenly Luke took a sharp left, leading into a deserted building. Thalia struggled to make the unexpected turn, but Luke reached out and snatched Thalia's wrist. He tugged her down next to him. Thalia winced and bit her lip from the jarring of her ribs.

The cops were definitely not the most dangerous threat, but if they were caught, they'd have a lot of explaining to do and she knew no one would believe them. Best if they simply avoided the authorities.

They were both breathing hard. Luke had his arm around Thalia, holding her close. They listened as the sirens got closer, became more shrill—and then they whizzed by, growing faint until they completely disappeared.

They had survived one more night.

Unexpectedly, warmth began seeping through Thalia. She wasn't fully conscious, but she felt it there. It felt like the sun on a warm, summer day, as if she had just finished swimming and was now lying on the beach, basking in the rays.

It seemed to mix with the poison. Every so often she would feel peaceful, and then suddenly a stabbing pain would appear in her stomach.

Was she supposed to die? Was she supposed to live? Was this feeling just a side affect of the poison? Some sick, false impression of hope to make her believe she would be okay?

Honestly, she didn't care anymore. She didn't want this confliction. She didn't care if she died. It's not like her life had been anything particularly special—

Thalia opened her eyes. She glanced around to get her bearings but came up short. She had no clue where she was. In fact, she doubted this was even real. Her body…she felt no pain. She felt weightless, even, as if gravity had no affect on her. All she saw was bright light, heat shimmering around her.

Maybe she died. Maybe this was her afterlife. Odd, since she should have ended up in the Underworld…

"You're not dead," a voice chimed in, as if reading her thoughts. "At least, not yet."

Thalia glanced beside her. She vaguely recognized the voice, and her suspicions were confirmed when she spotted Bianca di Angelo standing next to her, dressed in Hunter regalia.

"Bianca," she breathed. "How—"

"You're dying," Bianca replied without falter. "I felt your presence on the brink between life and death. I thought I'd come pay you a visit." She shrugged. "You seem to be conflicted."

Thalia's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I'm conflicted. What the hell happened?"

Bianca gave her a pitying look. "You don't remember?"

Thalia thought hard, trying to remember the events that had brought her here. "I…remember a—a monster. The basilisk. And it—"

Realization hit her. "Oh," she said weakly. Bianca nodded her head in confirmation. Thalia's heart dropped. "So…this is it, then." It wasn't a question.

Bianca tilted her head. "Not necessarily. You felt something good, didn't you? Something—"

"Warm," Thalia filled in.

The daughter of Hades smiled. "Yes. Warmth."

"What is it?"

"Someone is healing you. Someone very strong."

Thalia felt butterflies in her stomach. It had to have been Apollo. Of course he would save her. "But…shouldn't I have died? Or be dying? How can I still be alive?"

"Well, for one thing, my brother and Annabeth were able to keep you alive until Apollo arrived back at the train. As for the conflicting feelings…well, that's up to you."

"What do you mean? What's up to me?"

Bianca gave her a pointed stare. "Whether you live or die. At this point, you could easily succumb to the poison and let yourself drift off to the next world. Or you could just as easily fight back with Apollo's help."

Thalia's brow furrowed. Of course she wanted to live. She wanted to be with Apollo.

But on the other hand…She had lived a full life. She had fought many battles, survived impossible circumstances. She had experienced so much in her lifespan. Honestly…she was getting tired of it. Would people really blame her for wanting to move on?

"He really cares about you," Bianca said quietly.

Thalia didn't need her to explain. She knew Apollo loved her. And she loved him just as much—even more. He was her life. He had shown her love—real love. She thought back through the past six months, realizing how much her life has changed since she met Apollo at Artemis's camp. She had undergone a lot of hurt, guilt, pain. But she had experienced love, peacefulness. Happiness. She would never give up any of it.

How could she ever believe she could live without him?

Her mind was set.

Bianca smiled warmly. "Good luck."

Let me know what you guys think of this one. I was going for a hazy, flashback, brink-of-death tone, and hopefully I did Bianca some justice!

Thanks for reading and remember to review!

-Akatsuki Child