Chapter Twenty-Five: Untold Secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Rick Riordan's
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
and the Heroes of Olympus Series, and I do not
own the songs I put into this book either.
I only own my fan made characters and of course
the plot line.

Added Songs – In Order of Appearance
Nuvole Bianche – Ludovico Einaudi (suggest you listen to it, the piano, its beautiful. Here's the link: watch?v=CdDDY5nVA3A)
Double Rainbow – Katy Perry

~Author's Note~

Hey everyone, so this chapter is a very angst filled chapter because it has something very deeply personal to a character. I know i haven't done much into this character's story, so this is what the chapter is filled with. I do recommend you go to that link and listen to the music because its beautiful and plays perfectly into the story. So please, enjoy this chapter.

It had been an agonizing two weeks since Annabeth had basically said no to being friends with Thalia again and it just seemed like every day that went by, everything just got so overwhelmingly harder to deal with on her own.

She had been focusing herself on other things; the prime thing was promoting the gathering of her album. And speaking of her album, she couldn't be more thrilled when her song 'Begin Again,' has been sitting at number one on the charts for the last two weeks, well since the day it was released and Annabeth was speechless when she found it out.

Focusing on her album had helped occupy her mind from feeling lonely but she sometimes almost the made the mistake of calling Thalia when she wanted to tell her best friend something and then she remembered that Thalia wasn't her best friend anymore. Annabeth would be lying if she said that she didn't miss her blue eyed, short tempered, foul mouthed best friend that was nothing but a firecracker every time she entered the room.

Annabeth was sitting in the most calming quiet place for her; the roof of Apollo records. It was a bright and sunny day up there and the beneficial thing about it is that the roof had a garden up here. It was private access and Annabeth was one of the first people Apollo let up in his beautiful roof garden. It looked like a traditional Japanese Koi garden, bridge and Koi pond included.

There was a bench set under this beautiful tree that provided the perfect amount of sun and shade and Annabeth just felt so relaxed up here. She was working on her song list for her album. There were a few songs that she had in mind that she definitely wanted to put on her album, one of the obvious ones being 'Begin Again.'

Since she had returned from the cabin with Percy she had been working on this song for a while that she absolutely found herself putting in her deepest darkest feeling and some of things that Percy had said, she couldn't help but put down into lyrics. The smile on her face that appeared the minute Percy's name crossed her mind caused her to flip over to the page with said lyrics.

The words were deeply personal and meaningful to her but the only thing was she couldn't come up with a name unique in all its splendor to join with the words. She was describing her love for Percy, the way she felt about him, the name had to be unique like Percy was. He had described her as one of a kind, as though he had secretly won the lottery which is exactly how she felt about him when she first met him which led her to look at her second chorus and analyze the words deeper.

Was a phenomenon when you came along
Yeah, our chemistry was more than science
It was deafening, loud like lightning, it was striking
You couldn't deny it

When she met Percy there was an instant connection between them, a deep fascination that ran deep within Annabeth. The more time she the thought about him, the more she just wanted to know him.

She was broken by Luke, she was lost and destroyed by the person she thought loved her like she loved him. She thought Luke was the one, that one person that you only find once in a life time. That one person that's hard to find and that most people only find once in a life time. She smiled at through of getting another chance at happiness, it was completely surreal for her and she honestly couldn't believe that she had been so fortunate to find someone again.

So lost in her thoughts she found herself staring at the water feature beside her, the trickling steams and waterfall that ran by her, it was a peaceful exquisite site to see. The spray from the waterfall was creating mirage with the mist and Annabeth could clearly see the colors of a rainbow being created by the misty spray. It was so small yet so beautiful; a sight you only saw when the rain had cleared and the sun was shining. What was rarer was to see a double rainbow. Two rainbows, joining at one point and extending across the sky in all its splendor and beauty...

It suddenly clicked in Annabeth's mind. A double rainbow was exquisite and magnificent and it was a rare sight to see and to her finding someone like Percy was just as rare. She instantly started writing in her notebook again, the words rearranging themselves in her mind as she altered and added to the page. She could feel the power of love and happiness pouring itself onto her page with each stroke of her pen, the smile on her face that was brighter than the sun itself on her face never faltering or fading.

She was so in tune with her deep writing state that she didn't notice the roof door open and Jason step out into the fresh air. He had a mournful, pained look on his face. He looked like he had been crying due to his eyes being glassed over and tinged with a little red on the whites of his eye. He looked like he was searching hopefully for someone and when his eyes landed on Annabeth he let out a shaky sigh of relief.

He knew that Annabeth came up here when she wanted to get away from stress and hurtful situations, he understood how much this thing between her and Thalia was taking its toll on the artist but his sister wasn't the same person she was. Its why he came up here looking for Annabeth because his sister needed her, she needed the support and love of her best friend and her shoulder to cry on because of what today was.

Jason was too young to remember his mother but he knew that she meant the world to Thalia. Jason hadn't known his mother like Thalia had, the only motherly figure he had was Hera who was a bigger bitch than Calypso when he learned who and what she really was. Today was the day that Thalia lost everything really, their mom, their cousins, her best friends at the time... her whole family. All it took was one accident that caused a catastrophic event in their lives.

Jason was silent as he made his way over to Annabeth, a pleading look in his eye as he called out her name, "Annabeth..."

She looked up instantly, smiling when she saw Jason at first at that instantly changed into a frown when she saw how distressed and upset he looked in this very moment. She closed her book and stood up, patting down the fabric of her ripped jeans and pulling her tie dyed t-shirt straight. "Jason, what's wrong?" She asked in a concerned tone, she was instantly started worrying when she saw Jason look down at his feet away from her gaze.

He didn't answer her, fear and worry setting in, what if she says no? what if she doesn't want anything to do with either of them? He suddenly lost the confidence to ask her, he felt fear and guilt wrecking havoc on his body. The strength he had been using to control the tears that wanted to pour from his eyes dissipated and the tears started falling free.

Annabeth frozen when she heard the weak sob escape Jason's lips and then she saw the tears start rolling down his face. She was confused and distraught as she moved forward and pulled Jason into a hug. He reacted instantly by encasing her in a desperate vice grip, clawing at the back of her shirt as he sobbed into the grove of her neck and shoulder.

She did her best to sooth him in her confusion, running her fingers through his messy blonde locks that were usually cropped and combed to perfection but they looked wild and un-brushed. Her other hand was rubbing soothing circles into his back in an attempt to reassure and calm him down.

She didn't know how long she spent consoling the brother of her once best friend with absolutely no idea as to what she was consoling him for in all actuality. It felt like hours when Jason finally pulled his head back and released Annabeth looking ashamed at his emotional breakdown. "Sorry, Annabeth." He apologized as he wiped his tears away with the backs of his hands. "I don't know what came over me."

"You don't need to apologize Jason." Annabeth whispered softly, she had been there for him ever since he came searching for Thalia and started on his career path towards being a musician. "Why are you this upset?" Annabeth asked, wanting to find out why he broke down in this moment before her.

Jason in all honesty didn't know how he was going to proceed with this, he didn't know if he should get straight to the point or explain it at a snail pace but he knew he didn't have time to play games. His sister needed Annabeth and so he was going to get them back on the same page no matter what he had to.

"Annabeth, I know what Thalia did was wrong but she needs you." Jason said getting straight to the point, Annabeth frowning at the statement as she turned her back to Jason.

"Jason I get that Thalia is you sister but that doesn't give you the right to come and involve yourself in our business." Annabeth said in a bold affirmative tone as she started packing her things away as Jason frowned. He knew Annabeth was hurt by his sister but it was his sister so he had every right to be involved.

"It is my business when my sister is involved." Jason bit back as Annabeth turned round and frowned at him. "My sister is a mess, Annabeth. She isn't herself anymore without you Annabeth."

"Its not my problem that she is hurting. Its her fault that I don't trust her anymore." Annabeth said back defensively as Jason's eyes darkened at got that same looked that Thalia got when she was angry. His eyes had electricity running through them, his gaze turning cold.

"You think you are so perfect, that you aren't at fault. You are both at fault, Annabeth!" Jason growled, his anger spiking rapidly, "Just because she hurt you doesn't mean you can't give a damn about her well being. You haven't been there for her any of the times she needs you!" Annabeth frowned and was about to answer but Jason's glare stopped her. "You don't get to claim you've been there for her. Did you even know what today was for her, for us?"

Annabeth felt slightly guilty, she didn't know why she was feeling like this, she honestly didn't know why but she knew this day must have been something important because of the way Jason burst into tears in front of her. The young man who usually held in his vulnerability and emotions unless he was singing had broken down into a blubbering mess on her shoulder and she didn't know why.

"Today's the day that our mom died in the car accident that wrecked our respective families." Jason said softly and Annabeth gasped in realization and understanding. Jason looked at her and saw the instant regret in Annabeth's eyes. Jason knew that Annabeth hadn't learned about the family history between the Olympia brothers until recently and honestly couldn't blame Annabeth for not knowing. In all the fighting, Thalia had failed to mention the date which is why Jason was here on his sister's behalf.

Annabeth couldn't say anything, she was stunned silent. She sat down on the bench, staring down at her hands, rapid fire questions being spoken in her mind like it was a never ending marathon game show. The recurring word being why. Why didn't Thalia tell her? Why didn't Thalia come to her? She never said that she stopped caring; she never said that Thalia couldn't come to her if she needed someone to talk to.

"She wanted to come to you but you never once were free. You never gave her the time of day." Jason said softly noticing Annabeth's shoulders sagging even more than they were before. "She's been hurting a lot without you Annabeth. I know her words hurt you but you know deep down she didn't mean it and you're punishing her for her mistake. You have every right to be hurt but please Annabeth, can you please just give her the comfort she needs right now because she is falling apart." Jason begged in desperation, his voice thick with emotion that was choking him up.

Annabeth remained silent and Jason took that as a bad sign.

"I'm not asking you to you forgive her or give her another chance to earn your forgiveness but please, just be there for her today." Jason pleaded softly, his eyes glassed over. "Please Annabeth... just think about it." Jason whispered softly before he turned on his heel and walked away, uncertain of what Annabeth would do but he hoped that the understanding person within her would listen to her heart, that she'd think with her heart and not her head.

Annabeth sat there with nothing but silence surrounding her. She felt like she was holding the sky on her shoulders in place of Atlas. She has a decision to make, one she didn't really need to think about because she already knew what she was going to do when Jason told her what today meant for them. Her best friend was hurting and that hurt Annabeth's heart, it felt like nothing she had ever felt before.

With a heavy sigh, Annabeth packed up her things and shouldered her bag and with a heavy sigh she walked over the wooden bridge and looked down at her reflection on the surface of the crystal clear water teaming with beautiful Koi fish and fantail Koi fish. She watched as two fantails, both colored white with splashes of orange and black, the two were swimming in a gentle circle, following each other.

They were so beautiful, so at peace with one another, the tails and fins trailing after them like silk floating through water. Annabeth smiled, her brain already processing the sign she saw in these two Koi. She knew what she was going to do before she saw them but now seeing this sign only reaffirmed her decision she had already made. She had a new mission and the first thing she needed to do was find Thalia.

It had been an hour since Annabeth started her search for Thalia and she had had no success in tracking the woman down. She honestly had looked in every obvious place that Thalia could have possibly been but she wasn't in any of the locations. For a moment Annabeth wondered if what Jason said was true, did Thalia really miss her? She instantly shot it down because she remembered Jason's grief stricken face, he never showed weakness or emotions unless it was necessary or if it was overwhelming for him.

So she continued on and decided that she had to ask around now, she had had enough of her solo mission and decided that she needed to ask someone if they had seen her, someone close to Thalia Grace that wasn't family. The one person close to Thalia in retrospect was Clarisse and she hadn't really liked that Annabeth had been busying herself instead of trying to fix her friendship which she now regretted.

She knew that Clarisse was in today and that she would be in the musician's lounge, it was a place where bands and techs of the company could have lunch, mingle and give advice and such on current stuff they were working on. Clarisse would always go there at this time because there was usually no one around since most went out for lunch instead of staying here for it.

Gently pushing the door open, Annabeth peaked her head in and saw the person she was looking for. Clarisse was laying on top of one of the tables, dressed in a pair of blue overall that had brown smudges on the fabric and a pair of black sneakers that looked fairly old, her short spiky red hair had a bandana in it and she had her head phones on but she saw Annabeth but made no move.

Annabeth felt shy in the presence of this woman, she held a few years in age over her but Clarisse Rodriguez, previously La Rue was a bad ass chick that was cool but calm and collected but you didn't want to piss this woman off. She had two personalities in all honesty considering she was the mother of a two year old son that they named Alex. Annabeth had met him and he was a little firecracker like his mother who could go from sweet and kind to I'm going to beat the shit out of you in nanoseconds.

Clarisse had three jobs in all honesty, she wasn't just the drummer for Annabeth's band. She was also a mom and worked for a large delivery company and Annabeth admired how passionate this woman was about everything she did. She was living her dream as a musician whilst raising a family and having another job on the side that wasn't as demanding as her music but it was still demanding.

Clarisse sat up and crossed her legs on the table with a knowing smirk on her face as she pulled her head phones down so they were around her neck as Annabeth cautiously approached her. "What's up Chase?" she asked but she already knew why Annabeth was here.

Annabeth just decided to humor the woman who she had come to respect greatly. "I'm having a little problem and I need your help." Annabeth sighed as Clarisse hopped off the table and made her way over to her, the knowing smirk on her face turning into a soft knowing smile.

"If you are looking for Gracie-bell," Clarisse said, Annabeth rolling her eyes at the nickname Clarisse used, knowing how much the mother of one loved teasing her with the same nickname that Annabeth's dad used when she was little, "Which I assume you, she's up in your music room like she always is... waiting for you."

The guilt weighed heavy on Annabeth as she asked, "Did you know about her mom?"

Clarisse smiled sadly and gave a nod, "Grace told me the day after you did that 'Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun' karaoke gig. Found her looking at a picture and she told me but she didn't tell me that today was the day it happened." Clarisse never had anything to lie about, she was being completely honest and Annabeth had grown to know that fact. "Jason told me."

"Same with me." Annabeth confessed as she rubbed her arm shyly, the situation had just started getting awkward now. "I had no idea about her mom until the day we did that karaoke." Annabeth felt really uncomfortable now under the watchful gaze of Clarisse. She knew and respected the woman but they weren't as connected as Annabeth was with the others.

"Look Chase," Clarisse said firmly, interrupting the silence that had surrounded them after she had spoken, "I get why you did what you did and I respect you but Thalia Grace is one of the most passionate, trust worthy people I have come to know. She's been through a lot and hides it behind her confident attitude but the girl is heartbroken about what happened between the two of you."

It seemed to Annabeth that Clarisse was speaking to her as more of a mother than a co-worker and friend. Annabeth listened to Clarisse speak, hearing every word she said with an open mind.

"The girl hasn't been herself, in fact she's been her polar opposite and that has honestly scared me because I have never seen her this way." The look in Clarisse's eyes said it all as she continued, "Please think long and hard about your friendship over the years and look at all the goods and bads and decide for yourself and ask yourself in your heart if you honestly believe that she wanted to hurt you." Annabeth gave a nod in understanding.

"Thank you Clarisse." Annabeth said with a grateful tone as Clarisse gave a nod and turned back and climbed onto the table and resumed her previous position and this time closed her eyes and started listening to whatever she was regionally listening to as Annabeth walked out the room and headed to her destination.

When the elevator doors opened, Annabeth took slow steps towards her room, making sure she had in mind exactly what she wanted to say to Thalia. she had honestly done what Clarisse had said before she even suggested it and she discovered that she had missed Thalia more than she admitted to.

Annabeth was brought out of her musings when she heard something coming from her music room, curiosity getting the better of her so she quickened her steps towards the room as the sound got louder and she could identify what it was. She could hear the distinct sound of a piano being played in the music room. It sounded like random notes but it still made her curious as she arrived in front of the door.

The door was slightly ajar and Annabeth instantly found herself peaking through the slightly open door and nearly had her eyes bug out when she saw it was Thalia sitting at the piano through the two way glass that separated the sound board to her music room. Thalia hadn't noticed Annabeth so she slipped in and closed the door behind her and took in Thalia's form.

Thalia was seated at the piano dressed in a pair of black ripped jeans with black ankle boots and a simple black t-shirt with a pair of dog tags around her neck. Annabeth took in her hunched form. Thalia was leaning her left elbow on the very edge of the piano whilst she played a few random keys on it. Annabeth took in the downcast and sad look that Thalia had on her face and frowned.

Annabeth found herself wondering what Thalia was doing at the piano considering every time Annabeth was in the room with Thalia, she glared at the piano so why was she sitting at the beautiful grand piano with the top open and what appeared to be sheet music in front of her. Annabeth was confused as she took a cautious step closer to the music room door that was slightly open but froze when Thalia moved.

Thalia shifted so that her hands were between her legs, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as she looked up at the ceiling. Annabeth could see sorrow and longing flowing in Thalia's eyes that were red and puffy, a clear indication that she had been crying. Annabeth watched curiously as Thalia looked down at the piano and she positioned her fingers on the keys and started playing a single tune with both hands.

The melody was soft yet powerful as Thalia looked at the sheet music as she held the keys for a while, leaving Annabeth in shock at the fact that Thalia was playing but found herself in even more shock when Thalia started playing a flowing tune that was rhythmic yet sad. The music itself sounded as if it were pleading out to the world in one last attempt to call for help, filled with a never ending sorrow that it made Annabeth's breath hitch.

Thalia played with such grace and expertise as her fingers moved effortlessly over the keys, she had such skill as to move her fingers of both her left and right hand at different times that corresponded with the others movements which meant that Thalia had to have done lessons and passed grade 8 as a pianist to play such a beautiful piece. Annabeth had never heard anything so sad yet beautiful at the same time. It was screwing up her heart right now. She didn't know whether to enter and give Thalia a hug or just continue listening.

Thalia seemed to be getting lost in the music as she didn't even look at the sheet music anymore, as the melody itself grew more diversified and powerful, the tune filled with sorrow, as if conveying whatever emotions Thalia was feeling as the tune flowed all around the room. Thalia just played, her hands moving freely across the shining white and black keys of the piano, she didn't even have to look at the keys to know what to play next.

Thalia must have played this piece a lot because the longer the song progressed, the more powerful it got. The music itself felt like effortless stabs to Annabeth's heart of sorry and longing, Annabeth frozen in time as she watched Thalia play like her life depended on it, as if the music was deeply personal to her which Annabeth realized it was when she looked a little closer at the sheet music and saw her best friend's hand writing all over it.

Thalia had written this piece.

Annabeth felt guilt deep within herself, she didn't even know that her best friend played the piano, it was obviously something deep and personal because Annabeth knew everything about her best friend, well, at least she thought she did. She didn't have control of her own body as she quietly opened the door and stepped into the room, remaining quieter than a church mouse as Thalia stilled her fingers and let out a single shaky breath, one that she had been holding in for long it seemed and then Annabeth saw something she very rarely saw.

A tear.

A single lone tear fell off the edge of Thalia's eyelid and ran down her cheek in a winding path, her lips moved, a noiseless whisper, Annabeth couldn't hear what she said but she remained glued on her spot. It was a good thing she did because Thalia moved her fingers again, pressing down on the keys so softly; a sound barely came out, as she closed her eyes again. She was doing it as if to stop herself from breaking down, the music getting to her, the meaning must have been so powerful it was affecting Thalia greatly.

The steady, soft and heart breaking melody began playing again, Thalia orchestrating it with her own fingers, a slow rise in magnificence to the music as it got louder, stronger and Thalia's fingers moved hard and faster, she played like a demon, a grief stricken demon on a warpath. She looked like a broken soul, confessing a dying wish, a plea to the Gods through the music she played with a burning fire in her heart, a determination that Annabeth saw in Thalia Grace's eyes.

But what was she pleading for, that was the question on Annabeth's mind.

The intensity she played with, brought Annabeth to her knees as the raw power and emotion of the music brought forth all the guilt and regret within the singer, he grey eyes glassed over, tears pouring from her eyes, falling like a waterfall as she listened to her best friend practically pour her heart and soul into this music. Annabeth had never felt anything like this before. Thalia was putting herself out there in such a way that Annabeth felt as if she was a thousand times more closer to her than before as the music's powerf intensified, Thalia playing as hard as she could, investing herself into the music.

And in an instant, she stopped, almost leaving an anticlimax on Annabeth's soul, the tears gathering in her eyes as she waited to hear the end of the sad story that the music told. She could see Thalia's eyes had glassed over and filled with tears as she struggled to move her fingers against the keys she had to use to finish her song. She was sobbing with each key she pressed, the gut wrenching broken sobs growing louder until she couldn't play any further; she had pressed one last key before she leaned her forehead against the piano and cried.

Annabeth couldn't take it anymore as she burst into tears, not only because of the guilt she felt right now at how she treated her best friend, not only because the overwhelming emotions that had burst through her body, being brought out by the sad music that Thalia had played. Everything overwhelmed her and she just couldn't hold the flood gates closed anymore. She said nothing when Thalia looked up at her with tear filled eyes, her eyes pleading, no not pleading, begging for comfort and love and the need for a friend in that moment.

Annabeth let all her inhibitions go as she moved forward, Thalia climbing off the seat quicker than The Flash and launched herself right into Annabeth's open, waiting arms. The two girls just cried, Annabeth comforting her best friend as best as she could. She had never seen her friend so broke, so lost, she looked so much like Annabeth did when Thalia left her in the shower the day of the intervention. All she wanted to do was make her best friend's pain go away.

They stood there, saying nothing as Thalia sobbed into her best friend's shoulder, and eventually after some time, she started speaking, "I'm... s-sorry...Annabeth!" all Annabeth did was hold her against her body, rubbing soothing circles against her back and through her hair.

She shook her head against Thalia's neck as she whispered, "It's okay Thalia. It's okay." it was a phrase she repeated over and over again to assure her friend that everything was okay, that nothing else matted as Thalia clawed at the back of Annabeth's shirt desperately. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Thals. I am so sorry for hurting you. I'm so sorry for everything." Annabeth said with tears streaming down her face in bucket loads. "It's okay Thalia, let it all out. Just let it all out." Annabeth whispered as Thalia let out gut wrenching sobs that made Annabeth's heart clench.

The two stood there in silence, the only sounds that could be heard was Thalia's sobs as she held onto her friend for dear life like she was going to be ripped from her arms any second. Annabeth couldn't believe how vulnerable and exposed Thalia was in this moment, this was a side to Thalia she had seen on rare occasions but she had never seen her as broken as this.

"We're okay Thalia. it's okay. We're going to be okay." Annabeth assured her friend as they stood there, taking comfort from each others actions. Thalia knew that she had hurt her friend and to know that Annabeth was here for her was so overwhelming and she would be forever grateful. She thought she had lost her too like she'd lost her mom but knowing that Annabeth was here just made her feel like nothing she had ever experience before.

Hours later...

It had taken a long time for Thalia to calm down, not that Annabeth minded being her friend's shoulder to cry on. They had been sitting in the music room, undisturbed by anyone, talking and listening to each other, it was something they should have done a long time ago but it was better late than never and they had finally reached what Thalia hadn't confessed. The stuff she hadn't told Annabeth about her mother and how she influenced her.

"My mom, she loved the piano and was teaching me to play. We honestly never had much time to do it since she was so busy." Thalia said softly as she ran her hands over the piano keys. "She had taught me the basics, the minors, the majors and all that jazz." Thalia said with a sad smile as she thought about her mom. Annabeth smiled at her in assuring way as she placed her hand over Thalia's which caused their gazes to meet.

"Take your time, Thals." Annabeth said softly as she gave Thalia a nod of encouragement.

Thalia breathed in and composed herself before she continued, "When she passed, I couldn't even look at her piano. When we moved, dad brought it along but it sat there un-played for nearly two years before I walked up the courage to remove the cover it had on." Thalia confessed, Annabeth feeling for her best friend. "It reminded me so much of her and I just couldn't bare the fact that I'd no longer be able to play with her but I had grown a little older and learned that I needed to honor her so I sat at the piano and played it."

Thalia closed her eyes as she recalled how it felt to play the piano after so long of not looking at the beautiful instrument, a sad smile gracing her face.

"I felt so close to her when I played; it felt like she was there with me, watching my mini concert I always played for her to show her that I had been practicing." Annabeth smiled, this is a side to Thalia she never expected to see. "Not long after I started playing again, dad came home with Hera and told me that he was married to her and I took an instant disliking to her but it grew more and my hatred for my father grew intense and insane when he got rid of my mom's piano and turned her music room in place of Hera's closet." Thalia said in a bitter tone.

Annabeth knew a lot about Thalia's hate to the elder woman that her father had married, after everything that woman had put her through, she couldn't blame her friend for feelings that way. Had taken an instant disliking to the woman and it seemed the woman had a vendetta against her or something because she always used to say such horrible cruel things about Thalia in the hopes that Annabeth would abandon her best friend.

She never did.

"I hated her for taking the last piece I had of my mom away from me and then she took my brother away and I just lost it." Annabeth squeezed her friends hand, telling her with no words that she was there for her and she wasn't going anywhere. "When I first ran away and met you and Luke, I actually felt happy again and then I was sent to your school and you remember when I went and got lost."

"Of course, I remember Mrs Laston bringing you to class after she found you." Annabeth said with a smile as Thalia sighed.

"I had actually wondered into the music room and there was my mother's piano." Annabeth's eyes widened in realization. "Mrs Laston was the music teacher and she let me play it and I told her what happened to my mom and she started giving me free lessons." Annabeth knew that it was obvious that Thalia had had lessons but she never expected it to be from so long ago.

"What happened when we left for high school?" Annabeth asked softly, curious as to learn about this side to her best friend that she had never seen before. She wanted to learn more about this girl that had a genuine love and pure adoration towards this beautiful instrument that Annabeth had only recently learned to start playing to add to her current instrumental repertoire.

"By that time I was an advanced player and she constantly tried to get me to audition for all these competitions because she wanted to show everyone my talent," She said with a smile as she looked at her sheet music, "I constantly said no and then when I was sixteen she actually got me an audition for Julliard, that big music school." Annabeth's grey eyes were widened from shock, she honestly felt like she had missed a lot about her best friend.

"Did you audition?" Annabeth asked softly.

Thalia gave a nod, "Yea... I did and I got accepted in. I was going to live my dream, the dream of making my mother and father proud... I showed my dad the acceptance letter, he thought that it was a sick joke." Thalia scrunched her eyes shut, the overwhelming emotions of that experience she had been through that day. "I just didn't have it in me to tell you and then you got that audition for the record label and when you got accepted and wanted me to come with, I changed my mind about going cause I had a new dream. Making music with my best friend."

"Were they disappointed to not have you?" Annabeth knew that they obviously would have been at such a loss to lose someone as talented as Thalia from the piece she had seen Thalia play when she walked in.

"Yeah, they constantly called and asked me to reconsider, by the time I turned twenty they seemed to get the message." Thalia said with a chuckle causing Annabeth to smile brightly. "The piece I was playing, it was the first one I ever wrote, and I did it in honor of my mom. It was the one I played for them."

"It was really good Thalia." Annabeth said in a honest admirable tone which caused Thalia to blush as Annabeth praised her, "It was like the music itself was reaching out and calling out to my soul. It was as if it was reaching into the deepest part of my soul. It was so powerful and beautiful and it actually brought tears to my eyes." Annabeth honestly meant every word she was saying to her best friend because they were true. "And don't even get me started on how you played it, it was like you were creating a beautiful masterpiece Thalia." Suddenly a thought crossed Annabeth's mind and a curious smile appeared on her face as she asked, "Do you have anything else you could play for me?

Thalia honestly looked so shy in that moment; she never believed that she would ever hear her best friend ask her to play something for her. She never even dreamed that Annabeth would ever hear her play and right now she actually wanted to show Annabeth what she could do.

"I tried to write a song once but I honestly struggled with the lyrics but the music was easy to orchestrate." Thalia spoke as she sifted through her sheet music and found what she was looking for. She laid the ones she didn't need on the top of the piano before she positioned her hands on the piano and looked at the sheet music, remembering the notes that she hadn't played in a long time.

When Thalia played, Annabeth could slowly picture what the music meant to Thalia, the meaning behind the passion and emotion behind the music as she played how she felt. The music was simple yet so absolutely powerful and she could almost hear in the background the sound of a violin accompaniment to it that would intensify the music itself. She could visually hear and Thalia's story as she made the music with her fingers.

"Thals," Annabeth spoke up, Thalia instantly stopping to look over at her best friend with a curious gaze as she saw the look in Annabeth's eyes, "Hold on a minute." Annabeth asked as she went and grabbed her violin case that she always left here, the one instrument her mother wanted her to play and pulled it out and came over to Thalia who was watching her curiously. Annabeth had pulled out her stand and laid out very old sheet music on it and her violin positioned in the traditional manor that she had been taught to. "Take it from the beginning Thalia and just play it through how you normally would. I want to try something if that's alright."

Thalia nodded and placed her fingers in the original position she had started playing the song and counted out loud before she started playing. A few counts later Thalia heard the sound of Annabeth's violin playing and she almost struggled to keep playing when she heard how the melody she played on her piano was perfectly accentuated by Annabeth's violin. It sounded so beautiful and powerful all at once, the violin adding deep dimensions of complexity and perfection to the music.

Unannounced to the two, Apollo had been walking down the hall and heard the music the two were creating together and wandered into the room, curious and completely taken by the sight of Annabeth and Thalia creating music together. Apollo had secretly known about Thalia's knowledge on the piano, he did a background check on the girl and found that she had turned down Julliard to come with her best friend. He felt and always knew that he had a powerful secret weapon in Thalia Grace and to see her play was like watching Picasso and Van Gogh paint one of their masterpieces.

Being the man he was, he could see the potential masterpiece that could be created using this very music. He could hear the beauty and electricity that could spark emotions in people if there were words to accompany this music. He could hear the story of struggle and fight through the music, that is how these two had always viewed music, especially Annabeth. He could practically see the emotion in the two's body language, he could see the gears in Annabeth's mind turning.

She was thinking the same thing as him only he would beat them to the punch.

When Annabeth and Thalia drew the song to a close, Annabeth could feel it inside herself and so could Thalia. the two locked gazes with knowing smiles on their faces. Neither of them spoke, they just had a mental conversation, both realizing what the other was thinking and deciding.

Annabeth was about to ask the question burning within Annabeth when a voice speaking through the speaker system shocked them to reality, "I look forward to seeing where the two of you go with this." Annabeth and Thalia turned their heads to se Apollo leaning against the sound board, looking oh so pleased with himself. "You girls have got something with that and you have my permission to do something with it as long as both of you do it."

Thalia was in shock, Apollo had just asked that her music be used personally to make it into something with Annabeth chase but what did that mean. Did it mean what she thinks it means?

"I am looking forward to seeing it n the album." Apollo said with a nod affirming Thalia's rapid fire questions that she had been asking with her eyes. "Get to work girls because I might have big plans for it, including a music video." He said proudly as he turned round and exited the room leaving Thalia in complete shock.

"D-Did he just-" Thalia stuttered.

"Yeah, he just did." Annabeth interrupted Thalia's stutter as the dark haired woman looked up at her best friend for confirmation. "We're writing a song together. We're writing a song."

Thalia felt like this was a dream as she launched up and wrapped her arms around Annabeth in pure excitement. Her music was being made into something, her hidden and buried dream was becoming a reality. Her dream of making a song with Annabeth had come to reality, it was really happening. "Thank you, Annabeth. Thank you." Thalia whispered, teary eyed as Annabeth hugged her back.

This was a new start for them, there was still the big elephant in the room but they would overcome it in the future, for now, she needed to repair this relationship with her best friend. Once that was sorted out, then they would come up with a plan together to tell Percy the truth. He deserved it but for now, Thalia needed her more and she was going to be there for her best friend.

Wow, talk about emotional. It was a very emotional chapter to write but I did it. I got it out and I am so proud of it. And yet again there may or may not have been another chapter added into my plan since I didn't get everything I wanted in this chapter down. If I had added what else was supposed to be here, it would have been too long for you all to want to read the whole thing so the number has been added to. Hope you enjoyed the reconciliation of Annabeth and Thalia's friendship.

I'd just like to say that your support means the world to me. Since I started this story almost two years ago, I've watched it grow and I gotten to know so many amazing people and gain so many amazing supporters. Thank you again for being so patient with me and I am so sorry that I take so long with the update, I know its my fault but I just want it to be perfect for your guys. You do have to admit that this was a quicker update than usual. Three weeks to update, that's good for me considering how busy I am. i know I take so long updating but i wanna thank you all for sticking with me through this.

Being here right now, with 555 reviews, 205 favorites, 252 followers, and nearly 50, 000 views, it means the whole world to me to have so many amazing fans. Sorry for the long A/N but i want you guys to know that I read every single one of your reviews and listen to your criticism. Each review means a whole lot to me. Thank you, now on with the next part. See you all soon my dear fictioneers and again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

~Michaela~