55. Likewise

"Wow," she breathed. "I can't believe it's been almost three months since we met." Percy nodded.

"It feels like only a couple of days," he said. Thalia rolled onto her side and looked up at him. Half his face was in the shadows, but the other half was bathed in moonlight. It turned his black hair silver and his green eyes almost transparent.

"This is a hell of an anniversary," Thalia said. "If you do this good early on, how are you going to outdo yourself later?" she teased. She was expecting a smart ass retort like usual, but he kept his eyes on the stars and his mouth closed.

"Percy?" she said. "Are you okay?" The lazy circles he'd been doing on her back came to a halt.

"How long do you think we'll last?" he asked. The question took Thalia off guard. She sat up, digging her feet into the cool sand. For the first time, Percy looked at her. She wasn't sure how to react to his question. It was the type of question she would ask. Part of her wanted to get annoyed, but she was mostly surprised the question hadn't come from her lips.

"Does it matter?" she asked. His eyebrows creased in confusion. She picked at the edge of the towel they were lying on. Several times the thought of how it would end passed through her mind, picking at the worst scenarios. She had stopped herself several times from officially calling a quits. She knew it would end. It was inevitable. And she knew she'd fall back into who she was when it did. She wasn't sure how, but he somehow brought out the best in her. She looked at him and his expression made the warm night cold. She had seen that look before.

"Are you leaving?" she asked. He blinked.

"What? No, I was just –"

"Be honest," she interrupted. Percy sighed. He sat up.

"You are, aren't you?" Percy gave her a sideways glance.

"I got accepted to one of the colleges I applied to," he said. "But it's a couple states over." Thalia's heart started to feel tight as he spoke, but she fed the anger instead of the pain. I was so stupid!

"And you're going," Thalia said.

"Look, I don't know what I'm doing yet –"

"Save it," Thalia spat. "Don't let me hold you back. Just go."

"You aren't holding me back, Thalia! Don't get angry. I don't even know if I want to go."

"Who are you kidding? If you didn't want to go, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." She reached over for her sandals. She put them on and stood up, rubbing the sand off her legs. Percy walked after her.

"Just stop for a second!" Percy called after her as she walked towards the little cabin.

"I'm done, Percy!" she yelled, before stopping cold. I'm done, Lilah! her father's voice echoed in her mind. She stared at Percy who looked like he was hurting just as much as her.

"Thalia, please. Stop doing this!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Thalia snapped.

"Every time I try to talk to you, you push me away! Just talk to me!" Percy said, flinging his arms in exasperation.

"You act like the world hates you, but I'm right here trying to talk to you and you're just walking away!"

"I don't care!" Thalia yelled. Percy's arms drooped.

"This isn't even about me going to college, is it? This is you thinking I'm using it as an excuse to leave," Percy said with a sigh.

"Don't be stupid. You don't need an excuse."

"Why don't you realize that I love you, Thalia?" he said sadly. Thalia blinked.

"What?"

"I love you," Percy said. "I do, but every time I try to show you… you've got this barrier up, Thals, and I can't get through it. Why?"

"Why?" Thalia spat. "Why? Because anyone I've ever cared about has told me they loved me and then disappeared when the seas got rough. And that was my family! You expect me to believe a boy I met three months ago has got the guts to stay?" she said, the anger she's felt for the past ten years spilling into words like venom from a snake.

"Well, you won't know unless you give me a chance!" Percy retorted.

"I'd rather jump off a cliff!" Percy looked like he'd been shot.

"Fine," he said. "Let me save you the trouble." He picked up the stuff they'd brought for the anniversary and she heard the car alarm. He shoved the stuff into the trunk and then sat in the driver's seat. Silently, Thalia got in the car. The ride was silent. So quiet you'd hear a pin drop. The ride felt long, but they finally made it to her apartment.

"This is the last time you'll see me," Percy said. Thalia was angry at him, so she was surprised his words hurt her, but she just nodded.

"Likewise," she said, stepping out of the car. She didn't bother turning around to wave goodbye. She walked straight up the steps and into the building. The closer she got to her apartment, the weaker she was feeling. Her chest hurt and she just wanted it to stop. She let herself in to the apartment and was met with silence. The dam within her burst. She bolted for her room, slamming the door, and collapsed on her bed. She started crying, hard and loud.

She shoved her face into her pillow, screaming into it. She could hardly breathe through her tears. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped and turned to see her mother standing over her.

She tried to wipe her face, feeling terribly embarrassed to cry in front of her mother.

"What happened?" she asked softly. Thalia had been able to stifle her cries for a few seconds, but the question threw her off kilter again. Her mother slid into the bed and wrapped her arms around Thalia, who for the first time since she was eight, had the warmth of a mother to fall into.

It's been a while since I have uploaded a chapter, so I hope you like this one... I feel we are getting close to the end, guys! Let me know what you think :)