First almost kiss.
Luke was slowly scoping around the outside of the dragons cave, aware of everything around him. As he turned a corner he accidentally bumped into something, or rather, someone. He landed on his back with the mystery person on top, facing him. Opening his eyes to a spectacular pair of electric blue. He noticed it was a girl.
Their lips were centimetres apart.
She lifted herself up and turned around to make sure the dragon had not stirred. When she was sure it was still asleep she looked over her shoulder.
"Watch it, you idiot," She hissed.
Almost kiss #2.
Thalia and Luke were sitting in a small clearing in a forest a little ways from a small town. They were talking about their latest battle, a dracaena had been seeking out Thalia, due to her being a daughter of Zeus, but it was alone and no match for the pair of young demigods.
"Did you see her face, it's like she could believe that a 'little girl' could stab her with a spear", Thalia laughed.
"Yeah, at least you got a shot, I was stuck on the side after she managed that swipe", Luke lifted his shirt to show her three bloody claw marks along his ribcage.
She looked at him with a mixed expression of worry and 'you're an idiot', and bent over to get a better look.
As she came up from her examination she realised she was only centimetres from Luke's face. He seemed to see this too and started to colour in his cheeks.
Thalia seemed to shake out of her reverie, she turned to the pack beside her to search for some Nectar and Ambrosia, leaving Luke slightly disgruntled.
Third Almost Kiss.
After the mess with Hal, and then finding Annabeth, life for Thalia and Luke became pretty hectic. They were sitting on the sun chairs by the side of a hotel ten miles from the border of WestVirginia. Seven year old Annabeth was curled up with a blanket over her small frame, Luke and Thalia were sitting a way away's from her.
"She's adorable isn't she," Thalia said with a soft look in her eyes.
"Did Thalia Grace just say something sweet," Luke stated, obviously mocking her.
"Thalia, just Thalia!"
"You didn't deny what I said," Luke's eyes gleamed for the signature son of Hermes.
"Of course I didn't! I meant what I said, Castellan!"
"Ooh, last names, scary," he continued in his annoyance.
During their little quarrel, the two had subconsciously been leaning toward one another. When they were only millimetres apart, foreheads touching, Luke realised what had happened and his face began to colour. Both faces were red, Luke's from embarrassment from the current situation, though he wasn't moving, and Thalia's from anger, being a daughter of Zeus her temper tended to rise faster.
They were interrupted, though, to Annabeth crying, calling out for her father.
Luke got up and went to comfort her. The shine in Annabeth's eyes as he did so told Thalia that there was going to be some interesting times ahead.
Almost kiss the Fourth.
Thalia, Annabeth and Luke were huddled together behind a couple of bins, hiding from a couple of telekhines that had been raiding the mechanics down the road before they caught the smell of the three demigods.
Thalia held onto aegis, still in bracelet form, ready to call on it when the time came, Luke was preparing his sword, and Annabeth gripped the hilt of her knife, ready to strike.
One of the monsters walked by, after it had passed Thalia turned back ready to give instructions, only to find Luke's face millimetres from her own.
She slowly started to lean backwards but Annabeth interrupted by screaming from the monster that had snuck up behind them, grabbing the seven year old in the process.
Almost kiss #5
Running out of the Cyclops lair the four looked at each other amazed that they had actually managed to escape the monster's clutches. When they were sure they were a safe distance away the group allowed themselves to sag with relief, and absorb the last few hours of events. Grover began apologising and crying saying that he failed as a satyr and should have been able to tell that it was a monster; Annabeth sat on the ground, sullen, after receiving nurturing hugs from both Luke and Thalia; after hugging Annabeth the two clung two each other, unable to believe that they were still alive.
As the two separated, arms still around each other, they paused briefly to look at each other. Only when they lifted their heads did they realise their mistake, noses almost touching they looked wide-eyed at each other before springing apart, both of them trying to smother their blushes.
Later, when they were setting up camp, Annabeth could faintly hear Grover humming 'Love is in the Air'.
Don't hate me?
They were running. They'd been running for years, but not like this. Never like this.
Thalia knew what had to happen, what she had to do to save them. Grover glanced at her, eyebrows furrowed, before facing frontwards again, making sure he didn't fall over.
She could hear Annabeth's laboured breaths, and Luke's silent wheezing, and that's when she made her decision. This was her family, and she loved them, and she wasn't going to let anything happen to them.
"Thalia, come on!"
"No, Thalia!"
She looked down to Annabeth and Grover half way up the hill, before she turned to Luke next to her.
"Thalia, you can't do this, come on."
"I'm sorry, Luke. Take care of her, yeah?"
"Thals…" His voice broke off at the end. She grabbed his shoulders and pressed her lips harshly to his. But before he could respond she pushed him up the hill, and spun around to face the oncoming monsters, trying her damnedest not to let Luke see her cry. Her voice was sharp, "GO!"
As Luke held a sobbing Annabeth he thought of his last moments with Thalia Grace. He looked up to the newly formed tree at the top of Half Blood Hill. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, Luke would never be able to get the picture of a tear stained Thalia out of his head. The feel of her lips on his, long awaited, but fleeting.
He just hoped it wouldn't drive him mad.
Sorry. Not sorry.