-To die would be an awfully big adventure-

Peter Pan

Inhale, left foot, exhale, right foot, inhale, left, exhale, right, gasp, stumble on left, choke, drag right foot, can't keep running… pushing a stumbling Annabeth ahead of her as Grover their new (somewhat useless) Satyr guide galloped ahead, and Luke ran doggedly behind them. She could hear the creatures behind them, gaining on them, the mass paws, and hooves, gaping jaws and reaching claws were always closer every time she looked back.

Annabeth who had been determined not to show her exhaustion earlier was now desperately gasping for breath, and stumbling over the uneven ground. Thalia summoned some of her last reserves of strength and scooped up the little blonde girl. Annabeth was heavy, but Thalia would rather die than have one of the monster's behind them hurt the small girl that was now clinging to her shoulder. The fierce protectiveness she held for the little blonde demigod gave her enough energy for another couple of yards, but soon exhaustion as well as despair overtook her again, and she panted as she forced her burning legs to run.

She could still hear Luke breathing hard behind them; it was the only sound that let her know he was still alive, the only sound that was keeping her from keeling over and giving up right then and there. Grover was ahead of them, yelling and bleating at them to hurry, his Rasta hat barely holding on to his head as he galloped clumsily up the hill.

The world seemed to speed up and come back into focus as a fury swooped down, almost taking off Thalia's head; she swore and swiped up with a dagger, missing it only by an inch. She pushed herself forward, running as hard as she could. Luke yelled in surprise from behind them, but she couldn't turn to see what happened to him, unless she wanted to trip over one of the thick roots on the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying for any chance that Luke was still behind them, until she heard his ragged breathing behind them again.

She blew out in relief, Annabeth whimpered into her shoulder, and clutched her knife tighter in her tiny hand. Thalia's heart broke at the sound, and she suddenly was assaulted with the thought of Annabeth trying to protect herself against monsters five times her size, then again at the thought of Luke trying vainly to protect her. But they wouldn't die, she couldn't let them die for her, they were everything that she lived for.

Resolve hardened her face and heart as she whispered into Annabeth's ear, "Annabeth? I need you to run with Grover 'kay kiddo? you need to be the strong one now, got it?"

Fear dominated her small heart shaped face, but she nodded and held her knife tightly. Thalia put her down and gave her a push up the hill, turning around just in time for Luke to almost run into her, grabbing her hand tightly and pulling her a few steps up the hill. He looked back at her incredulously as he felt her resistance.

"What the hell are you doing!" he yelled as he tried to keep pulling her, "we have to go!"

"Luke..." he looked back at her, recognition, horror and exasperation twined uneasily on his face as he growled,"No!"

He nimbly grabbed her around the waist and flung her up into his arms, ignoring her shout of surprise and indignation.

"Luke! Put me down!" Thalia pounded on his chest, but he kept running with a stubborn look on his face, though so much slower now that he was burdened with her weight, until finally he lost his grip and she tumbled out of his arms. scrambling to her feet, she shoved him roughly up the hill, panic over taking her as he showed no signs of going. He grabbed her arms and looked at her gravely.

"What are you going to do?"

She looked up at him long and hard, knowing that this would be how she remembered him, wide-eyed, panicked and desperate, and took his anguished face in her hands. She kissed him hard then, putting all her desperation, love, panic and anger into it. He responded in kind, straining her closer, twisting his hands up into her short moppy black hair, but she pulled away, shoving him up the hill.

"ThaliaIloveyou…" he whispered rushedly, all his words coming out mashed together and almost indecipherable, but weighing down on her heart all the same as she steeled her face and pushed him again.

"Go you idiot! Annabeth won't make it without you, I know, I love you… I love you, I love you, IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou…" she repeated over and over, until it was incoherent, letting her forehead fall onto his chest, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, before shoving him up the hill towards Annabeth. He finally went, running towards the camp and scooping Annabeth up in his arms as he sprinted.

Thalia turned, inhaling deeply and taking out her knives she rushed towards the monsters, who were making horrible noises in their anticipation. She spun around with her knives out, taking the first of them out, she fought the larger ones off long enough for her to send bolts of energy at them, disintegrating them, She managed to kill the second wave of monsters, with only light injuries. Then came the Furies, clawing at her shoulders and back, she cried out and looked up to swipe at them with her shield, only to have a hell hound pounce on her from behind, she was thrown to the ground, with the huge dog on her, she cried out as the monsters descended on her, clawing and biting, tearing her clothes and her skin, the Furies cackled as they signalled for the monsters to leave off. Reluctantly, they receded, licking their jaws as they crawled into a hole in the ground that had been opened for them.

And as Thalia lay broken, she was reminded of the time her mother had ripped apart a doll she had owned, the only doll really, and threw it into the garbage in a fit of alcoholic passion. She remembered how the doll had looked, the stuffing coming out, the eyes torn off, and chuckled slightly at how much it must resemble her right now. She couldn't feel her broken body though; it was as if she was looking down at it from a bird's eye view, only mildly interested. Luke was running down the hill, while Grover held Annabeth back, no doubt Luke was running as fast as he could, but it seemed like everything was in slow motion. He slid to a stop on his knees, touching her face as tears streamed down his own, he was saying something, and she scrunched up her face trying to hear what it was.

"Don't leave me… don't leave me Thals… come back! Come back dammit! Thalia!"

"I love you."

"You promised, you promised... you can't go! You can't! Thalia, Thalia! you can't die! You promised!" Luke was barely coherent, he was raining sloppy tear-soaked kisses on her lips, her eyes, her cheeks, her neck, everywhere there wasn't clothes or blood was covered in his kisses, her hands were in his tight grip, and even though she knew she was dying for him, she was suddenly disgusted with herself for leaving him like this. She had saved his life, but had broken his heart.

Thalia found herself doing something she had never done before, she prayed to her father, to any god listening, praying for a miracle. She knew she wasn't praying for herself, but even so it made her uncomfortable placing her hopes in the divine entities that had repeatedly destroyed them. Suddenly, Luke was thrown away like a ragdoll, Thalia cried out in protest but before she could think, or speak or do anything, the lightning hit her.

The lightning was too overwhelming, it crackled over her dying body pouring life into her, too much life, she didn't think she could handle so much of it, she tried to protect herself, she imagined throwing up big strong barriers between her and the pulsing life-light that was hitting her. She screamed, she couldn't take it all in, she was burning!

Then suddenly it stopped, but her imaginary walls stayed up, even when she tried to mentally take them down. She tried opening her eyes, without response, she tried moving at all, without response. She probably should have been worried, but instead all she could feel was groggy, passively wondering whether or not she could sleep like this, inside of the rough walls. She could.

So the tree slept, oblivious to the broken boy she had left falling against her trunk.

oh hai dere :)

so um... its been a while hasn't it...? :S

*smiles sheepishly at screen then realizes you can't see this so types it out*

So I basically am renovating everything but the stuff i already have up, so updates could be rare unfortunatly :(

but i shall try my best not to get this behind again xD

reviews keep me going ;)

i'll probably post another soon, i think i'm going to do one or two more memories before i get back to the plot, just because you guys are justly impatient and those are the ones i'm finished so far ;)

love and hugs abound for all

-miss. alaneous 3