Now that the trio of runaways had settled in, Thalia had time to properly survey the little girl that had joined the group of half-bloods. Annabeth Chase—that was her name, apparently—had matted blond hair caked with dirt, blood, and monster dust. Angry eyes that were the color of storm clouds were unique to the girl. Irises of dark gray observed the older pair of demigods carefully. They were slightly less fierce than they were before, though there was hardly any friendliness in them either. Truly, the girls' eyes were unusual, even to Thalia with startling orbs of electric blue making some jump at them (in addition to Aegis). Most interesting of all was a quality that many would expect to see in the eyes of a child of Annabeth's age. Most surprising to Thalia was the hint of innocence that hid under the anger. Innocence was something that Thalia was quite unused to. Here the little girl was, a runaway half-blood who'd slain several monsters, and innocence was still in her eyes. She hadn't really grown up, and become freed of childish beliefs and acts. Somehow, the girl had stayed like other children. It was doubtlessly astonishing. The girl possessed this quality that Thalia had been stripped of at a young age. For years, Thalia had lacked it. Yet, the blond girl still had innocence; she still kept the seven-year-old attitude that she should have had. The surprise was a pleasant one to say the least. So few people she had seen while running away still had that unique glint in their eyes. Annabeth's stare was, while wise, very childlike, in the sense that it had less of the seriousness that was familiar to Thalia. The dark storm that failed to leave the stare was threatening, but welcoming. Total opposites were found, and it was wonderful.
There was an everlasting smile on the girl's face. Only once after meeting the girl had Thalia seen something other than a grin (no matter how small). An angry, scared expression had been on Annabeth's face, in her eyes, when the three first met. That, however, was different. Justification could be found by taking notice of the fresh cuts on her face, proving that the girl had just faced a monster minutes ago. Anyone would have that look on their face in a situation like that. Even when facing a monster, a small smirk could be found. The child seemed to be pleased. Behind the fear was enjoyment. Having friends, Thalia noticed, appeared to make Annabeth smile, just as it should. That was how life was supposed to be, especially for people so young.
Tears seemed to be ready to flood down Annabeth's filthy cheeks, but were held back. The ever-present smile was still there, and, somehow, it appeared not to be forced. "He hates me," the girl explained, her glittering eyes staring into the black ground. They reflected the fire burning in front of the trio.
Thalia and Luke rushed to reply. Tell me about it, said the pair's eyes silently, but neither chose that specific response.
"We know, kiddo," said Luke kindly. "We really do."
Thalia smiled sadly. "Yeah," she murmured, adding to her friend's comforting words. "We all know, but it'll be okay."
Annabeth looked more like a child than she ever did before. Every bit of her fierceness was invisible, and, quite suddenly, the girl didn't seem like the type to be fighting vicious Greek monsters. She didn't seem to be the type to play with pretty-in-pink Barbie, either, of course. Thalia was pretty sure that Annabeth would look like that just as soon as she did herself. However, the girl looked much different. Appearing to be a normal seven-year-old who had just played in the mud and gotten a couple of scratches, Annabeth was startlingly different from what she was before meeting Luke and Thalia. She was more what people would think she should be. Annabeth was a regular girl at this moment, smiling around the glowing fire at her best friends. In this light, her matted blond mane appeared to be merely tangled, her stormy eyes were a dark blue-gray, and the bloody slash on her chin could easily have been caused by nothing more that an unfortunate fall on the playground. In other words, she looked both how she should have and how she shouldn't have.
Thalia wanted nothing more than to be able to hold onto this memory of this little girl. This brave girl that shouldn't have things so hard would be a lovely thought to preserve. Engraved in her memories would be Annabeth Chase, the child that stayed the seven-year-old she deserved to be. Unlike Thalia Annabeth had not been consumed by being a half-blood. The fact had not truly taken away from the girl, as it had the others. Somehow, the girl carrying a hammer had never let her difficult life subtract from her childhood. It was, at times, an awful childhood, but she was seven. And the girl was wise indeed.
Yes, Thalia would keep her in mind.
AN: How long has it been? I've lost track. This is obviously a much shorter chapter, about half the length of my last, I believe. Pathetic, I say. I tried not to put any Lost Hero spoilers in there, but it was hinted at, if I recall correctly. I like the idea itself, but I think I could have done a better job with it. I wrote and edited it ages ago in the wee hours of the night, so if it seems to be of low quality, blame my phone or my overused mind. This was simply rotting away in my documents section, and if I'm not mistaken, several others (unrelated to this) are, too.