A/N: Whoo tumblr Thaluke week! So yeah this is the next installment of the Demigod Dating series. I hope you enjoy!
Read, review, and enjoy, friends!
"Have you ever been kissed?"
Luke turned to me, away from his sword. "What?" he asked, looking startled.
"Kissed," I said, crawling closer to him. I hugged my knees to my chest and leaned my chin on them. "I've never been kissed before."
Luke shrugged and set down his sword. "Well, that's not something strange or weird. You're only 12. And you've been on the run since you were little.," He turned towards Annabeth. "I'm probably the only person other than Annabeth who you've been close to in ages."
"And Jason," I muttered, not thinking right. "Only you two and him."
"Who?" Luke asked. I might have been wrong, but something like jealousy flashed behind his eyes.
I realized my mistake immediately. "He's…" I choked on my words – I'd promised myself I wouldn't think about this. "He's…Not…Nothing."
Luke, as usual, let it go. I was glad that Annabeth was passed out on her little makeshift cot on the other side of us. As opposed to Luke, she would have asked a million questions.
"So have you?" I asked, looking up at Luke. "I mean, b-been kissed."
"You seem off somehow, Thalia," said Luke, leaning toward me and gently pressing a hand to my forehead before I could push him away. "Not so…Sparky."
"Hey," I replied, slapping his hand away from me. "I don't have a fever. If you want spark, I can give you spark. Literally." As if the thunder outside decided to prove my point, there was a horrifying crack across the sky followed by a shattering boom that rocked our rock cave of a fortress.
It sent Annabeth sitting up straight in her little makeshift bed, wild eyed and knife drawn. "What's going on?!" She demanded. Still half asleep, she peered around. "Luke? Thalia? Where are you?"
"Shh, it's alright, kiddo," said Luke, making his way over to her shaking form before I could even respond. He gathered her up in her arms, and rocked her gently until she was fully awake. "Just a bit of thunder from the angry one over there."
I felt the hair on my arms stand up straight and felt the air crackle as I replied, "I'm not angry!" fiercely.
Annabeth just did that strange thing with her eyebrow I'd never been able to replicate and gave me a look far too adult for a seven year old kid. "Then stop making boomers," said Annabeth sternly. She looked up at Luke. "When do we have to go?"
He and I exchanged a look. "Not sure, Annabeth," I began, "but we should know fairly soon."
Blinking sleepily, she crawled across the cold cave floor and snuggled up under my leather jacket to fall right back to sleep. Luke came to sit next to me.
"She's really something," he said, nodding over toward the mess of bright blonde hair. "Can't believe she's only seven years old."
"She's been through a lot," I said with a shrug. "She's got some serious guts to be not only still alive but thriving after everything she's been through. I bet she could take down a Cyclops with two hands tied behind her back, even being so small. She's a fighter."
He turned to me, his eyes boring into mine. "Like you."
Two words. Two words made my heart do this horrifying flipping thing I'd been noticing lately. But I couldn't have feelings for Luke. I just couldn't afford it at this point. We were running for our lives, not running through a department store. There was no time for a romantic interlude. No time for kisses in meadows. No time for the two of us to see what we could be if we could pretend to be normal. And now that we had Annabeth, well, there was little chance at all that we'd get even a moment alone. Even to just talk we got interrupted.
"I haven't," blurted Luke, and suddenly he had his hand on top of mine. I turned to him, and he looked straight at me with those bright blue eyes of his. "No one. Kissed. Haven't."
"That was English," I tried to say, but my heart seemed to have flip-flopped its way into the bottom of my feet and all my common sense took a vacation to Tahiti as he flipped my hand in his and linked our fingers together.
"I don't know what I'm doing," said Luke, leaning closer to me.
"Neither do I."
Kissing wasn't what I expected. Probably because the two of us were in a dank, dark cave with a seven year old a few feet away from us, we were both shivering, and his hand was like ice as he put it on my jaw. But it was still lovely. It was still special. It still felt right.
In an instant I felt the room rumble again. Lightning had struck right outside the cave.
Simultaneously, Luke and I jumped apart and Annabeth shot up straight. "THALIA!" screamed Annabeth. She was in my lap within a second.
"Annabeth, it's alright, just thunder."
And then she started hitting me. And I had been expecting a hug.
"Stop – doing – that – right – now!" Each of Annabeth's words was punctuated with a fairly forceful blow on my shoulders or arms.
"Ow!" I exclaimed. "Luke, get the munchkin to stop hitting me!"
Clearly trying not to laugh, Luke picked Annabeth up and set her down away from me. "Annabeth," he said, a façade of being stern. "What have we discussed about violence?"
"No hitting anyone 'less they're trying to kill me or are definitely a monster."
He patted her on the head, giving her the sweetest smile. "Exactly. How about you go pick up your things? It'll probably stop raining soon, and maybe we can get to a better shelter if we leave earlier.
Annabeth darted over to pack our things, and Luke looked over at me.
"Thalia, about, I –"
"If you apologize for the kiss, Luke," I said, about to hit him but still smiling, "I'll try to do that thing with the lightning again."
He laughed, his face a little flushed. "Alright," he said. He still looked a little rattled. "No apologizing. But I think we should –"
Annabeth bounded over to us with the brightest smile. "Can I lead this time?" she asked. "'Cause what if we maybe went off to New York 'cause it's got really cool buildings. And I like buildings."
Our conversation would have to wait.
"Course you can, kiddo," said Luke. "Let's get a move on."