Chapter 19: What Matters Most

I ran, my heart pounding harder with each step, fear coursing through every part of me. Percy and Annabeth were right behind me, but I couldn't slow down. Not yet. I needed to make sure the way ahead was clear. Needed to keep moving forward. The tunnel stretched on, dim and suffocating, the whispers creeping into my head, swirling around like dark storm clouds. Every shadow seemed alive, and every footstep echoed louder than the last.

"Thalia, wait!"

Percy's voice, or maybe just my imagination. I couldn't tell anymore. The angry whispers filled my ears, confusing everything. I glanced over my shoulder for just a second but didn't slow down.

Keep running. Don't stop. Don't look back.

But then, the feeling hit me. Cold and sudden. Like something was right there—right behind me. My heart skipped a beat. I spun around, breath catching in my throat, ready to fight or defend or… something.

But there was nothing. No Percy. No Annabeth. No one.

I was alone.

I froze, every muscle in my body locking up as the darkness pressed in around me. The whispers stopped. The air grew colder, thick and oppressive, like something unseen had sucked all the warmth from the tunnel. My breath caught in my throat, and my pulse thundered in my ears.

That's when I felt it—a presence. Not just behind me. All around me. The shadows seemed to deepen, growing thicker, more solid. Something was here. Something was watching.

The flickering lights overhead dimmed, casting strange, warping shadows on the walls. It was hard to see. My hand tightened on my spear, but it felt small, useless.

A slow, deliberate scrape echoed from the far end of the tunnel, like metal dragging across stone. The sound vibrated through the concrete walls, making my bones shiver. Another scrape. Closer this time. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs as I tried to pinpoint where it was coming from, but the sound bounced all around me, disorienting, inescapable.

"Thalia…"

The voice, low and sickly, slid through the darkness like oil, dripping into my ears, making my skin crawl. My throat tightened.

Another step. The air around me thickened even more, growing colder with each heartbeat. I couldn't move. Couldn't run.

A shape started to form in the darkness, just on the edge of my vision. A figure. Tall. Sickly thin. Like a shadow peeled away from the wall itself. His eyes—two black pits—locked onto mine, gleaming in the faintest hint of light that seeped through the tunnel.

Fear, pure and sharp, sliced through me, rooting me in place.

He stepped forward, his movements slow, deliberate, as if savoring every second. His grin stretched unnaturally wide, his yellow teeth gleaming in the dim light, twisted in a way that no human face could be. The shadows clung to him like a second skin, bending and warping around his figure.

"You're all alone," he whispered, the words curling in the air like smoke. His voice was like nails on glass, low and scraping against the edges of my mind. "There's no one left to protect you, Thalia."

Another step. The sharp, scraping sound came again—his long, hideous nails trailing along the sewer wall as he approached.

I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. My body trembled, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't tear my gaze from those bottomless, soul-crushing eyes.

The darkness pressed in, suffocating, and every instinct screamed at me to run, but I couldn't. My legs were like lead, my breath shallow, heart racing so fast I thought it might burst. Phobos kept advancing, the black void of his eyes boring into me, consuming everything.

My vision swam as Phobos closed the distance, his twisted grin growing wider with each step. The scraping sound of his nails dragged along the walls, echoing in my mind, in my bones. He was feeding off my fear. I could feel it.

"You're nothing without them," he whispered, his voice like a serrated blade slicing through my thoughts. "No Percy. No Annabeth. Not even Artemis can save you now."

My vision blurred, and I could barely make out anything beyond the void in his eyes. Just as the darkness threatened to swallow me whole, a brilliant flash of silver light burst through the tunnel, blinding and sharp. Phobos stopped in his tracks, hissing as he recoiled, shielding himself from the sudden light.

"Enough, Phobos."

The voice, strong and commanding, echoed through the darkness like a melody I had been desperate to hear. My heart leaped, and I turned, squinting against the silvery glow that now bathed the tunnel.

Artemis.

She stood at the entrance, her bow raised, the air around her shimmering with power. Her silver arrows gleamed, already nocked and ready to strike. Behind her, a phalanx of Hunters emerged from the shadows, their bows drawn, eyes focused on Phobos with the kind of precision that made the god of fear hesitate.

"Leave her," Artemis commanded, her voice cold and sharp as her arrows. She pulled back on the string of her bow, the power radiating from her overwhelming the suffocating darkness Phobos had created.

Phobos hissed again, retreating a step, his black eyes narrowing as he glared at Artemis. "You protect her, but for how long?" His voice, no longer overpowering, sounded petulant, frustrated. "Even you cannot stop the fear inside her."

Artemis's eyes flared with anger, her bowstring pulled back. "She is my lieutenant, and I will protect her."

Phobos sneered, but before he could respond, Artemis released her arrow. It shot through the air with a whistle, blazing with divine light. Phobos vanished into the shadows just before it struck, his laughter echoing as his figure dissolved into the darkness, retreating into nothingness.

Silence fell over the tunnel. My breath came in ragged gasps, my legs barely holding me up. Artemis stepped toward me, her eyes softening as the glow around her faded, leaving behind the natural light of the sewer tunnel.

I fell to my knees, my spear slipping from my hand as the weight of everything crashed over me. I'd been so close to succumbing, so close to losing myself.

Artemis knelt beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Thalia," she said, her voice quieter now, filled with something like concern. "He won't harm you again."

But as we both stood and I met her gaze, something felt... off. Artemis's face, once warm and fierce, now seemed colder, more distant. The silver glow around her was sharpened, almost harsh. The Hunters behind her, usually a comforting sight, now stood eerily still, their expressions unreadable. And their eyes... their eyes were darker than I remembered.

"Come with me," Artemis said, her voice gentle but carrying an unsettling edge. "It's time to leave, Thalia. You don't belong here."

I glanced behind me, toward the darkness where Percy and Annabeth had been. "I can't leave them," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "I can't leave Percy."

"You shouldn't have attachments," Artemis snapped, her tone harsher than I'd ever heard before. "You know that. You belong to the Hunt."

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I glanced at the Hunters again, but none of them moved. They just stared at me, their eyes dark, their faces blank. It felt like they were watching me, judging me.

"I..." My heart raced. "You said I could choose. That you'd support me, no matter what I decided."

Artemis's gaze hardened. "That was before. You made an oath. Now, you must come with me."

I took a deep breath, my heart pounding, the weight of Artemis's cold stare pressing down on my chest like a heavy weight. The words hung in the air, sharp and final.

"But…" The word slipped out before I could stop it, my voice small, trembling. "I can't... I can't just leave him here." I could feel the crushing fear, the same fear I had felt when I had almost seen Percy die.

"I've given you everything," Artemis's voice grew harder, more chilling, her form seeming to swell with divine power, casting the tunnel in an otherworldly light. "I made you strong, kept you safe. Without me, you are nothing, Thalia. Nothing."

My knees buckled slightly, the fear overwhelming. My heart screamed for Percy, but my mind couldn't stop replaying Artemis's words, the icy, dispassionate gaze of the goddess bearing down on me. What if I left and lost everything? What if Artemis was right?"

Artemis took a step forward, her eyes narrowing, and the tunnel seemed to darken further, the silver light fading. "Do you think he'll save you? Percy? You'd give up immortality, power, everything for a fleeting human attachment? He will abandon you, just as you abandon us."

A cold, terrible dread filled my chest. The walls were spinning, my mind swirling with doubt. I couldn't think clearly. I didn't want to leave the Hunt... but I didn't want to lose Percy.

"I won't abandon you," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I won't..."

"Then choose," Artemis hissed, stepping closer. Her eyes, normally filled with divine wisdom, were now sharp with something cruel, something inhuman.

This wasn't Artemis. My gut twisted with a sickening realization, as the gears churned in my head.

The fear clawed at me, Phobos's presence still lingering in the oppressive shadows. His influence had wrapped around my heart, and I could barely breathe. Something wasn't right. This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

No.

My eyes snapped open, clearing as the silver light of Artemis flickered unnaturally, like a dying flame. "No. You're not her."

Artemis's face twisted into a sneer. "And what if I'm not?" Her voice warped, losing its warmth entirely, the illusion peeling away like cracked skin. "What will you do, Thalia Grace, when you lose everything? What are you without the Hunt? Without me?"

The cold dread that filled my chest tightened, squeezing my lungs, my heart. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Artemis—no, not Artemis—loomed over me, her eyes sharp and cruel, the silver glow of her divine power now completely gone, replaced with darkness that warped around her.

Her words hit me hard. They dug into every fear, every insecurity I'd buried deep inside. The truth was, I didn't know who I was without the Hunt. I didn't know what I'd be if I left Artemis. Her voice—Phobos's voice—knew exactly where to strike.

The Hunters behind her stood, eyes black and soulless, lifeless, their gaze burning into me with accusation. They weren't real. They couldn't be. Yet their presence weighed heavily. What would I say to them if I left? What could I possibly do after giving everything to this life?

"I... I don't know," I whispered, the doubt swirling inside me like a storm. "I don't know who I'd be without the Hunt."

"Then choose," the twisted version of Artemis pressed for a second time, her words sharp, relentless. "Stay with me. Embrace what you were meant to be. Or throw it all away for a fleeting emotion and be left behind by everyone."

I flinched, her words biting deeper, ripping through every fear that I had tried to ignore. What if I was making the wrong choice? What if I was abandoning everything for something that would disappear as quickly as it came?

But Percy… Percy.

His name echoed in my mind, cutting through the darkness and doubt like a beacon. I remembered the way he looked at me when we kissed in the woods, the way his eyes softened in a way that made my heart race, the feel of his lips against mine, full of uncertainty and raw emotion, that had shattered every wall I'd built around my heart.

It was everything about him. Even when the world was falling apart, he was always there, steady and constant, bringing light into the darkest moments.

I thought back, further, to the years when I had buried those feelings deep, pretending that they weren't there. I had watched him grow stronger, more sure of himself, and every time we were together, I felt that pull—a connection I couldn't explain. There was a part of me that was always happy around him, even in the worst of times. His jokes, his laugh, the way he never gave up, even when everything seemed hopeless—it made me feel lighter, like the weight I carried wasn't so heavy. And even though I had pushed those feelings aside, pretending they didn't matter, they had always been there, quietly growing.

And when Python had lunged at him, the terror that gripped me wasn't just about losing a friend. It was significantly deeper than that. It was for the one person who made me believe that there was more to life than the Hunt, more than the oaths I had taken. In that instant, the lightning that surged through me was unlike anything I'd ever felt before—fiercer, more powerful. I hadn't realized it in the moment, but now I understood: that overwhelming power didn't come from the Hunt or my oath to Artemis. It came from something infinitely more powerful.

It came from my love for him.

I had tried so hard to bury those feelings, to push them away for the sake of the Hunt, for the loyalty I'd sworn to Artemis, for my own sake. But every time I looked at Percy, every time I thought of him, those feelings surged back with a strength I couldn't ignore. The truth was that I'd been running—afraid of what loving Percy might mean, afraid that I'd lose him or that it would unravel everything I had built with the Hunters. But now, standing here, I realized it was never about the Hunt versus Percy. It was about me.

It was about a love I couldn't run away from anymore.

My love for Percy didn't make me weak. It made me stronger than I ever could have imagined.

I wasn't abandoning everything. I was choosing the person who made me feel alive, who saw me for who I really was, without the titles, without the oaths. And right then, I knew—I wasn't losing myself by choosing Percy. I was finally finding myself

I looked up, meeting the cold, hollow eyes of the false Artemis. "I love him," I said, my voice growing stronger with each word. "I love Percy. I've been afraid of that for too long, but I'm not afraid anymore."

The hollow stare from Artemis faltered. Her form flickered, like a glitch in a projection. The shadows that had been creeping toward me hesitated.

"You're lying to yourself," she hissed, her voice trembling with a desperate edge, the confidence cracking beneath it. "Love is a weakness, Thalia. It will destroy you."

I shook my head, my grip on my spear tightening. "No. Fear will destroy me. You—Phobos—you're the one who's afraid. Not me. I know who I am now, and I'm done running."

The flickering silver light around the false Artemis shattered like glass, fragments of the illusion crumbling away. Phobos's sneer twisted into something darker, angrier, but I stood my ground. The oppressive fear that had held me in place, that had consumed me, began to melt away.

I wasn't afraid anymore.

"You're nothing without fear," I said, my voice steady, though inside, I felt the storm of emotions swirling. But this time, I wasn't running from them. I wasn't running from myself. I had felt this power before—when I saved Percy from Python. Back then, it had surged through me, raw and untamed, because I couldn't stand the thought of losing him. Now, it was different. Now, I wasn't just reacting. I was choosing.

"And I'm done letting you control me!" I shouted, the words ripping through the air with such power, such certainty, that I barely recognized the sound of my own voice. It was stronger, more unshakable than I'd ever heard it—like it had come from somewhere deep within me, from a place that was no longer afraid.

I gripped my spear tightly, feeling the crackle of electricity build at its tip. Lightning gathered in the air, swirling with a fierce energy I could feel in my bones. I didn't hesitate. This wasn't about anger or fear—it was about protecting what mattered. It was about love, about standing up for what I truly wanted.

With a swift motion, I unleashed the lightning. It shot from the spear like a living thing, a bolt of raw energy that streaked through the tunnel and hit Phobos square in the chest. His form convulsed, a sharp scream tearing from his throat as the electricity rippled through him. He staggered back, his eyes wide with shock and pain.

For a moment, his shadowy figure flickered, destabilized by the force of the blast. As he recoiled, I could see the fear in his own eyes, fear that hadn't been there before.

"You've lost, Phobos," I said, my voice steady. "You have no power over me anymore."

Phobos snarled, clutching his chest where the lightning had struck. His form shimmered one last time before starting to dissipate. "You've won this time, daughter of Zeus," he hissed through gritted teeth.

And then, with a final, pained glare, he vanished, leaving nothing behind but the faint crackle of lingering electricity in the air.

I exhaled, the oppressive atmosphere fading, but something strange lingered. As I stood there, the unmistakable scent of roses filled the tunnel—rich and sweet, completely out of place in the dank sewer. I froze, my eyes darting around, trying to find the source. It made no sense. The scent was too divine, too... deliberate. I shook my head, pushing the thought aside.

The scent faded, and I stood there, the silence of the tunnel wrapping around me. For the first time in what felt like years, I wasn't afraid. of Phobos, not of the shadows, and most importantly, not of what lay ahead. Nothing he could say or do could change how I felt.

I took a deep breath, the air in the tunnel feeling less suffocating now, clearer. My heart still raced, but not out of fear—this time it was something else entirely. My boots echoed softly against the damp stone as I made my way through the tunnel. The oppressive weight that had once pressed on my chest was gone, replaced by a steady calm I hadn't felt in a long time. With each step, I felt more certain, more grounded. The choice I'd been running from for so long wasn't a burden anymore—it was just... right.

That's when I heard it. Percy's voice, echoing faintly through the tunnel ahead. "Annabeth?"

The name didn't faze me. I kept walking, unbothered, my footsteps quickening when I realized how close I was. I had to get to him. It didn't matter what he'd said. The only thing that mattered was that he was okay, that he was alive.

Then I saw him—a shadowy figure slumped on the ground, beaten and bruised, but still very much there. He blinked, looking up at me, confusion etched into his features as I stepped into the dim light. I could see the moment realization struck, the way his eyes widened as they focused on me.

Before he could say a word, I rushed toward him, my legs shaky but determined. I dropped to my knees and pulled him into the tightest embrace I could manage. The moment our bodies collided, we tumbled backward, but I didn't let go. I couldn't. I wrapped my arms around him like I never wanted to let go.

He hugged me back just as tightly, and we stayed like that for a moment, tangled together on the cold ground. His warmth, his presence—it grounded me, made everything feel real again. I had fought my fears, and now I was here with him, where I wanted to be. When I finally pulled away, my breath shaky, I looked into his eyes, seeing the same relief and disbelief that must have been etched across my own face.

"Thalia…" he whispered, barely able to get the word out, like he couldn't believe it was me.

"I'm here," I replied, my voice raw and tired, but steady. I was gripping his shirt, unable to loosen my hold, even though I knew he wasn't going anywhere. "I'm here."

"I don't... I don't understand," Percy's voice broke as he stared at me, his eyes wide and full of disbelief. His hands trembled as they brushed against my arm, my shoulders—like he needed to touch me to be sure I was real. But I could see the doubt, feel the way his heart was still racing, struggling to accept it. Percy's eyes darted around the sewer, his gaze searching the shadows and the walls, as if he was expecting to find something. His brows furrowed in confusion when he found nothing, and slowly, he turned back to me, a mix of disbelief and relief in his expression.

"I thought I lost you," he admitted, his voice shaking. "I saw you die, Thalia. I—" He paused, his throat tightening with emotion, but then pushed through. "I can't—I can't go through that again. I can't lose you."

For a second, I didn't know what to say. He looked so lost, so vulnerable, and it hurt to think about what he'd been through. "Percy, it was an illusion," I said softly, my brow furrowing with concern. "I'm right here."

"I know," Percy said slowly, voice trembling as if he was still processing it all, "But... when I saw it—when I thought you were gone—it wrecked me. It was like everything inside me just shattered." His breath came in uneven bursts, and each word hit me like a jolt, raw and unguarded. "That's when I realized... I love you, Thalia. I've been running from it, but I can't. Not anymore. I love you, Thalia."

My heart stopped. He said it. He finally said it. And for a moment, I couldn't breathe. Everything I had been afraid to confront was now out in the open, but it didn't feel scary anymore. I looked into his eyes, his words hanging in the air between us, and I could see the raw honesty in his gaze. There was no going back now—for either of us.

I felt the emotions swirling inside me, but they didn't overwhelm me like they once would have. I had faced my fears already, and I wasn't running anymore. Not from this. Not from him. "I…" I started, my voice soft. But then I stopped, glancing away for just a second. There was something more I had to say—something I had to tell him before I could fully open up. "I saw something too."

I took a deep breath, steadying my thoughts, my heart racing not from fear anymore, but from something deeper. "I saw Phobos," I began, my voice quiet but steady. "He tried to break me, Percy. He showed me all the things I've been too afraid to face—things I've been running from for years."

Percy's eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of understanding beneath the concern. He didn't interrupt—he knew exactly what I'd been through. He'd just faced his own illusion, his own fears. He let me continue, knowing how it was felt to confront the truth.

I swallowed, my voice growing firmer. "He made me see a twisted version of Artemis, telling me I was nothing without the Hunt, that you'd leave me, and that I'd lose you and have nothing. But even as I saw that, even as he tried to break me with it, I realized something." I paused, my breath catching. "It wasn't real. None of it was. The only real thing, the only thing that felt true, was you."

I looked into Percy's eyes, the words on the tip of my tongue finally breaking free. "You mean everything to me, Percy. You always have. Even when I was trying to convince myself that my feelings for you weren't real, that I was better off keeping my distance, you were always there, pulling me back. I tried to bury what I felt for you—years of pushing it down, telling myself it wasn't possible, that it didn't matter—but it did. It always did."

His expression softened, and I could see the tension start to ease from his body. "Thalia…"

I took a shaky breath, the words I'd been holding back for so long finally rising to the surface. "I love you, Percy. I've always loved you. And I'm done running from it. I'm done running from us."

My breath caught as I saw the understanding in Percy's eyes, the weight of everything finally lifting off my shoulders. "I love you," I repeated, my voice steady, sure.

For a moment, Percy just stared at me, his sea-green eyes searching mine, as if making sure he wasn't dreaming. Then, without another word, he closed the distance between us. His hands found my face, pulling me toward him, and before I could even catch my breath, his lips were on mine.

The kiss was everything—years of unsaid words, of buried feelings, all pouring out at once. I felt a surge of electricity rush through me, more powerful than any lightning I'd ever called down. It was like the world around us disappeared, like time itself stopped, and all that mattered was this moment, the two of us, finally together.

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer, and I clung to him as if he was the only thing keeping me grounded. I could feel the warmth of his body, the steady beat of his heart, and in that moment, I knew—I had made the right choice. Percy was my choice.

When we finally pulled apart, my heart was still racing, and Percy's forehead rested gently against mine. He smiled softly, his breath still uneven. "I love you too, Thalia."

I closed my eyes, letting his words sink in, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath my hands. Everything else—the sewer, the mission, even the weight of our responsibilities—faded into the background. For once, the world didn't feel heavy. I didn't feel torn between two paths, two lives. It was simple. It was Percy, and it was me.

We stayed like that for a moment, our foreheads pressed together, the silence between us not awkward or uncertain, but full of unspoken promises.

"I've waited so long to hear that," I whispered, my voice barely audible, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the fragile peace that had settled over us. "I didn't realize how much I needed it."

Percy's hand found mine again, his fingers intertwining with mine in a way that felt so natural, so right. "Me too," he said softly. "But now we've got each other. No more running."

A small smile tugged at my lips. For once, the future didn't seem so terrifying.

Reluctantly, I pulled back, my eyes scanning the dark, dank walls of the sewer, reality creeping back in. "We should go," I said, though I made no move to break away from him just yet. "Annabeth's still out there."

Percy nodded, his expression more serious now, though his hand remained firmly in mine. "Yeah, we should."

Neither of us said anything more. We didn't need to. Hand in hand, we started down the tunnel, the silence around us thick but no longer suffocating. The shadows clung to the walls, but they didn't scare me anymore. Not with Percy beside me.

This chapter was intense, emotional, and deeply personal to write. Thalia's journey through fear and doubt has been leading to this moment—finally choosing love, not just for Percy, but for herself. Her confrontation with Phobos wasn't just about defeating a god, but about overcoming the illusions that have kept her running for so long.

What did you think of Thalia's decision? Did her realization about love and identity resonate with you? And that kiss—finally, right? I'd love to hear your thoughts on how Percy and Thalia's relationship has evolved. Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite the story—your feedback means everything as this story grows!