He knew all of her quirks. Every single one.
He knew she hogged the blankets at night, and hated being wrong, and even knew exactly what would set her on fire…
Percy Jackson was eighteen when he started dating Thalia Grace, thin, strong, and possibly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Annabeth—who, in their relationship, was consider the most beautiful thing he had ever seen—had apologized multiple times, weeping and sniffling, after finding love in a son of Hermes. Percy couldn't blame her. Not one bit. He, after all, was only ever with Annabeth for fear of hurting her feeling. Throughout the entire relationship, he was unfathomably attracted to Thalia.
Of course, that didn't meant the break up went painless.
Percy sat still in his room, forgetting to turn the heat on even on the coldest nights. He sat, surrounded in sadness, crying until his ribs hurt and his mom consoled him. However, he gave no response to her desperate cries for him to come back, and often ended up calling Thalia to take her place.
She helped pick up the pieces Annabeth left behind.
She held him, whispering words of comfort into his ear for hours on end until eventually, his breathing settled out, and then hers.
The next morning was pure heaven for Percy, waking up with her arms wrapped surprisingly tight around his neck and a thin trail of drool down his chin (which he quickly wiped away).
Later, he could admit that that night was possibly the best night he had every slept.
Then one day, out of no where, she mentioned how she had left the hunters. That night he was actually feeling a bit better, fueled by the warmth that Thalia often brought with her visits. Though she had walked into his room, tear stains visible on her cheeks, and bruises grazing her left eye and wrists.
She smiled despite the obvious pain.
He could never describe the look upon her face when she smiled that genuine smile, because it was a look he rarely saw, and had no way of comprehending and even placing with one emotion.
And often times, that look is followed with a kiss, ever so lightly placed on Percy's cheek, forehead, nose, neck, mouth. Just as she had done that night.
He had stood still for quite a while, wondering what could have ever compelled her to do that. At first, he was surprised, then delighted, then absolutely shocked beyond belief, and so he took a step back, and she looked at him for a while, clearly pondering why he had stepped away when it was so obvious that he had been wanting it in the nights before.
He, at the very same moment, was wondering why she had done it, kissed him like that. She was an eternal maiden after all, and such acts were inexcusable.
"Why…why did you do that?" His head had tilted just slightly to the side, in obvious confusion.
She smiled once more. "I quit the Hunters, Percy."
He stared at her, only now taking in her appearance.
The black eye was very clearly inflicted recently, and the bruises on her wrist, printed faintly in the shape of fingers, suggested these injuries were caused by another human.
"Thalia…who hurt you?" he growled lowly, stepping closer to the fragile looking girl, bathed in moonlight.
"Pheobe," she replied simply, glancing down at her wrist, probably in a memory of the encounter. "She was angry when I told her why I wanted to leave the Hunt."
"Why did you leave the hunt…?" He took another step closer, his fingers brushing along her hands, bundled at her stomach.
"Because I love someone, and therefore was no longer allowed in the Hunt. I spoke with Phoebe about it—obviously that didn't go well—and then I brought it up with Lady Artemis." She stared at his hands, much larger than hers, that began to snake their way around her enclosed fists.
Though he hadn't even heard the last two sentences. Only three words bounced around in his head, sending waves through his whole body, chilling and discomforting.
"…I love someone…"
"…I love someone…"
"…I love someone…"
But wait…that never explained why she had kissed him. Percy Jackson, of all people, wasn't even deserving of her love. And besides that, everyone who had ever seen them together knew all they ever did was fight.
So then why…? Why was she acting like this?
"Kelp Head…?"
Her voice broke through his thoughts which, he had not noticed, had rooted in his mind for just a split second and clouded his mind.
But the way she looked in the moment he looked down at her caused at of that fog to part ways and he noticed that if he moved even an inch forward, their noses would be touching.
Another inch, and their lips.
Stop.
He couldn't think like that.
But maybe I can.
He shouldn't think like that.
She's no longer a maiden.
Percy stopped and focused on the reality faced before him.
"Can I ask who?" he whispered.
"You." She leaned close, brushing the sides of their noses together.
"Why me?" His hands slid to her back.
"Because I love you," she shrugged, and pressed her lips to his cheek.
"That doesn't make sense."
"I love you because you don't hurt people."
"But I do-"
"Unless necessary," she stopped him.
"But that's not even a good reason."
"I love you because you are loyal…because you are kind…because you make me feel free." She pulled away just slightly to stare sideways into his eyes.
"Don't you see..?" she smiled. "I love you because you are you."
He was stunned into complete silence.
Now, he can say that the quiet that overwhelmed him was not just because of her proclamation of love for him, but because he felt exactly the same as she did. There was no one else like Thalia. No one as eccentric and just…not generic as her.
Thalia…was Thalia.
She wore her wrapped jeans and hardly ever cared if you told her that her hair was frizzy or out of place, and most importantly…she cared about the people she loved.
That night, they stood there, not even inches apart from each other, attempting to decide what to do next.
He had wanted to pay the respects to her that she deserved, so he leaned forward just close enough to barely even brush her lips, and whispered "I love you too."
That night would never be forgotten by either of them
And that was how he knew all her quirks.