THE LAST PART IS HERE. And I'm sad to say that this is really the end. And I'm even sadder to say that this doesn't even end with 'and they all lived happily ever after.' D: I'M SO SORRY! As much as I want to end it that was, it wouldn't be Luke&Thalia, you know?

Anyway, let me just say that, during the time I was writing this collection, I fell in love with the fourteen-year-old Luke Castellan. He just has that trademark boyish charm and... guh, it makes me feel even more bad for what happened to him :(

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

A Spark and a Flash
A LukeThalia drabble collection

vi. And then they were gone.

Rescue

"Know that I'm going to kill you once we get out of this." Thalia said, panting as the three of them rounded a corner.

"Thanks for the heads up, then." Luke replied, just as out of breath as she was. Just then, they all heard a tremendous roar from behind them. The three demigods continued running until they reached an intersection with an alley at each side. The monster roared again, and this time, other roars and howls joined it. The sounds reverberated all around them; they couldn't tell which way was safe.

"What now?" Annabeth asked, her eyes flitting between their possible escape routes.

"This way!" A voice hissed, causing the three of them to spin around. From the left alley, a hand beckoned them forward. Although it was dark, they could make out curly ginger hair and the face of a pubescent boy.

"Come on!" When he yelled out, Thalia could pick up a faint bleating in his voice. This alarmed her. She raised her spear and the tip crackled threateningly with electricity.

"No way. How do we know you aren't with them?" She asked.

"They're getting closer!" The ginger-haired boy bleated, ignoring her question as the noises got louder.

"No time to think!" Luke exclaimed, pulling both girls' wrists and following the other boy – whom Thalia realized was limping – down the alley. All four of them took off, stopping only when they could no longer hear the monsters. Now that they were safe, Thalia realized that their savior was limping because he had hooves, not feet.

"Who are you?" She asked. The boy turned to her and replied:

"I'm Grover. I'm your protector, and I can get you someplace safe."

Promise

It was late at night, while Grover was out scouting the area, when Thalia suddenly said: "Hey, Luke. Promise me something."

"Hmm?" He glanced up and, upon seeing the look in her electric blue eyes, figured this was serious. He moved Annabeth from her position on his lap onto the blanket-covered ground, using his jacket as her pillow. Luke then stood up and moved to sit beside the daughter of Zeus.

"What's up?" He asked her. Thalia stared intently at the fire as she spoke.

"If something happens, I want you to take Grover and Annabeth and run."

"No." He said out flatly. She turned to him, exasperated.

"Come on, Luke—"

"I thought we agreed, Thalia. We're a family; nobody's getting left behind."

"I'm being serious here!"

"Well so am I!" He half-whispered, half-shouted. Annabeth stirred in her sleep, and the two older demigods were forced to tone it down. Thalia sighed.

"Look. We got lucky today. If Grover hadn't shown up when he did..." Both of them looked away. If Grover hadn't shown up, they would all probably be dead by now. "Anyway, if anything like that happens again, and we can't handle them all, you have to leave me behind. I might be able to buy you enough time to escape."

Luke remained silent, so she whispered: "Please, Luke. I can't lose you. Or Annabeth. You have to promise me that you'll do this."

"...Fine. I promise that if things get out of hand – and I'm pretty sure they won't – I'll take Grover and Annabeth somewhere safe. And then, I'm coming back for you. That last bit isn't negotiable."

Thalia smiled slightly. "I can agree to those terms." Then, as an afterthought, she jokingly added: "Cross your heart?"

Luke chuckled. A fond smile was on his face as he lovingly ruffled his best friend's hair.

"Why is my heart always on the line when I make a promise to you?"

Run

"Oh geez, they're back!" Grover said as a howl rippled through the air. All three demigods instantly shot up. "And they're close!"

Luke cursed. Annabeth looked anxious, her tiny hand clutched in his. Thalia quickly knelt down and placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders.

"Ann, go with Grover, alright?" Annabeth's panicked eyes met hers.

"What? You and Luke aren't leaving, are you?"

"No, no." She soothed. "No, kiddo. It's just that Luke and I need to be ready, in case we have to fight those monsters. We can't protect you if we're bringing you right into the middle of the battle."

A determined look passed the blond girl's grey eyes. "I want to fight too!"

"Hell no am I putting you in this much danger." The daughter of Zeus said vehemently, causing Annabeth to falter. The blonde wanted to retort, but she knew nothing she said would change Thalia's mind. The daughter of Athena nodded and moved to stand beside Grover.

"Keep Grover safe, alright kiddo?" Luke quipped.

"Hey! I resent that!" The satyr bleated, making everyone smile slightly.

They took off into the brush, with Luke and Thalia behind Grover and Annabeth. Once they were further away, Luke would move front to lead them and Thalia would stay at the back to cover the rear.

Luke and Thalia looked at each other grimly. His hand squeezed hers.

On the run again.

Face-off

"Just go, dammit!" Thalia yelled.

"There's no way I am just going to leave you here!" Luke shot back.

"You promised!"

They had been so close; only a few more steps and they would have made it to camp, to safety. But the monsters had caught up and if the four of them didn't get moving soon, they would all be dead. Thalia knew this; Luke did as well. But Hades, wasn't there another way to get out of this? Maybe, one that didn't involve him leaving his best friend to fend for herself?

"We don't have much time!" Grover bleated. He had a terrified Annabeth in his arms.

"Luke!" Thalia and Annabeth said at the same time. The son of Hermes looked back and forth between the two of them, wracking his brain for the right thing to do. Finally, he turned back to Thalia.

He gingerly swiped a stray wisp of hair away from her eyes before placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't... Don't do anything stupid, alright? I..." He swallowed. "I can't lose you, either."

"I'll be fine. I promise." She said.

In a fit of ADHD-induced stupidity, he swiftly ducked down and kissed her temple.

"I'm coming back for you."

She smiled. "I'm counting on it."

Sacrifice

The moment he saw Thalia's shield and spear clatter to the ground, Luke felt ice-cold fear clutch at his heart. "Sparky!"

He raced back up the hill. He had to get to her. Nothing else mattered.

-L/T-

It was no use; she couldn't move anymore. She had managed to defeat all of the monsters, but it took up all of her energy. A huge gash was on her shoulder where a hellhound had bit her. And, if that wasn't enough, her broken bones and other internal injuries morbidly told her that she wasn't walking away from this one.

Large, wooden roots suddenly sprouted from the ground and wrapped around her feet, lifting her slightly as they continued their ascension up her body. But instead of feeling alarmed, she felt peaceful.

"Sparky!" Luke cried out again once he, Annabeth, and Grover reached her. "Oh crap; we'll get you out of there."

"No. This…" The lower half of her body was already encased in the bark of a large trunk. The trunk kept growing, splitting into branches and sprouting thin, needle-shaped leaves. She looked back at him. "This is how it's supposed to be."

"Thalia...?" The daughter of Zeus looked down towards the blond girl who had called her.

"Annabeth. Be a good girl, okay kiddo?" Annabeth nodded. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she slowly understood what was happening. She reached up and hugged whatever part of the older girl's body she could.

"I'll miss you." She mumbled, making Thalia's heart constrict.

"I'll miss you too, Ann." With that, the daughter of Athena shot away and moved back to Grover, her face hidden in her hands. Thalia addressed the satyr. "Keep her safe, alright Grover? I'm counting on you." Grover bleated, and she took it as an 'okay.'

Luke shakily stepped forward. Thalia grinned weakly at him.

"Hey, you."

"Oh gods, Thals, I'm sorry. I should've been faster—"

She slapped him. "Don't you even dare go blaming yourself for any of this."

"But..." Before Luke could think of something to say, her hand cupped the same cheek she just hit. He looked up as she smiled tenderly at him.

"Thanks for the great adventure, Flash."

The bark slowly closed over her face, and her hand twisted until it was a wooden branch. Where Thalia stood only seconds ago, a magnificent pine tree now grew.

Thunder boomed overhead, and suddenly, rain began to fall, almost as if the sky was mourning for its lost daughter.

Annabeth tugged tentatively on his hand, tears running down her face.

"Luke?"

The son of Hermes clutched the blonde's smaller hand in his.

"She's gone."

And he couldn't help but think that a part of him had gone with her.

Aaaaand, that was it! Again, I'm sorry that it had to end on a sad note, but this was how it's supposed to be. Thanks to all those who supported this collection from the beginning! I appreciate it very much :)

So, now that this project's done, I've got a couple more oneshots lined up. Two Luke/Thalia's, a Percy/Annabeth one, and I might jump to Harry Potter (or Maximum Ride) and do a Scorpius/Rose (or Maya/Fang/Max) shot. I've also got some (a lot of) prompts posted on tumblr. Just click on the link on my profile to get there. Feel free to PM me if you want me to do any of the prompts there!

Review, please!