Before you ask me why I haven't update Master of the Elements yet, I'm just going to tell you this: I needed to get this off my chest. Percy/Thalia is a fandom couple that I enjoy very much, and so, enjoy! Oh, and by the way, it's AU.

because real life isn't like a soap opera

Percy stalked the dining hall of Camp Half-blood, sulkily sitting down at Poseidon's table in a huff of anger and hatred.

He had been miserable lately, and he knew that thinking about it and her would only end in him severely pissing off everyone by creating an accidental storm. He felt friendless. Although Percy is undoubtedly the most desired and popular kid among the Greeks – Hades, even the Romans – the son of Poseidon couldn't help but feel as if he had no true friends remaining.

Percy hated it.

He played with his food and stole a glance at the Athenian table – she seemed to be fine without him. Unexpected anger flared up within him. Who cared about the fact that Percy said that it was okay, that they could be friends even if she wanted to date a son of Apollo or something, what mattered was that it was not okay, and that Percy Jackson was not, is not, "fine."

It was foolish, he deemed, foolish to even think that they would've worked out. That his and her life would've ended like one of those in a soap opera – perfect, beautiful, and happy. Those words were the exact opposites of Percy's nightmarish existence.

Percy was jolted out of his reverie – literally. A small electric current passed through his body and the hairs on his neck jump to attention. He looked up from his food almost warily, more annoyed than angry. What he saw nearly made his mouth drop right onto the ground.

That couldn't be...

A dark haired beauty sat across from him; an innocent smile was plastered onto a freckled face and complimented by dark blue eyes, earning a blush that crept onto Percy's face. A silver parka greatly contrasted with a dark, black t-shirt that spelled out "Green Day" in forest green letters, and to top it off a dainty tiara rested on the top of the girl's glossy black hair, such long and beautiful hair that it nearly came down to her waist.

At least that's the first impression. Then:

"What in Hades was that, Thalia?"

The huntress smirked triumphantly and responded, "You're blushing."

"That's because–" Percy racked his brain for a plausible excuse, painfully aware of how hot his face was "–you're different."

You idiot.

Thalia laughed, a sound reminiscent of bells, "Oh, the big ole' Savior of Olympus still blushes when I waltz in the room, even though he has a girlfriend. Typical klutz."

Typically, Percy would be rather embarrassed and snap back with a smart reply, but instead a silent fury smoldered in his heart. "Girlfriend?"

Thalia gave him a look that screams, are you kidding me, and she rolled her eyes, "Geez, it's like the switch all over again – with amnesia and stuff. Can't even remember Annabeth."

The look on Percy's face told Thalia that something was wrong, and the cocky smirk was wiped off her face. Worry gripped her heart in frenzy. "Don't tell me you broke up with her."

Percy stared at Thalia with unbelieving eyes and snorted. "What? No."

"You cheated on her?"

"Where in Poseidon's name did you get that ridiculous idea?" Percy burst, surprising Thalia into silence. "So what if it wasn't working out between us and she wanted to date another guy? That does not make me a cheater, or a usurper of happiness or any of that. I don't care. Who cares? I certainly don't. I don't care that she–"

"Percy, you're ranting."

Percy looked up at Thalia, as if he was trying to detect if she was mocking him or being sarcastic, but he only found comfort in her blue eyes. Thalia looked as if she was genuinely worried – about Annabeth or Percy, he didn't know – and her eyes furrowed in a way that seems to mutter sorry, over and over again. Percy knew that Thalia wouldn't say sorry out loud; it wasn't in the nature of the proud daughter of Zeus to admit defeat – even saying sorry was pushing it.

He replied with a sigh, and luckily no one had overheard the conversation. "Yeah, I guess."

"Percy, are you okay?" Thalia whispered. Her hand grabbed Percy's under the table, and, although his heartbeat quickened, he figured that this was just a friendly gesture more than anything.

Silence. Percy glared at his food unappreciatively and his fingers detached from Thalia's. Was that disappointment in her eyes? "To tell the truth... no."

"I'm sorry."

She left without another word, and Percy stared at her retreating figure.

- Ω -

Absentmindedly walking around camp, Percy bumped into a feminine object, and he quickly apologized, only to look up and find Thalia Grace furiously staring at the ground.

"Thalia," Percy greeted, "What a coincidence."

"Thinking of the devil?" Thalia asked, smirking at Percy's confused expression. The boy had no idea what she was talking about.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Thalia rolled her eyes and sighed, "Figured. You're a lonely idiot anyways."

The look on Percy's face told Thalia that she had crossed a silent line. Her pink lips formed a frown, and her clear eyes started fogging up. "Sorry."

"Thalia Grace apologizing?" Percy gasped sarcastically – eager to get his own scathing comments. "Apollo must have rose from the south today!"

"Sure, but you looked like you rose from the dead," Thalia snapped, and Percy was slightly hurt. Only a little bit though; soon enough Percy was thinking of his own retort. He racked his brain as quick as he could, but he couldn't think of a snappy insult in time so Percy decided to change the subject.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed, attempting to look like he didn't care. "Whatever. What have you been up to?"

Thalia laughed, "Nice, Jackson, just like you to insult a girl and then try to make a conversation. Just like that dumb Kelp Brain I know. Take a walk with me."

Without giving Percy time to reply, Thalia grabbed Percy's wrist and dragged him into the forest.

The two dodged thick bushes of leaves and low branches as they slowly wove through the thick woods of Camp Half-blood. Soon they reached a massive pile of stones stacked in an unrecognizable formation – Zeus's fist. Percy noticed that there were fresh marks on the ground that matched Thalia's footprints; perhaps she had come here the day before.

"This is where you think?" Percy asked.

Thalia nodded. Percy noticed that Thalia faltered whenever they made eye contact. Her gaze would drop and lower to the ground, and a curious, oh so curious tint of red would silently dash across her cheeks. The boy tactfully chose to not bring up the subject of Thalia's small blush.

"You came here yesterday, didn't you?" Percy pressed, causing Thalia to instinctively shrink under his intense green eyes and sit on the ground. He followed her example, and she started playing with her thumbs, unsure of what to say.

So, of course, Thalia nodded once more. Percy let out an exasperated sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Dang it, Thalia, you're so bipolar. One second you're forcing a walk upon me and the next you're staring at the ground silently."

Percy didn't mention it, but he liked the quiet side of Thalia. She looked so sweet, so pure. Her eyes looked almost vulnerable and scared, as if she was a deer and he was a hunter who had cornered his prey.

He took her silence as time to admire her beauty. She looked quite beautiful in the fading light.

"Like what you see?" Thalia asked, eyes taunting, when she looked at him. "Too bad it's off limits, boy."

Okay, this was the Thalia Grace he knew.

Percy grit his teeth and refrained from indulging his explosive temper by snapping back at her. "Why'd you drag me here?"

Thalia stayed silent for a while, and the sun slowly dwindled over the green leaves. She muttered something under her breath. Percy couldn't hear her.

"See, this is what I'm talking about," Percy complained.

"I want answers," Thalia repeated, louder this time. "To my questions."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Okay."

Thalia took a breath and Percy smiled. Then, the words came out of her mouth like an avalanche. "Who do you like?"

Instant shock and surprise took a hold of Percy's face. His eyebrows arched and his mouth smiled a coy grin, and he saw Thalia's breath quicken and the blood rush to her face. It was nice, really, Thalia looked cute flustered. Too bad she's a huntress.

"First off, I never took you as the gossipy type – jeez Thals, been visiting the pink cabin much? Second, why do you want to know? And to answer your question, I like Annabeth, Grover, Nico, Jason, Leo, Piper, Frank, Hazel, even Clarisse–"

"Percy," Thalia interrupted, instantly regaining her confidence – some bratty son of Poseidon was not going to use sarcasm on her, "I meant in a romantic fashion."

"Yeah. In a romantic fashion."

She laughed, hard, throwing her head back into the glimmering light and exposing her pale neck. Her laugh sounded like a cheerful melody of Christmas bells clinking in the distance, of church bells and all things that sounded good in the world. Something clicked, and Percy noticed was that he had never seen somebody so immensely and overwhelmingly beautiful.

Who cared that Thalia was sometimes as annoying as an unreachable itch, all that mattered was that this sweet side ofThalia suddenly meant the world to him. It was something that he wanted to steal and clamp up in a deep, dank hole called his heart and never let it out, just so he could relish the majestic feeling that this girl produced for the entirety of Percy's existence.

Suddenly, it became quite clear. His body cried out for the one person he knew would have to fill up the gaping hole in his heart, and this girl was sitting in front of him, gleaming like a goddess in the fleeting sunshine.

"What Perce, too chicken to tell me?" Thalia jeered sardonically, smiling, showing off little pearly white teeth. "You look awfully scared."

Percy decided, for the well being of his soul, to ignore her snide remark. He let the silence reign in for a little while, pondering over what to say. "Actually, I do know who this person is."

"Well, spit it out."

He looked into Thalia's eyes. Pure, innocent, blue eyes that sparkled with flecks of purple – a magnificent color that Percy wanted to look at everyday for the rest of his life. Eyes that sometimes hardened into a steely glare, but in the end they would resume its twinkling complexion. He stored these little observations into the back of his mind.

"She's a tad bit mean at times – nothing I can't handle – but most of the time she's sweet," Percy muttered, struggling to remain in eye contact when his face felt like it was about to burst into fire. "I've come to this realization not long ago."

Thalia's face assumed a façade of boredom, but her eyes, the gateway to the soul, betrayed her true feelings. She was nervous and excited, like a little girl waiting for her test results. "Get on with it."

"Sometimes she may make you want to pull your hair out, but she's really a nice person deep down inside. She's as beautiful as the ocean is deep, and I would love nothing more than to run my hand through her glossy black hair–" he paused and subtly scooted a little bit closer to Thalia, so close that their foreheads were almost touching, but she didn't seem to mind "–and stare into her eyes until I die… but…"

"But what?" Thalia's voice quivered, and her breath smelled like a fresh blast of pine.

Percy barely hesitated before saying, "Too bad she's off limits."

He pressed his lips against hers briefly before pulling back to gauge her reaction, slightly appalled and mortified of what he had just done. Despite the glaring point that Thalia was a huntress, Percy felt as if he may have jeopardized their relationship, and the look on Thalia's face told him everything. A thin layer of tears coated her eyes and her onyx hair whipped him when she turned around and ran away.

Because real life isn't a soap opera, and Percy shouldn't have expected Thalia to fall for him as he fell for her.

- Ω -

Someone should seriously kill Thalia right now.

She dried her tears on the grey pillow she was sleeping on. Luckily no one was in the Hunt's cabin when she burst in with a tear-stained face. Thalia just crashed onto the bed and stayed there, unmoving, much to the confusion of the huntresses that appeared later. One thing the lieutenant liked about the Hunt was that the girls weren't nosy; they left her be and she couldn't have appreciated that more.

She hadn't felt this unsure about things in her life. It didn't help that she utterly hated herself right now for what she did to Percy.

It's not like he stole her first kiss or anything, it was just that Percy looked so hurt and disappointed that Thalia felt as if she had killed a starving puppy. It unnerved her that Percy seemed to read her like an open book; whenever his eyes met hers Thalia felt as if he was staring into her damn soul, and she hated that feeling. He knew what she felt and thought every time he looked into her eyes, so Thalia resolved to stop looking at Percy's sea green eyes.

And what was worse was that after Percy gave her this beautiful speech about her, Thalia totally and utterly rejected him.

This was a horrible moment to start acting like some daughter of Aphrodite, Thalia decided. Gods, she felt so fake. Percy brought out a side of her that she made sure was sealed up permanently – her personality when she was on the run with Luke and Annabeth. He knew it, and Thalia knew it also. She was bipolar. Sometimes Thalia didn't want to be a tough, ass-kicking, boy-hating daughter of Zeus; sometimes she wanted to look towards the future and settle down.

It was in the nature of all people, after all – loneliness sucked. There was a gaping hole in her heart that was left by a certain son of Hermes that nothing seemed to be able to plug. Thalia felt as if it were her duty to herself to find the metaphorical plug to her heart.

She needed something to make her whole again – the Hunt, as awesome as it is, utterly failed in that. Just what to fill it with Thalia had no clue, but she needed it to be full, to become whole again. Had her life been like a soap opera, Thalia would have probably already found her perfect match.

But then a thought occurred to Thalia, a small whisper at the back of her mind that she barely caught.

Maybe the plug came in the form of an annoying, cynical son of Poseidon.

- Ω -

Thalia saw Percy Jackson and immediately turned and headed in another direction.

Too bad he saw her and immediately headed towards the huntress. Thalia sped up and tried to weave her way around some bulky sonofabitch Ares spawn when a large, callused hand seized her shoulder. She whipped around and stared deep into the eyes of a seemingly angry son of Poseidon. His eyes, like hers, betrayed the innermost feelings when the face was unreadable.

"What," Thalia snapped, swatting his hand off of her shoulder.

Percy led her into the deserted archery range and pointed at the ground near a tree. Thalia obliged, and Percy sat down right next to her. She noticed he made an effort to not look at her. When the silence between them became suffocating, Thalia decided to get out of there – it seemed that this was going to end in a massive, explosive argument or something worse.

"No. You're not running away again." His hand reached around her waist and sat her back down onto the ground.

"Then say something," the girl piqued, exasperation taking a hold on her.

Percy didn't reply. Thalia didn't dare to look at him in fear of accidentally staring into his eyes – there wasn't anything that could stop what would surely follow. His breathing was long and deep, as if he was trying to calm himself down.

"I've been… thinking, recently. About things," Percy muttered. When Thalia sneaked a glance at him, he was staring straight ahead into particularly nothing. "And I've realized things, I guess."

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Percy started to turn towards her, so Thalia quickly looked away, pretending to be enamored by the dusty ground.

"Well," Percy started, choosing his words carefully, "I was thinking about yesterday and what happened."

"Oh." Was the only thing that managed to slip out of the unmoving barrier of Thalia's lips.

Yeah, smart reply.

"And I, uh, realized that… I shouldn't have done what I did," Percy stammered, words hollow and strained. "I was… caught up in the moment and I didn't mean it… and you're a huntress and everything."

The words took Thalia by storm. A unforeseen dam within her broke down completely and she felt herself crumble, but Thalia Grace was not one to easily succumb to her inner feelings. She forced herself to assume a stony mask of feigned indifference, but she knew it wouldn't work – the second Percy looked at her eyes he would notice the watery wall of tears.

"I don't care. You kissed me anyways."

Why do I care anyways? Thalia thought angrily. I don't care. I really don't care that he didn't mean anything.

That didn't explain the sudden urge to ball up and cry.

"Look at me, Thalia."

Percy's hand tilted Thalia's chin so that she had a full, un-obscured view of Percy's glowing eyes. The instant he realized she had tears in her eyes his own filled with a certain dash of remorse that Thalia recognized too well. He didn't mean it. She knew he didn't mean it. It was plain in his eyes, but it was also obvious in Thalia's eyes that she very much cared about what he just said, because she thought that maybe, just maybe, there had been something between them.

"You don't mean it," Thalia whispered, her lips excruciatingly close to Percy's. "I know you don't mean it."

Silence. Thalia let herself drown in Percy's eyes.

"It meant a lot to me."

"I know."

Thalia didn't want Percy to know how much she cared for him, for their little moment yesterday, for his feelings towards her. She didn't want him to know how much she was infatuated by him, how every little touch caused a spark of electricity in her body that roared into a thunderstorm, and especially her thoughts on how good of a kisser Percy was – even though she only kissed him once.

But once is enough to make a lasting impression.

Percy closed his eyes and leaned in, instantly giving Thalia a decision. Either she was going to go along with her entire will and loose herself in the heaven known as Percy's lips, or she was going to stick to her duty and oath. They looked so pink and inviting that Thalia was sorely tempted, but that would also mean throwing herself into a life of uncertainty – after all, what would happen if she left the Hunt?

She was tempted to turn on her oath. She was also tempted to slap Percy silly.

Neither of them happened. Percy's lips instead found purchase on Thalia's pale neck, on which he left little nibble marks by sucking and teasing the sensitive skin. A small moan escaped Thalia's lips (what are you doing, Thalia?) and blood rushed to her face. She didn't want Percy to know that he had this profound of an effect upon her.

"Tell me," Percy murmured against her skin, sending shivers up Thalia's spine, "why you try to act so tough all the time."

"What do you mean?"

"I never knew how sweet and sensitive you are."

"I'm not sweet nor sensitive, nor will I ever be sweet and sensitive for you, Kelp-for-Brains."

"Oh that's real creative," Percy whispered hotly, biting into her neck a little bit harder than Thalia was accustomed to and drawing out a small whimper, "especially when I've got you wrapped around my fingers."

Thalia wanted to push Percy off, but it just felt too good.

He left a trail of little kisses up to her jawline and stopped. Percy drank in her face for a while and then spoke: "Why are you afraid of flying?"

Thalia just realized how hot her cheeks were and became painfully aware of the heat pooling into her core, of how an intense feeling she had never had suddenly decided to take control of her mind. She realized how nice and salty Percy Jackson's breath was, how immersive his jade eyes were, and how handsome he looked in the glittering, bright daylight. She also realized that he was the plug to use to fill that gaping hole in her chest.

The silence was palpable. Then: "Fly with me."

Thalia Grace let herself fly for the first time.

- Ω -

Okay, so maybe her life may have been a teeny tiny, infinitesimal bit like a soap opera.

- Ω -

Thalia Grace is a smart girl.

Whenever her mother smelled of wine and alcohol, Thalia knew she should probably stay away from her. When she and Luke ran away together, they quickly learned how to fight and kill monsters as efficiently as possible. They learned how to live without money. A rich man would not notice a few dollars gone, and a few dollars was worth an entire fortune to Thalia.

But right now, the daughter of Zeus felt stupid. She was in love, but love was not logical, it was not rational, neither could it be carefully though out or planned.

Yet… what was love?

Was it that twisted thing that she and Percy had? That intense, pleasurable feeling that she had whenever his lips danced across her skin, could that be the tingling sensation of love? Or was it the little stirring feeling she had when his eyes would stare at hers in that way that made his eyes sparkle and hers glisten? Might it be the action that drives Thalia to gently run her fingers through his hair, or to leave small marks on his skin to identify him as her own?

Did they have love?

Thalia Grace doesn't know. And she runs away from the unknown.

- Ω -

"I am leaving."

"You're just going to run away, aren't you?"

Percy was not happy with her decision.

Didn't the boy honor the girl's decision to leave? At least, in those horribly cheesy and cliché soap operas they do. The boy realizes that it's in the girl's best interests to leave, and the boy learns that the girl wasn't given a chance. So the boy was understanding and kind, but that's all terribly cliché, isn't it?

Because real life is not like a soap opera, and Thalia knows it.

Instead of some farfetched response to her three-worded statement, Percy's reaction was a tad bit more expected, although Thalia wished that she could just run away from it all. It occurred to her how good she was at running away – after all, she had been running away from things her entire life.

"Yes."

Percy's brow furrowed. He seemed to realize that she was being serious.

"Please don't."

The words sounded so sincere that it nearly destroyed Thalia's resolve. It left her speechless and slightly dazed – the heartbroken look on Percy's face didn't help either. His green eyes were dark and misty, his usual smile replaced by a frown, and his hair was as disheveled as ever. But that didn't stop Thalia.

"I have to."

His answer was immediate. "No, you don't."

Again Thalia was left without words. Percy seemed to be like a little three-year-old baby; Thalia was his toy and he was not going to let her up without a fight. She struggled with words and tried to make the sentences sound right, but still Thalia was afraid to speak – too afraid that her words would come out all wrong and she'd hurt him more than Thalia would ever want to.

So she repeated herself. "I have to."

"No, you don't."

His reply filled Thalia with a sense of exasperation and annoyance. Didn't he understand that this was as hard for her as it was for him?

"Percy, did you really think that this was going to work out? That this wouldn't have to end, that we could meet for weeks after weeks until years come by?"

"Yes."

His answer was so childish, so naïve and full of hope that Thalia almost burst into a bitter laugh. Tears threatened to flock her eyes when her mouth opened again. "Damn it, you idiot, understand! Understand that this isn't going to work; understand that I was going to have to leave anyways since the Hunt never stays in a place too long, and that–"

"And what?" His voice and eyes were angry, hurt, sad, all balled into one. "Why can't you let me take all your troubles away? Why must you pretend to be tough when you obviously aren't?"

"Percy, please," Thalia pleaded. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I'll make this as hard as I want," he replied, voice contorted with an effort to refrain from shouting. "As long as I can convince you to never leave."

Silence floated in between them, and the night sky shone between the leaves of the forest. Dead leaves drifted between the two, picked up by wind and gently tossed around, twirling like a ballet dancer prancing about a silent tune. It was a beautiful night, Thalia mused, too beautiful to be worthy of mortal eyes.

"It's a pretty night," Percy muttered, glancing at Thalia before staring at his worn-out shoes. "Shame that you're leaving now."

"I didn't have a choice." Thalia's whisper barely reached his ears, and Thalia winced at how frail she sounded.

"Don't go."

"I must."

"No."

Groaning, Thalia kicked a pebble out of frustration. Did he not understand why she had to do this? Does he not understand what duty is? Why couldn't that blubbering spawn of Poseidon just realize that Thalia would give anything to be with him, but she couldn't turn her back on the Hunt? Not now. Not when there are three new recruits who looked up to her as a big sister.

"Percy, don't you understand how little I care about you?" Thalia said (and cringed at how vicious her voice was). She was playing her last card, and if Percy didn't show any signs of faltering, Thalia would probably end up disappearing into the night, knowing that Percy couldn't catch up to her.

However, there was this little part of her that willed herself to stay.

"That's a lie." His voice was tiny, lesser than a whisper, and he sounded like a child denying something that was true. "I know that's a lie."

"And how do you know?" Thalia hissed, hoping that her years of lying would stand strong and not fail her when it was most needed. "How do you know that I didn't just use you?"

Percy visibly winced at her harsh words, and Thalia knew that she was going to Tartarus for her words. "Because… you wouldn't do something like that, Thalia. That's not you."

His voice was faltering. Unsure. Doubting. Thalia had already gone so far and there was no hope of an apology, so she decided to finish what she had started. Her brain told her that her duty lies with the Hunt, that it was a safer option, but her heart told her to apologize, to beg for forgiveness, to tell Percy that she said nothing but lies.

"How do you know," Thalia pressed, "that that's not me?"

Nothing. Percy stood there, silent, with an air of defeat. His green eyes were tainted by a murkiness that Thalia recognized, and her heart crumbled along with her conscience, and dignity, and all emotions. Shutting her eyes in an attempt to forget the defeated Percy in front of her, Thalia turned around and started to walk away when she heard the slightest whisper of words, like a breeze passing through rustling leaves.

"I know because I love you."

Thalia's breath suddenly hitched and her vision started fogging up and her heart beat too fast to be humanly possible. Her feet ran to their own accord back towards Percy, because Thalia instantly knew that she was wrong, so dead wrong about all her doubts of Percy because what they have is definitely, absolutely, undeniably love. Tears flowed fast and she cried, harder than she had ever cried before because Thalia felt so bad about what she had done and said, but Percy was there and he loved her as much as she loved him. Thalia felt a warm, tingling sensation in her innermost body, and she realized that Percy had made her whole again.

And for once, Thalia Grace didn't run away.

- Ω -

Looking back on it, Thalia can't help but smile. She can't help but feel as if she had made the correct decision. If she hadn't decided to talk to him one last time, Thalia was certain that, right now, she would not be resting on the broad chest of a certain son of Poseidon. But she was, and she was happy.

She likes waking up before Percy. He looks so cute when he sleeps.

Reaching up to run her hand through his raven black hair, Thalia smiles as Percy wakes up, blinking slightly before realizing that his girlfriend is awake. He presses his lips against Thalia's forehead and sinks back into the pillow, hands tightening around Thalia's waist and pulling her closer.

She closes her eyes, feeling the soft breath of air that comes out of Percy's mouth. "Why were you so afraid of flying?"

Smiling, Thalia replies, "Because I was afraid of falling."

Thalia Grace had let herself fly once. And when she did, she fell hard – but there was someone there to catch her.

- Ω -

So maybe Thalia's life did end up like a soap opera.