Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.

AN: AnnabethxThalia…except Thalia actually isn't present. She's more like…there in thought. –shrugs- I couldn't write a lemon for this so this specific oneshot is rated T. Actually, it could be rated K+ for all I cared. No cussing, nothing graphic whatsoever. Now this is all thought. As in there is no dialogue at all. I don't think there's a huge issue in that but if you feel like you can't read thought, don't read this fic. Seriously. Er…besides the homosexual references that should be it. Oh yeah, I noticed that this fic is extremely short. My apologies; I wrote it in 30 minutes and there is only so much you can do in 30 minutes while you are pretending to do your homework. Anyways, enjoy (or not; it really is your choice).

BN: Yay! Birthday! This time, this fic is for Allie as she turns 14! ^^ She…was most definitely not expecting this. At all. As in she didn't even know that I was giving her present much less what the pairing was. I hope she has an awesome birthday and that she enjoys this fic.

Pairing: AnnabethxThalia

Rating: T

~Childhood Love~

Breathe, Annabeth…breathe. I had to keep repeating those words in my head just to calm myself down. My nerves were jittery and definitely not in the best condition they could ever be in. But this wasn't really a normal occasion either. I was finally revealing something about myself and I was going to reveal it to the person I was in love with. It was a lot harder than I could have predicted. Dare I say she was beautiful? That's right: she. How long ago had it been since we first met? We were both runaways, feeling as if we never really belonged with our family. At first, I only viewed her as an older sister. She took great care of me and she made sure that I survived, protected me even. After all, she was the one who made sure Luke and I made it to the camp. I remembered crying about it when I was alone. At first, I had thought it was because I just lost my sister. But after the course of many years, I realized that that wasn't the case. There was something more about what I felt for Thalia. But how was I supposed to know what it was? I was only 7 years old, definitely not able to comprehend such matters like love and loss.

But I had grown up. I was older, smarter, more experienced. After the disaster known as Percy Jackson, I was sure that it was Thalia who I had always wanted. I could never tear myself away from the gaze of her stormy grey-blue eyes. Her scowl made me smile. Her personality…I couldn't help but love it. She was the type of person who I had always wanted to be and I knew that she knew it. The only problem was she had taken it differently than I did. How was I supposed to tell her that I loved her? Was I supposed to shout it or imply it? Did I need to hold her hand, lean my head on her shoulder, stare at her straight into her eyes? I didn't know what I was bringing myself in to.

Thalia was sitting by the boundary, looking into the world outside of camp…just as she had for several years. Was it that she felt nostalgic? Chances were, the answer was no. She had told me privately that she was sick of it. Watching the sunrise and the sunset was beautiful; watching it every day for several years killed her inside. There was nothing great about being a tree. One was always alone and in despair. Not able to communicate with your friends. Thalia was angry when she had told me all of this. Her eyes flashed for a second, revealing some of the pent up hatred. She knew she couldn't hate her father but she sure could be irritated by him. She had preferred if she was just killed. It would have saved her the years of loneliness. But she found the bright side in things as well. She was able to talk to me, to Luke, to meet new people even if she hated them. She was in a sense given a second chance.

Maybe this was my second chance. Maybe the gods gave her back to me because they knew. They knew how I felt and they knew how long I had waited. But that's what made me stumble. Did they really want me to do this? Would they have approved of what I was about to do? No…the gods always had a reason for everything. The only question was would they favor me or not.

I made one step towards Thalia. No. I heard that word as clear as if it came directly from the gods. But I knew it wasn't them; it was my conscience, the little brain that consoled me through every matter. It might have been telling me no but I knew in my heart that I wanted to do this. So why couldn't I? My heart wanted it and could have easily overpowered my mind. I knew the answer, though. It was easy as saying "1 2 3". My mind was what controlled my body. It weighed the outcomes and it used that to make my next movement. I had no chance now. What would it take to convince my mind? Or better yet, was there anything that could convince my mind?

And I knew it. I was going to have to do this blind. I might not have liked the idea of not thinking but it was perhaps the easiest manner for me. Forget not liking it, I hated it. This was long overdue though. I knew I had to go to Thalia, to tell her what I had never told anybody. My resolve was strong and nothing could break it. Except rejection. But that was not now; that was after. I had to take the chance first and then worry about the result. How many times was I able to just go wherever life took me? I always liked plans; it was how I lived my life.

Do this for Thalia. And that was what solidified my decision. I wasn't going to hold back any longer. If I did, I would continue to suffer for many years. Thalia…I was doing this for Thalia. She was the one who I loved and I would have done everything for her, even lose my life. I was going to do it. I could feel the blood rushing into my head. My ears started to turn red and I felt the slightest hint of blush in my cheeks. This was the turning point of my life and I was going to be a true hero and face it no matter what. I looked back behind me. There was always the escape, the chance to go back to camp and pretend I was alright. That nothing was different about me. That Thalia was still much like my sister as Luke had been much like my brother. Then I looked ahead. I saw promises, fear, happiness, and rejection. As soon as I crossed that road, there was no turning back. My foot twitched backwards, ready to flee if necessary. But I knew it wouldn't matter. I was going to do this anyway. I lifted up my chin and proceeded with one step forward. Realizing that there was not much left to lose, I ran up the hill, one foot following the other.