}i'm just a kid, life is a nightmare{ thalia!

[Annabeth Chase]

teach me what to do, tell me its alright

[/font][/i][/size]
return my dream back to me once again[/center]

Betrayal, death, loss and battle, surely everything at once was too much for a thirteen year old to handle? Sometimes Annabeth couldn't help but wonder if any other thirteen year old had to decide between being angry or heartbroken over the fact that her best friend, a guy she had taken to be her elder brother had betrayed her and theirs, and almost lost their lives in the process. Not to mention the time she spent under Atlas's weight, and he didn't even bat an eyelash. Her chest ached at the loss of the old Luke she knew and love, but she couldn't help but give a skeptical smile. What she wouldn't give for a simple worry of what to have for dinner, instead of wondering if she would survive to see the next sunrise. But the life of a demigod was never easy, and while Annabeth didn't harbor as much animosity to her olympian mother as she used to, she couldn't help but wish that she had been born normal.

But normalcy was something of a rarity for demigods, and even now as Annabeth unhooked the sheath for the blade from her belt, she couldn't help but stare at the weapon in her hand. Luke had given it to her, and Annabeth had never used any other weapon. She had no need to, she could defend herself perfectly well with it... until now, when she wasn't even sure if she wanted to continue using it.

Dropping it like it was poisoned on her bedside table, she exited the peaceful shelter of the Athena cabin, and headed with a single-minded determination to a cabin which only recently had been inhabited, a cabin which housed her recently returned best friend. A wry smile curved her lips upwards again as she stepped out, the sun making her blonde hair shine despite being tied up in a messy ponytail. How ironic, that now after so many years of being apart, she had Thalia back with her, and the three of them were a group again... but they've never felt more distant. Or at the very least Annabeth has never felt like she knew Luke less then now. The months spent in Atlas's captivity was horrific, and she hardly knew who the guy was. He was... bitter, angry, and the best part was that he didn't even flinch to help her, didn't even bat an eyelash when Annabeth was so clearly being tortured under the weight of the sky. What had happened to the Luke who had promised to protect? Give her a family like the one she never had?

Biting back the bitter bile that rose again, Annabeth banished the memories of watching his cold eyes and demeanour. She hadn't even been to see him since they had came back, and she wasn't even sure she ever wanted to see him. Annabeth was angry, but with that anger came confusion, and she sure as hell hoped Thalia could help her because as smart as Annabeth was, this daughter of Athena was at her wit's end.

Going up the steps, she slipped one hand in to the skinny jeans she was wearing, and the other raised to rap at the entrance to Zeus's cabin, before her voice called out. "Thals. Can I come in?"

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[Thalia Grace]

I CAN'T WIN I CAN'T REIGN I WILL NEVER WIN THIS GAME WITHOUT YOU I AM LOST I AM VAIN I
WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU I WON'T RUN I WON'T

Thalia was sixteen. Sixteen, as in child of the Big Three, and sixteen. As in, she'd been a tree, sixteen. As in, she'd lived on the streets for years, sixteen. As in, her family had been torn apart, sixteen. As in, she was way too old for her age, sixteen. But did that matter? They were in times of war. Age didn't matter when there was war. Age didn't matter when you were a demigod. Age didn't matter when you were a tree, either, or else she would be eighteen instead of sixteen. Everything was topsy turvy for her. Everything had always been topsy turvy for her. Shaken and stirred. It was bad to be tired of it, but she was. She was tired of being a demigod, tired of fighting, tired of catching up with everyone and everything just to feel like she was still behind because she spent years as a tree and was now trying to make up for lost time. It was impossible. That time was gone, sand in the wind, and really, she should move on. If she could. If she could stop living in the past. If she could get her head on straight. If it was even possible, to get her head on straight. She wondered how Annabeth could manage. Annabeth, at thirteen, who had held the sky together. Annabeth who had been on the streets right along with her. Annabeth who had dealt with Thalia leaving her, and then Luke leaving her. Annabeth, who had to be around Percy all day. If there was one thing that Thalia didn't envy the blonde for, it was that. Really, she didn't know how they made it through. Maybe it was the godly blood running through their veins - the one thing that their Olympian parents had cursed and blessed them with, all at the same time. Well, weren't they lucky.

Thalia was trying to sleep. Four. Four days she had gone without sleep. Four days was a usual amount - she'd catch cat naps here and there, if that much, and she would train and do everything she could to keep herself on her toes in that time. But now, all she wanted to do was sleep. Sleep all her troubles away. She'd come into her cabin, slammed the door behind her, thrown all her winter gear onto the coat stand haphazardly, kicked off her boots, and threw herself down on her bed. After coming off of shift with Luke, she was exhausted. She didn't want to be around him. She wanted to say all the wrong things, push all the wrong buttons, but then, at the very same time, she wanted to fix everything, try to help him, say that she was sorry, for what she was sorry for she didn't really know, but she knew she was sorry and she just wanted everything to get better. But that was simplistic, and she was anything but a child. She knew it wasn't possible. She had just started to drift off, finally, when Annabeth had come to her door. She swore in Greek, and stood up, pulling open the door, and hiding behind it so that she didn't get any of the cold wind. "Come in," she said, a little more than slightly groggy. "What's wrong, Annabeth?" She knew what was wrong, but she'd ask anyway. Better for the blonde to say it herself.

TAGGED ?! annabeth <3
WORD COUNT ?! five eighty four
MUSE ?! it's everywhereeee
NOTES ?! poor them, lmao
CREDITS ?! thanks to SPECIAL K ! of caution two point oh for the graphics. thanks to usher and david guetta for the lyrics, with their song without you.

[Annabeth Chase]

teach me what to do, tell me its alright

[/font][/i][/size]
return my dream back to me once again[/center]

The evening air blew around her, making the hairs on her bare skin stand as she shivered, and Annabeth cursed the fact that she didn't think of bringing her jacket. Not that the walk from the Athena cabin to Zeus was far, but still she didn't particularly like the cold. Tucking her hands in to her jeans, the girl tucked a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, and bit her lip as the door opened, stepping in thankfully as the warmth of a cabin enveloped her skin. For a second, her eyes took in the cabin, noting its decor (or lack of), before turning to Thalia, and wincing at her demeanour. "I disturbed you sleeping didn't I? Sorry." Annabeth apologized sheepishly, looking down at the ground. How did one broach such a subject? Oh, our best friend is a traitor, did you know? Of course you did, and you spent years as a tree for him, such a nice repayment isn't it? Annabeth wasn't dumb, she knew Thalia probably knew why she came here. But that didn't make her task any easier.

Looking up at Thalia with her gray eyes, Annabeth couldn't mistake the weariness she saw there. Obviously Annabeth wasn't the only one who had been going without sleep. The nightmares with Atlas and Kronos haunting her dreams had been beyond horrifying. More then once, she's woken her half-siblings in her cabin, and nowadays Annabeth was debating on just going without sleep altogether, seems to prove less embarassing then waking up to see the concern of her half-siblings crowding around her bunk. But Annabeth wasn't tired. If anything she felt like she was running on pure adrenaline and willpower. How long could a demigod go without sleep? She figured she was finding out right now.

"Wrong?" Annabeth echoed when Thalia asked, her tone almost skeptical, definitely filled with irony. With a harsh, forced laugh that sounded anything but amused, Annabeth looked up to Thalia, her eyes betraying the things she couldn't bring herself to say. Anger, pain, dissapointment, confusion, everything swirled in a messy whirlpool in the pair of gray irises she posessed, courtesy of her mother. She let silence settle for a minute, the two girls knowing full well exactly what was wrong.

"Everything's wrong, Thals." her voice had dropped a notch, and now it just seems to be slightly more then a whisper of despair, her held up posture earlier drooping to resemble one of hopelessness. Managing a smile though, she gave the wane excuse of a smile to Thalia. Trust Annabeth to see the bright side of things, if only for a second. "At least you're back?" At least I'm not alone in this. her unsaid words lingered in the air. And truly, Annabeth was grateful that at least Thalia wasn't a tree anymore, for she really couldn't imagine what would happen if she had to face the truth of Luke's betrayal alone. The eyes of the other campers who knew full well that Luke had been her best friend, who wondered if Annabeth would end up acting like him.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Thalia Grace]

I CAN'T WIN I CAN'T REIGN I WILL NEVER WIN THIS GAME WITHOUT YOU I AM LOST I AM VAIN I
WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU I WON'T RUN I WON'T

Thalia shook her head, grogginess disappearing quickly. "It's fine. It's not like I can't sleep some other time. Tonight or something." She probably wouldn't. She'd go another day or so, maybe even two, before she would end up crashing. Maybe Annabeth would realize what had happened and take her shift. Maybe Luke would laugh at her because he thought she was ditching. Maybe she needed to stop over thinking things and getting lost in her own thoughts, because that's all she seemed to do and it was oh so tiring to swirl in circles in your mind all day, especially when there was someone standing right in front of you that knew almost exactly what you were going through and what you were feeling except at the very same time she didn't because she hadn't felt the same way that you had a really long time ago and - this wasn't right, what she was doing to herself. No wonder she was incapable of handling anything at the moment. Or so it felt.

People say that eyes are the key to a person's soul. In that moment, Thalia could tell that maybe those philosopher people with the degrees mounted on their walls were onto something. Annabeth's eyes, two orbs the color of clouds on her favorite kind of day, had emotions flowing out of them. Emotions that were negative, deep, and emotions that Thalia could do nothing to take away. She wasn't the affectionate type, but she almost wanted to hug her. She didn't know what to do to make her feel better - Luke had always been the one to chase her nightmares away, while Thalia had been the one to had been the one to stab a monster in the eye for her - and Thalia was deeply sorry that she didn't know how to comfort her. Thalia wasn't good at comfort. Thalia was good at realism. But realism wasn't what Annabeth needed. No. That was why Annabeth was the way she was right now - she was too realistic.

Thalia moved over to her bed, plopping down and sitting cross legged on top of it, and patted the space in front of her for Annabeth to sit down, as well. She hated the fact that she was taller than the blonde, but she knew that her time for growing had pretty much ended. At 5'10, even though she was only sixteen, she knew that this would be the height that she'd be sticking with for the rest of her life. Luke was a few inches taller than her, and then there was Annabeth - Annabeth, who'd always been smaller than the two of them. The gap seemed ridiculously huge when she'd been standing, and she'd felt the need to fix it - if only temporarily. "I know." Thalia said, and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. "I don't like it, either. But there's nothing we can do, Annabeth." The daughter of Athena already knew this, just as well as the daughter of Zeus did. However, saying it out loud only made it seem ten times worse. Thalia bit down on her tongue and nodded. "We're in this together, you and me. Never forget that." Thalia bit down on her tongue once more, trying to figure out something to say. "I know that this is hard. But ... maybe things will work themselves out. Who knows?" Ever the pessimistic realist, Thalia had to force the optimism out of her mouth with a serious force. Only for Annabeth. She couldn't bear to watch the girl suffer.

TAGGED ?! annabeth~ <3
WORD COUNT ?! six seventeen
MUSE ?! i don't even know with her anymore
NOTES ?! they're heartbreaking >.<'
CREDITS ?! thanks to SPECIAL K ! of caution two point oh for the graphics. thanks to usher and david guetta for the lyrics, with their song without you.

[Annabeth Chase]

teach me what to do, tell me its alright

[/font][/i][/size]
return my dream back to me once again[/center]

Sleep, something that everyone seemed to come by with ease. It was an essential part of being human, Annabeth supposed, but it baffled her how such a simple thing could elude so many demigods sometimes. Because honestly other then the children of hypnos, the daughter of athena felt sure these demigod would've lost sleep some time or other. How could one not? As if its not enough that you had monsters consistently chase after you, your parents don't make things easier by either booting you out or giving you more stuff to deal with? Parents, Annabeth was quite sure she'd do better without the whole package, really. She can live without parental guidance, she's quite sure she has more logic and sense in her head then them sometimes.

But she's digressing. Sleep, Annabeth felt really bad for disturbing Thalia's, since she herself knew how it felt like to walk around without sufficient rest, hell she's going through it now. But really, Annabeth really couldn't sleep, and once upon a time it had been Luke who had been able to put her to sleep no matter the circumstance. Luke, ha, she almost scoffed internally. God, she had gone to Luke for everything last time. To Annabeth, Luke had been a veritable god, to hell with the olympians. Luke had been able to do anything in her eyes last time. Now she can't even think about the guy without feeling some sense of foreboding.

Looking at Thalia through her stormy dark eyes, she silently followed the elder girl, dropping down to sit at the spot indicated by Thalia on her bed. She was small, smaller then Thalia even if she was a good three years younger. Five feet flat wasn't exactly a heigh to crow about, but at this time Annabeth felt thankful for her height, thankful that for once she could feel small, be small and rely on someone else for once, rather then make all the decisions. Percy had been new, or as new as one could be after three years of fighting monsters. But Annabeth had had y ears of experience in Camp Half-Blood, plus Athena's bountiful knowledge in her head, she was bound to be called on most of the time. It tired her though, and now all she wanted to do is just let someone else take the reins.

Raising a brow at Thalia's words, the young girl bit her lip. She was right, and that was what frustrated Annabeth the most. That there was nothing they could do. Nothing but sitting there and waiting for the next big sign from those useless gods they called parents and relatives. Taking a deep breathe, Annabeth gave a hollow laugh at Thalia's last words. "Somehow I really doubt that. Things are never simple around here, are they?" Annabeth replied. Things working themselves out would be akin to a miracle around them, but then again, no one ever said being a demigod was easy. Amazing how a thirteen year old could be so pessimistic about life, really. Picking at Thalia's bd sheet for a while, Annabeth finall asked in a small, almost chidllike voice. "Could I bunk in your cabin for the night?" At the very least, Thalia would get it when she started awake in the middle of the night, stormy eyes wide with terror. And she wouldn't ask questions. Next to Luke, Thalia was probably the one who understood most how Annabeth liked to be treated.

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[Thalia Grace]

I CAN'T WIN I CAN'T REIGN I WILL NEVER WIN THIS GAME WITHOUT YOU I AM LOST I AM VAIN I
WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU I WON'T RUN I WON'T

Thalia had never envied the children of Hypnos. They were so dependant on sleep. If they didn't sleep, they couldn't function. But they seemed to enjoy it so much, that she doubted that that would rarely, if ever, be a problem for them. She looked between her and Annabeth, and at their sleeplessness. She couldn't believe that there was one set of godly children that were guaranteed sleep, and then the rest of them had to deal with insomnia and their dreams and their ADHD and everything else that kept them up at night. She thought it was unfair - the least Hypnos could do was ensure that they got a good night's rest every few days. But the gods were unforgiving, and they didn't care much about their children, much less for anyone else. The gods did what they wanted, when they wanted, and that was that. Anyone that disagreed or had a problem with it was smited, killed, or completely ignored. It was a system that worked for them, she guessed, for it had been in place since the time of Ancient Greece, and that was a really long time ago, according to Annabeth and her vast knowledge.

Thalia didn't have the years of experience in Camp Half-Blood that Annabeth did. Thalia had much more experience in real life. Surviving on the streets, common sense, that was her forte. Annabeth was good with good knowledge, fighting technique, and history. They were completely different in what they knew, but that was a good thing. Together, they filled in the gaps that the other held. And then when Luke had been with them as well, they had been unbeatable. They had been unstoppable. Luke was the planner, Annabeth was the knowledge, and Thalia was the brawn. Together, they made a golden trio that had caused them to survive on the streets, that had saved them from three miserable, cold, and lonely deaths. She wasn't sure that, had she not met Luke, and later Annabeth, she wouldn't have survived. A daughter of Zeus, with no backup, with no experience in stealing what she needed, on the streets, alone? That wouldn't have worked. No matter how much Zeus wanted to do, if he had wanted to do anything at all, he wouldn't have been able to save her. Instead of becoming a tree on Half-Blood Hill, she would've been dead in an alley somewhere, and she would've only lived a miserable life instead of enjoying the good times that she'd had. She knew that Annabeth, deep down, probably felt the same. Maybe Luke did, too.

"No, they're not." Thalia said simply. It was as if they had switched roles. Annabeth was usually the one that pulled Thalia out of her dark hole, temporarily rid her of her pessimistic attitude, and made her view the world with a little more light. But the daughter of Athena couldn't handle the betrayal, just like "Things could change. Don't worry," she said, and she sounded confident enough to her own ears to satisfy her. But the word change brought thoughts of Luke's position, what side he was on, and how they were enemies now. Yes, things could change. For the better, yes, it was possible - but really, it was easier for things to get worse than it was for them to get better. When the blonde asked if she could bunk with Thalia, she nodded. "You can stay in here for as long as you like. You know you're always welcome," she said. She dared Zeus to disagree. She dared him to make the sky rumble. She was probably going to be the child of the great prophecy - he really had no room to tell her no, not right now, with Kronos on the rise. When there was no thunder clapping, she looked to Annabeth and raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, I don't even need to fight Dad on this one. Welcome to Cabin One," she said with a rather sly smirk on her face.

TAGGED ?! annabeth! <3
WORD COUNT ?! six eighty eight
MUSE ?! ... yeahhh i don't know where she is or what she's doing. whatsoever.
NOTES ?! all thals wants to do is snuggle her tight and schtuff >.<'
CREDITS ?! thanks to SPECIAL K ! of caution two point oh for the graphics. thanks to usher and david guetta for the lyrics, with their song without you.