Silence.

A silence filled the smoke-shrouded sky, fire looming all around, fire that stood tall and mighty and triumphant. A single black crow hung above the sky, crying out,voicing all the sorrow and rage that filled everyone's chests. Soft crying could be heard, but that soft crying grew, grew, as the demigods fell to their knees in the bloody ground, dirt clinging to their bodies, crying that soon turned to horrific, heart wrenching sobs.

But there was one demigod, who stood and watched, watched the scene before her with wide eyes, eyes that sparkled threateningly with tears. She wiped them, sniffing a bit, as she then turned her gaze and looked down to see blood, red, sticky blood that began to stain her hand.

A scream rang through the air, everyone jumping at the sound. Thalia's trained eyes scanned the land for the source of the sound.

And then she saw it.

Three demigods were holding a blood covered Piper back, and Frank had Hazel to his chest, away from whatever they had found, burying his face in her curls, both bodies shaking with sobs. Leo was on his knees, his head in his hands as he sunk to the ground. Jason had already fallen, his knees buckling.Thalia's expression hardened and she felt her body tense up when a tear dripped from Jason's eye, down his cheek and onto the blood splattered ground.

Thalia's body began to move, but not willingly. No, she wanted to run from this death painted place, and she didn't want to know what her friends had found. But what she didn't do was brace herself for the scene before her.

Two bodies lay on the ground, half hidden in dirt.

One had their arms thrown around the other, as if trying to protect them.

At first glance, Thalia had no idea who it was. Soot and ash had coated them by now and Thalia noticed that the usual rise and fall of their chests weren't there, instead there was no motion whatsoever.

She brought her gaze to their faces.

Black hair, as black as the night.

Blonde hair, that had been showered in dirt, making it seem brown.

Thalia fell to her knees in realisation, beside Jason, who then flung his arms around her.

Tears brimmed her eyes, but she swallowed them back, clenching her fists so hard that she feel her heart beating rapidly in her fingertips. She notices later that her nails had split her palms and blood ran fresh and freely down her fingers.

She buried her face in Jason's hair,taking deep breaths to steady her tears, and the scream of heartbreak that was desperate, so desperate to escape.

Her friends were dead.

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were dead.

And no one noticed the dark haired boy with his head in hands, half buried in the muck beside them, soft sobs wracking his body.

-

"Thalia."

Thalia kept her gaze on the ground, as a bottle of water was placed before her.

She didn't even acknowledge the son of Hades who sat beside her in front of the Zeus Cabin. She didn't even notice his red, puffy cheeks. She didn't even notice the slight shake of his shoulders as his hair fell in his eyes, a tear trailing down his cheek.

Then, he broke the silence with something that made the adrenaline finally run through Thalia's veins.

"I-I'm sorry."

The huntress shot up, gripping the boy's shirt in an iron grip. Her eyes flashed lightning blue, and thunder crackled in the distance.

Nico just looked at her, sorrow shielding his eyes.

But the sorrow and pity that lay in them weren't for her.

They were for their fallen friends.

"I loved Percy and Annabeth." Nico murmured, dropping his head to stare at the ground. Thalia's rage filled eyes widened, her grip on his shirt collar loosening slightly. Nico took a deep breath. "I was just a kid, who was scared and had no idea of who I was any more. But then Percy was there, taking actual interest in me. He bothered to care for me, to protect me and my sister at all costs. But then Bianca left and Percy began to have a bigger interest in Annabeth. I felt lost and forgotten. But the reality of it all was that I wasn't really. Because then he was there again-"

Suddenly a sob wracked his body, and Thalia let her grip on him go.

Nico stood up, wiping his tears,and,much to Thalia's surprise, gave her a smile.

A genuine one. 

One that rang in her ears, her mind, and seemed that the Gods had personally set light upon his face at this moment, at this time.

Thalia felt something snap, snap so loud in her mind that she suddenly felt her knees go weak and her vision became dizzy. She felt herself fall, struggling to keep a straight face and keep herself up right. But she failed, and she braced herself to hit the cold ground.

But instead she felt strong arms around her, and she looked up to see a blurred Nico, a small smile on his face. "It's okay, Thalia." He said softly, and she finally broke.

Tears welled up in her eyes again, for the third time that day, but this time instead of keeping them shut in, she let them go, trailing in shining silvery lines down her face with sorrow and anguish.

Nico sunk to ground, Thalia held close to him, as thunder began to rumble and a light drizzle fell over them, lightning lighting up the sky.

Thalia's tears fell, one after the other, and Nico eventually joined in too, burying his face in Thalia's raven black hair, nearly choking on his sobs.

Thalia didn't wrap her arms around him back, instead, she clutched his shirt in a fist and wrapped her free arm round his neck, noticing, in one of the strangest times, at just how warm Nico was.

She heard him inhale deeply, as if calming himself, and she noticed the sobbing stopped.

But Thalia, no matter how hard she tried, could not get those dreaded tears to stop. They ran freely down her face, Nico's shirt soaking them up and getting ruined in the process, but he didn't seem to care. Instead, he held her tighter,burying his face further into the girl's hair, and despite the tears and the despair that wafted around her, she could feel Nico's heartbeat, she could feel Nico's tears that seeped through her hair,she feel the anger and sadness in him, deep within the broken remnants of his heart.

Slowly,the tears began to stop, drain away as if nothing had happened, and so did Thalia's anger.

It ran from her heart, as if something had loomed behind it mighty and tall,it's shadow casting a fierce aroma, so fierce that the anger had simply ran away, out of Thalia's world, the new hero in it's place.

But,as she lifted her head up at the dark haired boy, arms still wrapped protectively around her, their eyes locking, black onto blue, Thalia had a question that loomed over her shoulder.

What was this hero?

-

Piper had to swallow her sob as she found Thalia wrapped in Nico's embrace outside the Zeus Cabin the next morning.

Thalia's eyes were red, swollen, probably from crying so much; Nico's likely to be identical. Nico's back rested against the side of the cabin, his face buried in Thalia's greasy hair, his arms firmly locked around Thalia's surprisingly smaller body. Thalia had a grip on Nico shirt, tight, as if silently saying, "Don't go, Nico. I'll die here on the spot if you do" and her face was resting against his chest.

Piper couldn't help but bring a small smile to her face, her eyes watering slightly as she crept over to the two, lightly shaking Thalia's shoulder.

"Thalia," she said softly, giving her shoulder a slight squeeze. Thalia murmured,stirring slightly in her sleep. Piper watched as she opened her usual dazzling blue eyes, but they didn't dazzle as she stared at the the chest in front of her. Oh Gods, Piper thought to herself with a mental gasp. She's broken. She really is broken.

Thalia slowly lifted her head at the sleeping boy's face, who hadn't moved in the slightest, and at that moment, Piper saw it.

A smile played on Thalia's lips as she stared with a soft gaze, a gaze she had never seen the daughter of Zeus show, and her eyes began to glow, just they did before, but maybe even with a slight glimmer in them, like something was different.

Thalia obviously hadn't noticed Piper, who by now had stepped back a bit, as she lifted her hand that gripped Nico's shirt up to his face, gently swiping her fingers over his lips, and then slowly sweeping the few strands of hair that had strayed from the others, tucking them behind his ear.

Piper, realising what she had just witnessed, stepped back once more to give them space.

But, just like in those Gods dammed cliché movies, her foot stumbled on twig, the daughter of Aphrodite instinctively flinching at the horrible cracking sound it made under her, it's sound echoing in Piper's mind.

Without realising it, Piper braced herself to get shot down by lightning, or have a personal rain cloud follow her around all day. But, neither of these things happened, in fact, Piper realised as she opened her eyes, what happened was just the exact opposite.

Thalia looked at Piper for a second, her piercing gaze seeing right through to her soul and beyond. Then her head turned, burying herself-no snuggling-into Nico, who had now began to stir, his legs twitching in the feeling of not being used.

His eyes fluttered open, the black bags under his eyes even more prominent in the daylight. But his gaze immediately flew to Thalia, his dark eyes softening, just as Thalia's had.

Thalia must've felt Nico's arms move slightly below her, as she looked up at the boy once again, this time her eyes locking onto Nico's. They both smile, loving smiles lit up their faces in the dark.

The air around began to shift, change; Piper could feel it. It got bigger and bigger, words describing it floating around her mind. Longing, need, trust, love.

Piper decided to scurry out of there, as the two leaned in closer and closer, a grin shining in her features as she decided not invade on their privacy.

And as Nico and Thalia's lips met, whispering reassuringly to each other through the light presses of lips, Thalia realised. That feeling, that thing that had towered over the anger, made it run in fear, was in fact what she was feeling right now.

LOVE.

I know, I know, cliché, but I couldn't help myself guys! Hope yas like it as always! Lazel next, I'll see how I'll go. :)