Daughter-OfAres: Hey! So I just dug this up on my computer from about two years ago. Gods, this writing is almost foreign to me. But I decided to post it cause the world needs more Thalabeth. Enjoy!

"Hey, Thalia! Check out the new kid."

"Yeah? What about her?" Thalia didn't need to turn around to know that it was one of her friends – Hazel – who had spoken. Nor did she need to glance around to find who she was talking about.

The bell had just rung for lunch and Thalia - along with the rest of the class - were inside either eating, chatting to their friends or completing unfinished homework. Earlier that morning, their teacher - Chiron - had introduced the new exchange student, Annabeth Chase, to the class.

Her grey eyes had raked over the class before looking down at the floor, her blonde hair framing her pale face.

Behind her, Thalia heard Hazel sigh softly. "Luke's picking on her."

Luke Castellan was the shortest, most annoying person in possibly the whole school, as well as Thalia's arch-enemy with blonde hair, blue eyes and a freckled, tanned complexion and was always picking on kids younger or more vulnerable than him.

Growling, Thalia glanced across the room to where Annabeth was seated, surrounded by Luke and his cronies, Jason Grace (Thalia's brother), Ethan Nakamura and Octavian. No one really knew Octavian's surname. A lot of people were betting that he didn't know it himself.

Straining her ears, Thalia managed to overhear what the five were 'discussing'.

"So, Chase. How 'bout we tell you how it works 'round here?" Octavian suggested.

Annabeth shrugged as Luke smirked, "The name's Luke, Chase, and we run things around here. So either you're with us, or not. And those who aren't don't usually have long to regret it."

"Um... could you, um... please just... go away?" Annabeth mumbled, staring at her desk.

By now, the entire room had become silent, everyone staring at Luke, who had his hands clenched. "What. Was. That?"

"Um..." Annabeth seemed at loss for an answer, beginning to feel threatened by the way Octavian and Ethan were moving closer to her, glares on their faces. Jason stayed out of it.

"She said to leave her alone." Everyone looked across at Thalia, who had slammed her bottle of water onto the table, her eyes closed. "So why don't you pick on someone your own size."

Luke growled, blushing a dark shade of maroon as he took a step towards Thalia. His size was a sensitive topic for him. "Make me, Grace."

Thalia growled again, opening her eyes and glaring at Jamie, her lightning blue eyes burning through his. Her black bangs whipped her cheek as she stood up abruptly, her pale complexion making it all the more startling. "Maybe we should finish what we started at kendo, Castellan. Or do you accept how it was going to end?"

Luke growled, his blush deepening even further. A few days previous, the two rivals had been paired up at kendo class for a fight, but things had gotten a little... out of hand. Luke had been about to be knocked out of the ring when their sensei had ordered them to cease the fight, but Luke refused to believe that he would have lost.

"Maybe we should!"

Both were still for a moment before moving to lunge at each other, but before they could, Jason grabbed Luke's shoulder, restraining him, while Hazel and Piper kept a tight hold of Thalia's arms until Mr. D entered the room a minute later, giving the two a reason to sit - and Luke a reason to leave Annabeth alone.

Thalia frowned down at her book, trying to concentrate, until a note was slipped in front of the maths equation. Glancing up, she saw Annabeth blush a faint tinge of salmon before she opened the note, revealing what she had quickly scrawled on the piece of paper.

Thanks. I really appreciate what you did there. Want to hang out later?

She grinned and glanced up again, finally meeting Annabeth's eyes as she mouthed, 'Sure', causing her to blush even further. And so, any thoughts on Luke were locked away in the furthest corner of her mind as Thalia tried to concentrate on the lesson... and on figuring out why she felt so happy about hanging out with Annabeth later.