51 I like you the most

"<Get up,>" said Thalia in a serious tone. "<You can't let them see weakness, they're your enemies, remember?>"

My eyes opened and I felt something trailing down my cheeks. "I was cr-?" I began to ask, however Thalia appeared right next to me and shushed me.

"<Don't say it aloud, Chris,>" she replied. "<You are in the Aphrodite cabin, and you can't let them see you shed tears.>"

My eyebrows furrowed slightly in concentration. 'But I don't remember crying,' I thought to myself. 'I never cry.'

"<Right now, wether you were crying or not doesn't matter,>" said Thalia. "<This are the children of one of the 'gods' that broke you, so they are enemies. How many times must I tell you that, huh Chris?>"

I was about to reply when I heard something move at my side. My hands moved quickly to my cheeks and dried the spots were water was resting.

"Oh hey Chris," said...

"<Silena,>" said Thalia with a sigh. "<The girl who usually hovers around you like a lost puppy or something. Must be a spy trying to get information now that I think about it...>" continued Thalia, her tone turning thoughtful while her expression grew suspicious and her eyes narrowed.

'That... makes sense?' I wondered. Thalia usually knows better, so if she says so then-

"I was coming to wake you up. We are going to have breakfast, are you coming?" she asked me, though I knew she was simply telling me to get dressed.

I nodded at her words and got out of the bunker I was resting at. Thalia always says that I should eat a lot to get stronger as fast as possible.

"Great!" she exclaimed with a warm and excited smile.

I don't like it.

"Now leave your bed prim and proper and follow me. Most of us are ready, so you might not have to wait too long to use the bathroom..." she said, stopping mid-sentence. "Though Katherine is probably in there, and you know how she gets about putting make-up on you... sigh, I want to see what she will add today, but we also don't have much time..." she muttered, weighing her options as if they were a matter of life or death.

Apparently people like dressing me up and painting my face.

It's dumb.

It reminds me of someone, but trying hard to picture however it was makes my head hurt, so Thalia always tells me to stop.

It's not like it was someone important, I think.

"<That's right,>" whispered Thalia. "<I am here, and no one other than us matters, isn't that right?>"

'Hmm, that's right... but I like Annabeth,' I thought, thinking about Thalia's statement. 'And Luke.'

A frown appeared on Thalia's face. "<They will leave you too, don't you get it?>" she asked, her voice rising.

I shook my head.

They hadn't left me yet. Everyone else has, all except Thalia, Annabeth and Luke, so I like them.

I saw the muscles on Thalia's jaw tighten as she clenched her teeth. "<Urgh, don't you see that I am looking after you? It is only me!>" she said loudly, almost screaming. "<They don't understand, and they don't care either! Annabeth has gone and made herself popular in her own cabin after being claimed by that useless bitch of a mother she has and forgotten all about us, all about you! Even tough it was us that saved her! It was us that raised her! We picked her up from an alley, where she would have frozen alone! We are the ones that got hurt to keep the monsters from making her bleed! We are the ones covered in scars so that her skin was left nice and smooth! We turned her from a street rat into our little sister, and she abandoned us!>"

But she visits me.

She always comes back.

"<She wouldn't need to come back if she didn't leave in the first place!>" continued Thalia. "<And don't even get me started on that Luke! He has gone and turned himself into the little star of the camp who goes around doing anything those idiots that call themselves directors tell him to do, even though it was those very asshole that left me to die! They left us to die Christina, don't you get it?!>"

But he always come back to me.

"<Luke went and became a good little dog for the bastards that made us suffer!>" screamed Thalia, positively livid as rage consumed her. "<Anabeth went and made herself an obedient little worshiper for the whore that abandoned her! THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US!

He brings movies and sweets, even though I don't like either of them, because he thinks I will enjoy them. And Annabeth... I think she is... trying to fit in? Or something like that? I don't get it, but they both always come back, even if they are confusing...

"<See? They doesn't understand you...>" said Thalia, softening her tone and getting closer to me. "<I am just trying to protect you Chris, don't you see? I know what is best, because I understand you more than even yourself->"

Thalia was cut off by the sound of the door of the cabin opening and an angry discussion beginning.

"It is always the same!" said a familiar voice loudly. "She isn't one of yours, if anything she would be a daughter of my Mother, she clearly has too much brains for this cabin!"

"Huh?!" came the indígnate sound of another girl. "It is you who should stop dragging her out of our cabin, because she is clearly OUR Mother's daughter. She is too pretty to be one of your siblings, so why don't you go do something about that unruly hair of yours and stop bothering us, huh Annabeth?"

I walked outside after cleaning by bunker and found myself staring at Annabeth and...

"<Sigh, that is Katherine.>" commented Thalia, trying not to show her displeasure at having our conversation interrupted or having to tell me who everyone's name is.

"There you are, Chris!" said Annabeth, a smile growing on her face as soon as she saw me, though it was quickly replaced by a pout and a frown. "How many times do you need to be told that you can't go sleeping around in other cabins? It is very important, the Gods might be offended and, while you have been lucky so far, there is no need to break the rules! Besides, Luke gets worried when he doesn't see you at his cabin. I know that the Hermes cabin can be a bit overcrowded and you don't really like being around so many people, but if you get too tired or too annoyed by them you can come to mine! I would have to offer more to mother as an apology, but I am sure she would understand!"

"<Look at her,>" said Thalia with an ugly expression. "<She gets recognised by some bitch that left her for dead and all of a sudden she becomes a little dog, performing tricks and everything. She even goes and gives food that the whore won't even spare a glance too. Disgusting.>"

I felt my eyebrows form a frown.

"Don't say that," I muttered. "She is nice, and I like her."

The expression on Annabeth's face fell for a moment. "Who, this girl?" she asked, pointing her finger at the girl whose name I forgot, who was currently sporting a small blush. "It's not like I was insulting her Chris, I'm just saying that you would be better with Luke or me, right?"

"<Sigh, and now I have to solve it so they don't think you are crazy...>" muttered Thalia while complaining. "<Just say thanks, and that you like her and Luke the best or something like that, but you also enjoy being here sometimes.>"commented Thalia with an annoyed expression. She clearly didn't want me to say that. I didn't like seeing Thalia annoyed like that, and she was trying to help me even though she didn't enjoy it...

"Sorry you had to say that," I replied to Thalia. "You know I like you the best."

As soon as I said that I found myself wrapped around Annabeth's hug. "Hmph, wouldn't hurt to say it once in a while..." she muttered with a very happy expression. "But I like y-you the most too, okay?"

It feels warm.

I don't like it.

"<Don't worry, my dear Chris...>" whispered Thalia, wrapping her arms around my waist form behind me and placing her chin on my shoulder, our cheeks resting against each other. "<I know you were talking to me, and I like you the most as well.>"

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Author note:

Last week of work. I'll spend a couple of days traveling afterwards, but by next week I should have at least a decent update schedule, and begin releasing chapters to all my stories.