A/N: Hey Y'all, my name is Champion and this a new Fic. Gasp, I'm alive? Yes, my faithful and strange readers (you for some reason read what I write) I am still kicking. And yes, the next SOTA chapter will be out soon. I had been wanting to write a Thalia centered Fic and Struck By Lightning by Vontar (Great Perlia Fic. Very realistic and well written. Check it out.) pushed me to do it. This is the result.

I listened to Green Day while writing this because... Thalia. Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Still Breathing specifically. It seems to have worked. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I, Champion Of The Hearth, do not own Percy Jackson and The Olympians or Heroes Of Olympus. They are the property of Rick Riordan, Disney Hyperion, and other involved parties. I do not own iPod, iPad, iPhone or other related material. They are the property of Apple. I also do not own any other copyrighted or trademarked material mentioned in this work of fanfiction. They are the property of their respective owners.

Mouthful, wasn't it?

Beta: StormCyclone21 did the initial grammar editing.

Beta: CrystalHeartZyx: is responsible for the wonderful description, better grammar, and making this closer to what I imagined.

Those beautiful green eyes that had once held both the joy of life as well as it's sorrows, they now looked to me, lifeless. The haunting image faded until only the screams of my sisters remained, along with Orion's taunting, evil, laugh, ringing out within the endless darkness.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced my chest. I tried desperately to scream, but nothing came out, the laughter simply growing louder.

I sprang up from my sleep with a jolt, sweat coating my skin, panting hard as my heart raged within my chest, and my body shivering from something far worse than the cold.

I've had this nightmare countless times before. Each time Orion's taunting laugh grows louder. Each time I gaze into those green eyes longer.

I looked around in my tent. Nothing seemed different, even though so much was.

I sat up and got a drink of water from my canteen, my head clearing as the cool air swept over my damp skin.

"I can't do this anymore," I muttered to the empty air, as if saying it aloud made my thoughts real.

I needed a break. I needed to go somewhere different, somewhere I could act like the teenager I never got to be. Where, for at least a little while, I could at least pretend to be normal, as normal as I could, anyway.

I had to make a decision. Would I leave and try to find this place? Or would I stay, try to act tough and, slowly but surely, lose my mind?

I sat in silence, pondering this question. It felt like hours passed by as I got lost in thought, my mind endlessly wandering in circles, although I was sure only a few minutes at most had occurred.

The image of the arrow in my chest flashed before my eyes once more, the horrid laughter echoing in my head.

I made my decision.

Getting up from my cot and grabbing my duffle bag, I packed all my important belongings: my iPod, extra clothes, extra arrows, knives, some mortal money, and a few drachmas. I was running through my mental checklist when I caught a glimpse of my old punk outfit, the clothes I had been wearing when I joined the hunt.

I stared at the clothes as memories flooded through my mind. It would be the first step to my delusion of normality, I supposed.

I laid the clothes and the pack on my cot, before then to writing a couple of notes.

The first note was to the hunter who would find me missing, telling them to not search for me, that I would be fine, and to spread the word to not tell Lady Artemis of my absence unless directly questioned. That was an order. If the Lady did ask, they were to pass on the letter I addressed to her.

The second note was the one to Lady Artemis herself. It was a simple letter, stating that I would remain her lieutenant if she so desired, but that I needed time to myself, for my own personal reasons.

With those complete, I laid them on my cot in plain sight to be found once I had departed, and I grabbed my things, stepping toward the flap of my tent.

Pausing, I couldn't help but mutter, "I hope I won't regret this."

With that I stepped out of my tent and quietly headed in the direction of the river. I had to get the sweat off me, and I figured a quick wash might do me some good.

The river was a good ten-minute hike from camp. The air was cool outside, the fall temperature settling in along with the fact that the sun had yet to rise. The waxing moon shone down, almost full, allowing light for me to see my way. It made for a pleasant walk, almost enough to allow me to forget, if even for a second, the pain that constantly tormented me.

Almost.

When I reached the river, I stripped off my night clothes, the cool breeze forming goose bumps along my skin. I stared at the river and mentally prepared myself for what was to be very cold water. Just because I had done this many times before, didn't make it any easier. At best, I could prepare myself for the cold and tell myself I would get used to it, or that I'd be out sooner, the faster I finished.

I jumped in quickly before I could hesitate, like ripping off a bandage. It was quick, but Hades it was cold. If there was any part of me that was still asleep, it was awake now.

As quickly as I could, I scrubbed myself down, washing my hair and face. When I got out, the cold air made the icy feeling even worse.

I quickly dried myself and put on my punk clothes. Immediately, I felt more like my old self, before the tree. I tried to fix my hair as best I could from memory. Gods knew how it looked.

I was about to grab my pack when I realized something was missing. I frowned and looked around, hoping I wouldn't have to go back to the camp. I finally reached in my jacket pocket and smiled as I pulled out my missing fingerless gloves, slipping them on before grabbing my pack.

I took a deep breath, beginning what I knew was going to be a long trip.

-Ω-

The transition from the Lieutenant of Artemis to runaway daughter of Zeus was not very hard. I had been on the run for most of my life, after all, and the experience I had gained from being a hunter certainly helped as well. I didn't jump at every sound any more - of course, two wars can do that to you.

My plan, while simple, admittedly wasn't very good: go to the nearest bus, train, or taxi and manipulate the mist to get me a ride. The idea was to be on my way quickly, but my luck was only slightly better than my cousin's, which was not saying a lot. Things were never simple for demigods. In any case, a plan was a plan, and with nothing else to go on, I made my way forward.

The last time I had spoken to Annabeth, she had said that she and Percy were attending the University at Camp Jupiter. I still couldn't fathom how that kelp-head had gotten in, but I guessed Annabeth made him snap to. And maybe years of fighting monsters, Titans, Giants, and sometimes even the gods made a little studying and the prospect of school actually seem appealing.

It was great for them, but also a good thing for me, because the hunt was in the Pacific Northwest. It would be easier to get to Frisco than Manhattan from here, and it also gave me an excuse to see my little brother and tease him mercilessly.

I smiled at the thought, and walked a little faster.

-Ω-

The forest slowly merged into civilization. The trees gave way to homes, then the homes gave way to businesses. The town was small, but very busy. The streets were full, even this early in the morning. I asked an old lady outside a coffee shop if there was a bus or train station in town, and she gave me directions to the train depot on the other side of town.

30 minutes later I arrived at what seemed to be an ancient train station. The cashier looked hard at my clothes and greeted me. "Good morning. Where are you headed to day?" She asked.

I smiled at her. "Good morning, I need a ticket for the first thing headed to San Francisco. Best seat you have."

"Sure." She typed it up. "Long way from here. Business or pleasure?"

"I'm going to see family," I told her.

She nodded. "I hope you have a good time. That will be…" I mentally snapped the Mist into action, and she paused as it took affect, her vision and mind becoming clouded and malleable.

"I already paid you. I let you keep the change," I said to her.

Her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment, before she blinked back to attention. "Oh, uh, what was I saying?"

"You were going to give me my ticket," I prompted, hoping her mind was weak enough to fall for it.

"Right," She muttered as she slipped my ticket through the glass. "I'm sorry, I must have zoned out. Your train departs at 9:40 this morning."

I smiled. "It's fine, happens to the best of us. Have a nice day."

One step closer to my well-deserved break. As I passed, I glanced at a clock. One hour and I would be on my way.

At just the thought, I smiled wider than I had in a long time.

A/N: Thanks, if you made it this far. Seriously though, if you want a good Perlia Fic go check out Struck By Lightning and leave Vontar a review. After you Read and Review this of course.