Goodnight Moon ↣ P. Jackson + A. Chase

2.02

It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine, and though Kassandra could claim that she dearly enjoyed a good car ride at times, this wasn't it. 

Antsy as the storm that whipped outside, her limbs thrumming with the irrefutable desire to move, she had resorted to bouncing her leg over and over -- incessant and only gracefully unacknowledged because Annabeth was too kind to mention it even if she was sort of uncomfortable in the middle seat. The girl herself was itching with the desire to move, so it made perfect sense why she wasn't liable to say anything.

They took turns switching seats, brief moments where they would up and rotate, and by the time they were getting close to the military-style boarding school, not one of the half-bloods were able to speak a word from the nerved that flooded them -- sparking through Kassandra's veins like Zeus' electric bolts, shattering through her senses to leave her mouth dry and fingers aching for a weapon to press to the palm of her hand. 

When she had first seen the pair, climbing out of that familiar strawberry delivery truck, it was like her heart had nearly leapt out of her throat, like her instincts tensed her up, coiled her into a knot, and set her to spring out at the rush of adrenaline that screamed at her to crush them into her arms. 

It had been only a month since she had last seen Annabeth, but it was like missing a limb, like she had been stripped of something vital after having spent so much time with her during the summer. Never had she felt so sad before leaving camp, even though she cried every year and spent her final days clinging to her siblings and friends (Clarisse always tried to shove her away, but she was always permitting nonetheless, always softer when the summer came to a close). 

And then she had been permitted to meet Thalia, daughter of Zeus, and it was like she was truly struck by the might of Apollo's bow because it had left her gasping and run through with the desire to get to know her more and more. It was like seeing Oriana all over again but not, because they were so different yet so strong and commanding. Having Thalia around was like having that cool older friend that would give you crap advice but  

(And how she missed Oriana, the girl that was her sister, friend, and saviour. The girl that had cared for her that month when she was scared and confused and oh so desperate, that has taught her the basics that she needed to survive. 

The girl that had gone on her last quest and won but never returned home -- taken away on the return trip home in a wicked twist of fate.) 

She hadn't seen either of them in so long -- hadn't even spoken to Thalia since last summer -- but none of them could bring themselves to say anything more than simple greetings at first and basic pleasantries to catch up quickly when they started on their long drive. 

Snow swirled around the car, whipping against the window in a blizzard, and Kassandra was pleased that she had the good sense to braid her hair before they left so she didn't need to worry about it whipping so much into her face. 

Glancing at the other demigods, she wondered if they had dressed warm enough so the weather. They would likely be skipping out into the snow at one point or another, and while she didn't get cold, she brought extra winter gear just in case. 

It was getting dark by the time they arrived, Sally having told them far too many embarrassing stories of Percy to pass the time with her nerves. 

Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."

Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.