Goodnight Moon ↣ P. Jackson + A. Chase

2.04

Limp, Kassandra fell against the one who held her, slumping down as her visions blurred with angry tears of despair, a numbness buzzing through her as panted -- her head fuzzy as the sounds around her blurred in and out of focus, fading around her as all she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears and the echoes of her shrill scream of an explosion.

She couldn't see the water below through the mist of the sea spray and the snow, but she knew it was there. Hoping to hear them hit the water was as pointless a pursuit as trying to search the waves for the blonde.

Ravens burst above her, scattering in the air as they flew away. She watched them blindly, uncaring of where they went.

"Mortals are not allowed to witness my hunt."

She winced, curling inward as she clenched her jaw. One of the Hunter's had grabbed her around the middle, had dragged her back to prevent her from throwing herself off the cliff alongside Annabeth.

"Better me than you."

No, never, the thought itself appalling. She couldn't understand why she had been shown this so long ago, had been given this warning. It was as if she was destined to watch Annabeth take the burden instead of herself, as if she was being protected from a danger that she couldn't fight, couldn't see.

And it made her so angry, so furiously angry that she wanted to scream and lash at the girl holding her -- a girl that likely knew her already based on how gently she was being held.

(When she was nine, she had been helplessly lost in the woods when she heard the first sound of the hunting call. She had been separated from Oriana, Travis, Connor and Cleavus for a few days, and while she wanted to believe that they would still come to search her out, she couldn't quite hold out hope when she had gone back the way that she came, had run the wrong way.

The call of the horn had made her heart thump wildly, had made her crawl under thick undergrowth until she was certain couldn't be seen.

The girls that came running past her hiding spot had her gasping in awed surprise. They were magnificent, wonderous as they moved so gracefully and united.

Then Kassandra had been grabbed by the back of her dirty shirt and come face to face with Lady Artemis for the first time.)

She had only been with the Hunters a week, but that had been long enough for her to become enchanted at the thought -- and she would have joined them then if it hadn't been for a misguided desire to meet her godly parent.)

"Annabeth!' Percy's scream rings through the muffled thump in her ears. "You have to let us save her."

Waves of fire crashed through her once more and she clenched her eyes shut, dropping her head as she drew in a sharp breath.

She drew herself together, letting the anger fuel her, and tapped against the arms that held her. She placed her feet beneath herself, standing away from the edge of the cliff with heavy stomps in the snow.

The hunter was still at her back, moving behind her as if she would need to be restrained again.

(She might be if the girl didn't get off her back. She wasn't stupid enough to just launch herself off the cliff... probably.)

She looked around, eye flitting over the scene with a hand still at her arm. Percy was being held down still; Thalia and Zoe were sizing each other up. The siblings were beyond confused and Grover looked seconds was from grovelling at the feet of the goddess.

Kassandra looked to the younger girl with auburn hair and silver moonbeam eyes. "Aunty," she greets in a hoarse voice, throat burning.

She gifted a small twitch of the lips. "Kassie."