JAWBREAKER

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚

Sally ended up driving everyone to Maine on the Friday before winter break. Kendra had offered to carpool, but unfortunately she'd gotten caught up with work, and an eight hour demi-god road trip wasn't in the cards. Warren didn't mind though, she enjoyed spending time with Sally. Especially when the woman was nervous, because she started babbling like there was no tomorrow.

Percy sat shotgun, and Annabeth, Warren, and Thalia filled up the backseat. They'd picked up the other two girls from their boarding school in Brooklyn that morning. Sleet pounded down on the windshield as they cruised along the highway. Everyone else seemed too anxious to talk, but Warren grinned at Sally in the rear-view.

"Wait," she laughed, "Percy was in diapers until he was how old?"

The boy groaned loudly and sunk down in his seat, covering his face with his hands.

By the time they arrived at Westover Hall, the boarding school where Grover had asked them to meet, the sky was nearly dark.

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 huge set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff that overlooked a frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" Sally asked.

"No, thanks, Mom," Percy said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."

"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."

"It's okay, Sally," Warren said reassuringly. Her black eyes were the same color as the storm clouds. "I'll keep him safe."

Percy's mom seemed to relax a little. She knew that Warren was loyal to a fault and would never let anything happen to her son if she could help it.

"And I'll keep them out of trouble," Annabeth added with a laugh. Sally giggled too, it was obvious that the blonde was the most level-headed of the bunch.

"All right, dears," Sally said. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."

"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"

"Mom—"

"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"

"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."

Warren sent the woman an apologetic smile, then followed Percy and the others out of the car. She tucked her dark hair up into a beanie and wrapped her coat more securely around her shoulders. Even though she didn't get cold like she used to, the wind was severe and fraught with ice crystals.