undoing [percy jackson]

iv. pride, plans, and prejudices

CASSANDRA

Cass barely ate anything at breakfast.

She didn't have much of an appetite. She was too nervous about going to the archery range with her siblings. She knew she was supposed to be really good at archery — she had her own fancy bow and quiver she supposedly got from her mom as an eleventh birthday present — but that was this universe's version of her. Her actual archery experience didn't extend past that one time they went to the Renaissance Fair and she and Andi paid to shoot some arrows. She'd done okay but okay wasn't good enough. If she wasn't up to the other Cass's usual standards, her siblings would know something was up.

Her solution ended up being to skip the archery range entirely. Instead, she convinced Andi to ditch javelin-throwing practice (not that Andi really needed that much convincing) and the two of them took a stroll around camp, making light conversation while avoiding the real one they needed to have. They were in the middle of a fierce debate over whether Percy was a Hufflepuff or a Slytherin when they spotted Grover and Percy sitting by the canoe lake.

"Let's go say hi," Cass decided, dragging Andi over to them. As they got closer, she saw that Percy was holding a brochure. She winced. That must be the Hunters pamphlet Grover found in Annabeth's backpack. Oof. That meant Percy was going to be in a mood.

Still, she forced a cheery grin and said, "Hey, guys! Mind if we join you?"

Percy was scowling, but Grover smiled back at her. "Not at all!"

Cass forced Andi down next to Percy, then took the spot on Andi's right. The second she sat down, Andi pulled her knees up into her chest and hugged them close.

"How are you holding up?" she asked Percy shyly. Cass couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was Andi really willingly engaging in conversation? That was certainly a rare phenomenon.

"I've been better," Percy admitted. His face had softened slightly. He shoved the crumpled pamphlet into his pocket and tilted his head curiously. "What about you?"

Andi shrugged and managed a tentative smile. "I've been worse." 

Percy cracked a smile at that. Andi ducked her head, fiddling with her sweatshirt sleeve. She looked absolutely adorable in her slightly oversized gray sweatshirt with her hair in Dutch braids and a hint of a blush coloring her cheeks. Not that Cass would ever tell her that. Andi hated being called adorable.

"Have you remembered anything?" Grover questioned, and Cass was reminded that Andi had claimed amnesia as an excuse for not knowing anything about this universe's version of her's life. Cass thought it was both clever and fucking hilarious.

"Not really," Andi mumbled. "I remembered...I remembered something really stupid. I was nine, and I was in this foster home just bursting at the seams with kids, and one of the older kids, she was seventeen maybe, she made brownies with mini-chocolate chips in them, and she let me lick the spoon. And then, when the brownies were done, I was too excited to wait and I burned the roof of my mouth and got an infection."

Cass threw her head back and laughed. She'd heard this story before when they teamed up to make brownies for a school bake sale. She always loved listening to Andi's stories. It was such a wonderful contrast to the days when they couldn't stand each other and Andi wouldn't trust her with borrowing a pencil, much less a personal story about her time in the foster care system.

Percy nudged Andi playfully. "At least you didn't get salmonella."

"Yeah, I had that going for me," Andi giggled. An ounce of tension had left her shoulders. Cass considered that a success. "Luckily, the couple fostering us were kind enough to take me to the doctor and pay for this weird paste they prescribed me. One home I was in, this kid had a really bad fever, like 105, but the man in charge refused to take her to the doctor and made her go to school. She ended up passing out halfway through the school day and the nurse called 911. The guy was arrested for neglect and endangering a child."