SWEET SORROWS│p. jackson

[ 02. ]

II ii. a ginger and green mist... II

ANNABETH AND LOU had forced Andromeda to go find Rachel, claiming she needed some straightening out. Whatever that meant. It wasn't like she'd spent almost a full month locked in her cabin with no social interaction or sunlight...oh wait.

The girls had taken over the tour for the new kid, much to Andromeda's disappointment. Piper seemed like someone she'd want to hang out with. And since first impressions were ruined, she was off to a rough start (thanks for that, Drew).

So here Andromeda was, trudging up to her friend's cave-quite literally, a cave. And she had to admit, it was nice. Though the outside was littered with old bones and swords, the interior was a different story.

Andromeda peeked inside. "Hello?" Her eyes scanned the room. A dimly lit chandelier hung from the top, it's low light casting shadow around the room. A large bed was placed directly in the center, velvety curtains hung around it as a canopy. Tapestries of old legends and myths hung from every corner, each telling a different story. "Hey ginger, you there?"

Just as she was about to call it quits, a clattering noise was heard behind her followed by a loud 'thud'. Exiting the room, Andromeda was greeted with the sight of Rachel Dare juggling cans, scrolls, and bits of cloth. But that wasn't even all of it. Half the stuff was lying around her on the ground. Judging from the bits of fabric leading down towards a path, Andromeda was sure she'd left a trail of knick-knacks.

"Oh hey, Andie!" Rachel called, face flushed. "I didn't know you were gonna visit. If I did I would've prepared──"

"Don't sweat it." Andromeda smiled, analyzing Rachel's pile of items in her arms. "Need some help?"

The red-head sheepishly glanced down. "If you don't mind."

"...So what are you doing with all this stuff, anyways?" Andromeda asked, picking up an orange jar from the dirt path.

Rachel huffed, tossing a bag of books over her shoulder. "Well, I thought I could use some of these things as offerings, y'know? Maybe if I made something the gods liked, like a marble statue or an instrument, they would show me a sign to help find..." She nervously glanced back at her friend. "Percy."

Andromeda swallowed the lump in her throat. Since she'd been out of her cabin, she'd tried to avoid the topic of Percy. But everywhere she went, he was always brought up. "Smart thinking." She kicked a piece of blue cloth. "...But were you planning on making a harp with dirty socks?"

She flushed. "No! I was gonna visit Hera's cabin. I've had a feeling she's involved more than we think. Since she was the one that sent Annabeth the vision, I assumed it would be her that would at least give me some clues."

"I highly doubt that." Andromeda snorted, following Rachel back into her cave and placing the items down on her bed. "Hera's caused nothing but trouble for all of us."

Rachel shrugged. "Maybe. But it's definitely worth a try."

"SO, WHY did you come to visit?" Rachel asked as both girls walked down the row of cabins.

Andromeda bit the inside of her cheek. "Ann and Lou both think I need to do some catching up. I haven't exactly been around lately."

Rachel casted her a sideways glance. "How so?"