SWEET SORROWS│p. jackson

[ 03. ]

II iii. the anti-drew quest... II

ANDROMEDA woke up to a pounding headache. Everything felt blurry and out of place, but the searing pain ringing through her ears was nothing compared to the girl's thoughts.

"Hey, Rom." A voice said from beside her. Rachel.

She groaned, rubbing her eyes before her vision adjusted to her surroundings. "What..." She could barely form a sentence as her mind scrambled to compose itself. Fully sitting up, she realized she was in the Big House. Seated beside her was Piper, who was staring curiously at her.

"Careful," Rachel said. "Chiron already gave you nectar, but try not to move too quickly."

Andromeda shot her a look before situating herself in a criss-cross position. She rubbed her eyes once more. "I'm really sorry, Andie," The red-head looked down. "I didn't mean─"

"I know." She offered a smile, ignoring the ringing in her ears. "You can't control when it happens."

Rachel bit her lip. "I don't want to rush anything out of you guys...but do one of you remember what your visions were about?"

Andromeda's gaze moved to the girl seated beside her, and Piper immediately looked away, scanning the floor as if it was the most interesting floorboard in the world. "I..." She took a breath. "Hera told me 'siblings of witchcraft shall reunite'. And I have a gut feeling of who it might be."

Rachel nodded, a concentrated frown on her face. "Do you think it could be Alabaster?"

The green-eyed girl's heart dropped at the thought. A chance of seeing her brother again was unnerving, and she didn't want to think of the possibilities. "I don't know."

"I'm sorry," Piper piped up, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But who is Alabaster?"

"He..." Andromeda stopped herself. Did she really want Piper to know who Alabaster was? What he had done and the embarrassment he'd placed on the children of Hecate? "He's─"

The doors of the Bug House burst open, startling the group of three, and Lou Ellen Blackstone waltzed in. The ginger in front of her sighed lowly, as if she were expecting the break-in, and watched as the older Hecate sibling knelt in front of Andromeda.

A frown was prominent on her older sister's face as she grabbed Andromeda's jaw, squishing her cheeks, and tilting her head to the side. "Are you alright?" She asked, the frown melting into concern. "They wouldn't let me in before, but I swore─"

"Lou," Rachel sighed. "You were kicked out because you kept destroying everything in here."

The hands left her face, allowing Andromeda to roll her jaw in discomfort, and Lou whirled around. "That's totally reasonable! I'm allowed to be upset when I find my baby sister unconscious─"

"I'm not a baby, Lou." Andromeda frowned. "And I'm perfectly fine. No harm no foul. Even if the stupid goddess─"

"Guys," Rachel said, hands rubbing her temples. "Just-I need to talk to Piper, in private for a moment, alright?"

"Fine," Lou clicked her tongue. "C'mon, Andie. We need to get back to the cabin and get ready for the bonfire."

Andromeda groaned, sitting up from her seat, and waving to her friends as she followed Lou out of the Big House. But, as she listened to Lou rant about cabin duties, the thoughts came back to her. What did Alabaster have to do with Hera's message?