𝕚𝕧𝕪; annabeth chase

vi.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

winter was beautiful, maddie had always thought. the way khione graced her magic, and suddenly the streets were a flurry of white, crisp, cold and beautiful. the never-ending challenge to see how many layers you could put on before you lost the ability to move your arms. numb hands clasped around hot drinks. clouds of air wafting out of people's mouths as they talked, as if their words created a haze of steam.

winter had always been a happy time at the jackson house. the twins would stomp through the snow on their way to school, picking up the occasional snowball to throw at the other's head. and when they got home, their mother would have their hot chocolates ready for them. sweet, warm mugs of heaven, decorated with whipped cream and sweets from her store. there was no fireplace at their apartment, so instead the twins would lean against the radiator as they did their homework. in truth, maddie was a winter girl at heart.

but now, as she shivered under her jacket and stuffed her numb hands inside the pockets, she couldn't help but wonder if boreas could just give it a rest already. 

after bianca had saved them from a helicopter chase by thinking of the subway, they had ridden the train until the end of the line, where it had left them in an industrial area with nothing but train tracks. the snow was thicker, and the wind was harsher. 

percy seemed content in his lion's fur jacket, and maddie was almost regretting not taking the thing for herself. 

they wandered through the area for a while, in hopes of finding another train, but no luck. 

maddie ankle ached. bianca had her arm wrapped around her waist the whole time, and she tried not to put too much pressure on it, but every time she placed it on the ground, she couldn't help but wince.

eventually, they stumbled across a homeless man, standing beside a trash-can fire. he must've seen the shivering, as he smiled toothlessly at them, "y'all need to get warmed up? come on over!"

reluctantly, maddie followed the group over the the fire. she was a little hesitant, growing up in manhattan had sprouted a fear of dodgy-looking people. however, her chattering teeth and numb cheeks objected, and she huddled next to the fire.

thalia's teeth were chattering. she said, "well this is g-g-ggreat." 

"my hooves are frozen," grover complained. 

"feet."

"maybe we should contact camp," bianca said. "chiron—" 

"no," zoe said. "they cannot help us anymore. we must finish this quest ourselves."

maddie let her thoughts stray as they slowly began to warm up again. she began to think about annabeth, trapped somewhere with luke, and artemis, in chains. and here they were, stuck in the middle of nowhere in d.c. with no clear source of transport to get anywhere.

"you know," the homeless man said, "you're never completely without friends." his face was grimy and his beard tangled, but his expression seemed kindly. maddie thought he looked almost . . . familiar. "you kids need a train going west?" 

"yes, sir," maddie said through the excessive chattering of her teeth. "any suggestions?"

the man pointed a greasy hand. following his line of direction, maddie noticed a freight train, that she hadn't noticed before. on the side the words sun west line were printed in yellow letters.