WITCHY WOMAN — maine is not very nice this time of year
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Rory was freezing her ass off.
It began to snow just as Rory exited Penn Station, of course. And she had no idea how long it would be until her ride got here.
Having grown up at Camp Half-Blood, Rory wasn't very accustomed to weather. The magical border that protected the camp kept out monsters, mortals, and precipitation. Sometimes Chiron would allow the kids to have a rainy day, or let it snow overnight so they would wake up to a winter wonderland — but never so much that it hindered their day. And sure they had cold temperatures, but even those weren't as extreme as it was in the outside world.
She didn't even own a winter jacket until a few weeks ago. At camp, the most she would wear was a hoodie or a thermal shirt under a camp tee. Fortunately for Rory, Sally Jackson gave her one of Percy's old winter coats when she visited during his Thanksgiving break. (She had adamantly denied needing one, but Sally insisted. Maybe mothers just have a superpower).
All this to say: Rory was cold.
After about fifteen minutes, a blue sedan pulled over on 8th Avenue. Pressed against the window of the passenger seat was Percy's big face. Rory chuckled as she bounded down the steps and approached the car. Percy rolled down the window and stuck his head out. From behind him, his mom Sally smiled warmly at her.
"Sorry we're late!"
She unlocked the car and Rory hopped in the back. Annabeth had already squeezed into the middle seat beside Thalia.
Rory couldn't have been happier to see the two girls. Annabeth and Thalia had been away at some all-girls boarding school in Brooklyn, close enough to Camp Half-Blood that Chiron could help if they got in any trouble. After Thalia came back to life and then spent the rest of the summer at camp, the three (and Percy, sort of) became very close.
Honestly, Rory was very afraid that she would be stupidly jealous of Thalia's sudden return, but actually, she was thrilled to meet the girl who inadvertently brought Annabeth to her. Who Annabeth spoke so highly of. She was so relieved when she realized that Thalia seemed just as interested in being her friend, too.
Annabeth grimaced as Rory sat next to her. "You look terrible."
"Fuck you. Sorry Sally."
Rory knew she was right, though. She had seen her own reflection. Her complexion was ghostly, practically grey. The only color in her face that proved she was actually alive was her bright red nose and the dark bags under her eyes.
Luckily, Percy's mom ignored her explicit comment. "Are you feeling okay, sweetheart?"
"No, I'm sick!" Rory sniffled, almost as if to prove her point. "There's a new girl in Cabin Eleven, a daughter of Boreas. I liked her at first, she's pretty and speaks French. But at night — instead of, you know, sleeping! — she likes to sit with all the windows open and, I don't know, harness the powers of the wind? And she leaves them open all day and all night and now I'm sick."
