BY fates design

Hi, guppy

December approached fast and freezing. The air was constantly biting, hours of light shrunk until it felt as though the days were spent in perpetual darkness and snow fell so thick it built a blanket of white that completely masked the floor. It had been announced durning breakfast on morning that there was to be a Yule ball held by the school for all three academies to attend in spirit of Tri-Wizard Tournaments. Naturally, this sent a thrill through the student body and plans were immediately being formulated to buy dresses and robes and find dates for the event.

"It's completely ridiculous that you aren't staying." Kira rolled her eyes, splayed out across Cassiopeia's bed, her hands were in the air above her and she was absentmindedly tracing the scars across her knuckles with her eyes. "Lea won't stop talking about dresses, and shoes, and hair, and nails, and boys," she groaned, "even JJ and Al are talking about it, and you're not even going to be in the country. Totally unfair. I can't believe you're ditching me here, and I thought you were my friend."

Laughter bubbled from Cassiopeia's lips as she drifted around her room, casually tossing items that she thought she might need into bags. "I'm not ditching you, Kiki," she shook her head, glancing fondly towards Ares' daughter, "but I promised the campers that I'd be back for the solstice. I've missed the last couple so I figured I'd make it up to them this time. You'll be fine, you've been to balls before, and I can't imagine this one is going to be spectacular."

Kira sat up so fast Cassiopeia feared she might get head rush, long braids flicking behind her. "Oh no, no, no, no." She shook her head adamantly like she had a point to prove. "Daphne is on the planning board. She put down the counsel as part of the committee, using the planning unit's funds for this. Claims it's good for your image to do 'multi school events', whatever that means." Her voice took on a higher pitch as she mimicked the blonde Slytherin.

Sighing, Cassiopeia sat on the edge of her bed beside Kira, only to get pulled down into the Gryffindor's side as she falls backwards against the mattress. "It means, it makes me look like I'm interested in international relationships. Like a children's version of international diplomacy."

"I don't care." Kira cut her off with a huff, calloused hands running through soft black waves with all the frustration of someone who felt screwed over. "You're leaving. Leaving, star. I should come with you. I miss camp. Maybe I'll see Clarisse and my siblings." Her deep brown eyes lit up like she had an epiphany.

"Except you already made plans to mentor Pansy, Fred and George over the break." Cassiopeia sat up, looking over her shoulder at Kira, "it'll only be a couple of weeks. You'll live." She stands up, going back to packing. "Now, can you call Daphne, Eleana and Alex here please? I want to remind them that the Glamour Program is applicable for all occasions, so to put another advertisement out for it in the daily mail."

With a hum of acknowledgment, Kira begrudgingly got up, bumping Cassiopeia's shoulder lightly as she passed her on the way to the door. Once gone, the room fell back into silence and with a flick of her wrist, Cassiopeia turned on the record player that sat at her bedside, the sound of 'My love, my life' by ABBA filling the space.

There was a steadiness to her movements, that masked the fluttering feeling in her stomach as she thought about her return to camp. For the first time in a few years, she was looking forward to it - to seeing her friends, the younger demigods, Chiron, Mr D, Percy... Perseus Jackson, that was why she was looking forward to it.

A grin slipped onto Aphrodite's lips, giggles bubbling in her throat as she cooed at the young teenage girl on the screen.

Cassiopeia had never been one for children's crushes, she found people beautiful but could never envision herself in love in the way the Aphrodite girls talked about. Perhaps it was because there was a looming threat of death over her head, because every time she agreed to take on a quest there was the possibility of it being her last, and those kinds of odds made love feel foolish, even to a little girl.