There were moments between dusk and nightfall, where the sun was fleeing the sky, moving away far from sight, withering under the push of darkness that Kassandra felt free and right and at home.

Logically she knew that wasn't how it worked, it wasn't Artemis chasing Apollo from the skies, but a relationship symbiotic, equal give and equal take as they worked together to move sun and moon to day and night -- twins as legends working in tandem, working as two parts of a whole being that was such a force of power and reckoning in the world. Of course, Kassandra knew of the minor gods that call home all the periods and stages in between, the ones nearly forgotten compared to that of beloved myth.

She did not forget, she never forgets, and each time her poet heart was struck with the beauty of the world and the sky and the distant things that she could never quite touch but dreamed of in paintings of words coloured the most divine of shades, she would pray a quiet thank you for their existence, a thank you in recognition of them.

It was in one of these moments where a beautiful sunset that looked more like godly intervention appeared that she could only catch the curse at the end of her tongue as she ducked under the stinging jab of a pit scorpion that they had missed camping out on the lawn of her home somehow.

And while she didn't care so much for the dress, she did wish that her parents would hurry in getting her bow for Chiron since he didn't seem to have his and it would be much easier to take on the monster with something that wasn't a dagger that was small enough to be hidden on her thigh.

Rolling, her shoulder pressed to the lawn as she put distance between them -- pointless because these things were practically made for jumping -- and took her further away from the reach of the deadly strike of the sting.

She huffed, blood pumping as she felt the weight of the blade in her hand, hair in a tragic mess around her head, sticking to the sweat that began to prickle across her forehead. She held the dagger out in defence, ready to move the moment the scorpion did.

Kassandra would never forget the last time she had been faced with such a monster. Only eight at the time and stumbling blindly through streets bordered by forest and rundown buildings on the coastal edge of Washington state, she had been saved by a daughter of Ares named Oriana who had gone to collect Travis and Connor Stoll, with the help of a satyr named Cleavas. She hadn't a clue what was happening at the time, hadn't a clue who these people were or the things that they were saying, and while they tried to explain, even the brothers, Kassandra really couldn't see bring herself to believe them even if she knew, without a doubt, that they were telling the truth.

Back then, she hadn't had the skill to keep herself safe and had nearly ended up impaled on the sting by accident. It hadn't much changed, it seemed, as she hadn't the skill to defeat the scorpion with a dagger alone when her fear of getting close equated to the fear of being stung.

She slipped backward a step, grinding her teeth in agitation, and sent a prayer up to Ares and asked for his help as she pivoted around the tail coming down, cutting in close as it began to rise once more, and brought the dagger down with a strong slash -- aiming for the bit where the head met body hoping to plunge through the celestial blade into a deep enough wound to kill the monster.

An arrow cuts through the air, pinning into the side of the pit scorpion head as the dagger comes down. It burst into dust before her.

Panting, she whirls back with an excited grin, adrenaline still pumping through her. "Nice shot. Just in time, too," she comments, aimlessly trying to fix her hair into something less of a mess. "Are my parents still freaking out?"

Chiron chuckles goodnaturedly. "They will likely always worry for you regardless of how much time you spend training and enhancing your skills."

"Yeah, I suppose. I just wish they didn't give themselves a heart-attack every time something like this happens. It's always going to keep happening and there will doubtless be anything that will stop it from continuing."

He nods. "The sad fate that plagues young half-bloods."

"Yeah, it's tragic," she bites out bitterly. She fiddles with her blade, flipping it around her fingers. "We should go back inside. You haven't told me why you came yet."

"We should. We don't have much time," Chiron tells her. "I'm afraid camp is in danger."

Thalia's pine tree had been poisoned and the barrier that protected camp was apparently coming down. Monsters were breaching the border, raining havoc on the campers, on her friends and her siblings were being weighed down with the task of healing all those that became injured in the defense of their home and safe haven -- their home and safe haven that was supposed to be a place where they didn't have to worry about the threat of death and pursual of monsters, the one place where they had the right and privilege to be themselves completely.

And someone had poisoned that, poisoned the girl that she had never gotten the chance to meet because she had sacrificed herself for her friends, to protect them.

More than that though, as if things good not be worse, Chiron had been fired, accused of doing such an atrocious thing himself as though he had not committed his career, his life, to training the children of gods so that they might survive, and someone had the audacity to accuse him of --

He tells her things have changed at camp after, that campers have tried reaching out to him with pleas to return with claims that they hated his replacement -- a man, a prisoner king dragged up from the Underworld, named Tantalus that had no love for half-bloods.

"I would not recommend you interfere with the matters of another's quest, but she has reached out to me in order to contact you when you did not receive her call the last few times that she has tried," Chiron tells her, rising partially from his seat to reach for the bag that hung off the back. He reaches inside, searching for something as he continues. "Clarisse has set out to retrieve the golden fleece in an effort to heal Thalia's tree and reinforce the protective border. You were not at camp and she could not reach you, but she want ed you to come."

Kassandra blinks. "Clarisse wants me to come. I don't think that's likely."

Chiron produces a bow and quiver set. They were both made in the traditional style that they had at the camp archery range, but these had adornments of what appeared to be imperial gold inlay and celestial bronze. She traced a finger over the stark white plumes of the feathers tipped with the golden colour of Apollo.

"This set has been passed between the children of Apollo in their times of need. Anyone that has used it claims that they can feel the weight of the past users in their times of need, the blessing of Apollo's godly aim," Chiron explains, letting her take up the weapon in hand. The bow was perfectly balanced, the exact length of her suited for her. "The arrows return to the quiver after a time, even those that are broken. They will need time to fix themselves, however."

Kassandra nods and pulls free an arrow, nocking it in one swift motion that has her drawing in a harsh breath at how wonderful it feels to hold it in her hands.

"Your brother Lee used this bow and arrow when he took up a personal quest for your father a few years back, do you remember?".

She scowls at the thought. She and Michael had been co-cabin counsellors in the time that he was away. Kassandra hated it.

"Is that it, Chiron?" she mumbles, dropping her arms into a relaxed stance.

"I'm afraid so, child. I'm afraid I must leave you now."

Drawing in a shaky breath, she turns to face him fully. "When will I see you again, Chiron?"

His smile is sad as he pats her arm. "When the fates will it."

Kassandra feels it like a dismissal, a gentle way of saying, 'yeah, never' even though she doesn't hear a lie in his words, she feels it more instinctual, a feral form of disbelief, desperation clawing at what could not be gleaned. "I'll see you soon, Chiron. We'll clear you of any wrongdoing, prove that you're being framed, and you shall be welcomed by all back into camp. I'll see you soon, Chiron," she swears, the truth ringing through her words as it does and has every time. Her eternal curse, a father given gift that only a few of his children were unfortunate enough to receive.

She watches him leave until she could no longer bear to stand there motionless, feeling the tension ease up through her muscles until it becomes too much and she firmly shuts the door with a click of the clock. Her mind is already whirring, trying to come up with some plan for what on earth she's supposed to be doing when she has very few details.

The golden fleece, from what she understood, was lost for quite a few years (apparently not anymore but that's beside the point now) and Clarisse wanted her to hop on to her quest as though she had an actual good reason for doing so.

"Darling, your quest is going to be dangerous, isn't it?" her mother asks, inching up from where they had been silently hovering just out of sight -- close enough to hear, but not enough to interfere.

"I don't even--" her throat closes up on the lie and she aborts the notion-- "yes, it'll be dangerous, but if Clarisse really needs me then I can't not go."

Her father frowns, Peter placing a comforting hand on Queenie's shoulder. "Perhaps you should call this Clarisse first before you make any decisions."

She nods even as she knows that she'll be going somewhere to meet Clarisse very soon, likely some coast somewhere if she was on the right train of thought.

In the upstairs bathroom, she turned on the shower and let it run for a moment as she worked to quickly fix her hair a bit. She reached under the sink, pulling out a small jar that she kept underneath with drachmas for calling people when she was away from camp. She worked quite hard throughout the year to collect and earn as many drachmae as she could because she didn't really know when she'd need them for emergencies.

She threw a coin into the spray and prayed to the Goddess Iris to show her Clarisse.

The image shimmered and the scene opened up to a chugging of a steamboat? on the water. Her friend was yelling at people, ghost, ordering them around as she stalked along the deck in a full suite of Greek armour, a polished sword at her side.

Kassandra settled on the tiles so that she was eye level. "Clarisse!"

The girl whirls about, scowling until she catches sight of her face and a grin splits her lips as she grows closer to the message.

"Where the hell have you been? You didn't answer any of my calls so I was going to pick you up!"

"I had a performance this afternoon. Chiron came to tell me that you were looking for my help," she says, peering closer, waiting for one of the other Ares kids to pop up. "Did you honestly embark on a quest alone?"

"I wouldn't be alone if you answered sooner," the girl grumbles.

"I'm sorry, but I'm willing to come to join you now if you still want me, but I just don't get why you would want me and not one of your siblings."

Clarisse pulls a face, a sneer that all of her siblings share drawing onto her lips. "I don't need help from any of those idiots, but we swore back when we were ten that whoever got an official quest would take the other. I'm not in the business of breaking promises."

"Oh, so you just wanted good company but don't want to actually admit it?" she teases, leaning forward a little.

Barking a loud laugh, the girl smiles all teeth as turns her gaze in closer. "What on earth happened to you anyway?"

"Pit scorpion showed up outside my house. It's not too bad since I was on the way out today anyway. It'll give some time for everything to cool down around here," Kassandra says, shrugging. "Where am I meeting you? Tell me what else I need to know."

So she does, explain the rest of the quest in much the same way that Chiron had, but with a more desperate twinge, like she really doesn't know what she would do if camp was to be lost.

To be fair, neither of them knew, but it would be terrible, horrible, awful. They would be exposed, stuck with no defence, no protection, back to the time where demigods were slaughtered ruthlessly.

Clarisse told her of the prophecy as well as she tosses in another drachma to extend the message, stuttering over her words at the end. She didn't bother calling her out on it, knowing that she could get answers when they met up.

With a location repeated over and over under her breath, imprinting the words into her mind, Kassandra retreats from the bathroom and begins to prepare herself.

Her items for camp were already packed and ready to go. It took only a little amount of rifling to dig out a few sets of extra clothes and what was left of the small amount of ambrosia and nectar that she kept on herself for emergencies throughout the off-season. She took it all to her mission bag, filled with items that might be useful (flashlight, matches, med-pack, a bottle of water and a box of protein bars).

She changes into her camp shirt and a pair of running shorts, attaching her dagger to her belt and pulling on running shoes.

Kassandra exhales, trying not to look at her mother as she hovers in the doorway watching her. There were tears in her eyes, just as there always was when she left, but this time it was different. This time it felt more like she was going off to war. She supposed that she was.

She sent a prayer to Ares and Artemis that this wasn't the case.

"Where are you going?" Queenie asks softly, stepping up to her daughter and producing a wet-cloth that she hadn't noticed she had. She cleared the dirt smudged on her cheek like she was a little girl again that had gotten too dirty playing in the flower bed.

"She wants me to meet her in Maryland. She said she would wait there for me and then we would travel down toward Miami."

"No, where are you headed?" she rephrases imploringly.

Wincing, she leans into the palm of her mother's hand, craving the comfort of her touch as her hand cradles her cheek and blesses her with strength. These moments were more than grace given, heart-squeezing in her chest and stomach-churning, these moments were cherished pieces that she would carry into war for they were the love that she would eternally crave.

"To a place called the Sea of Monsters. That's where the golden fleece that will save Camp is and I have to help Clarisse get it because she can't do it alone," Kassandra admits. "I am very afraid, mom, and I know you are too, but she wants me there and I have to -- I need to make sure that camp stays safe."

Queenie closes her eyes, cupping her cheeks to bring her forward and place a kiss on her forehead. "Fear will not limit you, my Kassie, it never has. You do what is needed to help your friends."

Nodding, she leans into her mother a bit longer before nodding to herself. She reaches into her top drawer and grabs a small coin pouch with a small allowance and a handful of golden drachmas. She shouldn't need to buy much anyway so all should be fine, but she felt it would be useful anyways.

Collecting her bow and arrows and the flute that she had requested Charles Beckendorf to make. and had taken all of the Hephaetas kids and herself to make sure it worked right. It was a mix of regular metal and celestial bronze to ensure its durability and was a perfect replica of her concert flute with the possibility of attaching it to her belt.

Backpack on and weapons in their proper places, Kassandra made her way down to the front door to say her final goodbyes to her parents.

"Make sure that you eat, and keep your feet dry," Queenie was telling her. "Don't spend too much time in the sun regardless and try not to drink any salt water--"

"Don't get eaten," Peter jokes in a failed attempt to lighten the mood.

"Peter!"

Chuckling, she shakes her head. "I won't be eaten. Clarisse would rather die than have to return to camp and admit that she let me die."

"Will you two stop joking about this?" her mother hissed.

"Sorry," they chimed.

Giggling, Kassandra pulls away and moves closer to the curb. "Make sure that when you drop the rest of my things at camp you tell Lee and Michael to just leave it all on my bunk. I'll put it away myself. Make sure you tell them that," she stresses. "Otherwise they'll go through everything. Oh! and no matter what, it doesn't go to anyone in Hermes. The Stoll brother will take to much pleasure in making it into some terrible situation for me if they could."

"We know, sweetheart, don't worry about this too much," says Peter. "We'll come get you at the end of summer."

"I'll call you when I get back to camp," is her determined reply.

Without much else to say, Kassandra calls out for a Gray Sister's taxi and is gone before she knows it.

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ahh so we begin to get into the plot and I hope that some of her personality is making an appearance !!

unedited

written: 2021-01-21

posted: 2021-02-17