With all of the campers training for the chariot races and Kassandra still benched and completely uninterested, she found herself with plenty of time to spend as she wished with the others that were equally disinterested.

The races were that morning, the risk would be high and she was to be prepared for the worst while she watched the entire affair.

She found herself wishing that they were doing their own version of the Olympic games instead of the races, but she figured that these were just up their alley all the same. All the gods had their own chariots, of course, and she liked to imagine that they would at least take interest in their silly events that held such grandeur.

Though, if it was up to her, she would have preferred footraces or the obstacle tower they had that one year -- not that she would diss good entertainment, even if it left her a little bit bored in the days leading up to it.

Fiddling with the keys on her flute, she reclines in front of her cabin, watching one of the cheerful yellow blooms that surrounded her as decoration sway softly with the gentle breeze. The sun was out in full force today, just as it had been the days before, and she found herself sitting in one of her bathing suit tops and a sleeveless camp shirt so to enjoy the fullness of the heat. She might have hated the sun and the feeling of being watched, but she did so enjoy the heat and the beauty of summer.

Tapping her foot, she starts to play slowly, Across the Stars theme coming out clear as she transfers the note to the flute, holding back a laugh when she spots a few heads pop up to look in her direction when they began to pick on the tune.

Her brother whips around to face her, shaggy blonde hair bouncing in his excitement. She smiles with her eyes, swiftly falling into a Star Wars-themed medley that has her siblings harmonizing to the sound as she knows that they simply can't help themselves when it comes to that sort of thing.

(One year Lee had mistakenly begun humming the chorus to a Disney film that had all of them bursting into song for the rest of the day as another song would start up again the moment that they cut off.)

(The moral of the story was not to get the Apollo children started when it came to catchy songs because they simply had no self-control when it came to music.)

"Bored?" Percy asks, leaning over where she sat.

She glances behind him, seeing as Annabeth rushed through the last minute affairs. "She sent you to make sure I don't incite a musical day," she notes, nodding her chin toward the blonde.

He grimaces. "As much as I would love to see it, I kinda want to win the race without you trying to bless your siblings with a song or something."

Her grin turns sharp, teasing. "Oh? Is that something that I can do?"

"It's been hinted at."

"Hinted," she muses, shaking her head. "We have the ability to sing a hymn that can strengthen others in battle, but nothing for a chariot race. The more of us that join in on a song, the stronger it'll form."

"That's pretty cool," he notes.

"I mean, sure, but a hymn can take a great deal of energy out of us," she notes. "We aren't Apollo with his exemplary battle prowess."

'No, but you guys are hard in battle," he says. "You're a force on your own, for sure. Could probably kick my ass if you wanted."

Her blush is burning, bright against her cheeks, and she can only home the tawny of her skin mixed with the gold of her tan makes it hard to notice. "I find it completely ridiculous that you actually believe that," she laughs. "Percy, you're a natural with a sword. If I tried to fight you, I'd probably get run through, again."

"We'll have to put it to the test, but you'll have to promise you won't break my nose."

She snickered. "Who told you about that?"

"That you have a tendency to break noses?" Percy laughs. "It was one of the first warnings when I got to camp."

"What? From who?"

He gets quiet, an angry stillness freezing the moment, and she suddenly understands who would make such claims about her.

"Luke," she answers for him. "I break a few noses in training and activities, and suddenly I need a warning label. Do you think they're still telling people things like that?"

"I think it's a fairly good warning," he defends, putting his hands up in surrender. "I watched you throw Connor during capture the flag last year when he managed to sneak past the boundary that your siblings set."

"Our boundary is ours to defend and he knew exactly what he was walking into when he tried to dodge the volley. He's lucky that he didn't run into Austin's sword."

"So you throw him?" asks Percy in bewilderment.

"There was more to it than that, I assure you. I went after him with my dagger and fists first," she preens.

The boy groans, tossing back his head so that the sun was cast a glow over his cheeks. She wished that she was able to curse people to get sunburns so that he didn't look so pretty (which, thanks for making me the pinocle of truth instead of being able to cast such petty curses on people, Apollo).

(Maybe Paris, Bea or Carter have a secret ability to make people slightly less attractive for a short period?)

"But I'll take you up on a fight when I'm cleared," Kassandra says, pushing to her feet and carefully stretching her side.

"And swimming lessons."

"And swimming lessons."

They hear Annabeth calling him back, standing up on the chariot with spears in hand, clearly taking up the defence position.

"Good luck," she voices as he begins to leave. "I'll be voting against you."

Percy walks backward as he leaves, adjusting his leather arm guards. "What'll you give us if we win?" he teases.

"Oh, so you want to take bets, now?"

"Definitely."

Grinning, she pushed pointed her flute at him. "Alright. I, Kassandra LeClaire, swear to grant you, Annabeth--"

"And Tyson," he interrupts. "Don't forget him."

"Fine, Tyson, too. I swear to grant you any request that you ask of me should you win today," she says. "And you know that my word is as good as the truth itself."

Percy beams, determined, and she gets the sudden sense that she's greatly going to regret this as he runs off.

From the distance, she can see as he speaks quickly to Annabeth and his brother and how the blonde's head snaps up to face her fully, gaping. There's no doubt that the blonde was plotting at this very moment.

And sure, she used to make these kinds of bets all the time with the Stoll's, her siblings, or Chris (and occasionally other campers when she knew that there wasn't a doubt that she would win), but it's been a while since then -- last summer, she thought, when Chris and Luke were still here and she trusted them both implicitly.

(She faulted Apollo for the inability to think things through when she just had a feeling for things at times. Why else would she just openly swear to offer people something other than a vague sense that things were just going to turn out right?)

The nagging sens followed her until she was seated at the front of the bleachers next to Austin and Patrice. They each had a first aid kit just in case, ready to dart out for medical assistance. Lee was across from them with Victoria and Arthur in the center of the track. There was also an Ares camper with them that had volunteered their time -- the girl wanted to be a battlefield medic and had approached her head counsellor for lessons and was taking shifts with her other siblings to learn where she can (Clarisse had secretly expressed her pride in the girl for taking the initiative in being a strong fighter and a healer).

On her side, well, they had any pick of the watching campers to call to their aid if they needed it for the heavy lifting -- a possibility since her healing skills were still very basic for an Apollo kid and being benched certainly didn't help matters.

Chiron called the signal and the horses took off, dragging the chariots behind them. She just about exclaimed with the speed that some of them moved, almost pushing to her feet as Michael almost toppled straight out from the speed that Will pulled them, steering them with a fierce determination.

She found herself grinning, entertained right up to the point where Annabeth caught Will in the chest with a javelin that sent her brothers flying out in a summersault and the horses veering off course towards them with the chariot still dragging behind leaping the corner of the bleachers as campers scrambled out of the way.

From then it was a bit of a mess running about checking on downed racers and moving them out off of the track.

Such a mess that she was dabbing a nasty cut on Travis' cheek with a bit of nectar and nearly missed seeing Percy and Annabeth cross the finish line with a burst of Greek fire behind them,

They were mobbed immediately, crowded by friends and campers that cheered for them as they were led to the winner's platform where Chiron was waiting to bestow them with victor's laurels. Percy made a speech, crediting his brother Tyson for their success, and Kassandra smiled at the brilliant blush that took over the cyclops face.

From the small distance between them, she met their gaze, Annabeth's demanding as grey bore into her. The blonde smirked victoriously sending her heart racing pathetically, cheeks warm not from the sun.

Kassandra ducked her head and cursed her father for stupid precognition impulses.

Avoiding clean up was very simple when you made the vague excuses of soreness, and Kassandra took full advantage of that as Will wrote her off with a mischievous gleam in his eyes that told her he knew exactly what she was doing.

Which is why it was so easy to make her escape to sit on the dock with toes in the water, swinging her feet carelessly as she made excuses to Poseidon for why she hasn't fulfilled her promise yet -- she was still healing, she claimed, which was true when she got the occasional muscle spasm or pinch in her side.

The sword that had gone through her, Chris's sword, had been a fatal wound. It wasn't a blade dulled for training, it wasn't careful force, but deadly, and Kassandra found herself thinking of the way that she fought him as she gazed at the ripples over the water.

She couldn't recall if she had gone at him with the intent to hurt him like that, if she had used that same deadly strength, but anger made things hard to judge at times, made it difficult to get over certain details that she had fixated on.

Kassandra grits her teeth, kicking out at the water and turned to face the sun instead. That was a place she could curse and rage and rant to until she had nothing left to say knowing that it would all be burnt up and consumed so that she didn't have to hold it in her own heart anymore.

Damn it all to Hades if her father heard her, what difference was there from when she spoke to the silent moon? When she poured out her feelings into song?

Her father had her the last song she had played like that anyway, had listened to her feelings. What was it he asked again? If it had a name.

She mused at the thought. A name for her broken pieces...

"Hide From The Sun," she decided, whispering out the words to the world, giving them existence.

Water splashed up at her the next moment, soaking her front as she let out a small scream. She whirled around, glowering at the duo that stood on the deck, just as Percy ran past jumping into the water dousing her again.

She huffed. "What was that for?"

Annabeth comes up beside her, taking the time to remove her shoes as she sits. "No one knew where you ran off to. Figured we could hide out together."

"Why are you hiding?"

She shrugs, glancing at Percy as he was still underwater. She wondered if he could still hear them.

"Tyson left a little bit earlier," she mumbles. "To go to the cyclops forges."

Kassandra blinks, looking at the shape of him seated under the water, just floating, like it was the most simple thing. "That must be an honour for him. I think he'll like it there," she voices her thoughts, "how did Percy take it?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I think he'll miss him," she says. "Grover went to find us some contraband snacks while we hunted you down."

"You thought I could help?"

"Believe it or not, the Apollo kids give the best advice, you especially," Annabeth says. "He doesn't really know any of you siblings."

"Do you really know any of my siblings?" she quips, rolling her head slowly to the side to give her a purposeful look.

"You don't know mine either," she shoots back.

Laughing brightly, she shakes her head. "Well, we've never had much of a chance to get to know one another. I mean we've both been here so long, and we've only ever known each other as acquaintances."

The blonde nods. "It's different when you risk your life with someone. When you fight together."

Her smile is soft, tentative. "Are you trying to drag me into your shenanigans?"

Annabeth smirks. "I guess I am," she says before Kassandra finds herself shoved into the water without warning.

It isn't very deep, this part of the river still fairly close to the bank, but she can't stand here either.

Percy grins when she catches his eyes underwater, teasing as he gives her a little wave. She rolls her eyes at him.

"You're so mean," she whines, glaring at Annabeth after she draws a sharp breath.

"You looked hot," she says innocently.

Her eyes narrow. "I don't get hot."

"Oops," the blonde shrugging is all she sees before she's pulled under by a hand at her ankle.

She lies awake in bed, the early morning glow of pink of dawn starting the day, staring at the bunk above her, skin cooled with the night breeze and gentle yellow glow cast around the room, all she could think of was the way that Percy looked so at ease in the water, how his hair floated around his face as they played about; the way that Annabeth looked so at ease just sitting there, calm and serene as she occasional went on about one thing or another.

Neither ended up asking for advice, and part of her wondered, if deep down -- a hopeful feeling really -- her presence alone was soothing like sweet music, if she was warm like the sun, if she was healing by being near her alone. She wondered how long they could continue to stick by her side, if it was a passing interest in someone that had fought with them that drove this new friendship.

(Later, when she wasn't stupid enough to dismiss things obliviously, she would wonder if it was her poet heart or the influence of being her father's daughter that made emotions come so quickly, with such intensity, for Apollo of myths loved fast and fell hard, he flew into rages and fit of jealousy that made her wonder if those were hereditary as well."

Maybe that was why she heard it so easily, the silence of the camp making it easy to hear more clearly and further if she concentrated. There was a disturbance at camp, a murmuring as people slowly woke.

Kassandra got out of bed slowly, silently, as Christa was tucked into her side having woken from a nightmare -- the young girl seeking out her eldest sister for comfort.

(She would always remember when she was tiny, barely bigger than her little sister, when she was terrified of the dark and turned to Luke first in desperation, in defence. He always gave her a hand, an arm. Kassandra would always share her bunk with open arms for any of her siblings.)

She gently laid the thin blanket on top of the girl, before turning to the male bunks to shove Lee awake.

He jerked up, nearly hitting his head on the wall as he snorted awake, and she placed a finger to her lips in warning.

"Something's going on," she whispers. "Should we wake everyone up?"

Her brother squints, swiftly dropping from his top bunk and heading to the door. They saw a mixture of nymphs, satyrs, and sleepy heroes making their way to Half-Blood hill.

"I'll wake up Arthur and Michael," he tells her. "You're the faster runner. See what's happening I'll be right behind you."

Kassandra nods, hastily pulling her on her shoes. "We should bring a blanket."

He nods distractedly. "I'll bring water."

Grabbing a blanket from a nearby bed, she hastily rolls it into a ball and tucks it to her side.

"And Kass," he calls out quietly. "Please remember that you're supposed to be healing still."

Nodding to show her understanding, she slips from the cabin and makes her way up the hill in a sprint, overtaking quite a few of the other campers that were wearing various states of armour and pyjamas.

The sky above her was haunting, burning a bloodred that made her suddenly feel very cold and very small with the lack of familiar colours. It made her itch, antsy at the foreboding colour that the day bloomed.

When she got there, slipping her way to the front, she saw Percy on the ground knelt over a girl that had short black hair and freckles across her nose. She was built like a long-distance runner, lithe and strong, and she wore clothes that were somewhere between punk and Goth -- a black T-shirt, black tattered jeans, and a leather jacket with buttons from a bunch of bands that she could faintly recognize. Her eyes were an electric blue.

Chiron was at the front with Grover and Annabeth beside him. The blonde was crying.

The girl stared up in bewilderment, shivering and wild-eyed. "Who-"

"I'm Percy," he said. "You're safe now."

"Strangest dream ..."

"It's okay."

The girl whispered, "Dying."

"No," Percy assured her. "You're okay. What's your name?"

There was a burning in her mind, a searing feeling of fire behind her eyelids. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she glanced up; Lee's eyes were scrunched, his nose wrinkled in a grimace of pain in the same way that she felt. She could see the golden glow that burned in the blue, a sun threatening to burst free.

Somehow she knew that this was a warning from Apollo, a message to his children of something that she didn't know.

"I am Thalia," the girl said. "Daughter of Zeus."

Oh shit, Kassandra thought.

☼ ☼ ☼

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well,,,, that's the end of the sea of monsters. let me know your thoughts, how you feel about kassandra and her place in the story, her character development, her monologues. leave me some comments :))

what hp house would you sort Kassie in?

unedited

written: 2021-01-29

posted: 2021-03-13