The thing about experiencing moments of precognition where you knew that something was about to happen but not knowing what was terrible and Kassandra would have gladly let her siblings keep that little tidbit of power and keep her usual penchant for enhanced battle reflexes.

Having a warning that something was going to happen wasn't useful in the life of a demigod as much as one might like to think that it was. Kassandra was already prepared for shit to hit the fan at any given moment, so knowing it was about to happen only made her much more nervous, much more anxious.

The words kept repeating in her mind like a whisper that she could just barely ignore and she could hardly keep herself from glancing to Annabeth every other moment as her dream voice kept whispering.

"Better me than you. Better me than you. Better me than you."

Because she was very much aware that a fight was bound to happen at one point in the night, now, and even as she had whispered a warning to the others, paying special attention to Annabeth to tell her that she had to be careful please, they didn't seem to pay much attention to what she had said -- as if the warning from the daughter of the god of prophecy was something that could be so easily ignored.

She observed the half-blood siblings where she stood leaning against the wall letting herself be talked to by a couple of the older teens that were stood awkwardly against the wall. It was something that was much easier than dancing when you were supposed to be keeping an eye on people -- and as she kept getting odd looks from Annabeth and Percy, she wondered if perhaps she was fitting in a little too well as she laughed brightly at whatever the boy said, letting all the natural charisma and knowing that she was attractive play out on her features as she felt as though she was glowing in the darkened room.

The girl, Bianca di Angelo, wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy, Nico, was obviously her little brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. His sister seemed to be scolding him about something.

She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.

Her eyes flit over to Dr. Thorn briefly, asserting his location easily as she kept her hearing tuned into him the best that she could with so many sounds.

(She might be able to hear better than others, might be able to pick out a specific sound from a distance away, but it was hard when everything was designed to be so muffled and crowded. She wasn't even sure she could keep full focus on the siblings, the monster, and the rest of the group with the full help of her siblings even if she wanted to.)

(But she tried, she always did, because she wasn't going to be proven as lesser than anyone, let alone some monster.)

Sound echoed around her and she dampened the music as much as she could, drowning out the distractions as though she could toss them away into the oceans, could throw them--

The image of the cliff zapped in her mind, blinding her for a moment, and she nearly staggered, nearly fell into some strange boy that was growing closer, antsy, saying something about geography, but all she could think of was the cliff that was beside the school.

"Better me than you."

No, it's not, she whispered back angrily, skin on fire as she watched Dr. Thorn usher the siblings through the door that he had entered through beside the bleachers. You aren't going anywhere near the cliff if I can help it.

She let out a sharp whistle, drawing the attention of the other half-bloods before she took off after them -- pulling upon all the little tricks that she had learnt over the years spent in cabin 11.

The corridor was long and dark as she listened to the sibling's struggle against the hold that the monster had on them, pacing herself as she waited for an opening, a moment where they separated as she armed herself with her bow.

At the end of the hall, he shoved them into a room and closed them in, blocking them off, and she knew, almost instantly, that they weren't just going to be killed. She could hear their fear as she pressed her back to the wall, listening to them cower together, but it was clear Dr. Thorn wasn't near them only she couldn't pinpoint where.

A silent prayer was sent to Artemis to request for her help on this hunt.

The familiar sound of Riptide being uncapped gave her pause and she shifted so that the tip of her arrow gave a glimmer of warning to the boy as he came up the hall.

"Where are they?" he asks, her hand coming up to slap over his mouth. She gestures to the door with her head.

"He's in there with them," she whispers. "I can't pinpoint where he is exactly, but he's not next to them."

Percy twists his hold on Riptide, brows furrowing in concentration. "I go first and draw his attention?" he suggests.

She purses her lips, never too pleased with the bait plan, but nods anyway -- only to yank him back with the sound of soft talking and footfalls that come there way. She presses a finger to her lip, telling him to be quiet.

The distinct sound of armour is a clear giveaway as it comes from down the hall at their right, away from the gymnasium and the dance.

"Who else could be here?" he hissed, knuckles growing white against the grip of his sword.

Her teeth bare at the question, not willing to voice the answer giving him credibility for his plans. She pulls on the string, feeling the tension before she lets it go, fingers grazing against the soft feathers.

"They're with Dr. Thorn," she voices. "They have to be. We have to get those kids away from them before they can do anything."

Percy glances down the hall, to the door beside them, then to her. He winces. "I can trust you to come back alright?" he asks, voice heavy and tight, as if he might take the words back within a second, snatch them from the air and shake his head.

Swallowing tightly, she looked back to where the voices were disappearing. There were only three that she could hear. Kassandra nods. "I can keep them out of the way," she answers honestly, determined. "Just call for me if you need me. I'll be listening. I'll hear you."

He grins that crooked, troublemaker smile of his, green eyes glowing pools. "I'll see you in a few minutes, then," he says, all false confidence. "I'll send Thalia or Annabeth if you take too long."

Kassandra scoffs, already walking backward down the dark hallway. "I'll be there to finish off the monster before you know it. Just hold tight Princess Prissy."

Shaking his head with silent laughter, he silently ducks into the room and Kassandra darts down the hall on silent toes.

The dark was never pleasant, never welcoming, but it meant hiding and stealth -- and she prayed to Hermes that she didn't give herself away, to Hades that he keep hiding her in the darkness just long enough to keep her hidden.

The three demigods were in basic Greek armour with basic swords at their sides. They looked stiff in the defensive wear, unfamiliar in it, and with how young they still looked, about thirteen, she knew that whatever it was that Luke had taught them, it wasn't enough for them to be able to beat her out.

It was likely the crux of his plan this time around depended more on the monster that he had in charge of the school and not the little back up heroes that were roaming around the school. Dr. Thorn had likely known that Grover would call for help and had decided to call for assistance of his own.

And looking at these young demigods that were properly just as confused and angry, unclaimed with the same emotions burning through them, she couldn't help but sigh at the waste. They could have learnt to be better than whatever quick death Luke had planned for them.

"I don't see where these so called heroes could be," the boy in the middle says.

"It doesn't matter. Luke told us that we had to make sure that they didn't interfere no matter what," A girl with a mousey voice exclaims.

"But why patrol the hallways?" the first boy complains.

The third boy, one that she could mistake for a child of Ares, sneers at the other two, his lips pulled back to bare his teeth in the pale light of the moon through the blizzard. "Because those were our orders. We have to find those demigods before they can get away with the kids."

(If Kassandra had to be honest with herself, truly honest, she might feel pity for the kids, might have tried to persuade them back to camp, but with the way they spoke of Luke in the same way that she had once -- full of wonder and affection, full of loyalty for the boy that was more her family than her siblings that weren't, the brother that had claimed her as a sister when her real siblings lived in a different cabin and gave her kind, but distant greetings because everyone sort of knew but no one truly did -- and she could understand the way that it might look, that attractive feeling of power, of revenge, of being acknowledged.

It probably wasn't their fault, even if she didn't care who's fault it was in the end.)

She waits a moment longer, hoping they would say something of importance on their own before she gives up, shooting the arrow into the back of the third boy's thigh. He falls to his knee with a gasp and whine of pain.

Another is notched, held steady as she steps into the center of the hall.

"Who wants to talk and who wants the arrow?" she offers, a smirk pulling the corner of her lips as the two standing remain frozen -- hallway to their comrade as they stare at you. "It was mean of my old friend Luke to offer you up to me like this."

"What?" the first boy stammers.

"You heard me. Now who is going to answer my questions and who is of no use to me?"

The boy on the floor -- and he truly must be one of Ares' because that arrow had sunk deeply into his thigh -- reaches a hand to the grip of his sword, groaning all the while and with his back to her. Another arrow pins him, going through the tricep of his dominant arm.

The other two cry out in mild disbelief.

"My questions?" she asks, nothing another arrow and aiming it in their general direction. "Who wants to answer them?"

The younger girl squares her shoulders, hand falling to the pommel of her blade. "You can't beat the two of us!" she says haughtily. "Luke will be so happy with me when I bring you in."

Her grin turns feral, dark and bloodthirsty, asking for war, demanding a fight. "Do you know anything about Luke and the people he betrayed?" she asks, voice a loud whisper in the corridor. "I want you to know that it's his fault that you might die tonight."

Her aim is precise as it hits her thigh, lodging into the femoral attery with a clear twang of the bow and the sound of piercing skin. The children of Apollo know all the easy spots to kill a person, after all.

She turns her attention to the last kid, taking her time to nock her arrow. "Alright, kid, what can you tell me about Luke?"

The boy shakes his head, squeezing his mouth shut. He fumbles with his sword.

"You'll die before you can take a step. It was mean of him to send you out unprepared. It was wrong. He knew that you would be faced with trained demigods but he sent you anyway," she says, half-sympathetic, half-manipulative. "Your friends will probably die because Luke didn't prepare them because no back up will come, not fast enough to help you at least. You don't have to die if you just tell me."

He swallows, stumbling away from the likely dead girl. Kassandra didn't look at her too closely. "I- I don't know. He doesn't tell us anything."

"That's okay," she says reassuringly. "He considers himself the leader. It makes sense that he keeps things a secret just in case. Just tell me what you do know."

"He- he wants as many half-bloods as he can for the army."

She nods. "Yes, I know, that's why he has you, isn't it? What more has he been doing? Do you know?"

"He hasn't been around lately," the boy blubbers. "No one has seen him, but someone has been giving orders in his place and fight Lord Kronos' battles."

She can hear the truth of his statement ringing in her ears. "Do you know where he went or who is giving orders?"

The boy shakes his head quickly. "I don't know. I'm not allowed to speak to them and I don't want to. The new guy is scary."

"Hey, it's okay," she soothes him. "It makes sense for you not to speak to those higher in command than you. You aren't important. Do you know what he looks like?"

"He has dark slicked-back hair, grey eyes like stone, light brown skin, and he looks really strong, super buff," the boy stammers. "He is very tall and with a mean, harsh expression, huge shoulders, and hands that could snap me in half."

A clear, piercing sound flits through her, lifting her with the feeling: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

Her head snaps in the direction of the call, pinpointing the direction easily. She had to go to it, for it.

"Thank you for telling me what you know," she says, smiling kindly, lifting her bow once more. "Make sure you that when you see Luke you tell him that you ran into Kassandra."

The boy shrieks, throwing out his hands as he stumbles back, clumsily holding out a sword. "You said you wouldn't kill me!"

She laughs, tilting her head. "I won't, but I can't have you following me either, kid."

Like an arrow, she flies through the halls of the school, tracing her steps in the direction of the Hunter's call knowing deep down that it was where she was going to find Percy, Annabeth and Thalia.

Fleet-footed, she raced forward until she was throwing herself out into the snow and following the disappearing steps that followed a lamplit path that led into the woods. There was no hesitation as she ran, speed picking up as she sprinted -- one of the fastest demigods at camp, she didn't feel fast enough now, even as she could hear the racing of the Hunter's alongside her in the woods.

Soon, she could hear the sea, of waves crashing and wind howling. The trees opened up onto a small clearing at the edge of the cliffside.

The siblings were on the ground, cowering against Grover for cover. Annabeth and Percy were on the floor, his wristwatch shield raised in meager defense. Thalia was knocked to the side, holding her own shield in an attempt to defend herself and the unarmed trio.

Arrows rained around her and not for a moment did she fear getting struck as she held up her own bow, adding arches of gold as she aimed for the monster and his spitting spines.

"Curse you!" Thorn cried.

Dozens of spikes came shooting out, only to be intercepted by a volley of silver arrows. A rush of adrenaline filled her, joy glowing through her in gold as she attacked with the Hunter's. A golden-tailed arrow pierced a spike in two, the force of it continuing on to pierce the tail as it came up to attack Percy as he drove at the monster with his sword.

It was a stunningly beautiful shot.

About a dozen female archers stepped from the woods. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, Zoe, was about fifteen. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.

"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.

One of the oldest Hunters stepped forward, bow drawn, and Kassandra would have shifted on her toes in excitement had it not been for the serious situation. Zoe aimed at Dr. Thorn. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

She nearly lost her grip on her bow as she saw the silver of lady Artemis' eyes for the first time in years.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"No so. The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast," She says, looking to her lieutenant. "Zoe, permission granted."

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Percy and Thalia, their shields partially raised as they stood in a daze.

It was almost like a snap in her mind, a reverberating echo of words and darkness and standing on this very cliff edge, that had her dropping her bow carelessly and lunging forward in a desperate attempt to stop the blonde.

"No.'" Annabeth yelled and she charged at the monster.

"Get out of the way, half-blood!" Zoe yelled. "You're in the line of fire."

Annabeth jumped at the monster, landing on his back with her knife drawn, and plunged into his mane as she held on tight, clinging as he twirled in an attempt to get her.

"Fire!" Zoe ordered.

Percy cried out.

The Hunters let their arrows fly. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

She rushed forward, always fast, her dreams echoing in her mind with Annabeth's playful laughter.

Before she could reach her, just barely grazing the back of her jacket with the tips of her fingers -- the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.

She staggered, and nearly slipped, shoes gliding in the snow as she tried to stop (or maybe she didn't, maybe she wanted to take a leap and follow, to try and reach her in the icy depths of the sea below). Arms caught her around her middle, dragging her back as she muttered over and over under her breath as if breathing life into 'no' would give it the basis to be real.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled.

There's was a snap-snap, from the helicopter that she hadn't paid any attention to before.

"Better me than you," Annabeth taunted in her mind.

Kassandra lurched forward, knees hitting the snow, and screamed.

The helicopter exploded above them.

☼ ☼ ☼

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unedited

written: 2021-02-02

posted: 2021-03-30