Goodnight Moon ↣ P. Jackson + A. Chase

1.08

Kassandra liked to think that she was above things such as her fear of the dark, she really truly did. She was almost fifteen, too old to have such childish fears, but the dark was like a terrible place that could never be escaped. And she had gotten over that fear years ago.

But here she was out on the open ocean with a fear in her heart set so deep that she was a young child again unsure if she should plead for her father's help or if she should curse him for not existing.

Back then she hadn't even known if the parent she was hating was a mother or father. She hadn't known a thing just as her parents hadn't.

She knew she was adopted, sure, her parent's had sat her down and told her as much when she was old enough to begin understanding and had continued to do so as the years passed and she had questions that needed to be answered -- but they hadn't had all the answers and she had believed that to be enough for now because they told the truth and she didn't think to ask for more.

And now, trembling in the dark like she was a child once more, Kassandra couldn't help the tiny part of her that whimpered for rescue from the empty moonlight. 

But the sun was long gone and night had fallen over the Sea of Monsters, and it left only the lack of light everywhere.

They sailed through the night, though, Percy commanding the ship like a one-man crew as Annabeth slept of seasickness and Kassandra kept him silent company by a collection of candles gathered at her feet.

"Are all of you afraid of the dark?" Percy asks, tactless as he takes a seat just outside her ring of candles. "Because of you dad?"

"No, but we can get uncomfortable when there's a lack of light," she says. "I've just, I'm not sure. I thought I was over it and then we left Circe's resort."

"Oh."

She grins at him, taking in his soft sort of confusion as he thinks. "It's not like Athena kids and spiders. We Apollo kids are scared of snakes, not the dark."

"Is that why you didn't want to go by Scylla?" his tone took on a teasing lilt.

"Scylla's built like a snake," she snaps defensively. "You gonna tell me that there's nothing that you fear irrationally?"

"Not off the top of my head."

Kassandra scoffs. "That must be nice."

"Yeah, well, if you view rational fears as something nice, then sure," he snarks.

Falling back into silence, Kassandra finds herself unable to look at him, gaze darting back to the water's semi-calm surface. They were rocked gently, the ship bobbing along the night as the occasional monster struck out at the surface sending a spray of water in tall plumes, the waves smoothing off reptilian scales something a hundred feet long.

It made her shiver, a crawling of skin as she acknowledged their presence. The sea was full of monsters that would be eager to swallow them up.

She figured Annabeth was lucky to have been down below resting instead of staying up in some twisted compulsion to assist the boy. She would have felt terribly guilty to leave him all alone even if she was used to keeping watch during the day as if that would make some sort of difference to her because of who her father just happened to be (not that she minded being able to actually sleep through the nights and be able to keep other from getting sick in the sun all day). 

"I didn't mean to upset you."

He exhales heavily. "I'm sorry, too." 

A moment of silence later, he adds: "You're really good with a bow."