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THIRTY EIGHT, middle school dances suck
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THE FRIDAY BEFORE WINTER BREAK, Aster found herself in the back seat of Ms. Jackson's car, with an overnight bag and a few weapons, on her way to a new boarding school. Okay, so she wasn't exactly going to boarding school (unless her father and Wendy had seriously gone behind her back). She was squished in the backseat between Annabeth and Thalia, since she was the shortest—which she severely resented.
It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the highway. Aster hadn't seen Annabeth, Thalia, or Percy in months, but between the blizzard and the thought of what they were about to do, they were all too nervous to talk much. That turned out to be no problem because Percy's mom talked. A lot. By the time they finally arrived at Westover Hall, it was getting dark, and it seemed she'd told the girls every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about Percy—much to Aster's delight.
Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."
Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" Ms. Jackson asked.
"No, thanks, Mom," Percy said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."
"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."
Percy's cheeks tinted pink, looking embarrassed. He was lucky they were there to stand up to his mother.
"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was tucked into a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. "We'll keep him out of trouble."
"Or, we'll at least try our best," Aster joked. "You never know with this one." Percy threw a familiar glare at her, which just made her grin wider.
Ms. Jackson seemed to relax a little. "All right, dears," she said. "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."
"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"
Percy looked like he was about to throw himself off the cliff they were right next to. "Mom–"
"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"
"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."
She looked a little hurt, but Percy didn't say another word as he hopped out of the front seat, Aster, Thalia, and Annabeth right on his heels. Aster shivered slightly; the wind blew straight through her coat like ice daggers.
