Chapter 11: Andrew's POV

When I first came to half blood I got my head stuck in a toilet bowl by Clarisse La Rue. It wasn't that bad. I never minded getting wet but what scared me was the drowning sensation. It was a sensation so horrible that I could never exactly put my finger on it. I could feel my nose and mouth filling up and I could feel my self slipping into unconsciousness. My eyes were blurry and my head started to throb. Later I felt the sensation when I found about my mother's suicide when I was eleven. Since then I knew when other people were feeling like that and I knew that right now both Aaron and Cassandra were in way over their heads.

"Babe?" Kasey asked as Cassandra walked back to us without Aaron. I looked at her.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Be nice to her, ok?" Kasey said and I knew that Kasey was right. Cassandra had a hard day. She and Aaron were finally getting over their ruff spots. She came back and I expected her to be crushed but she returned a look in her eyes I'd only seen once in my life; the day Ares left my mother. I was only a baby but I remember it distinctly. It was a look of hate and pure evil. I didn't like that this was what Cassandra looked like now.

"I'll take Andrew and Nico. Everyone else stay here and don't leave." Cassandra said and touched the gold locket that she always wore. I stood up and Nico did to but Kate grabbed his arm.

"Nico, you can't go." She said but Nico pulled away.

"Kate, I can do what I want to do." He said and took another step.

"Nico, if you leave-"

"Stop it!" Kyra and Zakk yelled at the same time. We were all tired but I noticed that Cassandra was visibly worn out. Her eyes lost their glimmer and now looked glassed over and I could see that they were sunken in. The eye shadow and mascara that Kyra had put on was smudged and her lips were chapped and bleeding. The glossy mocha hair that she used to toss around her shoulders was now tangled and lost the luster that it always had. She didn't look like she could fend a monster off or fight a battle.

"Cassandra, maybe Kate should come instead of you." I said gently. She shook her head. I looked at her, assessing her strength and I thought I'd seen babies who could do better than she could now but I decided to watch her and just drop it. After a days worth of sleep the three of us headed off. We walked for a few miles and Cassandra seemed to get angrier with the steps she took. Finally we reached a clearing. Their we saw Prometheus, a girl, and Aaron.

"I wont take it from you." Aaron said. "I think we need to give it to Cassandra. She'll crack under the stress." Cassandra looked at us both and her eyes asked us what they were talking about. I motioned for her to listen, and we all crouched behind the rock.

"Please! You've got to stop it! It hurts me!" The girl yelled and Cassandra put her hand over her mouth, muffling a scream.

"Cassi, you need to listen to me." Prometheus started but the girl went on.

"I can't do it anymore! It wrecked my life and many more girls! Please, please, please take it!" She yelled and Nico put has hand on the sword but I restrained them both.

"Cassi, just a little longer!"

"NO! NO! NO!' She yelled and Aaron reached down and slapped her. Prometheus took Aaron's shoulder and Cassandra picked up a rock and before I could drop her she shot up and threw it at Prometheus.

"Cassandra!" Nico hissed but we all ended up standing and Prometheus turned around. Cassandra ran over and helped a scared Cassi up but it was to late because about twelve monsters closed us in. It was a trap. Cassandra looked around and Cassi pushed her gently.

'You need to go." She said but Cassandra whipped out a sword and went back to back with the two of us. Aaron and Prometheus fled and Cassandra started to curse at them in a variety of different colorful language and in both English and ancient Greek. Nico slashed at an empouosa and I took on three of the demigods. Most of the monsters were gone in the half hour but soon after we all collapsed on the ground exhausted and unable to walk back. Nico had enough strength to tell Cassi the directions to our camp and to go get help. I didn't know how long passed but at the twenty-minute mark Cassandra started to talk, weakly.

"We did it." She said

"That we did." I responded back.

"Who is Cassi?" She asked.

"A POW." Nico responded.

"What that?" Cassandra asked.

"I prisoner of war." I said and after could see the pink of Kyra's sneakers. We were all helped back to camp and I remember the three of us drinking ambrosia and eating nectar than passing out on the maps.