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─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
the group left early morning. due to it being winter, the sun was only beginning to peak over the horizon when maddie arrived on top of half-blood hill.
she frowned when she noticed the absence of a hunter. "where's phoebe?"
she could tell that whatever had happened had upset zoe. "it does not matter. we shall make do with five."
an idea dawned in maddie's mind. "hey, maybe—"
"that boy is not coming."
maddie sighed. thalia suddenly appeared out of nowhere, swinging an arm around the younger girl. "cheer up dolphin face. he'll be fine."
she nodded, her lips pursed. the girl took one last look at camp, her safe haven, her second home, before she followed bianca into the van that had been provided for the quest.
zoe sat in the front, at the wheel. maddie had to admit that she was a little concerned for her safety, but grover, who sat in the other front seat, made her feel a little better. in the back were bianca, thalia and maddie, squished in between them.
within minutes of being on the road, thalia slumped onto maddie's shoulder and was out like a light. grover took out his reed pipes and began to play softly. the tune seemed to make the van feel warm and cozy, and maddie felt her eyes begin to droop as well. the last thing she felt was her head dropping onto thalia's before she fell asleep.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
when maddie awoke, the first thing she comprehended was the soft tugging on her hair. it wasn't hard enough to pain her, but rather a gentle tugging, so much that it actually felt a little nice.
maddie lifted her head, yawning. peering through her sleepy eyes, she saw that the sun had come up. they were still on the road, but had made it far from camp. realizing the tugging had stopped, she turned her head slightly to her left.
bianca was shifted slightly so that her body was facing maddie's. she looked bashful, as if she had been just caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. she held a half-braided strand of hair. maddie's hair. "sorry," she said sheepishly. "plaiting hair calms me down."
maddie grinned. "by all means, be my guest."
bianca beamed, and returned to plaiting the strand of maddie's hair. apparently she had been doing it for a while, because when maddie examined the rest of her hair, there were small plaits scattered throughout it. bianca had even somehow done her right side.
