( EMMELINE KINGSLEY )

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅ ⑅ ♥̩̥̩♥̩̩̥͙♥̩͙ˊ

♥*♡∞:｡.𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐀. 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏 𝐍𝐎𝐖! that's what the message emmeline sent to garret looked like. the girl left her phone and school bag in the band room and had to warn her brother immediately, so she used percys phone which luckily had garrets number saved.

the two burst out of the alley onto east 81st and ran straight into annabeth. daughter of athena. and emmeline's annoying cousin. "hey, you're out early!" she laughed, grabbing my percys shoulders to keep him from tumbling into the street. "watch where you're going, seaweed brain." she laughed looking the boy up and down before turning to emmeline and holding back a laugh. "why do you look like a bag of flour fell on you" she joked referring to the grey stained skirt.

for a split second she was in a good mood and everything was fine. she was wearing jeans and an orange camp t-shirt and her clay bead necklace. her blond curly hair was pulled back in a ponytail. her gray eyes sparkled. She looked like she was ready to catch a movie. then rachel elizabeth dare, still covered in monster dust, came charging out of the alley, yelling, "percy, wait up!" and annabeth's smile turned sour.

she stared at rachel, then at the school. for the first time, she seemed to notice the black smoke and ringing fire alarms. she frowned at the two. "what have you done this time? and who's this?"

"oh, rachel-annabeth. annabeth-rachel. um, she's our friend, I guess." percy shrugged unsurely as rachel took a place besides emmeline.

"hi," rachel said. then she turned to emmeline and percy. "you are in so much trouble" she said to percy before talking to emmeline "and you still owe me an explanation!" police sirens wailed on fdr drive.

"percy," annabeth said coldly. "we should go." for once her anger wasn't directed at emmeline. she almost seemed jealous.

"i want to know more about half-bloods," rachel insisted. "and monsters. and this stuff about the gods." she grabbed percys arm, whipped out a permanent marker, and wrote a phone number on his hand. "you're going to call me and explain, okay? you owe me that. now get going." she urged them.

"but-" emmeline was about to argue but was cut off by rachel.

"i'll make up some story," rachel said. "i'll tell them it wasn't his fault. just go!" she ran back toward the school, leaving annabeth, emmeline and percy in the street.

"hey!" percy began jogging after a walking annabeth. "there were these two empousa's," he tried to explain. "they were cheerleaders, see, and they said camp was going to burn, and-" he was cut off as annabeth turnt abruptly looking betrayed.

"you told a mortal girl about half-bloods?" she accused and emmeline felt it was her place to step in.

"i told her actually. and she can see through the mist. she saw the monsters before we did." emmeline argued catching up to be in tow with annabeth.

"so you told her the truth?" annabeth asked incredibly looking at emmeline like she was stupid, emmeline scowled at the blonde before percy answered.

"she recognized me and em from the hoover dam, so-" percy was cut off by annabeth, the girl looking uninterested and focusing on her feet.

"you've met her before?" she asked.

"um, last winter. but seriously, i barely know her." percy tried defending himself as if annabeth was his girlfriend or something. emmeline felt her heart beat speed up and her throat begin to burn.

"she's kind of cute." annabeth said as if trying to get a reaction out of percy, which is exactly what she got.

"i-i never thought about it." he stuttered and emmeline could see the faint pink begin to rise on his neck. she knew rachel was pretty but something about seeing percy get all flustered over her hurt her heart.

annabeth kept walking toward york avenue. "i'll deal with the school," percy promised, anxious to change the subject. "honest, it'll be fine." annabeth wouldn't even look back.

"i guess our afternoon is off. we should get you out of here, now that the police will be searching for you guys." she said coldly as she looked both ways before crossing the road. "where's garret?" she asked turning momentarily to look at emmeline.

"still at school i think. i've messaged him to leave asap" the girl said rushing besides percy to keep up with him, her shoes now beginning to hurt. she swore her mother out in her head for her constant need for perfection.

behind them, smoke billowed up from goode high school. in the dark column of ashes.
"you're right," percy told annabeth, the boys heart sinking. "we have to get to camp half-blood. now"

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐛 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭. emmeline was squashed between percy and annabeth and the curly haired blonde hadn't say anything to either of them. she was acting as if emmeline had just kissed her boyfriend, percy being said boyfriend.

all they managed to get out of her was that she'd had a monster-infested spring in san francisco; she'd come back to camp twice since christmas but wouldn't tell percy why. emmeline already knew. and she'd still learnt nothing about the whereabouts of nico di angelo.

"luke?" emmeline asked in a low whisper, her voice being on the border of angry but also hopeful. no matter all the bad he'd done, he was still her and annabeth's cousin and she didn't want anything too bad to happen to him. he may have betrayed her, but he was family.

"mount tam is still overrun with monsters," annabeth said. "i didn't dare go close, but I don't think luke is up there. i think i would know if he was." she said solemnly.

"he's not stupid enough to go to a monster ridden place with a scent like that" emmeline tried to reassure herself and annabeth.

"what about grover?" percy asked changing the subject not liking to talk about luke, and not liking how the two girls obviously still cared for him. jealousy was a bitch.

"he's at camp with marlene," she said. "we'll see him today."

"did he have any luck? i mean, with the search for pan?" annabeth fingered her bead necklace, the way she does when she's worried.

"you'll see," she said. but she didn't explain any further. they rode in silence after that. the city melted away until we were off the expressway and rolling through the countryside of northern long island, past orchards and wineries and fresh produce stands.

emmeline could see percy glancing at his arm with rachels number and a coil began to form in her stomach. she was more than jealous now and just opted for sulking like annabeth and not speaking to percy for the rest of the journey.

the cab exited on route 25a. the teenagers headed through the woods along the north shore until a low ridge of hills appeared on their left. annabeth told the driver to pull over on farm road 3.141, at the base of half-blood hill.

the driver frowned. "there ain't nothing here, kids. you sure you want out?"

"yes, please," annabeth handed him a roll of mortal cash, and the driver decided not to argue.

they hiked to the crest of the hill. the young guardian dragon was dozing, coiled around the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head as they approached and let annabeth and emmeline scratch under his chin. steam hissed out his nostrils like from a teakettle, and he went cross-eyed with pleasure.

"hey, peleus," annabeth started. "keeping everything safe?" and emmeline finished. this had always confused percy, the two acted like they hated eachother so much but had such similar tendencies that they seemed like the best of friends.

they walked down into the valley and found the summer session in full swing. most of the campers had arrived last friday. the satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with woodland magic. campers were having flying horseback lessons, swooping over the woods on their pegasi. smoke rose from the forges, and hammers rang as kids made their own weapons for arts crafts. the athena and demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake some kids in a greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent. a typical day at camp.

"i need to talk to clarisse" annabeth suddenly said making percys eyes widen, everyone knew of percy and clarisse's rivalry. it was stupid if you asked emmeline.

"we've been working on something," annabeth said. "i'll see you later." annabeth said trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

but it seemed percy never caught on as he kept pestering "working on what?" annabeth glanced toward the forest.

"i'll tell chiron you're here," she said. "he'll want to talk to you before the hearing." emmeline knew exactly what hearing annabeth meant but couldn't tell percy.

"what hearing?" percy asked confused, but she had already jogged down the path toward the archery field without looking back. in the time percy stared after annabeth, emmeline's attention had turnt to the hermes cabin where a certain ethan nakamura was exiting.

emmeline may have been head over heels in love with percy, but it didn't mean she didn't have a small crush on ethan. he was hot and he actually payed attention to her. the two had shared a few innocent kisses and you could say there was potential for a relationship.

"yeah," he muttered. "great talking with you, too." he turnt his attention to emmeline to see her staring off into the distance. he followed her eyes to see ethan. the boy scoffed which caught emmeline's attention.

"what?" she asked as she crossed her arms, the look on percys face was annoying to say the least. she hadn't existed five minutes ago to him when annabeth was around so why did he care now.

"you're still seeing that jerk?" percy said looking down at the blonde with what could only be judgemental eyes. emmeline pulled an offended face before starting to walk backwards away.

"you know what percy? you should open your eyes sometime soon" she spat before spinning on her heel beginning to stomp away "and he's not a jerk!" she called out finally before reaching the japanese boy and grabbing his hand pulling him as far away from percy jackson as possible.

"𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫?" emmeline asked the japanese boy as they walked hand in hand alongside the lake. she hadn't seen silena in nearly two months and she was missing her half- sister. sure garret was a good brother, but she did crave some female company.

ethan looked down at the slightly shorter girl with a slight wince making her raise an eyebrow before he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck "your new cabin mate - she's been a bit of a problem" 

the boys words making emmeline squint her eyes before dragging him along with her to the aphrodite cabin, it was just as she remembered it. a pink painted roof, with pillars and a blue-and-white checkerboard deck with steps and gray walls. the outside was surrounded by her brothers and sisters, all as beautiful as each other.

she saw lacy, the youngest of her siblings. she looked as though she'd just gotten her braces off which brought a small smile to emmeline's face. valentina as well as mitchell stood chatting on the side of the building, well mitchell was speaking and valentina was checking her makeup in a mirror. the girl was a year- rounder and emmeline and garret had tried getting the girl to come and stay with them for a while, but she always declined.

"emmy!" lacy's voice hit the blonde's ears making her stop abrutply in her steps, ethan detaching his hand and stepping back. "you're back early" lacy said as she flung herself into her sisters arms.

emmeline held the ten year old close as she pushed her chin into lacy's plaited hair, pink and white ribbon incorporated which she guessed was due to silena. "i missed you guys too much" emmeline laughed before dropping the girl.

"where's selina?" emmeline asked as lacy began to drag the girl towards the cabin doors, and inside. valentina and mitchell sending her faint smiles as they stood outside looking hesitant to enter.

"she's with-" the small girls voice was cut off as selina yelled out through the whole cabin, everyone who was currently inside either laying across their beds or admiring themselves in the mirror. she'd never seen the cabin this unbothered since the arrival of percy.

the inside of the cabin smelt very heavily of perfume. the inner walls of the cabin were pink with white window trim. the curtains and beds a pastel blue and green. the guys had their own row of bunks separated by a curtain and their section of the cabin was usually just as neat and orderly as the girls'. the blue dressers in between the beds had clothes strewn everywhere. the cabin was always clean excluding the chocolate wrappers, love notes, and other things under their beds.

"drew!" selina stood in front of a pretty asian girl who seemed to not care and stood picking at her nails. new camper emmeline thought, she was either going to make their lives a like the underworld or like olympus. "i told you that you can't just take our things without asking" selina seemed over it all.

"well then you should've put your names on the things" drew yelled back in retaliation making emmeline raise an eyebrow considering every aphrodite cabin member had a dresser with their name painted across the front next to their beds with their things.

emmeline turnt to see ethan leaning across the wall of the aphrodite cabin as he surveyed her siblings with slightly judgy eyes making her eyes roll before she made her way up to selina and drew, putting a hand on her older sisters shoulder.

"hey, what's up?" the blonde asked as she momentarily met drew's eyes before turning to selina. the beauregard girl taking a second before realising who it was and flinging an arm around her sisters waist.

"gods, i've missed you" she sighed into emmeline's shoulder. emmeline smiling into the hug, both girls too occupied leaving drew enough time to slip away unnoticed and out of the cabin. ethan sending her a small glare as she left.

"she's gone you guys" the boy spoke up to the two making them pull back before looking at the spot drew stood and then at each other, selina letting out a large sigh. "should've kicked her out of camp the day she arrived" the boy mumbled as he flopped himself onto emmeline's bed.

"that's drew tanaka, she was claimed a month ago" silena told emmeline quickly as a quick brief "total pain in my ass" she whispered low enough for emmeline to hear, the blonde giggling.

silena began to drag emmeline over to her bed to plop herself next to ethan but the sound of hooves approaching from the outside stopped them in their tracks, chiron's head popping through the door, percy on his back.

"emmeline the hearing is about to take place, we must hurry" the centaur authorative voice stated making silena frown and ethan groan before emmeline nodded and walked over to the centaur "hop on" he told the girl before percy stuck his hand out for the girl.

she seemed to hesitate for a second before taking his hand in her own and letting him pull her up, the boys fingers not letting go till she was secured before percy. ethan only stared at them before rolling his eyes, of course he knew about emmeline's crush. it was more than obvious to the whole camp except percy it seemed.

𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 past the cabins emmeline kept her eyes out on the cabins and the the dining hall-an open-air greek pavilion that they passed, she knew percy probably felt uncomfortable and tried to distract the boy. just cause she was annoyed didn't mean she didn't care.

"do you think grover and marlene are here?" she spoke up, her voice low as chiron plunged into the woods. nymphs peeked out of the trees to watch them pass. large shapes rustled in the shadows-monsters that were stocked in here as a challenge to the campers.

percy turnt his head to glance at the gorgeous blonde he'd known since he was eleven. emmeline had grown since then obviously and so had the way he felt about her. he didn't exactly know how he felt about emmeline now, he could've said he had a crush on her but that was stupid. she was his best friend.

he tried to cover up his staring with a small cough before turning around awkwardly avoiding her eyes "grover's here im pretty sure and i think marlene will be here later tonight" 

chiron smirked to himself at the boys awkwardness as he turnt a way percy didn't recognize, through a tunnel of old willow trees, past a little waterfall, and into a glade blanketed with wildflowers.

the first thing emmeline saw was a bunch of satyrs were sitting in a circle in the grass. grover stood in the middle, facing three really old, really fat satyrs who sat on topiary thrones shaped out of rose bushes. grover seemed to be telling them a story. he twisted the bottom of his t-shirt, shifting nervously on his goat hooves. his acne had flared up. his horns had gotten a little bigger so they just stuck out over his curly hair.

standing off to one side of the circle was annabeth, a girl percy didn't know but emmeline was more than acquainted with, and clarisse. chiron dropped the two off beside the trio and made his way away.

emmeline turnt towards clarisse with a smile which clarisse sent a nod towards, it was the most she'd expect from her at the moment knowing trying to hug the girl would be crossing the line. she'd changed a bit since emmeline had last seen her; her  brown hair was tied back with a camouflage bandanna, she looked even buffer, like she'd been working out. 

she glared at percy and muttered, "punk," which must've meant she was in a good mood, considering she acted like she hated percy's guts

annabeth had her arm around the other girl, juniper, who looked like she'd been crying. "It's going terribly," the girl sniffled.

juniper was small-petite, with with wispy hair the color of amber and a pretty, elfish face. she wore a green chiton and laced sandals, and she was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

"no, no," annabeth patted her shoulders. "he'll be fine, juniper ." emmeline saw percys face and nudged the boy before mouthing 'grover's girlfriend'

"master underwood!" the council member on the right shouted, cutting off whatever grover was trying to say. "do you seriously expect us to believe this?"

"b-but silenus," grover began to stammer. "it's the truth!"

silenus, turned to his colleagues and muttered something. chiron cantered up to the front and stood next to them. the elders didn't look very impressive. they reminded percy of goats in a petting zoo-huge bellies, sleepy expressions, and glazed eyes that couldn't see past the next handful of goat chow.

silenus tugged his yellow polo shirt over his belly and adjusted himself on his rosebush throne. "master underwood, for six months-six months- we have been hearing these scandalous claims that you heard the wild god pan speak."

"but I did!" the boy argued, emmeline stared at him confused on how that was possible but didn't doubt grover for a second.

she knew better than to doubt the boy, grover had never lied and was always truthful. he'd been by her side since she arrived at camp half-blood and only wanted the best for all demi-gods, there was no need for him to lie now.

"impudence!" said the elder satyr on the left.

"now, maron," chiron said. "patience."

"patience, indeed!" maron said. "i've had it up to my horns with this nonsense. as if the wild god would speak to...to him."

emmeline's eyebrows furrowed before she turnt to face the old satyrs finding his words offensive, juniper also seemed to want to speak up but annabeth and clarisse held her back.

percy don't know what surprised him more: clarisse holding someone back from a fight, or the fact that she and annabeth, who despised each other, almost seemed like they were working together.

"for six months," silenus continued, "we have indulged you, master underwood. we let you travel. we allowed you to keep your searcher's license. we waited for you to bring proof of your preposterous claim. and what have you found in six months of travel?"

"i just need more time," grover pleaded with them

"nothing!" the elder in the middle chimed in. "you have found nothing."

"but, leneus-" silenus raised his hand. chiron leaned in and said something to the satyrs. the satyrs didn't look happy. they muttered and argued among themselves, but chiron said something else, and silenus sighed. he nodded reluctantly.

"master underwood," silenus announced, "we will give you one more chance."

grover brightened. "thank you!"

"one more week." grover's expression now dropping

"what? but sir! that's impossible!"

"one more week, master underwood. and then, if you cannot prove your claims, it will be time for you to pursue another career. something to suit your dramatic talents. puppet theatre, perhaps. or tap dancing."

"i'm gonna break their horns" emmeline muttered under her breath in annoyance as she stared at the three old satyrs who only looked at grover as if he were a joke. percy staring at the smaller girl before grabbing a hold off her wrist and pulling her back slightly.

"but sir, i-i can't lose my searcher's license. my whole life-"

"this meeting of the council is adjourned," silenus said. "and now let us enjoy our noonday meal!"

the old satyr clapped his hands, and a bunch of nymphs melted out of the trees with platters of vegetables, fruits, tin cans, and other goat delicacies. the circle of satyrs broke and charged the food. grover walked dejectedly towards the others. his faded blue t-shirt had a picture of a satyr on it. It read got hooves?

"hi, percy, emmy" he said, so depressed he didn't offer handshakes or hugs "that went well, huh?"

"it's okay, grove" emmeline tried saying comfortingly as she placed a soft hand on the satyrs shoulders

"those old goats!" juniper said. "oh, grover, they don't know how hard you've tried!"

"there is another option," clarisse said darkly, and for once emmeline didn't have a clue what the girls was suggesting.

"no. no." juniper shook her head. "grover, i won't let you."

his face was ashen. "i-i'll have to think about it. but we don't even know where to look."

"what are you talking about?" percy asked making emmeline nod her head.

in the distance, a conch horn sounded. annabeth pursed her lips. "i'll fill you in later, percy, emmeline. we'd better get back to our cabins. inspection is starting."

"𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬" emmeline spoke up as she and percy rushed their way to the twelve cabins, the boy looked stressed out considering he'd have to clean his cabin alone. it was inspection day meaning the winners had first shower hour and the losers had kitchen patrol.

"you guys are always so clean though" percy mumbled to himself not thinking emmeline would hear but she did, she always heard what percy was saying, somehow. it was a wonder between the two, as if their thoughts were connected.

"new cabin mate, drama- queen" emmeline explained before the two had made it out of the forest and were now stood in the opening of the common area

the demeter kids were sweeping out theirs and making fresh flowers grow in their window boxes. just by snapping their fingers they could make honeysuckle vines bloom over their doorway and daisies cover their roof, which was totally unfair. 

the guys in the hermes cabin were scrambling around in a panic, stashing dirty laundry under their beds and accusing each other of taking stuff. they were absolute slobs but always had a head start on percy.

silena was just coming out of the aphrodite cabin, checking items off the inspection scroll. percy thought silena was nice, but she was an absolute neat freak, the worst inspector. she liked things to be pretty.

the poseidon cabin was at the end of the row of "male god" cabins on the right side of the green. it was made of gray shell-encrusted sea rock, long and low like a bunker, but it had windows that faced the sea and it always had a good breeze blowing through it.

"see you later" percy said to emmeline making the blonde nod before she ran to join her siblings, she tried slipping past silena who was yelling at mitchell because he wasn't scrubbing the windows correctly.

"i made yours and garrets beds" valentina told emmeline as she made her way into the cabin with a sigh without being caught, she sent valentina a grateful smile before looking at the girl confused on why their beds were unmade anyway.

"why- never mind" she decided it'd be better to not know and found herself flopping onto the large carpet in the centre of the girls beds with a relieved breath and letting herself relax finally.