Heroes Of The Next Generation || 1

Chapter 3: I Should Have Stayed in Bed

Emily Zhang started out at the open field the wind blowing her curly light brown hair across her chocolate coloured skin and in her golden eyes, she was a spitting image of her mother. Her brother Charlie was sitting next to her on the bay window seat his short black hair also blowing in wind his face he was the spitting image of their father.

Emily and Charlie were waiting for their dad to come home he had been away for his military tour for the past five months and their mom had gone to pick him up. Finally Emily got so bored waiting she put on her jacket and boots "where are you going" her four year old brother asked her.

"I'm just going to shoot some targets" she replied "but you're supposed to be watching me your eleven and half I'm only four" he replied she sighed if he did something while she was watching him she would get blamed. "Come on" she said Charlie excitedly put on his shoes and jacket, they walked down the field and Emily pulled the archery targets, arrows and bows out of the barn.

She set up the targets and handed Charlie a bow "can you please show me how to shoot an arrow again Emily" he asked in his most adorable four year old voice. "Okay but you have to pay attention this time" she answered she got into her stance, notched her arrow, drew back her bow, took a deep breath, and then finally took the shot.

It hit the bullseye she smiled her dad had taught her to shoot like that when she was younger then Charlie "okay your turn now" she said to Charlie. Charlie repeated her process and his shot landed on the outer ring of the target "it's okay it takes some practice" she replied.

A car pulled into the driveway at first she thought it was her mom but she recognized the car immediately it was Aunt Reyna she was their only family friend. Besides Uncle Jason but he had died when her parents were fifteen "Aunt Ray-Ray" Charlie yelled and ran towards the car Emily notched another arrow and hit a another bullseye like her dad had taught her.

"Nice shot" Reyna said her dark hair was pulled back into a braid she was wearing a purple shirt, sliver shorts and dark sunglasses classic Aunt Reyna. "Thanks" she replied then noticed that Charlie was hanging off Reyna's leg "where's your mom" she asked.

"She went to pick up dad from the base after she was finished with work at the jewelry store" Emily answered notching another arrow and lining up the target. "I just need to talk to her about something important" Reyna replied as Emily took the shot and hit another bullseye what would be so important that Reyna drove all the way here without calling.

"What's so important you drove all the way here" she asked putting down the bow "just boring adult stuff" Reyna answered then turned to Charlie who was still hanging off her leg. "Charlie didn't you say that you wanted to show me your new soccer tricks" she asked him "I'll go grab my soccer ball" he answered excitedly running towards the house to get his soccer ball.

"So how's school going" she asked "it's ok we always have to move cause dad in the military so we've been here for six months and I still have no friends" she answered. She shot another bullseye in anger "are you still practicing those fighting moves I showed you" Reyna asked "yeah I finally got the judo flip down" she answered.

"One of my old friend's used that to intimidate her boyfriend and make out with him in front of an entire army" Reyna told her, she loved Reyna's stories they were all super cool and she had millions of them. "Really she made out with him in front of an entire army" Emily asked "yeah that's how I met her and how we became friends" Reyna answered.

Her mom's car pulled into the driveway with her dad in the passenger seat Charlie went running up to the car her dad got out of the car and hugged her brother. Emily and Aunt Reyna  made their way over to the car, she slung her bow over her shoulder with her quiver "hey dad" she said.

He hugged her as tight as he could without breaking her ribs "I missed you both so much" her dad said "hey Reyna what are you doing here" her mom asked smiling. "I needed to talk to both of you about something important I found out in San Francisco" she answered when she said that they both paled.

"Charlie why don't you go play with your soccer ball and Emily can you clean up the archery stuff we're going going to make dinner and set the table" her dad said "Okay" Charlie replied and took off running Emily followed him. She moved the targets back into the barn as she was leaving the barn she spied a box on the top self and something made her want to open it.

She grabbed the box off the self and opened it inside were two purple tee shirts, two swords, and some old photos with friends who were wearing the same purple shirt with camp Jupiter printed on them. Some of the other kids had on orange tee shirts with camp half blood written on them and at the top on the box was a list with three phone numbers.

They were listed under the names Percy and Annabeth, Leo and Calypso, and Nico and Will who were these people Reyna was her parents only friend, what were these camps and why did her parents own swords. "Emily dinner's ready" her mom yelled "coming" she yelled back and hurriedly put everything back in the box then put it back on the self.

She ran back into the house she didn't say anything at dinner she was trying to figure out what her parents were hiding from her and what else weren't telling her.