Sign of the Times

My marriage proposal gets rejected

When I woke up  Percy was already up and was sitting on the floor drawing. When he saw that I was awake he closed his sketchbook and told me we were leaving soon.

After some blue pancakes (?) and a long conversation from Sally Jackson about us sleeping in the same room, we headed off to pick up Annabeth and Thalia. 

On the way there they played a game where you have to find a word on a sign or something that starts with A, then B, then C, and so on. I thought it was stupid at first, but it made the time fly by, and that is what we love, losing time (THIS IS A PUN BTW).

When we arrived at camp Percy said we needed to go to camp and talk to Chiron real quick. I told him that I had full faith in him doing it alone. He luckily didn't argue. 

"So," Ms. Jackson says after a minute of silence. "What do you have against camp?" 

Don't snap, don't snap, don't snap, it's Sally Jackson. "Oh, I just don't belong there. I do better when I am on my own, anyways."

Ms. Jackson frowned at me. "Because you are a child of Hades?" I nod. "Well, that's silly, isn't it?"

I laugh. She is just like Percy. Or, more like Percy is just like her. "Respectfully, Ms. Jackson, I really don't belong there. I know you and Percy don't mind my lineage, but many do. Plus there is the prophecy that no one wants a child of Hades to be the main character of. I think that if I went to camp then I might be killed in my sleep for preventative measures."

Ms. Jackson laughs lightly. "Honey, it's okay to be scared!"

"Oh, it was just a joke."

"No, I don't think it was. I think that you are scared of what people will think of you. I doubt that you have met the 'many' people that care that your dad is Hades. I also doubt that people would care who the child of the prophecy was as long as they were on our side. I think that this is just you being scared about what life has in store for you." 

If this was any other person, I would blow up on them for telling me I am scared. But this is Sally Jackson, so all I say is absolutely nothing. Luckily the silence doesn't linger as the door is thrown open by an angry Annabeth.

"Emelia Ford!" She yells, dragging me out of the car and punching my shoulder before immediately pulling me into a hug. "I am so pissed at you! ! But I am going to spare you the lecture because Percy said he already gave you it. Ah! You had everyone worried sick!"

"Especially this loser right here," Thalia interjects, pointing at Percy who is redder than a tomato. 

"Nice to see you guys as well," I say with a smile.

"You look like shit," Thalia says, looking me up and down.

"Ouch," I reply. "You go off on your own and see how you look." That send a shudder through Thalia. 

"Well, I bet I would look better than you," is all she says. 

We all pile into the car and Percy hands me a tiny square. 

"What's this?" I ask. 

"Ambrosia. It'll help your side heal. I didn't have any at the house," he answers.

I nibble on it and it tastes like Kraft Mac and Cheese. Weird. But what was weirder was that the pain in my side was fading away quickly. 

"What happened to your side?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, nothing much," I say, trying not to worry her. If you think Percy is persistent about me not going off on my own, you should've seen Annabeth when I told her I wasn't planning on staying at camp. She was acting like I told her I was trying to take her first born.