The Complicated Life of Emily Jones - Based off of Percy Jackson

Chapter Six - Preparing for the First Friendly Battle

I was astonished to see my father in front of my eyes for the first time. What made me so special that he would bother to take his precious time to Iris message me?

"Hi, dad." I smiled and waved at him. This was kind of like a skype or oovoo call inside of a rainbow.

"Emily, I just wanted to tell you something," Apollo gave me that "look" that parents give you when you've just broken a bone and they have to tell you some sort of "happy" news, but it always remains a mystery. "The gods and I feel terrible about what happened, except for Hades, of course. So, I thought you and I could meet by the sound tomorrow around... I don't know... one thirty-ish? Is that alright with you?"

I didn't know what to say. My father who cut me off for twelve years wanted to meet up with me in broad daylight while the rest of his children were neglected by him. I didn't want to feel "favored" or anything. "Uh, I guess I can... but what about your other children and the rest of the camp? They'll be curious as to why you're here. Chiron, too."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. I don't mind if we have any on-lookers. I just have a small surprise for you, that's all." Apollo gave me a mischievous grin that I've seen a bunch of Hermes' kids do. It really does run in the family.

"But, Dad--"

"I have to go, Emily. I'll see you tomorrow!" Apollo said those last few words and faded away with the rainbow.

I put away the notebook and pencil and climbed under my covers, pulling them over my head. This gave me my first real chance to examine my leg. It wasn't that bad, was it? Yes, yes it was that bad. I only had a right leg. My left was bitten off at my knee, which is also gone, too. Really, how would I survive outside of camp with monsters chasing after me, probably monsters faster and stronger than me, wanting to prey on the helpless, legless, delicious demigod I am? How can I keep reassuring Molly that I'm alright when I'm really not? I guess that the only good thing about this was that I'd only have to shave my right leg and not my left...

***

A slit of sunlight from the small, curtain covered window in the cabin beat down on my face, waking me from my rest. I lost sleep last night worrying about how I'd survive until the next day. Molly was next to me when I woke up. She probably had a nightmare like most demigods do.

Breakfast was served at 8:00 A.M. I ate a bowl of Corn Flakes with a few drops of homemade honey, courtesy of the nymphs and dryads. Chiron stomped his hoof on the pavilion like at every other meal, but he had an unusual grin on his face.

"Capture the Flag will begin in three hours. Within that time, I suggest you gather your team and supplies. All magical weapons may be used if desired. No intentional maiming or harming other campers (that one's for you, Ares' children!). The boundary is at the creek in the woods. Find good hiding places for your flags, because this game will be a rough one, I guarantee it. Finish breakfast, and then, let the games begin!" Chiron declared happily. Cheers and screams exploded from the campers. Apparently, everyone loved Capture the Flag. I hope I do, too.

The allies on the red team were Ares, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus, because those were the biggest cabins. The allies on the green team were Zeus, Hera, Iris, Hypnos, Nemesis, Nike, Hebe, Tyche, and Hecate, because those were the smallest of the cabins. The allies on the blue team were Poseidon, Athena, Demeter, Artemis, Dionysus, Hades, and last but definitely not least, Apollo, because these cabins were all medium to small sized and have actual rivals with the other allies on opposing teams.

Capture the Flag objectives and goals have varied over time, so I was told, because there were only two teams when played up until twenty years ago. The objectives back then was to bring the opposing team's flag across the creek border before the other team took your flag. Now, the objective is kind of the same, but doesn't follow the exact same outline. First, one member from each of the three teams has a duel in front of the entire camp. Whoever wins that challenge gets to decide which two of the three teams will be going first. They go and follow the original objective. Whichever team wins victory has to play against team #3 after the first round. Whichever team wins that last battle wins Capture the Flag for that week. I was told these regulations by Ryan, who seemed to be too excited to function.

Nick had trouble fitting into his armor, so I saw Kaitlin helping him. She had this mega-huge smile spread across her face. Aw, hell no! That's just wrong! I thought to myself, as I had strong difficulty putting on my own armor.

A boy that had red hair and green eyes came over to me. He was the kid that Jake beat in their one-on-one duel a few days ago. He wore camouflaged patterned pants to accompany his Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, and beige hiking boots were placed upon his feet, one of the laces were untied. He look about thirteen, maybe fourteen.

"Hey, uh," he stammered. "I'm Dustin, son of Demeter. Do you need any help with your armor?" He waited for me to open my mouth, but didn't let me respond. "Of course you do, but I mean, would you like me to help you out?" This time, he let me respond.

"Uh, sure, I guess." I propped myself up onto a nearby boulder, and let him help me with my armor. He worked as if he were savoring each step. He leaned down to tie his shoes, but his helmet fell off and landed on my good leg. The force hit me hard, so I collapsed into the dirt. He panicked and helped me up, but continued to panic and apologize.

A group of girls came rushing over and pushed Dustin away, muttering something about how stupid boys were. Their ages ranged from maybe eleven to seventeen. They all wore silver clothing and carried silver bows with quivers strapped to their backs. The girls wore silver armor, and their jewelry was fabulous, all patterned with charms shaped like the moon.

"Oh, don't bother over him. We'll help you with your armor, and safety," the eldest of the girls said. She fixed my ugly metal armor with a flick of her finger, and she pulled a full sized wheelchair out of her knapsack. How did that just happen? I wondered. She helped me into it, while the other girls fixed each other's armor. The youngest girl opened up her own knapsack, and pulled out a pair of gloves with heavy padding set in the palm.

"Put these on, they'll help you wheel yourself places without getting your hands sore," the youngest girl told me. I did as I was told. "Give the chair a spin!"

I practiced wheeling myself around on the dirt for a moment, and realized that this wheelchair wasn't that normal wheelchair that your regular school nurse would give you if you broke your leg. This wheelchair made me feel no rumble in the dirt, and it strapped me in so that I wouldn't fall out, unless of course I wanted to. "Thanks, but, who are you?" I asked these girls.

They went down the row calling out their names. Marie, Lola, Victoria, Becky, Phoebe, Alice, Jada, Clare, Quinn, Taylor, Sarah, and Grace were their names, from youngest to oldest. "We are the hunters of Artemis, and we are staying here at Camp Half-Blood temporarily," Grace told me. I nodded, and I was going to say something, but I was interrupted by the conch horn blowing. That meant the game would start in five minutes.

"See you," I told them. I wheeled myself to the arena, where the blue team was waiting to select a camper to duel both the red and the green team's campers. The Hunters were selecting a camper, because since they weren't technically campers, they couldn't duel. They started whispering to each other, and looked around at our misshapen team, judging who would be the best in a fight. I saw Quinn look at me and mouth my name, but Jada and Taylor shook their heads no. Wow, that improved my self esteem level, I thought sarcastically.

Finally, Grace called the team into a huddle. "We have decided to let him fight." They pointed at Nick, and his cheeks were completely red. He coughed nervously, straining under the pressure of all of these eyes on him.

"I... I accept," he said with a brave tone in his voice. I could tell he was terrified, because he just kept on shaking and pacing the floor. I wheeled over to him, and nearly made him jump out of his skin. "Don't sneak up on me like that," he scolded.

"Sorry," I said, ashamed. I started to wheel away, when he said, "Wait."

"Yes?" He walked over to me, and knelt on the floor beside me. He started staring at my leg, but he realized I was uneasy, so he stopped and we locked eyes. "I'm sorry about your leg," he said. He placed his hand upon it, and rubbed it gently.

"Don't be, it wasn't your fault. You didn't impact it in any possible way."

"Well, I just wanted to say--" Nick was cut off by the conch horn blowing. The duel was to begin now.

"Good luck out there," I leaned over and kissed his cheek. His face lit up, and he walked away to the arena, where the battle would occur.