Everything was back to normal at Camp Half Blood. Esmeralda took on some private lessons with Chiron to work on her skills, helped Percy with his Greek lessons, took healing lessons from Will Solace, and continued to do her regular activities. Everything was great, that should've been a red flag.
Em had just finished a lesson on shadow traveling with Chiron, and she was proud to say she'd gotten sufficiently better at the task. She was able to shadow travel short distances without getting weak, and long distances; but only when she was strong enough to keep herself from fainting. She could shadow travel to pretty much anywhere in camp without getting sick or queezy. The other campers didn't enjoy her new skill as much as she did. She'd scared both Travis and Connor Stoll as she popped up behind them randomly one day, and she'd annoyed the hell out of Clarisse by shadow traveling behind her multiple times during their sparing match. Needless to say she was having way to much fun.
She walked towards the lake where Annabeth was sitting, reading a book. She decided to approach her the old fashioned way to not give her a start.
She plopped down in the sand next to her. "Hey."
"Hi," she snapped her book closed, "where've you been all day?"
"Lessons with Chiron." She explained as she ran her fingers through the sand.
"Shadow traveling?"
"Mhm, still haven't tried summoning the dead but I'll get there."
"That powers gonna be awesome during capture the flag."
Em imagined how a game of capture the flag would go if she were to open up the earth and summon and army of the dead. "That would be a really short game." They spent some more time with each other, not caring about the people around them, just happy to be in each others presence, without trying to save the world.
On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered by the shore of the lake to watch the fireworks prepared by the Hephaestus cabin. Annabeth and Esmeralda had laid down a picnic blanket and some snacks. Percy came over and nudged the brunette girl in the shoulder, knocking her off balance.
"Really?" Em looked at him, annoyed.
"Hm, did I do something?" Percy tried to play dumb, but the mischievous glint in his eyes said otherwise.
"Stop being annoying." She shoved him in the chest causing him to stumble backwards a tad.
He stared at her in fake shock, "Em, that was very rude." He scolded.
"Oh don't get me started." She moved to turned away from him but he grabbed her waist and dragged her back. They tousled around like five year olds for a minute before Grover broke them up.
"Must you two always be fighting?" He asked, he had a backpack slung over his shoulder and his reed pipes in hand, along with his Rasta cap that covered his curly hair.
"Yes," Percy muttered.
"Shut up you started it."
"Boo you're no fun." The two we're about to start fighting again but Annabeth stepped between them.
"Where you heading Grover?" Em noticed the boys attire.
"I'm off to find pan, I just wanted to um-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence because Annabeth threw her arms around him. Em smiled joining her in the hug.
"You have your reed pipes?" Annabeth asked.
"Yup, right here." He held them up.
"Do you have enough tin cans?" Em questioned.
CZYTASZ
★ 𝟐 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒅 ★ p. jackson
Fanfiction★★★ If there was an award labeled 'Two Faced Bitch' Percy Jackson would've slapped Esmeralda Beckendorf's name on it and presented it to her like an Oscar. She wasn't two faced in the sense that she would trash talk him, because she didn't. She was...
