𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 // 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑦 𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 ＆𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈.

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"𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑒𝑟"
— 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐮

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𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏 𝐀 small fire on the edge of the lake, Evangeline inhaled a breath of clear, night air. She ran her fingers over a conch shell she had found, a singular swan floating calmly in the nearby water. Evangeline placed a few french fries into the fire she started. "Hi, Noah," she whispered, eyes closed.

Evangeline knew that her brother wasn't a god, she knew that. And she still prayed to him everytime she burned an offering. "A new kid came today. He's thirteen, and he's really nice. His name's Percy. I think... I think he's like me, Noah. Different than the other demigods. I don't know why, it's just a feeling," Evangeline wiped at her nose, her features lit up by the glow of the fire.

"Do you remember the first time you let me hug you? Your mom had left for good and Dad was getting worse. I think I was five, you were eleven. You were always really angry around me. I know you blamed me for your parents splitting up, and you were right because I did ruin your life. You gave up everything for me and I killed you," Evangeline toyed with the end of her braid, watching the swan in the water.

"I remember you coming home from your mom's house after she told you she wanted to take a break from seeing you. You said you weren't, but I saw you crying, Noah. I just looked at you and I tried to hug you. You didn't push me away and you hugged me back. That was the first hug I'd ever gotten," the fire began to dim and Evangeline pushed some more kindling into it to keep it alight. She wasn't done talking to Noah yet.

"He's all I talk about, I know, but you should get another update. Luke is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He gets it, you know? I love him more than I thought I was capable to love. It's a new feeling, after Dad. I think you'd like Luke. He protects me, and he takes care of me. He would kill for me, and I'd kill for him," Evangeline smiled as she talked about Luke. Even speaking his name into fire made her blush.

"All this power I have is growing. I can do amazing things just with a whistle, or a look. But, I'm really scared, Noah. What if I turn bad and destroy everything I have here? What if I'm not strong enough for whatever quest I have to go on? I'm afraid of losing anyone else, of losing myself. I don't have anyone to take care of me anymore. I'm the one taking care of Aphrodite's sons. I can't afford to screw up, and I can't stop thinking that I will,"

Evangeline really didn't want to, but she felt like she had exhausted Noah enough, and that she needed to speak to Aphrodite. Even for just a minute. "I love you, Noah." she extingushed that fire and began to build a new one.

Once the fire was ready, Evangeline put more french fries into the flame, her fingers rolling over the pearls of her bracelet. "This is really awkward. Do I call you 'Mom'? 'Aphrodite'? 'Deadbeat'?" Evangeline rubbed the bridge of her nose, unsure of what to say.

"I guess I'll just settle with Aphrodite. I don't know what you want from me or why you gave me this bracelet, but I don't care anymore. You had a chance when I was born to be in my life, to be a parent, but you just left me in an awful situation. That's not love. You can't be the Goddess of Love and betray your child like that," Evangeline ranted, tossing her conch shell into the lake.

She wiped her eyes. "I'm going to better than you. Stronger. I'll never leave the people I love, the boy I love. Loyalty and love mean more to me than anything. I don't really need a response, because I think I've said all I need to say," Evangeline paused. "When you left me, you gave me one good thing. My brother. I guess I should say thanks you." with that, Evangeline put out her second fire and gathered her belongings.

Evangeline bumped into Luke on her way back to the cabins. "Hey, you." her eyes were glossy as Luke brought her into a hug.

"Angel. Hi." Luke hugged Evangeline tightly, burrying his tears into her neck.

They didn't need to speak to know that talking to the gods snapped something within them. But they were free with the weight off of their shoulders. Evangeline took Luke by the hand and they walked together in a comfortable silence towards their seperate cabins. Luke kissed Evangeline softly outside Cabin XII and made sure she was safely inside before he left.

Evangeline stared at her backpack on the floor near her bed as she sat on the bottom bunk, moonlight traveling through the windows. In the bottom of the second pouch, inside a box, in a little plastic bag, laid Evangeline's most prized possession. The last material thing she had of her brother. A chain with Noah's ring hanging on it. It once belonged to their father, but he gave it to Noah once his mother left. If Noah didn't love it so much, Evangeline would've trashed it in an instant.

But Noah gave it to her just before he was killed, begged her to keep it safe. Evangeline had never worn it before. She opened her backpack and pulled out the box. She opened it and took out a plastic bag. Evangeline opened the bag in her palm and the ring and chain tumbled out. She rolled the silver material between her fingers.

Evangeline couldn't risk anything happening to Noah's ring, so she put it back where she found and shoved her bag under her bed. Some secrets were better left covered, especially given the history of the Clement siblings and their father.

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