𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 // 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑦 𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 ＆𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐗𝐈.

－ • ꕥ • －

"𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑑"
— 𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐞

－ • ꕥ • －

"𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀𝑶𝑵𝑬, 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑺 𝑰𝑺 Evangeline Clement. She is new to our school. I trust you all will make her feel welcome." Evangeline's science teacher said, forcing her to stand at the front of the class. Evangeline saw the looks her classmates were giving each other, the quiet laughs they were sharing. She was used to it, by that point.

Evangeline sat down at a table with an empty seat, the three girls instantly shying away from her. "Who comes in in the middle of the year? That's so weird." one of the girls said without care of being quiet and Evangeline frowned, pulling the only pencil she had out of her backpack.

Her dyslexia was getting worse, Evangeline noted from the way she couldn't read anything on the paper her teacher gave her. Evangeline settled with pretending she knew how to spell the words she was writing. Evangeline knew her day was going to be horrible already.

Her other classes were just as bad, boys making fun of her, girls laughing at her. And then lunch came around, and Evangeline found herself doodling on a spare piece of paper as she sat alone. She didn't have a lunch and she didn't have friends. Evangeline hated this school so much more than the old ones. Kids laughed as they walked by her in big groups, made fun of her because she was alone.

Evangeline had spent the whole day daydreaming. She couldn't help but drift off into an alternate reality. She just hoped that she would have it all out of her system by the time she had to go home. Evangeline walked out of the building at the end of the day with an assignment on a book she couldn't read, math homework in a topic she hadn't learned and a crumpled up map to get her to the bus stattion.

She managed to get on her first two buses with ease, and settled down on her longest one, attempting to read her book. But the daydreams overtook her and Evangeline missed her next stop, and by the time she snapped back to reality, she was lost. Miraculously, she managed to get herself home after the sun set.

Evangeline heard Noah and their father arguing as she stepped in front of their crumbling apartment door. Crash, bang, yelling. They were fighting because of her, because she was all screwed up. Evangeline braced herself and unlocked the door.

－ • ꕥ • －

"𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋, 𝐈'𝐌 𝐒𝐎 sorry." Luke said, walking at Evangeline's side along the lake. She had just finished explaining the quest and that her brother was still alive.

Evangeline shrugged, her fingers laced with Luke's. "It's whatever. But now I have to go on this stupid quest," they stopped as the moon rose in the sky. "Why would anyone even steal Zeus' master bolt? It doesn't make sense." Evangeline wondered, dropping Luke's hand to lift up a dove that had landed at her feet.

"I don't know. Hades is Hades, I guess." Luke said, watching Evangeline let the dove go.

"I just can't believe that he's alive. That he's been down there for all this time." Evangeline took Luke's hand again and they continued to walk at a slow, comfortable pace.

Luke wrapped his arm around Evangeline's waist, drawing her close enough to kiss her temple. "If anyone can save your brother and Percy's mom, it's you." he tried to reassure her, though he knew nothing could make Evangeline feel any better.

"I'm not a warrior, Luke. Yeah, I can fight, but I don't like to. I don't know how I'm supposed to save my brother from the Lord of the Underworld when it's my fault he's down there," Evangeline broke free of Luke's hold. "Clarisse was right. The only thing I can do it make people fall in love with me."

Luke grasped Evangeline's wrist on the shore of the lake, turning her around to face him. "I promise you, it's not your fault Noah died. You're so much more than what everyone thinks you are. You are perfect, Evangeline Clement," Evangeline smiled and Luke brushed his thumbs across Evangeline's cheeks, her eyes glistening with tears. "I love you, and nothing you do could ever change that."

Evangeline felt a tear run down her face. "I love you." she pushed herself against Luke, her head in the crook of his neck as he tightened his hold on her.

They continued on their walk for a little while longer, until it got to be pretty late. Evangeline retreated to her cabin, most of her brothers already asleep after the long day they all had had. Will was awake, sitting on his bed. "Where've you been all night?" he wondered as Evangeline sat down and brushed out her hair.

"Around. Percy's going on a quest. Chiron and Mr. D say I have to go with them." Evangeline didn't really want to talk to Will, and her brother could tell.

"Maybe you'll meet Mom along the way. Then she'll know all of us." Will laid down in his bed, saying goodnight to Evangeline.

"Yeah. Maybe." Evangeline hadn't yet considered the possibility of encountering her mother, and she didn't know how to feel. This quest could either solve all of Evangeline's problems, or it could destroy everything she had built. She really didn't know which way the chips would land.

－ • ꕥ • －