𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 // 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑦 𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑜𝑛 ＆𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐗𝐕𝐈𝐈.

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"𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑎 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑓
𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑"
— 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐧

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𝑨𝑹𝑳𝑶 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑬𝑽𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑬 sat together in the library to work on their project during lunch one day. They had quickly become close friends, and Arlo made Evangeline's life at school so much easier. Of course the bullying didn't stop and was directed at the both of them now, but having one friend made all the difference. Mrs. Lark, their ever miserable science teacher often kept Evangeline after class to question her poor marks on tests and assignments. Evangeline had no way to explain herself without admitting to being dyslexic. Noah had told her never to tell a teacher her condition.

"Angie? Hello?" Arlo waved a hand in front of Evangeline's face and she snapped out of a daydream.

"Sorry. What'd you say?" Evangeline shook her hands out impulsively, placing her pencil on the table.

Arlo smiled. "We have to finish the project by tomorrow. What if I come over tonight so we can work on it?" he suggested. The real reason Arlo wanted to go to Evangeline's apartment was to update Noah on Evangeline's timeline.

Evangeline's face instantly morphed into a frown. "No, we can't. My dad's home tonight." she fought to keep her emotions stable so Arlo wouldn't know the real reason she didn't want him around.

"So what? We have to get this done, Angie." Arlo pressed. He knew all about Evangeline's home life through Noah, and Arlo was desperate.

After a moment of contemplation, Evangeline realized Arlo was right. She would just have to figure out a way to keep her father calm and sober. It wouldn't be easy, but maybe Evangeline could do it. The two friends rode multiple buses to Evangeline's apartment and she unlocked the door. "Hey." Evangeline greeted Noah, who had just arrived home moments before.

Noah looked up from the bills he was paying and quickly hid them from his sister. "Hey. Is this Arlo?" Noah stood up, sharing a look with Arlo behind Evangeline's back.

Evangeline put her backpack down by the kitchen table. "Yeah. We have a project to work on. Is that okay? We have colored pencils, right?" there was a twinge of nervousness in her voice that Arlo and Noah could both detect.

"It's fine, kiddo," Arlo sat down at the kitchen table at Noah's words. "Check the closet. They might be buried in there." Noah directed, and he quickly sat down beside Arlo once Evangeline entered their bedroom. Noah had started sleeping on the couch in the recent years as Evangeline grew older. Until they miraculously got a bigger apartment, that was the only solution.

"She's fine. They haven't found her yet." Arlo said before Noah could speak, able to tell he was freaking out.

Noah exhaled. "If they haven't found her now, will they ever find her?" he asked at a whisper.

Arlo shook his head. "No, they're gonna find her. But I'm her Protector, I'll keep her safe. Her dyslexia and ADHD are getting worse. That means she's gonna start having episodes soon." the young satyr explained quietly.

"Episodes? What does that mean?" Noah wondered, periodically checking to make sure Evangeline was still occupied searching for colored pencils that weren't there.

"It means that it'll be easier for monsters to find her. She's not ready yet. Once one monster finds her, it'll never stop until she gets to camp." Arlo said, ruffling his curls that hid his satyr horns.

Noah sighed deeply. "So what can I do? Arlo, how can I protect my little sister from this?"

"There's nothing more you can do. Your dad's horrible scent hides her here, and I can watch over her at school." Arlo instructed. Evangeline was bound to come back any moment.

"You're telling me all I can do to keep my sister safe is let this place smell like a disgusting bar and trust a goat?" Noah deadpanned, sitting back in his chair.

Arlo shrugged. "The correct term is satyr. And yes. How did you even find out about this anyway?"

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. "Our dad told her a few months ago that her mother was Aphrodite, the love goddess. He was drunk out of his mind and Eva thought nothing of it, but I started putting the pieces together. A mysterious woman who could change her appearance seduces my dad, runs of my mother and drops us with a baby who looks just like her original form that I saw once when I was six. My sister's always been out of place, Arlo. Dyslexia, ADHD, daydreams, forgetting things all the time. I pressed my dad more and he said she was a 'dirty half-blood' and went back to the bar. I did my research, knew you were a Protector the second she told me she made a friend." he explained rapidly, quietly. Evangeline couldn't know about any of this.

Right then, Evangeline walked out of her room, a box of colored pencils in her hand. "What's wrong?" she asked when she noticed the tension in the kitchen.

Noah stood up. "Nothing. Arlo was just telling me about Mrs. Lark." he lied, stepping away from the duo and disappearing into the pantry to start cooking. He and Evangeline shared nights to make meals, and today was his.

Evangeline frowned and sat down beside Arlo as he pulled out their poster paper. The pair worked diligently into the hours of the late evening, and Arlo left the apartment, leaving Noah and Evangeline with the place to themselves while their father was gone. Evangeline looked out the one window they had in their home, seeing a dove standing on the ledge. "Noah, look. A dove." Evangeline felt herself drawn to the animal.

"It's pretty." Noah grew nervous as Evangeline picked up the bird with such ease. He really hoped it didn't mean she was coming into her demigod abilities too early.

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𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 a harsh pink as she sat by herself, trying to manipulate her mother's power given. A dove rested on her hand, a note for Luke tied to its ankle. Evangeline was working to send the dove to the living person she loved the most in the world. When the dove flew away, Evangeline's eyes dimmed and she smiled because it had worked.

At camp, Luke was sitting by the lake, Evangeline's favorite spot. He was contemplating what he had done, and what he was going to have to do. Luke missed Evangeline behind belief, more than he had missed anyone in his entire life. He looked up as Evangeline's dove flew over to him and landed on his knee. "Is this from her?" Luke asked the animal that squawked in a positive manner as he took the note from it.

Luke unrolled the note as the dove disappeared, smiling as he recognized his girlfriend's exquisite handwriting. For a girl with intense dyslexia, she had excellent penmenship. The smile stayed on Luke's face as Evangeline ranted to him, summarizing her journeys so far. It was almost like she was there, though Luke knew it would never be the same again.

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