Percy Jackson and The Truth

Luke

"Okay so where is Luke then?" Percy asked as he was talking to Tom instead of Hermes.
"On a boat. Princess Andromeda." Annabeth said walking towards the pier. "Hermes said it's right about here. Sailing."
The five of them walked to the edge of the wooden pier and saw a large modern white boat.
"That's it." Emma said pointing it out. "That's Luke's boat."
"The question is how do we get to it." Tom said looking down for another boat.
"Easy. We can ask dad." Tyson said climbing down a ladder to the lower deck of the pier and placing his hand on the water muttering to himself. Eventually, everyone made their way down until there was two beautiful hippocampus stare at Tyson and Percy willing to help them.
"He heard you?" Percy asked.
"Yeah." Tyson said helping Annabeth and himself onto one. "Come on Emma. Percy and Tom can go on the other one."
"She'll come with us." Percy said already helping her in the hippocampus. "Cyclops weigh more."
Emma got on behind Percy, then Tom got on at the back. Gliding through the water, the five smiled, but as the mythical creatures got faster Emma held on tight around Percy's torso. Feeling Emma's arms around him he blushed as he held on tight, ensuring she would not fall off. Whilst Tom held on to Emma's jacket tight.

"Okay. Okay. Back up." Percy said patting the Hippocampus' neck floating past the boat quickly. The Hippocampus did as his Lord told him to. Helping Emma off, then himself then Tom, Percy looked to see if Tyson and Annabeth had gotten off. They had.
"Okay. Wait." Percy said as he walked up the stairs quietly.
"Okay we go down." Emma said reading Percy's face. "There will be a. What's the word?"
"Jail? Basically." Percy finished her sentence.
"Come on." Tom said making sure he went first. Making their way downstairs was a challenge, smartly Annabeth used her cap to go ahead and see if any monsters or even Luke were in their way.
"Wait. Wait." Emma said. "Someone's coming."
"Hide." Tom said scrambling into a cupboard. Emma looked around her and saw a large enough cabinet for her to stand up. Opening it she realised it was a wardrobe, Luke's. Perfect she thought. Before she got in, she pulled Percy with her just before Luke himself walked past.
"Good thinking." Percy said standing very close to Emma looking down at her.
"Yeah." Emma agreed looking out the door through the crack. "I don't think it was a good idea bringing Annabeth. If she sees Luke she could ruin this whole situation."
"Then we make sure she doesn't." Percy said.
"And then Tom." Emma sighed. "I don't want the same thing to happen to him the same way it did to Luca."
"It won't." Percy assured her. "We are walking back from this quest. Especially you."
"Why?" Emma asked making direct eye contact with Percy as the tension escalated.
"Because I care about you Emma." Percy said.
"Okay. He's gone." Tyson said opening the cupboard door quickly. Percy and Emma looked at Tyson and moved away from each other slowly trying to act like nothing happened.
"Let's rest in a bedroom." Tom said as they walked through an open risky part of the boat. Finally, Tom found a bedroom with two beds. Quietly closing the door, the others waited until the door was shut.
"Okay. The girls take the beds." Tom said. "Boys set up your beds."
"Tyson can have my bed." Emma said. "I don't want to sleep on the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."
"Why? When you have the bed." Annabeth asked confused. Emma looked at Percy unloading his sleeping bag then at Annabeth again.
"You wouldn't get it Annabeth." Emma said. But that was the truth. Emma didn't feel safe unless she was next to Percy. She was always next to Percy. On the Hippocampus, in the cupboard, in the car.

••••

As night grew around them, and the monsters died down for the night. One thing that didn't die down was Emma's mind. Her thoughts led to her getting up carefully not standing on either Percy or Tom and reaching the door peaking outside to make sure the coast was clear.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked sitting up whispering to not wake the others.
"Nothing. Go back to sleep." Emma whispered softly.
"I can't." Percy said. "Especially when I know you're going to do something that will get you hurt."
"Okay. Listen. If everyone and everything is asleep which is not likely. Cause Luke will have shifts. Maybe. Then maybe. We can get to Grover easily." Emma brainstormed. Percy smiled hearing his girl say this.
"Okay. Let's go." Percy said opening the door. Emma looked at him before moving and smiled.
"You don't need to come." Emma said walking out the room swiftly.
"I do." Percy said. "Anywhere you go. I go. We come as a package Emma. You should know that by now."
Together the two of the demigods walked carefully towards the bottom of the desk. Then they came to a stop as their eyes fell down to the lower deck.
"It'ss dark down there." Percy said grabbing the ladder taking him down into the darkness. As soon as he got down, Riptide rumbled in his pocket waiting to come out. Listening to his trusty sword, Percy grabbed it as it shone in the darkness.
"Okay come down." Percy said making sure it was safe for Emma to come down. Emma slowly came down, but as Percy's back was turned, a low squeal from Emma's mouth rang in Percy's ears. A werewolf with a bottom half of a scorpion wrapped its tail round the ladder. I guess the half werewolf, half scorpion loved to wrap its tail round this ladder when it was sleeping. The tip of the scorpion tail right below Emma's neck.
"Emma." Percy said with a hint of urgency. "Just trust me! You'll be okay. Just listen to me very carefully."
"What Percy?" Emma said stopping from moving an inch as she breathed heavily from the fear of waking the monster.
"You need to be carefully and quietly move away from it." Percy said.
"No way." Emma said trying to lighten the mood. "Where is it?"
"Right behind you." Percy started to whisper.
"Come down without stepping on its tail and run any direction away from it."
"Percy." Emma said.
"Emma do it. Trust me. You trust me?" Percy asked. Emma nodded and did what Percy had said. Finally getting down, Emma ran in any direction. Straight towards Percy. Percy's arms wrapped around Emma holding her tight as she shook in his embrace.
"It's okay. Your okay. I've got you." Percy said also breathing heavy. "It's okay I've got you."
"Thank you Percy." Emma said looking at the monster with her head on his chest. Still with his arms round Emma, he smiled.
"Guess we are equal now." Percy smiled coming out of the hug at the same time to look either down or up at each other.
"Yeah." Emma said looking into Percy's ocean eyes.
"Emma-" Percy said looking down into her hazel eyes.
"Well what do we have here?" A familiar voice announced.
"Luke." Emma muttered looking in the direction.
"If it's isn't my two favourite cousins." Luke smiled his scar still there but his colour in his face had faded into a pale colour and his eye bags weighed his eyes down.
"I'm not your cousin." Percy said. "More like Uncle. First removed."
"Someone's being doing so research on the family tree." Luke smirked walking towards the two. "And I see you two have gotten closer. A lot closer." Luke's jaw flexed looking at Percy then at Emma. "You look good Emma."
"I always do." Emma snapped back. Percy smirked hearing her response.