Miss Quinn

59 ~ Diagon Alley

Emma had just finished packing up her bag, when she felt a presence behind her. She turned to see Apollo, her father. He was wearing khaki shorts and a muscle shirt, which Emma found disturbing rather than attractive. His skin was tan, and it glowed with golden light. His eyes held the same golden fire.

"That was a brave thing you did, Emmaline."

Hearing Luke say her given name had rattled Emma, but her father saying it just made a heavy weight crash down upon her shoulders. She didn't know whether to be angry that Apollo hadn't told her, sad that her mother had gone against his will, or a combination of the two.

"It wasn't brave, father. I was saving my own skin," Emma said finally.

Apollo shook his head. "You saved the lives of many of your friends. But be warned, Luke will stop at nothing to show your friends who you truly are. Denying the truth won't work forever, Emma. I trust you know that."

"I do. But I will keep my friends from starting a war with each other, for as long as I can."

Apollo smiled and touched Emma's cheek lightly. "You're scared, Emma, I can see it in your eyes."

The truth was, he was right. Emma was terrified. The dream she'd had about Voldemort destroying Camp Half-Blood had fazed her more than she'd care to admit. She knew that she had a few years, at most, before someone found out about her. If that someone happened to be a Death Eater....

Emma remembered Draco Malfoy's cold, grey eyes watching her struggle against the chains that bound her. His wand had been raised, ready to strike. Emma had always known Draco might turn out bad, in fact, it was the most likely option in his future. But seeing him there, amidst a crowd of Death Eaters.... That had brought a simple belief to reality.

Of course, not all dreams were real. It could've just been a nightmare. But Emma knew demigods' dreams often held a deeper meaning. That exact event she'd seen might never occur. But she had to do something in order for peace to remain.

Venus could see the future. Most commonly, she saw Emma's future. Perhaps she could tell Emma the choice she had to make.

Emma climbed into Apollo's red sports car. She'd said goodbye to all of her friends, siblings included. After promising to IM Annabeth and Will whenever she could, she left.

Apollo smiled at his daughter. Emma ignored him. It wasn't that she was mad at him, but she desperately needed some space. After being the center of attention, having two nightmares, and then saying goodbye to her friends, talking to her dad wasn't on the top of her to-do list.

Apollo seemed to get the memo, and he didn't talk at all as they drove over the Pacific Ocean, following the path of the sun. Emma's head filled with imaginative ways to keep her secret identities hidden. She knew none of them would work, but it was worth a try.

"Emma."

Apollo had finally broken the sweet silence. Emma sighed.

"What?" She said, not unkindly.

"I know you're angry, and I know you're frightened, but I think you should stop worrying. You saw that dream, you were much older than you are now. Voldemort isn't even alive. You have years before your biggest secret is revealed."

"That's the thing, father. My biggest secret isn't my double life. All the gods know about it, and my best friend does, too. I even think Dumbledore knows, though I've never told him. And my mum knows, of course. And even the students know there's a prophecy about me. They all know I'm special, that one day I'll be very powerful." Emma paused, considering what she was about to say.