After we all got back on the bus Emma said, "Why Jaclyn, are you not happy to see me?"
I could tell Emma had every guys attention even Thomas. "It's Jack now Emma, not that you've ever cared but when Artemis volunteered a hunter I was praying it wasn't you. Seems my prayers have gone unanswered."
"I take it you know each other." Katie said.
"We've met once yes. When young Jack here was a new camper."
"You make us sound so distant." Jack hissed. "I tried joined the hunters because I idolized you. I thought you were my best friend but you let me down."
"Did I?" Emma raised an eyebrow, "You seem perfectly happy to me, other than the amount of stress this prophecy has you under. You have a dreadful boyfriend, a group of friends. What more could you want?"
"First of all,' Jack raised her voice and stood up, 'just because you've sworn off men doesn't mean you are allowed to call my boyfriend dreadful. I have wonderful friends who would never have told 8 year old me that I wasn't cut out for the Hunters. I idolized you Emma and you crushed my dreams under your foot."
"You said what to a 8 year old kid?" Thomas asked, his face had returned to normal he was no longer looking at Emma like he wanted to marry her.
"I only told Jack what she needed to hear."
"No you destroyed the girl I used to be. You can't justify that. No matter the outcome you were my best friend and idol and you crushed me."
Jack stormed out of the room and Charlie followed her. Ben and Liam sat down next to Emma, they were obviously still star struck. The rest of us retreated to our rooms I changed out of my jeans, blue shirt, and cargo jacket. I put on one of Thomas' shirt and a pair of pajama shorts. I sat on the bed reading and Thomas sat next to me. He wrapped his arms around me and tried to kiss me, but I pulled away. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I saw how goggly eyed you got when you saw Emma." I said.
He blushed, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, I'll refresh your memory, I could practically see you drooling over Emma and her immortal glow. I thought you might propose to her right on the spot."
He sighed, "I'm sorry, I really don't know what came over me. For a second I just felt drawn to her. Like I don't know how to describe it."
"I forgive you." I said. He pulled me to him and kissed me. I laughed as he kissed my cheek, nose, neck, forehead, and chin. After a few hours of sitting in our room, I went to the kitchen to get us some snacks. Emma, Ben, and Liam were still sitting on the couch. When I walked in the rooms attention turned to me, Ben and Liam got off the couch and talked to me for a minute before retreating to there rooms as well. Emma stood up and studied me.
"I've never met someone who could take attention away from a Hunter. What are you?" she asked, as she narrowed her eyes.
"I have some questions for you too. I'll answer yours if you answer mine."
Her eyes got glassy and she nodded the way people always did when I used siren song.
I sat down across from her, "Question one, who exactly are you?"
"Emma Dare, I'm a daughter of Ares, and now adopted daughter of Artemis. My turn, what is your heritage?"
"My father is Poseidon, my mother is Adeline del Mare, she was a mortal until two weeks before I was born, then she was turned into a siren. She became the queen a few years ago, thats why I can take attention away from a Hunter, why I got you to talk to me, and why I could tell you were a child of Ares before I even knew who you were. I'm not full siren because when she had me, she wasn't either. Question two, How old are you?"
"I was 18 when I pretended to be a boy to fight for the confederate army in the American civil war. I was dyin at 20 when Artemis found me, the male soldiers had figured out I was a girl and left me to die. I prayed for help and Artemis found me. I pledged myself to her and swore of men, but that wasn't your question, I am technically 174 years old. My turn again, ever considered joining the hunt?"
"No, I have a boyfriend I don't plan on giving up for immortality. Question three, why did you do that to Jack?"
Emma's face hardened as she sighed, "I cared a great deal for Jack, we found her in New Jersey, she was trying to make her way to camp by herself, her father was a deadbeat who didn't want her, after Demeter left him his life went down hill. I wanted to swear her into the Hunters, but Lady Artemis said that I couldn't that she had a bigger role to play. Artemis saw Jack's future as all Gods see everyones future. She saw her friends, Charlie, her role in this quest, and in the prophecy about you, she even saw you."
"So, you didn't turn down Jack because you wanted to, but because you knew it wasn't her best option. Then why don't you just tell her that."
"Stubbornness is a fatal flaw of a child of Ares, just like excessive loyalty is a fatal flaw for children of Poseidon. I don't want to let Jack know she was right when she called me spineless, even if it was all those years ago."
"Eight year old Jack called you spineless?"
"That and some other choice words that a eight year old in my day wouldn't have known."
I laughed, I had seen picture of Jack at that age, she was much shorter and a had really chubby cheeks. Her hair had been cut very short and she had straight across bangs that she had obviously cut herself. Picturing that Jack call anyone spineless made me smile.
"She was fiery, even then. She would have made a great hunter, but she had a different path to follow and I can tell she's happy."
The more I thought about, Jack had always been exceedingly happy. When I first met her she was a ball of energy, she was 17 and already had smile lines.
"I'm not here to mess up the quest she's on, I'm here to help her. I asked Artemis to come. I want to make things right between me and Jack. All Artemis' hunter are immortal, unless we fall in love or fall in combat. I don't want to spend all of eternity knowing I did nothing to change it."
After she said that, Jack walked into the living room. I stood up, "Maybe you two should talk."
Jack looked at me like I was crazy but she sat down anyway, I grabbed my snacks and went back to Thomas.