A/N: It's the moment you've all been waiting for: Prom night! Things are really stepping up a notch. Thank you so much to the guest who reviewed last week, it really made my week and I'm so glad you liked it. ~ Emma :)
Emma smoothed her hands over the deep red satin of her dress. She usually avoided things that were fitted when leaving the house, but as her fingers traced the V shaped neckline, she admired the way it clung to her upper body before flaring at the waist. Lou slid another pin into Emma's deep brown hair, now burned into curls. She pulled out the crystal hair clip she had insisted that Emma needed, and placed it on as the final touch.
"You look ready for battle." Lou beamed as she admired her work.
Emma's sassy retort was lost on her painted red lips. Though Lou's words seemed strange, they felt so true. She could finally see why her mother had so often called makeup her war paint. Emma had never thought of herself as beautiful nor ugly, in fact she barely paid mind to how she looked at all beyond presentable. It had always been so unimportant to her and she had pitied girls who felt the need to dress up every day. But the way Lou wielded a makeup brush made it seem less like a chore and more like an art.
"Thank you." Emma met Lous' gaze, a smile playing on her lips.
Lou spritzed hairspray over Emma, relishing in the final moment. "How about you just invite me to every dance, and I'll be hair and makeup?"
Emma felt a warmth spread in her chest. "Deal."
At the sound of the apartment buzzer, Lou's head twisted toward the door. "Right on time."
Emma got to her feet, casting a nervous glance at her reflection. Would he like it? She'd spent the last three weeks breaking in the boots, making sure she could run and fight in them. They wouldn't be new to him, but the rest? She bit her lip before realising that it wasn't something she should do. She scrubbed the smear of red off her teeth before quickly walking over to buzz Rory into the block.
"Relax, you look great." Lou's warm words were matched with an encouraging smile.
"Right," Emma muttered before pacing over to the kitchen island. She couldn't just be standing at the door when he came in. She started pulling out glasses, placing them next to the snacks she had laid out earlier.
The door opened and her heart moved into her throat. There he was, with his glistening blue eyes, looking like he was made for that moment. She became so preoccupied marvelling at him that she forgot to be self conscious. He looked so at home in his tux that it put her at ease. Gods, he looked good in it.
"Wow." His lips curved into her favourite sight; his arrogant smile. "I'd tell you how beautiful you look, but as a feminist, I do not believe in objectifying women."
His lips grazed her cheek as he embraced her, sending ripples of energy through her skin.
"Damn Ray," a familiar voice rang out from the corridor, "did you practice that one in the mirror?"
"Julian!" Emma's mouth hung open as she looked between Rory and his friend.
"The one and only." Julian pulled her in for a tight hug. It took her completely off guard, while feeling totally normal at the same time. "Ray offered and I'd never miss an opportunity to come see my favourite couple. Even though you 'don't like him like that.'"
Julian winked at her as Emma rolled her eyes.
"You're the worst. This is Lou by the way."
Emma motioned in her direction, trying not to let the surprise throw her off completely. She couldn't stop staring at Julian in disbelief.
"A pleasure." Lou walked over to Julian and stuck out her hand with an energy Emma knew to be trouble.
Though he looked baffled, Julian shook it. Lou gave a firm shake before pulling away, revealing a bouquet of illusionary flowers.
Lou gasped as if surprised. "Oh, yes, of course I'll go to the formal with you."
Julian looked at Emma with wide eyes. "Damn. She's smoother than me."
"Not hard," Rory jibed, casually pulling a bottle of champagne from his bag.
Emma gawked. "Where did you get that from?"
"Gift from my dad." He smirked. "Don't worry, I brought an opener."
"Different worlds." Emma shook her head, before turning back to Julian. "Lou is a Greek demigod, like me. Daughter of Hecate. And Julian is the one who went bowling with us when he was in town."
"The child of Mars who left the fighting to someone he just met?" Lou's eyes were wide with mock innocence.
Emma nudged Lou with her elbow. "That is not what happened."
Emma was pleased to see that Julian was smiling, clearly enjoying the playful exchange. As they all picked up glass and sat around the living room, it was a relief to see just how well they got along. She'd introduced Lou to Rory the first time she'd come from camp in a hope to make her more comfortable now, but Lou fit seamlessly wherever she went. Everyone marvelled at her ability to conjure illusions that aided her stories as they sipped on the champagne. It reminded Emma of the fire at camp. She looked at Rory, thinking how nice it was to have him there, among demigods. It was almost easy to forget that he wasn't one of them. He had mortals as parents and no superhuman abilities, other than an extraordinary talent of softening her hardened heart. To her that made him all the more special. It was easy to accept someone who's like you, but he accepted someone who couldn't have been further from him. And he loved her. He loved her in a way no one else ever had or could. When his deep blue eyes met hers, she made a promise that she would get through the next few days, come what may. She would do anything to keep those eyes looking at her the way they did now, even if it meant defying prophecies and fates alike.
Admittedly, Rory had already bought the pair of tickets before he'd asked Emma. In hindsight, it may not have been the best idea, but it meant that when Emma had said she was taking Lou, he had a spare ticket and a great idea.
Julian had been more than happy to come. He was a good fit too. It had just been the four of them in Emma's kitchen until Liam, Niomi, Tyler, and Adam—Tyler's boyfriend—had joined them. Even then, Julian just clicked with them as if they'd met a thousand times before. Rory couldn't have hoped for a better start of the night.
They split into two groups to make the journey to school, with Lou, Julian and Emma all piling into his car. It might have been a mistake to let Emma and Lou sit in the back, as they giggled and belted along to every song Emma queued on the stereo. He and Julian would exchange a look and burst out laughing. The smile on Rory's face was permanent. Emma two months ago would never have been this comfortable around him, let alone the others too. He felt pride swelling in his chest. He loved her being this happy, her hair falling into her glowing eyes. He wanted to capture it in a jar and freeze them in that moment forever.
Walking into the gym was like walking into another world. It was covered in gold and black celestial decorations that changed the basketball court into a dreamworld. He hadn't been anticipating much from the Goode dance, but it definitely surpassed his expectations. Emma and Lou both seemed to be in a state of shock as they gazed around.
"Alright, Lou." Emma glanced at her. "You win. This is pretty cool."
"See! Kit may be your romantic advisor, but I am your life coordinator." Lou beamed. "Now I'm going to go and get some punch."
"I'll come with," Julian added and they disappeared into the crowd.
Emma continued to sweep her eyes over the hall as she laced her fingers with his. Rory felt her warmth flow through his body. "You glad you came?"
"Very." Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, her thumb running over the back of his hand. The shine faded from her features as she saw something over his shoulder.
He spun around expecting to see Austin or Evan, but it was just Annabeth. Her tan skin stood out against her white dress. When Jackson came into view—predictably wearing a blue tie—Emma walked over.
"I didn't think you were coming." Emma's mouth twisted into a half hearted smile, to which Rory felt his eyebrows draw closer. He didn't know what she was doing or why she seemed upset. She'd been on good terms with Jackson since they started training together.
"Well someone has to keep an eye on you." Jacksons words held an edge of frost to them, despite the way his lips curved. "If you were looking out for yourself, you wouldn't have come at all."
Rory tried to glance at Annabeth for answers, but she looked away, uninterested.
"Was there no room left at camp, since everyone is holding themselves up to avoid facing Bahram?" Emma's fake smile only widened as she spoke. "Oh wait, no, because Betty's right over there, taking selfies with her friends, living a normal life and not being accosted by her siblings for it."
Everyone's eyes drifted to where Betty was indeed projecting her usual vanity in a silver, sparkly dress. Rory noted that Austin was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she'd come alone after all. Rory didn't want to think about where Austin might be instead.
"We're not here to ruin your night, Emma." Annabeth tilted her head to the side, a sympathetic smile on her lips. "We just want to be here if you need us. You won't even notice we're here."
"Exactly." Jackson gave a curt nod. "Until Bahram tries something and everything goes to shit, then we'll be right there, cleaning up your mess and making sure you don't get yourself killed."
"Percy." Annabeth's voice held a warning tone.
Rory clenched his jaw as Emma curled her fingers around her pendent. She looked ready to kill.
Annabeth turned back to her. "I'm sorry about him, have a good night."
Annabeth took Jackson by the arm and dragged him away. He looked like a cranky kid and Rory felt a bubbling of anger in his gut that he hadn't felt toward Jackson for a long time. He knew Jackson was just frustrated, but Emma had been so happy until he showed up.
"Maybe you're right." Rory turned to her. "All jocks are assholes."
Emma sighed, her shoulders dropping. "No." She rested a hand on his chest. "Not all."
She raised herself up onto her tiptoes, pressing a light kiss against his cheek. When she pulled back smiling, the warmth returning to her features, he felt himself relax.
"Do you want to dance?" She asked, taking his hand.
"With you? Always."
He let her guide him into the middle of the dance floor. People moved all around them, couples and friend groups alike. Neither Emma nor Rory took any notice of them as they danced together. Emma spun around, moving easily in her boots while other girls stumbled in heels around her. The red of her dress stood out starkly against the blue, white and black that filled the room. She was a vision.
They seemed to collect their friends around them. Julian and Lou joined first, but Tyler, Liam and others weren't far behind. Energy thrummed through Rory's veins as they moved to the music, singing along to all the cheesy songs that played. This would be a night for the history books.
Lou's gasped, Swooping over to Emma as if the world might be breaking in two at that very moment.
"Emma." Lou tapped her on the arm. "Emma, it's the guy from the cafe. The cute one with the black hair. He's here!"
Rory gave Emma a puzzled look, but Emma seemed to understand as she laughed.
"Well go get him then." Emma grinned, squeezing Lou's hands in her own.
Rory thought he could see sparks fizzing out of Lou's long black hair as she slipped away into the crowd. He thought he was used to demigod weirdness, but Lou's magic was so constant there was no line between it and reality.
As the music slowed down, a shadow passed over Emma's face.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. "It's just a slow dance."
Emma felt rigid in his arms as her teeth sunk into her lip. "I know, but I've never… it's quite intimate… and there's people watching..."
A blush crept into Emma's cheeks, her eyes darting around, anywhere but meet his.
"Emma." He placed his finger under her chin, pulling her gaze up. "It's alright. Just sway with me. You literally can't go wrong."
He lowered his hand back to her waist and she rested her palms on the lapels of his jacket. As the song went on, he felt her body relax. Her green eyes bore into his as if she could steal his soul just by looking at it. She could have it though. His heart, his soul, his mind. She could have whatever she wanted from him and more. He was powerless against her smile or brush of her hand on his skin. She rested her head on his shoulder and all he wanted to do was press her body against his so that they were as close as humanly possible.
He wanted to get used to being with her. He wanted to take it for granted when she woke up next to him, or when they lay on the couch reading, or when they made a mess of cooking dinner and ordered a take out. He wanted a life with her more than he could say. She had started a fire in his heart and he would burn down before he put it out. Tomorrow that could all go away. But that was tomorrow.
Liam caught Rory's eye from nearby, giving him a thumbs up. Rory grinned back at his lovable-dork of a friend. He and Liam had become closer as they spent their evenings training together and their weekends hanging out. What he had sought in Austin, he had found in Liam. A real friend.
When Rory looked around the hall, all of his friends were there. Everyone except Jules.
Where was Julian? He'd been right there just five minutes ago. He'd been talking to Lou before…
A pit formed in Rory's stomach as his eyes darted around the room.
A blood curdling scream filled the air and Emma snapped away from him, gripping her necklace so tightly that the color drained from her fingers.
"He's got a knife!" A voice screamed, and movement broke out all around them as people ran from the hall.
Emma's lips moved in the shape of a name. Lou.
Before he could stop her; she was gone, diving into the crowd that poured the other way. He ran after her, pushing his way through the influx of people, keeping her red dress within sight as much as he could. They broke through to see Lou on the ground, blood seeping into the dark teal fabric that clung to her skin. This couldn't be happening. The nightmare was supposed to start tomorrow. Tonight was meant to be perfect.
Pain contorted each feature on Lou's face as Annabeth pressed a torn piece of her dress down, onto the wound. Emma went as white as Annabeth's dress had once been and her hands shook. He didn't know what to do. Something told him she didn't want to be touched, but if not that then he didn't know how to help her. This time it wasn't even because he was a human. Why didn't he know what to do? He should know what to do.
"See Emma!" Jackson shouted, his eyes burning with fire as he knelt by Lou's side. "What did I tell you?"
Rory winced at Jackson's words.
"Stop it," Annabeth snapped. "That's not helping anyone."
But Emma wasn't listening. Her eyes were scanning the room intently while her face remained unreadable. "Stay here. Stay with her."
"No." As the words left Rory's mouth, she took off like a shot. He called after her, but then he saw exactly what she had and didn't dare take another step.
A head of black hair, a knife dripping with blood and a familiar face.
Keoki.