Author: And here it is! Chapter 7! Sorry this took like forever to do. And sorry if this chapter isn't the greatest either. Kind of a filler, but I dunno what to call it because I personally feel like it does what I want it to do.
Thank you, everyone, for leaving reviews! Honestly I get so excited when I see that I have one and it makes me so happy to receive such positive feedback! Thank you so much and please keep it up! It's really encouraging and much appreciated!
I will take a moment to respond to a few of them right here:
The Phoenix's Feather (aka Jay): Great idea! I will definitely keep this in mind. But I think there will be plenty of other opportunities for them to get caught! After all, Emma, Rikki, and Cleo have been hiding their secret for over a year now and kept it from their families, so I think they are smart and careful not to reveal anything to Percy and/or Annabeth. But, accidents do happen too.
giraffesplaycello: Thank you! And you raise a fair point about Emma. I never really thought of her as holding a grudge. I guess she is, in a sense, but it's just more irritation and frustration. She never got along with Percy growing up and he annoyed her like he's her brother. It's more like "ugh great he's back someone pass the tylenol and now I have a ton of extra people in the house to not grow a tail in front of how the hell am i going to pull this off." It's also an awkward time for Emma because she's confused about her feelings for Ash and Charlotte is becoming a problem and Percy is arriving so unexpectedly and asking for races so she's just overwhelmed. Not to be an Emma apologist or to disregard your opinion. I think you make a fair point and a valid argument, but that was my line of thinking as I was writing this.
fall-out-potter: bow ties are the coolest, especially when paired with a fez.
PuppyLove15771: be careful with what you wish for
"C'mon, guys, hurry! People could come any minute!" Emma urged. She was constantly looking over her shoulder. She and Rikki stood about a meter behind Zane and Lewis, both of whom were pulling Cleo out of the water. They had each grabbed an arm and planted themselves firmly to lift her up.
"This isn't...the easiest...thing to do..." Zane grunted. "No offense, but mermaids weigh a ton."
"I could help it if I could!" Cleo whined.
"How about I just evaporate the whole tank?" Rikki suggested.
"No! What about Ronnie?" Cleo protested.
"See? This is why I don't do the whole helping thing."
Finally, Zane and Lewis were able to pull Cleo's body onto the dock with so much momentum that their two bodies stumbled and tripped back, landing hard with their backs against the wood and prompting groans to escape from them.
"Rikki, go!" Emma commanded.
"Jeez, Percy was right. You are bossy." Emma rolled her eyes as Rikki knelt by Cleo and hovered her hands over her. It didn't take long for the dock to be covered in steam.
"Ow, that stings!"
"Do you want to get dried off?"
While Rikki dried Cleo off, Emma jogged down the private street connected to the main park street from which they came from. She was able to spot a Percy and Annabeth through a row of decorative bushes.
"That's it. Times up. I gotta go see if they're okay." Percy said to Annabeth.
"I'm sure they're fine, Percy."
"I just have to check. What if they're being attacked by monsters?"
Percy started walking down the employee's only private street towards the dolphin tank, Annabeth quickly following. Emma bit her lip and glanced around.
"Sorry, guys." Emma whispered and she raised her hand, palm open but together, straight, and steady. She concentrated her powers on the street Percy and Annabeth were walking on. Seconds later, the street became a sheet of ice beneath their feet. The pair immediately slipped and fell. Before they could scramble back to their feet, Emma made her escape.
"Ow!" Percy groaned, landing on his back and hitting his head against the ground.
"What the?" Annabeth pushed herself into an upright position.
"Did somebody spill a bucket of ice?" Percy asked.
"This definitely does not look like that. The whole street froze immediately." Annabeth observed. "In Australia, of all places. Something's going on around here."
"The others could be in trouble." Percy said. "We have to hurry."
"Agreed. Let's go."
Percy was able to use his demigod abilities to clear the ice away and allow himself and Annabeth to run down the street. Percy gripped Riptide in his hand and Annabeth drew her dagger. It's not like anybody could see the demigod weapons anyway, right?
The couple moved quickly, but cautiously and silently. They scanned the area and the sky. They listened for any strange noises that differed from the park commotion behind them. But as they walked forward, it only grew quieter.
"See anything?" Percy murmured.
"Everything looks fine to me." Annabeth answered. "What about the tank? Anything out of the ordinary in there?"
Percy paused.
"Nope. Just a dolphin swimming around. He seems perfectly fine and happy too. But maybe we can find him and as him if he saw anything." Percy suggested.
As Percy and Annabeth approached the dolphin dock, they spotted Emma and her friends gathered on it. Percy capped his pen and Annabeth hid her dagger in her bag.
"Percy!" Emma called, jogging up to him. Cleo, Rikki, Lewis, and Zane trailed behind. "What are you doing? This is authorized access only and you were asked to find us some seats for the dolphin show."
"Jeesh, are you capable but saying something other than a command? Like it's such a crime to not do as you say!" Percy complained.
"What he means to say is," Annabeth cut in. "We were worried about you guys. It sounded like a serious situation and you were gone for a while so we came to check up."
"It's under control." Emma assured, not breaking her cold glare with Percy's gaze.
"What was the problem?"
"We thought there was something wrong with Ronnie the dolphin, but it was a false alarm. He was just hungry." Emma answered without missing a beat.
Annabeth leaned forward and raised her hand to partially block her mouth.
"Oh, I get it. Percy's exactly the same way too." Annabeth teased, but didn't bother to lower her voice. Percy looked offended while Emma and Annabeth erupted into giggles. "So how bout a dolphin show?"
The group, aside from Percy and Annabeth, instantly relaxed like a weight was lifted off their shoulders. They were quick to agree to the dolphin show, and even Zane behaved well to avoid any suspicion.
Percy and Annabeth didn't drop their suspicions, however. They kept to themselves and an eye out for any danger that may occur. It was instinct at this point. But they also tried to relax enough to enjoy their vacation.
"I think we need to have a discussion." Emma whispered to Lewis when she took her seat beside him.
"Sure. Shoot."
"No. Not here or now. We all need to talk about this situation. Can you meet us at Mako tonight?"
"Sorry. No can do. Got a date tonight with Charlotte." Emma rolled her eyes. "Unless you'd like her to join us?" Emma scowled but Lewis smirked.
"You better watch it with her."
"Or what?" Lewis tested. Emma glared at him. "Look, I know you're freaked out about everything, but you can trust me. Cut me some slack. She doesn't know a thing, and that will never change."
"Emma! Emma! Emma!" Percy tugged on Emma's arm like a little, excited boy. "There's cotton candy! Can I get some?"
"You need to cut back on the sweets. You'll gain weight. If you ever want to beat me in a race, you'll have to stay in shape." Emma countered. Percy grinned stupidly at her.
"But how can I gain weight from something that disappears in my mouth?" Percy asked. "C'mon, Em! It's cotton candy. You gotta eat something when you go to a show. Please?"
"Fine. Go get it yourself."
"I don't have any Australian dollars!"
Emma internally groaned as she dug through her purse. She pulled out her wallet, opened it, and gave him the proper amount of money.
"You owe me." Emma muttered.
"Thanks, Em! I'll bring some back to share!" Percy called. He stopped to say something to Annabeth. She nodded and sat down next to Emma.
"I always feel like I need to apologize to him, but he's your cousin, so-"
"So I should be apologizing to you." Emma cut in. The girls smiled at each other. "Then again, you chose to date him. He's family and not my choice. If I could choose my family, I'd trade him for you in all honesty."
Annabeth genuinely laughed.
"Thanks. You seem like a great sister. I really think Percy is lucky to have you for family." Annabeth said. "Honestly, I thought you would be like him. Crazy, rambunctious, and immature. But you're so responsible and mature and just, an overall good person. It's relieving to me to know he has someone like that for him."
"Well, I know he has ADHD and dyslexia, so he really can't help it. But thank you. You seem like a respectable girl, and you seem to make him really happy, so I'm glad he's in good hands back in New York."
Annabeth smiled. If Emma's mom wasn't Percy's aunt, she would have made a great daughter of Athena. Emma seemed cold and harsh at times, but Annabeth knew she was looking out for others. Emma has pride and confidence that Annabeth couldn't help but respect. She really would have made a great demigod.
"Zane, I'm telling you, I'm not into Percy. I was only joking around." Rikki said to him.
"I don't like him, Rikki. He's weird." He scoffed.
"I'm weird too."
"That's not what I meant. I love your weird. But he could be dangerous." Zane warned. Rikki snorted.
"Yeah, okay, Zane. Please save me, a damsel in distress, from the cruel and evil villain, Emma's cousin!" Rikki erupted into laughs. "You're worried about nothing! For one thing, I'm into you, not him. And second, what can he do that I can't handle? Have you forgotten who you're dating?"
"I don't trust him, Rikki, and I don't want to see you get hurt." Zane protested.
"What? Are you afraid he's going to capture me and experiment on me?" Rikki asked. "If that's the case, then I think you got one step ahead of him in that game."
Zane frowned and his face darkened.
"I don't like thinking about that. It was stupid and I hate myself for what I did." Zane said.
"I'm sorry for bringing it up."
"I'm sorry I did that to you."
"Look," Rikki took Zane's hand and clasped her free hand over his. "I think it's best we both stop talking about it, 'kay? We're on a date! Kind of a lousy one with Emma and Lewis hanging around, but let's just move on and enjoy the here and now!" Rikki leaned in and pecked Zane on the cheek. "And then maybe later you and I can go somewhere more private."
Zane grinned.
"That's perfectly fine by me."
"Percy better hurry up. The show is about to start!" Cleo said.
Emma placed her chin in her hands that were propped up on her knees. She loved Percy because he's her cousin, but she's getting a headache. He's too nosy and already got too close to comfort for her. Right now, she just wished she had a few minutes of peace and quiet with him gone.
Author: honestly, I feel Like I'm making Emma into some kind of bad guy. She's not. She's flawed and one of her flaws is that she likes having things under control. She loves Percy, he's her cousin, and deep down it's nice to see her family in a long time, but he gets on her nerves like any brother does. They're like siblings and they will definitely bicker and pick on each other like ones. Percy hasn't seen Emma in a really long time, due to constantly saving the world, but now that there's peace and he sees her again, he's just really excited and getting all over her, which only annoys her.
All I'm saying is, as I try not to be such an Emma apologist, is that don't think too badly of Emma. Well, you can think whatever you want, you're entitled to your own opinion, but everything has a reason. There's a method to the madness. Give Emma some time and she'll warm up, like she has always done in the show.
As always, please review! I enjoy each and every one of them!
-Spiz