Doubtful Hearts and Daisy Chains

[Emberlynn Knight Rare]

Doubtful Hearts and Daisy Chains

It was a perfect day at Camp Half-Blood. Fluffy white clouds dotted the sky, pierced by brilliant sunbeams. A slight breeze wafted over the open field, causing the various foliage to dance and sway in calming patterns. To the outside observer, all was well with the world. Yet within the mind of young Emberlynn Knight, a vicious storm was brewing. She was splayed out on her back and staring up at the sky. Her multicolored hair looked like an abstract mural painted across the grass, but the scowl on her face made it a distinctly unbeautiful picture. It was strange to see Ember unhappy. In general she was a relentlessly cheerful sort. The girl had the kind of smile that would light up a room and almost always made use of it. But today was different. Today, the little extrovert had nobody to smile at.

The last few days had been a blur of excitement and confusion. There were many "bright sides" to her new life here at camp. For one, the whole "divine heritage" thing was pretty damn cool. She couldn't help but wonder whose ancient blood ran through her veins. She'd studied a bit of Greek Mythology in school in course, but she wouldn't exactly call herself an expert. According to the staff here she would likely find that out soon at an evening bonfire, with her thirteenth birthday being so close. Then there was the matter of camp activities. Little Emberlynn had never seen herself as much of a combatant, but she had to admit that training was exciting. Perhaps she might find a skill or weapon she took a liking to. Envisioning herself as a warrior princess from one of her cartoons softened her scowl a little bit.

But it was no use. The flickering images of a strong and beautiful Emberlynn Knight seemed comically far from reality. Here she was still a small and miserable thing, reeling with questions and desperately missing her old life. She couldn't help but think about her Aunt's bakery and its delicious cupcakes, her mini art studio with every color of glitter paint, the middle school production she'd been working up the courage to audition for - some things she would miss at least for a time, others by their nature would be missed entirely. And most of all, she longed for her best friend. She vaguely understood why Atlas had needed to go. It seemed there might be another of their kind at her old school, and as he was the assigned Satyr there, it was his duty to go follow this new lead. But still, she wished he could have stayed here with her. Starting over was not a new concept to her. But when she'd moved to New York she'd at least had her Aunt, and soon after she'd met Atlas and made a few friends at her new school. But here everything was strange, and here she felt deeply and utterly alone.

As tears began to well in her eyes, she quickly sat up. No. Cut it out, Em. The girl would not be seen crying. She picked a nearby flower and twirled it between her fingers. Looking at it, she could only think of her friend. The boy had a strange affinity for nature. Though now that she knew he was a Satyr, she supposed that made sense. Whenever she had been sad or frustrated, he had taken her to the local park. The two friends would sit on the grass, picking flowers and weaving them together into crowns and jewelry. The process seemed silly, but had never failed to brighten her day. She began to pick a few more flowers here and there, slowly twisting the stems together into a small bracelet shape. Her face brightened a bit as she focused on her work. It was almost like Atlas was still here making flower chains with her to cheer her up. But it wasn't quite the same. Nobody was here with her today. At least, not yet.

[Elijah Quinn Rare]

Elijah can be found in his father's cabin alone with a singing voice. There was no music playing on the speakers so It wasn't loud enough for anyone outside to hear but if someone were to enter, they'd hear strums from his acoustic guitar. Typically, a child of Apollo favors an instrument and you'd find them with the same instrument most of the time. This guitar is Elijah's, a gift given to him by his mother on his fifteenth birthday.  A cursive carving of his name can be found on the back of the arm which he could tell was done with an experienced touch. It was one by a certain Athena child who was more than happy to help. Envisioning music notes floating around the cabin interior, a quirky side smile sprouted from his lips as he gingerly caressed the cherry wood material, playing her every so elegantly. His hands strum and pull on the guitar's strings, then his voice began to accompany the music.

This song has a special place in his heart as it was composed by him the first month he arrived in camp. He and his mother sang it together when he was away for the occasion and since then, it left an imprint on his soul. He could remember all the times his mother was training him to get out of his comfort zone. Perhaps this might be an outlier, but Elijah was a reserved child and his mother wanted to give him a little push in the best way she knows how: singing. It wasn't just for entertainment or pleasing the audience but a form of artistic expression. Elijah began to reminiscence his journey before he arrived... from taking vocal and dancing lessons, song writing, and even combat training with Sam. Yeah... Sam. He never imagined that his mother's manager is a satyr but it was a secret kept within the three of them. He became a good friend.

Elijah finished reminiscing when his mouth went into a close and a sigh followed after. He had some extra time before giving archery lessons later so he decided to head to the archery field in advance so he could give the bows and arrows a quick and minor inspection just to make sure the equipment is ready for use. Leaving the seemingly gold exterior cabin, he made his way towards the range when a child with rainbow hair seemed to be working on one of the flower beds. It was a joint effort between the Demeter and Iris Cabin which made camp a lot more aesthetically pleasing to look at. The young man was more drawn to her hair and he was curious to find out more. The feeling drove his body near her followed by a cordial "Hey! These flowers are just lovely to look at, aren't they?" Quickly glancing over to her hand, he asked. "What 'cha got there?" 

Edited November 5, 2022 by Elijah Quinn