Chapter Text
“No.”
The chatter around her stopped, and the three around her blinked.
For as long as Bianca could remember- which wasn’t that far back, to begin with- nothing had ever been easy.
All she could conjure up in her mind were vague scenarios- like pictures flashed at her for the briefest of seconds. They were all too dark to make out, and not nearly comprehensible, but Bianca could just feel them.
Understand them…
It was disorientating, to say the least.
The only image she could point out for certain was that of the hotel. It was odd, but it was the only thing she’s felt like she’s truly remembered. In fact, it’s the only thing she’s thought about for a while now.
Bianca could recall arriving at the decorated lobby, the lights so bright they nearly burned her retinas. Nico had, of course, looked at everything with wonder, practically bouncing up and down on the spot. She’d had to hold his hand a little tighter to make sure he didn’t run off on his own.
Then there was that man- the one with the leather briefcase and tailored suit.
He was so familiar, his face being one that Bianca was sure she had seen before. Even so, she had never been able to even recall his name.
That man was the one that brought both her and Nico to the hotel, checking and leading them into a room without so much as a peek in their direction. Bianca found it a little odd she wasn’t immediately ticked off by the man, but whenever she had mustered enough courage to look at him, a feeling in her gut just told her he was safe.
They got to their room, and at the sight of the giant bed, Nico had raced towards it, kicking his shoes off on the way to no doubt bounce on the fluffy mattress.
Just as she had been ready to reprimand him, the man had placed a hand on her shoulder. Even the thought of his cold hands made a shiver go down her spine.
There were only a few words he’d exchanged with them throughout their venture to and in the hotel, but what he’d said to her at the doorway of that room had by far been the most she’s heard him speak.
“You will share this room with your brother for the remainder of your stay. I will return to collect you when the time is right.”
And before Bianca could ask any questions, he’d dropped the room key right in her hands and walked straight out of the room.
Of course, Bianca had scrambled after him, but when she’d peaked out of the door, he was gone.
Anything before that day was… foggy.
True to his word, the man came back. He looked just as he had when they’d last met, and while Nico didn’t see anything wrong with their stay at the Lotus Hotel and Casino, Bianca had a lot of time to ponder.
None of her questions were answered, as the man had practically ignored her throughout their whole trip.
That second voyage went by in a flash, and as entertaining as it was for her fratellino, it was still a long drive. More concerning, though, was when she subtly asked Nico about their time before the hotel, only to discover he couldn’t seem to remember anything, either.
They had ended up at this boarding school in D.C, which was infinitely worse than the hotel. Everything was so strict and suffocating that Bianca could barely escape to her thoughts, lest she be disciplined for her rudeness.
Then, one day, they’d been collected from said school. The man who collected them looked so much alike to the previous man, given the tailored suits and sleek briefcases. Even the attitudes were the same, but Bianca was positive he was not the same man as before…
Westover Hall is where they’d been placed, a military academy up in the state of Maine. They’d been split up- Bianca being ushered to the girl’s dormitories while Nico was placed with the boys. It was a much-needed breather, because as much as she adored her baby brother, she didn’t think she’d have the strength to listen to him go on and on about his little card game any longer.
After they’d been given some time to rest, both Bianca and Nico had met with the principal and vice-principal of the institution. They’d been told the basics, given a tour of the school grounds, and were even bid farewell by the tailored-suit man.
Things weren’t so exciting after that. The food was alright, but it wasn’t the best, and the classes were much the same. Everything was okay, at best.
She had tried to befriend a few of the girls in her dormitory, but when they started spouting things Bianca couldn’t understand for the life of her, they seemed to pick up on it very quickly.
…And deemed her to be odd.
She hoped Nico was having a better time making friends than she was.
But Bianca never got to find out, as the days passed by in a blur. She’d only got a chance to speak with Nico for a few hours every day, and even then, she’d been keeping an eye on their surroundings.
Her wariness was all due to the vice-principal- Dr. Thorn. He’d struck Bianca as bad news almost immediately during their short introductions, and while he hadn’t spoken or done much during that time, he’d already made quite the impression.
She’d caught him staring at Nico a few times, and every time she felt a pair of eyes on her, it was most certainly due to those piercing multi-colored eyes. He was so cold, as well- talking to them with this hardness to his voice that she’d only ever heard in soldiers.
Still, he didn’t bother them much. Nico didn’t see a problem with the man, so she didn’t push the topic. The last thing she had needed was Nico’s conspiratory rants on lion-headed monsters.
Bianca had even managed to avoid his odd spectacles thus far, but that afternoon proved to be one of Nico’s more energetic ones.
It was the night of the school dance, and Bianca had been roped into playing a game of cards with her fratellino.
They were sitting in the gymnasium’s bleacher, the strange music from the dance blaring in the background. Everything felt odd, from the clothing the students had chosen to the music blasting from the speakers, but Bianca chalked it up to weird American trends.
And while it would have been nice to truly attend the dance, Nico was too enthralled in his game to dance with her. She would have escaped to at least dance with somebody other than Nico, but Bianca didn’t have any other friends.
Instead, Nico insisted on playing Mythomagic.
She played a few rounds, but after the fifth, she’d decided enough was enough. While Nico shuffled his deck, Bianca frowned at him, refusing to play any more while Nico whined and pleaded.
Bianca had been that close to snatching those stupid cards from him and storing them away, but an odd shadow suddenly loomed over them.
It was Dr. Thorn, who immediately wrapped a hand around their arms and dragged them from their seats.
Bianca tried to fight back, but the newfound grip on her neck kept her from trying anything new. That, plus the threat to keep quiet or else, had been enough to keep her from struggling.
She hadn’t completely given up, as her headwear had fallen throughout the struggle, along with some of Nico’s cards, which had scattered all over the ground. She hoped somebody would notice them…
They’d been taken to a dark hall, thrown against the wall and told to stay put. Bianca immediately wrapped her arms around Nico, burying his face in her chest and running her fingers through his hair.
The look Dr. Thorn had shot them was utterly terrifying.
Then there was this boy- Percy, as he had introduced himself. Bianca had to do a double-take to make sure she wasn’t imagining the sword clasped tightly in his hands.
He seemed kind, offering them safety and protection. Not that Bianca would have jumped at the offer, or even trusted him after a few spoken words, but when Dr. Thorn suddenly appeared at his back, ready to deliver what looked like a sick blow, Bianca panicked for him.
She tried to warn him, but it was too late. A giant spike pinned him to the wall, grazing his shoulder and keeping him in place. Percy had tried to fight, but Dr. Thorn ultimately got the upper hand.
All three of them were led out of the school, right to the edge of the snowy cliff overlooking eery the forest. All the way there, Dr.Thorn muttered a bunch of things, but the one that made her tense was the bit about summoning a ride.
It had triggered Bianca’s flight or fight instincts, but instead of actually doing anything, she demanded to know where they would be taken.
“Silence, you insufferable girl!” he had said.
“Don’t talk to my sister that way!” Nico had retorted, his eyes teary and voice quivering. Bianca nearly smiled just thinking about his bout of bravery.
Then Dr. Thorn started saying things- things about half-bloods and army and The Great Stirring. It became more and more evident that their vice principal was insane.
And then these strangers came along- friends of Percy wielding various weapons and spouting things that only served to fuel Nico’s awed excitement all the more. Bianca would have thought she was dreaming as Dr. Thorn transformed into a giant beast- a manticore, as literally everybody had called it.
There was lots of fighting, shouting, and running after that.
Then came the ride Dr. Thorn had been pestering them about. It was one of those flying contraptions she’d grown accustomed to seeing overhead… for some reason.
Dr. Thorn- or, what had become of him- hadn’t been able to usher them in. Instead, a gust of violent wind chopped at the spinning blades, making the whole thing wobble around. If that wasn’t enough to make Bianca think she was really starting to see things, a stray arrow flew right past her and landed on Dr. Thorn’s shoulder.
The Hunters were what the blonde girl had called them, a heavily armed group of girls with quivers on their backs and silver bands resting against their foreheads.
Everything was too much to process, and right when Bianca truthfully thought that was it, the blonde curl jumped on the beast’s back and drove her blade right into it’s back.
Gross, she’d thought, shielding Nico’s eyes from the scene.
Suddenly, one of the arrow-wielding girls shouted a command. She ordered the others to aim at Dr. Thorn and released a rain of fire upon him.
Bianca nearly had a heart attack when this group of girls unleashed arrow after arrow to the beast, forcing him to jump off the cliff with the girl- Annabeth- hanging tightly around his back.
Bianca wanted to run and see if she’d somehow survived the fall, but she couldn’t do much then, because even before Percy could make it to the edge of the cliff, the sounds of gunfire broke through the air.
It was haunting, and Bianca tightly wrapped herself around Nico, tucking him as far into safety as she could.
But the fire stopped just a second later, and when Bianca looked up, she caught sight of an auburn-haired girl thrusting her hand out. To Bianca’s utter surprise, the contraption exploded into a flock of ravens.
She definitely needed to lie down…
There was a bit of back and forth after that, mostly between the girl who made the flock of ravens appear and Percy. He was clearly in distress over Annabeth, but the girls at his sides, pinning him down, didn’t release their hold.
There had been something about the auburn girl that radiated calmness, even if Percy kept barking back at her. Then the girl who ordered the rain on Dr. Thorn stepped forward, looking extremely agitated and ready to smack Percy upside the head.
The auburn girl stopped her, claiming she sensed no disrespect. She then introduced herself as Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt.
Nico practically beamed under her, squirming out of her grasp and staring in awe at the group. Bianca would have told him that staring was rude, but she was busy enough trying to put things together in her own head.
When Bianca asked who exactly they were, Artemis smiled softly at her and asked about her parents.
As far as Bianca knew, her and Nico’s parents were dead. She couldn’t even recall their faces- nor their voices, but then again, her memory just wasn’t there- for all she knew, the man with the suit and briefcase could have been their father.
No, she’d thought. That isn’t the case.
Then everybody stared at her, as if she was lying about being orphans.
It hit a nerve, but she didn’t snap. She didn’t want to offend the agitated one- Zoë, as Artemis called her.
It turns out, the Greek gods were real. Everything in Nico’s silly little card game was real, from the monsters, to the weapons, to the gods…
And apparently, one of their parents was a god- an Olympian.
For one of their parents to be a god, that made her and Nico demi-gods. Half-human and half god- which made their life extremely dangerous.
Just like how Annabeth had risked her life to stab Dr. Thorn, and now, nobody knew what had become of her.
At first, Bianca wanted to refuse it. She wanted to call all of them crazy and drag Nico along to where it was safe, but then Nico asked about the manticore and all the other monsters he’d learned of. If he was dead or not, and Bianca wouldn’t admit it, but she was honestly hoping the beast that nearly kidnapped her and Nico was truly gone.
But Artemis told them monsters never truly die, only re-form over and over again. The only way to keep them from hurting anybody was to hunt them.
Or they’ll hunt us. One of Percy’s friends, Thalia, had spat.
That was all it took for the pieces to start clicking together, and all of a sudden, Bianca couldn’t breathe.
It made sense of the scene a whole summer ago- the one where she and Nico were almost attacked at an alley in DC. It was a monster hunting them down because of their status as half-gods-
Even the bus driver with the ram’s horns Nico had told her about. Bianca had seen it too, but she didn’t want to alarm him at the time, so she’d just denied witnessing anything at all. They’d had their fair share of strange interactions, and now it was all making sense…
Then Percy mentioned something about being watched by Grover, a boy with curly hair and a goatee. She’d seen him around the school’s grounds, but never paid much attention to him. He was apparently sent to protect them from a distance.
Bianca asked if he was a demi-god, to which he proclaimed himself a satyr and kicked off his shoes. At the sight of his hooves, Bianca swore she almost fainted.
The ensuing talk of training for survival and a Camp Half-Blood had not helped her light-headedness, but Nico was already completely on board.
Bianca hesitated, but before Percy could say more, Zoë spoke of there being another option.
Thalia disagreed, glaring at Zoë. Before things could escalate even further, Artemis dismissed them to rest, ordering the Hunters to set up camp, tend to the wounded, and retrieve her and Nico’s things from the academy.
Just when she thought she’d get a moment of silence, Artemis called her along.
She’d left Nico with both Percy and Grover, internally grinning to herself when she overheard him babbling on about his Mythomagic cards. Bianca had enough of Greek Mythology to last her a lifetime, even if she was following an entity of such.
And that’s where she’d been sitting for some time now, right inside a cozy little tent with the acclaimed Goddess of the Hunt.
There was a fire in the middle, devoid of fuel or smoke. Animal pelts lined the walls, and there was even a grand polished oak stand holding a silver bow at the back of the tent.
It was all… very grand for a campsite.
She started telling Bianca things about her Hunters. They were a maiden’s group, swearing off of love and vowing themselves to serve Artemis. Boys were a topic of disgust among them, and they very rarely even interacted with them. They spent their time hunting monsters, like Dr. Thorn, and killing them before they could harm any other soul.
They were… immortal.
And asking her to join the hunt.
Zoë had come along, talking quite highly of the Hunters. Before she could get much into detail, Artemis asked her to invite Percy Jackson into the tent.
Artemis had left her to think upon the invitation while she talked to Percy. Really, her mind felt like it was that close to exploding with all this new information thrown at her in such a short amount of time, but she had enough of her sanity left over to truly think over the offer.
After she had finished speaking to Percy, she had asked for an answer.
Percy gaped at that, reminding her of camp and its Pegasus stables and sword fighting arena and how great it all was. Truly, those two things didn’t appeal to her at all, but with how distressed Percy looked, she tried to imagine herself there.
Then Zoë chimed in with the immortality, and Artemis followed with the promise of strong bonds and sisters-in-arms.
It was very suffocating.
Even more so when Percy mentioned Nico, how he could not join the hunt. Artemis confirmed this and quite quickly dismissed it, offering him to be placed at that camp Percy insisted on.
You will be free of responsibility, Artemis had said. You will have a new family.
Zoë’s eyes sparkled as this was said, and if those two points didn’t seem appealing before, they definitely were now.
So she asked if it was worth it, and Zoë, without a beat, said it was.
Bianca thought, then.
The sound of this hunt had grown very appealing. Truth be told, it sounded appealing the moment Bianca heard little snippets of it, but sitting there, beside the goddess that radiated such calmness and adoration, Bianca felt as if things finally slowed down…
While it would have been nice to step back and take a breather, the sight of Nico from afar made her heart clench up, and with the sounds of his laughter resonating throughout the air, she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him behind.
Her answer undoubtedly surprised the three of them, as Zov froze, Percy blinked, and Artemis looked, if slightly, taken aback.
“No?” Zoë narrowed her eyes, the happy glint in her eyes replaced with dangerous scrutiny.
“I mean… Lady Artemis.” She turned to the goddess, bowing in her seat and trying her best to keep herself composed under Zoë’s stare. “I am honored to receive such an invitation, but…”
“But you will deny my offer.” Artemis finished for her, the taken aback look on her face replaced with the calmness from before.
Bianca nodded, swallowing down the sudden lump in her throat. “I… I can’t leave Nico. He’s all I’ve got, and I’m all he’s got. If I left…”
“It is alright, dear.” Artemis placed a hand on her shoulder, and as if by magic, Bianca immediately felt the tension slipping out of her body.
Zoë, however, looked as tense as ever. “Thy understands what is being turned down?”
Bianca gulped, moving her gaze to the tent’s flaps. She couldn’t answer that question, even if she so desperately forced herself to.
Thankfully, Artemis raised a hand. “Calm, my huntress.”
“But—”
“It is Bianca’s decision. We must respect it no matter what.”
Zoë snapped her mouth shut, pursing her lips before marching right out of the tent. Artemis sighed beside her, the hand slipping from her shoulder and folding neatly in her lap. “I apologize. Zoë is a very passionate Huntress. She is my lieutenant and has been with me for many centuries. It is difficult for her to understand a denied invitation.”
Bianca stared after Zoë, watching what she could from the parted flaps. She didn’t know what to say, but she had a feeling she shouldn’t leave the conversation there. “I-It’s alright.”
Artemis smiled. “If you are sure. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go aid my Hunters.”
Bianca nodded, keeping her eyes on the ground as Artemis graciously stood. She stepped beside the fire and disappeared into the outside scene.
It had been maybe a minute or so, but Bianca felt like she’d been sitting there for an eternity. She wasn’t even thinking much, just… existing.
“So…” Bianca jumped, her eyes snapping up and meeting a pair of sea-green ones. She’d truthfully forgotten all about Percy during that little exchange. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, but… you’ll like camp. I promise it’s the best place ever.”
He offered her a hand, along with a reassuring smile. As odd as it was, Bianca finally felt like life wasn’t rushing past her.
“Yeah,” she breathed, taking his hand, “I sure hope so.”