Chapter Text
Bianca had just finished braiding her hair, and not even an hour later, it was filled with twigs and caked in sticky, drying mud.
It would have been worth it, had she not been the one to lose the match.
But no. Bianca just had to lose her footing, just had to trip over foliage and fall flat on her dumbfounded, idiotic little face.
Get up, get up, get up! She’d thought, but just as she began to push herself up, the dreaded sound of a horn filled the air.
Bianca’s head jerked upwards, eyes met with the picture of a grinning Clarisse.
It was a taunting thing, one very clearly meant for Bianca. One second, they were fighting their very hardest, and the next, Clarisse was lifting her hand, waving the sword gripped in her fist.
Bianca bristled at the sight. She clambered to a stand, immediately chucking her helmet off to the side. Despite her shaking, nimble hands, Bianca worked at the straps of her armor. The moment those pieces fell loose on her frame, she yanked them off and threw them to the ground, too.
With a huff- uncaring of all the eyes watching her with nervous fright- she was off.
Bianca marched across Camp Half-Blood, leaving behind a trail of wilting grass beneath her feet. She never did that on purpose, but the scene was becoming such a common sight throughout camp that she no longer felt the need to double over in shame and embarrassment.
Such was a little weight off of her own shoulders, seeing as she already had enough emotions to deal with. Whenever the beings around her slipped into premature age, this ugly and far too familiar feeling would crawl up the skin of her back. It was odd- a coldness that served as a constant reminder of her terrifying, uneasy nature.
As if I need the reminder.
Bianca huffed anew, and just as always, nobody followed her. An angry daughter of Hades was not the person anyone wanted to be around.
The moment she reached the inside of Cabin Thirteen, Bianca whirled around and slammed the door nearly off its hinges. Just another thing to prove the wary ones right.
Calm . She thought. Stay calm .
Pacing around her empty cabin, Bianca barely suppressed the urge to scream.
Admittedly, she was a little stressed- a little out of her mind. Things had been tense for a few months, everything going from bad to worse in just the blink of an eye.
Really, Bianca had never before been so moody . It would have been an embarrassing admission, but Bianca had every right to freak out in a world of gods and mythical creatures.
Some training would have been a good way to expel some of this anger, this unrelenting worry- if only she hadn’t been so distracted.
It had caused her to slip. To fall flat on her face as Clarisse claimed the hundredth, possibly thousandth spar victory of her life.
This distraction was nothing big. It had nothing to do with Percy’s disappearance. Or Nico’s empty bed on the other side of the cabin. No. Absolutely nothing to do with the big, gaping hole left in her heart.
But that would be a lie, wouldn’t it?
Bianca slowed to a halt, thoroughly dragging her hands over her face.
It had been a good time. A little rocky, but overall, Bianca was ecstatic to have her baby brother right by her side- together, in a place they could maybe call their home.
What changed, Bianca wasn’t all too sure.
Either way, it had been two months. Two months since Nico had left camp with nothing but a note of apology to her.
Bianca still had that note. She’d kept it as safe as she could, stored in a place where nothing but her own hands could touch.
It was something she couldn’t bring herself to look at. Nico’s admission to this feeling of loneliness, of isolation and complete desolation- all encapsulated in just one little sentence from Nico’s note.
It would be better if I wasn’t here.
Now, she’d be lying if she were to say the signs weren’t there. Bianca noticed them very clearly, even went about comforting her brother as carefully as she could. She was equipped to handle a hyperactive, bubbly Nico- not… the shell of that person Nico had once been.
She tried to talk to him about it, but that conversation had not gone as well as she had expected.
After an entire day of trying to corner Nico for something as little as a few words, Bianca had enough.
When curfew came about, there was nowhere Nico could hide.
“You don’t want to see me.” Bianca huffed, crossing her arms. “What happened? I thought we were okay, but you’re avoiding me. I thought everything was going to work itself out, wasn’t it?”
“I know.” Nico snapped, but just a moment later, he deflated. “I know. Just… there’s something going on. I have a lot on my mind.”
“Can’t you tell me?” Bianca herself relaxed, a little stunned at Nico’s willingness to share just a smidge of his woes. “I’m your sister. You can tell me anything.”
Nico thought for a second, ultimately shaking his head. “N-No. Not right now.”
Sadly, Bianca smiled. She’d been angry at first, but she just couldn’t stay mad at him. Not when Nico sounded so, so vulnerable.
Bianca moved closer, taking one of Nico’s hands into hers. “Not even someday?”
“I don’t know,” Nico grumbled, staring at the floor. “Someday…”
They called it a night after that, and that was the last she’d seen of Nico.
It was December now, the very month they’d first been brought to camp. The month full of so many mixed emotions, it was rather… dizzying to think back on.
Though that entire thing happened years ago, Bianca could still remember the shine in Nico’s eyes when Percy introduced them to this world, the giant smile and bubbly joy radiating off his vibrating body.
Thinking back on it, Nico’s reaction was very fitting. Gods, demigods, even the monster plaguing them for the rest of their lives- all of these things came directly from this silly obsession he’d taken to.
It was his favorite game, come to life before their very eyes.
Of course, everything had to go downhill from there- and Bianca, like the stereotypical cherry on top, went and topped the entire thing off.
She’d thought they moved past it, but Bianca now knew this went deeper than she could tell. A single place at camp was not going to fix the sorrows Nico carried.
But very recently, something new came up. That situation with Nico had to be tucked to the back of her mind, seeing as another disappearance rocked everyone right off their feet.
Percy had only been gone for three days, but the fuss around it was horrible.
It had to be, especially when Annabeth arrived out of the blue, looking sick in the face and without the boyfriend that had been practically glued to her side ever since the summer months. Everyone was on their toes, fearing the worst for themselves and their unappointed, beloved leader. Bianca herself had felt a little uneasy- but that had quickly changed the moment Annabeth told of a particular dream.
Bianca didn’t quite consider herself a Head Counselor, but as the eldest- and only - child of Hades present at the moment, the duty fell to her.
So she had went along with the rest of the older campers, claiming a seat around the raggedy table and intently listening to the news that had spread around Camp Half-Blood.
At this hastily put-together meeting, Annabeth properly showed her face. Bianca had not seen her since the end of the summer, but looking at her in that moment… she couldn’t possibly picture a smile on those downturned lips.
Annabeth had been very to the point , speaking of a vision of the Grand Canyon. A boy with one shoe. Two others by his side. A hint of Percy’s whereabouts.
It was a puzzling mess, and there was not much sense to make of the dream, but Annabeth was determined to travel there and figure it out herself.
All of it had rubbed Bianca the wrong way- especially since she’d been the one speaking to Chiron every other day, sharing her worries over her brother and asking if there had been any news of his condition. At times, she’d even pleaded with him to let her go and find him, to let her search every crevice of the earth to find her missing Nico- all to no avail.
Yet, Annabeth was able to do this the very second she demanded.
Chiron always told her it would be a fruitless search. Bianca had no clue where to even start , so unless she found something of use, Bianca was stuck in the confines of the magical camp.
It regrettably made sense- but as soon as Annabeth was allowed permission to take the Apollo cabin’s chariot, and was even assigned a buddy to accompany her on this trip…
It had stung. It hurt. Rationality was not something Bianca could grasp whenever Nico was at the center of her worry.
That meeting had transpired early in the morning, and while a heavy session of training hadn’t been scheduled that afternoon, Chiron wanted to ease the worry within camp. A rather sloppy and uncoordinated game of Capture the Flag would have done the trick, but there was currently… a problem in the woods.
A shame. Bianca really needed that distraction, but in the end, it only served to make things worse-
Though, before Bianca could dwell on the entirety of her awful day any longer, something new occurred.
“Knock knock.” Came a voice from the door- a very familiar voice from a certain daughter of Aphrodite.
Now, this certain someone did not actually knock. Drew Tanika simply wouldn’t risk bruising her knuckles on a hard-wood door- but that certainly didn’t stop her from punching the life out of a few things when her mood was considerably low, as she’d seen just half an hour ago.
Bianca sighed, dragging her feet towards the door before swinging it wide open.
Drew’s eyes widened at the sight of her, which told Bianca absolutely everything she needed to know about her appearance. What with her awful mood, mud-riddled body, and the slow-burning pain blossoming across her arm…
Bianca couldn’t imagine she looked presentable at all.
“It’s worse than I thought.” Drew raised her hand, carefully picking a brittle twig from Bianca’s hair.
Bianca sighed. “Hello, Drew.”
“You don’t look too hot.” Drew pointed out, carefully nudging Bianca into the cabin. “Why don’t you tell mamma what’s wrong?”
And despite her teasing tone, Bianca found herself melting into Drew’s gentle pine scent. Together, they sauntered over to Bianca’s bed- Drew working at the debris in her hair as Bianca sunk her face into her hands.
“I just don’t see why Annabeth can leave, but I can’t.” Bianca bristled, falling back into her sour mood. “Okay, she had a dream. Big deal. It was the most cryptic thing I’d ever heard, but she gets to leave with Butch , of all people. When do they even speak to one another? Yes, he’s good with the Pegasus, but does Percy even spend time with the cabin of rainbows and—"
“Careful there, hon. I can’t imagine Iris would be too thrilled to hear all this—"
“Oh, as if Iris is listening in to this pointless conversation!” She snapped, glaring so hard she swore the air around them chilled by a few degrees.
But despite the twinge of fear in Drew’s eyes, she simply glared right back.
Immediately, Bianca felt awful. “I’m sorry. I just… I want to see my brother.”
It was miserable. Yet another hopeless plea Bianca had cried for in the face of her friend. She’d done this how many times now? Yearned for Nico’s safety, his happiness, exactly how many times?
No matter how much Bianca did that, it would never be enough. Not until she knew Nico was safe and sound, right by her side.
Though, a part of her was surprised Drew hadn’t kicked her to the curb yet. The other part of her was grateful to receive this rare side of Drew- the more human side of her just about everyone at camp swore did not exist.
But it was there. Just for a few special people and all…
Beside her, Drew sighed.
“Hey. Don’t sweat it. Nico’s a smart kid, right? He’s probably down there with Hades, strolling through the Fields of Punishment…” she pursed her lips. “Doing… whatever it is you Hades kids do.”
And at the wave of her hand, Bianca suppressed a little laugh. “Camping by the River Styx. Commanding the spirits of Asphodel.”
“Exactly.” Drew smiled. Bianca would have smiled, too, had it not been for the crushing reality she’d long since come accustomed to.
But oh, how badly I want to believe that .
“The only problem… Papà would have told me if this were the case.” She grumbled, her hopeful little mood plunging once more. “The gods… they’re usually silent, but my father isn’t really like that. At least, not until a few months ago—”
A thought that soured her mind.
“Still, I pray to him at every meal for Nico’s safety. I know he hears me, and I know there isn’t much he could truly do… but that’s such a horrible thing. He’s a god, yet interfering in demigod business is the one thing he can’t do? To me, that seems…”
“Awful.” Drew offered, her eyes turning to the floor. “Like a crude joke that couldn’t come at a worse time?”
Dejectedly, Bianca nodded.
While they didn’t usually have the relationship one would expect from a child and their parent, they certainly were as close to a family as they could get. She, Nico, their father- and sometimes, even their stepmother, Persephone- they very loosely functioned as a family should.
Bianca noticed a change in her father. Ever since the fiasco that was Kronos, her father and stepmother had stopped treating them so… stiffly. Bianca could speak to them without a twinge of fear coming over her form.
It was a change Bianca did not take for granted. She tried her best to have a relationship with them, praying to them, visiting them every once in a while…
Such effort was reciprocated. Although tentative, their father was trying- and for that, Bianca was grateful.
But, as stated before, he couldn’t help them with everything .
It was when Drew went to pat her arm that Bianca came back to herself, wincing at the sudden pain blooming across her forearm. Drew, with her sharp eyes and even sharper sense for all things wrong , took note of this discomfort.
She grabbed Bianca’s arm, shoving the sleeve up and towards Bianca’s elbow.
There, a large slash stemmed from the underside of her wrist to the skin just beneath her elbow.
“You didn’t tell me about that.” Drew frowned, eyeing the bead of blood trailing down Bianca’s wrist. “You should get that checked out. Solace should still be over by the woods. If we’re lucky, we can catch him before they pack all that stuff away.”
“Drew—” Bianca blinked, gasping as she was pulled from her bed and dragged towards the door. “W-Wait, I- There are other children of Apollo, you know!”
“Oh, I know.” Drew drawled, a tiny smile tugging at her lips. “Only the best for you, angel.”
So they made their way across camp, previous concerns temporarily forgotten in favor of a newly lighthearted, casual conversation.
When they got to the open field, Bianca found the remnant of their training. A few uninjured campers stayed behind, taking the forgotten weapons and armor back to their rightful place.
But at the center of it all, they found Will with his bow around his shoulders, tending to a daughter of Demeter and her slightly out-of-it eyes.
Drew went off when one of her sisters came to get her, something about glue and hair not mixing well. That entire thing had Stolls written all over it, but Bianca had her own troubles to worry about.
So she walked right up to Will, watching the way he dismissed this Demeter girl to another one of her siblings. After whatever lengthy instructions he had given them, the two walked off without much of a hitch.
Then, his eyes fell toward her.
“Bianca?” He tilted his head, straightening on the cot he had set up. “You ran off quick. I’m surprised you came back.”
“Temper tantrum.” She sighed, nudging her head in Drew’s direction. “Drew told me I should probably get this checked out.”
And at the sight of her injury, Will immediately stood and began examining the torn-up skin. “Well, she was right. Did you get mud in this? Any debris? Was there—"
“No, no, and whatever you’re about to say, no.” Bianca moved with Will, allowing him to lead her toward the cot. “Really, I hardly noticed the thing. It was only when Drew pressed against it that it started to burn. I think I got it when we paired up against the Ares kids, those brutes…”
“That’ll do it,” Will mumbled, digging through his trustee medical bag. “So, what’s new with you? Anything besides the usual?”
“Not particularly.” She grumbled, thinking of Drew and her disapproving face. She’d most certainly scold Bianca for sulking any longer, encourage her to crawl out of her shell and fend off the spiral of guilt forever churning in her head.
Though, maybe that advice would do her some good. Both for her sake, and for the wildlife around them.
“Well, actually…” She began, and so, they fell into a soothing back and forth- something she hadn’t had the privilege of indulging in ever since that dreaded emergency meeting.
Will himself took the meeting in stride, and now, he treated her quick, moving swiftly between idle conversation and medical care. It was almost like muscle memory for him, unraveling the bandage and sizing it up to her wound. Without sparing a glance, he took a pair of scissors and made a swift cut, setting that aside as he produced a cleanser from his pouch.
Bianca watched, eyes glimmering as the process went on. Will made it look very easy, but she knew just how hard the medical scene could be- that basic medic class Chiron forced them to take coming to the forefront of her mind.
Nevertheless, Bianca admired Will. He was just a year younger than her, yet the talent and ease of which he excreted were out of this world…
The moment this bandage wrapped around the last bit of her exposed wrist, Bianca nearly bounced to her toes. Drew had long since swung by, inviting Bianca to her cabin for a little pedicure session- and as interesting as Will and his knowledge were, Bianca was looking forward to a shower and a night of pampering.
“Thank you! I promise I’ll be more careful next time—" But just as she was about to bid him goodbye and scamper off, Bianca was stopped by a warm hand encapsulating her wrist.
“Just… one more thing.” Will pulled his hand back, absentmindedly moving it to the back of his neck. A nervous habit she’d noticed in him, specifically.
It dawned on Bianca that this was something the boy was clearly iffy about- sheepish, given by the way he averted his eyes and smiled very crookedly.
This, however, was not the first time Will fixed her with his odd remorse. He’d done it time and time again, but never did he seem to work up the courage to do something about it.
Hopefully, today was the day he finally spoke to her about this month-long preamble. “Um, well… have you heard anything about—"
But Will cut himself off, his face no longer pinched with this queasy worry. Instead, his features molded to that of confusion.
Then, it hit her. Something broke their silence, something that sounded like a storm. Vaguely… like screams.
The screams grew, a terror-riddled series suddenly assaulting her ears.
She turned to Will, a question hot on her lips- only to be met with the back of his golden curls, head tilted upwards as he stared at this anomaly
Bianca followed his line of sight-
Ah . There it was- the chariot that had been so promptly borrowed from the Apollo cabin. The very same chariot holding a lot more people than just… Annabeth and Butch.
She was aware of this. Something about the vision given to Annabeth mentioned a few new people- but still, Bianca had hoped that included a hint of her brother.
“The lake!” One of them screamed- Annabeth. “Aim for the lake!”
And that’s just the way it went. The chariot dipped low into the sky and disappeared into the distance.
Beside her, Will looked horrified.
He cursed, and without so much as a glance in her direction, took off toward the scene of the crash.
Will took nothing with him but the bow and quiver slung across his back, looking far more like a warrior than a field medic.
Ironic, seeing as this crash must have resulted in an injury or two.
Bianca frowned, grabbing his forgotten pouch and hurrying after Will as he ran right across camp.
Sometime in their rush, the others must have grabbed that handy leaf blower Bianca found a little obnoxious- because the moment they made their way through the crowd, Annabeth and the foretold three were completely dry, sitting on the shore with concerned campers crowded about.
No injuries, no obvious life-or-death events- just three new faces and their shocked little looks.
Behind them, the chariot half-submerged in the lake.
“Annabeth!” Will called, Bianca hot on his heel. “I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!”
Annabeth deflated, looking at them with this defeated look in her stormy-gray eyes. “Will, I’m sorry. I’ll get it fixed, I promise.”
Bianca offered her a blanket, wrapping it over her shoulders at the nod of her head.
Meanwhile, Will inspected the ruined chariot. His eyes flickered from that, to the three faces Annabeth had told of.
“These are the ones?” He asked. “They’re way older than thirteen. Why haven’t they been claimed already?”
“Claimed?” One of them- the short boy with curly brown hair, asked. He seemed confused, but that was to be expected. Bianca herself had been far less calm when she crash-landed in that very same lake.
Oh, the irony .
Before anyone could explain this to him, Will turned to Annabeth. He fixed her with a stern, yet curious, gaze. “Any sign of Percy?”
Everyone held their breath. Even Bianca, who had such mixed feelings about this entire endeavor, found herself inching closer, awaiting the news they all absolutely dreaded.
After a pause, Annabeth shook her head. “No.”
Now this, it ignited a wave of murmurs among the crowd. It was like their worst fears were coming true- Percy’s truly missing. Is this another prophecy?
Over the whispers and speculations, someone cleared their throat.
“Well,” Drew stepped up, planting herself right beside Bianca. She took a second, and Bianca imagined her eyes roaming over their three guests. Reading them. Trying to figure them out.
Bianca did the same.
For starters, the trio was comprised of one girl and two boys. The boys were as different as a pair could get- one tall, blond, nice arms straining around his tee- while the other was short, brunet, and rather lanky in build. A duo almost comically polar from one another.
The girl, on the other hand… she was beautiful. With her choppy hair, capturing eyes… Bianca was almost jealous of how perfect she looked, even after soaring wildly in the skies and dragging herself out of that freezing lake.
Bianca herself was still mourning a shower- the shower she’d planned to take before Drew showed up and dragged her to Will’s aid. She just hoped, for everyone’s sake, that she didn’t look as gross as she thought.
Beside her, Drew hummed. “I hope they’re worth the trouble.”
The curly-haired boy scoffed. “Gee, thanks. What are we, your new pets?”
“No kidding,” The other boy frowned. “How about some answers before you start judging us- like, what is this place, why are we here, how long do we have to stay?”
This, Bianca could understand. Being thrown into the world of gods was very dizzying, and demanding answers for the questions churning in the air… it was understandable.
“Jason,” Annabeth said. The blond’s name is Jason. “I promise we’ll answer your questions. And Drew, all demigods are worth saving. But I’ll admit, the trip didn’t accomplish what I hoped…”
“Hey,” The girl spoke up, obviously a tad bit offended at the admission. “We didn’t ask to be brought here.”
Drew sniffed. “And nobody wants you, hon. Does your hair always look like a dead badger?”
“Drew!” Bianca gasped, slapping her friend on the arm.
“What? I’m right, aren’t I?”
Bianca did not dignify that with a response, but she did turn to this girl with an apology on her lips. This girl, however, looked about ready to storm over to them and swing -
“Piper, stop.”
And just like that, this girl- Piper - stopped.
She didn’t look any less furious, though. Her eyes burned with simmering anger, pointed at both her and Drew.
Great.
“We need to make our new arrivals feel welcome,” Annabeth said, shooting another pointed look at Drew. “We’ll assign them each a guide, give them a tour of camp. Hopefully by the campfire tonight, they’ll be claimed.”
“Would somebody tell me what claimed means?” Piper practically imploded, her frown surprisingly fiery.
Suddenly there was a collective gasp. Bianca missed it at first, but when her eyes adjusted to the newfound light bathing her face, she, too, found herself without words.
Bianca had witnessed a handful of claiming’s throughout her time at Camp Half-Blood. They were all from a variety of gods, but no matter how or who it happened to, the event never failed to make her lose her breath.
Right above the curly-haired boy’s head, there was a blazing holographic image- a fiery hammer.
Hephaestus .
“That,” Annabeth said equally as opened-mouthed as the rest of them, “is claiming.”
“What’d I do?” The boy backed toward the lake. Then he glanced up and yelped. “Is my hair on fire?” He ducked, but the symbol followed him, bobbing and weaving so it looked like he was trying to write something in flames with his head.
Somewhere around them, Butch muttered. “This can’t be good. The curse—”
“Butch, shut up,” Annabeth said. “Leo, you’ve just been claimed—”
“By a god,” Jason interrupted. “That’s the symbol of Vulcan, isn’t it?”
All eyes turned to him.
She’s read all about the Greek gods, every little myth there was- but in that research of hers, she’d also come across a bit of Roman mythology.
Greek and Roman mythology, admittedly, went hand in hand to the untrained ear. There were similarities, but there were differences, as well. One of these being the gods’ name.
Vulcan was the Roman form of Hephaestus. That might have been something someone heard on the off chance- but to recognize his symbol so easily? That… was odd.
Bianca couldn’t help herself.
“Jason, was it?” She asked, watching as this boy’s eyes widened in surprise. He clearly hadn’t expected her to address him, but at Jason’s nod, Bianca continued oh-so-carefully. “How did you know that?”
“I’m… not sure.”
“Vulcan?” Leo , apparently, demanded. “I don’t even like Star Trek. What are you talking about?”
Now, it was Bianca’s turn to be confused. “Star Trek?”
Leo’s eyes widened. “What do you mean Star Trek— "
“That’s not important right now,” Annabeth interrupted, shooting Bianca a smidge of a smile. She turned back to Leo. “Vulcan is the Roman name for Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and fire.”
The fiery hammer faded, but Leo kept swatting the air like he was afraid it was following him. “The god of what? Who?”
Annabeth motioned to Will. “Will, would you take Leo, give him a tour? Introduce him to his bunk-mates in Cabin Nine.”
Though with clearly so much more to say, Will pursed his lips. Eventually, he nodded. “Sure, Annabeth.”
“What’s Cabin Nine?” Leo asked. “And I’m not a Vulcan!”
“Come on, Mr. Spock, I’ll explain everything on the way.” Will put a hand on his shoulder and steered him off toward the cabins. There, they faded from view.
Discarding the last minute or so- because that entire thing was very confusing to Bianca- she focused on the remaining scene before her.
More notably, on the hard stare Annabeth fixed Jason with.
Piper clearly bristled at this, but her lowly anger turned to curiosity the moment Annabeth’s eyebrows furrowed together. It was her trademark look- the moment it passed by her face, just about anyone knew not to distract her from her deep thoughts.
Another look at Jason was all Bianca needed for this attention to make sense. There, on his right forearm, were a series of dark, ominous marks.
About a dozen straight marks lined his skin, and atop that, an eagle with the letters SPQR neatly etched along the length of those lines.
“I’ve never seen marks like this…” Annabeth murmured, seemingly thinking better of reaching for his arm. “Where did you get them?”
Jason shook his head. “I’m getting really tired of saying this, but I don’t know.”
The other campers pushed forward, trying to get a look at Jason’s tattoo. The marks seemed to bother them a lot- almost like a declaration of war, something they had all been dreading for.
She shared a look with Drew, one that neither of them felt too warmly of.
“They look burned into your skin,” Annabeth noted, looking up for any sort of confirmation.
“They were,” Jason said. Then he winced as if his head was aching. “I mean … I think so. I don’t remember.”
No one said anything. It was clear the campers saw Annabeth as the leader. They were waiting for her verdict.
“He needs to go straight to Chiron,” Annabeth eventually decided. Her eyes scanned the crowd, quickly landing on Bianca and the sad medical bag still clutched in her hands. “Bianca, would you—”
“Absolutely.” Drew, without a care for Annabeth or her words, laced her arm through Jason’s. “This way, sweetie. I’ll introduce you to our director. He’s … an interesting guy.” She flashed Piper a smug look, leading Jason toward the Big House.
“Um. Alright.” Bianca thinly smiled, acutely aware of Annabeth’s blinks and Piper’s burning gaze. “She can come with me. I’ll make sure she doesn’t get carried away… and whatnot.”
With their curious looks and raised eyebrows, Bianca hurried after her friend and this odd boy that had literally crashed into their lives.