Ceri sat beside her brother and tried not to stare daggers at her sister.
She felt betrayed, her mind replaying all over and over again what would happen to Bianca because of her selfishness and then later, her stupidity in the Junkyard of the Gods.
"Lady Artemis said I can come visit sometimes," Bianca was saying, but Ceri knew for a fact that wouldn't be happening. In her past life she'd been with Percy in thinking she was such a selfish person, so aggravated by her backwards and irritating logic.
She recalled the passage because Sophie had been neurotic in remembering details from her favorite books and she liked to memorize things in completion, a useless hobby for a useless person. Now it had a use, Ceri supposed. Seeing as she was here of all places. But that was besides the point. The point being that no matter what her sister told her, her reasons for choosing the Hunt over them, Ceri knew the truth.
Bianca had given in to the thought of a new family, of no responsibilities save for the ones she promised the goddess of maidens. Forgetting the fact she hadn't even waited to see how nice Camp Half-Blood was, or that she already had a family!
Which was stupid! Now her sister was eternally twelve if she even lived past the events of her book death!
You don't need a new family, you have us! She wanted to slap that into her sister's face, which was so unlike her. Ceri was the gentle, nice one in their family. The happy go lucky one that never had a bad word for anybody save for, apparently, selfish people!
"What about us?" Nico asked, his face distressed.
"Yeah," Ceri echoed glumly, "what about us?" For a moment Bianca's face reddened.
"Well Nico's a boy so . . . " her sister trailed off, her eyes falling on Ceri. What wasn't added was, But Ceri is a girl, so she can join, too. Yeah, right. It'd be the end of the world before she'd even ever consider abandoning her brother. And in an apocalyptic situation she'd rather cease to exist before the thought entered her mind.
She could tell Bianca wanted her to join her, but what kind of life was living forever with a bunch of girls, huh? Forever ten? No boys? No Nico? Heh, no thank you, she had better things to do.
"I'm not going to join your little girl's club, Bianca."
Ceri stood then and turned her back on her sister as a bright light fell over their surroundings. She shielded her eyes, knowing who it was and glad for the distraction. Apollo was just the thing she needed. That guy was a ball of sunshine. Almost even literally.
When the light died down and she noticed Percy and the gang were now looking in Apollo's direction she turned and caught sight of his infamous red Maserati Spyder. The car Percy wanted. Ceri supposed it looked good, glowing with the heat it took to land it.
"Little sister!" he called, his voice voice, his tone lovely.
She looked up to see the god, and had to agree with his future self what a travesty it was that he was shucked into the body of an acne pocked mortal teenager. Golden tumbling hair, sun-kissed in all ways with a lean runner's body. He wasn't her type, but she could see the appeal. She knew Will would look a lot like him, lucky Nico.
Ceri walked closer to Percy and Thalia to hear what the two deities were saying. Not that she needed to hear it, she knew the short of what would be said.
"Wow," Thalia said as Ceri walked in hearing distance. "Apollo is hot."
"He's the sun god," Percy replied.
"That's not what I meant." Ceri snickered at that, the girls catching eyes and nodding.
"What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!" Apollo whined as he headed closer to them.
He probably wouldn't say he did, but that's what it sounded like to her. Ceri smiled at the thought. So cute, she couldn't wait for him to become mortal and go through his idea of hell.
Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."
"Hey, I was born first."
Ceri laughed at that, reminded of her own twin. Nico was older by a few minutes, too, and he lorded it over her whenever it suited him. Not that it suited him very often, but . . . she tried to remember the last time he'd done it and failed to. It had to be before the casino because everything before that was nearly swamped with mist. Agh, it was aggravating. And strange.
"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"
Artemis grit her teeth and seemed to swallow whatever words she'd been about to spew. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."
"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."
The Hunters all groaned.
It occurred to her then that if Ceri said something, maybe none of this would need to happen. Bianca wouldn't have to die, and Artemis would never have to get kidnapped alongside Annabeth. Ceri looked around for the blonde kid of Athena, but she only saw Hunters and everyone else that was supposed to be here.
Maybe they could all just head over to San Francisco together and take out Atlas before. Maybe even Zoë didn't need to become stars.
"Green grass breaks through snow.
Artemis pleads for my help.
I am so cool."
Apollo beamed, proud of himself and awaited his applause. Ceri resisted the temptation to clap, just to see his reaction. But she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself.
"That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said.
Apollo frowned. "Was it?"
Ceri had never really tempered how mouthy she could get, "You're looking for, I am so awesome."
The sun god swiveled to look at her, his expression alight. She hoped he wouldn't smite her for stealing his thunder. Thankfully she wasn't in the first book and she wasn't Percy.
To be on the safe side, she added, "And it's true! You're awesome, Lord Apollo!" She hoped no one would mind the fact that she apparently just found out about this world of gods and half-bloods. That she shouldn't know a damn thing about it.
"You, my dear, have superior taste." Apollo smiled at her.
She hoped he wouldn't do that one ability thing he had where he peered into someone's soul and forecast things for them. He'd complained about his lack of that ability often enough in the first book of the Apollo Trial's that she really didn't want him looking at hers.
Belatedly, Ceri realized she should have stayed in the shadows, like a real child of Hades would.
Artemis cleared her throat.
"Ah, yes! Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll."
"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, waving her hand towards their group. "Some of Chiron's campers."
"No problem!" Apollo checked them out. "Let's see . . . Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."
Thalia's cheeks reddened. "Hi, Lord Apollo."
"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"
"Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."
"Oh, right." Then he looked at Percy, his eyes narrowing. "Percy Jackson?"
"Yeah. I mean . . . yes, sir."
Ceri knew exactly what he was thinking as Apollo's gaze stayed on him a few moments too long. Heck, she knew what he'd been thinking since he was Bianca's age. It was a strange thought. She probably knew more than Apollo did about the future because she'd read books from Percy's perspective. He'd admitted it himself that even he, the god of prophecy, couldn't see beyond the words the oracle spewed.
"Well!" he said at the breadth of the last second. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."
"Cool car," Nico said coming up beside Ceri.
"Thanks, kid," Apollo replied.
"But how will we all fit?" Nico and Ceri asked at the same time.
She grinned. Man, memorizing pages of dialogue was going to be a blast if she did that all the time. Nico didn't seem to notice though. Then again, of course he wouldn't.
As thick as thieves, Nico and Ceri had been completing each other's sentences long before they even knew how to speak. They'd had their own secret language when they were real little and couldn't really speak Italian, only Bianca had really understood them. Speaking at the same time just happened when either of them were unaware.
Man, this is going to be so much fun, she thought. They were the children of Hades, so this could get creepy for some real fast, and just that thought was hilarious to her.
"Oh," Apollo glanced at his car and frowned. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose . . ."
He fished out his car keys and beeped a button on it. Chirp, chirp, it went.
In a matter of bright moments the Maserati Spyder became an elongated shuttle bus. Ceri blinked in awe. She knew what would happen, but seeing was believing, she supposed. She pinched her arm as she wondered if she was in one of those future movies with the great special effects Sophie had watched. But that wasn't the case because it was clearly real.
"Right," Apollo said. "Everybody in."
Ceri didn't need to be told twice.
There was something a bit boring about knowing what would be said in conversations that haven't passed yet. Maybe she could have dredged up a bit of humor at seeing Apollo get told off by his sister for trying to hit on her Hunters, but . . . well she'd already laughed at it a few times before in her re-reading.
When they were all piled in, Bianca in the back with the Hunters and Nico and her sitting up front with the god and their fellow half-bloods, she wondered if she should stop Thalia from getting into the driver's seat.
But . . . well, even if she'd read it all before, it wasn't like she didn't want to see it, too.
Nico was bouncing in their seat, a big 'ole grin on his face as he cried, "This is so cool!"
Ceri smiled at his enthusiasm.
"Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?" he asked.
"Downsizing," Apollo replied. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."
"But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"
Apollo laughed softly and reached out to ruffle her brother's hair. A part of Ceri wanted to cut in and inform them all that Helios had faded and was technically as dead as a god could be, so it was just Apollo manning the sun now, but how the hell—Hades—would she know that?
"That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun . . . er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"
"No," Nico said.
"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car."
"Can I drive?"
"No. Too young."
"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.
"Mm, no," Apollo replied. "Too furry." Moments later he focused on Thalia.
"Daughter of Zeus! Lord of the sky. Perfect."
"Oh, no." Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks."
"C'mon," Apollo pressured. "How old are you?"
Thalia hesitated. "I don't know."
Ceri decided to tune them all out, knowing she needed to think on a way to save her sister.
She tried to recall the prophecy concerning this particular quest, but for some reason it eluded her. Instead, she recalled Annabeth's words to Percy in the first book, every time heroes learn the future, they try to change it, and it never works. Every book after that was just a repeat of that notion, knowing that prophecy's couldn't be changed and it all happened for a reason.
She thought of the reason Bianca had needed to die, and she thought perhaps it was for Hazel's sake. Hazel, being one of the seven, was incredibly important. So if it was Bianca's destiny to die, then it was Nico's destiny to steal Hazel from death.
One sister for another.
Crash landing at camp had been real fun. So much fun Nico had to pry her from her seat, in fact. Not that she was latched onto the seat for dear life or anything. No, the upholstery was just so nice, y'know?
Percy, the good boy he was, walked beside her and asked if she was okay.
"I'm surprised we're alive," she told him. He laughed, himself looking just a bit shaken.
As Nico noted the lava on a climbing wall, and events proceeded as in the books, Ceri took the time to overlook the camp. It was as described except there were a few added details one couldn't really get down in a written description. It made her wonder if she was in an exact replica of the story, or if this was some sort of alternate universe. She was here, which was disconcerting, so she couldn't exactly say everything would be the same. Heck, maybe she wouldn't have to do anything and Bianca would live. Like a butterfly effect.
She didn't have much faith in that though, seeing as Bianca had still chosen to abandon her and Nico to the Hunters.
Which, yes, she was still moody about. Didn't mean she would watch her sister kill herself. Then again she probably wouldn't be allowed to leave with everybody when they left on the Atlas quest. Too young. Ugh. Technically, she would be in her eighties by now if she'd never walked into that hotel. Not that she remembered any of those years. Which was another reason she didn't want to be a Hunter. Be ten for eternity or until death in battle? No thanks.
As said Huntresses started to depart, Bianca leaned in between Nico and her and whispered something. Ceri being too caught up in her thoughts didn't hear, but Nico did. His face grew dark as Bianca peeled from them and walked off with her new sisters. Ugh.
"Watch out for those prophecies, Percy. I'll see you soon," Apollo told Percy in parting.
"What do you mean?"
Apollo didn't reply, he hopped in his bus and called, "Later, Thalia, and, uh, be good!"
Then the sun god was gone and the world seemed to dim a bit. At least to her. Everyone else looked to be glad that he left, although Percy just looked confused. Confused and like he was bracing himself for something. She supposed he had to brace for all those prophecies Percy was in.
"Who's Chiron?" Nico asked. "I don't have his figurine."
"Our activities director," Percy replied. "He's . . . well, you'll see." A centaur, Ceri thought.
"If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's go."
"Agreed," Ceri said, crossing her arms.
"You mean you aren't going to join them?" Percy asked, looking at her. Maybe he'd been worried about her wanting to leave Nico, too. In the books he'd felt personally responsible for Bianca and Nico, she guessed those feelings now applied to her as well.
"Why would I want to be a little girl forever? And besides, I don't need a new family, I have Nico. Had Bianca, too, but she's stupid." Ceri looked up at Percy, focused on him. "You're not gonna let Bianca steal anything are you? You have to tell her over and over again, okay? It's not okay to steal things. Especially from junkyards. Remember, okay?"
She'd tell Bianca that, too. Hoped it'd be a strange enough request that she'd have to remember. Percy would have to remember, too. Aphrodite warned him, Ceri warned him, and even Zoë would.
Ceri wondered if it would be wise to tell them all what would happen, but the questions she'd get asked were a bit worrying. What could she say? See, I'm pretty sure I was a girl named Sophie once upon a time that died due to a school fire, and there were these books, you see. Would it be too outlandish?
Oh God—gods. What would happen to her if the gods found out? Would she ruin everything? Would the Titans win if she stepped on a butterfly? She decided in that moment to use her knowledge sparingly, unwilling to risk the endgame of a non-apocalyptic world where the Titan's ruled. Specifically because this world was hers, too.
"Uh, okay," Percy said slowly. It was a good thing he thought she was weird. He'd have to remember her in time to save Bianca. Anxiety peppered her insides. Just because she was mad at her didn't mean she wasn't afraid of what would happen. To never see her big sister again . . .
"Did that hit to your head screw with your brain?" Nico asked. "Or was it the bus crashing?"
"It doesn't really matter, does it? Either way my head is screwed."
The two of them laughed. Percy just looked confused.
They all entered the Big House in a streamlined fashion until they were all inside. All she could really note was that it was home-y. It smelled really good, like hot chocolate and felt like the warm fuzziness before Christmas. She breathed it in and her mouth watered.
She spotted two men playing some card game at a table. Mr. D and Chiron. She could guess which was which by the one with a blanket over where his legs were supposed to be. And uh, Mr. D was pretty flashy wearing a strange jumpsuit and purple running shoes. It wasn't a good look, but she wasn't about to tell him that.
Chiron smiled when he noticed them. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and these two must be—"
"Nico and Ceri di Angelo," Percy said. "Both of them are half-bloods."
Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."
"Well . . ." The centaur's smile dripped from his face.
"What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"
"Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a droll tone. "Not another one lost."
"What do you mean? Who else is lost?" Thalia asked just as Grover ran into the room in a huff of breath.
He seemed happy, but he didn't look in the best of shape with his black eye and the scratches along his cheek. "The Hunters are all moved in!"
Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." The centaur looked at Nico and Ceri. "Grover, perhaps you should take our young friends to the den and show them our orientation film."
This Ceri wanted to see. She knew Apollo directed it, and who wouldn't want to see the revolutionary camera work of a god?
"But . . . Oh, right. Yes, sir."
"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? 'Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"
"It's PG-13," Grover assured them.
"Bianca isn't in charge of us anymore." Ceri told her twin as they stepped out and followed the half-goat.
"But Ceri—"
In a huff, she switched to Italian. "Bianca is with the Hunters now, which means we're on our own no matter what she says. Which is well and good for her, but that doesn't mean we have to listen to her anymore."
Nico looked sad at that. Maybe she was being a bit harsh in the way she was telling him, but she was being honest. Still, there might've been a gentler way to put it.
Thankfully Apollo's direction of the orientation film cured his frown and certainly turned it upside down. Ceri was cracking up the entire time, not even sure what she was supposed to be learning from it. She wondered why Apollo didn't do any retakes during the military-esque march along the lake. She was glad he didn't, because his face in the sand was priceless.
By the time they were done and heading back towards the parlor, Chiron was just getting out of his chair. Ceri's mouth popped open in a gape. Seeing really was believing.
"SO COOL!" Nico shouted, his face alight as he held his hands out to Chiron. "You're . . . you're a centaur!"
Chiron's smile looked a tad nervous as he regarded the two children. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."
"And, whoa!" Nico glanced at Dionysus and did a double take. "You're the wine dude? No way!"
Mr. D did not like that one bit. He turned his scathing eyes from Percy who he just looked like he was about to kill and looked at her brother. She knew he was going to be fine, but Ceri still worried the 'wine dude' would smite her twin.
"The wine dude?" he echoed aloud, looking at her brother like he was an ant doing tricks.
"Dionysus, right? Oh, wow! I've got your figurine."
"My figurine."
"In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"
Ceri slapped her hand to her face. Both of her siblings were idiots. Did that make her one by proxy?
"Ah." Mr. D said, perplexed. "Well, that's . . . gratifying."
"Percy," Chiron said in a rush, "you and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."
"Capture the flag?" Percy asked. "But we don't have enough—"
"It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."
"Yeah," Thalia mumbled not so quietly. "I bet it's real friendly."
Chiron jerked his head in Mr. D's direction, who was still frowning at Nico. Once her brother got talking about Mythomagic, he didn't stop so the god of wine just seemed taken aback while her brother rambled on. He seemed to be too caught off guard to remember that Percy had just been telling the god off. "Run along now."
"Oh, right," Thalia said. "Come on, Percy."
She supposed that left her to make sure Nico didn't offend Dionysus enough to turn him into a chipmunk.