CHAPTER SUMMARY

Thanksgiving dinner.

BEGINNING NOTES

As usual, I suck at posting on time, but at least I'm posting?

There's a mention of suicide in this-no one does or attempts anything, but it is mentioned.

Starts out as Bianca's POV, because that isn't super clear at the beginning.

And all the characters are owned by Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.


Who's going to talk about Thanksgiving from Hell?

Oh fuck, I'm not doing that. I've spent the last two years trying to block that from my memory. I'm not undoing all that work for you, nuh-uh.

Do you want to leave the room?

Nah, just get on with it. It's getting pretty late, even for me. I think let's get to New Year's then finish up tomorrow. I'm not in the mood to pull an all-nighter.

Fair enough. Ladies and gentlemen... Thanksgiving from hell!

Wednesday afternoon, Percy, Will, and I helped Sally cook Thanksgiving dinner. Because we had Will's extra set of hands, we got through more than we usually did. I let Sally and Percy head out a bit early as a thank you; we had plenty of leftovers for dinner. Will stayed for dinner, then Jules-Albert took him home.

I didn't see Nico or Hazel at all. I decided to check on them. Nico was lying in his bed smoking a cigarette and listening to some alt rock that he blasted so loud I couldn't hear myself think. He was in a mood, like usual. I didn't bother to scold him about the cigarette; I knew he wouldn't listen to me, and, honestly, I was just happy I didn't smell any alcohol. I laid the food on his nightstand, kissed him on the cheek, and told him to get some rest.

I went to Hazel next. She was lying on her bed too, on her back, staring up at the ceiling with dead eyes. One hand was on her phone resting on her stomach. I did the same thing for her that I did for Nico. She smiled at me and said, "Thank you," but wouldn't tell me what's wrong. I didn't push. She'd come to me when she was ready.

I woke up early on Thanksgiving to help Sally finish up the food.

I heard someone humming as I came into the kitchen. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet. "You got here early," I said.

"I do live here." It was Persephone.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were Sally," I said. "Aren't you normally out of the house by now?"

"I don't have to work on Thanksgiving," she reminded me, "and I wanted to make sure everything was ready for my mother. She's a vegan, so she needs something special." Persephone hummed, amused. "She'll throw a fit if things don't go her way. I love her, but she's a handful. Always has been."

I laughed. "I forgot-you used to make Thanksgiving dinner for yourself."

"It's easier when it was just the three of us," Persephone said. "Hazel would try to help, but that girl works so hard, school, helping us with the gardening. I needed to let her have at least one day off. Besides, your father's busy with the Board of Ed organizing that scholarship, and it's awfully boring to listen to him talk about it."

I laughed. "Yeah, the Olympus Scholarship is his baby." It took me a moment to work up the courage, but then I asked Persephone, "Can I ask a rude question?"She nodded. "Hazel's told me how poor you guys were. Why'd you decide to adopt her? Not that- just-"

"It's not a rude question," Persephone said. "My uncle lives in New Orleans and was pretty good friends with her family. The father died before Hazel was born, and her mother wasn't stable. She was a con woman, greedy, bitter. She got caught, of course, and had the baby in jail. My uncle took her under his care, but he's too old to handle a newborn. I've always loved children-my first job in high school was with a daycare, actually-so he reached out to me." Persephone smiled. "Something just felt right about it all. I couldn't find it in myself to say no. And I'm glad I didn't every time I look at her. Would you grab that, Bianca?" She pointed to some pasta cooking in boiling water.

"Sure," I said, grabbing the strainer. "Has she met her birth mother?" I asked.

Persephone shook her head. "I don't think she has any interest in her daughter. Last I heard, she'd been moved to a prison in Alaska. Part of me hopes she never comes back-I don't want someone like that in Hazel's life. You know how trusting she can be." Persephone started to chop some carrots. "I know there's this... stigma about adopted children, but I can't believe such a thing. I couldn't give her up for the world. She may not've come from me, but, the moment I held her, she was mine. I... I wish Nico would understand how that feels."

"It's not you doesn't like," I explained, "It's the idea of you. He feels like Papà getting remarried is betraying Mamma's memory. He's been so angry since she died. We reached a kind of normal after a while, but now you and Hazel are changing things. He doesn't like change."

"Are we changing things for good or bad?" Persephone asked. "Because I told Hades that I'm not ready to set a date until we're sure Nico can handle it. I don't want to come between a father and his son."

"Oh, there's already a lot of beef between them," I sighed. "Give me some time. Will and I are working on it."

"Will?" Persephone raised her eyebrows. "Is that the blond boy I keep seeing?" I nodded. "Will he be coming for dinner?" I nodded again. Persephone laughed. "Ah, young love. I miss how simple things used to be."

"Good morning, Bianca!" Sally called. She threw down her stuff and kissed me on the cheek. "Paul and Percy are on their way, they're carrying some stuff out of the car for me. I got a jumpstart on some of the food, we have so many more people."

Persephone and I didn't get much time to talk once the Jacksons invaded the kitchen. But we shared a few smiles. That was the best part of my day, the first time I'd really bonded with my stepmother-to-be. I wish the rest of the day went that smoothly.

We finished dinner with just enough time for me to get changed and throw some makeup on. I considered wearing that floppy green hat Hazel and I had found in my old middle school clothes, but I didn't have anything that went with it anymore.

Are you going to describe our clothes in great detail again, mia cara sorella?

No, because I don't have pictures on my phone.

I caught Hazel on her way down to dinner. "You look better," I said. "You want to tell me what was up yesterday?"

Hazel smiled. "Guy asked me out. I was a little unsure, but Nico helped a lot."

I nudged her with my shoulder. "See? I told you to give it time, and he'd warm up to you!"

"Who'd warm up to who?" Will was standing at the bottom of the stairs, grinning at me. Hazel giggled. For her sake, I kissed him on the cheek. She cheered.

"What's our ship name?" I teased her.

"I haven't decided!" Hazel said. "Wilanca?"

"I like it," Will said. He hugged Hazel hello. Then, the three of us made our way into the dining room. The Jacksons and Paul had already set the table. I hugged Thalia hello, then Luke. I liked him less and less, but I wanted to get along with him for Thalia's sake. And he was always so nice. When you were with him, it was easy to forget you were talking to a criminal.

We waited for Nico for twenty minutes until we just gave up and started to eat. I shot him a text from under the table, but Demeter yelled at me. "Texting during Thanksgiving dinner!" She scoffed. "This generation, can't go five minutes without their cell phone."

"Thank you, mother," Persephone said.

"I'm going to get him," I said, pushing my chair back. I looked at Papà for permission.

"Go," he said.

I should've never come down. I didn't want to see Percy, I didn't want to see Will, I didn't want to see Persephone, and I sure as fuck didn't want to see Papà. But, back then, I could never say no to Bianca.

Back then. *Bianca laughs* You can't say no to me ever.

...

I found him, once again, smoking a cigarette. We did the whole "I'll buy you Nicorette, I'm serious, stop smoking," thing, then I helped him change and get the smoke smell off of him. Ten minutes later, we were good to go.

"Nico's here!" I announced. Will smiled. "Sit with me, Nico," he said.

Nico looked at me expectantly. I raised my eyebrows. "Don't you want to?" he asked.

I didn't know what to say. It would look weird that I didn't want to sit next to my boyfriend, but I wanted Will and Nico to bond.

Luckily, Thalia saved me. "She'll sit with me," Thalia called. "Chicks before dicks!"

"Excuse me?!" Demeter cried. "Such language-Hades, you're going to take this?"

"Like you said, Demeter," Papà said dryly, "There's no hope for this generation."

Demeter huffed. "Mother, please," Persephone said, "Let's all just have a nice, peaceful Thanksgiving."

Nico snorted. "Fucking let's," he muttered.

Papà raised his eyebrows. "What was that, Nico?"

"Nothing," I butt in. I sent a warning glance at Nico. It got the message across: behave yourself.

Nico sat next to Will, but he didn't look happy about it. On my way to Thalia, when I passed Papà's chair, he grabbed my arm. "From Thalia's display, I take it you and Will... aren't friends?"

Percy, sitting within earshot, started to snicker. "Leave Bianca alone," Sally said, but she was trying not to laugh as well.

"She's eighteen, perfectly entitled to dating," Papà said, "However, I seem to be the last one to know."

"It, uh, never came up," I improvised. In reality, I didn't want to lie to him. I was becoming more uncomfortable with our little arrangement, but I kept telling myself it was the best way to help Nico. It's not like I would be dating someone else, anyway. So what was the problem?

That the whole idea was idiotic.

Thank you, Mr. Peanut Gallery. We're all aware of that at this point.

Papà let me sit down. For a while, things were pretty good. We had a few different conversations going on at once, so I didn't have to talk to Demeter (and, judging by Papà's increasingly annoyed face, that was definitely a blessing). Luke was as charming as ever, Thalia and I finally got a chance to talk without our problems getting in the way, Hazel was back to her usual self, and Percy was cracking stupid jokes that made Paul second-hand embarrassed. I kept one eye on Will and Nico. They were, miraculously, talking. Phase two of my five-step plan was complete.

Yeah, well, Bianca knows me really well, and she was right-Will was the best way to keep from talking to the adults. He was chatting about nothing, I don't even remember what he said, because my mind kept drifting to places I didn't want it to go. His laugh, his smile, how good it would feel to "accidentally" bump my knee against his. I felt worse and worse. How could I think that stuff when he was dating my sister? Why was I thinking that stuff at all?

I was a bomb ready to explode. And boy did I explode.

Near the end of dinner, when the Jacksons, Paul, Will, and I were clearing the table, Demeter said, "Let's go around and say what we're thankful for." Nico rolled his eyes. "Excuse me, young man!" Demeter snapped.

Nico stuck up a middle finger at her.

"Nico," Papà warned.

"Fuck off," Nico replied.

"I will not be spoken to like that in my own house," Papà told him. "Apologize to Demeter at once."

"Yeah, right." Nico rolled his eyes again. "How is this your house again? You're never fucking in it."

"This is your last warning," Papà said. "Apologize, now."

"Please, Nico," I begged. "Please don't start something. It's Thanksgiving."

He looked at me, a little guilty. I guess he still felt bad about the whole Will thing. He didn't apologize, but he didn't say anything else, either. Papà seemed satisfied. It would've ended there, until Demeter said, "You heard your father, boy. Apologize."

Nico shot up. "You know what? I hate pumpkin pie, anyway. I'm going to my room."

"Sit. Down." Papà snapped.

"Why should I?" Nico challenged.

Papà stood too, a dark expression on his face. "It is Thanksgiving. We are a family."

Nico laughed like... well, like a madman. "A family? Is that what you call this trainwreck. Oh, god!" He laughed even harder.

Percy glanced at me. He looked just as concerned as I did. "Nico," he said, "Maybe you should just sit down."

It was like Nico couldn't even hear him. Will, I don't know, maybe he felt like they'd gotten closer over the meal because he did the exact wrong thing-he touched Nico.

With how confused I felt, with everything going on... just don't judge me, okay, guys? *Deep breath* Okay, Bianca... go.

"Get your hands off me!" Nico shouted, slapping Will's hand away.

Papà shot up from his chair again. "Do not put your hands on our guests!" he shouted. It was a long time since I'd seen him this angry.

"Don't fucking tell me what to do, dipshit!" Nico shouted back. "You've got no right!"

"I am your father!" Papà yelled.

"You haven't been my father in a looooong time!" Nico snapped. Papà took a step towards him. Nico had a crazy look in his eyes. He grabbed the knife we'd been using to carve up the turkey and pointed it at Papà. "Don't you fucking dare get anywhere near me!"

Papà stopped in his tracks. His sixteen-year-old son was pointing a big, razor-sharp knife at him over Thanksgiving dinner. I could see the fear in his eyes, and the heartbreak.

All I saw was how distant he looked. It was like he was confirming my worst fears. He really didn't give a shit about me. Here I was, a knife in my hand, and he was looking at me like I was an alien.

"Nico. Put that down, now," Papà said. His voice was shaking with a mixture of anger and fear.

"Put that down now," Nico mocked. "Why? It's the only way I get you to listen to me!"

"Nico-"

"Say it!" Nico cut him off. "Say what you've always wanted to say!" Papà said nothing. "Say it!" Nico shouted again.

I stood up. "Nico!" I cried. "Nico, please, I don't want you to hurt yourself. Please, you can go upstairs, just put that down."

"You know what he did to me!" Nico shouted. "You think he deserves anything?!"

"I don't give a shit what he does or doesn't deserve!" I begged, tears in my eyes. "The only person I care about right now is you."

Nico turned back to Papà. "Tell me you love me," he demanded. Papà didn't say a word. He was too stunned, too angry.

He couldn't even say the words. Anything I felt for him just... died.

Nico dropped the knife. It clattered when it hit the side of his plate, then it fell on the floor. "Don't worry," he said in a harsh tone, "Two more years, and you'll never see me again. Just another trust fund baby, far, far away."

"And if I cut you off?" Papà demanded.

Nico laughed. "You've already shit on Mamma enough. You'd disown her kid, too?" Nico waited. Silence. "Well, you won't have to put up with me for much longer." With that, Nico left the table. None of us tried to stop him.

"Hades..." Persephone took his hand.

"Hide all the knives," he told Sally. He sounded... broken. "He's come close to... hurting himself before."

"He what?!" I cried. Why had I never heard that before?

Papà looked at me with dead eyes. "When we thought you were dying. He told me he had nothing left to live for. Why do you think I put him back in the hospital?"


END NOTES

I'm in a rush so I'm going to respond to the comments on Saturday.

This week's beta commentary:

STORY: Papà looked at me with dead eyes. "When we thought you were dying. He told me he had nothing left to live for. Why do you think I put him back in the hospital?"
JOJO: this is why no one goes to friends' thanksgivings. shit comes out at thanksgiving.
MELODY: Like, at least Percy and Will KNOW Nico. Luke and Thalia must feel so awkward sitting there like, "My name is Paul, and this shit's between ya'll..."

Credits:
Author: Melody Rose (Tumblr bianca-the-huntress)
Beta Readers: Jojo (Archive of Our Own bannedfrompencils), Luna Rain (Tumblr peppermintlove1)

Please comment so I know what you think! See you next week!