Guys I love you all so much, please keep reviewing it makes me so happy. Anyway- we find out just why Bianca's late in the next few chapters- and you'll be real happy until you realise that she arrived empty handed. Also- I know you guys have been wanting to see something that happens in this chapter! And you get a couple of chapters of it! Of happiness! Yay!
Replies:
Quip Scarlet: Mwahahah. Sorry not sorry- especially since the next few chapters are actually pretty happy but you have the 'oh no this is gonna go wrong' element to them.
JjlovesPJO: You'll love it even more by the end of this chapter.
Weirdhead: Yep, and it gets even better when you find out what Bianca was doing- it makes what Nico said even more painful because like, yikes that has to sting.
Undeath9087: I mean she's definitely been to Camp Jupiter but you will find out what specifically she was doing now- so have fun with that.
Loki the Necrogod: Yep, Bianca Di Angelo, ambassador to Pluto looking out for her new baby sister and keeping secrets- you'll feel real sorry for her by the end of this I'm telling you.
Oujiswan: Poor Bianca is about right.
The Official Clarisse: Here, would you like some chapters with no real angst but an underlying sense of dread when you realise that a certain someone is gonna fuck up some pretty sweet awesome plans.
Guest: Oh there's so much you're going to understand soon- but it's not to do with the Roman thing, not fully, and Bianca literally cannot tell him or bad things will happen- let's just say that a certain goddess is a bitch. And you feel so sorry for her when you realise what she was doing and remember what Nico said because it makes his words that much more harsh.
PJ Fan 285: It's gonna sting pretty soon honestly. Poor Bianca, the words are so much more cruel if you know what Bianca was up to- but don't worry Nico will regret it later.
Dizzle: Oh you're right she's not Percy reborn, they just have the same eyes- no, no Percy is living it up in Elysium with no pressure and nothing but eternal happiness.
Bianca was excited- and hopeful too. She hadn't expected Nico's text about his new baby sister being on the way but she was glad.
She knew she'd made mistakes before- a lot of them, some of them very bad. She was just glad that Nico was still giving her a chance. Even if things were a lot more complicated now- and gods but she wished she could tell him about Hazel but she'd swore not to. So it was easier to stay distant usually- but Nico really wanted her there.
So she slung her bag over her shoulder, setting some change down on the table of the little coffee shop she was in- it was nice to get a break from the Underworld sometimes.
Before she could get to her feet though a tall beautiful woman was sliding in to the seat across from her- and she really was beautiful. She looked older, with long dark hair falling in waves over her shoulders, wearing an elegant red dress, and the woman smile, familiar green eyes sparkling with amusement, "Hello Bianca. Darling-"
"I- do I know you?"
"You met me briefly." the woman smiled kindly, "I handed your brother back into your care at a certain hotel after he first met Persephone."
"You-" Bianca's eyes widened, "Are you Lady-"
"Grandma Rhea is fine." Rhea held up a hand, "I don't expect any formalities from my demigod grandchildren."
"I-" Bianca suddenly felt flustered- she hadn't been expecting this, "Why are you here? I mean- not that it's not amazing to meet you but- I don't understand why you're here now."
"To speak to you. You know that the second great Prophecy has begun-"
"Of course I do." Bianca looked guilty- "I know about the camps too-"
"Yes. You rescued your sister Hazel."
"Of course I did." Bianca had been stunned when she'd met Hazel- and- in a sense Hazel was a chance to do things right- to be a good sister. A relationship untainted by her mistakes.
"She will be important, one of the seven." Rhea told her without hesitating, "And so will a young man in Camp Jupiter. And I'm sure you know the the other four are in Camp Half-blood even now."
"What about the seventh?" Bianca asked after a moment, "You said four at Camp Half- blood and Hazel and this boy- that would make six. So who's the seventh?"
"You know that the doors of Death are Open, yes?"
"I-" Bianca nodded, "Of course I do- how else would I have brought Hazel back." that sounded like a stupid question- but Rhea didn't seem stupid so why would she ask that?
"You may not be one of the seven, my sweet granddaughter, but you will bring the seventh Half-Blood home."
"Bring-" Bianca faltered, her eyes going wide, "Grandma Rhea- what are you-"
"Persephone Jackson is in Elysium. And I am giving you a quest." the Titaness laid a hand on top of Bianca's. "You are to go to the Underworld and bring her back. You've done it once before, I have no doubt that you'll do it again now- and I doubt that your father will even notice- and if he did I doubt he'd stop you. I know my young granddaughters death has never sat right with him either."
"That-" Bianca hadn't even thought about it before- of course she hadn't. She'd only brought Hazel back because the girl had been right there- but- could she really bring back Percy of all people?
Yes. Yes she could. She knew what she was doing, she knew how to do it.
And if anyone deserved a second chance at life it was Percy.
"I- I'll do it."
"I knew you would." Rhea smiled proudly, "And my timings rather good- if I am right then you will bring young Persephone back in time to meet her newborn sister."
"I-" Bianca let out a hopeful little laugh, "That would be-" that would go a long way towards making up for Bianca's past mistakes. She could just imagine everyone's excitement. "I will. I'll do it Lady Rhea-"
"I shall be waiting for you." Rhea promised, "I'd like to see my young grandaughter again." she smiled, "And it's been wonderful to truly get a chance to meet you too Bianca. I may stay away from my family usually because of their fights and foolishness- but I often find that you demigods tend to have all of the best traits of your parents with less of the foolish ones." she patted Bianca's cheek, "You're young still child. Do not let your mistakes define you." She tilted her head, "You feel lost. Your brother's grown up while you stayed the same. But that is the price you paid for becoming a hunter. Now you have a new path ahead of you. You will grow child. Everyone grows."
And Bianca faltered before surging forward, hugging Rhea tightly.
"Grandma I-"
"I know sweet girl. I know." Rhea kissed the top of her head before pulling back, "Now off with you. I'll see you when you get back. And I will see your cousin with you."
"Of course." Bianca let out a breath, "I guess I'm going to Elysium- that should be easy enough for me- dad's only banned Nico from going." Bianca stood up, gripping her bag tightly, "I'll be back soon grandmother. I'll bring Percy home for everyone."
"I am sure you will." and then Bianca left, finding a handy shadow and slipping back to the Underworld, a wide smile on her lips as she instantly took off in the direction of Elysium- she'd never actually been there before, but when she reached the tall walls and slipped in through the gates- as the daughter of Hades she could get past them without any bother, she found herself wondering if Percy would want to come back with her.
...
Percy knew how long it had been since she died- they could keep track of time in Elysium, if they wanted- and it was hard not to keep track- though she hoped that it would be a long time before she got to see her friends and family again- as much as she missed them all horribly.
She wanted them to all live as long as they could and as happily as they could. Hades had visited once or twice with updates, but not often, he was one of the most busy gods after all.
Still, there were definitely a lot of good things about Elysium- she let out a laugh as Mikey came sprinting past her- almost tipping over the little table that had a plate of blue cookies on it, along with a blue coke. He was being chased by Lily and Callista- when Percy had arrived in Elysium it had become clear pretty quickly that they could basically have everything they wanted- so she'd elected to have what basically amounted to a mansion, and all of her friends, all of the demigods from Camp who had died during the war and before that had moved it- they lived together, it was amazing, Percy was willing to admit that.
"Children calm yourselves-"
"Percy they're gonna kill me!" Mikey doubled back skidding to a halt as he grabbed the back of her chair and ducked behind it- she was currently sunbathing on a deckchair out in their garden.
"You probably deserve it-"
"He painted my dress bright yellow!" Lily shrieked the words, and Callista added;
"And he messed with my makeup! He put all of it in antiaging cream bottles-"
"Where did you even get antiaging cream bottles?" Percy shifted so that she could peer over the back of the deckchair to look at the young son of Hermes with a raised eyebrow- and he grinned cheekily up at her.
"Trade secret- I can't tell your or I'd have to kill you-"
"Oh how terrifying." that came from Lee, who was with Michael coming out of the house, both of them grinning.
"It's not like we're, y'know, already dead." Michael finished.
"We're gonna kill Mikey-"
"What did he do this time-"
"The disrespect-"
"You always do something-" Sherman called from inside of the kitchen- which face the garden, the window was open, and Percy twisted fully to look back at the teen, who was leaning out of the window. "You deserve a bit of a beating from the girls."
"Hm, seems like everyone thinks you're to blame kid." Percy leaned over as much as she could, planting her hand on the top of Mikey's head a ruffling his hair, "Learn to behave and you won't get chased nearly so much-"
"I'm a son of Hermes." Mikey groaned the words, "Being a trickster is in my blood- I must prank to live-"
"Again-" Michael spoke up, "None of us are alive so that argument sucks."
"You suck." Mikey poked his tongue out at them before he sprinted off and the two girls went sprinting off after him.
"Ah, the joys of youth." Percy drawled the words, grabbing a cookie from her little table and popping it into her mouth, munching on it happily before she took a sip of her coke, "Where's the others by the way?"
"You talk like an old lady." Michel and Lee flopped down onto the grass in front of her, Michael leaning back and tilting his head up to look up to the sky, the sun warm on their faces, "Sherman! Take a break from cooking whatever you're cooking and come and sit outside!"
"Oh fine." a moment later Sherman was coming outside, dropping into the deckchair on the other side of the table, "Can I have a cookie."
"Feel free. And you guys didn't answer my question."
"I know the hunters were throwing a party and the girls were invited so a lot of them were probably there, and Theseus invited some of the guys to a party."
"Oh?" Percy gave a devilish smile "And he didn't invite me? How very rude."
"Oh gods." Sherman laughed, "What are you planning Jackson?"
"I think I should have been invited, don't you?"
"I mean-"
"Only the greatest heroes get invited to his parties right? And I am one of the greatest according to everyone-"
"Yes but every time he invited you before you spent the entire time being all, 'Oh? You defeated the Minotaur at seventeen? I killed him when I was twelve and then again when I was fifteen, it was easy.'" and subtly pointing out all of the ways that you're better than your brother. Including the whole 'Bitch please I killed Kronos' which I have to say is the biggest brag of the century."
"What can I say." Percy grinned, "He tried to be all smug and all- I had to make it clear that I don't support guys who abandon pretty mortal girls who help them, or guys who abduct preteen princesses."
"No, no you just date pretty mortal girls instead."
"Damn straight I do."
"You even rubbed that in his face,"
"Oh? He had a pretty wife?" Percy grinned, "I had like, two absolutely stunning girlfriends, both of whom could probably whoop his dumb ass blindfolded" she shook her head, "what can I say? He might be my brother but that doesn't mean I'm gonna ignore the fact that he was, in fact, a bit of a dick. I just wish I could have met Hercules so I could have ripped the shit into him for Zoe."
"You honestly terrify me." Michael declared, "So, are we gonna crash your brothers party later."
"It does sound fun." Percy declared, tucking her hair behind her ear before grabbing another cookie. "I gotta say- this is the life."
"No quests, no monsters." Lee's voice was light.
"A bunch of other heroes to fight whenever you want to." Sherman added.
"And no fucked up gods around to ruin things." Michael finished, closing his eyes as he flopped down onto the grass.
"I'll drink to that." Percy grabbed her coke and raised it into the air before she lowered it, taking the straw into her mouth and sucking some up, letting out a satisfied noise as she swallowed and leaned back. "The only way it could be better would be if the others were here."
"Give a good few years and they'll be here too." Lee reassured, "No way are they not getting Elysium, Hades likes you too much for that- and Nico too."
"You're right." Percy hummed lightly. "No more pressure. No more prophecies. For the first time since I was twelve I actually get to be free."