Chapter 7: Bianca Makes the Wrong Choice (Again)

"Um… okay," Percy Jackson, the Son of Posiedon, the savior of Olympus said intelligently. I actually smacked my hand against my forehead. I can't believe this is the guy I'm going to have to convince that I'm a time traveler. After all that Percy has been through, one would think that he isn't easy to shock, especially if it is something as obvious as this. But no. As observant as Percy is, he can be real oblivious at times.

Grover's reaction was even worse. He gasped in awe and kneeled in the cold, frosty snow. "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so… you're so… Wow!" He stuttered.

"Get up goat boy! We have other things to worry about!" Thalia chided.

"Whoa," Bianca said. "Hold up. Time out." My sister made the universal time out sign. Everyone's eyes were on her. She pointed accusingly at each demigod and hunter. "Who...Who are you people?"

Artemis' gaze softened. "It might be a be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who you are! Who are your parents?"

Bianca glanced nervously at me, and I knew her brain was debating whether or not she should tell Artemis. I decided to try a new approach. "Our parents are dead. We're orphans," I answered for Bianca. "We were told there's a bank trust that pays for our school, but given the events that just went down, I'm assuming all of that is a lie?" I gave my best questionable look, which in retrospect isn't hard. Artemis raised her eyebrows in surprise, as if she didn't expect me to connect the dots so quickly. Well, she is right of course. I certainly didn't see the bigger picture the first time this went down.

"You are half bloods," Zoe said. Her accent sounded old-fashioned, a detail I forgot about her. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

"An Olympian… athlete?" Bianca asked skeptically.

"No," Zoe replied. "One of the Gods."

"Cool!" I exclaimed. I gave my best 10 year old Nico imitation.

"No!" Bianca's voice trembled. "This is not cool!"

I frowned, brainstorming what would sound most in character. "Like Athena, Ares, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hera—" Bianca cut me off.

"Nico, shut up! This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!" Bianca exclaimed as she put her face into her hands.

Surprisingly, Thalia spoke first. "Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me," she reassured. "They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well… Our lives are dangerous."

"Dangerous," my sister repeated. "Like that girl who almost fell."

"What about Dr. Thorn, A.K.A. the genetically mutated monkey?" I asked with feigned curiosity. "Is he… dead?"

"Manticore," Annabeth automatically corrected. "But sure, he does look like a genetically mutated monkey."

"Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They reform over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear," Artemis explained.

Bianca shivered next to me. "That explains… Nico, do you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in DC?"

"And that bus driver," I recalled. "The one with the ram's horns. I told you that was real."

"That's why Grover has been watching you," Percy added. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half bloods."

"Grover?" Bianca asked in disbelief. "You're a demigod?"

"Well, a satyr actually," he corrected as he kicked off his shoes. He revealed his goat hooves. Right, because that's exactly what your supposed to do in situations like this. Bianca looked like she would faint right then and there.

"Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia reprimanded. "You're freaking her out!"

"Hey, my hooves are clean!" Grover defended.

"Bianca, we came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp," Percy said.

"Camp?" Bianca questioned.

"Camp Half Blood," Percy clarified. "It's where half bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay year-around if you like."

"Great," I said. "Let's go!" The sooner we leave, the better.

"Wait," Bianca shook her head, the news overwhelming her. "I don't—"

"There is another option," Zoe proposed. Oh no she didn't.

"No, there isn't!" Thalia and I said at the same time. She gave me a weird look. It's amazing how similar cousins can be.

Thalia, Zoe, and I all got into a glaring contest. Thalia's glare is scary alright, and Zoe's proves to have merit, but I think it's safe to say mine is downright terrifying. My death glare is about one of the only things I'm glad I inherited from my Father. Why do Thalia and Zoe hate each other so much?

"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced, breaking up the glaring contest. "Zoe, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."

"Yes my lady."

"And Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you," Artemis said. Not if I can help it.

"Actually, I think Bianca better stay with me. We need to talk about the lawyers and the trust fund. We need to figure out if one of our parents is still alive! We just got through a fight with a manticore and I need to make sure my sister is okay," I fired excuse after excuse. If Bianca becomes a Hunter, she'll die all over again. I can't let that happen.

Artemis frowned in confusion, as if she could she could sense my panic—as if she could read my mind. Now that I think about it, she probably can. "Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy," Artemis suggested hesitantly. "I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while… as a favor to me?" I got to hand it Artemis, the lady knows how to manipulate head-over-hoove satyrs. That's for sure. But I'm not giving up so easily.

Grover practically tripped over himself. "You bet! Come on, Nico!"

"That's quite alright, Lady Artemis," I declined as respectively as I could. "I would like to speak with my sister in private, if that's okay with you?"

"You may speak with your sister after I have a word with her," Artemis said. She kept her voice level but I could hear the irritation creeping into her tone. Alright, two can play this game.

"Well, Lady Artemis," I tried to sound as innocent as possible, but my patience was wearing thin. "How am I going to speak with Bianca in private if you recruit her as your hunter? As far as I can tell, your hunters all hate boys, and I'm a boy! And if Bianca becomes a boy-hating hunter, then she'll hate me too! In fact, she'll probably hate me with a passion! The pressure of peers can have drastic effects on one's behavior, and it doesn't help that I'm already an annoying little brother! The facts are just screaming that she'll join the hunt! And if she joins the hunt, I'll never see her again! And if I never see her again, that can cause severe effects on my mood. And if I have severe mood problems, then I may have severe issues with controlling any powers I may possess from my godly parent. And if I have severe issues controlling said powers, I could, I don't know, create a zombie apocalypse! And zombie apocalypses are just bad for everyone!" I turned to Grover. "Wouldn't you agree?" Everyone stopped to listen to my very logical rant that I came up with on the spot.

Grover stared at me as if I grew another head. I thought he would call me insane and walk away, or tell me to grow up, but instead he shrugged nonchalantly and said, "I mean, he makes a good point."

I glanced in the direction of a very shocked looking Moon Goddess before turning my attention to my sister. "Nico, I'm not going to leave you. That sounds absolutely ridiculous. Why would Artemis want to recruit me? The more logical approach would be asking those two," she pointed at Thalia and Annabeth. "Besides, it's not like she's going to ask me anyway. Right?" She turned to Artemis, who recovered from her shock from earlier.

"Actually, I planned to do just that," Artemis said calmly.

Bianca frowned. "You're asking me to… leave the only family I have left—my little brother?"

"Perhaps we can discuss the benefits of becoming a hunter in my tent. Such as… immortality."

Bianca's eyes flashed in temptation and I knew that I would lose my sister forever. "Bianca, listen to me," I laid my hand on her wrist and looked into her sharp, uncolored eyes. "Immortality isn't everything. Would you be willing to live with the good and the bad for all of eternity? To carry all of that baggage on your shoulders—forever? Everything comes with a price, Bianca. The question is would you be willing to pay for it?"

Bianca hesitated, pursing her lips in consideration. "It's my life, Nico. I can live it however I want to," she turned to Artemis and nodded.

Tears built up in my eyes as they widened, but I didn't dare blink and let them pour. Not now, not ever. "Have fun with your new family," my voice shook with quiet rage. "Where you really belong."

I walked out of the scene to cool off, paying no attention to the voice of one of the people I care most about in the world calling my name. She isn't my family, not anymore. She lost that title when she chose immortality over her own little brother. "Nico! Nico, come back! Nico, please talk to me!"

Soon her voice became a distant echo as I ventured deeper into the winter forest. I didn't look back. I wondered if I run fast enough, could I outrun all of my troubles? Probably not, but it couldn't hurt to try. I thought about the ringing, the melancholy tune reaching a high crescendo ever time someone died, and retreating to a low hum in the aftermath. I thought about the colors of the eyes of the people I cared about as they took their final breaths, the everlasting shades of their souls. I thought about Gaea's cold, sinister laugh, her poison-honey voice. Little Angel, why do you still fight? What do you have left to fight for?

What do I have left to fight for?

My sister just abandoned me. She made it clear that immortality is far more important than any family member she has left. And the worst part? I couldn't convince her otherwise. Because of my naivety, I've doomed her for good.

A/N

Okay, so I just want to make this crystal clear: I do not own the characters or some of the direct dialogue I've incorporated into the story. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan, the genius author that started it all. The plot, and the character Megan, Daughter of Hermes is the only thing that belongs to me. I know you guys didn't review on this, but I wanted to make sure in case somebody did. (I've seen it happen before to other writers.) Anyway, how do you guys like the story so far? Please comment in the reviews! Thanks again!

-Echo