Percy and Jason watching the Reyanca show: Jason, 'Come on!' Percy 'Unintelligible screaming noises'
Replies:
Undeath9087: It really is- she does get a teensy boost in her self confidence in this chapter- and also- more buiding towards Reyanca!
Weirdhead: I will say no.
Guest: Not in PJO, though I believe in some forms of the myths he is so you're not wrong. And it's Zoe, I don't think she'd be a huge fan of phones. Besides Gaea has been screwing with systems.

"You!" Calypso hissed the word- and that had to mean the man was someone she'd met before, "What are you doing here." and there was a certain level of disgust in her voice.

The grey man laughed at that. "Orion has employed me to assist him in his hunt- I of course agreed. Such a shame the hunters won't be here to save you this time-"

"I'm sorry-" Bianca spoke up, "But who the fuck are you?"

"He's Lyacon." Reyna told her quickly, "The first werewolf."

The man gave her a mock bow. "Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, praetor of Rome. One of Lupa's whelps! I'm pleased you recognize me. No doubt, I am the stuff of your nightmares."

"The stuff of my indigestion, perhaps." From her belt pouch, Reyna produced a foldable camping knife. She flicked it open and the wolves snarled, backing away. "I never travel without a silver weapon."

Lycaon bared his teeth. "Would you keep a dozen wolves and their king at bay with a pocketknife? I heard you were brave, filia Romana. I did not realize you were foolhardy."

Reyna's dogs crouched, ready to spring. The coach gripped his baseball bat, though for once he didn't look anxious to swing.

Bianca's hand moved to her sword but Coach grabbed her arm. "Don't bother kid. These guys are only hurt by silver or fire. I remember them from Pikes Peak. They're annoying."

"And I remember you, Gleeson Hedge.' The werewolf's eyes glowed lava red. 'My pack will be delighted to have goat meat for dinner."

Hedge snorted. "Bring it on, mangy boy. The Hunters of Artemis are on their way right now, just like last time! That's a temple of Diana over there, you idiot. You're on their home turf!"

Again the wolves snarled and widened their circle. Some glanced nervously towards the rooftops.

Lycaon only glared at the coach. "A nice try, but I'm afraid that temple has been misnamed. I passed through here during Roman times. It was actually dedicated to the Emperor Augustus. Typical demigod vanity. Regardless, I've been much more careful since our last encounter. If the Hunters were anywhere close by, I would know."

And gods but that was not a good sign, her fingers automatically moved up, brushing over her necklace. And gods but she should never have given up her hunting knife. That had been silver. As it was all they had was a pocketknife.

The Athena Parthenos was useless, thirty feet above them at the top of the temple, and even if they could reach it they couldn't shadow-travel until they actually had shadows. The sun wouldn't set for hours.

So Bianca did the only thing she could do, she snapped the charm on the necklace- she felt it crumbling into dust in her fingers.

She doubted the Hunters would find them in time but maybe they would, and if not- maybe she could hold them off for long enough to save the others.

Ste stepped forward, ignoring the panicked look Reyna gave her-and the way it made her heart pound in her chest. "Well, you've got us then. What are you waiting for?"

Lyacon studied her like a new type of meat in a butcher's display case. "Bianca di Angelo… daughter of Hades, the lesser of his children-" Bianca didn't wince at that, she didn't even if the words stung. "I've heard of you. I'm sorry I can't kill you promptly, but I promised my employer Orion that I would detain you until he arrives. No worries. He should be here in a few moments. Once he's done with you, I shall spill your blood and mark this place as my territory for ages to come!"

"Demigod blood." Bianca swallowed hard, "The blood of Olympus."

"Of course." Lyacon said, "Spilled upon the ground, especially sacred ground, demigod blood has many uses. With the proper incantations, it can awaken monsters or even gods. It can cause new life to spring up or make a place barren for generations. Alas, your blood will not wake Gaea herself. That honour is reserved for your friends aboard the Argo II. But fear not. Your death will be almost as painful as theirs."

The grass started dying around Bianca's feet- responding to her mood. The marigold beds withered and the ground turned barren.

And gods but she was out of her league. What was she supposed to do here? What would Nico do?

Well, Nico would probably summon an army of skeletons somehow but- but what? Bianca realised, after all she'd summoned them before too. Not on the same scale as Nico had but she'd summoned them. And there would be plenty beneath her feet- she could remember what her father had said about the Inquisition.

If Nico could do it why couldn't she? She spent so much time comparing herself to him. She knew she'd never be as good as him, never be as brave, as strong. She'd been selfish and she'd paid the price but- surely she could do this now. For Reyna and Calypso and Hedge. "Coach." Bianca's voice was steadier than she'd expected. "You can climb?"

Hedge scoffed. "I'm half goat. Of course I can climb!"

"Get up to the statue and secure the rigging. Make a rope ladder and drop it down for us. Calypso, please help him if you can."

"Uh, but the pack of wolves –"

"Reyna, you and your dogs will have to cover our retreat."

The praetor nodded grimly, "Understood."

Lycaon howled with laughter. "Retreat to where, daughter of Hades? There is no escape. You cannot kill us!"

"Maybe not," Bianca said. "But I can slow you down."

She spread her hands and the ground erupted.

Bianca felt the urge to sob, to cheer with pride at what she'd done. She doubted even Nico could have done better.

She'd pulled a wall of bones from the ground, the burst skyward, hundreds of femurs, ribs and fibulas entangling the wolves, forming a spiky briar patch of human remains.

Most of the wolves were hopelessly trapped. Some writhed and gnashed their teeth, trying to free themselves from their haphazard cages. Lycaon himself was immobilized in a cocoon of rib bones, but that didn't stop him from screaming curses.

"You worthless child!" he roared. "I will rip the flesh from your limbs!"

"GO!" Bianca screamed the word, and the Satyr and Calypso sprinted towards the temple.

Coach made it to the top of the podium in a single leap and scrambled up the left pillar, and Calypso was using the air beneath her to boost herself upwards, helping her to climb.

Two wolves broke free from the thicket of bones. Reyna threw her knife and impaled one in the neck. Her dogs pounced on the other. Aurum's fangs and claws slipped harmlessly off the wolf's hide, but Argentum brought the beast down.

Argentum's head was still bent sideways from the fight in Pompeii. His left ruby eye was still missing, but he managed to sink his fangs into the wolf's scruff. The wolf dissolved into a puddle of shadow.

Bianca met Reyna's gaze, and they grinned at one another as Reyna rushed towards Bianca, gripping her arm. "You're amazing." and the sincerity in her voice made Bianca's chest go all tight and bubbly. And she realised with a rush that Reyna's face was inches away from her own.

She was beautiful, those fierce eyes shining with pride and something else, dark and deep- Bianca felt like she was tumbling into them.

And then Reyna was pulling away and Bianca forced down her frustration at that, watching as Reyna drew her sword and rushed to Hedge's baseball cap, which was lying on the ground- and she almost laughed as the daughter of Bellonna scooped it up and used the duct tape to attach silver coins to the blade.

She really was smart.

"Go!" Reyna's voice was firm, "I'll cover you."

The wolves struggled, causing the bone thicket to crack and crumble. Lycaon freed his right arm and began smashing through his prison of ribcages.

"I will flay you alive!" he promised."

"I will add your pelt to my cloak!"

"Reyna-"

"Go."

And Bianca ran, snatching Reyna's pocket knife from the ground as she ran, quickly finding a set of stairs around the back of the temple and raced to the top. She reached the base of the columns and squinted up at Coach Hedge, who was precariously perched at the feet of the Athena Parthenos, unravelling ropes and knotting a ladder with the help of Calypso, who's hands were working faster than Bianca might have thought possible.

"Hurry!" she gasped out.

"Oh, really?" the coach called down. "I thought we had tons of time!"

"It won't take long!" Calypso called quickly.

And Bianca glanced down. Down in the square, more wolves broke free of their bone restraints. Reyna swatted them aside with her modified duct-tape-coin-sword, but a handful of change wasn't going to hold back a pack of werewolves for long. Aurum snarled and snapped in frustration, unable to hurt the enemy. Argentum did his best, sinking his claws into the throat of another wolf, but the silver dog was already damaged. Soon he'd be hopelessly outnumbered.

Lycaon freed both his arms. He started pulling his legs from their ribcage restraints. There were only a few seconds until he would be loose.

Bianca forced back a sob. She wanted to rush back down, to summon up the shadows like she'd seen Nico do, use them to shield Reyna.

But she was out of tricks. Summoning the wall of bones, well, she felt drained as it was and she also had to Shadow travel them away- if she could even find a shadow to travel into.

A shadow... Bianca's eyes widened. And it was crazy- it was insane to even consider but- she had no choice."

"REYNA!" she screamed the name, "Get up here!"

Reyna slammed another wolf in the head and ran. In mid-stride, she flicked her sword, which elongated into a javelin, then used it to launch herself up like a pole-vaulter. She landed next to Bianca, grabbing onto her shoulder to steady herself, pressing close.

"What's the plan?" and there was that strange faith that Reyna had in her, the belief. Bianca wasn't used to that. Sure Nico used to believe in her but she'd failed him- and Hazel- their relationship wasn't quite the same, but the way Reyna looked at her made her heart pound in her chest. There was no doubt in those eyes.

"Reyna-"

A knotted rope fell from above.

"Climb, ya silly non-goats!" Hedge yelled.

And Bianca definitely did not consider punching him for that- she knew he didn't mean any harm but really! How could anyone's timing be so bad?

"Go." Bianca forced herself to say, "Please. Once you're up there hang on tight to the rope."

"Bianca-"

"Please-" and Reyna's javelin shrank back into a sword. Reyna sheathed it, hand reaching out slowly, pressing the palm of her hand to Bianca's face.

"Bianca- be careful." and then she was pulling back, she turned to rope and began to climb, scaling the column despite her armour and her supplies.

Down in the plaza, Aurum and Argentum were nowhere to be seen. Either they'd retreated or they'd been destroyed.

Lycaon broke free of his bone cage with a triumphant howl. "You will suffer, daughter of Hades!"

Like that was new. Bianca palmed the pocketknife. "Come and get me you mutt." she snarled the words, "I might not be a hunter any more but I did used to be. You're nothing to me."

Lycaon sprang through the air, his claws extended, his fangs bared. Bianca wrapped her free hand around the rope and concentrated, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck.

As the wolf king fell on her, Bianca thrust the silver knife into Lycaon's chest. All around the temple, wolves howled as one.

The wolf king sank his claws into her arms. His fangs stopped less than an inch from Bianca's face. Bianca ignored her own pain and jabbed the pocketknife to the hilt between Lycaon's ribs, even as she heard Reyna screaming her name from above.

"Thank you." Bianca bared her teeth, "For giving me just what I needed

Lycaon's eyes rolled up in his head. He dissolved into a pool of inky darkness.

Then several things happened at once. The outraged pack of wolves surged forward. From a nearby rooftop, a booming voice yelled, 'STOP THEM!'

Bianca heard the unmistakable sound of a large bow being drawn taut, and didn't that bring back memories.

Then she melted into the pool of Lycaon's shadow, taking her friends and the Athena Parthenos with her– slipping into cold ether with no idea where she would emerge.