In which Bianca is still head over heels and right now she is kinda nervous. Also- she doesn't know if she's glad Zoe's not there or not.
Replies:
Undeath9087: Yeah, Bianca's got a lot of emotions- and the real conflicting emotions will be when things go bad and when she sees Zoe again.
Guest: Yeah, Bianca would 100% fade into shadows and die.
It probably said a lot about Bianca's physical and mental health when he came around was that her first thought was 'I should not be feeling this good right now'. And when she slowly blinked her eyes open they focused first on Reyna- and she had to struggle not to blush when she realised that her head was in the daughter of Bellona's lap. Then she heard a familiar voice.
"There we go. You had us worried there Bia." and Bianca sat up quickly, Reyna's hand gripping her shoulder to steady her when she wobbled. "Phoebe?" Bianca gasped the name as her eyes focused on the red headed girl, who gave her a wry smile.
"Of course. It's good to see you again Bianca. Even under these circumstances."
"I-" Bianca looked around slowly, Hedge was over by a bar-he looked like he was sulking- Calypso wasn't there- and she heard Phoebe let out an amused noise.
"Zoe is with her sister. They went to talk privately. Naomi is here to take you and Reyna to see Hylla."
"Hyll-" Bianca paused, turning her head to look at Reyna, who had a slightly strained smile on her lips.
"My sister wishes to see me. I didn't want to go without you." and oh. Oh that made her chest go all tight. Reyna wanted her to stay close. That- that was a nice feeling. She tried to force down her smile as Reyna stood up and held out a hand. Helping her to her feet.
"I'll stay with you." Bianca said quickly, "As long as you want me there-" she paused- Phoebe had a slightly raised eyebrow at that, her eyes flicking between them- and Bianca's eyes narrowed slightly. Which made Phoebe just crook her eyebrow higher.
"Let's go then." Reyna didn't seem to have noticed that moment of silent communication. Bianca was very grateful for that.
In any case they quickly followed Naomi, who was waiting for them by the Parthenos, and she led the way, Bianca and Reyna walking side by side a few foot behind her- the hunter wasn't interested in talking Bianca could tell that easily.
Based on the looks she kept getting from her, Naomi hadn't approved of Bianca deciding to leave the hunt. That was fine by Bianca, she hadn't been that close to the other girl. Phoebe had been a good friend, Celyn and Amber too. But even amongst her sisters in the hunt she'd never fully felt like she fit.
And then there had been Zoe. And she wasn't sure if she was glad that Zoe hadn't been there when she'd woke up or if she was sad about that fact. A part of her missed the other girl more than she could bare.
And she knew it was stupid and selfish to feel that way. She was trying so hard to get over her- after all she'd even fallen in love with someone else. Admittedly she was pretty sure that crush was just as hopeless as her crush on Zoe had been but still, it shouldn't make her feel so torn and uncomfortable. Not just the mere thought of seeing her anyway.
After a certain point Naomi stopped them and informed them that due to the Amazons security they had to be blindfolded- and they were until they were inside of a large building, filled with tunnels and small rooms and as they were guided along Bianca glanced at Reyna, who looked almost nervous- something Bianca wasn't used to seeing- not from Reyna anyway. And Reyna kept glancing at her too, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, though Bianca was painfully grateful for the fact that Reyna didn't actually say a word.
She was sure Reyna's questions would be about her time in the hunt, but Bianca wasn't even sure how to answer them- it was still so raw and personal, most of it anyway. Even if Reyna had felt some of the feelings that haunted her.
and then they reached a set of metal doors- and they creaked open, Naomi disappearing a moment later, and Bianca glanced at Reyna, who reached out, grabbing her hand as they stepped into a huge warehouse.
It was three stories too al least- with rows of shelves stretching into the distance. Robotic forklifts zipped through the aisles retrieving boxes. Half a dozen young women in black trouser suits stood nearby, comparing notes on their tablet computers. In front of them were crates labelled: EXPLOSIVE ARROWS AND GREEK FIRE (16 OZ. EZ-OPEN PACK) and GRYPHON FILLETS (FREE-RANGE ORGANIC).
Directly in front of them, behind a conference table piled high with reports and bladed weapons, sat a figure that made Bianca draw in a sharp gasp.
She looked almost exactly like Reyna- other than a long white scar on her forehead and her clothes- black leather trousers and a black vest top- around her waist a cord of gold Labyrinthine links – the belt of the Amazon queen.
And the woman rose to her feet. "Baby sister. Here we are, home again. Facing certain death again. We have to stop meeting like this."
And she walked around the table towards them. And Bianca noticed how tense Reyna suddenly was as Hylla spoke again. "Well. No warm words for your sister-and, who is this?" Her gaze flicked to Bianca, and Bianca squeezed Reyna's hand tightly, which seemed to startle Reyna into action.
"Bianca. This is my friend, Bianca Di Angelo. Daughter of Hades. Bianca, meet my sister, Hylla."
"It's nice to meet you." Bianca wasn't fully sure of that yet. And Hylla tilted her head.
"Ah yes. The girl who sent Zoe the signal. An ex hunter- you know often Hunters join us-"
"I'm not interested." Bianca said quickly, "I- I mean I'm sorry I just- it's not for me."
"Your choice-" Hylla's gaze flicked to Reyna and she looked faintly amused for a second before she straightened. "You're welcome here nonetheless."
"Those initials." Reyna's voice was sharp- and that was strange- when Bianca turned her head to focus on Reyna the other girls eyes were very slightly narrowed, "On the reservation sign at Barrachina. HTK. Hylla Twice-Kill. You're new nickname. Some sort of joke?"
"Just checking in to see if you were paying attention."
"You're the reason we landed in that courtyard."
Hylla shrugged, "Shadow-travel is magic. Several of my followers are daughters of Hecate. It was a simple enough matter for them to pull you off course, especially since you and I share a connection."
"You went to a lot of trouble. The queen of the Amazons and the lieutenant of Artemis both rushing to Puerto Rico on a moment's notice to intercept us – I'm guessing that's not because you missed me."
"She really is smart-" Bianca jumped at that, turning to see Phoebe walking in, her hands in her pockets, "You found a good one there Bia." and Bianca glared at the other girl again.
"Of course." Hylla sounded proud, "I taught her everything she knows."
Other Amazons started to gather around at that, and Phoebe moved towards them. "I've cloaked the statue. It will work."
"Orion." Reyna spoke up suddenly, "That's what brought you here. His name got your attention."
"I couldn't let him kill you." Hylla said."
"It's more than that."
"You mission to escort the Athena Parthenos-"
"-Is important. But it's more than that, too. This is personal for you. And for the Hunters. What's your game?"
Hylla ran her thumbs along her golden belt. "Orion is a problem. Unlike the other giants, Orion has been walking the earth for centuries. He takes a special interest in killing Amazons, or Hunters, or any female who dares to be strong."
"Why would he want that?" Bianca spoke up, "I was never told anything about him."
"He seemed to be laying low while you were a hunter." Phoebe's voice was serious. "We do not like talking about it- scaring our newer recruits."
"I think it's time you did." Bianca declared. "We have a right to know."
Hylla looked at Phoebe, "You were there."
And Phoebe nodded, her voice grim as she spoke, "'In the ancient times, Orion joined the Hunters. He was Lady Artemis's best friend. He had no rivals at the bow – except for the goddess herself, and perhaps her brother, Apollo."
"What went wrong?" Reyna frowned.
Phoebe's ears reddened. "Orion crossed the line. He fell in love with Artemis."
Hylla sniffed. "Always happens with men. They promise friendship. They promise to treat you as an equal. In the end, all they want is to possess you."
Phoebe shifted uncomfortably, picking at her thumbnail. "Lady Artemis rebuffed him, of course," Phoebe said. "Orion became bitter. He started going on longer and longer trips by himself in the wilderness. Finally … I'm not sure what happened. One day Artemis came back to camp and told us Orion had been killed. She refused to speak of it."
Hylla frowned, which accentuated the white scar across her brow. "Whatever the case, when Orion rose again from Tartarus, he was Artemis's bitterest enemy. No one can hate you with more intensity than someone who used to love you."
"If he's such a problem," Reyna spoke up, "why doesn't Artemis simply slay him again."
Phoebe grimaced. "Easier said than done. Orion is sneaky. Whenever Artemis is with us, he stays far away. Whenever we Hunters are on our own, like we are now … he strikes without warning and disappears again. Zoe has spent centuries trying to track him down and kill him to no avail. So much that Artemis even told her to stop-" and that made sense to Bianca. Of course Zoe who was so in love with Artemis would try to hunt down the giant.
"The Amazons have also tried," Hylla said. "Orion doesn't distinguish between us and the Hunters. I think we all remind him too much of Artemis. He sabotages our warehouses, disrupts our distribution centres, kills our warriors –"
"In other words," Reyna said dryly, "he's getting in the way of your plans for world domination."
Hylla shrugged. "Exactly."
"That's why you rushed here to intercept us." Reyna said. "You knew Orion would be right behind me. You're setting up an ambush. We're the bait."
The other girls all looked away, unwilling to look Reyna and Bianca in the eye. And gods but it stung- being used as bait again. Bianca blinked rapidly, hating the fact that her eyes were burning.
"Oh please." Reyna didn't seem hurt like Bianca felt, "don't develop a guilty conscience now. It's a good plan. How do we proceed?"
Hylla gave her comrades a lopsided smile. "I told you my sister was tough. Phoebe, you want to explain the details?"
The Hunter shouldered her bow. "Like I said, I believe Orion is tracking you both, not the Athena Parthenos. He seems especially good at sensing the presence of female demigods. I guess you'd say that we're his natural prey."
"Charming." Reyna said, "So our friend, Gleeson Hedge. He's safe."
"I do not see why you travel with that Satyr." Phoebe muttered, "He is too much of a man. But he should be safer without you around and I did my best to camouflage your statue. With luck Orion will follow you here. Straight into our line of defences."
"What then?" Bianca asked, eyes narrowing.
"Zoe is with Calypso scouting the perimeter of Viejo San Juan. As soon as Orion gets close, we'll know. She's as close to an expert on him as we could get." Phoebe told them.
"And we've set traps at every approach. I have my best fighters on alert. We'll snare the giant. Then, one way or another, we'll send him back to Tartarus."
"He's a giant." Bianca pointed out, "Surely you'll need a gods help. Or an immortal at least." theoretically another giant or a Titan could help too, but the only friendly ones of those were back with the Argo II. That was annoying.
"We intend to try." Hylla told them, "Once Orion is taken down, your quest will be much easier. We'll send you on your way with our blessings."
"We could use more than your blessings," Reyna said. "Amazons ship things all around the world. Why not provide safe transport for the Athena Parthenos? Get us to Camp Half-Blood before August first –"
"I can't," Hylla said. "If I could, sister, I would, but surely you've felt the anger radiating from the statue. We Amazons are honorary daughters of Ares. The Athena Parthenos would never tolerate our interference. Besides, you know how the Fates operate. For your quest to succeed, you have to deliver the statue personally." And Bianca hated the disappointed look on Reyna's face. And she realised she was still holding Reyna's hand so she squeezed it tightly again- and, well, the soft grateful little smile that earned? It just about made her day.
