People Like Us
A "The Dimension Walker" Prequel
Summary: There was more to her past than Bianca thought. Forced by these "Primordials", Hades sends her to a place called Camp Walker. Bianca's introduced to a whole world she never knew existed. She learns that her mother was no mortal, that her heritage was a big deal. The more she learns, the more Bianca is realizing that demigods aren't the only ones protecting the world.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. PJO rightfully belong to Rick Riordan. I only own OC's, "The Dimension Walker" series, plots, and headcanons. If there are any mistakes and/or errors, I apologize. I tried my best to fix them all.
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~Chapter Two~
~Conversations and Revelations~
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After the flash of light faded, Bianca found herself standing at the road with the sign. The dark haired-looked around the barren road. It was cloudy, rainy day. The sky was covered with thick, grey clouds and the rain came down in semi-light drizzle. The air was warm and—thanks to the rain—wet. Yellow faded lines were painted on the road, and had a few tire skid marks. Tall, pine trees covered both sides of the road, and went down with it for miles. Bianca ran down the road, looking for shelter from the rain.
After running for what seems like hours, she came upon a town—probably Ocean View. The town was a bit bigger than most small towns. Town hall was a not very big building. It was white, church-like building with a clock tower. In front of it was a statue of a cloaked girl riding on a horse. Around the horse was a pack of wolves, their jaws opened wide. A few people walked in and out of the building. Small shops and boutiques made a U-shape around the town hall. From the windows, the Italian could see people setting up shop and turning the signs so that instead of reading "CLOSED" it read "OPEN".
Bianca hurried into the nearest store, which was a small cafe. The bells chimed as Bianca walked in, while squeezing the water out of the her hat. The cafe was small, but roomy. The air was cool, with the scent of baked goods and peppermint wafting around. The walls were a calming blue, with swirls of grey and snowy owls painted on there. A few feet in front of her, there was a long counter with stools tucked under the counter. Round, wooden tables were placed here and there, with ceramic barn owl center pieces.
A girl about Bianca's age was wiping off the counter, humming a soft tune. The girl had curly, medium brown hair with dark blonde highlights, put up in a high ponytail. Her round, owlish eyes were stormy-grey, like cloud during a thunderstorm. She was tall and had an athletic body frame, with slightly tanned peachy skin. She wore a white tank top, baggy grey shorts, glasses, and blue sneakers. A black apron was tied around her waist, with a small notepad and pencil sticking out from the apron pockets.
The girl finally looked up, and offered Bianca a warm smile as the Italian took a seat at a table by the window. She walked over to Bianca, and pulled out a notepad.
"Welcome to Minerva's Corner," she said. "I'm Harriet, Harriet Monroe."
"Bianca di Angelo."
Harriet clicked her tongue. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"N-No," Bianca said, shyly. "I'm from...uh...New York...?"
Harriet raised a brow. "New York, huh?" The corners of her lips tilted downward. "Where are your parents?"
"M-My dad is in...Italy on business. My mom is...dead."
The brunette gaped at her. "And you're here all alone?"
Bianca started making gestures with her hands, and started talking nervously. "W-Well one of my father's friends sent me here because of a camp and that someone was waiting for me and—"
The grey-eyed girl held up her hand, and Bianca instantly shut up. Harriet placed her hand on her hip, and raised her brow. Then, she shook her head and started muttering in Greek. Bianca watched as the girl started furiously scribbling on the notepad. Harriet tore out the paper and slammed it onto the table, causing Bianca to jump up. Her stormy eyes bore into Bianca's black ones, and spoke in a tone all too calm.
"Take an umbrella from the stand and go to this address on the paper," Harriet told her. "Chaos said someone was waiting for you, right? Well...she's living here in Ocean View, at this address."
"How did you—?" Bianca tried to ask.
"We knew these day would come ever since Mr. R wrote you and your brother in his series," Harriet scoffed.
"Please." Bianca grabbed her wrist. "I don't understand anything. I thought I was dead. My father gave me no explanation, and I don't even know where I am."
Harriet sighed, and carefully moved her wrist from her grasp. "She'll explain it better than me, Bianca."
"Who is she?"
The grey-eyed girl clenched her jaw. "Maria Clarissa Angelo-Della-Morte. But...you know her as Maria di Angelo, your mother."
/~Ω~\
Bianca walked in the rain, her whole body feeling numb. The rain had gotten harder, falling on her umbrella in large drops. The Italian stared down at the paper with empty eyes, with tears slowly starting to form at the corners of her eyes.
1913 Angel Lace Road, the paper read. Bianca crumbled up the paper, and threw it to the ground.
Of all the things that has happened ever since she was resurrected, this was the one thing she never thought she would see coming. When she had died and gone to Elysium, her memories had returned to her and she remembered everything. Her mother, her past, her old home...everything. She had remembered seeing the hotel collapsing, seeing her father holding her mother's broken form. Her mother was dead, like how she was supposed to be dead. But, they were both alive. That was impossible! No one could cheat death, nor could anyone defy the forces of life and death. Yet, somehow she and her mother did...
Bianca stopped in her tracks, and looked up. She stood before a three-story house that looked like the houses in the South that rich people lived in. The house was white with a wrap around porch and balconies on the second and third floor. The lawn had dark green grass, and roses bushes lining the stone pathway to the front doors. Bianca carefully walked down the path, keeping an eye out for anything. She stopped at the mahogany doors, and gently knocked.
The door creaked open, and a beautiful woman appeared. She looked pretty young—maybe in her late twenties or early thirties—and had soft, angelic features. Her long, dark hair framed her face in wavy curls. She had eyes deep, rich brown that were so dark that they looked almost like obsidian. Her olive-toned skin had a few freckles dotting her cheeks, and had a strange mark on her right shoulder. The woman wore a light green velvet dress, brown sweater cardigan, and white two-inch heels. Around her neck was a silver, heart-shaped locket and on her hands she wore white, finger-less cotton gloves.
Bianca was about to say something, when she let out a little yelp. One of the woman's hands shimmered, and turned into a skeleton hand. The woman gasped, and quickly hid her hand behind her back.
"Who are you?" the woman asked, speaking with an Italian accent. "What do you want?"
Bianca gulped. "A-Are you...Maria Clarissa Angelo-Della-Morte?"
"Yes," Maria said, carefully. "You didn't answer my questions!"
Bianca dropped the umbrella and wrapped her arms around the older woman. The dark haired-girl broke down into sobs, rambling in Italian. Maria stared down at her in shock, her body frozen stiff. She quickly pulled away from Bianca, staring at her.
"B-Bianca?" she asked, slightly afraid. "È che tu, mia figlia?" [Translation: Is that you, my daughter?]
"Si Mamma! Sì!" Bianca cried. "I t-thought you were dead..."
"As did I," Maria said with teary eyes. "Oh, look how much you've grown! You're as beautiful as Hades promise me you would be." But then, she paused. "Where's...where's Nico?"
Bianca pulled away, frowning. "He's back at Camp Half-Blood. He didn't...come with me."
Maria looked back down at her skeletal hand. "Caro Dio, sapevo che questo sarebbe accaduto." [Translation: Dear god, I knew this was going to happen.]
"Knew what?"
Maria waved her hand dismissvily. "Come come, there is a lot of things I need to tell you, Bia."
They walked into the house, moving towards the living room. It was quite spacious, with white walls and a black velvet carpet. A black, felt couch sat in front of a fireplace, with a mahogany coffee table in front of it and two white felt chairs at its sides. Bianca took a seat on the couch, and her mother sat at her side. Maria took her daughter's hands in hers, and took in a deep breath.
"When I was eight years old," Maria began, "my father and mother told my sisters and I about our family heritage. The Angelo-Della-Morte and Angelo-Custode families have been rivals for many generations. The rivalry stopped my papà married my mamma, and their families found peace in this union. Our family is not mortal, mio caro. Hades...he lied about what you and Nico are."
"Why?" Bianca asked. "What are we, then?"
Maria looked at the fire. "Long ago, there were two beings called Divina Matre—the Divine Mother—and Pater Diuinus—the Divine Father. They were rulers of the Universe during the dawn of creation. Divina Matre, or Infinite, gave birth to their four godly children. The were known as the Golden-Blooded Primordials, and were the First Generation of gods. Pater Duinus, or Continuum, loved his children and gave them the title of rulers of the Universe. Their children soon created the Nine Realms, as well as the Reality Realm and many other minor realms. Instead being rulers like kings and queens, the four children decided to create a council. They called it the Primordial Council. The Four became the head of the council, and their children soon joined the council later on.
"When they created the Nine Realms and the other realms, they knew they couldn't govern and protect the Realms by themselves. The Four and other primordials soon created a race of powerful beings with the ability to travel through dimensions. They were called 'Dimension Walkers' or 'Guardians'. At first, they started out as children of Primordials. Down the line, they soon gained powers given them by the gods or by some other mysterious force and called these powers 'power classes'. The Dimension Walkers are sworn to protect the Nine Realm and ensure peace and balance. Their motto was 'Loyalty, Hope, Chivalry, Determination, and Acceptance'.
"For centuries, for generations, Dimension Walkers kept the Nine Realms balanced and peaceful. New Power Classes are constantly discovered, and more camps must be opened. Camp Walker and Camp Hood are the main Dimension Walker camps, but there are more camps being created all across the Realms."
Bianca stared at her mom, her mind still mulling over the information. Finally, she found her voice. "So...you are..."
"A Dimension Walker, yes. My whole family is." Maria paused. "You and Nico are, as well. Our power class is Angel, not to be confused with real angels. Our wings cannot be cut off, and we are not immortal. We are only immortal when the gods have made us real angels. I was able to see through the Mist because I am a Dimension Walker, not because I was a special mortal. Your father found out about who I was when you were born...
"The day you were born, a ghostly image of what your angel wings will look like appeared. Hades, the poor man, panicked and realized what he had done. Now, one of the Four, Lord Overseer, has a burning hatred for the Greek gods. Though it is not an officially rule, he has declared that Dimension Walker cannot go into the Ninth Realm without it being a quest or have children with the gods. Many of our kind followed his rule, but those were the old ways. Nowadays, most Dimension Walkers are just wary of the demigods and rarely visit the Ninth Realm.
"Anyways, the reason why your father insisted on hiding us in the Underworld because he, Aphrodite, Hermes, Athena, Artemis, and Apollo represent the Olympians in the Primordial council. They, along with some minor gods, are the only ones that know of our existence. Hades knew Lord Overseer would be furious, and would make sure you and Nico would never make it to adulthood. He hated mutts, which were Dimension Walkers that were also demigods."
"But wasn't the first generation of Dimension Walker demigods, since they were children of Primordials?" Bianca asked.
"Well yes, but the children of Primordials like to call themselves half-bloods, or halflings. Not demigods, because those are what Greek and Roman children of gods are called." The dark haired woman sighed. "Hades wanted to protect you and Nico at all costs, wanted to make sure you lived a long, joyful life. But I knew that raising you and Nico in the Underworld would be no good for you. You had to go to Camp Hood, the camp I attended. But, Hades forbid me."
"Now here we are," Bianca said, looking around the room. "In some strange town, both of us alive and Nico's not with us. Father said I had to attend Camp Walker, yet he said nothing about Nico."
Maria stood up. "Nico is special, Bianca. Hades told me that he was destined for greater things." The Italian shook her head. "I...you'll understand more later on. Come, come! I prepared a room for you."
Bianca quickly followed her mother, her stomach churning. They climbed up the stairs and came to the second floor. Maria led her to a black door with silvery stars and butterflies painted onto it. Bianca carefully opened the door, and then gasped.
"I hope you liked it," Maria said, nervously. "I was revived during the time you and Nico were in the Lotus. They made me immortal and never aging, and placed me here in Ocean View as...part of my punishment. Only when you returned the curse would be lifted. Since then, Chaos had visited me and told me about you and Nico. And when I was told you would come to me last week, I prepared this room just for you."
Bianca looked around, her jaw dropping. The walls were lavender, and the carpeted floor was chocolate brown. Across from where Bianca was standing were two, stained-glass doors that led to a balcony that were hidden behind sheer, light grey curtains. To her left, there was a king-sized, four poster canopy bed with rose-red curtains. At the right side of the bed, there was a mahogany nightstand. At the left of the bed, there was a white vanity complete with makeup, brushes, and a jewelry box. To her right, there was a dark brown closet and a bookcase that made an arch over the white shelved-desk. Resting in the middle of the room was a worn, steamer trunk with a large, silver bow on top. Bianca hurried over to the steamer trunk and opened it up.
Inside, there was a collection of different kinds of Polaroid cameras, clothing and shoes, CD's (complete with a CD player), books, and two phones. Half the clothes looked like they were from the 1930's or 1940's, while the other half were modern, pastel-colored clothing. The CD's were mostly by artist that Bianca had never heard of, probably since she didn't listen to much music. The books looked interesting enough, and so were the phones. One phone was a smartphone, while the other was an vintage landline telephone.
"I love it!" Bianca beamed, quickly taking out the items.
Maria chuckled. "You go and start putting those away, and I'll go make dinner."
"Okay, Mamma," Bianca said.
Maria closed the door behind her, leaving Bianca alone. The dark haired girl sighed, and pulled out the orb from the pocket of her cardigan. She stared down at the orb, rubbing her fingers over it. The orb gave off a golden glow, humming softly. Flashes of images danced inside the orb, showing Bianca many things. But one image stuck with her. It was her brother, Nico, yelling at Percy and running away. She grimaced, and placed the ball behind her. Gathering up the clothes and shoes, she walked over to the closet and opened it up. She softly hummed a tune as she placed the clothes and shoes in, unaware of the orb glowing.
"Soon daughter of Hades," a voice whispered from inside the orb. "Soon..."
A pair of dark eyes peered out of the orb. From the orb, a black wisp slithered out and went towards Bianca. It went into her cardigan pocket, and turned into a small, black marble. The orb flashed, and the pair of eyes disappeared.
...
I hope you liked this chapter! I tried my best to make it good and lengthy!
Next chapter is Bianca going to Camp Walker and meeting the campers.
Don't forget to leave a review! Reviews let me know how you feel about the story and motivate me.
See ya next time!
~Ari