The noise Bianca releases as she finishes the gift his mom sent him triggers an odd feeling in Percy.
Eyes wide in delight, Bianca looks like she might have taken a bite of ambrosia.
His mom's famous blue cookies are a more than adequate comparison.
With the way she's looking right now, her attention on him, Percy doesn't even think about reaching into the bag and handing her another cookie.
She takes it and finishes it off almost as easily as he finishes his own blue treat.
"Mio Dio, these are amazing!"
Percy's stomach does another weird turn, which he thinks is odd since he has not had enough cookies to start giving him a stomachache.
"Thank you, Percy! Did you make them?"
Percy smiles proudly, "My mom. She makes the best chocolate chip cookies in the entire world, of that there is no doubt."
She giggles, "Give my compliments to the chef, I've eaten at some nice places and your mom beats all of them out of the water."
Something ugly wriggles in Percy's stomach. He hadn't really thought about it, but Bianca and Nico must come from a well-to-do family like 99% of the other kids at Westover. It reminded him of his almost successful year at Yancy. The school was basically just an excuse for parents to offload their children as far away from themselves as possible, with the military aspect of Westover just an excuse to 'discipline' their kids and teach them to 'respect authority.'
The only reason why his mom was able to get him into Westover was because Chiron bankrolled the tuition with the Delphi Strawberry Service profits. Chiron felt better knowing that Percy, candidate for the Great Prophecy, would be close to Grover while actively searching for more demigods. It was a logical win-win, according to Annabeth.
It makes him feel guilty for inconveniencing Chiron in such a way, for taking money from the camp during such a perilous time.
Percy has the most spacious dorm, no room, he has ever had. Grover is his awesome roommate who he never has to hide anything from. The food at Westover is the best cafeteria food in probably this side of the country. Westover's grounds are a feast for the eyes, and while Percy will always be a New Yorker at heart, the woods and cliffs above the Gulf of Maine are a nice escape from classes.
All his immediate needs are met, and he sleeps in relative comfort with the genuine belief that he will make it through this school year alive. With how much everyone is relying on him in the non-magical and magical worlds, how can he let anyone down?
He tries not to think of his mother alone in their tiny apartment as winter starts setting in. The food stamps she utilizes to make it through the month, coupled with her meager paycheck and the cost of her night school classes. The chill of the season penetrates the thin walls of American housing in the way the expensive stone Gothic architecture of Westover rarely allows.
Will he ever stop owing others for his mere existence?
He pushes those thoughts away, instead focusing on Bianca, the shine in her eyes, and the accolades his mom is long overdue for.
"But why are they blue?"
Percy notes there is no judgment in her tone, no biting edge or mocking emotion to twist her face.
The story of the inside joke between his mom and him against Smelly Gabe is a card he keeps close to his chest. Most people write off his obsession with blue food as a character quirk, or a product of his 'dyslexic, ADHD-addled mind.' Even Annabeth doesn't know the full story, quietly respecting the fact that Percy doesn't want to talk about it but, having spent so much time around him, is still able to piece together the details like a puzzle. He noticed how one day she got him a bag of blue Jolly Ranchers out of the blue (ha).
Now Bianca is here, innocently expecting an answer to a question she has no understanding the weight of. Asking something only his mom and himself fully understand.
A large part of him wants to play it off. Why ruin a good mood? Bianca doesn't need to know all the fractures that make up his identity. She doesn't need the image of a young Percy huddled in the corner of a closet, scared of the dark but even more scared of the mountain of stinking flesh (alcohol, cigarettes, and everything gross) that was 'Smelly' Gabe Ugliano on the other end of the door. He doesn't want to scare Bianca off with his poor, unhappy childhood.
But. But he doesn't want to lie to her either. He wants to be friends with Bianca, and friends do not lie to each other. Trust is the foundation of any relationship, and the thing is? He wants to trust Bianca.
"My mom," Percy licks his lips, "married a real piece of work. When I was younger, I don't even remember how it came up honestly..." He trails off, right-hand fingers drumming against his thigh, "For whatever reason, they got into this really big fight. Like, really big. I don't remember why, but I remember feeling," Percy swallows hard, "scared. At the yelling." He's looking at the floor, noting the dried wad of gum on the carpet. He feels too hot, an odd tingling sensation going up and down his back, like scales on his skin inexplicably turning over that leave him cold.
Bianca is looking guilty now, "Percy... you don't have to—"
Percy bulldozes forward before the courage a hero is supposed to have dripped out of him.
"What I remember is that Smelly Gabe said there was no such thing as blue food."
While her words die, her eyes are alive with such focus and intensity, and softness that he cannot help but rise from the shambles of his own shame.
Bianca puts her hand on Percy's right hand, calming the drumming.
Percy smiles sardonically, "Turns out, there is a lot more blue food than we thought. Blueberries, blue corn chips," his voice is rising in intensity and Bianca find herself pulled in, "blue frosting, blue candy, plus food dye. And of course," here Percy holds up his mom's very obviously blue cookie in his left hand and draws strength from the love it was made with. His smile, to Bianca's eyes, was the most beautiful expression she had ever seen, "that's how we make these."
Percy takes a bite of the cookie, Bianca's eyes trailing his mouth as it sinks into the confection, and offers it to her.
Bianca takes a bite so close to Percy's own that when she pulls back both bites conjoined and make a W-shape. This cookie, Bianca decides, must have been made special because it tastes even better than she remembers.
Percy and Bianca's eyes never leave each other as they both finish their respective pieces.
Once they both swallow, suddenly self-conscious of how loud they might have been and how dry their mouths suddenly are, Percy continues.
"It's an inside joke between my mom and me." Here, Percy's chin lifts and his eyes are full of blazing pride and mischief that Bianca is taken aback. "A mark of rebellion, that we won't let people walk over us. That we are in this together." Bianca can't explain it, not now, but Percy's quiet confidence with his following words sparked the beginnings of her own respect for one Sally Jackson. "It's how she tells me she loves me."
There is a second of silence between them, stretched to infinity by the feelings of peace and ease...
Nico bursts into the room.
"LET'S GO!"
Warmth, Percy notes, leaves his hand. It took his brain more than a few seconds to register that the source of that heat, Bianca's hand, teleported away the second Nico appeared.
Oh.
Feeling warm and cold and sweaty, Percy stands up and wipes his now clammy hands against his school uniform.
Puberty, Percy suddenly feels strongly, absolutely blows. Why must he get sweaty now, especially around Bia-
"Uh, you guys okay?" Nico's head turns adorably, and his eyes widen, "What are those?"
The boy's sudden attention to the blue cookies spurs Percy into action.
"A gift from my mom, these are her world-famous blue cookies." Surely Nico, in his innocence, will see the glory of blue cookies.
Nico instead has the audacity to frown, "Why are they like that?"
Percy swears he hears his heart rupture.
Bianca breaks her silence, "Nico!"
Clearly, Bianca must have heard it, too. The only one not reading the room is Nico.
"They look... weird."
Percy swears if not for his pride he would actually be on his knees.
"Nico, don't be rude!"
"Is this part of a prank? Like, they taste like fart and the blue is meant to be a distraction? Because if it is, we should totally give one to Dr. Thorn. Oh, I can do it!"
Bianca turns to him, mortification dripping off her expression, and Percy finds that it is a nice change of pace that she's the one uncomfortable around him for once.
Broken heart aside, he's not overtly offended. Well, he is but only slightly.
Slightly.
Cutting off Nico's impossibly elaborate plan to force Dr. Thorn to eat his mom's cookie, "These are a gift from my mom, they're perfectly normal blue cookies, Nico."
Nico's nose wrinkles and Percy stops himself from smacking him upside the head.
Bianca actually does smack Nico upside the head.
"OW!"
Nico rubs the spot he was hit, and Bianca is communicating 'forgive us' with her wide, dark eyes. The heat of embarrassment settles on her face. Percy decides he won't let her suffer any longer.
'It's okay,' he mouths to her, impossible to think of a reason to begrudge her.
'Thank you,' she returns, grateful that he is being patient with them.
"Are they even good?"
Bianca takes it upon herself to correct Nico's mistakes, courtesy of a rather sharp look.
"Take one." Percy offers the blue treat, and through a dubious gaze, Nico accepts it.
Bianca gets one too, and Percy already has his in hand.
Together they eat, together they enjoy the buttery cookies, and together they bask in the glory of blue chocolate chip cookies.
Eyes wide in surprise, Nico's hand shot out to ask for another one, still munching away at the first.
Together in buttery chocolate bliss, they share a moment of peace
Moving to the cafeteria was the next most natural move.
Hiding the cookies in Bianca's bag was even more so.
They traded jokes, complaints about teachers, and trade knowledge on Mythomagic (Nico, mostly).
If Percy and Bianca shared a nice smile as they bit into a blue cookie on the way, well, that was private.
The TCT location was, perhaps not surprisingly, not full. People were there, sure, but only half the tables were full.
The cafeteria was divided into sections, one empty corner was made for Mythomagic. The Magic: The Gathering section was the most popular section, although Yu Gi Oh! held a respectable group as well. The Mythomagic section was collecting literal dust, if Percy's eyes were to be believed. Percy could have sworn a few crickets also played their tune, but that was ridiculous.
Nico, however, did not let any of these details deter him. He marched himself confidently to the nearest table and sat down with all the self-satisfaction of a movie villain. Radiating satisfaction, he waited for Percy and Bianca to also sit down and join him.
Nico, belly full of blue cookies and with the attention of Percy and Bianca, felt himself atop the world.
Percy and Bianca, however, just smiled at him indulgently.
"Okay, let's start our duel!"
Percy laughed at the unintentional connection to Yu Gi Oh!
Bianca just smiled warmly at her younger brother's enthusiasm.
Nico was just excited for the opportunity to spend time with his sister and best friend while playing his favorite game.
Percy just wanted a good time, and maybe for Grover to join in.
They, meaning Percy and Nico, began their duel. Nico with a Dionysus deck and Percy (perhaps predictably) with a Poseidon deck.
Both neck and neck to figure out a way to beat the other, Bianca took the time to reflect.
Bianca was the type of person to take precautions.
She would never say to herself as an expert in, well, anything. She wouldn't consider herself particularly smart, or clever, or adept at improvisation, or even the type to be good at direct confrontation.
She would say, however, that she felt good at watching out for the things that would harm her and her younger brother. At looking out for danger, and taking a proactive approach to avoiding the unexpected.
She would akin herself to the earth, hardy and rarely affected. Stable.
But Percy put a stop to her carefully constructed equilibrium.
Usually, she could ignore such an infringement.
An alien entity encroaching on her peace?
Usually dealt with, either through the universe itself or through her own machinations.
Nico might not have noticed the anachronisms of their life, but she surely had. The president of the United States not being Truman? The lack of oppressive air that followed war? The fact that they were out of Italy?
Impossible to deny, yet they (Nico) took it in stride.
Because it was easier.
Because they could not think of any other explanation.
Because what else were they supposed to think?
They were in the US, not Italy anymore, and even as a child Mussolini's preaching felt... insane. Dogmatic. Extreme. She did not agree if the feeling inside her stomach was any indication.
Italian Bombers of the Axis Powers befalling Percy and the mother he so clearly loved? Blues dye, splattered around their home?
Bianca could not imagine a darker image.
Green eyes, so full of life and strength and deeply rooted love, snuffed out and darkened by the weight of inevitable death?
Impossible to imagine.
Normally, she would have been shot for such 'treacherous' thoughts to the Allies, but she was in the US. Allied ground surrounded her, and she was sure that she would be applauded for her easy deference to the Allied forces.
Here? With Nico safe in the cafeteria of a United States of America institution? She could surely relax a bit for herself and her brother.
Percy is an unexpected addition; Nico is clearly fond of him in a way she is... grappling with. He seeks others out, yet they never stay for long. Percy has remained his friend longer than most. Clearly, Percy tolerates Nico and Nico is fond of him.
(In the privacy of her mind, she wants to be fond of him, too.)
But he is still an outsider.
Bianca needs to know how to manage herself with him. Their first interaction left warning bells ringing in her mind. Nico would not stop talking about how cool (another sign of their displacement. Was it just an American thing or a future thing where the word cool was used outside of temperature descriptions?) Percy was. How Percy turned a bully into a fool and made him act weird and run away. Percy this and Percy that and, honestly? Bianca was a bit sick of it. It wasn't like Percy was magic, after all.
In that room together, he looked like he wished the ground would swallow him. Part of her wanted it to, if only to allow her to ignore the newest anomaly in her life. Part of her felt sorry for him, he looked so nervous, opposite to the descriptions Nico doled out. Nico liked him, and Percy was nice in being friends with her little brother. The ground obviously was not going to gobble him up, so Bianca decided to be the mature one and offer him a lifeline.
And then, well.
He liked her name.
That was... unexpected. And really nice to hear. Unexpectedly nice to hear, she decides.
So, she teased him on his own. Hearing his name over the intercom in class was pure serendipity. She wasn't lying to him either, Perseus Jackson didn't sound half bad to her.
He seemed to relax after that, and being honest with herself she admits the same goes for her.
After that?
Bianca di Angelo and Perseus Jackson sat on a bed and shared blue cookies together.
It was by far the most normal interaction she had had with him, the nicest of times as well.
Then she had to ruin it by asking questions about the cookies.
Percy looked clearly conflicted, and part of her was worried she offended him somehow in this 21st century setting, or if she mistakenly did something rude in asking him.
Yet he still answered her.
Hesitantly at first, but he built momentum as he continued.
Truthfully, with trust and zero expectations.
It warmed her to her soul, his open dedication to his mother, and to answering Bianca fully.
To trust her with part of himself, part of himself that clearly carried significant weight.
She liked this Percy. Not the surefooted hero Nico described, but the boy who would look her in the eyes and respond to her as an equal worthy of consideration and vulnerability.
She wants to find out more.