"Unbelievable! To think a child of Wisdom would let something so foolish like fear rule her thinking."
"Did you have to taunt Ares as we were leaving?" An exasperated Bianca sighed as the questers followed Zoe through the desert.
"It's not my fault he's an asshole. And you know he was intentionally making it difficult to not needle him. You felt his aura too, right?" Percy whined back.
"Yeah, I know, it's in his nature, but I won't fight a god unless they actively get in my way, and there's no other choice." Bianca said. "Or I'm somehow strong enough to fight them, and not suffer for it afterwards." She added.
"Well, I literally had no choice but to fight him in my first quest." Percy shrugged.
"...Wait, you mean like 'you literally had no choice', or 'were too pissed off to not consider another one'?" Bianca asked wide-eyed.
"No, seriously there literally was no other option." Percy nodded enthusiastically like a puppy. "It was either go through with him, or the winter solstice starts without me returning the Master Bolt and World War Three God Edition starts."
"I'm all for letting your heart guide you, but fear? Fear isn't real. Danger is real."
"Oh, the bear thing. Yeah, that's a pretty neat way to know where you're going." Percy nodded to Zoe.
"Show some respect," Zoe looked offended. "It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent."
"You fought it?" Percy asked, wide-eyed as he looked between the stars in the sky, and back to Zoe.
Zoe facepalmed. Mostly to hide her embracement at his awe, and also in response to what she was sure this idiot boy was imagining. Being a battle between her and a gathering of stars. Somehow.
"Not the actual constellation, Jackson." Zoe groaned.
"Fought 'her', Percy." Annabeth chimed in.
"'Her'?" Percy blinked in confusion.
Annabeth looked at Zoe, who sighed and began to tell a story.
"Kallisto was once a proud Huntress. The best of us, our Lady Artemis best friend even." Zoe smiled fondly in remembrance, before her expression turned bitter. "But Zeus became attracted to her, and well as you'd expect..." She trailed off with a frown.
"Big thunder stuck his lightning in it?" Percy equally frowned, getting the implication.
Thunder rumbled in the sky above, even if it was a clear day in the Arizona afternoon.
Zoe snorted at the boy's audacity.
"As crude as that was, yes. Zeus transformed himself into our Lady Artemis, and approached Kallisto to seduce her." Zoe smiled proudly. "Kallisto of course rebuffed such advances, as she held on to her vows, even if it was Artemis herself telling her to forsake them." She then glared at the blue sky at the memory. "Zeus decided to take her anyways. That's when Kallisto discovered the deception." Zoe looked down, a hint of regret entering her eyes. "Kallisto should have went to Artemis and told her what happened. She should have, if she did then..."
Silence fell on the group.
"What happened?" Percy asked, feeling dread.
"Artemis and the Hunters eventually found out. Exactly hide a pregnancy for long." Grover chimed in.
"And Kallisto was punished." Annbeth said, looking down.
"Wait, what? But it wasn't her fault!" Percy protested.
Zoe smiled a bit at the response, before shaking her head.
"She still lied to Artemis. Had she come to her right away, she could have left the Hunt in peace, with full support of the goddess and us." Zoe said. "Because she lied for so long till the lie couldn't be upheld, she had broken her oaths to Artemis, and thus had to be punished. She was turned into a bear and left to roam the wild free, as long as she doesn't appear before the Hunters or Artemis again."
"That's bullshit!" Percy said right away. "Why the hell should Kallisto be punish for something not her fault? She literally couldn't have done anything! Why the hell did Artemis just punish her for something that stupid? Of course she was afraid, she thought she'd be hated by her friends for something not her fault!"
Indignant rage boiled up in Zoe Nightshade, at the callousness, this boy dared address her goddess with. Did he think Artemis felt no pain for being forced to punish Kallisto? That it was just something she did on a whim!? That she wasn't forced to pick the least bad out of worse options? Had Kallisto not been punished, it would have been open season on all the Hunters, using what happened to her as precedent, so that Artemis doesn't retaliate to her Hunters being violated.
"Because oaths are sacred, Percy," Annabeth answered before Zoe could explode. Her words deescalating the situation. "They are important, so gods can't just ignore it when they are broken, even if someone was innocent caught in the middle. Actions must have consequences, whether we like it or not."
"Well, what about the Big Three then?" Percy said. "All of them said not to have kids, but they still did and nothing happened to them." Bianca raised an eyebrow, and Percy blushed at accusing the Hades given he didn't violate any oath. He looked away, as he calmed down. "Except Hades, of course."
"But they did suffer for it." Annabeth said, making Percy and everyone look at her in surprise. "Thalia hates her father. Your father never got to be with you growing up. And above all, all three have to live with the uncertainty if its their kid that will save or destroy Olympus. Are their children their family or their future enemy?" Annabeth said, shocking everyone with that point of view, as they didn't expect it. "That's a horrible fate to live with."
"...is not fair." Percy said in a low voice.
For a while the group continued on in silence, contemplating this new knowledge.
"Say..." Bianca spoke up after a while. "Zoe, you said Kallisto discovered the deception after the disguised Zeus forced himself on her. But if she discovered it afterwards, then she still had the disguise on?"
"Your point being?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, looking annoyed.
"Was Zeus in the guise of Artemis throughout the whole thing?" Bianca asked wide-eyed.
Zoe started to look visibly irritated.
"Yeah, probably, what of it?" Grover asked confused.
"Holy shit, Zeus literally became a futa just to seduce someone!" Biance cried out and thunder rumbled in the sky much more loudly now. Lightning even arching once or twice through the clear sky. "Oh what? What are you feeling indignant for, Uncle? Heck, if you did that today you'd probably have a fucking fanclub of degenerate fujoshis, given how much the internet corrupted people!"
Thunder... quietened. The sky seemed calmer now, and to the dread of the questers, they felt like the Sky God was actually considering Bianca's words.
Then to Bianca's horror, she felt a feeling of lightness fill her, as if her energy was renewed, and the sky became cloudy enough, that the desert started to have a pleasant breeze to it, rather than a scorching hot one.
"No. No no no no no no no no! Do not bless me for that information! I do not want the Queen of the Gods' attention on me! Uncle! Reverse this! Reverse this, please!" Bianca cried out.
"...Ooooh." Percy's eyes widened as in a surprising eureka moment, he understood what happened. "Oh you're screwed." He told her, with an amused gleam.
"Not the time, Jackson! Quick! Help me start a fire, so I can make sacrifices to Apollo so he can reverse this before the Queen finds out!"
Bianca's unpublished Fate/complete materials Vol.1 with Asterios' commentary, were accepted by Apollo, but he couldn't undo his dad's blessing. He did promise to help Bianca out immensely later on.
"Fear is illusionary, and you let that illusionary danger control your destiny. The Fates aren't coy or shy, child. If they want to give a prophecy, they will do so. Synchronicity is just them having fun, not them issuing proclamation of what yet to be."
The questers found themselves before a junkyard. A literal mountain of junk that seemed to go on for miles.
"Hephaestus' junkyard." Annabeth commented.
"Remember, we can' take anything here, okay?" Bianca warned. "No matter how shiny or cool or unimportant, okay?" She repeated.
"The things gods throw away, are thrown for a reason. Anything here is probably a danger, even if you manage to keep it." Zoe affirmed Bianca's command.
"Right. Got it. Let's just go through till we reach a body of water, and call Bessie back." Percy nodded.
The questers forged through.
"But then that was yours and your mother's favorite vice. The succulent allure of declaring 'I have solved this puzzle. I am the smartest'."
How could I be so careless!? Annabeth berated herself as she ran away to the side, dodging the large foot of Talos. Or rather a faulty prototype of it.
The questers were fighting to bring down the faulty Talos, while running around it trying to survive.
All because of Annabeth.
Because she found a stupid Sopwith Camel model airplane.
Her dad constantly talked about the first world war. He had his miniature recreation of the Third Battle of Ypres. He was only missing one piece.
She had thought about Aphrodite's words, even if didn't want to. Her mind constantly replaying them over and over, analyzing again and again.
That's what started this mess. She let her stupid sentimentality get the better of her.
Just like that stupid game, Fate/Téras Konístra.
The Lance character fight the Percy character? Just like in real life. They were friends that turned to enemies. That Lance tried to kill Percy before he summoned a Servant, is just like Luke offering Percy a place in the Titan Army, then fighting him when he refused because Percy was a child of the Big Three, and would eventually become truly strong.
Lance going after a Russian mob worshipping the Baba Yaga? It obvious points to Luke planning to destroy the Titan Army and Kronos. Fighting a symbol of darkness, it was obvious.
The Jason character trying to uncover his past and find his sister? It's obviously pointing to Thalia and her real living brother. That he's alive, with amnesia and subconsciously wants to find her.
The rest she's not sure about. Maybe they are people she'll meet in the future. Maybe other people will meet them.
And then there's her character, Annabelle Chaser. There isn't a more obvious parallel. A character that's only doing her duty, while wanting revenge against Byanka, and meets Percival fortuitously.
That... she in't sure. Maybe Bianca will do something in the future Annabeth will hate her for? Maybe she already did and doesn't realize it? ...No, it's Hades. Hades sent those monsters after Thalia when they were chasing us seven years ago. That's the connection. Just as Byanka's grandfather is responsible for Annabelle's tragic past.
So that left Percival. Whom was only a good friend to Annbelle. There was no other connection.
And if Percy would just be her friend, then they can still do that while she was with the Hunters. Where there would be people always there.
Luke left, mad with revenge. Thalia... just accepted that. She didn't want Luke back, she wanted revenge against him for leaving them.
And her parents? Her stepmother blamed her for the monster. Her father just didn't understand.
And everyone was just so slow. Why couldn't they just see what she sees? Why couldn't they understand?
The only one who could, her mother, she wasn't always there. She has more important things. Godly things. Annabeth was sure.
Bianca's advise? It can only apply to a child of the Big Three. The rest of the demigods weren't so fortunate.
...Weren't so loved.
Annbeth didn't know what to do. How to fix this.
Grover made the power lines try to wipe around Talos' feet, but he just broke away from them. The power line hit some wooden rubbish and set it aflame.
Annabeth looked at the flames, and her mind sparkled into action.
"Annabeth!" Percy shouted. "Come on, move!"
"I'll fix this!" She shouted back.
"Annabeth, it's fine!" Bianca shouted, as she darted around the battlefield, almost like a blur, slashing away at Talo's limbs, if he dared come close. Her shadow seemed to act like a ice sheet that she glided upon. "It's not your fault, these things happen."
"No, it is!" Annabeth shouted back. "I let my emotions blind me to how stupid it was to pick up this stupid model. So I'll fix it!" She ran to the flames, and ready to throw the Sopwith Camel into it as an offer. The image of her dad, of the family she never felt home with came to her mind. Of the home she wished she could have. Annabeth pushed through it and threw the model plane into the fire. "Lady Aphrodite, please, I'm sorry for any anger or displease I incurred. Please don't let my friends die for my mistakes." The flames ate the plane, but the plane didn't vanish as sacrifice usually do. "Please don't let Percy die." She whispered, begged.
The model plane vanished.
The group moved more energetically, more cohesively. Their second wind come in very strongly, as if they could fight for hours.
And they did.
Percy thought to try and destroy Talos from the inside, but Bianca shot down that idea, as the one who does it will inevitably die.
Bianca ordered them to hold on, as she felt like the tide would turn soon.
And it did.
As the sun nearly vanished on the horizon, the rays of sunlight started to gather upon the giant mechanized solider. As the last ray of light was upon the day, all of it intensified, and focused on a single point. Talos' swords hand.
An arrow of sunlight slammed into the mechanical giant's hand blasting it right off.
"Thank you, Lord Apollo!" Bianca shouted, and the group felt a thumbs up being given to them.
"It's still not down!" Zoe cried out.
"What do we do!?" Percy said back.
"Percy! Annabeth!" Bianca shouted getting their attention. "Make a giant fire and throw Talos' sword in it!" She commanded.
"What? What would that do?" Asked Percy.
"The most important power for a demigod to have is faith!" Bianca shouted as the shadows throw her up, dodging Talos' hand, and slashing his face, shocking the mecha giant, before landing back on the ground as if she weighted a feather. "The more important superpower!" She continued. "Is nepotism! We're sacrificing the damn sword to my father so he can deal with this!"
No one was sure if that's how it worked, or if Bianca even was right, but they were panicking, out of options that didn't require self-sacrifice which Bianca forbid.
It was the easier options so they did it.
Grover had the scrap metal rise up from the ground like tree. Annabeth spread the fires with oil arrows, and Percy gathered up all of his strength, and together with Grover and Annabeth they pushed the giant sword into the burning wall.
"Father!" Bianca cried out upon seeing them finish their part. "Please accept our sacrifice and help us take down Talos!"
The sword vanished.
Nothing happened.
Then Bianca's eyes widened as she felt a massive surge of power. She expanded her shadow to the largest extend she ever did. As side as a building.
And from that large shadow, a massive sword was launched at near the speed of sound, and slammed into Talos' torso, driving it back, and thrown off its feet to fall down. The force was such that the head was broken off.
Talos fell to the ground with the loudest thud any of the demigods and satyr have heard.
Finally the battle was over. They had won. The questers regrouped so they'd be on their way.
"Okay," Percy panted. "Guess that's over for now."
"Dude!" Bianca said out loud, startling Percy. "Don't say stuff like that! Murphy is listening."
"Who's 'Murphy'?" Percy asked.
"She means Murphy's Law it's just a superstition." Annabeth said.
"What superstition?" Zoe asked.
"That anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Bianca explained.
"It's not real though. It's probably just the gods doing things to mortals, and it seems like bad luck, nothing more." Annabeth insisted.
The junkyard started to rumble and quake.
"Come on! Come on! We can make it!" Percy shouted.
The trash mountain that was Hephaestus' junkyard had transformed into a labyrinth, trapping the questers inside. The walls started to form along with the ceiling too quickly.
Before Annabeth could react, the walls were starting to trap them. And by the time Zoe lead them to the edge of the junkyard, the mecha junk labyrinth was complete.
However before it fully closed, Annabeth managed to get the location of the exit. West. So she lead the group toward the exit.
However the junk labyrinth was infested with mechanical monsters. Failed creations of Hephaestus, like Colchis Bulls that would explode at random, or pitfalls like a real labyrinth or even s-s-spider drone that fly everywhere and hit them or the walls.
Annabeth pushed through it all to lead the group to the exit. They could see the light and were so close.
Grover tripped over his hooves. Some invisible wire, something caught onto his leg.
Percy went back for him. For one treacherous moment Annabeth wondered if it would be logical to leave them. Percy has Grover, and Aphrodite would make sure Percy survived, right?
"Annabeth, move!" Zoe shouted to her, as she reached the exit.
Annabeth moved.
She dashed to Grover's other side, helping Percy carry him as they ran for the exit, with the ceiling coming down on them.
"We're not gonna make it. Percy," Grover panted jump-running on one leg. "Percy, Annabeth, leave me, go!"
"Hell no!" Percy shouted.
They began to duck as the ceiling reach their height level now.
Bianca ran back for them.
She grabbed Grover and Percy by their shirts and threw them over the finish line.
Then she did the same with Annabeth before starting to sprint.
Annabeth fell on the sandy ground with a thud, and quickly got up.
Bianca was move fast. Annabeth was even sure she felt lighter when Bianca grabbed her. Some kind of power to affect weight? The daughter of Athena wasn't sure how Bianca did it, but it obviously helped that daughter of Hades move faster.
Yet it was not enough. Bianca used her abilities the most in the fight with Talos, and helping them escape the junk labyrinth traps. She had nothing more to give, and Annabeth's damn divine mind could tell Bianca won't make it.
"Zoe!" Bianca shouted. Her grim face showing she knew that too. "Remember your promise!" The ceiling was now pushing down upon her.
"No!" Percy moved to grab the ceiling. Grover, Zoe and Annabeth went next to him doing the same.
"Everyone gets home, Zoe!" Bianca's voice came from under the giant ceiling closing the exit of the junk labyrinth. "Remember!"
Percy cried out in desperation, yet it felt like a whole mountain was empowering Hephaestus's mechashift labyrinth, to push down that ceiling.
Their fingers couldn't hold, and the exit to the Junkyard of the Gods was sealed.
The four quester stood stunned.
There was silence.
She was gone. Bianca was gone.
"Come on, we have to find another way in. Try and open up a path for her." Percy started walking around the mecha junk labyrinth. Upon seeing no one moving with him, he stopped and looked back confused. "Annabeth, Grover, Zoe, come on! We don't know how long Bianca can hold on—"
"Percy." Zoe spoke. Spoke with a gentler voice than Percy expected. "I'm sorry but she's gone." She began to cry.
"We don't know that—" Percy began to scream.
"'One shall be lost in the land without rain'. The prophecy, Percy." Annabeth said, tears falling down her face. "It came true and... and it's my fault. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Percy. I'm sorry, Bianca."
"No, it's not." Percy said, as he came to her side. "You don't know that. The model airplane? You got that for your dad, right? That's your emotions playing on you. You wouldn't have normally done that, so it's Aphrodite's curse, right?" He said getting angrier as he spoke. "You said she cursed you, then it's her fault. I shouldn't have trusted her, or expected her to be a nice god, but—"
"No." Annabeth cut him off, her voice wet and sputtering. She stopped him before he insulted the goddess and lost her favor. "It's my fault. That's my curse. I messed up."
"Go, Annabeth Chase. And take this curse of knowledge, that the path your life takes from now on has nothing to do with me. Your misery of an empty love will have nothing to do with any god, but by your own actions."
"No on else." Annabeth look down, lost in her mind that began torturing on all the possibilities of the actions she could have done, rather than what she did. "No one else."
The mecha junk labyrinth was quiet. With no one inside it, the traps were active.
There were no lights turned on for most of it.
And from one of those dark corners and young girl jumped out of the shadows onto the floor.
"Holy shit, that was close." Bianca panted as she laid down on the ground, catching her breath, and trying to calm down her racing heart. "Thank gods shadow travel finally worked right."
She had been practicing that skill, but it didn't come as easily to get as it did Nico. She could control shadows just fine, but traveling through them was still a bit of a struggle.
"Thanks for the help, dad!" Bianca smiled as she was sure, that extra bit of power she had to sudden in shadow travel was from Hades making sure, she succeeded in her escape.
She felt a feeling of relief, and something that sounded like a grunt of someone barely giving acknowledgement.
Bianca rolled her eyes. Her father can be a tsundere at times.
"Now," Bianca stood up. "Time to get out. I got a feel for it, so I should be able..."
Bianca tried to shadow travel.
She hit a wall.
"Ow!" She rubbed her head, looked at the walls annoyed and gave it another shot. She hit the wall again. "Ow! The hell?"
Frowning, Bianca tried different things, traveling from shadow to shadow, going from one area to another. She just couldn't shadow travel outside.
"...Fuck." She finally spat out. "Okay, so I just need to find where the new exit sprung up. At least there should be one, given how these things work."
Bianca started walking, buster sword in hand trying to find the way out.
She walked for hours with no sign or clue as to where said exit was.
"I am most definitely lost, good job, me." Bianca said with false cheer, before sighing. "Fucking prophecy."
It would be a day later that the magical protections on the labyrinth would fail, allowing her to shadow travel directly out of the junk labyrinth.
AN: Fate/complete materials here would be about FTK, where FSN would have Fate/Stay Night materials.
This isn't December 18th, as they group went on the quest a few days (like 4 I think) earlier than canon.
Next chapter will be a Zoe chapter, and should be the one where we catch up to Asterios.
