"I never wanted to be a demigod..."
Words spill out of him like a laminar flow.
"Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy."
Bianca listens with an open heart.
"You're my friend, Bianca, that doesn't change."
They never let go of each other's hands.
"I am here on a mission."
Her face goes pale and her eyes are wide, yet she never makes him feel like he's crazy.
"The world is in danger."
Bianca, of course, is afraid. But she doesn't retract or run away.
"There's a safe place for us."
Bianca di Angelo is a brave girl, Percy knows.
"I'm the son of Poseidon."
Percy doesn't consider himself a particularly adept orator. Even so, somehow, Bianca is able to sit through his narrative. As he finds himself increasingly aware of, he refuses to lie to Bianca. So, he talks to her. He tells her about Camp Half-Blood, about monsters. He shows her Riptide, pulls out a drachma and flips it for her to hold. As an added bonus, he manipulates the water in his water bottle to form shapes in the air, from horses galloping around her head to a simple ball he touches without getting wet, to a watery daisy for her to hold.
He's nervous as he does this yet she giggles and he figures it's going to be all okay.
Percy studies Bianca. Her posture is tense and disbelief slides off her as he continues. He feels sick. To be a half-blood is a curse. Here he is, revealing the curse to the cursed.
Bianca screams and runs out of the room and Percy runs after her.
Bianca slaps him in the face yet doesn't run away.
Bianca laughs at him, a note of hysteria in her voice, and it breaks Percy's heart.
Percy holds Bianca as her worldview shatters.
Percy looks at Bianca sadly as she refuses to believe him and tells him to stay away from her and her brother.
"..."
There are many ways a Percy Jackson could have talked to a Biaca di Angelo. There are many ways he could have given her proof of his words, evidence of his experiences, weight to his water.
There is only one reaction this Bianca has to this Percy.
She holds his trembling hands in her own, stilling the restless energy. She takes her thumbs and, as if smoothing out the scars, gently presses across the surface of his skin and rubs away his anxiety as if it were a dirty stain.
"Oh Percy, I'm so sorry that this happened to you. Are you okay?"
His smile is watery and, in front of Bianca, he doesn't mind crying.
He wipes his face against his shoulder, he doesn't want to let go of her hands.
He can't help the laugh that jumbles out, "I should be asking you that!"
She mirrors him, laughter and trembling and watery eyes and all.
"I'm asking you first!"
He takes care to return the favor and smooth out her own hands with just as much care as she's been doing for him.
"You must have been so scared."
He nods, grateful that someone could tell.
They sit next to each other, closely, and in silence. Bianca feels the heat emanating from Percy. She takes note of how still he is, an almost impossible feat.
They're holding hands. Her stomach feels hot. She feels warm. The room itself feels bigger than it is. Yet, perhaps or perhaps not oddly, she finds herself calm. Or some cousin of it.
How to describe the moment when one's world flips upside down?
Things she once thought she understood have taken a sudden depth. When it rains, she knows the water cycle is the cause. Now she also knows it can be manifested at the whim of a divine hand. Random luck, good and bad, could now be attributed to a goddess' mood. Fire was a tool gifted to humanity. A goddess of love lounges around a water park to cheat on her husband.
Paradigm Shift.
Out with the old beliefs and in with the new ones.
No matter what you wish was true instead.
No matter who you wish was safe.
No matter what you want deep in your heart.
No matter.
The world will continue to spin.
Bianca will continue to stand by Percy's side.
Nothing important has changed.
Percy's hand remains warm against her skin.
Annabeth can't help but pinch the bridge of her nose tightly. She follows the advice she has given Percy before and attempts to count to 10.
She makes it to 7.
She remembers back to the quest for Zeus' stolen bolt. It was her first time out in the real world, the first time she could truly prove herself to her mom. For the first time in forever she saw city lights, smoke from an exhaust, the abundance of anthropological noise, and the pleasure of anonymity in the city.
It was also the first time she well and truly feared for her life.
She was not worried about dying when the Three Kindly Ones attacked them. She was not worried about traversing an unknown forest. She was not worried when the infamous Medusa appeared. She was not even worried by the fact they were in New Jersey of all godless lands.
It was when she saw Percy mail Medusa's head to Olympus that she worried for her life. She likes to think she played it off pretty well at the moment. She didn't scream, murder Percy, or even sink into a fetal position and cry. Annabeth instead prayed for forgiveness to her mother, hoping she was listening this time, and merely told this walking hydrogen bomb in front of her, "Come on. We need a new plan."
She hated to admit it, but a part of her respected him for the audacity of it all. Equally, however, she abhorred his disregard for common sense and the sanctity of life.
To tell off the gods?
Suicidal.
Then there was the way he looked at her, really looked. It was a face set in stone, his chin tilted forward and eyes like whirlpools, dragging her down.
A force of nature he was.
She was stuck with him. It was his quest, his wrong to right, and if she wanted to save the world, she had to do it with this impertinent boy.
Medusa, Poseidon, Athena... their story is an old one and told in countless different ways.
Maybe Medusa was the offending party. Maybe Poseidon was sacrilegious. Maybe her mother Athena took it too far. Who knows what is myth and what is real in that piece of history?
Maybe Medusa didn't deserve to be turned into a monster by her mother, but she definitely isn't justified in taking it out on three kids.
And maybe, a small voice in her head whispers defiantly, maybe Percy wasn't completely wrong in his actions either, consequences be damned.
Percy Jackson is the stubborn type; how could she have forgotten? He charges ahead, recklessly, for others without a care.
So, she's not completely surprised but is completely pissed at him and his disregard for being careful and actually using his brain for once!
"Seaweed Brain..."
The nickname whisps between them, floating wearily in the mist of their IM.
Percy's not having it.
His eyes, just like then and just like so many times in their friendship, blaze in defiance. Objectively she knows she's taller than him, just like objectively she knows that won't always be the case. Even through the rainbow, he stands taller than she can remember. More solid than she can remember. Gone is the capricious boy she met. He looked as serious as she felt about the situation. She can see the message in his eyes, 'I am not wrong. I did what was right. I do not regret my choices.'
Gods, this is her best friend.
"Now that she knows, they'll know too."
Percy nods, and his steel softens to grim stone. She's marginally glad to know he is taking this seriously, but it's mostly overshadowed by the weight of their situation.
"We've been training together recently—"
What? Why hadn't she known?
"—It's not much, but it's better than nothing. The year has been oddly quiet and it's been making me nervous."
"Uh, how, erm. How long have you guys been training together?"
Percy waves his hand lazily, "Only this past week—"
A week.
"Does Grover know?"
How long had Grover known?
Percy looks at her like she's the odd one.
"Well yeah, of course he knows. He came running at me and tackled me into the snow in a huff, talking about how Bianca smelled way stronger than before and how we needed to get out of the school and head to camp."
She counts again.
"Why," she begins logically, "haven't you then?"
He bites his lip, biding for time she supposes.
"Bianca wants to try to give Nico some peace before uprooting his life. Let him finish the semester and live a semi-normal life. After, we'll leave for camp at the end of Winter Break."
End of Winter Break?
The words shoot out faster than she can stop herself, "That's unwise."
Her best friend looks at her like she's stupid, and it irks her to no end.
"There's nothing wrong with what Bianca wants to give Nico. It's not a crime, Annabeth, to want to give Nico some good memories before," here his face contorts into a grimace, "before everything changes."
She knows she should back down. Let it go. Allow this to pass over her because Percy is clearly not budging on this topic.
"It's dangerous, it puts you all at risk. I don't advise it, Percy. Please use your head and really think. Come to camp where it's safe, Seaweed Brain."
Her and her big mouth.
His lips purse, clearly, for once, choosing his words carefully.
It's a wicked position to be in. Where usually he's so unbound against monsters and gods, here he is cautiously picking his words. Holding himself back against her of all people makes her feel like she's in some bizarro world.
He knots his hands together and unknots them, a faint pop pop pop released from his knuckles. Finally, "In the end, Annabeth, it's neither of our choices. It's Bianca's choice. Bianca wants what she wants, and I support her, agree with her. I want Nico to have a nice time at school too, want him to enjoy life a little before being stuck at camp."
He chews on his lips, deliberating over something, "They're orphans, Annabeth. They've only got each other. Life's already hard enough for them, being shuffled everywhere by a lawyer without any say. This way, they get to have agency. This way, they can experience the world, like you did when we went on our first quest, as they are before heading off to be demigods."
He sighs, pained, "I... I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have told Bianca, maybe you're right and I put her in danger—"
And yourself too, Seaweed Brain.
"—but I couldn't lie to her either. She's my friend and deserves to be prepared." The lines on his face become graver, "I took away her bliss, Annabeth. I'm the one who introduced her into our messed-up world. I took away her agency in doing that, I want to give it back to her. I want to make it up to her, somehow."
He looks sheepish now, and she knows the next words out of his mouth will be ridiculous and worthy of fondness.
"Actually, I was thinking that we could all, you know, at the end of Winter Break, that we could a—"
"PERCY!"
Whiplike hand slashes through the message, and Annabeth suddenly remembers that Percy is a prodigy with Riptide.
The last bit she can see before the IM completely dissipates is a small boy, Nico she presumes, bursting into the dorm with a profound familiarity. He launches himself off Percy's bed face first and immediately demands Percy's attention. Just behind the small boy is a pretty girl with dark hair and eyes, and freckles across her nose. Clear fondness is on her lovely face as she rolls her eyes at Nico's entrance. That fondness does not recede from her face as her attention shifts to Percy, whose back is the final thing she sees.
"Not bad Bianca, not bad at all!"
"Please do not patronize me."
"I'm not!"
"Uh-huh."
They're out in the woods late at night. The forest is eerily silent. Snow is lightly falling around them. Both are layered like lasagna, thankfully, but the tip of Percy's nose still stings a bit.
Bianca is leaning against a tree, catching her breath.
Percy sits next to her.
"I mean it, you're doing pretty good Bianca. We're nearing two weeks—"
"You still beat me every time."
"I've been doing this for two years, Bianca. Be kinder to yourself. Camp and Chiron will speed things along."
She sighs and Percy struggles with himself. They're silent for a while before Bianca speaks up again.
"Percy?"
He turns to face her, but she's picking at her gloves.
"Do you like camp?"
His eyebrows lift by themselves, confused by the question. "Yeah, camp is... camp is pretty amazing honestly."
She turns to face him, peering into his eyes. He smiles, a little wistfully, a little sad. "It's one of the safest places on Earth for people like us."
A stone drops in her stomach at the candor. Her mouth puckers, "Is that the only reason you like it? That doesn't feel like a good enough reason."
He laughs, "Yeah, you're right. It's not. Thankfully, that's not the only reason I love camp."
Percy thinks back to when he first arrived at Camp Half-Blood.
"When I first got to the edge of camp, it was raining. Dark and thundering, I was running for my life with my mom and Grover."
Up until that point in his life, he thought it was the most frightening moment of his life. Only Mrs. Dodds and her pop quizzes could compete.
He has come a long way from then.
Clearly, the world is full of even more frightening monsters.
Bianca scoots closer and he is glad he can see her a bit better now under the New Moon night.
"One of the first things you will see as we drive up the road is the pine tree which marks the entrance to camp. This giant tree, Thalia's Pine Tree, we call it, is pretty difficult to miss."
She scrunches her eyebrows, "Why that? Who is Thalia?"
Percy shifts around and laces his fingers on his outstretched leg, "Thalia is a daughter of Zeus, Annabeth and her are super close. Actually, Thalia is going to the same school as her and you'll probably meet her eventually."
"And why is it her tree? Did she plant it?"
Percy laughs, "I honestly can't see Thalia having a green thumb, no."
His mood drops as he thinks about how to answer Bianca.
"Well, it's not my story to tell, but it is also a pretty well-known fact around camp. You see, years ago, Thalia was making her way to camp with Grover, Annabeth, and..."
Luke.
"... and another demigod. Thing is, they were being chased by a legion of monsters, directly from the Underworld. An army of hellhounds and even the Three Kindly Ones. Leathery old hags, with whips of fire, bat wings, and claws as long as my forearm."
Bianca's eyes widen at the imagery.
"Yeah, they're pretty terrifying. But Thalia held them off, fought them so that Annabeth and the other demigod could get to camp safely. And they did. Thalia almost made it, she was close to camp, close to the border guard. I didn't know this until later, but before the tree, apparently, it was just a border patrol protecting the camp. Before she could make it, she was struck down. She was supposed to die on that hill, but Zeus took pity on her, his daughter, and turned her into a pine tree. Hence, Thalia's pine tree. With the tree and Thalia's life force, it erected a magical barrier around the camp, protecting it so monsters couldn't get inside anymore."
Bianca's mouth hangs open and her eyes are misty. "That's absolutely terrifying."
"It is."
"Have you been chased by monsters like that?"
"I have."
"Because of the demigod smell you told me about?"
"Among other reasons, yeah."
"I'm shocked."
"How come?"
"Knowing you, I would have thought the monsters would be repelled by your smell."
Scandalized, "Bianca!"
Candidly, "I've been in your room, Percy."
They laugh for a good minute under the night sky and bright stars. The chill does not seem as invasive as before.
As they quiet back down, Percy notices Bianca looks pensive.
"What are you thinking about?"
She tilts her head back and forth, "Well, correct me because I might be wrong, I know I'm new to the whole demigod life and all, but is people coming back from the dead normal? It just does not seem to be the kind of thing that should happen, is all."
Percy shifts, unsure at first how to answer. "Annabeth told me that almost no one ever successfully comes back from the dead. Most people who try are severely punished by the gods, 'it's the kind of territory mortals aren't supposed to tread' is what she said."
Bianca's words come out very quickly, "Does Annabeth teach you everything?"
Percy cannot help the laugh that bubbles from him, "Pretty much. I told you she's wickedly smart, I'd probably be dead without her."
It's an admission, an honest statement from Percy. He knows it is the truth; the whole camp knows it. Percy gets the impression, from Bianca's thinning lips and sudden quietness, that she somehow doesn't find it nearly as funny. He feels like he somehow made a misstep while going down some stairs, now feeling concerningly weightless.
Think, Percy. Think.
Brain blast!
"..."
More like brain fart.
Bianca seems to shrink into herself again, and Percy hates it.
Let's process.
Pretty much.
Yes, most of his mythology knowledge comes from either Annabeth or actually living through it himself. Nothing surprising there.
I told you she's wickedly smart.
This is an obvious, objective truth. Annabeth is smart, the grass is green, and the world moves on.
I'd probably be dead without her.
Okay, he can see how that might be bad. He takes care not to say things like that too often around his mom if he can help it.
It is... something he himself tries not to think about too often. His nightmares of Mrs. Dodds' claws tearing into him like tissue paper. Being a guinea pig for life under the mercy of a witch who turned his insecurities against him. The minotaur being luckier than himself, gouging him with the same horn he snapped off. Blasted into smithereens. Cut, again and again, by the embodiment of violence in a never-ending battle. A voice like knives on steel.
All it takes is a second too late, a foe too strong.
Before he can reply to Bianca, she beats him to it, "Is Annabeth your girlfriend?"
His brain takes a second to catch up. Then another second for itself. Just itself, no processing or buffering is needed.
What the fuck?
"What the fuck?"
Bianca reels back as if struck, and the action makes Percy feel as if he were actually struck.
"S-Sorry," she sputters, "if it is personal you obv—"
"Bianca." He has to interrupt her; this direction of the conversation is straight-up bizarre for him.
She continues like a train which is carried by momentum, she's looking anywhere but at him, but the train slows gradually. Finally,
"You just talk about her a lot, is all."
The ground trembles, and Percy wonders if his control over his powers slipped.
"I'm sorry for cursing, Bianca," and wow does that feel odd to say, "I was just... really surprised, is all."
"I understand. It came out of the blue, after all."
It did, but Percy decided not to voice that.
"Still, I try not to when we're together."
She looks taken aback by the statement, so Percy presses on.
"I've noticed that you don't really do it. Or you'll go out of your way to circumvent the word. Or you'll say an old-timey substitution, like, goodness gracious or something. Nico curses way more than you, and he's told me how you've tried to curb that habit for him too." Percy shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. No, self-conscious.
Bianca nods silently, tilting her head as if to look at him better.
"So I try not to do it around you too." He brings his hand to the back of his neck, "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
She releases a gust of air that could have been a laugh or a huff. But she's smiling, so Percy figures he's not messing up again.
"Besides, my mom would probably thank you for it."
This time she does laugh, and unbeknown to them, they both relax a bit more.
"But, um, no. Annabeth isn't my girlfriend, she's my best friend."
Bianca nods and Percy nods with her.
He can't help it, "But where in the world did you get that idea?
"Ah," she begins making nonsensical figures in the snow, "I don't know, I guess, well I figured, with how much you talk about her..."
She's chewing her lip and suddenly an odd thought hits Percy.
As uncomfortable as Percy might be, Bianca might be feeling the same way too.
"You just obviously respect her, and she sounds pretty cool from everything you have told me and Nico. She seems... capable, and smart."
Bianca shrugs her shoulders and feels the chill in the air drop further down.
Percy for his part moves to sit in front of Bianca. He sits closely, their knees touch, and they shiver. He begins and joins Bianca in scribbling with the snow. Bianca drew squiggles and waves, circles and spirals. There's the odd object; Percy spots a sword, a turtle, a happy and a frowny face, and other doodles. Eventually, Percy brings his hand to the series of waves that Bianca had engraved and adds more waves. Bianca's own drawing slows, but a shake of Percy's head encourages her to continue with the distraction. Within Bianca's drawings, Percy adds his own bit on the canvas of snow. He draws a ship on the waves, and a vague elephant shape under the turtle, and when Bianca moves on to draw another shape, Percy is not far behind. This goes on, and together the snow becomes a joint effort in art.
Percy speaks, "Annabeth is my best friend, she is capable and smart and I am lucky to have her, of course I am. But she's not my girlfriend. She's my best friend."
He continues with the art project with, Bianca notes, a slower pace, and so she braces herself when she peeks at his 'thinking face.'
"Why..." he begins. He stops doodling, as does she. Bianca was not sure what expression she expected on his face, maybe one of annoyance. Perhaps a face of confusion. Could he make a face contorted in disgust at her?
Evidently, Percy is as unpredictable as always. He looks thoughtful, and the look is peculiarly soft, almost a distant cousin of confusion. His brows are drawn together and his mouth is lightly drawn downward, causing his red lips to pucker upward.
It's cute.
"Why do people think that?"
Why do people think that, is what he said.
"People joke about it all the time. At camp, the Aphrodite cabin likes to make kissy faces at me, or Beckendorf, a child of Hephaestus, will tell me things that make me confused until Connor explains it to me while laughing at me."
Bianca blinks at the information and files it away to the bulging file in her brain about people to get acquainted with when her life changes, again, forever.
He looks as mystified as she feels.
It seems she's not the only one to notice how close Percy and Annabeth are, nor is she the only one to wonder about the nature of their relationship. And that's only from second-hand information!
Percy, in his boyish wisdom, settles with, "People are strange."
Bianca, in her girlish wisdom, settles with, "You're strange."
Percy smirks at her, cocky and sure, "Maybe, but you're my friend, too, so by default so are you."
Bianca initially wants to bristle at his statement, but the humorous twinkle in his eye wins her over, "So we're both a little strange."
"Eh," he shrugs, "you've got to be odd to be number one."
What an endearingly odd boy.
That beginning of daylight, Apollo, her mind whispers, begins to rise.
"Let me clue you in on a little secret, Bianca."
"Do tell."
"We can be strange together and forget about everyone else."
Warmth fills her stomach.
"Sounds like a plan."
If Bianca is honest with herself, the conversation feels incomplete. Still, she doesn't mind the reassurance that her relationship with Percy is their own.
Class drones on, and Bianca can't help her feet from rhythmically tap-tap-tapping against the floor. The clock continues to tick and she swears it echoes along with every second.
Tick-Tick-Tick.
Was it a conspiracy by some god to slow down the clock just for her?
Tick-Tick.
Ms. Abdallah continues by delegating the homework, and part of her knows Percy must have shed a tear at the amount of reading they were going to do tonight. The thought amuses her and, mercifully, tides her over until the bell rings.
Tick.
Drrrrrrrr!
Finally.
Students speed walk to the door, and Bianca hangs back to avoid the crowd.
"Ms. Di Angelo, a word?"
Could this be the work of an enemy god?
"Yes, Ms. Abdallah?"
Ms. Abdallah is a beautiful woman with refined features and impeccable make-up. She's a tall woman too, and everything about her is manicured. In her hands, is the paper that Bianca had turned in.
Oh god. Oh gods.
"I just wanted to say fantastic work." She smiles kindly, prettily. "I was really enjoying your creative writing project; it was probably one of my favorite ones to read."
"Oh." Relief and odd embarrassment fill her, she remembers that paper and suddenly feels the urge to itch.
"I'm glad you liked it." Because she can't contain herself, "What was your favorite part?
The assignment was an exercise in world-building, specifically in creating a point of view outside of your own. In a sense, it is not only meant to encourage creative thinking but also empathy for perspectives that we don't normally experience.
"I really enjoyed your protagonist! They were lovely to read, they possessed a charisma even with their flaws. Firm and assured, they were the strongest part of your paper. The way they navigated the world you created, full of larger-than-life scenery and characters. Well, it would have been so easy for you to focus more on the 'creative' part of the project, but you managed to incorporate a point of view that wasn't bogged down by the narrative! I'm really impressed by the short story, and I was going to ask if you had any interest in entering it in the Youth Writing Competition?"
"Uh..."
Never mind the fact that she has dyslexia, or that reading gives her a headache after too long, or the fact that her life is about to fundamentally turn on itself.
"It's no pressure or anything, Bianca. Just something to think about. You, like your protagonist, have a clear voice. Just give it some thought and I can send it over for submission with you if you wish."
Bianca does not know what to say, but she feels a flash of heat run up her spine, her face, and settling in her eyes.
"I-I will think about it."
Before Ms. Abdallah can say anymore, Bianca mumbles a thanks and turns from the supportive woman to run to her dorm.
"Are you guys excited for the Winter Formal?"
Percy resists the urge to drown himself in despair as he overhears the conversation of a group of kids the next lunch table over.
"Oh my God, I literally can't wait! Do you think Daniel will ask me to the dance?"
"Girl, he'd be stupid not to!"
"I don't know Mandy," a boy next to 'Mandy' begins, "it's the 21st century, why don't you..."
Percy tunes out the conversation and focuses on his chicken dinner. The topic of the Winter Formal has been floating around the school since the start of December. On Friday the 14th the school will host one last dance, the aforementioned Winter Formal, before school closes for Winter Break.
School Dances, as a rule, are majorly uncomfortable.
Well...
"Bianca! Do you think I can reuse my pirate costume?"
Giving the side-eye to Nico and Bianca, Percy feels he might have to reevaluate his stance. The Halloween dance, after all, has been the highlight of his year so far.
"I doubt it Nico. It is going to be a formal dance. To dress up as proper ladies and gentlemen is the appropriate dress code."
Nico wrinkles his nose at Bianca and turns to Percy. He looks suddenly shy, "Would you dress up as pirates with me?"
Percy laughs good-naturedly and ruffles Nico's hair like he imagines he would do to Tyson if he could reach his head. Nico doesn't move to slap his hand. It is the most natural thing in the world, Percy has never felt so accepted before.
Percy is about to humor him when he notices Bianca looking at a poster for the Winter Formal. The poster is an emblematic pale blue, snowflakes, and shining lights giving the impression of a Winter Wonderland.
Now, Percy isn't exactly the classiest dude around. He sells candy out of his locker and will eat a day-old cheeseburger easily. He cleans his wounds with salt water and spit and, as a proud New Yorker, laughs at tourists who try too hard to look 'chic.'
She does not tear her eyes away from the poster and looks focused. She looks like she's thinking about something, or perhaps she is imagining something.
The response he was going to give Nico was 'yeah,' because going to the dance dressed as a pirate somehow feels safe, and less embarrassing. Going with Nico, Grover, and Bianca, all of them, to a Winter Formal would be new for him. It oddly entices him actually. Going to a school dance while not under probation, going to a school event with excitement, looking forward to dancing, it was all as foreign as Russian to Percy. The thought of going with his favorite people was comforting and exciting! But then again...
A new thought.
A new possibility.
A paralyzing choice.
"Nico, you are going to dress appropriately for the dance."
Bianca, while still staring at the poster, speaks with the authority endowed by the fact that she is the older sibling.
Nico grumbles but doesn't fight back.
"Suit, tie, shoes, and belt."
Nico slides further down his seat but doesn't fight it.
"You will look adorable, I promise."
This time Nico raises himself up in hackles, "I don't want to look adorable, Bianca! I want to look hot!"
His dark eyes quickly turn to Percy, for what Percy can only assume is moral support before he turns away just as fast.
"You're too young for that."
He groans with resignation.
Percy's palms are sweaty and said sweaty palm knocks on Bianca's door.
It takes a bit before the door opens, and to Percy's disappointment, it is Bianca's roommate who answers.
It must have been palpable on his face because the girl, Andrea, he thinks, raises an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry I'm not your girlfriend, didn't mean to disappoint."
His eyes feel as if they bulge out of their sockets and he squawks like a seagull caught in a net.
"W-What?"
"Bianca?" She says it like it's an obvious thing. "Aren't you guys dating or something?"
Absolutely floored, Percy can only stare at her in astonishment.
"Huh, I guess not. Everyone just assumes you guys are, since you're always spending time together even as you're the year above, different grades and all that. I've seen you enter and exit our room enough times to think it."
What it is with people and assuming he's dating? Isn't he a little young for that?
"I, um," Percy struggles to reboot, "I guess Bianca isn't here then?"
She looks way too comfortable and amused at his expense. Andrea leans against the door frame and casually picks at her nails, "Nope. Honestly just assumed she was over at your place."
Implications of that statement aside, "Uh, no, I was just, well—"
Why is he talking?
Andrea spares him from humiliation. Well, further humiliation.
"Do you want me to let her know you stopped by?"
He takes the opportunity like a lifeline. "Yes, please."
He is sad to have missed her, but will happily take the chance to let her know he was looking for her.
She laughs, nods, and closes the door. Percy stares at the door for a second, and it swings open one more time.
Andrea speaks, "I'd get on it if I were you."
"Huh?"
"Bianca. She's pretty popular in our year. I'm sure there are plenty of guys and girls who want to ask her out to the dance."
The world feels like it was put in a blender. Percy hasn't had a drop of alcohol but he feels like Dionysus must have messed with him or something. He feels his hands, his sweaty hands, get clammier. His stomach does an odd churn and he thinks he might be getting sick.
"Just, you know, giving you a word of advice. A heads up. You guys look cute together, and she's been way happier since you entered the picture."
She grins, all teeth, "I'm rooting for you."
The dorm door closes.
Percy proceeds to stare at the door for longer than appropriate, as if wisdom would jump from the woodwork. But nothing happens.
He turns the corner leading to the Boy's Wing. There is a long corridor between the East and West Wing of the school where the dorms are located. Giant windows and arching stones make up the corridor, and LED lights are strategically placed to light the way. There, at the end of the all, on the West Wing and opposite of himself, is Bianca di Angelo.
"Are you guys excited for the Winter Formal?"
Bianca's ears pick up on the conversation unwittingly from the table beside them and cannot help but eavesdrop on the gossip.
"Oh my God, I literally can't wait! Do you think Daniel will ask me to the dance?"
"Girl, he'd be stupid not to!"
"I don't know Mandy," a boy next to 'Mandy' begins, "it's the 21st century, why don't you..."
Whatever was being said was out of her peripheral by the fact that Bianca spotted the poster advertising the event near the cafeteria's double doors. Her chicken dinner is probably getting cold, but she cannot bring herself to care too much right now. The Winter Wonderland Formal is the last school event of the year before they're all released for the semester. Winter Break starts after until the middle of January when classes resume for the second semester.
Her first school dance was such a fun time, she cannot remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much. Percy warned them all that 'School Dances, are a rule, are majorly uncomfortable,' but Percy was the reason the dance is a precious memory for her in the first place.
So...
"Bianca! Do you think I can reuse my pirate costume?"
Her attention is ripped from the poster, but her eyes are not. Even with her brother glued to her hip, she doubts she would have to reevaluate her stance. The Halloween dance, after all, has been the highlight of her year so far.
"I doubt it, Nico, it is going to be a formal dance. To dress up as proper ladies and gentlemen is the appropriate dress code."
She doesn't need to be clairvoyant to know Nico is probably making a ridiculous face at her right now, but she cannot bring herself to care. Nico will listen to her, even as he grumbles and mumbles. Suddenly, to Percy, "Would you dress up as pirates with me?"
Percy's laugh eases her annoyance at Nico and his insistence. As Percy proceeds to ruffle Nico's hair, Bianca admires how seamless the byplay between them all is, like it is the most natural thing in the world, these precious bonds with each other.
She continues staring at the poster on the wall, the pale colors a stark contrast against the gray of the cafeteria wall. Come to think of it, the world certainly feels a lot more colorful than she remembers it being, or had she just never noticed it before?
Bianca does not consider herself popular. She could not say she was anti-social, but she can definitely say she prefers her quiet. She likes to have the room to herself and a healthy amount of distance between her body and others. She loves her brother and little else and tries to avoid the limelight.
As she gazes at the announcement, she imagines that Percy probably has been to these things before and would have no interest in the event. If they do end up going it would be because of Nico's thirst for new experiences.
Yet something tickles her in the back of her mind. She pictures it, fuzzy and opaque, but she sees in her mind's eye all the same. She is younger, she is holding hands with an older woman. The sound of music waltzes into her ear, candlelight illuminates the wide room she finds herself in. People, in mass amounts, move through the room with the music. It is not as chaotic as the Macarena, not as relaxed perhaps, but endlessly elegant. A wave of static energy travels over everyone, even herself, and she finds boundless enjoyment in this moment, in this space.
For a second, she wants to crack and allow Nico this indulgence. What would it matter? Let him dress like a pirate, at least they could go to the dance. But no. That feels like a disservice, to Nico, herself, and the purpose of a formal. At best it might be misguided, at worst they will cheapen something that could be memorable. Going to this event, this Winter Wonderland Formal urges something in her. The thought of going with her friends was comforting and exciting, sure, but...
A new thought.
A new possibility.
A paralyzing choice.
"Nico, you are going to dress appropriately for the dance."
She does not take her eyes off the poster. She embeds her voice with enough 'big sister energy' that she doubts she will have to fight Nico about it. After all, she basically said they would indeed be going to the dance.
Nico grumbles, but she can tell he is secretly pleased.
"Suit, tie, shoes, and belt."
She can hear Nico as he slides further down his seat, and allows herself to enjoy his momentary dramatics.
"You will look adorable, I promise."
And he will. He is her younger sibling so he will always be adorable to her.
Clearly, Nico does not see it the same way as her, if his reaction is anything to go by. "I don't want to look adorable, Bianca! I want to look hot!"
She is so surprised by his admission she cannot form a response fast enough. What is up with her brother? He is ten years old! Mio Dio! No, miei dei!
"You're too young for that."
Thank goodness for Percy and his common sense.
Nico groans with resignation.
Bianca has found that her nails must grow at uneven lengths. She has been studying her hands long enough to be unable to ignore the simple fact that her left-hand fingernails must grow at a faster rate than her right.
Just knock, her brain begs.
No, her hand cowers.
She sighs for the umpteenth time.
While debating the merits of running away, and really it is a wonderful strategy after all, a cough interrupts her.
"Ahem"
Bianca decides that it is indeed possible to interpret the phrase 'jumped out of her skin' as a literal statement and not just hyperbole.
"Woah! Sorry Bianca, I didn't mean to frighten you, swear."
Grover Underwood, the undercover satyr, makes his appearance.
He looks, well, sheepish. Bianca is glad to see a friendly face right now at least. Her beating heart, already running on overdrive before, mind you, starts to return to normal.
"Were you looking for Percy?"
Start your engines all you want; a Formula 1 Racing car could only hope to be in second place with the speed at which her heart is running.
Grover smiles sympathetically, reassuringly, "He's not here right now, but I'm sure he'll be back soon. Would you like to come in and wait for him?"
"Well, I—"
Like he already knew what she was going to say, Grover adds, "You wouldn't be imposing, I promise."
"Are you certain?"
"Of course, besides I know Percy will be glad to see you."
Oh.
Bianca moves aside as Grover unlocks the door. As she enters, she is assaulted not by the smell of a teenage boy and his half-barnyard animal best friend, but by a fresh scent of nature, like a forest breeze.
Grover moves across the room, and Bianca takes in the (noticeably cleaner) empty side that belongs to Percy. She is sad to have missed him, but will happily wait.
"Sooooo..."
It is not that Grover and Bianca are not friends, but rather that they are not used to spending time alone.
But Grover is, as Bianca greatly appreciates, a good guy. Er, satyr.
"How have you been holding up with everything?"
She turns to him, "I am... managing."
And it is the truth. When Percy all but dragged Bianca to talk with Grover, talking about how they had to let him know, she was appreciative of how Grover took it all in stride.
Taking the time to expand on what Percy had told her already, Grover made sure to answer her as best he could.
Most memorable questions such as:
"So, I smell?"
"Yes."
"Bad?"
"No, not bad. It isn't that you guys stink or whatever, but rather that it's hard to ignore your stink."
"Like caramelized onions?"
"Sure, I guess."
"And you eat cans?"
"They are indeed delicious, yes."
"But—"
"I particularly enjoy strawberry soda cans."
"Well."
"Yeah."
"How do you usually tell people they are part god?"
"We have a video you can watch during orientation."
"Naturally."
Here Percy cuts in, "I, uh, still haven't gotten around to watching it actually."
Grover looks like he solved a mystery worthy of Sherlock, "Dude, that, like, explains way too much."
Grover gets punched and Percy gets a retaliatory kick in turn.
It was a memorable time.
Back in the present, Grover looks understanding, and she wonders how many different kids he has had to shatter worlds with.
"You'll get the hang of it all, I promise. Percy did, after all."
"Thank you, Grover."
And she means it. Percy's support means the world, but she's glad that someone else is also on her side.
"Are you okay? I mean, besides the whole demigod thing."
Bianca feels her brow crease, "Why do you ask?"
Grover looks decidedly uncomfortable as if he sat on something wet and sticky. "I'm sure I mentioned it before, but we satyrs have a keen sense of empathy. Emotions are easy for us to pick up. I don't mean to pry, honest, your emotions are just. They're very loud to me right now, is all."
"Oh." Her body flares, and she feels cold. Maybe it is her imagination, or maybe it's the stupid emotional detector, but she thinks she sees Grover shiver as well.
"Sorry," she mumbles.
"Oh, don't be! Please don't be! I'm sorry Bianca, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just that I'm, well, I don't have to go on if you don't want me to. I just wanted to check in on you."
"Oh." Touched gratitude fills her, and Grover stops shivering.
Her curiosity wins out, "What, um, what are you picking up on?"
It is as if Grover was a different person. Gone is the nature-loving middle schooler she knows, and in his place is a satyr of his true age. He suddenly looks like what she imagines a divine protector would be.
His body facing her, he sits on the ground as she removes herself from Percy's bed to join him on the floor.
"Well, I know the whole reveal must have been a shock, especially the way Percy did it."
She rises to defend Percy, but a small part of her might agree.
A part of her wishes, if only slightly, that she did not know.
It is not that she resents Percy, but rather she likes the world she had before. Where Percy wielded not a sword but a blue cookie. Where the mystery of her parents was a ghost, sometimes there but intangible and, therefore, something she could out to the grave.
This new chapter of her life is a turning point, an event horizon. There is no going back.
"Yeah," she finds herself starting, "it is definitely a shock. I'm just Bianca, finding out that Nico and I have a god as a parent is, well, just downright odd to me. But I don't regret how I found out, and I'm glad it was Percy who told me. Um, no offense."
Grover waves it off, "None taken, I know you two are close."
"Oh."
She will not deny it. She supposes she is surprised at his observation, is all.
"He cares about you a lot."
She studies her hands, taking note that the ring finger in her left hand has a hangnail.
"You and Nico have made the year so much better for him."
She cannot help but raise her head, "Really?"
Grover assures her, "Naturally. You shouldn't be so nervous."
"N-Nervous?"
Grover gives her a knowing look, but he is still gentle. He takes his hands and pulls out his pan pipes. Giving it some breath, a low note vibrates through the air. It sounds different from what she usually hears from him when they are all hanging out. There's something more to it. He blows again, this time with a higher pitch, yet no less gentle, and the air becomes perfumed with primrose. She takes in the smell, allowing the flower's freshness to rejuvenate her. A third time Grover plays his chosen instrument, and the effect, the magic of his task, takes hold.
"You will be fine, Bianca."
So relaxed by the show of nature magic, Bianca almost forgot that she was supposed to be nervous.
"Percy will never turn you away, so don't be scared to talk to him. Trust me, he'll go to the ends of the earth for you."
She knows it to be true. She's glad for it to be true. It warms her heart to feel it to be true.
But even with 100% certainty, how could she not be scared? Wouldn't everyone?
"I've known Percy since before he found out about himself. To be honest with you, I don't think he realizes all the ways he's changed. All the growth he's done. However, something fundamental about Percy, what has never changed, is how much he cares about people."
Grover smiles patiently, "As someone close to Percy, someone who knows how he feels pretty well, he cares about you a lot."
By the doorframe, Bianca thanks Grover for his time, and Grover thanks Bianca for listening.
The dorm door closes.
Bianca proceeds to stare at the door for longer than appropriate, digesting the time she spent on the other side of the wood.
She turns the corner leading to the Girl's Wing. There is a long corridor between the East and West Wing of the school where the dorms are located. Giant windows and arching stones make up the corridor, and LED lights are strategically placed to light the way. There, at the end of the hall, on the East Wing and opposite herself, is Percy Jackson.
Atop the Green Wall, they can choose.