First Steps With a Fallen Friend

For the life of me, I couldn't seem to find the Hunters. Outside of the gatherings at dinner, they were never around. I searched everywhere that I could think of. The pool? Nothing. The rock wall? Nada. The beach? Blank. The underground arena that I've never been in?... I swear, even I surprise myself with how idiotic I can be sometimes. Of course that's where they were.

Both Bianca and Zoë were locked in combat. They both fought with the grace and precision of swans. If swans could wield foot long hunting knives and bows. Never before had it occurred to me just how strong they were. The pull on their bows must have been massive. Their thin, but muscled arms flexed under their clashes.

I stared in awe as they danced around one another. Each of them pulled off skills that I could never hope to achieve. Such ferocity. Such fluid grace.

After a well fought match between the two, they came to a standstill along the edge of the arena. Both were covered in sweat and panting, but bowed their heads in respect to one another.

"You can come on over here, Percy," Bianca called. "We won't bite."

I walked over, rubbing my arms nervously. "You guys knew I was there?"

"We could see thee when thou walked in ten minutes ago," Zoë said. "Besides, thou were not exactly hiding."

"Fair enough."

"So," Bianca said, "What brings you down here?"

"I could ask you girls the same thing. I've been looking all over for you. You never seem to be anywhere in the house except during dinner."

Zoë shrugged. "We come down here to train. That and we want to avoid the drama of everyone else. Especially that daughter of Aphrodite."

"Woah," I immediately put my guard up, "What did Piper do to deserve that kind of comment?"

Zoë shook her head. "No not her. The other one. The one who can't seem to keep her face out of make-up… or anyone's business for that matter."

"Oh," I said, "You mean Drew."

"That's the one," Zoë replied, "I don't believe that I would speak out against Piper. She is a very unique daughter of Aphrodite. It's unfortunate that she never became a Hunter. She would have been a valuable ally."

"Well, she still can be. An ally, I mean. You guys could absolutely go make friends with her."

Bianca shifted uncomfortably. "We would, but… it's just that after yesterday, everyone's a bit scared of her… After what she did to Khione…"

Oh no. This was worse than I thought.

"Okay, let's make this clear. Both Piper and I lost control. To my knowledge, I did the worst of it. And how did you find out about that anyways?"

"Thalia told us," Zoë said. "She said that Piper was in the process of doing some… rather unsettling things to Khione…"

My head fell. Great. Now this whole mess is gonna get out of control.

"Well, don't hold this against Piper. Calypso said that she felt some sort of magic at work. It was influencing us."

With as much as I've been saying that, I really hoped that it was true. For one thing, I don't want to end up lying to everyone. On the other hand, I don't think that I could handle the realization that I willingly chose to assault Khione.

Bianca's jaw dropped, Zoë's clenched.

"Then we must find the source of this magic and eradicate it," Zoë said with gritted teeth.

"We will soon," I said, "We still have other matters to deal with. Which actually brings me to why I came looking for you guys in the first place."

They both raised an eyebrow. Bianca sure was learning off of Zoë.

"And what would that be?" Zoë asked.

"Clothes," I said, "How are you doing on clothes?"

They both looked down and sighed.

"It could be better," Bianca said. "The nymphs have been lending us their clothes. Unfortunately, they're normally too shredded to give back after we train."

I nodded my head, unsurprised. "Well, we can always stop by Artemis' camp and-"

"No!" Zoë shouted. Her face was pale. "We would do fine with just your camp's clothing. It would be a disgrace for us to return to the Hunters as concubines. Plus it would break Artemis to see us again, just to lose us as quickly as we arrive."

Boy, did I know that feeling…

"But you guys haven't even done anything with me yet. So you technically should still be fine."

They looked at each other with uneasy gazes. Zoë met Bianca's scarlet face with a pale one of her own. For a few moments, I sensed a silent conversation between them. If Zoë's flustered expression was anything to go by, Bianca won the argument.

"We don't mean like that, Percy. We mean…"

"… Yes?"

Zoë sighed, exasperated. "We have already been feeling the effects of the harem… we have begun to… desire thou…"

I just stared. "You mean-"

"Yes… we have had… stirrings… I can repel the magic for some time, but… well… even I cannot shield myself in my sleep."

"Why didn't you say anything? We could have figured something out."

A sad smile worked its way into Bianca's face. Zoë blushed.

"We could have tried. But in the end, we decided to accept it. We all know why we're here, Percy. And we see no point in running from it."

I was taken aback. "Wow… I didn't think you guys would have just… gone with it so easily…"

"We didn't at first," Bianca said. "But we figured it could always have been worse. We could have wound up with Heracles."

Zoë's grip tightened around her bow. "Indeed. But I am grateful that I am rather with a man who has earned my trust and respect. Someone that I feel as though I could actually kiss."

A small eternity passed as those words set in.

"Wait. Did I just…" Zoë turned a shade darker. "Um… I mean… uh… excuse me…"

She stormed out of the arena and into the hallway. Her posture was stiff, but her arms began flailing as she yelled at herself. I lost track of her voice as she moved further down the hallway.

I turned to Bianca. "Well, that was… eloquent."

She rubbed her arms together with a bashful expression. "Yeah… she was right though… So what's life like for a hero turned harem leader?"

"I doubt it's any different than what you can imagine. Danger lurking around every corner. Gods perpetually messing with my life…"

Even below ground level, I could hear the rumbling of thunder overhead. Something tells me Zeus wasn't too happy with my remark.

"Anyways… what about you? Nico told me you went for rebirth after you died. Something about trying to make sure you didn't use the Doors of Death."

She fidgeted with her pockets. "Yeah… That's what I wanted him to believe. It took pulling a few strings, but I managed to get through the Doors… Wasn't a pleasant trip by any means."

"Hey." I rested my hand on her shoulder. "Take from me, I know exactly how it feels to wind up in those doors. Along with the journey to get there."

Her eyes went wide. "Remind me to come to you if I have any nightmares about that place."

"By all means, pay me a visit. I'll help as best as I can. Speaking of which, why exactly did you not want Nico to know the truth? He learned about you being alive the moment you were forced into this place, yet you didn't even pay him any attention."

She turned away rubbing her arm. "Because I've been wanting him to forget about me. He spent so long trying to bring me back to life, I couldn't risk him having that hope again. I needed him to believe I wouldn't come back. If he gained even a semblance of a chance to get me back from the dead, his obsession would start all over again. That's why I rejoined the Hunt. To escape him. To help him move on. I guess that's why I'm not too upset about being here. I'm even less accessible here than I was while dead."

"Bianca… that's still not right. If you were alive, he deserved some closure."

"I know. But there was no way of letting him know I'm alive without making things worse." Her voice seemed to get higher in pitch. "Just imagine if I did let him know. It wouldn't end with me. He'd try to go for other demigods as well. Bring back all the heroes. Bring back mom. His obsessions would be kickstarted and he would never move on. I couldn't let him deteriorate like that."

"I… I guess you have a point. He never could let stuff go."

"Yeah," she said with a sad smile. "But now that I'm here, he won't have the ideas of resurrection planted in his head. Plus I get to enjoy myself here more than in Elysium, so it all works out."

I raised an eyebrow (maybe I was learning too much from Zoë as well). "Oh really? And how is this better than Elysium?"

"For one thing, there's a real sky above my head. Plus I am surrounded by people I know I can trust. You, Zoë, Thalia. It makes me much more comfortable. And there's more to do here than there."

"I guess I see your point. Man, you made even the good part of death seem like a real downer."

She smiled. "It beats a life spent in a casino. Or one on the run. Here, the only thing I have to worry about are the stirrings Zoë mentioned."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you also have that urge?"

Her head sagged between her shoulders. "... Yes. Seeing as I'm probably the least experienced with this… it just feels weird knowing I'll sleep with you sometime in the next week or so…"

I scratched the back of my head and laughed nervously. "Yeah. I can't imagine that would be good for the nerves."

"… Especially since… I haven't even kissed anyone…"

There's the hint, you idiot! Catch it!

I sighed. "I don't want to sound too forward, or make you uncomfortable, but… would you… like to?"

I couldn't even look at her. It was weird for me. After all, it was only a few years ago that I was blaming myself for her death. Now, here I was asking to kiss her…

Slowly, but surely, I turned to see her scarlet face. "Um… I… I guess…"

Okay, if that was a yes, then Zeus was never a player…

I took a deep breath. "Like I said. If you're not comfortable with this-"

"No," Bianca said. "I… I think I can do this… After all, I only spent like a month as a Hunter before I died…"

Awkward…

I turned towards her completely. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, but she didn't look so sure. "Better sooner than later."

"Okay," I placed my hands on her shoulders. "I'll let you control the pace and the flow."

She nodded again. Well, here goes nothing. I inched my head forward, making sure not to startle or scare her.

Her eyes were sealed shut. Her hands were clenched and shaking at her sides. Her olive complexion paled. If you could paint a picture of nervousness, this was it.

Before I could collect my wits and pull away, I pressed my lips against hers. She hyperventilated as I did so, though it slowly calmed. I simply rested there, going no further, but not pulling away. She made no effort to reciprocate, no effort to move. I could have been convinced that she was a Medusa victim.

Her eyes finally opened and gave me the signal to pull away. She shifted around uncomfortably, eyes darting in every direction except for at me.

"Was it that bad?" I asked.

Shifting her hands around nervously, she raised her eyes to meet mine. She seemed unsettled.

"Not exactly, but…"

"... But?"

"... But I think maybe you should take the lead."

She wouldn't meet my eyes. A deep scarlet painted her cheeks. Her fingers fidgeted, as if she were trying to tie them into a knot.

"Okay," I said. "But first, I want you to look at me."

She froze on the spot. Her blush deepened.

"Bianca, look at me."

For a few seconds she held her stare towards the wall. After a few seconds more, she took a deep breath turned to face me, and looked me in the eyes. Black clashed against green.

"Be sure to let me know if you're uncomfortable. Okay?"

She snorted. "In that case, I may as well leave. I don't think you quite understand why I'm letting you take the lead."

I sighed. "Okay. I'll take the lead. But don't just go with it if I start to make you more uncomfortable."

She nodded, though her face started to turn green.

I rested my hand on her cheek, my fingertips brushing her olive skin. She felt oddly cold, yet warm at the same time; like a fever patient caught in a blizzard. She seemed to relax under my touch, her eyes closed softly and she leaned into my hand.

With nothing to lose, I moved forward again and connected with her. This time, I was a bit more assertive. I shifted my lips slightly, taking her bottom lip into my mouth. My hand brushed over her ear in my efforts to relax her. I realized that something would help her greatly.

"Breathe," I whispered into the kiss.

She let out a breath, and that gave me the opportunity to deepen the kiss. With my hand now resting on her jaw, I tilted her face upwards and gently pulled on her lip once more.

She shivered under my care, but made no effort to retreat. Small exhales left her nose and drifted against me. Her eyes fluttered open and looked up at me.

I gave my best effort to give her a comforting look. "I'm going to use my tongue now."

Her eyes widened, but she nodded nonetheless.

I moved my tongue into place and pressed it against her lips. She shivered again and tightened her lips together. My tongue began to pull back before her lips parted, allowing me entry. I slithered between her lips and into her warm mouth, twisting around her tongue

Oddly enough, she seemed to relax as my tongue explored her mouth. She submitted in a fashion similar to Palírroia. The familiar feeling of submission gave me the confidence to push a bit further.

With my tongue wrapped around hers, I pulled back out of her mouth, forcing us to trade places. Soon enough, her tongue rested in my mouth. A confused whine escaped her as she opened her eyes.

Seeing as this was my one chance to try and impress her, I lightly sucked on her tongue. Her reaction was instant. She groaned out, and her eyes rolled up to the back of her head. Her rigid posture relaxed entirely, nearly dropping to the ground on the spot.

After a few minutes of letting Bianca indulge in the bliss of kissing, I pulled away, dragging her bottom lip out with my teeth as I did. She whimpered a bit and locked her gaze on me.

"Was that better?" I asked.

She nodded. "Much better. I… I didn't think that kissing could be that fun…"

I gave her a smile. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it."

She shifted her weight slightly. "Um… do you think we could… do it again?"

I gave her a small laugh. "Absolutely."

I once again returned to my position on her lips. She was much more receptive this time around. I wasted no time involving my tongue. Neither did she. She breathed softly into the kiss as I stroked her dark hair.

Now, if you know anything about my luck, you would know things seemed to be going a little too well with these last few encounters. You would be right.

I failed to hear the door of the arena opening. Only when a gasp was let out and a metallic CLANG echoed through the arena did I realize we weren't alone. Both Bianca and I turned to the entrance to see the intruder. Who else would it be except for Reyna…?

The ex praetor watched on in horror before slowly stepping back towards the door.

I reached my hand out. "Reyna, wait…"

Without another word, Reyna retreated from the arena, running for all it was worth. Her helmet was left lying on the floor.

"Oh boy," Bianca muttered. "I may not know her that well, but I know that look…"

I looked back to her. "Listen, I'm sorry, but-"

"Go," she said. "Trust me, I get it."

I smiled gratefully and gave her one last kiss on the cheek. She rubbed it bashfully as I scooped up Reyna's helmet. With no time to waste, I rushed down the hallway and up the stairs to the ground level. I already screwed things up with Reyna once. No way was I going to let this go unresolved.

A/N - Oh, no! Reyna just has the worst timing, doesn't she? He he. All things considered, I did my best to make this chapter nice and sweet throughout. You'll understand soon enough, but I consider this the beginning of Percy's "bad day." As I mentioned in the disclaimer, some of the characters have some changes made to their stories. Now you've heard Bianca's. What were your thoughts on that? I strived to keep it as in character for her as possible, while also giving her a realistic way of getting into the harem. I don't know, it worked out well in my thought process, but I guess it's up to you guys to decide whether or not the alteration was done well.

Now we have mention of Drew causing trouble with the other girls. Uh oh, what is it she's trying to accomplish behind the scenes.

Also, you may notice that a lot of the girls seem divided into their own little groups. I did this for multiple reasons. For one, it allows them to build up relationships in what I consider a realistic manner, rather than everyone suddenly loving everyone. But most importantly, at least for me, it let's me tackle certain girls at a time while giving a reason to exclude the other girls for a time. Hence the reason why the Hunters took so long to be given any screen time. Again, I'm trying to keep it realistic, but manageable as well.

Well, that brings an end to the official chapter twenty. Who would have thought that we would make it this far and still have a good following? As always, leave a review. Post your thoughts and critiques. This is Ronin signing off.