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illyriachrysa · 2 years

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From Shadows You Shine: Bianca Di Angelo

Apologies for not posting for a long time. I have my reasons but their personal so I wont be sharing.

However, I do plan on rewrting the entire plot. I wont change the plot that much just some minor changes.

That's all, hope you enjoy!

By: Illyria Chrysa 🌸

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After sun down, the group found themselves in an outskirts of a little ski-town nestled in the mountains. They all glanced at a sign that read, “WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO”.

Most were surprised with how far they’ve traveled but after Bianca pointed out some hints about Apollo’s possible involvement during the quest, with the sudden appearance of the freight train and the duration of their travel being from sunrise to sun down, the rest fell silent and secretly thanked the god for his forbidden intervention.

It did save them some time and aided them greatly during their travel - so who were they to complain?

The group continued their journey and stopped in the middle of town. Bianca noticed that they were able to see everything from their current location; a school, a bunch of tourist stores and cafes, some ski cabins, and a grocery store.

“Great,” Thalia said, looking around. “No bus station, no taxis, no car rental - No way out.”

“There’s a coffee shop!” said Grover.

“Yes,” Zoe said. “Coffee is good.”

“And pastries,” Grover said dreamily. “And wax paper.”

Thalia sighed. “Fine, how about you two get us some food. Percy, Bianca and I will check in the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions.”

Sounds of agreements were heard and the group agreed to meet back in front of the grocery store in fifteen minutes.

Bianca walked closer to Percy and whispered in his ear, “Apollo mentioned something about Old Man Nereus in San Francisco. He said it should give us the answers we seek.”

Percy nodded, “That’s good, about time we get some answers but we have to find a way to get there first.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder, “It’ll be fine, we’ll get there. I don’t know how but I know we’ll get there.”

“...How can you be so sure?”

“I just do - when have I ever been wrong.”

Percy grew silent, he had known Bianca for only a few months but he knows in that short time that the young girl is reliable, acting like an older sister to everyone in camp despite being one of the youngest there. She was a shoulder everyone could rely on, a person who would silently sit down beside you listening to all your woes and worries.

They had a positive effect in camp, he noticed: campers became more open with one another, pranks from the children of Hermes became more light-hearted and hilarious, time spent huddled around the campfire became more festive and lively, and for just those moments - they were all finally kids again, not demi-gods but genuine kids who were in their own little world, happy and content, without any fear of the upcoming war against the Titans.

The camp became more lively and united in a way, like a barrier between them came down, opening new possibilities for all of them. It strengthened their familial bond with one another - something that disappeared when Luke had betrayed camp all those years ago.

It brought him great comfort to know that somewhere out there, there will be a place they could call home and people they can call family.

Along the way towards the grocery store Bianca subtly glanced at Percy then to Thalia noticing the tension between two - She hoped that the two would take the time to sit down and talk about their differences. No one wanted a mini Poseidon and Zues fight, if the quarrel they had during capture the flag was anything to go by…

… she truly hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Inside the store, they found out a few things about the little town, Cloudcroft: there wasn’t enough snow for skiing, the grocery store sold rubber rats for a dollar each, and there was no easy way in or out of town unless you had your own car.

“You can call for a taxi from Alamogordo,” the clerk said doubtfully. “That’s down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars.”

Percy reached out for a rubber rat and handed it to the clerk along with a dollar bill.

The three demi-gods headed outside and stood on the porch.

“Wonderful,” Thalia grumped. “I’m going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion.”

“But the clerk said-” Percy spoke.

“I know,” she told Percy. “I’m checking anyway.”

And with that, Bianca and Percy were left alone in the company of the other.

‘This two really do take after their fathers,’ Bianca thought absentmindedly.

“Nice rat” she spoke, hoping it could break the tension. “Though, the ones that Connor and Travis have are much better.”

Percy set down the rubber rat on the porch railing. “So… have you thought about the offer Artemis gave you?”

She nodded her head. “Yes, I have.”

“Are you going to join the hunters? Zoe looks like she will be greatly pleased if you were to join, she may even consider you a hunter already.”

“Truthfully, I felt compelled to join the hunters, then and there.” She admitted, “but… I couldn’t be so selfish as to leave my little brother alone in a world we barely knew existed a few months prior… I don’t even know if I wanting to join is actually true - it's confusing because I don’t feel like joining the hunt is actually my choice.”

Percy frowned, “What do you mean?”

Bianca pursed her lips and gazed into his sea-green eyes. “... Have you ever felt like you have no control over your life? That your fate is set in stone and you can do nothing to change it, no matter how hard you try.”

“I… I suppose, with the prophecy looming over mine and Thalia’s heads, I guess I somewhat do.” he confessed.

She shook her head, a frown marred her face. “No, no like that… never mind, it's useless anyway.”

Bianca gazed out into the snow covered town. The residents would leave their homes and greet one another with familiarity, a smile on all of their faces. Children would run home from school free from any worries, laughing along with their friends. Even the humble stores served freshly baked goods that spread a fragrant smell lingering in the air.

It was a humble town that didn’t hold a candle compared to other tourist locations in America but it had its charms, and above all else, it felt like home.

Bianca smiled solemnly, she too had high hopes that her and Nico could once more find a place to call home and people to call family.

It was her only greatest wish…

…Since their previous home died along with their mother.

In the distance she could spot Zoe and Grover with pastry bags and drinks, she waved at them both with a smile.

“So… what’s the story with you and Nico?” Percy asked, frowning slightly when he too noticed the other two approaching. “Where did you go before arriving at camp? Now that I think about it, I barely know anything about you or your past.”

“...We stayed in a hotel after our mother’s death, somewhere in Los Angeles. We stayed there for sometime, it had facilities that covered our academics and extra curricular. After that, three old ladies came to tell us that we have to leave, but they didn’t tell us why. They just handed me my diary with a letter from our mother inside it.”

“Three old ladies?” he asked with a frown, an ominous feeling settled in his stomach. “What was inside the letter? And how did they have your diary?”

“I don’t know, they disappeared after threatening us for not leaving the hotel the first time.” She began, clenching her fists. “I… the letter told us about our past, some answers to things that didn't make sense. It was how we found out about our heritage and camp half-blood.”

Percy thought it was a strange story. Then again, Bianca and Nico were half-bloods. Nothing was normal for any half-blood - but the three old ladies from her tale brought goose-bumps to crawl on his skin, and he didn’t know why.

“So you’ve been raising Nico pretty much all your life?” he asked. “Just the two of you?”

“Yes, I have. It can be challenging at times but I love him, I always will.” she replied. “è il mio fratellino, la ragione per cui vivo.”

(His my little brother, the reason I live)

“What does that even mean?” he asked, thinking about last summer the way he’d felt when she found out he had a Cyclops for a baby brother. He can relate to what Bianca was saying. Though he would love to learn about the last part, it wasn’t in English or in Greek, so it had to be another language, French perhaps?

Zoe and Grover arrived with the drinks and pastries. Hot chocolate for Bianca and Percy, while coffee for them. Zoe handed Bianca a chocolate croissant and Grover handed Percy a blueberry muffin.

“We should do the tracking spell,” Zoe said. “Grover, do you have any acorns left?”

“Umm,” Grover mumbled. He was chewing on a bran muffin, wrapper and all. “I think so. I just need to -”

He froze, Percy was about to ask what was wrong, when a warm breeze rustled past, like a gust of springtime had gotten lost in the middle of winter. Fresh air seasoned with wildflowers and sunshine. And something else - almost like a voice, trying to say something. A warning.

Zoe gasped, “Grover, thy cup.”

Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of birds. Suddenly the birds peeled off the cup and flew away - a flock of tiny doves. Percy’s rubber rat squeaked. It scampered off the railing and into the trees - real fur, real whiskers. Grover collapsed but Bianca managed to catch him before he could land on the ground, next to his coffee, which steamed against the snow.

The group gathered around him. Percy lifted his friend off of Bianca and into his arms not wanting to burden the young girl. He tried to shake him awake but it didn’t work.

Grover groaned, his eyes fluttering.

“Hey!” Thalia said, running up from the street. “I just… What's wrong with Grover?”

“I don’t know,” Percy said. “He collapsed.”

Grover continued to groan.

“Well, get him up!” Thalia said. She had her spear in her hands. He looked towards Bianca who swiped her golden bracelet that was adorned with crystals and crimson rubies. It glowed to life, once the light faded her rapier majestically appeared in her hands. She glanced at where Thalia came from and frowned.

“We have to get out of here,” was all she said, urging Percy to get on his feet and carry Grover with him.

They made it to the edge of the town before the first two skeleton warriors appeared. They stepped out from the trees on either side of the road. They wore blue New Mexico State Police uniforms, but they had transparent gray skin and yellow eyes. They drew their handguns and pointed it at the group.

Thalia tapped her bracelet. Aegis spiraled to life on her arm, but the warriors didn’t flinch. Their glowing yellow eyes bore right into Percy. He drew riptide, though he wasn’t sure what good it would do against guns.

Zoe drew her bow and Bianca readied her stance, pointing the rapier towards one of the skeletons. Zoe had trouble because Grover kept swooning and leaning against her.

“Back up,” Thalia said.

The group started to - but then Bianca heard rustling of branches. Two more skeletons appeared on the road behind them. She took a quick glance at Percy, understanding that he was questioning the whereabouts of the rest of the skeletal army.

Personally, Bianca was relieved that there were only four of them for the time being, any more than that and she knew their chances of escaping would grow slimmer by the minute. Deep down, she didn’t know how, but she knew none of them could actually win against them - none of them but her.

One of the warriors gazed at her, it raised a cell phone to his mouth and spoke into it. Except he wasn’t speaking, he made a clattering, clicking sound like teeth against bones.

‘Not good,’ Bianaca thought. ‘It’s calling for back-up.’

“It’s near,” Grover moaned.

“It’s here,” Percy corrected.

“No,” he insisted. “The gift. The gift from the Wild.”

No one knew what he was talking about, Percy worried about his condition. It was apparent that Grover was in no way capable of fighting.

“We’ll have to go one-on-one,” Thalia said. “Four of them. Four of us. Maybe they’ll ignore Grover that way.”

“Agreed,” Zoe said.

“The Wild!” Grover moaned.

A warm wind blew through the canyon, rustling the trees, but Percy kept his eyes on the skeletons. He remembered the General gloating over Annabeth's fate. He remembered the way Luke had betrayed her.

And He charged.

Bianca followed soon after, keeping an eye on the skeleton in front of her. She need not worry about Percy’s safety since he had the fur of the Nemean Lion - It was bullet proof and near indestructible if she remembered correctly.

She had to worry about the others, but she knew they could hold their own for the time being.

‘Now to find a way to destroy the undead - they're supposedly unbeatable unless you're a child of Hades.’

Bianca frowned, surely they had to be another way. She glanced down on her rapier, it was a gift from her grandmother, Hestia - the goddess of witchcraft and wizardry. Enchanted in a way that allows her to channel spells into it, while it simultaneously allows her to incorporate different potions into the blade acting like a poisoned needle.

A single slash was all it took for her to incapacitate her enemies - the reason why Percy had an even harder time dueling with her recently.

The rapier shone a dim blue, she readied her blade and charged at her opponent.

The skeleton readied its gun and began firing at her, she mumbled a shield spell under her breath that protected her from any attack. In the background she can hear Thalia screaming Percy’s name, she stumbled for a bit but continued her pursuit.

When she reached the skeleton close enough, she thrusted her blade and struck the skeleton dead center. It erupted in flames, leaving behind a pile of ash and a police badge.

Bianca stumbled. “What-”

“How did you do that?” Zoe asked, interrupting the young girl’s thoughts.

“I don’t know.” Bianca replied, anxiety building up inside of her as a thought solidified in her head. “Lucky stab?”

“Well, do it again!”

And with that, she leaped into action, aiding Zoe in defeating her adversary. She thrusted her blade into its chest, the blade reflected the dim light from the sun and shone a beautiful bronze. The blade connected to the skeleton and the same thing happened, it erupted in flames and became a pile of ash on the ground.

Bianca looked down on her rapier - Evlogia - and a daunting realization dawned on her.

“A little help over here!” Thalia spoke, breaking the young girl out of her thoughts.

Bianca turned around and ready her stance, but by then the remaining two skeletons grew weary of her and began keeping them within a baton’s length. They managed to press the group back.

“Plan?” Percy asked while they retreated.

“I can do the same move I did when dueling you back in camp that one time-” Bianca suggested.

“No!” Percy exclaimed, looking her in the eyes. “I nearly decapitated you when you pulled that move on me!”

“Yeah, but I won!” she yelled back. “And besides I’ve gotten-”

“Too dangerous!” he said, making sure that she didn’t do anything reckless. “Besides, I promised Nico I’ll keep you safe-”

“You promised him what?!” she exclaimed, glaring at the boy, her eyes gleaming a faint crimson. “You know how dangerous these quests are. How can you promise him something like that?”

“Regardless, a promise is a promise and I plan to keep it!” Percy replied. “You're not dying on me on this quest, I won’t let you.”

Bianca fell silent, a haunted look dawned on her face. The look on her face freighted Percy to his core, he reached out to the girl before him.

“Bianca?” he questioned, barely above a whisper. “Hey, what’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“I-”

“The gift!” Grover exclaimed.

A mighty roar, the largest pig they have ever seen came crashing into the road. It was a wild boar, thirty feet high, with a snotty pink snout and tusks the size of canoes. Its back bristled with brown hair, and its eyes were wild and angry.

“REEEEEEEEET!” it squealed, and raked the two skeletons aside with its tusks.

The force was so great, they went flying over the trees and into the side of the mountain, where they smashed to pieces, thigh bones and arm bones twirling everywhere.

Then the pig turned to them.

Thalia raised her spear, but Grover yelled, “Don't kill it.'”

The boar grunted and pawed the ground, ready to charge.

“That's the Erymanthian Boar,” Zoe said, trying to stay calm. “I don't think we can kill it.”

“It's a gift,” Grover said. “A blessing from the Wild!”

The boar said “REEEEEEET!” and swung its tusk.

Zoe and Bianca dived out of the way. Percy had to push Grover so he wouldn't get launched into the mountain on the Boar Tusk Express.

“Yeah, I feel blessed!” Percy said. “Scatter!”

They ran in different directions, and for a moment the boar was confused.

“It wants to kill us!” Thalia said.

“Of course,” Grover said. “It's wild!”

“So how is that a blessing?” Bianca asked.

Percy nodded in understanding, but the pig seemed to have been offended and charged at her. Bianca quickly rolled out of the way of its hooves and came up behind the beast. It lashed out with its tucks and pulverized the “WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT” sign.

Somehow along the way, Percy managed to get the boar stuck in snow. Bianca wasn’t going to question how a giant-rampaging boar was a blessing, and she didn’t plan to, after nearly getting trampled over by the creature.

‘I would never understand how gods give out blessings to us mortals - and from the looks of things, I never would.

A few minutes later, Zoe, Bianca and Grover joined Percy and Thalia. The group stood watching the wild boar struggle in the snow.

“A blessing of the Wild,” Grover said, though he now looked agitated.

“I agree,” Zoe said. “We must use it.”

“Hold up,” Thalia said irritably. She still looked like she'd just lost a fight with a Christmas tree. “Explain to me why you're so sure this pig is a blessing.”

Grover looked over, distracted. “It's our ride west. Do you have any idea how fast this boar can travel?”

“Fun,” Percy said. “Like… pig cowboys.”

Grover nodded. “We need to get aboard. I wish… I wish I had more time to look around. But it's gone now.”

“What's gone?” Percy asked.

Grover didn't seem to hear the question. He walked over to the boar and jumped onto its back. Already the boar was starting to make some headway through the drift. Once it broke free, there'd be no stopping it. Grover took out his pipes. He started playing a snappy tune and tossed an apple in front of the boar. The apple floated and spun right above the boar's nose, and the boar went nuts, straining to get it.

“Automatic steering,” Thalia murmured. “Great.”

She trudged over and jumped on behind Grover, which still left plenty of room for the rest of the group. Zoe and Bianca walked toward the boar.

“Wait a second,” Percy said. “Do you two know what Grover is talking about—this wild blessing?”

“Of course,” Zoe said. “Did you not feel it in the wind? It was so strong… I never thought I would sense that presence again.”

“What presence?” Percy asked.

Zoe stared at him like he was an idiot and Bianca fought hard to hold back a chuckle.

“The Lord of the Wild, of course. Just for a moment, upon the arrival of the boar, I felt the presence of Pan.”

Percy looked at the huntress as if she grew an extra head, and Bianca broke out in a fit of laughter.

She truly wanted their time together to last, for fate to never catch up…

.. but such thoughts were nothing more than foolish dreams.

#poj #POJ #BiancaDiAngelo #PercyJackson #ZoeNightshade #ThaliaGrace #GroverUnderwood #Fanfiction'#fanfiction

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illyriachrysa · 2 years

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From Shadows You Shine: Phoebus Apollon

The following is a fanfiction I had come up with after I had finished reading "The Titan's Curse" and reading other fanfictions online.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING!:

📌 Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series is not mine. It belongs to Rick Riordan. So all credits go to him.

📌 This is my first fanfiction and will have two parts, or three... It really depends on how well the second part turns out.

📌 The fanfiction has the ship of Apollo x (OC) Bianca Di Angelo.

📌Bianca Di Angelo is the main character of this fanfiction. Mostly because I thought she was given too little screen time in the POJ Series.

And that's all! Enjoy and Comment down below of your thoughts. Please do be mindful of your words and learn to accept and understand the opinions and thoughts of others

By: Illyria.Chrysa 🌸

From Shadows You Shine: Phoebus Apollon

The first time Bianca Di Angelo had piqued his interest was when they had first met. During the middle of December in a clearing by the cliff, not far from Westover Hall.

His sister - Artemis - had called him for a favor without specifying the nature of the request.

It intrigued him, his sister, being the stubborn and hard-headed person that she is, rarely called upon him for help. So for her to suddenly request something like a favor didn’t sit well with him.

For it could mean one of two things: the favor requires assistants of something only he was capable of achieving or it was something she couldn’t handle alone.

The thought didn’t sit well with Apollo.

Artemis was many things to him, they had their ups and downs, and they argued upon many things, no matter how trivial. But, by the end of the day, she was still his older twin sister - she was still family.

And nobody hurts his family.

So, it came as a relief when Apollo cast his gaze down into the clearing below, spotting his sister with her hunters and what seems to be a handful of Chiron’s campers…

…But that relief soon washed away when he heard the reason behind her favor.

“I need a favor.” Artemis began, looking her brother in the eyes. “I have some hunting to do, alone. And I would like you to take my companions to camp half-blood.”

Apollo nodded his head but furrowed his eyebrows. “Alone? What exactly are you hunting that you have to do alone?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I’ll find out eventually. Know all, see all.”

Artemis snorted, “Just drop them off safely, Apollo. I should be back by or before the Winter Solstice.”

He sighed, “You promise?”

“... I promise”

Satisfied with her answer he smiled brightly, showing off his pearly-white teeth. Apollo placed his right-hand on his chest and looked at his sister, mischief flashed in his clear-blue eyes.

“I feel a Haiku coming along!” he declared proudly. Only to be met by a chorus of groans from the hunters, an eye-roll from his sister and confused looks from the campers. Regardless, he spoke the Haiku proudly. Internally cringing at its subpar quality but couldn’t stop the amusement that bubbled within him, that no one noticed…

… No one except the girl that stood behind Percy Jackson.

The unfamiliar girl had her head tilted to the side, a small smile on her face and a knowing look in her onyx-black eyes.

Apollo subtly glanced at the girl, careful as to not catch the attention of his sister. Since, as far as he could tell, the girl was still a virgin. Therefore, she was under the protection of his sister - if not a possible candidate to become one of her hunters.

‘Ah… she noticed…interesting’

Most Olympians had an image they upheld throughout their existence. He was mostly bright and joviale. Basically all the characteristics related to the sun - including the notorious ones. And to top it all off, they had learned to conceal themselves. To never reveal their true intentions.

So when the girl - who he assumes was no older than twelve - managed to see through him, something even his sister was unable to do most recently, it… piqued his interest.

To other gods, they may have felt unnerved, even threatened.

But not Apollo. Cause when he looked into the girl’s eyes all he saw was light.

A look of splendor and innocence that didn’t match with how mature her gaze presented itself. A look that he was all too familiar with…

… Since, there were times when he too, had that daunting look in his eyes.

Apollo turned, and gave the mysterious girl his full attention. He waved his hand in the air and smiled. “Hi there! I’ve never seen you before, a new camper perhaps?”

As he spoke, all eyes darted to the girl that stood behind Percy Jackson.

He noticed the shock and unsure look she sent his way, before stepping forward and meeting his gaze.

“I am Bianca Di Angelo, Lord Apollo.” Bianca stood straight and nodded her head in greeting, “My younger brother and I recently joined camp a few months back. So you probably haven’t heard of me till now.”

Apollo nodded his head in understanding. He studied the girl for a moment and quickly noticed the beauty she possessed.

‘Not bad,’ he thought to himself. 'Not bad at all.'

The girl had silky midnight-dark hair that reached till her waist, pinned back by a masterfully crafted golden ornate hair clip, decorated with crimson jewels. A pale-ivory skin tone without a single blemish in sight. Thin rose colored lips and a beautiful pair of brilliant onyx-black eyes…

…Eyes that he has seen before. Except it was in a shade of deep-crimson, more isometric and gem-like. Eyes that flared with furry and-

‘Ah’ he thought, faintly seeing the resemblance between Bianca and someone he had not seen in a very long time. ‘So, she’s his daughter. Then that would mean Bianca’s younger brother could also be his son… If so, then the two of them would be the children he had with the last demi-god child of Hecate. Who was it again? Maria Di Angelo? Yes, I remember now.’

‘If so, then…’ Apollo’s eyes shined a lustrous gold, ‘The prophecy just got more complicated.’

He hoped that it wouldn't be the last interaction he had with the daughter of Hades.

Personally, he preferred Percy being the one the prophecy was talking about. His fatal flaw and blood ensured his loyalty to Olympus and his father rather than it being his half-sister, Thalia. Apollo has seen many heroes fail to overcome the fatal flaw of ambition, which in turn caused their demise. And with the weight of the prophecy given to the survival of Olympus, it wasn’t a risk he would take.

…But, he wouldn’t mind if Bianca was the one the prophecy foretold about.

The girl was interesting - different from other demi-gods. He just doesn’t know what it was that set her apart from the rest.

He was looking forward to their next interaction.

::::

Apollo didn’t have to wait long for that to happen.

For the next time their paths crossed was on a quest that had both campers and hunters working together to save the goddess in chains.

And the goddess so happens to be his sister - Artemis.

The first time he felt something amidst was when the connection he had with his sister weakened, till it became so faint he could no longer pinpoint her exact location. Not soon after, his oracle stepped foot outside of the Big House and walked towards Zoe Nightshade, the lieutenant of Artemis, and uttered a prophecy that added to his already growing concern of the well-being of his sister.

And just when he was about to go look for his sister, a council was called by his father to discuss the matter of the kidnapping of Artemis.

It was decided that no god can intervene with the quest, and that no god or goddess can go looking for Artemis since a quest was already given to the demi-gods and hunters. And under ancient law, the gods could not intervene on their behalf.

Hermes, Ares and Hephaestus glanced at their brother as they paid no heed to the words their father uttered. The three of them noticed the change in Apollo’s eyes. It was now a burning shade of deep gold, no longer a shade of clear-blue.

The three gods shared discreet glances, one thing on all of their minds.

‘Apollo would stand for not of it.’

The moment the meeting was adjourned Apollo quickly teleported to an abandoned subway. He didn’t have to wait long because soon enough he could hear the group of campers and hunters approaching.

He stood by a trash-can fire, under the disguise of a homeless guy. Once the group was close enough he gave them a toothless grin, and said, “Y'all need to get warmed up? Come on over!”

The group huddled around his fire. Thalia's teeth were chattering, she said, “Well this is g-g-ggreat.”

“My hooves are frozen,” Grover complained.

“Feet,” Percy corrected, glancing discreetly towards the homeless guy, hoping he wouldn't ask any questions.

“What now?” Bianca asked, huddling closer to the homeless guy than the trash-can fire. Feeling more warmth emanating from the man than the fire. She casts a quick glance at the man, gazing into his eyes. Before a flash of understanding gleamed in her eyes. “Should we contact camp? Perhaps Chiron-”

“No,” Zoe said. “They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves.”

Percy gazed miserably around the rail yard.

Apollo listened in to their conversation. He internally chastised the sartyr for his lack of filter but otherwise understood the current situation the group were in.

“You know,” he said looking at the group, “you’re never completely without friends. You kids need a train going West?”

“Yes, sir,” Percy replied. “You know of any?”

Apollo pointed his hand towards the railroad, summoning the sun chariot in the form of a freight train. It gleamed brightly and melted the snow around the surrounding area. Before he disappeared, taking the flames with him.

And just to further mess with the group, he name the train “SUN WEST LINE”

He could have sworn he heard Bianca chuckling to herself in amusement.

After an hour of traveling, Bianca sat in a car far away from the rest.

She needed a quiet place away from the group to clear her head. She had her suspicions but the truth was harder to swallow than she thought it would. She glanced down on her arms, seeing that they were still the same, she sighed in relief.

Bianca leaned back into the seat, a heavy truth weighed on her shoulder.

“We were in the Lotus Hotel and Casino for seventy plus years… It’s been seventy years.” She gazed outside of her window with a horrified look in her eyes. “How, how am I gonna tell Nico?”

She let out a tired yawn, ‘I can’t fall asleep. No, if I do then - those nightmares would come back.’

It had started when she had returned to camp half-blood after taking out the Manticore in Westover Hall that had Grover held captive. The dreams started the very same night. At first it was warm and happy, a woman so familiar yet so vague would embrace her tightly, muttering sweet-nothings into her ears till she succumbed to slumber.

The next dream she had was that of a man. He was tall and handsome, yet he was extremely pale and had a cold exterior. However, when he would glance at her, the cold facade instantly disappeared. He would embrace her similar to that of the woman’s and he would tell her countless stories she had yet to recall. But, she could have sworn the man spoke to her in Greek. The last image she saw was that of the woman entering her room, a prominent bulge on her stomach.

The following night, she along with the mysterious man stood outside of a door as she heard the woman screaming in agony. Seconds later, it was followed by a cry from that of an infant. The man carried her into the room and placed her on the bed, he kissed the woman’s forehead and glanced down at the little bundle the woman was holding. The woman spoke her name lovingly and ushered her closer. She looked down at the bundle, and her eyes shone with familiarity.

The baby was her younger brother, Nico.

‘So would that mean that these two are my parents?’

Bianca wasn’t certain, but deep down she knew that they were. She just couldn't remember.

Though, after that, the dreams began to flash before her eyes.

Some of them were of her taking care of Nico, others were spent playing with the mysterious man she had felt was her father, other times it was spying on her parents as the two lovingly held each other close, then it was of them moving to the States after her father whispered something to her mother, causing the woman to frown and glance at her and Nico with worry.

The last dream she had was the one she feared the most.

It was like any other memory, warm and familiar, but an unsettling feeling stabbed at her stomach.

Bianca was with her mother in the kitchen when she looked her mother in the eyes before she screamed in absolute terror. Her father went and grabbed her and brought both her and her brother into his embrace as the two of them wouldn’t stop crying.

Her mother seemed unsure of what to do and went to the living room to grab something when a roar of thunder was heard overhead. Her father tried to reach out to her mother when the crackling of lightning flashed down from above.

It was bright for a fraction of a moment but then she heard her father screaming in agony, kneeling down the place where her mother was supposed to be. She was embracing her brother, making sure he didn’t see the sight in front of them.

Then a woman came into the place, sympathy flashed in her eyes. Her father took notice of the woman and she could feel his rage burn with fury as she laid eyes on the girl. He struck her with something - a curse, a voice spoke in her mind.

She was cursed for something she had no control over.

Her father had cursed the girl before walking towards them. Embracing them tight, promising something under his breath before the dream faded into black.

The last dream she had was of her and Nico kneeling by a river. Her father stood beside them with sorrowful eyes. He had instructed them to drink from the river, and they did.

That was the last dream she had, and she was frightened of the thought that-

“A penny for you thought?” a voice asked from the seat beside her.

Bianca looked over and she wasn’t even surprised to see Apollo in the shotgun seat, no longer bothering with his disguise.

She shook her head, “I’ve been having dreams recently… some of them are horrifying.”

“If it weren’t for dreams,” he said,” I wouldn’t know half the things I know about the future. They’re better than Olympus tabloids.”

Apollo cleared his throat, then held up his hands dramatically:

“Dreams like a podcast,

Downloading truth in my ears.

They tell me cool stuff”

Bianca laughed light-heartedly, “I didn’t expect such a Haiku coming from the god of poetry.”

He smiled softly and placed a finger to his lips, “I’m incognito. Call me Fred”

“A god named Fred?” she asked, “if you're incognito, what happened to your disguise?”

“Don’t need it,” he shrugged. “The sun is my domain. Not even Zeus can question what I do with it.”

“... I thought gods aren’t allowed to intervene with demi-gods quests?”

Apollo’s eyes suddenly burns gold, “Zeus insists on certain rules, no matter how dumb and illogical they are, even if something dangerous is stirring. He's stubborn like that. But nobody messes with my twin sister, nobody.”

“...How fast are we going?”

“Fast enough. Unfortunately, we’re running out of time. It’s almost sunset, but I have already gotten you guys across a good chunk of America.”

Bianca looked Apollo in the eyes, with no sign of fear - something no other demi-gods would dare to do.

The only exception being the children of Poseidon, who are fearless and unrestrained like their father.

“Do you know where Lady Artemis is?”

Apollo’s face darkened, he scowled. “I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don’t know that. She’s… clouded from me, and I don’t like it.”

“Then the monster Lady Artemis was hunting?”

“No,” he sighed. “But there is one who might. If you haven’t found the monster when you reach San Francisco, seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. He has a long memory and a sharp eye. He has a gift of knowledge sometimes kept obscure from my Oracle.”

“But, isn’t it your Oracle?” She pointed out, “Can’t you tell us what the prophecy means?”

He sighed, “You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or a poet to explain his poem. It defeats the purpose. The meaning is only clear through the search.

“In other words, you don’t know”

He sighs, looking down, “No, I don’t. Only the fates know, the Moirai. Even us gods are powerless against them.”

“I understand,” Bianca began, looking at Apollo with empathy in your eyes. “The feeling of worrying about the wellbeing of your sibling… Of being unable to defy the fates, that one day, deep down, you know that their choice is absolute. No matter what the future has in store for you, no matter the traversity and joy, you can only accept it with a heavy heart.”

Apollo chuckled, he looked Bianca in the eyes, his eyes gleaming gold. “You know, for a demi-god you sure know a lot about things. Dare I even say, you may already know your fate, and have reluctantly accepted it.”

Her eyes flashed a crimson hue, “I, I can only say that, I was born this way. A curse of perception.”

He raised a brow, “A curse? That’s the first I ever heard of it. Care to elaborate, who knows, I might be able to help you and shed some light.”

“...Was that supposed to be a pun?”

Apollo laughed whole-heartedly. “Haha,” he whipped a tear from his eye. “I, I didn’t expect that. I know your behind times but that-”

He paused, his words he spoke finally began to register.

Bianca perked up at what he said, “you, you know?!”

“...I do”

The two stared at one another, unable to form any words, not knowing what to say.

“You,” Bianca began. “Do you know who my father is? Why he…”

Apollo nodded his head solemnly, “Truthfully, it's not my story to tell. I believe it's best if you were to hear it from your father himself. But I do know this. Out of all the gods, he loves you and your brother very much, I can say for certain that you are his most treasured child, and he did what he did because, at that time, it was all he could do to keep both of you safe. He loves you, very dearly… and I know deep down, no matter how much you deny it, you feel the same way.”

Bianca had tears cascading down her eyes. She felt as though a heavy feeling was lifted from her heart.

Apollo reached out and wiped away the tears, he smiled at her reassuringly.

“...Do you know when I’ll meet him?”

“Soon,” he whispered softly. “It shouldn’t be long till you finally reunite.”

She nodded her head, and smiled brightly. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it”

#fiction #my writing #POJ #Apollo #Percy Jackson & the Olympians #Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series #Bianca Di Angelo #Di Angelo #Percy Jackson #Thalia Grace #Zoe Nightshade #Grover Underwood #Artemis #Hunters of Artemis #Olympians #Fanfiction #fanfiction #poj

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