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tagthescullion · 5 months

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Il Minuetto della Ragazza

Fandom(s): Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Rating: T

Summary: Bianca di Angelo is alive. Alive and upset, confused, desperate… Camp Half Blood lost her little brother, and there’s nothing she wouldn’t do to bring him home safe.

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I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X - XI - XII

Chapter 13: Trust

Federica had come back with the ambrosia and nectar by the time the girls had disentangled themselves from the rope and from each other. She was letting a dribble of nectar fall into Ludovica’s mouth, holding her head carefully.

Edwina was cleaning the blood of the unconscious girl’s temple. It wasn’t too bad, but it had been a nasty blow nonetheless.

Ludovica sat up a few seconds later, dizzy and babbling in Lombardo, from what Bianca could make out.

She kneeled next to her.

“Tranquilla, va bene. Stai ferma,” she whispered, putting a hand on the older girl’s shoulder.

Ludovica’s eyes, still dazzled, snapped towards Bianca.

“Maria,” she gasped, raising her hand to touch Bianca’s face.

“That’s Bianca, Ludi,” Edwina told her softly. She looked up and said in a louder voice: “Give her some space!”

Bianca was about to get up, but Ludovica grabbed her hand. She stayed like that, holding the wounded girl’s hand until the confusion cleared from her eyes.

“Scusami,” she said at last. “I thought– it doesn’t matter what I thought.”

On the contrary, Bianca wanted to argue. She was curious about that name. That memory she’d recalled when talking to Chris before she left the La Rues’ home. That had been her father, she was sure. He’d mentioned a Maria.

Was that her mother?

Did Ludovica know Bianca’s mother?

She had wondered if the girl had known her family, now she was almost sure. But how close had she been to Bianca’s mother? She’d mentioned she’d joined the Hunt after the Great War. Bianca wasn’t great with dates, but that was around 1920. How old had Bianca’s mother been then? Not too old.

Maybe around Bianca’s age?

Was that why Ludovica thought Bianca was Maria?

She wanted to scream out in frustration. She hated not remembering. She hated not even knowing what her mother had looked like. She didn’t even know why she didn’t have any memories of her childhood.

The Lotus Hotel had messed up with time, but were her memories all gone because of it too?

She wanted to cry, and sob, and pull her hair out until her immortal father came up from Hell to stop her, to answer her questions.

“Bianca?”

She jumped out of her thoughts.

Thalia had touched her arm, she was half-kneeling in front of Bianca, a look of worry in her pale face.

“Sorry,” Bianca offered.

Thalia shook her head. “You were lost in your thoughts.”

Bianca nodded.

“We have to leave,” Thalia said. “The girls have convinced the people on the bus that we’ve scared away the thieves.” She snorted. “I feel like some Old Western sheriff saying that. Anyway, better leave before we push the power of the Mist too far.”

Bianca looked to where Ludovica had been sitting.

She wasn’t there anymore.

It was only Bianca and Thalia, and empty nothingness around them all the way to the bus, at least fifty metres away, where the Hunters and the bus passengers were starting to board again.

The daughter of Zeus caught Bianca’s uneasy expression, her face turned sympathetic.

“It’s all right, I told them to go ahead,” she reassured her, her voice softer than Bianca had ever heard it. “It happens to me sometimes… I get lost in memories. It makes me lose track of time.”

Thalia got up and offered Bianca a hand, which she took gratefully.

“Is Ludovica all right?” Bianca asked.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Thalia said. “She’s got a thick skull.” She appeared to be debating something in her mind. “Why did she call you Maria? Is that what upset you?”

Bianca shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Thalia gave her a funny look.

“I mean, I don’t know why she called me that,” Bianca clarified. “It didn’t upset me. I just–” She sighed. “I still don’t remember much.”

“Maybe you’ve got another sibling somewhere,” Thalia suggested. She didn’t sound too sure. Bianca imagined if two demigod siblings of the same godly parent were a lot, three was unheard of. “Or she knew somebody you reminded her of.”

Bianca wondered whether she should be honest. She was still wary about telling Thalia the truth about her father. That would certainly change the way she saw Bianca. But the daughter of Zeus had been nothing short of kind to her from the moment they went to get her from Clarisse’s house. Hell, she’d even agreed to go to New York to find clues about her missing brother.

“I think she might have known my family,” Bianca told Thalia. “I think Maria was my mother’s name.”

“Maria di Angelo?”

Bianca nodded.

“If you want, we could try to find out more about her,” Thalia said. “There might be records, if she migrated here during FDR’s government.”

“Do you really believe so?”

“Why not?” Thalia ran a hand through her hair. “Most of it must’ve been digitised at some point. But if not, we could ask around in DC, if we’re ever there. That’s where you said you’d lived when you got here, right?”

“Yes, I’m sure of that,” Bianca said. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Thalia gave her a smile. “We look after each other here, whatever you need just ask, okay?”

Bianca nodded. “Okay.”

By the time they got to the bus, there were only a few people left to board again.

The mortals had all chosen seats close to the door, and were eyeing them with reluctant respect, or perhaps plain wariness.

From what Bianca heard murmured around, one of the Hunters had used that Mist trick Thalia could do —and Percy had unsuccessfully attempted— to convince the passengers that they were a group of students from a school specialising in martial arts and self-defence.

It wasn’t the strongest story she’d ever heard, and frankly, she wasn’t sure how well taekwondo would work against armed men in a motorway robbery. But the mortals were relatively on board with the theory, so she hoped they wouldn’t be calling the authorities on them. --------------------------------------------------------

Although she tried her best to control the speed of her heart, Bianca’s heartbeat didn’t manage to slow down in the ten hours it took to get to Denver.

Her mind was in turmoil, and at times, she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

She wanted to ask Ludovica about Maria di Angelo. She wanted to tell Thalia about her father. She wanted to go to Chicago, where supposedly they’d get a safe way to get to New York. She wanted to already be in New York, so she could ask Percy Jackson what the absolute hell had happened with her brother. She wanted this stupid bus ride to be over because she was starting to feel nauseous.

At one point, she considered asking Ludovica right there, too tired to care if the rest listened to their conversation, but Ludi was asleep, and Bianca didn’t have it in her to wake her up after her injury.

“You’re looking well,” said Thalia when they were getting out of the bus into the station in Denver. “Very well-rested. So relaxed!”

Bianca huffed.

“Don’t worry.” Thalia gave her a dry smile. “We’re resting here for a bit. I don’t think long bus journeys are good for us. Half of the girls get queasy, and I attract too many monsters.”

That made Bianca curious. They were staying here somewhere?

She couldn’t ask, though, there were more people leaving the bus and she was clogging the door.

Once they were all off the bus, Thalia led them outside. She found a corner with little traffic and stood in front of the group.

The afternoon sun, not too golden yet, was behind her, giving her a halo that made her look ethereal.

“All right, ladies,” she announced. “I know many of you have repudiated my choice of transport.” She looked at Greta —Bianca saw the girl looked a bit green—. “I didn’t know so many of you hadn’t travelled much by bus before. But anyway,” Thalia added after a pause. “I have made an even more polemic decision: we’ll be staying at a demigod’s house tonight.”

The group broke into murmurs. Some relieved, some mistrustful. It seemed this wasn’t the first time one of Thalia’s choices was considered polemic.

“Boy or girl?” Asked one of the girls.

“Boy, but his sister’s going to be there,” Thalia explained. Some of the girls could be heard complaining. “Quit whining and move on, let’s not keep Malcolm Pace and Annabeth Chase waiting!”

She turned and began walking down the street.

“Can we trust Annabeth Chase so much?” Wondered Helena in a low voice to the girl next to her as the Hunters went after their leader. “I know she and Thalia were friends but…”

Bianca didn’t hear the rest of Helena’s argument. She had nothing against Annabeth. The girl had been brave when she’d fought the manticore; she’d —more or less— sacrificed herself for Nico and her.

“You need to tell Thalia before we get to the house.”

Bianca was startled. Ludovica had appeared by her shoulder while she was listening to Helena.

“Tell her?” She asked, but she knew what Ludovica meant. She was glad the older girl was talking in Italian, she didn’t doubt more than one of the Hunters could speak it, but it made them less likely to be eavesdropped on.

“Annabeth Chase idolises Thalia,” Ludovica said. “Whatever she may know, or suspect, she’ll tell her.”

“Clarisse told me she and Percy were the last to see Nico,” Bianca admitted. “Do you think they know about my father?”

Ludovica shrugged. “Children of Athena are clever. If she doesn’t know she might have guessed. It all depends on whether your brother showed his powers somehow.”

“Better not risk it, do you think?” Bianca asked. “Would Annabeth really tell Thalia something like that?”

Ludovica offered her a tense smile. “There’s only been two children of the Big Three gods ever since the war, decades ago. It’s hot gossip, why would Annabeth keep that to herself when your existence could mean a threat?”

Why do you? Bianca wanted to ask. But it wasn’t the right moment. She needed to have a proper chat with Ludi if she wanted answers.

“You think she doesn’t trust me?” Bianca wondered instead. Annabeth hadn’t spoken two words to her, she’d have no reason to suspect anything.

“I don’t know enough about her, but it would make sense for her to be wary of powerful demigods,” Ludovica explained. “Besides, Thalia values her opinion.”

“You think she could make Thalia mistrust me?” Bianca was shocked. She’d got the impression Thalia was okay with her. “But I’ve done nothing to her!”

“I’ve seen how her father deals with people who might become threats.” Ludovica had a nasty look on her face, clearly recalling some bad memories.

Bianca had no idea what Ludovica was talking about. She had no idea how Zeus dealt with threats, proper or potential ones, but it felt unfair to judge Thalia by his actions.

“She’s not her father,” she said. “I can’t judge her by what he’s done —whatever that is— and then expect her to be okay with my father after what he’s done to her!”

Ludovica tilted her head. “Right, you don’t know—”

But what exactly Bianca didn’t know would have to be added to the growing list of things she had to ask Ludovica whenever she could sit down properly, because at that moment Thalia decided to join their little chat.

For one terrible, awkward second, Bianca thought she’d heard the whole conversation, and was coming over to embarrass them by yelling at them in front of the rest of the Hunters.

Then she remembered Thalia didn’t speak Italian.

“You look upset,” she told Bianca. “Has Ludi been scaring you about the evils of demigod boys?”

“Hardly,” Bianca dismissed the idea with a hand gesture. “I mean, I’ve a brother, I know what boys are.”

Thalia snorted. “Malcolm’s okay. He’s Annabeth’s older brother. Besides, it’ll be good for you to meet her properly.”

“She did jump off a cliff trying to kill a monster for my brother and I,” Bianca said. “I should get her a thank you gift.”

“I guess she’ll accept you being nice to Malcolm as a token of your gratitude,” Thalia suggested. “Many of the girls won’t be too happy to be around him.”

Bianca acknowledged that with a nod. “I don’t remember him from camp.”

“He’s not a year-rounder,” Thalia told her. “You haven’t met him, yet. He’s all right, though, he looked after Annabeth when— For a while, anyway.” She raised her voice for the rest of the Hunters to hear her. “We’ll be there in ten minutes!”

Bianca took a deep breath.

“You look upset again,” Thalia noted. “For real, is something the matter?”

Her worry was genuine, and Bianca hated that there was a big possibility of Thalia hating her when she found out the truth.

“I have to tell you something.”

#i liiiiiive have a happy new year peopleeee #bianca di angelo #thalia grace #hunters of artemis #annabeth chase #pjo #pjo hoo toa #riordanverse #pjo fic #mis fics #il minuetto #tagthescullion

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