Bianca lives. She follows them to Olympus. Percy notices the way Hermes seems to whip out his phone as soon as they walk in, busily texting someone. His eyes dart between them and his father. Percy scans the thrones as Grover clops over to them, happy but shaking with nerves.
Distantly, he wonders where Hades is - isn't his uncle supposed to attend Olympus during the winter solstice?
Artemis descends from her throne to save Percy and Thalia from being blasted to smithereens. She knights her dear sister to run alongside her in the hunt. Bessie's life is threatened. Percy pleas.
And Zeus summons his bolt when Poseidon suggests he keep Bessie beneath the waves.
Immediately the room goes cold. The scent of bitter ozone is displaced by the throaty taste of frozen dear and gagging misery. A nightmare batters through Percy's head - two children playing in the foyer of a hotel, a little girl trying to appease her brother, laughter, joy, content. Then lightning. Then death.
Then pain.
It crushes him - loss, grief, horror, a lazy river, and memories of a dozen ghostly voices whispering in the dead of night to fear the skies, fear the storm.
The underground is the only place safe for us, they say. They don't like when we breathe their air.
Air hits Percy's lungs as the nightmares snaps. Annabeth and Grover are keeled over, gagging viciously and breathing hard. Thalia looks just as shaken as Percy feels. Even the gods look displaced, fallen slightly on their thrones. Confusion has strung across their face in bewildered lines.
Zeus's bolt has fizzled to a less impressive crackle. Poseidon's watery trident looks more like an overgrown fork.
And behind Percy, Bianca steps forward. Her form is shaky, but she is the most sure-footed person in the room. She stares horrified up at Zeus, then her eyes turn to daggers.
It is the most enraged she has looked since Percy met her.
"You tried to kill me," she says. Zeus stares at her, baffled. "Me and my brother." She points at him. Wispy black vapour leaks from beneath her sleeves. "You wanted us to go e, but our father said no, so you tried to kill us." Her voice turns icy cold. "You murdered my mother."
It's not Zeus who speaks but Hermes. He laughs softly, like a teasing wind, but there's panic in his eyes. "Look, kid, I think you're confused-"
"I am not confused, Hermes," Bianca snaps.
She says his name with confidence. Like she knows him. Knows him well enough to belay the Lord title, to belay feigned politeness. Everything about her has shifted - she is no longer that shy girl Percy met days ago.
She's someone else.
Her head held high, she glowers up at the gods before them. "I am Bianca di Angelo, daughter of Hades, trained by Death and the very shadows themselves." A frightening chill bursts across the room. "I was there in the underground when you murdered my siblings, I heard Hermes deliver your threats for if he dared to retaliate, and I hope the Titans can't sever you from your pathetic throne, so that I can cut you down myself, like you deserve!"
The floors shook with every violent shout of her words. Beneath her feet, the decay of marble spread. The thrones crackled under the weight of her final scream. Shadows bled everywhere. Ghostly wails echoed all around the room.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN THREATEN MY BROTHER AND I WOULDN'T DESTROY YOU WHERE YOU STAND?"
Percy stumbled back. His head was throbbing. Nearby, Annabeth and Grover had fully collapsed to the floor, crushed into one another. Thalia was steadying herself against Artemis, who looked just as sick.
Bianca turned towards Percy. Her eyes were nothing but voids, dragging all the nightmares he'd ever had to forefront of his mind, all the near death experiences, all the reminders that he was mortal. The veins across her face were blackened and prominent.
"He destroyed your siblings as well," she said, softer. "Do not trust an Olympian, Percy. They don't care for those of us who love the depths."
Then she was gone. Like the snap of someone's fingers - instantaneous. All the encroaching darkness immediately dissipated, Percy panted, gripping his knees.
What the hell was she talking about?
Before he could even think to ask, Zeus was rounding on Hermes, who looked much different now. Not neatened up in a fancy business suit, but much younger and panicked, with a dark t-shirt and an obsidian wreath of laurels in his hair.
"Did you know about this?" Zeus seethed. "Did you know they lived?"
Like a child being scolded, Hermes pulled into himself. "I knew," he said quietly.
The acrid scent of electricity was back in the air. "And you did not tell me?"
Hermes didn't meet Zeus' eyes. "I was told-"
"I am your father!" Zeus bellowed.
Hermes closed his eyes. It was painfully silent. Percy's heart hammered in his chest as he helped pull Annabeth and Grover up to their knees.
Then, "They are my family too. And Bianca..." He looked up, catching Zeus in a clear stare. "Bianca is a good girl. She loves her father, and she loves her brother. She would not consider joining their army because Hades would not allow it. And she will not be the child of the prophecy because-" He turned to Percy and gestured quietly. "-it will be Percy. He's older than she is." He rolled his shoulders. "So relax, Father. Everything will be fine. As I've said before, there is nothing to worry about from them."
Zeus didn't look convinced. The other gods peered between the two, looking more bothered with Hermes, still dressed in dark clothing, than they were with Zeus. All except for Poseidon, who didn't seem to care about the fight that just broke out or Bianca's existence, and Dionysus, who tilted his head towards his older brother in a subtle nod.
Poseidon cleared his throat. The heavy mood broke ever so slightly. "Since you seemed so reticent to keeping the beast with me, Hephaestus - will you help build, uh, Bessie, was it?" Percy nodded. "Yes, will you help me build Bessie an aquarium here so he may be properly housed on Olympus?"
Hephaestus grunted in agreement.
When Zeus said nothing, still bitterly eying his son, Poseidon shrugged and held up his hand, "All in favour?"
Slowly a number of hands rose and for a moment Percy felt himself relax. At least, Bessie would have a happy ending.
The Council dispersed. Thalia and Percy shared a fervoured glance at one another as she was pulled away by Artemis. Annabeth was yanked off by her mother, who kept shooting Percy annoyed looks. Percy swallowed around his tongue as Grover nervously chewed on a tin can next to him.
"What do you think she meant?" Percy asked.
"The truth."
Grover jumped nearly a foot in the air. A panic bleat cut through his mouth, but it was drowned out by the loud music Apollo had thrown on. The two of them spun around. Hermes stood, still young, still darkly dressed. There was an almost somber air about him now.
"My father can be a difficult man, Percy," he said quietly before Percy could say anything. "I would not err him if I could help it, but... Bianca and Nico are very powerful children. They would be good allies to have on your side."
Percy chewed his lip. "I get the feeling Bianca won't really be interested."
Hermes shook his head. "She's heard the stories from the ones who came before her. And like her father, she was always more pessimistic. So she's wary of the people here. But she's always caved quickly for her brother and I doubt that's changed. And Nico..." A soft smile catches across his lips. "Nico's always been more helpful than he probably should be. It got him into a lot of scrapes as a kid." He laughs gently at whatever he remembered. "He'll be on your side. And as long as you keep him safe, she won't be interested in hurting you."
Percy stared at him. "How do you... know?"
"I am a god of the underworld," Hermes said. "And Hades has always been more capable of caring for his children than the rest of us. I think he sees the miseries that come from those that weren't and chooses to do better." He shrugged and waved his hand around. "All that really means is we under his wing sometimes get designated for babysitting duties. Or training." He grins widely. "I hope Nico still remembers how to pick locks."
Grover bleats in an awkward laugh and shoves another tin can into his mouth. Percy doesn't know how to react. Godly babysitters to keep them safe? And he had to get a shitty step-dad who beat his mom to the keep the monsters at bay? A small burst of jealousy and anger cuts through him. Grover nudges him.
"Now if the two of you don't mind, I should probably ensure Nico is safe with his sister before Father decides to finish what he started." Hermes steps away then stills. He glances at Percy over his shoulder. "Stay safe, Percy. And please keep Nico safe, if you can. He's got a big heart - he is our best chance at proving that the Underworld is a benefit to Olympus. Not something to be feared and reviled."
Then he turned and vanished into the crowd in a single step. Percy stared after him. And thought of chatty overactive Nico. Then Bianca, full of hate and despair. The voices of their ghostly siblings, worried for the ones who came after them, still angry with the gods above.
There was a pitiful pang that hit Percy at the thought Nico might become like that - change from the happy smiling kid who was too small for his armour and thought everything around them was the coolest thing ever, into a pissed off hateful overly powerful demigod who may not join Luke and his army but would be happy to destroy Olympus and everything associated with it.
And Zeus...
Would he go after Bianca again for what she said? She was also still technically a Huntress of Artemis, wasn't she? So she'd never turn sixteen. But Nico would. Tiny Nico laughing loudly as he was chased by his big sister. Tiny Nico who screamed bloody murdered when his mom...
Would Zeus...
Bile drew up to Percy's throat.
"Do you think he'll try to..." He trailed off but Grover yanked at the hem of his shirt, fully understanding.
"I don't know. I..." Grover falters, then twists the hem of his shirt over his thumb. "I hope not."
Percy swallowed back the bile burning his throat. "Me too."
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YOU — “No. There is still a chance.”
DOLORES DEI — “You think so?” Her voice is weary.
EMPATHY — Everything about her is weary. She is the Innocence of weariness, of heroically borne suffering.
CONCEPTUALIZATION — That is the picture you have painted for yourself, at any rate.
YOU — “You looked back. That’s the memory, the moment, that I can’t stop returning to. You looked back. I had a chance, for just that moment…”
DOLORES DEI — She meets your eye, gaze still forever cast back over her shoulder. Time stops. The stars are stilled, the ocean silent. There is *nothing* beyond this memory. Nothing at all. All of infinity is contained in this single moment when anything and everything was possible.
“Oh, Harry…” She sighs, soft as eiderdown. “We never had any chance.”
And just like that, the wave of time collapses under its own weight, obliterating everything. This moment was six years ago. She is gone from here. Gone, gone…
PAIN THRESHOLD — You cannot leave. There was nothing outside of this moment, and now there is nothing at all. It’s all gone. There is no point. I’m sorry. I can’t do this any longer.
VOLITION — Please, don’t say that…
“Okay. Well, fuck me, then.”
“How would *you* know?! You gave up! You didn’t even try!”
“We *must* have had a chance, at some point… Doesn’t everyone get a chance, if nothing more?”
“How could you say that…?”
DOLORES DEI — “Because it’s true,” she says, matter-of-fact. “There is no moment in time that you can turn back to, no branching paths, no infinity. There is only what happened. I looked back… and then away.” She closes her eyes, turning her back to you.
“The moment ended. *We* ended. That is all.”
SHIVERS — A wave crashes against an unseen shore, ocean spray tickling the back of your neck. You shiver, but no one shivers with you. You are alone in this intersection. Why are you here?
“Why can’t *I* end?! Why can’t this all just stop? Please, make it stop…”
“Ended? I’ve barely even started! I got a chance to start completely over as somebody new! I don’t need you anymore! You’re just dead weight to me now.”
“No. That wasn’t the real ending. We’re a part of something so much bigger than this intersection, telling a story that encapsulates all of history! There’s *more* to this, it *means* something.”
“Then… What am I supposed to do now…?”
DOLORES DEI — “No, Harry.” She turns back to you again now, and she looks… sad.
“We were not metaphors. We were people. Our narrative was not intelligently designed. It simply followed the patterns of history, because those are the only patterns we *know.* We tried to create something new, but we failed. There is no narrative reward for our failure, no satisfactory ending. There is only the immutable past and the unknowable future.”
RHETORIC — There is no assurance of what is good or deserved or what may bring relief. There is no assurance of punishment, either. There is no assurance of anything. Not even of a future. I don’t know what to say to make this bearable.
VOLITION — Even so… As long as you live, *something* is promised. Can you live with that?
I can’t, I just can’t do this anymore…
I can. It’s enough.
I don’t know. I just don’t know.
I can at least try for a little longer…
VOLITION — That’s all I ask. That’s enough.
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Ride 739: The training camp's fourth day!!
Pag 1
1: Training camp of Sohoku High School's racing team...
2: fourth and last day, 10:18 in the morning
3: Here it comes, Rokudai!!
4: Yeah!! Teh, Kinaka-kun
Pag 2
1: The training camp fourth and last day!!
The total distance we've ran so far is....
Pag 3
2: Here we go!!
5: 800km!!
Pag 4
1: We still have 200km to go until we reach 1000km!!
2: Teeh.....!! We've ran so much, teh
3: That's right, we already went beyond what I said at first, the distance from “Aomori”
4: “Aomori”!
It's still 10:30 in the morning, so if we keep going like this we can run the remaining 200km that are required!!
We can!!
Yeah!!
Pag 5
1: My legs are all sore
2: I'm trembling all over, teh
3: The Aomori thing, when we first came here
4: 700km!!
I thought it would be impossible
5: When on the first day, the senpai created such a gap between us, I resigned myself and thought that it really was impossible
6: But then, on that day's evening, you had that idea, Kinaka-kun
8: We worked so hard starting from the morning, we closed the gap, and ran until here
Pag 6
1: Being “buddies” really was our “breakthorugh”, teh!!
2: Breakthrough...!!
3: ??
4: Right!!
Teh...!!
5: Somehow, when I think about seeing the “goal”
6: I feel a surge of power, teh!!
Ohh...
7: Yeah, nice Rokudai, that's good!!
8: We've survived so far, so let's run through the end!!
Pag 7
2: Pfui
Yeah....
Let's do... our best and.... run....
5: Huh, where's my bottle?
Teh
Pag 8
3: Rokudaiii!!
6: Oooooogh
Pag 9
3: Ah....
Kinaka....kun? Huh.... I... fell.... and my bo.... ttle?
4: Rokudaii!!
5: So-sorry
You- you saved me, because you're my “buddy”!!
Pag 10
1: Because I'm your friend
3: Because you're my precious and reliable friend!!
4: Don't fall
Pag 11
1: Don't fall yet!!
2: There's still a chance
3: A small one
4: We can't know until the end of this last day of this training camp
Our
5: target
Pag 12
1: is to go together to the Inter High!!
Yeah!!
Pag 13
2: Ohh, they got back up, those first years
They ran 800km, so I thought their pace would drop for 2 or 3 laps
3: and that they would lose momentum like that
5: There are two ways of winning a road race
Pag 14
1: The first way is enduring determinedly, following without giving up in any situation
2: So that you survive and become the last man standing
4: And the other way is attacking yourself, actively passing and leaving behind your opponents
5: showing your strength and taking the victory....!!
6: They're both “victories”, that doesn't change
But the one who brings you more praises and admiration
Pag 15
1: It's the latter, Issa!!
2: That's right, Danchiku!!
3: First year Omihata, my jersey
Yessir!!
4: The heat resistance training ends here!!
5: Kaburagi-san.... he took off his long-sleeved jersey....!!
That means he's gotten serious!!
6: Let's go with with Full Spec, Danchiku!!
Now that our bodies are ready, we'll definitely do our “human sacrifice”....
Pag 16
1: We'll defeat Sugimoto-san and go to the Inter High!!
Of course, Issa!!
Pag 17
3: Let's catch him, Danchiku!!
4: So you're here
Pag 18
1: You two!!
2: We've come to give back to you that “you allowed us to train with you”!! Sugimoto-san!!
Pag 19
2: Danchiku has already mastered the new bike he's riding, and he doesn't stagger anymore
Thanks to you, he's now in perfect condition!! Perfect!!
3: Yeah
Pag 20
1: I'm just next to you and yet I can feel your pressure enough!!
3: Sugimoto-san, sorry but I'm gonna defeat you in one blow
4: I won't let you beat me in one blow
Pag 21
1: Is that your “expectations”? Or your “hope”?
2: Yeah.... for now
3: I'll also take off my arms warmer!!
4: Sugimoto took off his arms warmer!!
5: If you come at me seriously....
Pag 22
1: It's only polite of me to get serious too!!
Pag 23
3: Sugimoto himself hit their handles!!
Even though usually his play-style is to avoid rough play and contact!!
4: You're in high spirits....!!
5: Not as much as you!! Danchiku!!
Pag 24
1: Honestly, I'm surprised that you're going all out like this.... you're worth defeating!!
2: I'll let you train with me one more time, Danchiku!!
Pag 25
2: Ah crap, they've started already!!
The last battle
3: of the fourth and last day of this training camp!!
4: Danchiku-kun!! Sugimoto-kun!!
Pag 26
1: I'll pull now, teh, Kinaka-kun
Yeah, thank you, Rokudai!!
2: Please....
3: No....
4: I'm beaten....
Even though I've finally... cut the 200km left point...
5: That moment.... I overdid it a little....
6: My legs hurt.....
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