Saudade
It was times like these that Bianca missed home. It was times like these that made the entire notion of "home" seem like a sick joke. The first lights of the sun were just beginning to crest the horizon, and Bianca sat on the roof of the Hades cabin moping, a familiar feeling that she couldn’t quite explain filling her gut. The Portuguese called it 𝘚𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘥𝘦 a longing for a time, a future, that would never come.
Bianca had never hated a word more.
She knew logically that it was pointless, she knew logically that crying for a past that she could never reach and a future that was stolen from her was a waste of time. But unfortunately, cold logic didn’t stop the tears, cold logic didn’t vanquish the idyllic memories of Venice, of 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢. Cold logic didn’t help the fact that that version of her home had stopped existing 91 years ago. Cold logic didn’t hide the truth that everyone she remembered, all her teachers, her friends, her family, every little person she’d ever passed in the street were all 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. it didn’t matter that the last link she had to her old life- her brother, her wide-eyed innocent Nico was 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦, because 𝘚𝘩𝘦. 𝘏𝘢𝘥. 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥
…Cold logic didn’t help with any of that…
Sometimes, she thinks that asking the gods to give her back her old memories had been a terrible mistake. Not just because they showed her the world that was long closed to her. But because they made her dare to dream for a future that she would never see. A future free from the interference of 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴. A future where she went to school at the little red building down the road. A world where she spent her days obsessing over boys and playing with Isabelle and Arianna. A world where Nico grew into the amazing, brave, loving man she knew he would be.
But that wasn’t the world she lived in. No, instead, she grew up in a world of gods and monsters. Ever since the day Annabeth Chase had stormed the Lotus Hotel and dragged her and Nico into the new world, she’d existed in a world of war. She’d held the world on her back, faced down the hulking Titan of the south, watched in horror as the sun was pulled from the sky, kneeled before the gods upon their thrones.
By all accounts, she’d lived a life of adventure; she’d seen things that no mortal nor demigod would ever look upon…..and yet she still dreamed of a little home in Venice.
It wasn’t to say that her new life was completely horrible, she’d met friends who she would give her life for in an instant and who she knew would gladly do the same for her in return.. That kind of trust was rare for people, and rarer still for demigods who spent their whole lives looking over their shoulders. Clarisse had stood by her side when she was in the grips of sorrow, had stood by her side when they faced down the Titan army atop the Hoover Dam. Silena, sweet lost Silena, they had hated each other at first. The child of love and the daughter of death clashing like fire and ice. But over time they had been forced to trust each other, and eventually a friendship blossomed in the most unlikely of places. It had been her that Silena had first confessed to. she had broken down in Bianca’s arms, telling her everything, how Chase had manipulated her heart into doing horrible things and then torn into shreds. She had held Silena close, letting her friend pour out her soul. Even the new kids had started to squirm their way into Bianca’s heart. They were new, untainted by the bloodshed and death that so many of the older demigods carried. But they had a fire in their hearts, each and every one of them, and Bianca was ready to stand by their side when the time came.
And finally, Percy Jackson…..what to say of Percy Jackson? he was like a brother to her, it had been him that had saved her atop Mount Othrys. But it had been with him that Nico had died. She had hated him for it, had hunted him in a desperate attempt to use his soul to try and bring her brother back. Eventually she had been forced to see just how far she had fallen, but then, at her lowest, Percy had been there to pull her up. The two of them had stood side by side against Annabeth’s apocalypse, fighting a hundred battles over a dozen campaigns. At the end, when he had accepted godhood, she’d supported him because she knew he would never let another demigod end up like Nico. She trusted that he would do all in his power to keep them all safe.
In the end, Bianca Di Angelo had led a life of dizzying highs and abysmal lows. But when fate called, she did what every soldier did, she bared up and took it.
//
The sun was now beginning to shine its rays down into the camp. Slowly, campers started to rise and go about their daily routines. Bianca was on edge, the quicker they got out of here, the better. The last thing the population needed to know was that they had brought a goddamn war-criminal into their base without even giving a heads up.
Leo assured her that the Argo was ready to go. Everyone was packed, and so far Chase had been remarkably compliant, locked away in the big house with that sick, self-satisfied smile on her face. They were just waiting on their godly escort, and then they would be off to New Rome.
"Tell me it’s not true"
Bianca turned and came face to face with Travis Stoll—gods, he had changed, the shadow of his brother weighed heavily on the boy. the happy trickster was long gone, replaced with a cynical warrior. He stared at her with broken eyes.
"Tell me it's not true, Bianca, tell me you didn’t bring that 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 into our home!"
She said nothing, she wouldn’t lie to him, too many people had done that already.
"Oh gods, its true……you brought her here!" Bianca felt a hand on her shoulder, and she forced herself to meet the demigods’ eyes.
"Travis, you have to understand-"
He shook his head. "No, 𝘕𝘰 I don’t have to understand." and with that, he ran away.
//
It was high noon now, and Bianca was worried; everywhere she went, she heard murmurs. The situation was rapidly developing, and they needed to get out of there 𝘯𝘰𝘸 if they wanted to keep Chase in one piece. Personally, Bianca wouldn’t have particularly cared if Annabeth got torn limb from limb. Gods know that she would deserve it. But the prophecy said that she was needed, so Bianca reigned in her 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a group of Ares kids heading towards the armory. The Ares cabin didn’t have training today. Across the grass, she saw Piper deep in discussion with one of her sisters. Quickly she approached, keeping her eyes on the small crowd that had begun to form. Her instincts were screaming in her head.
"Piper." the other girl looked up at her in confusion.
She pulled her close and whispered in the other girl's ear. "Get Jason, we’re leaving." Piper looked up at her in confusion before her eyes strayed over to a group of Apollo campers emerging from the arena. She nodded quickly, darting away.
Bianca headed for the big house. Ducking inside, she found it mercifully empty. She walked through the halls until she came to a steel door, she pushed it open and found Annabeth Chase sitting cross-legged on the ground, her silver hair untied, and a book in her hand.
"Get up Chase, we’re leaving."
Annabeth tilted her head, her eyes glinting in the dim light. "But I thought we weren’t supposed to leave until dusk, you know, so that we could rendezvous with our mysterious companion."
Bianca stiffened slightly. "Well the things have changed, get up"
The grey eyed girl sighed. "Dear oh dear, lost control of the situation already? You know I had till at least mid-afternoon, but you continue to surprise me Bia."
Bianca grabbed her, shoving her hands behind her back and slapping on a pair of stygian iron cuffs- they both knew the cuffs were more of a formality. "Just keep moving"
Together, they walked through the house. only to come face to face with an assembly of demigods, all of them armed, Travis was at the head, a solemn look on his face.
Annabeth looked up at her. "All part of the plan, yes?"
Bianca gritted her teeth. "Not quite."
She turned to the assembled crowd. "Let us through Travis."
The son of Hermes shook his head sadly."I’m afraid I cant do that, Bianca."
"The fates have already spoken; Annabeth has to come with us."
Travis shook his head again. "You see that’s the thing Bianca, I don’t really give a 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 what the fates have said." he pointed his sword at Annabeth. "But what I do care about is that this 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 brainwashed our family, killed our friends, wreaked unimaginable destruction on this land, tried to overthrow our parents…….killed Luke." at the mention of Luke’s name Annabeth’s eyes seemed to glaze over, and she listed ever so slightly. "- and now you." Travis shifted his blade to point at Bianca, she moved her own hand to her hilt. "Are trying to free her, to give her a second chance that she didn’t give to anyone else!"
He laughed a weak, broken laugh. "So yea! Im really sorry, Bianca! But I just can’t let you 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵!"
She took a slight step back. "Don’t do something you’ll regret, Travis."
The son of Hermes smiled a broken smile so unsuited to his once carefree face. "Oh, trust me, Bianca, we wont regret this"
With that, they charged, Bianca unsheathed her sword but there was just too many of them, Travis advanced his blade raised-
-Suddenly a blinding light filled the green; the crowd shuddered back, Bianca ducked down, dropping her blade, Annabeth just stared straight forward.
A booming voice filled the air
"𝙉𝙊 𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙏𝙊𝙐𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙎 𝙃𝙀𝙍."