#apparently hades was not at the winter meeting in TTC which im like?? bruh wasn't that when he was supposed to be??

[happyk44]

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."