The Lost Souls

Bianca Di'Angelo Makes a Choice

Thalia Grace knew that Bianca did not hit Percy that hard.

Yet it took three hours for him to wake up.

Artemis had already offered both Thalia and Bianca a place in the hunt.

"Thalia, Bianca," Percy started.

"No," Bianca yelled in Latin. "Thalia's and my group has already suffered enough. If we have to go through that again because of you we won't go easy on you on your ship next time."

"That was you going easy," Percy asks in disbelief, also in Latin. "Besides how is it my fault that you all got captured?"

"It wasn't," Thalia exclaims. "It was our choice. We made those choices because we believed in you. When you weren't a god or even remotely powerful. We believed that you could do whatever you had to do."

"So why do you blame me," Percy questions.

"Because you didn't even know that while you were in Tartarus suffering, Luke, Silena, Charlie and I were still believing that you and our parents would save us," Bianca began. "And when Thalia and Rachel got sent down with us, we had hope that each of our parents would check on our afterlife. It took a thousand years for us to give up hope. And that was on Earth years. You know as well as I do that time works differently down there. So don't do anything that could jeopardize this chance." Bianca slips back into English. "Thanks for the offer, Artemis, but I think that I should stay with my brother."

"And Thalia," Artemis questions. "What about you?"

"I need to stay with my cousins," Thalia laughs. "They'd be dead without me."

"That is probably true," Percy comments.

Artemis walked into her tent and a few minutes later Thalia, Bianca and Percy were called in.

"Join us, Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, Bianca Di'Angelo," Artemis calls as they enter the tent. "Are you surprised by me age?"

"No," Bianca replies. "Most of the Hunters seem to be the same age."

"You are very observant," Artemis comments. "This is the average age of my Hunters, and all young women whom I patron, before they go astray."

"Go astray?" Percy questions.

"Grow up. Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget themselves."

"Oh."

"You must forgive my Hunters if they do not welcome you," Artemis said. "It is very rare that we would have boys in this camp. Boys are usually forbidden to have any contact with the Hunters. The last one to see this camp . . . Which one was it?"

"The boy in Colorado," Zoë said. "You turned him into a jackalope."

"Ah, yes," Artemis nodded, satisfied. "I enjoy making jackalopes." Bianca and Thalia make eye contact. "At any rate, Percy, Bianca, Thalia, I've asked you here to tell me more of the Manticore."

And so they did.

"I feared this was the answer."

Zoë sat forward. "The scent, my lady?"

"Yes."

"What scent," Bianca, Thalia and Percy questioned in unison.

The three glared at each other.

"I see how you three are like your fathers," Artemis muttered. "Things are stirring that I have not hunted in nearly a millennia. Prey so old I have nearly forgotten. We came here tonight sensing the manticore, but he was not the one I seek. Tell me again, exactly what Dr. Thorn said."

"Um, 'I hate middle school dances'," Percy begins.

"No, no, after that," Artemis says.

"He said someone called the General would explain things to us," Bianca adds, remembering the last time she had been captured by the Manticore as it had not occurred this time, but no one except Percy could prove it did not.

Zoë's face paled. She turned to Artemis and started to say something, but Artemis raised her hand.

"Go on," Artemis invites.

"Well, then Thorn was talking about the Great Stir Pot-"

Thalia facepalmed as Bianca interrupted.

"Stirring," Bianca states. "He also mentioned, 'Soon we will have the most important monster of all-the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus'."

The goddess was so still she could have been a statue.

"Maybe he was lying," Percy proposed.

Artemis shook her head. "No. He was not. I've been to slow to see the signs. I must hunt this monster."

"We will leave right away, my lady," Zoë states, her voice sounded emotionless to those who weren't trained to hear the slight fear in it as Artemis, Thalia and Bianca were.

"No, Zoë. I must do this alone."

"But, Artemis-"

"This task is too dangerous even for the Hunters. You know where I must start my search. You cannot go with me."

"As . . . as you wish, my lady."

"I will find this creature," Artemis vowed. "And I shall bring it back to Olympus by the winter solstice. It will be all the proof I need to convince the Council of the Gods of how much danger we are in."

"You know what kind of monster it is," Bianca, Thalia and Percy ask in unison and once again glare at each other.

Artemis smiles.

"Let us pray I am wrong," she replies after a moment. "Before I go, I have one more task for the three of you."

"Does it involve Percy being turned into a jackalope," Thalia asks.

"That would be fun to see," Bianca agrees. "But it wouldn't be fun to explain to his parents."

"Is that the only reason," Percy asks in disbelief.

Thalia and Bianca make eye contact.

"Yeah," the two reply.

"Sadly no," Artemis answers Thalia's question, slightly amused by the conversation. "I want you to escort the Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood. They can stay there in safety until I return."

"What?" Zoë blurted out. "But, Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there-"

"Yes, I know," Artemis said. "But I'm sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah misunderstanding. It's your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down."

Zoë muttered something about foolish campers.

Thalia, Percy and Bianca leave the tent and walk to a clearing with Grover and Nico.

"I wish we actually knew what some of the other things were," Bianca comments. "No one ever trusts demigods especially demigod children of Hades."

"Or Zeus," Thalia complains.

"Or Poseidon," Percy adds.

"Too powerful," the three finish. "Not trustworthy."

Nico and Grover look at the two confused.

"What?" Grover asks.

"Demigod problems," Bianca informs.

Then Bianca reaches up and unclips her hair and starts spinning a butterfly dagger.

Grover walks away.

"Okay," Percy starts. "When did you have time to get all of those weapons?"

"They are all from my father and stepmother," Bianca comments.

"All I got from Persephone was turned into corn," Nico groans.