How Do You Say Gods- Titan's Curse

3: BIANCA DI ANGELO MAKES A CHOICE

"Percy!"

A girl who once again wasn't Annabeth threw herself against him in a strangle hold meant to be a hug. His vision was obstructed by her frizzy red hair as he patted her awkwardly on the back and looked to Thalia wondering if this was a strange attack.

"Thank the gods you're safe," she released all but one arm she was still grasping too tight and looking all around in stark relief. Her nails were painted gold with a different Greek letter on each in green, there was dried paint and marker rubbed into the L of one thumb and across her brow like she'd been flash mobbed by those girls at the dance. She spoke in a burst of speech without breath. "Things are going nuts at Camp Annabeth just took off to the Grand Canyon looking for you but I-" She blinked and looked again, spotting the familiar faces, and unfamiliar ones. Her freckles were wrinkled at the edges, like she smiled a lot, even if she wasn't now. "Where are we?"

"Underwater," Thalia sighed. "Oceanus kidnapped us."

"You're not Annabeth," Magnus and Percy both decided to tell her as she peered at the door now.

"No, of course I'm not why would you-" but she did a double take at Percy and finally released him, taking a weary step back as she saw the blonde with grey eyes who so resembled her friend. She was wearing clothes that did not match her vibrant presence at all, a purple plaid dress with a sharp black blazer over it, the letters CLA finely embroidered in with gold. And stockings.

Rachel took one look at the others with her green eyes, and ascertained, "You three, aren't meant to be here."

"Guilty as charged," Alex bobbed her head with pride.

"Apparently," Magnus sighed.

Jason jumped clean out of his seat and shouted, "what?"

A sentiment echoed by everyone else except Nico.

Rachel studied him for a few extra seconds, her skin crawling at his sharp features and startling blue eyes, the burned in marks on his arm and the faded purple shirt.

"You know who I am?" Jason demanded.

He wasn't threatening her at all, his hands spasmed at his side and he looked to Nico before a flash of longing and anger made him look away back to her.

"No," she answered calmly, but she still repressed the urge to cross herself under his intense gaze. "I just know what you aren't." Her sight might be dimmed, but the dormant presence of the Oracle inside her left her in no doubt.

"That makes sense now," Will muttered, even if he was lying a bit trying to wrap his head around who Jason could be. What the heck did this mean for Apollo? Were there really Roman gods out there? Did he have even more half siblings?

"How?" Percy demanded of her with just as much intensity.

"The Or-"

"Don't," Thalia said swiftly. She licked her lips nervously, was almost hoping Rachel was wrong as she once again studied Jason with an intensity of charging him for a crime he knew nothing about. Whoever he was though, wasn't the point. "Rachel, Percy doesn't remember you, he doesn't remember anything up to the point Annabeth was taken by Thorn."

Percy winced upon hearing her name and studied her nose very intently.

Rachel vaguely remembered what she was talking about, but it wasn't a story discussed around camp much. She grasped the important details and sighed. "The gods?"

"Right in one," Will frowned. "Gets a massive headache and nearly kills us if he presses ahead to far."

"Or doesn't like what he hears," Magnus added.