{𝟑} 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟-𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 | 𝙻𝚞𝚔𝚎 𝙲.

30.

Ψ 𝐀 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 Ψ

𝐁𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐚'𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞, I sat there alone in my thoughts with tears welling up in my eyes.

Percy and Grover on one side of the truck, Zoë, and Thalia up front while I was alone in my thoughts, my hands running through my hair trying to calm down. my foot was tapping nervously and persistently because of the fear and sadness overcoming me.

What if Clarisse is hurt right now? Chris? Luke?

Why is our life this way? Nico is now going to be left without his sister.

He will hate us, might hate me because I couldn't do anything to help. And I feel guilty, I wanted to throw up.

Soon enough the trail had stopped, along with the gas running out. Thalia left the car slamming the door shut as we heard a tire pop instantly.

"Great. Now what?" She groaned out annoyed by everything.

Grover pointed out a way saying "there's a path. We could get to the river." He explained to us.

"That's a goat path" Percy had pointed out while Grover looked at him confused, "we can't go that way." He tried to get Grover to acknowledge because not all of us are Satyrs.

"We should go farther upstream; it won't hurt us." Percy suggested walking ahead as I sighed seeing Thalia and Zoë follow him along with Grover.

We had made it across the riverbed and had spotted a canoe stationed that was closed due to the winter times. Percy had left some Drachmas and an IOU note for the carrier as he took 2 of the canoes for us to take.

I looked at him and said, "you know I could just conjure up a little thing I liked to call my Dragon?"

Percy glanced over to me and smiled "were fine."

Him and Grover continued as I rolled my eyes as I ran into the water hearing Thalia shout my name from the distance, and as I dove the rest of my body in the water. I looked around and saw the glowing pair of eyes. I smirked and watched the Dragon swim underneath me only to rise to the surface with myself on its back.

Seeing the group stare up at me and my dragon I smirked as Thalia looked over at Percy and turned back to me.

"I'm going to go with Hayley!" She started to run up the water and climb onto my dragon as I looked at her and she whispered, "this is so cool!"

I laughed at her comment and Zoë seemed hesitant but didn't say anything, she came along getting behind Thalia with a serious expression on her face.

Thalia decided to move and sat in front of me, and Zoë sat in the back so they wouldn't probably kill each other.

But that didn't mean I was in the clear either...

I looked at Percy and Grover with an evil looking grin plastered on my face.

They were stupid if they were gonna seriously take the canoe instead of just hitching a ride on my dragon.

"Are we not forgetting I can control the tides to go upstream?" Percy asked and I crossed my arms "yes and the fact I'm literally offering both transportation and weaponry isn't appealing?"

Both of my shoulders shrugged. Giving him a smug look as he glared at me and I glared back at him while Zoë groaned at our arguing.

"No time for arguing. We must hurry you two." I nodded and began going ahead as Percy and Grover took their canoe and we all had begun to travel together.

My dragon stayed low as it guided us through the waters. Naiads were assisting Percy and Grover and not me, surely because they've heard of me, or Poseidon has been shit-talking me. Practically anything now in this world involving water knows of me and dislikes me.

Zoë whispered to the 2 of us, "I hate naiads..."

And at that moment a singular shot of stream water hit her face, Thalia shut her mouth to keep her laughs in. My dragon instantly swatted its tail at the girls as it flung some of them off balance.

"Thank you." She grumbled towards me.

My straight face appeared as I slightly nodded.

"Cursed water spirits, they've never forgiven me..." she muttered but I didn't try to ask further.

We weren't friends and we both didn't like each other.

She sighed and I told her, "You know...none of this is your fault Zoë."

Her head lifted behind me, and I looked over my shoulder as my dragon pushed forth against the rapids as I tried turning to her.

"Bianca...it wasn't your fault. I'm still trying to cope with the fact I couldn't do anything, but I wasn't even supposed to be there."

She told me "Exactly. I was meant to protect her."

I guess she was right, as Hunters you protect your own no matter what. But still...she's facing survivors' guilt right now. And I didn't enjoy that feeling either, when I thought I lost Tyson this past year...I felt shattered, regret, stupidity.

"Survivors' guilt...it's not easy. Trust me I understand."

She scoffed at my choice of words, "you know nothing."

Trying to be easy with the women-girl? She-hulk? Ehh, I don't know. I let out a small grunt and cleared my throat.

"My mom and I have had to fight for our lives in the dangerous world of as you call it 'mortal world' coming here and seeing all of this, having to be someone I didn't think I would ever need to have consumed me with imposter syndrome." I told her and she stared at me.

"Last year I thought I killed my half-brother...and I felt so ashamed I couldn't do more to protect him because even though I hate Poseidon it wasn't his fault. It was never..." I breathed out and she frowned at me and turned away.

In her small mutter, loud enough that I could hear she said "I saw good in Bianca, I thought that by pushing her to do this she would find great strength. And I felt that from her, the strength of a powerful Demi-God. I thought she would have replaced me one day..."

That piqued my interest as I continued to look at her and she noticed my reaction, "for over two thousand years I have led this charge with all my might. And yet my wisdom has not improved. With a fresh look at this world coming from Bianca...I thought she could be and could've been a greater lieutenant than I ever was."

That was nice of Zoë to say of her, she had seen potential in Bianca. Great potential.

I wish...Poseidon could've seen that in me. But he chose Percy, he chose Tyson.

Not me...

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Wrote this chapter after I got rejected lol guys.

Don't worry about me though, writing is one of the many ways I cope so it's the healthiest way to get over this bump in my road.

Anyways hope you enjoyed Zoë & Hayleys little chat!!!