Fate Withstands

Chapter 37

"All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born."- William Faulkner

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It was an odd continuation of lunch. Thalia ordered her own food as two workers cleaned up the shattered window, mumbling about kids nearby and their ability to break windows with baseballs. Bianca was still staring at the monster dust with wide eyes, shadows wrapped around her chest like a bulletproof vest.

"And then we offered her the options," Will finished. "She thinks she wants to be a huntress."

Bianca turned to face them, eyes glancing back at the shattered glass. "I feel like I need to, like it's right, like I should. Fate, you could say. And besides, I don't want to be confined to Camp Half-Blood. They're just training for war like the one Nico went to and left us all to go fight and die-"

Nico leaned forward and grabbed her hand. "You remember."

Bianca blinked. "I...no, not anymore." She moved a hand to her head. "I...I don't know, Nico. I don't know. My brain hurts. It gets all fuzzy like I told you."

"That's the Lotus Hotel and Casino mixed in with your dip in the Lethe," Thalia picked at her nails with a combat knife. "Your brain's trying to recover along with taking all of this 'mythological' information in."

"But you will recover," Nico assured her. "I know you can."

Recover. Maybe she would have if she had been given enough time. But soon enough she was looking at Thalia, her brown eyes shining beneath the artificial lights, her string of fate snapping beneath the silver shears.

"I want to join. I want to join today."

Thalia nodded in approval, Will looked at the table, Nico stared at his new sister. The di Angelo siblings knew fate just as they were born from it.

"Lady Artemis is on her way," Thalia said. "I have a few of my huntresses outside, watching out. They will let us know when she's here."

"And then I can join, just like that?" Bianca asked.

Thalia nodded. "You'll get her approval and say an oath. Then you'll be one of us. We'll teach you how to hunt and fight. And you won't be confined to any one place. We travel the world."

Bianca smiled. "I think I'll like that."

"Just always know you can contact me," Nico said. "We're siblings, it's not like you're sneaking off to talk to a boyfriend. And if needed, Thalia can be there. And I need you to meet Hazel."

"The huntresses come to camp sometimes," Thalia said. "She can see you and meet Hazel Levesque then."

Bianca finally began to eat her food as the shadows started to melt away from her white dress. She stopped looking around in fear and only looked up when she saw the young huntress walk through the shattered window.

"Lady Artemis." Thalia stood from her seat, completing forgetting about her plate of food. "This is Nico and Bianca di Angelo, children of Hades, and Will Solace, son of Apollo."

Artemis was in the form of a young child, her auburn hair in a long braid over her large coat. Her bow and arrows were on her back, always there when needed and when not. "Two children of the Underworld and one of my idiot brother's." Artemis looked them over before advancing toward them. She looked at Will, her eyes expressing an unknown worry.

"Is everything okay, Lady Artemis?" Will asked, bowing his head along with Nico and Thalia in honor of the goddess in front of them.

"I cannot speak of what happens on Olympus, even if it has to deal with my twin." Artemis laid a hand on Will's shoulder. "But know all isn't well with him. Watch out, young demigod. Watch out for all you can see."

Will paled. "What's wrong with dad?"

Artemis didn't answer, instead turning to face Bianca. "Young daughter of Hades, you wish to join my hunt?"

Bianca nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Are you aware of the conditions?" she asked. "You must swear off all men, have no relations with them. You'll be immortal unless you fall in battle."

"Immortal...wow..." Bianca let out a soft breath. "I...yes, yes, I agree, ma'am." She paused. "Are...are you really a goddess?"

"Gods and goddesses can take many forms, Bianca di Angelo." Artemis looked to Thalia. "Have her repeat the oath and then we'll be on our way. We have business to attend to."

"Repeat after me," Thalia ordered. And with that, she said the oath she had once said years before. And Bianca repeated it without any hesitation that Nico expected. But his sister wasn't who she used to be.

He didn't give her what she once hid at their old home in Venice. Not a word of the old Italian city was mentioned, nor was anything else of World War II. Instead he watched as she left with Artemis and Thalia, gave her a hug goodbye and nothing more because that's all he could do.

"You let her go," Will commented quietly. "You let her go when you were just starting to really talk to her."

Nico nodded in silence. He was more aware of Bianca's departure than anything else.

Will grabbed Nico's hand and held it close to him. "You okay?"

Nico nodded again.

"Let's get on the road again," Will offered. "Let's get back home."

Nico let himself be led from the restaurant and to the car, his eyes on the dashboard as Will started to drive back toward the East Coast. After some time he spoke, his throat raw and voice cold.

"Did I do the right thing?" Nico asked. "I know what she meant, I could feel Fate working. But should I have let her go with it?"

Will glanced away from the road to take in Nico's blank expression before sighing. "Neeks...if it was Fate, you couldn't have done anything to stop it. That's the whole point. So I wouldn't worry much."

"Do you think she'll be okay?" he asked. "She's so confused and she barely even remembers me."

"She'll be fine," Will affirmed. "She can use her powers, she's with people that will protect her, her memories will come back to her. She'll be fine. You can't do anything else to help her, Nico. I know you're used to fighting, but this isn't something you can fight. It's not something you should fight."

Nico grabbed Will's hand, squeezing it hard in hopes the warmth of his boyfriend would fight his growing anxiety. "She's alive, she's free."

Will nodded. "Just focus on that. She's alive and free."

If only that lasted for long.