Escape from camp half blood

Chapter 2

The Previous Evening . . .

Something was wrong with Nico. Bianca was sure of it. And it wasn't because of some big sister instinct. It was because suddenly, all her attempts at checking in on her brother by every mystic means that she attempted, were blocked. It was like something, or someone, was deliberately shielding Nico from all surveillance, and who or whatever it was, it was powerful. As in god-strength powerful.

Children of the Underworld had some special privileges that normal demigods didn't have, both when they were alive, and after they died. That was how Bianca had been able to watch over her little brother, even after her death, and contact Percy back when Nico's powers first began developing, and he needed help even though he didn't know it. Unfortunately, watching and communicating with Iris messages were the extent of what she could do in the world of the living, after her death. She couldn't go back and make contact with Nico, and see what was going on with her own eyes unless she was summoned, and since she had told Nico it was better not to summon her, she didn't have much hope of that happening.

So Bianca reached out through the means that were open to her and contacted the most dependable mutual friend that she and her brother had: Percy Jackson.

It was harder to get in touch with Percy than she'd expected. He was the son of the sea god, yet there wasn't so much as a water glass his bedroom at his apartment. She'd thought for sure that he would have a fish tank, or Zen fountain. Even a lava lamp would have been sufficient, but no such luck. Every other time he was near an open connection, he was either in public, or near it too briefly for Bianca to actually establish a connection. Except when he was in the shower, and Bianca didn't look in on him when he was in there.

It was weeks before Bianca finally managed to contact Percy, and then only after he'd gone to Camp Half-Blood. In fact, the first time she tried to Iris message him on his first evening there, the connection wouldn't go through. She tried again repeatedly until finally her message got through. Percy's room blinked into view in the rainbow right as it seemed Percy was getting ready for bed.

"Percy!" snapped Bianca, glad to have finally gotten through.

Percy had been right in the process of taking off his shirt. He yelped in surprise and struggled to both get himself untangled and draw his sword at the same time. The end result was that he ended up ripping one of the side seams of his shirt.

"Who's there?" he demanded. "Nico?"

"No, it's me," Bianca called to him. "Bianca," she clarified.

She saw Percy mouth her name in surprise, then glance toward the door. He hurried over to the fountain and tossed a couple gold drachmas into it. "You just missed your brother," he told her. "Hang on, I'll run and get him -"

"Wait!"

Percy froze in midstride. "What's wrong?"

"I think that something's wrong with Nico," Bianca told him.

"Wrong how?" asked Percy.

"I don't know," admitted Bianca. "You said he was just here?"

Percy nodded. "He seems fine to me. He's still got all his limbs attached, all ten fingers, and as far as I know, all ten toes. And he didn't seem upset about anything . . . in fact, this past month he's been as happy as I've ever seen him."

"This past month?" asked Bianca.

"Yeah."

"I haven't been able to check in on him at all for about a month," Bianca told Percy. "Every time I try it's like I run into a glass wall."