The Afterlives of Olympus | PJO Oneshots

Bianca di Angelo

My name is Bianca di Angelo. I died a painful death. I was okay with it though, I died so my fellow Hunters and friends could survive to save Artemis. Let's start with how I died.

Percy, Thalia, Grover, Zoe, and I were travelling across Hephestus's junkyard. Don't take anything. One rule got me killed. The day before, I left Nico. I became a Hunter of Artemis. I was desperate for freedom. I had been the older sister for so long, in a way I felt trapped by my little brother. I love him more than anything but I needed a life of my own.

I found a Hades statue, the only one Nico didn't have. I took it. I wanted to show him I still cared. Talon woke. The only way to save everyone was to turn him off from the inside.

"If I don't make it back, give this to Nico," I told Percy, pressing the figure into his palm.

"Wait, Bianca!" Percy pleaded for me to not go.

I went.

I positioned myself under his foot and jumped inside. I was scrambling to the control centre, right behind his eyes. I was surrounded by metal and every part of my exposing skin was getting shredded. Tears were pouring down my face from the pain that was washing over me in waves. I was telling myself I had to push through it. I knew I wasn't going to survive, but I couldn't turn back now.

I made it to the head. I stood up, blood pouring down my face and from my hands. There were slashes through my clothes and most of the cloth I had left was soaking through, my last bits of life leaving me. I was dizzy, the entire room was spinning as I looked around trying to stay awake to find some way to turn this thing off.

DEACTIVATE

I saw a button under shelving. I ran over, but halfway I collapsed. I tripped onto a sharp piece of metal that was now sticking into my stomach. I gasped and lightly touched it. I felt pain in every inch of my body. I knew I was going to die, but first I had to get to that button. I took a deep breath and yanked the metal from my gut and counted to three then used my last bit of energy to throw myself towards the button. I managed to barely hit it before I fell over for the last time.

The robot started to fall and I was in the one part that didn't get crushed. The last thing I heard was my friends... My family... calling out my name searching for me.

Then, The last bit of red liquid that kept me alive for 12 years, left my body and settled around me.

;;;

When I woke up, I stood before three old ghosts. They declared that I was Elysium. The next thing I remember is sitting on a bed in a big room. The walls were grey and everything was vintage or distressed. I was sitting criss-cross on a king-sized bed with about a million pillows. Someone showed up at my door.

Hades walked in. "Bianca. You died so soon. How foolish, your brother is making some very poor decisions. Try to help him. He's been trying to summon your ghost."

"I know," I whispered.

I will. I thought. I just needed to work on the timing.

I started sending Percy Iris-messages so he could see what Nico was doing. I hoped he would catch on, and he did. One night Percy was with Nico. This was the time.

Nico didn't listen. I'm sure you read this part of the story in "The Battle of Labyrinth" and honestly, it's still too heartbreaking to talk about. When I saw Nico with Midas the first time... I left him, I was selfish. He didn't trust Percy which was the one person I trusted with Nico.

I fell into a deep depression. Which isn't supposed to happen in Elysium, but somehow I did. I didn't know what to do. I never left my room, I didn't eat (but I was dead so nothing happened) and I was barely staying with myself. If I didn't do something soon, I would fade.

No. You can't fade, you didn't bleed out so you could just fade away. Do something!

So that's when I decided to be reborn. Maybe I would get lucky and get into Elysium again. Who knows?

I am leaving today. I wanted my story to be heard before I left. Nico, if you're reading this, I love you so much. I hope one day you love yourself as much as I love you. I miss seeing you as the bubbly 10-year-old you used to be. One day you'll find someone who will protect you for me. I think it will be sooner than you think. You know who you are, just know I accept you, and always will. I'm sorry for leaving you, but I knew I could because Percy loves you too. He believed in you when no one else did. He spends time out of his day worrying about if you are okay or not. You and he could be friends if you just let him care.

I know no one will ever see this message, it's likely it will fade away when I'm reborn, but if it doesn't I want everyone reading this to know sometimes being free is okay. Sometimes you need to put yourself first. Voice your concerns, voice what you need, because as my wise younger brother said, "Your voice is your identity. If you don't use it, you might as well be halfway to Asphodel already."

I don't regret my sacrifice, because now I'm free.