God of night

Chapter 14

The girls walked through the snow covered camp in silence for a bit. One in silver pants, a white shirt with black lettering spelling out "Death to the Barbie" and a depiction of just that (a Barbie with an arrow in her head and blood dripping profusely from the wound), and a silver jacket. The other in black jeans, grey shirt, and a black jacket. The two girls had not grown up together, and yet they in their week, week and a half of knowing each other, they had become closer them any mortal cousins who saw each other on a regular basis could ever be.

Finally Thalia spoke.

"So it seems that you and Nico are staying for a bit," said the newest addition to the hunters.

Bianca smiled.

"Yeah, Nico isn't really interested in staying long, but still, I hope he makes some friends here at camp like me." she responded with a small nod.

"You're a good sister," Thalia said with a big smile.

"Thanks Thalia." Bianca said. They walked in silence once more for a while before it was broken again, this time by the daughter of Hades.

"So are you excited about being in the hunt?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am," the new huntress said with an unconvincing frown. "Artemis actually made me fourth in command behind her, Zoe, and Phoebe. She said she's got a feeling that now that Perseus back, he and Zoe are going to be spending a lot of time together, so she wanted to make sure she had someone to help Phoebe lead the hunt when necessary."

"But then what's wrong with that? You'll do great!" Bianca asked slightly confused.

"It's not the hunt... Listen Bianca," Thalia said stopping and Bianca followed suit. "About you being the prophecy child now, I'm so-."

Bianca immediately cut her off before she could finish her apology.

"Thalia listen," she said taking her cousin's hand in her own. "First, I know the son of Hermes is your friend, I promise I'll do everything I can for him. Holding him back on Mount Othrys so that the others could free Artemis was more than anyone could ask of you."

Here Bianca paused and looked around to make sure they were alone.

"There's something you need to know," the daughter of Hades continued taking a deep breath, "Nico and I aren't from this time. We were born near the end of the second world war."

"Come again?" Thalia said blinking a couple of times as she tried to comprehend what she'd just been told.

"On the quest, everything seemed out of place. In D.C. I remembered the train station wasn't there when Nico and I grew up as kids, but as you saw the place has obviously been there for a while. So I mentioned it to Perseus. He just smirked and said, 'What's the last President you remember? F.D.R right? That was over seventy years ago grandma.' He then told me that our father had placed me and Nico in the Lotus Hotel to protect us from Zeus." Bianca said turning to look at the top of Half-Blood hill where the Golden Fleece hung on Thalia's tree as the young dragon Peleus curled around its base guarding it.

Thalia followed her gaze. She understood how it felt to be pulled out of time. She'd heard when the power and thus the gods came to America, the lotus eaters had settled in Las Vegas. Annabeth had once told her of the time she, Lee and Beckendorf had accidentally gone in the hotel for an hour during a quest to recover Zeus' master bolt, only to discover five days had passed since they'd gone in. Thalia didn't know what to say.

After a minute Bianca turned back to Thalia.

"The reason why I'm telling you this is not so you feel bad for me and Nico." She said, her dark, obsidian black eyes staring straight into her cousin's startlingly electric blue eyes with a look so intense Thalia wondered if Bianca was using her abilities as a daughter of Hades to see her soul underneath her skin. "He and I have always been able to take care of each other. I'm telling you this so you know; I was the one meant to be the prophecy child from the beginning. I was to be the first child of the three eldest gods to reach sixteen after it was issued. So don't you see Thalia? It's always been meant for me, so I'm going to finish it. No more of the gods trying to change fate," Bianca continued with a shake of her head, "No more games. The prophecy is mine, and mine alone as it was made to be. I'm not going to let you, or Nico, or anyone else carry my burden."

Thalia just looked back at to her cousin for a moment before she embraced her in a hug.

"I'm honored to know you." she said softly. "Whenever I can, if you need me, I'll be there."

Bianca smiled as she hugged Thalia back.

"The same goes for you," she replied.

"Did you mean it?" Thalia said pulling back from the hug and looking at her cousin's face trying not to show the small amount of hope she still had lest it be stuffed out, "What you said about trying to help Luke?"

"Yes," Bianca nodded solemnly as she added, "Thalia, I swear it on the River Styx. I will do all in my power to save Luke."

She then started to walk towards the big house again as thunder boomed so loud the nymphs yelped as their trees shook violently. Tears of gratitude glittered in her eyes as she followed the daughter of Hades who she suddenly realized had become her best friend.