call it what you want || leo valdez & bianca di angelo

vii - Darkened Dreams

ONCE LEO AND BIANCA REACHED the top deck they saw the rest of the demigods staring at something,

"Guys, what is it?" Leo asked, then a streak of darkness shot into the air like black lightning— as if pure night had torn through the daytime.

"I don't see anything," Coach Hedge grumbled.

"Me neither," Piper said.

Leo scanned his friends' faces. Most of them just looked confused. Nico and Bianca were the only other people who seemed to have noticed the black lightning. 

"That can't be ..." Nico muttered. "Greece is still hundreds of miles away."

"The House of Hades is open for business," Bianca said,

A few seconds later, a rumbling sound washed over them like distant artillery.

'It's begun,' Hazel said.

'What has?' Leo asked.

"Gaia's final push," Hazel said. "The Doors of Death are working overtime. Her forces are entering the mortal world en masse."

"We'll never make it," Nico said. "By the time we arrive, there'll be too many monsters to fight."

Jason set his jaw. "We'll defeat them. And we'll make it there fast. We've got Leo and Bianca now. Leo can give us the speed we need." Jason turned to Leo.

Leo managed a crooked grin. 

"Time to go, boys and girls,'" he said. "Uncle Leo's still got a few tricks up his sleeves!'"

Bianca was the only one who laughed, they all stared at her, "What?!" she questioned. Piper raised her right eyebrow,

"Nothing," Jason said, "Everyone get ready."

BIANCA HATED TO SLEEP. LIKE any other sane demigod but this was one of the worst dreams she ever had. She saw them, she saw Percy and Annabeth.

It was as if Bianca was there in Tartarus, but she wasn't being fully affected by it. She could sense it of course it messed with her mind, the place was truly pure evil. There she saw Percy and Annabeth all corpse-like, she gasped. Instantly Percy and Annabeth turned to face her, they could see her.

"Bianca?" Percy whispered, "Are you really here or is Tartarus finally getting to us?" She couldn't manage to say anything out of pure shock, it was like someone Iris Messaged her, but she had been asleep,

"Y-yeah I'm here," she walked closer, "are you guys okay?"

"No, but we're trying," Annabeth said. Bianca bit her lip,

"I'm so sorry, you guys don't deserve this."

"We know, but it's the life of a demigod, isn't it?" Percy said. Bianca reached over to give him a hug but she went right through him. She cleared her throat,

"Don't worry, the doors are open now, we're headed there and we'll get you out, promise," she said, the words stung Percy as a memory flashed of 10-year-old Nico making Percy promise to keep Bianca safe, he had failed. 

"We're headed towards the heart of Tartarus," Annabeth said, "Listen we have to-" she had started but Bianca was jarred back awake.

EVERYONE WAS WORRIED, EVEN NICO was pacing in Bianca's room, once she woke she saw everyone staring at her, she quickly sat up,

"What happened?" she asked, they all just looked at her,

"You mumbled in your sleep— actually correction, you screamed," Nico said. Bianca's eyes filled with panic,

"About..?"

"Tartarus. Percy. And Annabeth." Leo listed,

"Oh," she rubbed her fingers on her temple trying to remeber, "yeah, I- I sort of saw them?" all of their jaws dropped and Bianca told them about her 'dream',

"Annabeth was trying to tell me something, I'm not sure what, you woke me up before I could hear," Bianca said,

"At least they know about the doors," Frank said, Jason, nodding in agreement,

"What did you see?" Nico asked, 

"It was Tartarus, a blood-red sky, thick air, it hurt being there even if it was just a dream," she said. Nico scoffed, 

"It's as if everyone sees and feels it differently," he said, the tension was thick between him and Bianca. For the next minute, they all just sat in silence, Bianca, Leo and Piper on the bed, Nico and Jason standing, Frank and Hazel on the couch.

"Quit slumping, it's breakfast time." Coach Hedge said through the door and they all followed him to the dining hall.