Why are y'all so passive aggressive?😂😂😂

I was cracking up the entire time reading everyone's comments. I was going to update eventually lol; this story is a lot harder to write than it looks!

Keeping that in mind, I have been sleep deprived for the past two to three weeks, so this chapter may not be a good as others. Please understand, and I'll edit/proofread it when I'm not running off of stress, coffee/tea, and the fear of letting my family down.

Enjoy<3

•••••

He stares.

There is no doubt in his mind that this was the deceased Daughter of Hades, but it still feels as if he's staring at a completely different person.

She's much older, maybe eighteen or nineteen. Her long, brown hair is tied into a tight ponytail and her dark eyes bore deeply into his. Her aura is strong and demanding of respect, and all he can do is stare, not quite knowing what to do.

"Percy?" Bianca asks again. Disbelief is one of the only emotions coming from her. Her voice snaps him from his stupor and he takes a step back.

"Bianca?" Percy breathes, and just like that, he stumbles back as she wraps him in a tight embrace.

Still in a daze, he wraps an arm around her. He knows Elara talked about her being alive, but seeing her breathing and just...there in front of him still catches him off guard. "How?"

"I should be asking the same thing." She releases him from her tight hug. "What happened? I can barely even recognize you..." she trails off, examining his grey eyes and void-like appearance.

"We'll discuss all of this in a minute." Elara says. He and Bianca turn their attention toward her, and he notices Phoebe, another former hunter of Artemis, standing by the commander's side with a surprised and confused look. "Where are the others?"

Bianca's expression changes to a more professional one; she straightens her back before responding. "They are at our campsite, Commander. We'll guide you there."

Percy gave Bianca's knife back, and they were off again, trudging through the darkened labyrinth of End's scheme. He and Elara follow from behind because they didn't know where they're going. The flashlights are clutched in their hands to lead the way.

He acknowledges how both former hunters take small glances at him, and he's not sure whether it's to check if they're still there or the oddness of the situation. Either way, the journey continues in general silence in the darkened tunnels.

He stares at the back of Bianca's head, and as the shock fades, all he can feel now is the painful tinge of guilt.

He remembers Hephaestus' junkyard like it was yesterday. Talos rising, finding the opening...

"If anything happens, give that to Nico..." He remembers Bianca pressing the figurine into his palm before running off to her own death.

He remembers the pure anger emitting from Nico when he told him his older and only sister was dead. The guilt sends a spark of pain in his chest, making him grimace at the memories.

"You promised you'd protect her!"

Elara gives him a side glance, as if sensing the overwhelming emotion coming from him. He subtly shakes his head, gesturing he was fine.

But Elara's bright, golden eyes simply bore into the side of his head, knowing the opposite was true.

They finally stop at a fork in the tunnel. It broke off into four different tunnels, each one dark and foreboding as ever.

"Which one do we go through?" He asks, noticing Pheobe dig something out of her back pouch.

"It depends." Bianca answers, turning towards them. "The tunnels change constantly, but we have a system to find out."

Before anyone can ask how, Phoebe unsheathes four silver daggers and chucks one down each tunnel.

Sounds of confusion come from both Elara and him, but they decide not to question the odd actions and watch in the light of the flashlights.

There's silence for a few seconds, and right before Percy opens his mouth to fully question, there's a clattering sound. The hairs on the back of his neck rise as one of the daggers skid back to Bianca and Phoebe's feet. It came from the third tunnel from the left.

Bianca picks the dagger back up and gestures for them to follow. The tunnel was like any other, but Percy immediately notices the faint light at the end of it.

Since it was fairly short, he didn't need to ask what it was. There is a campfire in a stone clearing surrounded by tents. Two women stand close to the entrance, both in defensive positions.

But as soon as they see Percy and Elara, one of them gasps in shock.

The hunter in the right runs forward and wraps their arms around Elara, completely ignoring everyone else in the cave.

They are unmistakably related. Both of their smiles are identical, and the only differences were Elara's golden eyes and the hunter's braided hair.

Elara has a twin sister? Percy realizes. It is the first time he's seen the commander show so many emotions at once. The mix of a laugh and sob comes from her mouth as they hold each other as if it were their last chance to do so.

All of the other hunter's grin at the sight, and Percy can't help but smile to himself.

"Let's give them some personal time." Bianca says as she guides him to the other side of the cavern. He notices there's a basket filled with food; his stomach growls loudly at the sight.

When was the last time he ate? He can't remember, but as soon as Bianca offered him a turkey sandwich, he doesn't think twice before diving in.

A laugh sounds throughout the cavern, and Percy whips his head in surprise. It was a sweet sound, much like pure honey.

Elara and the other girl are now talking with each other. Her smile is almost contagious as they sit close like sardines in a can.

"That's Laniakea, or Nia for short." He turns to Bianca, who takes a bite from a granola bar. "She's second in command of the CSRU."

"Are they twins?" Percy asks. Still trying to comprehend the fact that they look almost exactly alike.

Bianca chuckles. "Yes, but Nia was born a two weeks before Commander Elara."

What? "That's possible?"

"I thought the same thing, but apparently yes."

Well, you live and you learn. Percy decides to direct his attention back to his turkey sandwich. As simple as it was, it is officially the best thing that has happened in the past few weeks of his life. It's kind of sad, but he tries to take it as a blessing.

The two of them sit in comfortable silence. Percy notices how Bianca's aura holds a comforting presence; he felt completely at ease being next to her, even if she wasn't even doing anything to do so. He watches in slight awe as she examines the two silver tents next to the campfire. There's an odd maturity to the way she holds herself, it's a stark difference from her slightly timid twelve-year-old self.

"...Nico?" That snaps him out of his daze. It takes him a second to realize she was speaking to him a second ago.

"What was that?"

"How's Nico?" She asks again, looking at him with hopeful eyes. There is a small glint of guilt in them, and Percy realizes that she hasn't spoken or seen her younger brother since she told him she was going for rebirth. He can only imagine  what it would feel like leaving someone behind like that.

"Uh, Nico's fine from the last time I saw him." Percy says between bites. "He went to go visit Hazel, a Daughter of Pluto." Bianca's face lights up at the mention of another half-sibling keeping Nico company. They talk a little bit about camp in general and the changes that have happened over the past few years. It was a light conversation until—

"Is Annabeth doing well?" Bianca asks. "You haven't mentioned her yet. Are you guys dating now?"

Percy tenses, almost choking on his sandwich.

"Oh—What's wrong Percy?"

Images and memories flash through his mind. The laughter, the dark, the street, the screams—

"Percy."

He jolts out of the depths of his own mind, blinking away the painful memories. "Yeah?"

A worried expression settles in the huntress' eyes. "Should I ask...?"

Percy swallows the lump in his throat before waving off her question. "No, you're fine. She...she passed away about a year and a half ago."

Bianca's expression goes into shock before she quickly covers it up. Sadness fills her eyes as she looks at him. "Oh wow...I'm sorry to hear that."

Percy waves her off, a familiar numbness filling his chest. "Don't worry about it. So what's actually going on? Not to be blunt or anything, but the last time I saw you, you were..." he trails, not needing to finish the statement.

Bianca laughs lightly, trying to lighten the mood. "Right! So, I went to go for rebirth, right? But it turns out the Hunters of Artemis actually have two options if they make it to the Isle of the Blest. Either we remain there and just relax, or continue to be a part of the hunt in the stars. The CSRU is the section we're assigned to!" She digs into her pocket before taking out a silver and leather badge with a bow and arrow. Black stars litter the expanse of the entire badge, and the words Celestial Search and Rescue Unit are engraved along the edge.

He opens his mouth to compliment it, but they both notice Phoebe announcing something.

"...much as I love seeing reunion time, it's resting period." Phoebe says. "We're still trying to figure a way out of this hellhole, so we need all the energy we can get." Everyone nods in agreement.

Elara offered to take the first watch, and Percy decided to take the second. Everyone discusses the sleep arrangements.

Percy got his own tent as the other women pair with each other. Elara goes with Laniakea, Bianca goes with Phoebe, and Celyn gets her own tent; she's trying to map the area and needs all the room she can get.

Just like the last time he's been in a hunter's tent, his was much larger than it looked. The sleeping bag was comfortable, and much warmer than the stone cold ground he and Elara were passed out on.

For the first time in days, Percy falls asleep with a sense of reassurance.

•••••

There is going to be a lot of plot holes within the first draft of this story, but right now I'm just trying to get the darn thing done. Once I finish everything, I'll be editing and filling in the cracks, so I just want you guys to enjoy the ride!

I'm going to sleep now.
-JK