Chapter 46: Out of Time

A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next four chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!

Bianca POV it is~

-x-X-x-

As he tugs them both down the street, the handsome young man who came to get them, supposedly on behalf of their father, almost pauses for a moment. He doesn’t fully stop in the end, but he does look back at them both with an apology on his lips.

“Ah shit, sorry… where are my manners? I’m Percy, by the way!”

Bianca tries not to blush too hard as he finally gives them his name. He’d known theirs from the start of course, both her and her brother’s. But the real reason she’s having to hold back her blush is that she’s been thinking of him in differing variations of ‘handsome’, ‘handsome man’, and ‘Mr. Handsome’ since they met.

It’s fine so long as it’s in her head, right? Fortunately, she’d never blurted out one of those monikers. And now she knew his name was Percy, so it all was well that ending well.

Except… nothing was currently ‘well’ by any definition of the word, was it?

Her memories of the time before her and Nico went to stay at the Lotus Hotel and Casino are incredibly fuzzy, admittedly, but she at least remembers what the year was and how the world in general looked. She recalls living in Washington D.C. with… with her brother and maybe someone else?

Maybe her father. But Bianca didn’t know who her father was, did she? That was half the reason she had been so tempted when Percy originally called out to her. The other half was because of how nice his voice sounded, and how handsome he was. And the other, other half was that… well, even she was getting a little tired.

Two months. That was how long she and Nico had been staying at the Lotus Hotel and Casino, as far as Bianca had been aware. It wasn’t like staying there was any particular hardship. There was even a kid’s area for Nico’s age group, filled with all sorts of fun games from what her little brother had told her.

And Bianca… well, she’d turned eighteen mere days before they’d gone in, and she’d greatly enjoyed the adult forms of entertainment. She wasn’t a big fan of the group content with the various gambling tables, mostly because it almost always resulted in older men chatting her up, but she did like the slot machines, and winning it big, and she also enjoyed the food and drink very, very much.

… However, it had ultimately become too much of a good thing. Even if her memories of before the casino had been very fuzzy, Bianca still knew spending two months gambling while eating rich foods and drinking fine wines was… well, excessive to say the least. Especially for a young woman such as herself. She should have been working… or maybe she should have been courted or something?

Surrounded by the bright lights and loud noises of the Lotus Casino, she’d not really let herself think too hard about it, but it was all still a bit too much. And she didn’t know what she should have been doing instead, but even before Percy showed up, there was this growing sense that she needed to do something else, anything else.

Unfortunately, the world outside of the casino didn’t seem much better. Everywhere Bianca looked, they were surrounded by the same flashing lights, the same loud noises and sounds. It was entirely overwhelming, at least for her. One look at Nico tells her that he’s in awe for now, even as Percy continues dragging them down the sidewalk to who knows where.

Of course he would be. Her brother… well, she’d taken care of him all her life, it felt like. Even with her memories being so fuzzy and incomplete, Bianca knew she had a responsibility as his big sister to look after Nico and keep him safe. Even with them splitting up most days at the Lotus Hotel and Casino, she would still find him for every meal, and also when it was time for bed.

… It wore on her, just a little bit. He was her brother, not her child, and yet, Bianca felt almost like she was his mother instead of his big sister. Where was their actual mother in all of this? Bianca couldn’t say. Where was their father? Bianca couldn’t say that either, but maybe now that they were finally out of that place, Percy would take them to him.

She trusts him, of course… even if she can’t really describe why she trusts him at this point. But she does trust him all the same. If their father sent him, he has to be a good person, right? And also, the way he and that woman from the Lotus Casino had talked, it almost seemed like they wouldn’t have been allowed to leave if not for his presence, so she had that to be thankful for as well.

Still, she wondered what had him so upset and worried. Just as that thought is crossing Bianca’s mind however, they apparently arrive at their destination. Another arcade like the one Nico spent most of his days in, she quickly realizes. Her lips curl down into a frown, even as Nico perks up when Percy drags them inside.

However, the handsome young man keeps a firm grip on their hands, not letting go of either of them as he pans his gaze across the arcade. Finally, he curses quietly under her breath, making Bianca go scarlet at the crass words. H-Honestly, there was a child present! Nico, meanwhile, gawks at Percy, as if he’s the coolest thing in the world. Ugh.

“… Alright, one second. Please don’t leave my side, you two.”

Finally, Percy lets go of their hands and moves towards the Arcade’s main desk. Before Nico can do anything, Bianca steps behind Percy’s back and grabs her brother’s hand, staring back impassively when he gives her a look as if to say he wasn’t going to do anything. And maybe he wasn’t, but she wasn’t about to take that risk.

Pulling Nico along, Bianca follows Percy to the front counter just in time to hear the man behind it lazily respond to a question Percy asked him.

“Huh? Today’s date? Jeez man, you really hit the bottle hard, didn’t you?”

The disinterested man then rattles off the day of the month, which makes Percy blanch and ask the year. A bit confused now, the man rattles off the year as well, causing Percy to sigh in relief… but Bianca to blanch in horror. How can she not? Nico was right. When they’d first stepped foot in the Lotus Hotel and Casino, it had been 1930.

… Now it was the twenty-first century, if the man behind the counter was to be believed. And given Percy didn’t seem surprised or upset by the year, Bianca was forced to admit that it was probably accurate.

After thanking the man for his time, Percy turns back to them with a hopeful look in his eyes, but a grim countenance all the same.

“Okay… okay, it’s only been a day. And I told Tyson to go find Sally, my mom, if it got dark out before I returned. So… they should be back at the hotel.”

Bianca tries not to flinch at that last word, but Percy must catch her anyways because he gives her a wan smile and a shake of his head.

“Different casino, don’t worry. No time fu- err, no time dilation there.”

She can easily tell that he was about to let loose another curse word, but this time caught himself. That said…

“Time… dilation?”

Percy nods as he (thankfully) leads them out of the arcade and back down the street. Bianca follows after him, keeping ahold of Nico’s hand. They had no choice but to stick with Percy at this point, as far as she was concerned. He would get them to their father, hopefully.

“Yeah, it’s when time slows down or speeds up in a localized place. Basically, the place where you two were… well, time inside passed incredibly slowly compared to time outside. How long were you in there, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Bianca shakes her head, not minding the question at all, even as she’s still struggling to process what he’s describing. Time dilation sounds incredibly frightening, and yet it also sounds quite applicable to their circumstances.

“Two… two months. But it was a lot longer out here in the real world, wasn’t it?”

“Bianca?”

Nico’s questioning head tilt makes it clear he hasn’t quite caught up yet with what’s happening. Which is fair, he’s only a child. Still, she puts a finger to her lips, hushing him as she waits for Percy’s answer. The handsome young man hesitates for a moment before finally nodding his head.

“… Yeah. It looks like you guys were in there for almost eighty years. Two months turns into eighty years… and an hour spent waiting to pick you guys up turns into an entire day. Crazy.”

At her side, Nico squawks in disbelief.

“Huh?! Eighty years?!”

Normally, she’d shush Nico again, but truth be told, Bianca is reeling for a moment herself. Even if she’d already heard the date from the man behind the counter, it was one thing to know what year it was now, and another entirely to have Percy outright say how long it had been. Good lord, she was nearing a hundred years of age, technically. She didn’t FEEL a hundred years old though. Oh no…

“A-Ah… Percy… you don’t think we’ll start to age faster now that we’re out of… the time dilation, d-do you?”

Percy looks a little surprised at that idea, before paling. He gets himself under control quickly enough that Nico doesn’t notice, but not quickly enough that Bianca fails to see it, however.

“Ah, well… aha, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Yeah… after all, your father wouldn’t have put you there if that was the way it worked. He left you at that place to keep you safe, presumably. Given I only came to pull you out because he told me to, it should be fine, right?”

Bianca feels a sense of relief as Percy clearly believes what he’s saying by the time he’s done talking. And his logic makes sense to. Their father wouldn’t have put them in that place only to take them out now if it would be a death sentence for them to leave, right? Although, that did raise another very important question for her.

“Um… Percy… if its been nearly eighty years, how is our father still alive?”

Percy looks at her, surprised.

“Do you not… oh. You don’t do you? Know who your father is, I mean.”

Bianca hesitates for a moment, before shaking her head. Beside her, Nico does the same with a morose expression on his face.

Percy, meanwhile, looks like he’s not sure what to say for a long moment, before running a hand through his hair and sighing.

“Well, I’m not sure it’s my place to tell you that. But if he doesn’t reveal himself to you both soon… then I’ll do it anyways.”

There’s a mixture of resolve and determination on Percy’s face as he utters those words, and Bianca’s heart goes tha-thump in her chest… sort of like it did back at the casino when she’d heard him call out for her that first time. There was this wave of… something that washed over the entire room, and despite the noise, his words reached her.

The same thing happens now, and she isn’t sure how to respond. Her mouth opens anyways, but before she can say anything, Percy suddenly twitches.

“… Shit. Er, I mean… both of you, with me, quickly. And stay behind me.”

Bianca blinks as he suddenly hurries them off of the street and into a nearby alley. Wha- why were they straying away from the road? What was going on?

No sooner have they entered the alley, then they’re followed in by big, hulking men. Bianca blanches and pulls Nico closer, even as Percy interposes himself between them and these newcomers. And then there’s a golden sword in Percy’s hand that hadn’t been there before. Or… not golden, but the actual type of metal evades Bianca. It looks like something straight out of a storybook.

“You guys really don’t want to do this.”

The thugs, who look even bigger than they did originally, all exchange looks with one another before laughing.

“Don’t we?”

“Three juicy demigods.”

“I call dibs on the girl. I want to take my time with her.”

“Heh, we’ll draw straws. Short straw gets the small one.”

“Bah, short straw is supposed to get the pick of the lot, you idiot!”

Oh god. They were cannibals? And what was that about ‘demigods’? Bianca shivers as the men seem to get larger and larger, until they’re all eight feet tall, showing off heavily tattooed arms and yellow, pointed teeth. They’re also carrying weapons. Bianca had originally mistaken them for pipes and crowbars, but now she sees that they’re massive, iron clubs.

Trembling, Bianca doesn’t know what to do. They’re trapped because Percy brought them into this alley where they can’t just run away. Did he not realize this was a dead end? Did he not think they could outrun them or something?

Still, how was he possibly going to take on three men of that size all by himself? Even if he was well-built and handsome and seemed to hold that sword of his with some certainty, there was just no way, right?

“Bianca… Nico… look away.”

Percy takes a step forward, still between her and Nico and the cannibal thugs. And he raises that sword of his, clearly ready to commit a great deal of violence with it. Obviously, Bianca doesn’t want to see such things. She knows she shouldn’t witness such things, and Nico definitely shouldn’t either.

But she hesitates all the same for a moment, not sure whether her faith in Percy might have been misplaced or not…

[ ] She doesn't cover Nico's eyes nor does she look away, just in case they need to run - 4%

If you'd like to contribute to funding my writing at all, check me out on .com/Cambrian

Thanks for reading!