Chapter 77: Spartoi Destroyed

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 gets to be the big damn hero, with Percy's help of course~

-x-X-x-

The situation was undeniably dire. Things had been bad enough when they'd been ambushed by the Manticore. But at least then, Bianca had felt fairly confident in their ability to defeat the monster. Between all the training Percy had given her since bringing her to Camp Half-Blood and the Blessing of Athena that she and most of the Camp now had access to, it felt like it was pretty much in the bag.

Even Zoe and Phoebe seemed to be more than capable of pulling their weight. In the end, between Percy cutting off the Manticore's scorpion tail and the two Hunters of Artemis managing to pin the monster in place with a pair of arrows connecting a golden net… well, Bianca had felt pretty good about things.

And then the Nemean Lion had attacked. Never mind that it had started things off by killing the Manticore. While fighting both monsters together would have been rough, in the end the Manticore was decidedly small potatoes compared to the new arrival. He wouldn't have added much to the difficulty and deadliness of the ensuing battle with the Nemean Lion.

Indeed, just by itself, the Nemean Lion had honestly seemed like an insurmountable challenge for a while there. His golden, metal-like fur coat being impervious to all forms of harm that they could levy against him had made it seem almost like they were doomed to fail.

Bianca hadn't said as much though, keeping such depressing thoughts to herself. And thankfully she did too, because none of the others had seemingly been as ready to give up as she was. Certainly not Percy. The way he'd come up with a plan on the fly like that and then ripped the nose of that plane off to toss it down the Nemean Lion's throat had been… well, Bianca was going to need a change of underwear before this was all over, that was for sure.

They'd killed the Nemean Lion together, but Zoe was right that it had been Percy who earned the pelt. He was the one who came up with a plan. He was the one who led them to victory.

Unfortunately, before he could claim the very thing that might have protected him from such attacks… Percy had pushed her, Zoe, and Phoebe all out of the way and taken a sword to the gut for his troubles. While they'd all been basking in their victory over the Nemean Lion, even more enemies had managed to sneak up on them. This time in the form of Skeleton Warriors born of dragon's teeth if Zoe was to be believed.

Unfortunately, the Hunter's frantically shouted command to 'get them away from Percy' was easier said than done. The Spartoi were already on top of all of them, having snuck up far more quietly than either of their previous opponents. And being on top of them meant they were on top of Percy.

Percy, who was laying on the ground between them all with a massive puncture wound in his gut. Percy, who had saved her and her brother from the Lotus Eaters. Percy, who had taken her virginity and made love to her in a variety of very enjoyable ways. Percy, who she owed everything to and who she loved with all her heart.

Needless to say, Bianca was not happy right now. She was stressed, angry, and very much aggrieved as the Spartoi push in on her and the others, single-minded in their relentless hunt. The only saving grace was that they didn't seem to really be after Bianca herself. Nor were they even after Percy. In the end, they were both mere obstacles to their true goal… which seemed to be Zoe Nightshade.

They wanted the Lieutenant of Artemis dead, and Bianca was half-tempted to let them have her if it meant maybe getting Percy to safety. But she also knew that Percy himself would never agree to such a thing. He was just too damn good of a man for words, the kind who would happily sacrifice himself a dozen times over rather than let someone he knew and liked get hurt.

Didn't make this any easier though. And things were only getting direr by the mom-

"Bianca!"

Bianca's eyes widen, her head whipping around in shock as Percy's voice comes from right behind her. Not on the ground though… no, he's on his feet and somehow fully healed as he stands there, staring right at her.

"Catch!"

When he throws her his pen-sword, currently in pen form, Bianca reacts without thinking, leaning on the Blessing of Athena to reflexively reach out and catch Riptide in her open palm. Blinking down at the pen-sword, she looks back to Percy in confusion.

"Use it on the Spartoi, Bianca! You're a Daughter of Hades! You're singularly equipped for destroying these fuckers! Everyone else, back Bianca up! Give her the openings she needs!"

For a moment, everyone freezes up. Everyone except for the Spartoi, who keep making their way towards Zoe unerringly. In the end, this is what gets them moving again. Bianca hastily tosses her own weapon back over to Percy so he's not unarmed, and then just as quickly uncaps the pen to turn it back into a proper Celestial Bronze Sword.

She has to admit, she's not entirely sure about what Percy is saying… until she's able to slide Riptide into one of the Skeleton Warriors while Thalia is distracting it from the other side. Much to Bianca's surprise and shock, the Spartoi doesn't just drop, he straight up disintegrates right before her eyes, falling into a pile of ash and what can only be dragon's teeth right at her feet.

"Just like that! Keep it up!"

Percy's encouragement light's a fire under all of their asses, and good that it does too because the Skeleton Warriors are NOT unintelligent, mindless automatons like they might seem to be at first glance.

No, rather, they all quickly realize that Bianca is the greatest threat and even though Zoe is clearly their target, they're nevertheless capable of complex problem solving. Not that this particular problem is all that complex. No one but Bianca can truly end them. So of course, Bianca needs to go before they can continue on with their main mission.

Fortunately, Bianca isn't alone. The Spartoi turn on her as one and advance in her direction, but Percy and the others are quick to take advantage of the distraction. They might not be able to fully defeat the Skeleton Warriors without Bianca's special touch, but they can still strike at their legs and slow them down, on top of just hindering their progress.

Meanwhile, Bianca draws deep from the Blessing of Athena and a strange sense of her own power within her. She is a Daughter of Hades, God of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead. She is… above these petty undead. So far above them, it's not even funny.

One by one, with the help of Percy, Thalia, Zoe, and Phoebe, Bianca is able to lay the Skeleton Warriors to rest permanently. Riptide cuts and slices and stabs and the Spartoi fall one after another until none are left. For a brief moment it felt like they were an almost unending tide… but eventually, they run out of reinforcements and the five of them are all still standing while their enemies are… not.

"Grab the Nemean Lion's Pelt and let's go! We need to get out of here before something else that wants to kill us shows up!"

Zoe's orders make Bianca bristle just a little bit, because privately she thinks Percy should be in charge here and not the Lieutenant of Artemis. But in the end, she holds her tongue upon seeing Percy follow the Hunter's orders without question and exchanging a look with Thalia, she can see her doing the exact same thing.

All of them rush out of the museum and back onto the street, running for what feels like a small eternity but paradoxically no time at all. Until finally, Zoe brings them to a stop, looking back the way they came for a moment before relaxing her shoulders at long last.

"… Okay. I think we're good. I don't think we're being followed for the time being."

As Bianca hands Riptide back to Percy, getting a grateful nod from him in turn, Thalia scoffs at Zoe.

"Why did we run in the first place? We just got done taking down the Manticore, the Nemean Lion, and a fucking platoon of Spartoi. We probably could have taken a moment to take stock. After all, weren't we there in the first place looking for YOUR goddess?"

Zoe flushes but stands her ground, crossing her arms over her chest in response to Thalia's aggression.

"We thought we had a moment to take stock after the Nemean Lion too, and that got Percy stabbed in the gut. Speaking of which…"

Her eyes trail over to Percy, looking him up and down for any sign of injury. Obviously, she doesn't find any. Everyone else, including Bianca, can't help but look at him too. As much as Bianca trusted Percy implicitly, his healing HAD come as a bit of a surprise, and so had his knowledge of how to deal with the Spartoi by arming her with Celestial Bronze. Zoe though… Zoe looks incredibly worried.

"I heard you mutter before you got up, Percy. You called upon Hera of all people. You said you wished to make a deal. So what happened?"

Bianca and Thalia both jolt. They hadn't heard the same, but judging by the way Phoebe is nodding along, the Hunters have better hearing from their Blessings than the demigods do. Or they were just paying better attention in the moment.

Either way, Percy looks incredibly discomfited. He doesn't try to deny it either, grimacing as he lets out a sigh.

"I… had good reason to believe that the Queen of the Gods would be nearby, watching us from afar. So when things got particularly dire, I decided to see if she would intercede on our behalf. She did, by healing me and providing me with the information about Bianca's advantage against undead attackers."

Zoe's eyes narrow at that and the Lieutenant of Artemis looks incredibly suspicious.

"Why would you think that the Queen of the Gods would be anywhere near us at this time? Or that she would help us? Lady Artemis is not even of her womb."

Percy hesitates for a moment before sighing and rubbing the back of his head.

"Let's just say there are reasons that Hera is very, very interested in me. Reasons to do with what happened with Zeus last year. I've known about her interest for a while now, so I knew I could call upon her if needed."

Bianca just blinks, not entirely sure what Percy is talking about. But it's obvious to her that he doesn't want to fully explain what's going on and… that's fair to be honest. She's certainly not going to push for more until he's ready to share, nor is she going to let Zoe do so either.

Fortunately, the Hunter doesn't keep digging. If anything, she looks strangely relieved by Percy's response for a moment before hiding it behind a veneer of concern.

"What did she ask of you for her help in this instance? What debt do you now owe the Queen of the Gods?"

Here, Percy grimaces again.

"Ah, well… the good news is that the healing was free. She fed me a slice of a golden apple."

Judging by the way both Zoe and Phoebe jolt at that, this is no small matter. But neither says a word as Percy continues on.

"As for what I owe her for the advice concerning Bianca… a conversation. I owe her a conversation at a later date, to be chosen by her."

Zoe's brow furrows in confusion.

"She… healed you for free and then gave you such a generous offer? I must confess, I am very confused."

Percy laughs a little at that, though there's not much humor in it. If anything, his laughter sounds baffled as he shakes his head.

"You and me both. She wasn't what I expected truth be told. I think maybe I need to rethink my own misconceptions and beliefs a little there. But none of that matters right now, right? Right now all that matters is the Quest… and the groups clearly trying to stop it. Though Spartoi were singularly focused on getting to you, Zoe. Do you know why?"

The Lieutenant of Artemis looks like she might want to ask more questions, but in the end she holds her tongue and nods.

"… Yes. They were likely given my scent somehow and tasked with hunting me down specifically on the understanding that they would also deal with anyone else that I was traveling with. If not for Bianca here, we would have had to run and still be fleeing from them even now. As for the Quest… I can only hope my current concerns are as outlandish and impossible as they feel. Some of the things the Manticore bragged about… he couldn't possibly be telling the truth. Or so I hope."

Looking around them, Zoe frowns for a moment before finally shaking her head.

"Regardless, the hour grows later. We should find accommodations and rest for the night. We will continue West in the morning."

Nobody finds this all that disagreeable, so in the end they travel a bit further before finding a hotel and getting some rooms. Bianca and Thalia share with Percy of course, while Zoe and Phoebe take another room for themselves.

The celebratory 'we survived' sex is amazing, Bianca has to admit, but after how long of a day they had, she's just as happy to lay her head down on Percy's chest and fall asleep in his comforting embrace.

-x-X-x-

The Vote:

[X] Aphrodite visits Percy in his dreams - 60%[ ] Hera visits Percy in his dreams - 40%