Bianca di Angelo was dead.

She was certain of that.

Where else could she be other than the underworld? Where else did pale spirits float past her, eyes dull and lifeless as thousands on thousands of dead men headed towards one of the rivers of the underworld?

The River Lethe.

She had no idea how long she had been dead. Probably for some time. Time passed differently down here.

However long it took to get to the River Lethe, she would never know, all she knew is that she was here now.

She shakily reached her hands out towards the pale water, ready to move on. Her hands were inches away when a voice flitted around her.

No child, it sounded like a woman, follow me. I have a plan for you, Bianca di Angelo.

Bianca looked around, bringing her hands close to herself again. No one else has heard me, the woman spoke again, this is only for you.

She stood up from where she had kneeled by the banks of the river, "Who are you?"

I am a helper to the dead. Many will come out, wrongfully imprisoned many a millennium ago. Do you want to live again Bianca di Angelo?

This all felt wrong, Bianca shouldn't follow this woman. "I shouldn't-" Bianca protested, but a hush fell over her.

Do you not want to live again. Breathe and feel the fresh air in your lungs? Feel the warm summer air, Bianca could picture a woman, with long black hair and warm brown skin, yet her eyes were closed and she had a sort of ditzy smile on her face, See your brother again?

Nico.

Bianca looked around wildly, memories of her brother coming to her again. Him summoning her, hadn't that been just yesterday? Oh, Nico her brother.

Do you want to see him, Bianca di Angelo?

"Yes!" she cried.

He appeared in her vision. It was some sort of mist projection, but Bianca knew it was absolutely real. Bianca gasped as she took in her younger brothers appearance.

Oh, Nico.

Oh, poor, poor Nico.

The woman crooned.

His face was bloody and bruised, his skin paler than she had ever seen it. He was being attacked by some sort of giant men.

"What did you do?" She screamed. "What did you do to my brother?"

Me? The woman said. I did nothing.

"Yes, you did!"

You could stop this Bianca di Angelo. Come with me and your brother will live.

"You promise?"

The woman appeared in Biancas imagination again. She tilted her head, the same face.

You speak of promises. The woman smiled again.

"Swear on the Styx!" Bianca cried.

The woman smiled, If it's so important to you, fine, I swear on the Styx.

Bianca sighed. "Where to?

Follow the path of light.

In the distance, a rock glowed. Bianca sighed before muttering to herself, "Here goes nothing."

-

Bianca had made a mistake.

What had she done?

What had she done?

The woman wasn't good.

She wasn't helping her.

She was using her as a pawn.

Gaea. The earth roared.

I am Gaea.

"No!" Bianca sobbed.

"You promised me! Over the Styx!"

I am primordial the woman growled, the Styx holds no sway over me. I am older than Styx herself. I am born of Chaos and she is just a lowly Ocheanid, I am the earth. I am the stones you stand upon, I am the fields you frolic in!

"Please!" Bianca screamed. "Please just let Nico go!"

"Take me, kill me do whatever! Just spare him please!"

The woman laughed, You beg for mercy?

A whisper could be heard.

Gaea stopped her laughing.

Perhaps, she crooned. Perhaps, yes. The ground rumbled, I will leave Nico to his own fate. But Bianca di Angelo, let us see what happens when someone who isn't supposed to be alive is. Let's see how our heroes react now.

The woman laughed as Biancas world went white.

-

Bianca woke up in a dark space.

Where was she?

She felt herself breathing, felt her blood under her skin. She was alive.

She moved.

A creak could be heard.

Memories came back.

The junkyard, with Zoe and Thalia and Percy and Grover. Was she still there?

She had been in a Talos robot when she died. If she was still-

Oh.

Oh no.

This wasn't good.

She had to get out.

She moved, and the statue creaked again. She took a deep breath and ran.

The robot moved around her, she didn't know where she was going.

Her instincts told her to run a certain way, so she followed that.

The robot was moving, adrenaline coursed through her body.

She found a wall and looked around. A blinking light caught her eye, further down the wall. As slow as possible she crawled over. The robot was still moving.

Breathe, she told her self.

The light had a button underneath it. More memories came back, her pressing this button, the walls around her falling, a moment of pure pain, followed by blackness. Next thing she knew, she was dead.

She looked around. Maybe if there was something that could explode in this thing, she could blast a wall out, and press the button.

She looked around.

In the corner, a line of wires.

She thought.

She needed to overheat this thing. Maybe that would blow a hole.

What would she do?

She looked around again.

There were wires all over the place, all going to different places. There were five or so different systems, and maybe if she connected them all to one thing there would be a fire.

There.

An empty board, the wires in a heap around the floor, all cut.

She sighed, and slowly and carefully, she moved wires to this board. This was dangerous and she was far from an expert on any of this, but that couldn't amount to much. Right?

She plugged in the final wire and waited. A spark. She gave a nervous grin.

A flame started.

She got up then, moving away from the flame that had sparked quicker than she thought it would.

Her pride turned to horror as the fire spread faster than she thought it would, and she backed up to a wall. The fire crept ever close to her.

She closed her eyes, ready to die again.

She heard a boom.

She was thrown back, and she could suddenly feel the warm air against her skin.

She opened her eyes.

The last thing she saw was the earth rushing up to her, as she felt horrible pain.

Bianca di Angelo screamed.

The world went black.

-

So that's what happened to Bianca before she came back. Now you know why she had, and I'll quote: "multiple broken ribs, major burns, and is barely breathing."