The two women joined hands as they walked across the battlefield, avoiding the giants. They followed the compass's direction, knowing what lay at the end of the path. Bianca disassociated herself from the current situation; letting her body just go through the motions of walking, and continue in the direction that the compass told her to. It wasn't hard. The will o the wisp gave them directions as the crow would fly, so they kept going in one direction. Rachel did not speak, probably because she didn't know what to say. So Bianca just retreated into her own mind. She replayed all of her favorite moments in her life, and then the important ones. That grew painful, so she just kind of stopped thinking. She felt nothing. Soon she would truly feel that. Soon there'd be just… nothing.

How would they kill her? Would it be fast or slow? Probably slow… Then she'd beg for death to finally take her.

Bianca went through what she wanted her funeral to be like in her head. She envisioned it happening in the theatre of her mind.

Had it been in an hour? Or two or three, since they'd embarked upon this? It didn't matter. Bianca was closer to her death now. Counting the remaining minutes wouldn't make the rest of her life mean anything more than it already did. All that she had left was just walking this path, and then giving herself up.

"Bianca…" Rachel eventually broke the silence. "I think I may have a way to save you."

"Is there a but? There's always a but." Bianca muttered darkly, her voice a bit hoarse from not speaking for so long.

"There is," Rachel admitted. "However, it will save your life and you will be able to live."

"No. It has to be me." Bianca shook her head. "It's my duty as princess. I have to do this. I've accepted it already."

"Please just listen." Rachel pleaded.

"Will someone else die in my place?" Bianca asked.

"Well… yes…" Rachel answered. "But—"

"Then I can't. It has to be me. I have to make this sacrifice for my people and my loved ones." Bianca informed her.

"This had to be your choice." Rachel reminded her. "Bianca… If you act like you have no choice, then you are simply making yourself an object at the world's mercy."

"I did choose this! The alternative was letting the giants take over the realm." Bianca snatched her hand away from Rachel, focusing on the compass.

"What if you can live in a world where the giants have not taken over the realm? Where you can live?" Rachel offered.

"I have to take this burden on. I have to show the people that royalty looks out for them and cares for them. Besides… If it didn't work, it'd break my heart, because then I'd have hope. It's better for me to not have any hope at all than false hope." Bianca replied, trying to distract herself with the compass.

"Oh, Bia…" Rachel whispered. The two left it silent between them for a long time. They were getting close to the giants' camp. "Bianca, is there anything you want?"

"There's so much," Bianca said with an exhale. "But there are some things you can do." And so she began to describe what she wanted her funeral to be like. Thalia was to be treated as a widow; put at the forefront along with Nico and Hazel. Bianca wanted bouquets of roses—red and white—and violets. She was to be buried away from the cemetery of the royals, and amongst nature. The Hunters would be at her funeral.

"Anything else?" Rachel asked.

"Sing to me… Sing me a lullaby. But… When it's happening… when they kill me…" Bianca's voice broke, her eyes full of tears. "Stay out of sight so that they don't hurt you. But be there with me while I die. And sing that same lullaby to me as I go. You must promise me…"

"I promise," Rachel whispered, taking Bianca's hand. "Once people found out that I had the Sight, I was too old to be raised as a Seer to be. If I had been younger, I would have been raised by a nursemaid in one of the castles. These nursemaids are always peasants, and therefore sing two lullabies to the young Seer. I'll sing them to you." Bianca nodded gratefully as tears streaked down her cheeks. Rachel took a breath to begin singing.

"Silver light

She turned her face up to the starlit sky

And on this night began to wonder why

She knew that soon the day would come

Born to be

An heir of beauty and serenity

Into this world she entered quietly

To her surprise she was the one

Destiny was close behind her

Phantom of borrowed life

And the sea was a reminder

Mirror of given light

Then one day

The sign she'd waited for in skies of grey

Traversed a winding road and came her way

She found the love she hoped she would

But she knew

That she had promises to stay true to

The dormant daughter of the silver moon

Then all at once she understood

Destiny was close behind her

Phantom of borrowed life

And the sea was a reminder

Mirror of given light

From the sky

She watched the life

She'd known she would leave behind

Said goodbye

And gave her people

Life through her sacrifice" Bianca was choked up throughout the song.

"What was that called?" She managed. "It was beautiful."

"It's called Daughter of the Moon," Rachel answered softly. "This next one is called Wanderer's Lullaby."

"Wandering child of the earth

Do you know just how much you're worth?

You have walked this path since your birth

You were destined for more

There are those who'll tell you you're wrong

They will try to to silence your song

But right here is where you belong

So don't search anymore

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking

A masterpiece still in the making

The blue in an ocean of grey

You are right where you need to be

Poised to inspire and to succeed

You'll look back and you'll realize one day

In your eyes there is doubt

As you try to figure it out

But that's not what life is about

So have faith there's a way

Though the world may try to define you

It can't take the light that's inside you

So don't you dare try to hide

Let your fears fade away

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking

A masterpiece still in the making

The blue in an ocean of grey

You are right where you need to be

Poised to inspire and to succeed

You'll look back and you'll realize one day

You are the dawn of a new day that's waking

A masterpiece still in the making

The blue in an ocean of grey

You are right where you need to be

Poised to inspire and to succeed

Soon you'll finally find your own way"

They were close to the giants' camp.

"I must go into there alone." Bianca realized, stopping in her tracks. "I don't… I don't want to…" She began to cry harder again.

"I know, darling Bia," Rachel whispered, turning to face her, placing both hands on the princess's shoulders. "You are a princess. You must be strong and brave. Don't let them see that you're scared. They want you to be. Remember who you are. Remember what you are doing. Remember why. I'm so proud of you." Rachel cupped Bianca's cheek with her hand, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I will sing the Wanderer's Lullaby to you." She promised. Bianca nodded, walking to the camp, as Rachel put the hood of her cloak on and began to climb the closest tree to join a hawk perched in the tree.

"GIANTS! I, PRINCESS BIANCA, HAVE ARRIVED." She gently touched the painting that had been folded up into a square and put into her pocket. She thought of Thalia. Her lips formed the three-word phrase that the two of them had exchanged so many times. She cleared her throat. "I HAVE THE BLOOD OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES. I HAVE COME TO OFFER MYSELF IN EXCHANGE FOR YOU TO LEAVE US FOREVER. TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER." All of the giants were large and ugly. They also smelled bad and sat in a circle around a bonfire the size of the circle of tents that the Hunters stayed in.

"Human girl…" One giant said. He seemed to be sitting on a throne of rocks. She assumed that he was the leader. "I am Porphyrion, the Giant King."

"I didn't think that the king would actually be here… My father never goes to battle, and he is one of the three kings..." Bianca remarked.

"What do you want?" Porphyrion asked, sounding bored.

"I want all of you giants to leave this realm and never come back. Weren't you listening?" Bianca marched up to him, though it took a long time. The giant camp was quite large, after all.

"A princess? Come to sacrifice herself? And dressed like that?" The Giant King looked confused at Bianca.

"I've killed giants with a group of Hunters." Bianca shrugged. "We dress like this to make things easier. And I'm giving you my blood; royal blood. Isn't that what you want? The magic inside of this realm?"

"Yes…" Porphyrion looked interested.

"Well, as long as you leave, you can have my blood," Bianca replied. "And don't even try to cheat me of our agreement… We'll make a contract, and I shall send it to my father… Now. If you'll please procure some parchment and a writing utensil." The giants eventually produced a piece of cloth, holding it still for her as she wrote on it with a burnt stick. The contract said that once the giants got the magical blood of one royal, they would leave. Bianca signed it, then Porphyrion did. She whistled to the hawk in the tree; one of Lady Artemis's, and sent it to bring the contract to her father. She made light cuts into herself—especially her legs—so that her blood would sprinkle onto them. She allowed herself to be hung by her wrists up on a structure they'd built in minutes. They scraped wounds into themselves so that the blood could mix. Bianca silently wept to herself as she imagined Rachel singing the Wanderer's Lullaby to her. This was a horrible way to die… but would do so much good... The minutes slowly ticked by as she felt the blood leaving her body. All she could hear was the giants celebrating their good fortune, claiming that they could feel themselves growing stronger.

"Wait!" Rachel's voice called out. Was Bianca hallucinating? "Stop! I have a better deal!"

"Another human?" Porphyrion asked, confused. "What do you want?"

"Princess Bianca is my child and I would like to take her place," Rachel announced. Bianca was still bleeding, though. So much time had passed, so much so that Bianca mentally had gone through the lullabies sung to her by Rachel several times. She felt woozy…

"What do you have to offer that she does not?" The Giant King asked.

"I have the gift of Sight," Rachel announced. The giants murmured amongst themselves, impressed at this opportunity. "What do you say? Take me instead?"

"Yes." Porphyrion agreed.

"I have someone to take care of Bianca after I pass." Rachel beckoned a frantic looking Thalia behind her. The Oracle ushered Thalia to stand under Bianca, then took a bow and arrow, stepping back and aiming at Bianca's hands. Rachel released the arrow, and it cut the rope, letting Bianca fall into Thalia's arms. Thalia's knees gave in and she fell, though she held Bianca.

"Bianca!" Thalia whispered, relieved. Bianca wasn't quite sure if this was reality.

"I'm sorry Bianca." Rachel approached, kneeling beside Thalia. "I have Thalia my explanation, which she will give to you once you are well again." She traced Bianca's cheek and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "My darling Bia… I'm so sorry." Thalia stood abruptly, carrying Bianca out of the giants' camp, and behind the tree.

"Lay her down here." Lady Artemis hissed. "Thalia, we need to remove her breeches and cloak so that we can get the salve onto her cuts."

Bianca was still convinced that this was something that she'd made up once she'd fallen unconscious. Even as she felt Thalia help expose her wounds, and Lady Artemis slathering the salve onto her wounds, Bianca still wasn't sure that this was reality. She was covered with a blanket and then spoon-fed soup as Thalia was crying beside her, begging Lady Artemis to make sure that Bianca lived.

She felt herself being given water and more soup. She felt the heat of a fire nearby. Bianca felt tired and just wanted to fall asleep, but Lady Artemis kept telling her to stay awake. Her wrists were freed while Lady Artemis was feeding her. Thalia must have been doing that. She also felt something put onto her wrists that soothed the rope burns.

"Is she going to be okay?" Thalia pleaded.

"Time will tell." Lady Artemis promised. "This soup will help her body to make more blood. But for sure, I do not know if this will save her. The salve on her cuts will make sure that she doesn't lose any more blood, but we have to make sure that her body ingests things that will help her make more blood."

"You have to save her." Thalia pleaded.

"I know, Thalia." Lady Artemis sounded a bit irritated.

"I'm sorry… You weren't moving to help Bianca and I was desperate…" Thalia launched herself into a bout of tears.

"I understand what you were feeling. That doesn't mean that I'm not upset, but I will forgive you in time." Lady Artemis replied firmly.

"What… What happened?" Bianca managed to ask in between spoonfuls of soup. "Thalia… how did you know to find me?"

"I woke up after you and the Oracle left… I found your note and I was horrified. I didn't know what was happening." Thalia whispered. She was still crying, as Bianca could hear. Now Lady Artemis was giving Bianca water… After all of that crying she'd done, she probably needed it.

Eventually, Thalia and Lady Artemis let Bianca go to sleep. Thankfully, Bianca did not dream. She just woke up in Lady Artemis and Zoe's tent confused. When she sat up, she was suddenly being hugged by Thalia.

"Oh, thank god!" Thalia cried out in relief. "I've been so worried."

"What… What about Rachel? Is she dead?" Bianca murmured. Thalia released her, sitting back on her heels, looking rueful.

"Yes," Thalia replied simply. "The war is over. You've been asleep for a long time. The royal army has been trying to find us and the Amazons, as a lot of noblewomen ran away to join us, so the Amazons are staying within the camp with us until we decide what to do next. Everyone knows that the Oracle is dead and that she did it save you when you were sacrificing yourself. We don't… We don't know what's going to happen next." Thalia sighed. Bianca was quiet.

"Rachel knew what I was going to do. She knew why… I don't understand why she sacrificed herself… I didn't want anyone else to do it for me." Bianca muttered, tearing up. "Thalia… This doesn't feel real… Why did she do that? Why'd she take my place?"

"Read this." Thalia handed Bianca a folded up piece of parchment. "She wrote it when we came to save you."

Dear Bianca,

I wanted to save you, but because you didn't want me to, I decided not to interfere. But now that Thalia is here and desperate, I must do something. She was so frantic to get to you that she threatened Zoe with a knife to get Artemis to tell her where you were and what you were doing, and then to agree to come help save you. Thalia was willing to do almost anything to save you. So I decided that your life was worth more than mine. My dear Bianca, what you do not realize is that the Oracle does not really abide by human rules. One can never have a romantic or sexual partner, or even be dependent on anyone. Apollo was more of a companion than an attendant. I've been this age since before your father was born, and I grow tired of living with only one purpose and not allowed to have the things that everyone else may. But you can have the things that I cannot. You have Thalia, and I don't think it's right to take you away from her when I can do something about it. You deserve a life with her. You deserve to be able to become queen. You deserve to live. My time was nearing anyway. This realm will be alright without me until the next Oracle comes of age. She will be a little girl in your kingdom, born to a mother who shall die in childbirth; with nobody to care for her. The mother will name her child Ella, and you must find the midwife, and take care of this child. Teach her the things that I never learned. I have made mistakes in my life, and one of them was breaking your trust. I have tried so hard to get it back. Make sure that the next one is better than I am. She will have some of my memories. Even if she is a woman by that time, soothe her nightmares. Make sure she is not alone; give her siblings. I'm still sorry. But this is your chance to live. Please don't waste it.

Love,

Rachel

"You really held a knife to Zoe's neck?" Bianca asked, shocked.

"Yes," Thalia admitted. "I was being kind of impetuous in that moment… I couldn't bear to lose you. But Zoe easily disarmed me and gained the upper hand." Bianca smiled softly and kissed Thalia, never having been more in love with the woman in front of her than she was in that moment.

Eventually, Lady Artemis decided that it would be best for Bianca to return to her father's castle in order to heal better than if she was in the middle of the woods, inside a tent. The Royal Guards were looking for Bianca and Thalia especially, and moving around the woods to throw them off was becoming stressful because Bianca needed to rest and regain her strength for the time being. She needed to consume foods and elixirs that would help. Being carried around the woods by Thalia as they rushed to find a safe place where they wouldn't be found was not good for her. So, eventually, Thalia carried her lover back to King Hades' castle, flanked by Lady Artemis and Hylla.

"If we return to where we originally were, we must be treated with respect," Bianca warned. "I must be heir to the throne; not Nico. I must be allowed to be courted by Thalia, and she and I must be allowed to wed like a regular couple. Children are not an issue, for she and I can simply adopt. Women must have more rights. They must be allowed to fight in the army. They must be able to be knights. And, like me, they must be allowed to be the heir to the positions of their parents. We must do more to help peasants. Those are my starting conditions for coming back." She was being held steady by Thalia; the taller girl's arm around her waist.

"I will do anything to bring you back home." King Hades let out a long sigh, though his advisors shook their heads. "Yes. I agree to your conditions. I'm sorry for how you and the other Hunters and Amazons were treated. I trust that this is the future. We must change in order to make sure that our realm stays united in case something like this war happens again."

"It won't; not until Ella comes of age. We have many years until then. Rachel told me this." Bianca promised, her expression neutral. She knew that she and Thalia wouldn't be able to be together like they had been until they got married. But this was important. They needed their relationship to be respected, and if they had to play by the traditional rules in that respect, then they would. Besides, then Bianca would value their past times together more, and once they were finally wed, it'd be that much better, because they'd have been able to explore themselves on their own. So they did.

Bianca's reunion with Nico and Hazel made her cry. They all fell to their knees; hugging one another and crying. These were the ones who'd given Bianca the strength and motivation to go out and fight… It was because of them that she'd met Thalia. They had feared that she wouldn't come back, though they'd held onto hope, and their prayers had been answered.

Hades made good on his promises, and Bianca was educated as Nico would have been. Thalia did not want to be the one ruling a country and did not trust herself running a country due to her thirst for power, so she learned how to advise Bianca. The two rarely saw each other, except for at balls. Thalia didn't really like dresses, so she wore tailored suits. Bianca was a little more comfortable with dresses, though she did secretly admit to preferring the clothing of the Hunters. The two always danced together, never dancing with anyone else at the balls. They'd slip off together to kiss in hidden corners, returning when they knew people would begin to wonder. Of course, they'd write to one another almost every day and eventually began keeping homing pigeons to deliver these messages faster.

After four years of this, Bianca was finally twenty-one and had come of age. Thalia was twenty-three at this time. King Hades was in his forties, and it was time for him to step down. They could probably only expect five more years out of him, so the crown was to be passed on once the current ruler's oldest child reached twenty-one (except in Thalia's case). He would be an advisor to Bianca until he died, as was the tradition.

The coronation was simple but meaningful. All of the Hunters and Amazons attended, as this was the first coronation of a reigning queen. Bianca wore a red dress; symbolizing royalty and courage, for everyone knew of the sacrifice she'd been willing to make. King Hades crowned her with his own crown; removing it from his own head, and placing it onto his daughter's. Bianca stood to face the people in her kingdom, smiling as she held the scepter and orb in front of them; accepting the role as their queen.

At the celebratory ball that night, Bianca got down on one knee asked Thalia to do her the honor of marrying her. Thalia, of course, agreed, and they announced their engagement at that very ball.

Months later, the two got married. Bianca wore a silvery-blue dress, and Thalia wore brown leather pants and a fancy silver tunic. The two did not leave their bedchamber the next day and stayed on their honeymoon for over a month. When they returned, it became their quest to find the young Ella.

When they did, they raised her as their own child, adopting a few other peasant orphans after that.

One night, after tucking their four children into bed, Bianca left their nursery, slipping into bed with Thalia. She looked out to the night sky, remembering Rachel's sacrifice to give her this life she held now, and after a minute, smiled.

"Thank you," She whispered. "For everything."

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has supported this little story. I feel like I should tell you all that I originally intended for Bianca to die, but once the Dead Lesbian Trope became an issue, and especially after the Orlando shooting, I felt like I needed a happy ending for these two, who didn't even get a chance in canon.