The sun had dipped just enough to bring back the neon, and now the Strip glowed again with its familiar fire. Music returned to the sidewalks, laughter wafting from all around.
Bianca stood on the sidewalk, staring at her surroundings, noticing how different the area was compared to her memory of what she believed had been a month ago. It was seeing all this that allowed the last shred of caution she had against Lucas to disappear.
"What year is it?" she asked, her voice low.
Lucas hesitated, then said it softly. "January. Two thousand and two."
Bianca closed her eyes. Her shoulders trembled once. Her hand never let go of Nico's.
Nico looked between them, confused.
"But... it was 1939 - last week. We were in D.C. A lawyer of our parents gave us papers and bank accounts. We were about to start school next week."
"That lady was most likely someone related to your father," Lucas said. "As I said earlier, the Lotus eaters make you lose understanding of time. Your father probably sent you here to survive in secret."
"Seventy years?" Bianca whispered. "We lost seventy years?"
Lucas didn't respond. He just let her process it; there wasn't much he could say to help her, as he had never encountered a situation like this before.
They walked to the bus stop in silence. Lucas hoped the mundane transportation would allow the children to have time to settle their thoughts and ask any questions they needed.
Nico fell asleep on the bus.
He curled up across two seats, Mythomagic cards clutched in his hands like they might vanish. Bianca sat with her head leaning against the window, but her eyes never closed; too many thoughts and responsibilities to rest now.
Lucas sat behind them. He watched her through the reflection in the glass, seeing her put on a brave face for her brother, but being scared deep down.
"You want to ask something?" he said quietly.
Bianca nodded. Asking the most prominent question weighing on her mind, "You said if we are found out to exist, we will be killed. Is there any place safe for us?"
Lucas comforted her, "That's where I'm planning to take you, Elysian. It is a sanctuary for those whom Olympus has acted unjustly towards. Both you and your brother will be safe there."
She turned to face him in the reflection. "You said the Lotus only causes you to forget time; you can still remember the past." Seeing Lucas nod, she took a breath and continued. "Then why is it we can't remember anything before D.C and the meeting with that lawyer?"
This caught Lucas off guard, as he was not expecting such a thing, but he seemed to have guessed something. "Most likely, your memories were wiped by your father. Most likely, he hoped that by doing so, it would be harder for you to be found out."
He didn't voice his other guess; something terrible must have happened, so to allow them to keep their innocence, he wiped their memories. Since they believed both parents to be dead and Hades was an immortal, it wasn't hard to guess that this memory erasure was probably related to their mother.
She turned slightly in her seat, looking down at her brother, and whispered, "What if I'm not strong enough to protect him?"
Lucas had seen the question building. Had heard it behind everything else, she asked.
"That's what Elysian is for. To not only help you get stronger but also protect you from harm. You don't have to shoulder everything alone anymore."
It seemed their conversation had woken Nico, for he asked a question of his own: "Why didn't he come for us himself?"
Lucas let out a wry smile, having come to understand the answer to this question not long ago. "War. If he had come to collect you himself, his presence would draw the attention of Olympus, allowing them to discover you. In that case, he would most likely start a war to protect you. While he doesn't fear a war, he probably found it easier and safer for you two to send me."
"Why you? Why not another demigod?"
"My mother, Hecate, is close friends with your father and his wife. He trusts my mother, so he was willing to entrust you two to me."
They continued the journey in silence. Nico fell back asleep, and Bianca was in a daze, about to follow.
Then, almost too quietly, she whispered, "Thank you. For finding us."
Lucas didn't answer. Just rested his head back against the seat and watched the passing horizon.
...
By the time they crossed into New York, dusk had turned fully to night. Lucas woke the twins and brought them off the bus.
The journey took another hour on foot before reaching the hill that overlooked the area where Elysian was located. The twins looked confused, not seeing anything where Lucas was looking, causing him to chuckle. Instead of explaining, he brought them to the city he saw.
Soon, they stepped through what seemed like a mirage. The trees opened into a clearing, allowing the twins to see Elysian.
"Is this it?" he asked. "Elysium?"
Lucas smiled faintly. "Elysian. But yes. Welcome home."