The Ascendance of Darkness (Percy Jackson Twin fanfic)

Prophesied Heroes

Guys I wrote an entire other chapter before realizing I wasn't even that far in the story yet. Sometimes they just manifest. Oops.

The shock of his little sister's voice cutting through the room seeped through his veins, paralyzing him. That was the only thing stopping him from whisking her away from the Camp to hide in a hole somewhere and ride out the rest of the war in solitude.

"My destiny," Ally murmured, wringing her hands, "I've always known it."

"It's a lot easier to put things into perspective when you know you won't get to have a perspective for long." She turned to Ryker. "It's the reason why your worthless recklessness has always bothered me so much. It's why I need to keep you alive. Because if I'm going to sacrifice myself to Nyx, I'm going to do it for a world my family can still live in."

"Don't do that," Ryker croaked, so weakly he could barely be heard, "Don't call it a sacrifice."

Ally glanced sideways at him, but otherwise continued unaffected. "My mother told me my destiny as soon as I was old enough to understand words. It's the reason I was in Hawaii in the first place. She tried to run from it. To the land beyond the gods, where she thought the Fates wouldn't be able to touch us. History teaches us that never works well. "

"She tried to save me, and Zeus abandoned me. He abandoned her. He loved her for her pretty face and then left. Left her with a child when she was already sickly. Left her with a fate of pain he would never have to experience because he doesn't love his children as they're meant to be loved. I've been preparing for this destiny for a long time. I'm not sure that I'll see the other side, but this is a war. That was never a guarantee and I knew that."

The corner of her mouth curled upwards, a little scornfully and a little jokingly.

"And if he loses one kid he can always make more, I suppose."

The three other present children of the King of the Gods, one (two, depending on how you looked at it) previously dead, one sacrificed to Hera to quell her jealous rage, and one with millennia of experience with her father, remained pointedly silent.

"I'll go with you," Ryker blurted, finally free from his stupor, "I'll go on your quest with you."

"That'd be nice if you were written into the prophecy," Ally said, "But it basically listed out my quest member requirements. You don't exactly fit there."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but she shrugged him off and continued anyway. "It's better for you to be here."

He didn't even have to hear the whole sentence before his mind was filling in for him. It's safer.

Artemis watched the two warily. "There is darkness on the horizon," she murmured, "To do battle with a Primordial, especially of the night, is going to take every last bit of our strength. It might still not be enough."

"I know," Ally said back, steeling herself, "There's no way I couldn't have. I've watched some of the strongest people I've ever known not be enough. I know everyone here has as well. But I've been preparing for this my entire life. I'm ready to see what comes of that."

Ryker's hand twitched up to his necklace, and before anyone could stop him he was sprinting out of the room like his life depended on it. Ally sighed and rose as well, following him.

Milli stepped in before the silence could overtake the room. "Lady Artemis, can you tell us everything you know about Nyx and the dangers she poses? Powers or allies? Possible motives or goals?"

"Shouldn't you be going after them?" Annabeth whispered to her.

"Someone needs to learn more about the threats of this war." The younger child of Athena kept her head high, voice steady as she responded, "They need me here more than there right now."