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."

"Are you sure?"

"Ally needs to get some things off her chest."

Milli tilted her head ruefully.

"And Ryker needs to listen."

_______________

She found him in the Arena, alone but for the piles of disemboweled dummies that littered the ground. He was breathing heavily, knuckles white against the hilt of his sword. He thrust it toward the dummy innards and let loose a roaring blast of fire.

"A bit excessive," Ally quipped, stopping behind him, "Don't you think?"

"Were you ever going to tell us?" He demanded, reverting his sword, not even having to turn around, "That you had a destiny where you-" The words caught in his throat, and died before they could leave his tongue.

"And have you do what?" She snickered a little, "Hide me away on the island? You wouldn't have taken it any better if I had. You probably would have taken it even worse."

"At least then we would have known! At least then we could have helped."

"No, I don't think you could have. Not in any way that would have changed anything."

"You're my little sister!" He turned quickly, desperate as he yelled, "Is it really so wrong of me to want to protect you?"

"And you're one half of the only family I have left! And I need you safe!"

He stumbled back like she'd struck him, which, all things considered, she might as well have. It certainly would have explained the forceful emptying of his lungs.

"Yeah," he choked out, stepping forward, "You are, t-"

"No, I'm not," she interrupted him, a small, sad smile stopping him in his tracks and poking a hole into his heart, "I'm not. You're finding your family now, Ryker. You have your mother and Percy and a new little sister. You have all the people that come with them."

Ally stuck her hands into her jacket pockets, tilting her head at him. "I have you and Milli. You and Milli. You're what I've been fighting for this entire time."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She smirked in stark contrast to the horrified drop of his jaw in realization. "Why did you think I've been fighting? For Zeus? As a slave to my destiny? Out of the goodness of my heart? You're kidding me. I've never been that good."

"I- You've been dealing with this for so long. You never needed to fight-" He cracked, then, broken eyes looking to his baby sister, strong and defiant in ways she shouldn't have ever needed to be. "... Alone, y'know?"

"This time?" Ally had that resigned look again, like she was bowing to her destiny just as much as she was confronting it.

"Yeah, I do."

_______________

"Yo, Bolt Bro!" An excited voice from behind her, one that instantly made her think of an overexcited puppy, "Wait up!"

She groaned to herself, turning despite all of her demigodly survival instincts that told her not to.

"I heard you got to go to the Head Counselor meeting!" Kenny Parker chirped, uncomfortably loud and uncomfortably close, "That's so cool! And plus you were talking with the Hunters before, who have never not tried to shoot arrows at me when I make conversation. Are you magic? Were you an ancient hero in your past life? That's wild!"

What's wild is how you can talk for so long without running out of things to say, she thought tiredly, though she didn't voice it.

"Yeah, I did," she said shortly, "And no, I'm not, and I probably wasn't."

"What'd you talk about?" He gasped. "Did you get a prophecy?"

"I don't know how much I'm allowed to tell you," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"It's fine! They'll tell us at the campfire anyway."

"They're putting out a quest," Allison conceded after a moment's hesitation, "I'm part of it. The rest you can find out at the fire."

"Choose me!" Kenny grinned, spreading his arms. "We've only been here a few years each, but you can definitely choose me and Xavier."

"The herald, the forge, and the warmth of home?" Ally raised an eyebrow at him, scoffing just a little. "Which one do you think you are? And how old are you again?"

"Hey!" He cried, a little indignant but obviously not too offended, "I'm older than Percy was on his first quest! It's fine! I'm probably even older than you! You obviously need a child of Hermes, so I'm the herald, and I'm sure X's got some warmth in him, so he can do that."

"Does that make me the forge?"

"Ah... right. Um, here, you know what? I'll be the forge. You can be the herald, and X really does have warmth, I swear."

"How old are you again?"

"Fourteen!"

She cursed inside her head. He smirked at her.

"I'm older than you." It wasn't a question. That irritated her even more.

She stopped herself from audibly huffing at him and continued toward the Campfire, leaving him scrambling to catch up.

"Listen, listen!" He called, trailing behind her, "I'm a year round Camper, and Xavier's gonna go back to school in a few weeks! I need to get out of here! See some action!"

"What I wouldn't give to be free of my destiny," Ally mused, coming to a stop. She tossed him a look over her shoulder. "I'd spend every day watching paint dry if it meant throwing away the prophecy with no repercussions."

"Come on, it's going to be so cool!" He continued, his boyish grin betraying his age, "Glory, heroics, your name down in history!"

"Don't risk your life for the sake of glory, Kenny Parker," Ally told him darkly, but not unkindly,  "It's not worth it. It will never be worth it."

"You'll have preferred to be nobody than a lost hero seeking honor."

_______________

Ryker was not prepared to see the eight year old sitting just on the edge of the campfire, hair as dark as coals and eyes burning red, but if everything he'd heard about Camp Halfblood was true, that was still less dangerous than the lava spewing climbing wall or staying out past curfew.

"Lady Hestia," Ryker murmured, bowing his head, "It is an honor."

"Ryker Jackson," Hestia said back, voice gentle and soft, "I saw your brother here, as well, when he arrived at camp. Years ago, now."

"I can't imagine the goddess of the hearth appearing here without reason," he said, straight to the point, "Would it be too bold to hope you're giving me a way into the quest?"

"I am sure my younger sister was unable to hold back on flaunting the prophecy given to your parents, directly from the Fates." She tilted her head, eyes glittering, but no malice or deception within them. "Would you like to hear the rest of it?"

"Will it be something I want to hear?"

She laughed, light and warm, taking his hands in hers. The calm that swept over him was familiar, somehow, though at that moment he couldn't have told you from where. Wherever it was from, he knew it was wrong. Feeling this peaceful on the edge of war couldn't be real.

"There are very few things nowadays that would please you to hear, Ryker," Hestia reminded him, "I apologize for not being able to truthfully tell any of them to you."

He sighed and found that he couldn't be mad at her. He'd known all of that already.

"Your younger sister is facing her destiny," the eldest child of Kronos told him, gentleness solidifying into something darker, "And soon, you will be facing yours. Are you prepared for that to happen? Would you like to know what you should be preparing for?"

"I already know what I'm preparing for," he muttered, "To get my family through this. I need to get strong enough to survive through the darkness."

She smiled, understanding, and began to glow a little, much warmer than the green that engulfed the oracle.

"The divine connection of twin souls combined,
Of ancient wards undermined, of fates intertwined,
That was strained in the terrors and pains of the past,
Bears the weight of a world whose end is uncast.

Who trek west to seek solace in lands beyond gods,
To a meet with the keeper that unveils all facades.
From secrets long kept to a destined reveal,
For rifts carved in time beginning to heal."

"A prophecy is not a checklist, Ryker," she murmured, "It was a guide spoken on the day you were born. How much of it has already come to pass and how much is still yours to decide is unknown to all but the Fates."

The goddess looked on as he bit his lip, anxiously tugging on his necklace. She cupped his face in her hands, and looking into her eyes, Ryker couldn't help but be reminded of an eight year old little girl he swore to protect.

"I hope for your survival," Hestia whispered, "Truly. We all do. And one more thing."

He tilted his head curiously. She just smiled at him, certainly more calm looking than he felt.

"Take care of my Priestess for me."

He blinked and she was gone.

_______________

He found Milli first, then Ally, taking them both by the hands and all but running to a secluded area of the Camp. Ally let him pull her along for a little before stopping them, gently extracting her hand from Ryker's grip.

"Ryker," she said quietly, "If this is about the quest again, I have to-"

He turned a sharp stare on Ally. "We can do the quest together," he told her, daring her to argue, "Face the island, and face Nyx."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she ignored his glare. "What do you mean face the island, I- Ryker, you're not a part of my prophecy, you can't fight Nyx with me."

"The Fates don't get to decide if I get to help my family or not," he snapped, "And you're not the only one with a prophecy, Chosen One. Hestia told me mine, too."

At their stunned silence, he recounted his meeting to them, watching for their reactions. Milli frowned, squeezing his hand. He couldn't tell if it was to reassure his nerves or hers.

"Then I'll go to Nyx," Ally said, "I've been thinking about who will come on my quest. You and Milli should go back to the island with Percy."

"No!" Ryker protested, "I won't-"

"Ryker," she cut in, quiet but firm, "This was a long time coming. Denying the Fates will only make this worse. You know that."

"We can go with you as far as California," Milli said suddenly, silencing Ryker with a look, "That's where Lady Artemis thinks that Nyx will be based, where we can find Apollo. But after that, Ally's right. We have to split up. This war is a ticking time bomb and we don't know when it's set for. We need to figure that out as soon as possible."

"So we'll head off Nyx," Ally asserted, "You figure out whatever's on that island that'll help, and then we can regroup. There's nothing left there for me. But... I think there's a lot for you."

She turned to Milli, raising a challenging eyebrow at the stoic daughter of Athena. "And you, too," she murmured, "More than you like to admit."

She took his hand back, grabbing Milli's as well, tilting her head with a small smile. "We'll regroup. We will."

"You can't promise that. The prophecy-"

Ally just smirked at him, a little rueful and a little cocky, but genuine all the same. "No," she admitted, "I can't. But the prophecy doesn't get to decide for me, either. I know where my family is and I know I'll fight my hardest to get back to them."

"... Good."

_______________

The Campfire had Ryker watching on anxiously as Ally scoped out the rest of the campers. With a few exceptions, they were mostly seated by cabin, but he still couldn't predict who she would choose.

But following her sweeping gaze, he narrowed his eyes at the teenaged boy very obviously staring at his little sister. He grabbed the arm of another boy next to him, flashing her a huge grin. Styx seemed to have the same idea as him, a low rumbling building up in the back of his throat.

"This day marks the entrance of more demigods, and the start of another war," Chiron boomed, drawing everyone's attention, "Apollo has gone missing, and the rise of Nyx lies on the horizon. We have received a prophecy from the Oracle, and entrust it to our newest daughter of Zeus."

The girl took a breath, but Chiron held his hand up to stall Ally as a glowing hammer and winged shoe appeared above two heads.

"All hail the son of Hephaestus and daughter of Hermes," the centaur intoned, watching the symbols dissipate, "Erin and Aaron Chan."

She glanced past Kenny's pleading eyes, past Erin's slack jawed awe, then took a breath, making a split second decision.

"Erin, David, Aaron, and Akina," she announced, ignoring his wounded puppy expression, imaginary drooping ears she could see from a mile away, "Will join me in facing Nyx."

"And I'll take Percy and Milli with me to Hawaii, the land beyond the gods," Ryker said at Milli's motion.

Percy's eyebrows shot up. "You will? We will?"

"Lady Hestia gave me a prophecy as well," he murmured, meeting his eyes, "The fate of the world rests on our shoulders, little brother."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Of course it does."

"If Percy's going, I am too," Annabeth said, crossing her arms, "There's no way I'm letting him hold up the weight of the world if I'm not there to help him."

Ryker almost argued back, but then he saw Percy's shoulders drop in relief, his fingers fondly finding a lock of hair and tugging on it, watching Annabeth do the same. He looked to Milli, who shook her head, nudging him a little.

"Alright," Milli said, "As soon as we pack for the journey, we'll start toward California."

The daughter of Athena caught Ryker by the elbow as the crowd dispersed, steely gray eyes passing on a silent, unsettling message.

"I'm okay," he promised her quietly, "Our family stays together, and we'll be alright."

"And the island?" She muttered, "Will you be alright then?"

"Will you?"

He had known Milli for years, through battle, losing their parents, nearly losing each other.

He had never seen quite as hollow a smile as this one.

"I have to be, don't I?"