Sisters of Opposition

I was a bit winded when Nico and I appeared out of the shadows in the cavern. I had never done anything like what we had just done, he called it shadow-traveling, and when he let me go, my legs gave out from underneath me. Nico knelt besides me.

"Are you okay, Kylie?"

"Tired. I'll be fine."

"I don't just mean by what we did," he said sitting next to me while I rested a minute. "I mean your sister. I know you've always been a team. It can't be easy to have that change."

I looked at him, remembering what he said about his sister, Bianca. Even though I didn't want to talk, I knew he'd understand if I did. It made me wonder what it would be like to have a brother since I'd never had one before.

"Carina gets like that sometimes. Now I know where that ego of her's comes from, the one that told her the world revolved around her for all these years. It's from her father. And now I guess it makes sense why I've always been her complete opposite, it's my in me. No wonder my mom hated us both. She hated Carina because she loved Zeus and lost him and she hated me because I was the result of trying to get him back by jealousy and it still didn't work."

"Being caught between the gods is a dangerous place, Kylie. I think we need to talk to Dad and see what can be done."

"Will he kill me?"

"I'm not just going to let him do that."

"Thanks, Nico," I said before I noticed the mob coming at us. "What is that coming towards us? I'm not up to fighting."

"You won't have to," Nico said, pulling his sword out of it's sheath as the mob got closer. "Father, what is this army here for?"

"There is a bounty on the head of that half-blood!" Hades shouted.

"Father, please send the army away. We came here to talk to you. Peacefully," Nico said, standing up to the Lord of the Underworld. "We will both willingly return to your palace to talk about what's going on. There is something you should know before you sentence her to death."

Hades looked deeply at Nico. Something passed between them. I didn't know what it was. Suddenly, he sent the army of monsters away and we were in his palace with him. I collapsed at the travel, I wasn't used to things like that.

"What is your piece, Nico? Speak it now before I change my mind and carry out my sentence on the girl!"

"Father, this is Kylie. She is your daughter," Nico said.

"Impossible! I have not broken the oath!" Hades shouted.

"Lord Hades," I said, barely able to get to my feet, "my mother called to you years ago. She wanted a child with you to anger your brother, Zeus, and make him jealous. She loved him, had a daughter by him, and he left her, as he does all his mortal lovers. My mothers name is..."

"Alexandra Montrose," Hades finished for me. "I remember her now. Quite the vindictive woman. Knowing the kind of lives her children would have when they grew up being children of ours. She didn't care. She just wanted revenge on my brother. I gave it to her. Where is she now?"

"I don't know, Lord Hades. She never cared for Carina or me. She hated us because Zeus never came back to her. Six months ago we ran away from home."

"I know, that is when your scent was detected."

"And the monsters started coming for us. I wasn't sure Carina and I would survive when we stumbled upon Camp Half-Blood. Zeus claimed her during dinner. Everything went crazy when you claimed me during the camp-fire activities. She said some nasty things about Nico and I left Camp with him, to come find you."

"Why would you do that knowing the monsters were mine?"

"Why would you claim me after trying to kill me?"

"I have to. Percy Jackson has made sure of it. He made us all swear on the River Styx. All the gods, Olympian and minor, must claim their children now."

"But trying to kill them to keep them hidden wasn't part of that deal, was it?" I asked.

"No, it wasn't," Hades replied, smirking at me.

"Father, Kylie has shown abilities like mine. She opened a fissure in the woods at the camp like I did at the dining pavilion when I found out about Bianca. She has power. With the upcoming..."

"Quiet, Nico!"

"Hey! Don't talk to him like that! He's just trying to talk to you," I said standing up to him, even though I had no strength left in my body.

Hades flung his hand out and I flew into the wall. Pissed off at how my supposed father was treating me I got back to my feet. The walls started rumbling.

"Nico, you better stop that unless you want to be sent to your room," Hades said.

"It's not me, Father. I was trying to tell you, Kylie is powerful."

Hades stared at me as if seeing me for the first time, not that that was too far off. I felt my body shaking with exhaustion and rage and the more I shook the more the walls shook. Hades came over to me and the shaking stopped. I fell to the ground again.

"Interesting. There is a lot of power in this one. I will not kill her as planned. She will live and learn her abilities," Hades said, looking from me to Nico. "Take her to what will be her room here so she can rest. When she has, we will begin training her."

Notes