Alyssa or Nyssa?

Chapter Thirteen: Luarel

*Flashback to Giant War*

The monster that had been with the Roman Army had turned. The Hephaestus kids ran about around me. Carrying weapons ranging from swords to hammers. Near me heard an 'ompf.' Then a small scream. I turned. The Aphrodite kids, my real sisters, looked towards a dog headed man with anger on their faces. Then I saw why.

At the feet of the monster, lay a girl. One of the only ones that had been kind to me. My sister was dead. Luarel lay, neck crushed under the monsters foot. Her head rolled to the side, eyes staring blankly into the sky. Never to see again.

The first death had come to pass. And I wasn't liking it one bit.

I drew Shane's battle axe. I remembered his last words. Fight with it Nyssa. Win for me. They rang through my mind. As I charged the beast from behind, burying the blade in its back. It turned to dust. I fell to the ground next to Luarel.

I picked up her cold hand, and kissed it. I placed it on her chest as my true sisters watched, keeping any monsters that dare come near us at bay.

"Good bye Luarel, daughter of Aphrodite. May your soul rest in Elysium," I stood. I broke through the barrier of love children, looking out at the huge army.

Win for me. Win for me.

"I will, Shane," I whispered to myself, "for Luarel, too." And I charged into battle.

*Flashback Over*

I turned back to the book and continued writing, tears stinging my eyes. Leo rubbed my arm. For once, he was silent. Then not.

"Luarel," he said softly, "she-she was a good fighter. A fine solider. A painful loss." The adults looked stunned as my dam of tear collapsed a I fell on to Leo's shoulder. I sobbed for my sister who never knew me, for my brother who gave me his axe and final words, for the twin sons of Dionysus, and everyone in the tragic book of loss.

"She was crushed," I got out, "her neck. It wasn't painful for her, at least I can say that." I leaned on Leo, unable to work on the book any longer. He closed it for me, setting it aside.

"A child army," Steve whispered, "that's illegal!"

"Guess what else is a illegal?" I said angrily, "child abuse and neglect! That still goes on! So what if we're in a child army!" Everyone gaped like fish.

"You're in a child army?!" The brown haired guy asked.

"No, duh, old man," Leo said, "that's what she just said, bro!"

"You said something about wars," my dad said, "you fought in wars?"

"It's what we were bred for," I muttered bitterly, "heroes die painful deaths. We are just the pawns on the chess board. Expendable." Leo nodded.

"Just something to occupy the front lines," he smiled sadly, "they don't care about us till we need to fight for them again." I stood, knocking the bench back. I went to the tree, not bothering to go inside, instead scaling the outside, slipping through a gap in the top. I could feel eyes following me.

I grabbed a picture for the wall and let it flutter down. Dad took it and all the adults leaned in, to see it better.

"What is this, Alyssa?" Dad asked.

"Us," I answered, "after the second war. All of us, that survived. Now, if you could leave, Leo and I need to sleep." The adults numbly left the room, and I dropped down next to Leo. We moved the heavy metal joints and pieces of the bed.

"Do you need..." Leo left the question hanging. I nodded swiftly. We both climbed in together. We were siblings, it didn't matter!

I snuggled up to Leo's chest, tears flowing. He hugged me. We both drifted off.