The snow started sticking to the ground and it was close to time for the battle. We were near the battlefield, we were going to spend the night in the woods so that we wouldn't have to travel far in the morning. Jacob finishes gathering wood to make a fire even though few people here needed the warmth.
The kid I assumed was named Benjamin lit up his fingers and threw the fire at the wood. "That's what I'm talking about," Jacob laughs. "A little pre-battle bonfire. Telling war stories. Or just standing there like frickin' statues," he comments looking at some of the vampires.
One of the vampires flashes over to the fire, "Name any American battle. I was there," Garrett tells us. I look at the other two and we laugh. Technically it was a Greek battle but was fought on American soil, but he wasn't at The Battle of Manhattan.
"Little Bighorn," Jacob says, testing him.
"I came this close to biting Custer, but the Indians got him first.
"Try oleg's assault on Constantinople," Kate says, coming over and sitting on Garrett's leg. "He didn't win that one on his own."
"If you're talking battles, you're talking the Eleven Years' War," Another says. "No one does rebellion like the Irish."
"You lost the Eleven Years' War," Garrett comments.
"Aye, but it was one hell of a rebellion."
"When we ruled, everything came to us. Prey, diplomats, favor seekers. Such was our power. But we never put on white hats and called ourselves saints," one of the draculas says.
"We were honest about what we were," the other one says.
"We sat still for a very long time. We didn't notice we were beginning to petrify. Perhaps the Volturi did us a favor when they burned our castles."
"We've been waiting 1,500 years to return that favor."
"Now, if we really want to talk about an interesting battle we should talk about The Battle of Manhattan," Percy smirks.
"What Battle of Manhattan?" Garrett asks. "There hasn't been one since maybe the Revolutionary War and I doubt y'all are old enough to have been there."
"Actually you're wrong," I tell him. "The Battle of Manhattan happened about maybe a year and a half ago." I look at Nico and Percy for confirmation and they nod at me. "Nico and I were 14 and Percy had just turned 16 against all odds," I smirk at him reciting part of the prophecy.
"You don't know about it because Morpheus put everyone to sleep and Kronos slowed time during the battle. It lasted two days. Which doesn't seem long for most battles, but this was being fought entirely by kids from the ages of 12 to some of the oldest being maybe 18-19," Percy states sadly. Nico and I look at him and decide to let him talk about it since he knows the story the best. "We had been planning for the attack for the past year. We had known about it since the forties and it was finally here. We had campers turn to the other side. A lot of whom we trusted. We lost a lot of good friends because of it."
"While they were on the first day of battle Nico and I were in the underworld trying to convince our father to help with the war," I told him.
"He kept refusing until we were finally able to convince him at the last second," Nico adds. "Then we came in with an undead army," we both high-five.
"I ultimately had to kill the first friend I made when I came to camp and the practical brother of my girlfriend," Percy finishes. "But we won and that's what matters."
"Until about 3 months later when Percy goes missing, being kidnapped by a goddess starting a whole new prophecy where we have to go against the literal Earth," I say looking over at him.
"Ugh, yeah and these two knew I was the WHOLE time, which was about 6 months and never told anyone," he complains.
"Get over it, it was like a year ago. Wait a minute it was a year ago like two weeks ago," Nico realizes.
"That sounds horrible," Esme says. "Having to fight at such a young age."
"It's not that big of a deal to us anymore," Percy tells her.
"Do you have any more?" Jake asks us.
"Yeah, I mean you never did get to finish telling us all the demi-god stories you know," Paul smirks. "Although I doubt they're actually true."
"Which ones did she tell you about?" Percy asks curiously.
"She told us about this guy who was framed for stealing Zeus' lightning bolt," Embry tells him and he looks over to me with his eyebrow raised.
"Actually that one's true, I can tell you this because I am said guy," Percy says.
"No way," Paul denies.
"It's true I'm the son of Poseidon. The child of the great prophecy, one of the seven demi-gods to defeat Gaea, saviour of Olympus," he says overdramatically, making Nico and I laugh at him.
"Well I know you guys are vampires and don't sleep, but the rest of us need at least a few hours," Jake says, yawning. The few of us who can sleep do and the rest stay up telling stories.
~
Today's the day for battle, though I doubt it'll come to that. We walked to a snowy clearing. The wolves and us stay hidden in the woods so we don't seem like we pose a threat. We also don't have our weapons out just so we don't look like we are here for a fight.
As soon as the Volturi are visible the wolves start howling signaling that we should come out. We walk with them across the clearing to the Cullens'. Carlisle steps forward, "Aro, let us discuss things as we used to. In a civilized manner," he tells him.
"Fair words, Carlisle. But a little out of place give the battalion you've assembled against us," Aro says looking over all of the people on our side. He stops and stares at Nico and I for a few seconds. We might have only met once, that one time that I've forgotten about time and time again, but it seems like he never did. To be frank, I never had much reason to care about the Volturi until recently with the battle with the newborns so I kind of just forgot about them.
"I can promise you, that was never my intent," he tells Aro, continuing the conversation I forgot was happening. "NO laws have been broken-"
"We see the child, do not treat us as fools," Caisus states, harshly.
"She is NOT an immortal!" Carlisle promises. "These witnesses can attest to that. Or you can look, see the flush of human blood in her cheeks."
"Artifice," Caius claims.
"I will collect every facet of the truth," Aro puts a hand up, silencing him. "From someone more central to the story. Edward, as the child clings to your newborn mate, I assume you were involved."
Edward steps away from his wife and towards Aro. Aro takes his hand and watches his memories. "I'd like to meet her," he whispers. Edward turns around and looks to Bella to bring her forward. Emmett and Jacob join them. "Ah, young Bella. Immortality becomes you," he compliments before basically having a stroke, presumably listening to Renesmee's heart. "I hear her strange heart."
Renesmee steps forward to meet him, "Hello, Aro." She then puts her hand to his face to show him her memories.
"Magnifico!" He says in wonder. "Half-mortal, half-immortal. Carried by this newborn. While she was still human."
"Impossible!" Caisus denies.
"You think they have fooled me, brother?" Aro turns around asking him. Caius doesn't answer as Jake growls at them before they all retreat back to the group.
"Bring the informer forward," Caius orders. They bring Irina to him. "Is that the child you saw?" He asks her.
"I'm not sure-" Irina begins.
"Jane."
"She's changed," Irina says quickly. "This child is bigger."
"Then your allegations were false," Caius states.
"The Cullens are innocent," she tells them. "I take full responsibility for my mistake." She then mouths I'm sorry to her sisters. Caius then has someone light a torch and hand it to him.
"Caius, no!" Edward yells as they pull apart her body and light it on fire. Her sisters yell out for her. Everyone makes a grab for them as Bella puts Renesmee on Jacob's back. Seth and Leah come to the three of us and I grab Nico's hand, squeezing it. I couldn't imagine losing another sibling. "Blind them," Edward orders Zafrina.
She does just that which makes the other two even angrier, "Give me my sight back," Tayna orders him. He goes and talks to her, but I can't hear what he's saying. Zafrina releases them from the blindness as they stop trying to attack the Volturi.
"Pain," I see Jane mutter and then Edward falls to the ground. Bella focuses and extends her shield to him. He gets up off the ground, surprising the Volturi. Jane starts to march towards them, but Alec holds her back. He starts to release dark mist out of his hands and the three of us start to get our weapons out as the wolves growl. Aro tells him to stop and he does, waiting for his signal.
"Aro, as you see there are no laws broken here," Carlisle tells him once more.
"Agreed, but does it then follow that there is no danger?" He asks. This is going to turn into a fight I can already tell. Well there goes hoping out the window. "For the first time in our history, humans pose a threat to our kind. Their modern technology has given birth to weapons that could destroy us." Wtf is he on right now? Their modern technology. I roll my eyes, let's just kill him, restate the rules, and be on our way. "Maintaining our secret has never been more imperative. In such perilous times, only the known is safe. Only the known is tolerable and we know nothing of what this child will become," he says to his people. "Can we live with such uncertainty? Spare ourselves a fight today, only to die tomorrow."
Suddenly, Aro gasps, "Alice," I look over and Alice and Jasper are walking into the clearing. A couple of the guards come to meet them and hold them back. "My dear, dear Alice, we're so glad to see you here, after all."
"I have evidence the child won't be a risk to our kind," she tells him. "Let me show you."
"Brother?" Caius asks him. Aro gestures for Alice to come forward and she shoves past the guard holding her. One of the guards slaps Jasper as he tries to get to Alice.
Aro eagerly grabs her hand and gets pulled into her vision. "It doesn't matter what I show you. Even when you see. You still won't change your decision," she says, yanking her hand out of his. She looks over to Bella and mouths now. I guess it means we are fighting after all. I look at Nico and Percy as we all nod to one another and get our swords out.
"I'll see you after the battle?" I ask both of them.
"You can count on it, I told wise girl I would be coming home. I intend to keep that promise," Percy smirks. I then move my focus to Nico.
"Of course, if I die you'll be resurrecting me only to kill me again," Nico rolls his eyes with a slight scoff. We turn and watch as Jacob runs past us.
Alice kicks Aro into the air and he flies back several feet. Two of the guards run forward and grab Alice, holding her back. Everyone moves closer in anticipation of the next move. The wolves get in a formation all together, waiting for Sam's call. "Take her away," Aro orders.
"Let her go!" Carlisle yells and runs forward. Two others run forward to stop him, but he kills both. Him and Aro jump in the air meeting in the middle and then they both come crashing down. When Aro gets to the bottom he has an evil smirk on his face and Carlisle's head in his hands. Esme cries out in horror as they burn his body. Everyone starts charging forward ready for the fight. The wolves stay put until Aro sends the first wave of his guards and then they pounce.
"If anything goes wrong IM Chiron and tell him to send back up. He knows where we are," I tell the other two.
"If one of us dies?" Percy asks, seriously.
"It'll be a little embarrassing so that's an incentive not to, but if one of us does we have full permission to burn their coven to the ground," I smirk. The other two smile. "Now, let's show them not to fuck with demi-gods ever again. If they can use their special powers, so can we." Nico and I run forward with our swords and Percy closes his eyes and starts to melt the snow around him as vampires start running towards him.
Nico and I slash our way through them. I rip the heads off of a few that get a little too close and soon Nico and I are fighting back to back. I tripped a few that Nico then cut the heads off of. One kicks my sword out of my hand and I have no problem climbing on their back and ripping their head off before picking my sword back up.
Nico and I both feel a snap. We look over and see Jasper's body on fire, that's a second one of ours dead. There's many more to come. I hear a wolf whimpering and I look over and see Seth, lying on the ground with his neck snapped.
I stop and stare at his body in shock for a few seconds and that's enough for a vampire to jump on my back and take me to the ground. I can hear Leah howl in pain and then I see her tackle the vampire on top of me.
I look all around me and everyone on the outside seems to be losing except the three of us. Soon I feel what I think is an Earthquake and look at Percy who shakes his head at me. We look down to see the field being split in two. A lot of Aro's guards fall in immediately as we use this to our advantage. I then see Leah jump, attacking a vampire that's trying to kill Esme. Unfortunately, in the process she falls down into the middle of the field, down to her death... "LEAH!" I yell out for her. Nico grabs my arm.
"Let's finish this," he tells me. I nod and we close our eyes and the ground shakes a little as an army of skeletons appear. Nico and I direct them to kill the Volturi and soon they're dropping like flies. I look around to make sure that Percy is okay and he's fine, chopping away at vampires without a care in the world.
Most of them are dead at this point when Aro joins the fight, running straight for the parents of the supposed immortal child. Bella and Edward attack him and together they rip off his head and I throw a torch to Bella as she lights him on fire. "Goodbye, Aro," I smirk as I watch him be devoured by the flames.