Prologue

Fire.

It kills. It burns everything within its path, rendering husbands and wives, widowers and widows. It leaves behind orphans and razes lands, reducing the quality of livelihood. It destroys, not creates. But it can be very beautiful when used in the right way. Could fire be used for a force of good?

That was all Alexander Volkov could think about as he stared at the dark figure in the pouring rain. Overhead, the distinct sound of cars permeated the air, instilling the bustle of night Paris. His chest rose with every deep breath he took, the pungent scent of petrichor filling his nostrils.

"So....guess I'm going to die here, huh?" his voice came out as a whisper; drowned out by the loud downpour, but he was sure his assailant heard it all the same. The figure seemed to nod and in the darkness of the night, dark green energy in the form of spires sprung from their outstretched palms.

Alex cursed, readying his magic within. His broken and battered body screamed at the exertion, dark spots filling his vision. He ducked to the side as a wave of fire slammed into the area he once stood. Taking another painful breath, he let the magical energy within shroud him like a cloak. The ground rumbled as the two titans battled for dominance.

Two opposing wills.

Two ideologies.

One victor.

Everything he threw at her, she returned a thousandfold.

"Why do you fight, Chosen One?"

The cloaked figure finally spoke and Alex wasn't surprised it to be revealed as feminine. The hood moved a little to the side and in the bright light of her magic, dark gold curly locks hung, wet from the rain. A pair of the most piercing blue eyes he had ever seen peered at him inquisitively from under the hood.

She daresay looked ethereal.

"Who the hell are you?! Why are you doing this?"

His cry went unheard and she scoffed before clasping clenched fists together.

Caloriaili Salcele.

The ground rumbled once, nature reacting to the potency of both witches. The confused youth's eyes widened as he tried to escape but it was too late.

A thick stone arm belonging to the gargoyle behind him wrapped around his midsection as the statue seemed to come to life. He wheezed in pain as the grip tightened, locking him in place before falling silent.

Fire razed all around him, the opal-colored flame a searing heat on his face, not deterred by the rain. His assailant emerged from the fray untouched, stalking forward with a purposeful gait in her step.

"P-P-please." Alex managed to choke out amidst the choking pressure on his ribcage. In the darkness of the night, the gleam of a combat knife was pulled out.

"This world must burn, Chosen One. And for it to, everything starts and ends with you."

He didn't have any time to wonder over her cryptic words before the blade slid in. Alex's whole world went red as the thick pain blossomed across his chest. He could feel the very blade scraping against his ribcage. A pained shriek left his throat.

He was going to die.

The whole world was closing around him.

The energy within him spread out like wildfire, coursing through his veins like a crack addict finding a stick of heroin. Its sentiency recognized that the host was about to die, and it fought defiantly. A wave of energy emanated from him slammed into them both, but she held on, digging the blade further.

"Who...are...you?"

At what looked to be his final question, the teenager's maddening look deflated before she relented to answer.

"I'm the forgotten girl. The one you left behind, Alexander." She licked her lips in anticipation as she watched his wet and bloodied face go through a range of emotions. The confusion splayed on his face and dawned into one of horror. He could almost see the blonde of her hair transition into that a lighter shade. Craze-filled eyes melted into soft, innocent ones.

..Her...

"I..."

The amount of pain he was feeling couldn't hold a candle to the amount of guilt that was welling up within him.

"I'm...so-"

"Save it."

She wrenched out the blade as easily as she slid it in, leaving him to drop unceremoniously to the floor. Dark red blood mixed with the rain as the beautiful girl watched the life slowly leave him. Blank eyes stared at the ground, rain pooling into the leather of his outfit.

The cut was too deep to heal. They both knew it.

Alexander Volkov couldn't help but think about his life. Flashes of both good and bad flitted through the darkness like a slideshow. Myra was a constant in them, as a support for both sides. She was a pillar, a single candle shining through a stormy night.

She was so beautiful. And now he'd never get to tell her.

"I may die...." Alex wheezed out, resisting the urge to choke on the backlog of rainwater accumulated in his throat. "...but someone else will continue...the fight. I swear on it."

With that final proclamation, Alexander Volkov, the last of the disciples of Annabeth and currently The Chosen One, breathed his last. He died with a peaceful expression on his face,

The teenager scoffed, her breath escaping into the lessening rain. Now that her opponent was dead, the confidence in her stance deflated slightly. She let the cold wash over the pain of sore overworked muscles. Dark blue eyes scanned the surroundings. A little over midnight, the light of the moon shone in slivers to reveal a destroyed landscape. The very stone was ripped from the ground like a tundra had ravaged the place. Trees lay burning on the sideline with the same opal flame that couldn't be extinguished by water.

It wouldn't be a few hours till early daylight for her entire plan's framework to be set. She grinned madly, the heat of the flame within her making her giddy.

"By Merlin..." she raised the serrated blade, blood washing off it into the never-ending puddles. "...All of them will die."

And with that proclamation of unholy justice, the ball was set in motion.