The neon sign outside continued to flicker, making the twins appear a ghastly shade of light red despite the dim light cast by the single ancient lamp in the room. Marina sat rigid in her chair. Her amber eyes, sharp yet wary, looked around the room, displaying her discomfort with this conversation. Kurt stood up and moved behind her, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders, a silent offer of comfort. His presence was welcomed as she struggled to find her words.
Marina's voice, timid yet determined, finally broke the silence. "I... I know some things," she began, her words hesitant and uncertain. Kurt's hands tightened slightly on her shoulders, a reassuring touch that urged her to continue.
Liam and Selina sat across from her, their eyes locked on hers, anticipation etched on their faces.
Liam appeared calm and relaxed as he waited for Marina to continue, while Selina appeared eager and expectant as Marina felt a reassuring wave of their warm calming aura.
Marina took a deep breath, her posture relaxing as she found her courage. "I only really know fragments." Marina began as she reached up and grabbed Kurt's hand.
"I don't know why, but it is said that Hephaestus, the Sun God, was enraged. He was set on destruction and fire began to rain down around him. Destruction followed him." Marina paused to collect her thoughts.
The room seemed to hold its breath as her words hung in the air. Kurt's hands remained steady while he softly kissed the back of her head. As Marina's gaze met Liam's, her eyes reflected a mix of fear and resolve.
"He was unstoppable, his power was vast. He was intent on destroying the world. The Great Creator tasked the Moon Goddess with stopping him." As Marina's story continued, her voice gained strength, each word more confident than the last. "She faced the fury of Hephaestus, determined to save the world from his wrath."
As Marina spoke, everything around them disappeared while their attention and focus was directed solely on Marina and her words. Marina's voice trembled as she continued, realizing that her next words might cause doubt. "But the Moon Goddess… she could not kill him. No one could… I think Hephaestus was too powerful. She did manage to imprison him, trapping him in a deep sleep. But the battle—" Marina's breath hitched, her chest rising and falling as if she, herself, had lived through it.
"The battle was catastrophic. Parts of the world burned as the skies filled with ash, while other parts of the world drowned as the Moon Goddess covered his flames with tsunamis of water to smother them." Marina paused as she looked at Liam and Selina, once more, trying to determine what they were thinking.
Marina leaned into Kurt's reassuring touch and absently rubbed her cheek against the hand she no longer gripped. "Knowing that Hephaestus would eventually wake, and the world may not survive another battle between gods, the Moon Goddess gave a piece of herself, a drop of her essence, to her only surviving descendant. A girl, the last of her bloodline. As the essence passed down through the generations. It grew stronger with each passing century."
Marina paused, looking down at her hands while her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. Liam opened his mouth to speak, before he made a sound, Selina quietly told him to wait. Marina had more to say.
"Every few centuries," Marina continued, her voice steadier, her fidgeting ceased as she met Selina's eyes, "a Lunaria twin set was born. A boy and a girl. The boy—" She glanced at Liam, her eyes softening. "Had the power to protect, to shield those he loved. And the girl—" Her gaze shifted back to Selina, and for a moment, there was a flicker of understanding between them. "She carried the power to defeat Hephaestus when he awakened."
The room fell silent, the only sound heard was the soft buzzing of the neon motel sign outside. Selina's breath came in shallow gasps, her eyes fixed on the floor as if the weight of the world had just been placed on her shoulders.
Liam, on the other hand, stood rigid, his expression unreadable, though his eyes, which seemed dark purple now, burned with a quiet determination.
Kurt's hands remained on Marina's shoulders, while his thumbs began to stroke small tingling circles on her neck.
Marina turned her head, her amber eyes meeting Kurt's blue ones. For a moment, there was nothing else—no prophecy, no ancient gods, no inevitable battles. Just the two of them, suspended in the fragile calm before the storm.
And then, as quickly as it had begun, the moment was over. Marina's gaze returned to the floor, her voice barely above a whisper. "Hephaestus will wake again. My father is convinced it will happen soon. And when he does…" She didn't finish the thought. She didn't need to. The unspoken words hung in the air like a challenge, a promise of what was to come.
The neon sign continued to buzz like a persistent insect, while Selina's eyes drifted to its flickering light on the walls. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she began to feel panicked. She had accepted this prophecy as her fate. She had clung to it as her only purpose in life. But how was she going to defeat a god? Surely a drop of the Goddess' essence aged over time, couldn't match the strength of god? HOW could she do this?
Marina watched as Liam pulled his sister into a tight hug as he spoke to her. Selina's breath returned to normal as she relaxed into his arms and chest. Marina wondered if she was should not have told them all of what she knew.
Before she was able to question her own words further, Kurt drew her attention once more. His hands remained on Marina's shoulders, but his thumbs once again began to draw those small circles on her neck, the electric tingles of his touch on her skin added to the warmth of his hands made her once again forget everything, except him.
Selina's voice trembled, cutting through the air, bringing Marina back into the conversation. "Do you know how many other twins have fought him? Or when the prophecy began? Or anything about putting him to sleep or on how to imprison him?" Her questions were desperate pleas for much needed answers.
Marina slowly shook her head as she turned back to Selina. I'm sorry, this is all I can recall right now. I think there used to be a copy of the prophecy written in the ancient lunar hieroglyphs. Father spoke of it." She put her finger on her lip as her eyes closed, trying to remember her father's words.
After a few moments, Marina continued slow and quiet. "Ancient silvery white parchment paper, torn to pieces, can only be read by the Lunaria bloodline under moonlight, nearly invisible unless a Lunaria is near…"
Selina gasped loudly, "I think we have some pieces."
Liam grabbed his back, taking out both pieces of paper and laid them on the desk with the dim lamp. The silvery parchment pieces seemed to hum with a silent, ancient power. The edges were jagged, while the rest of each piece looked pristine and unblemished.
"Let me see," Kurt said, as he reached past Selina and Liam and took both pieces. He studied each piece with a careful intensity, his brow furrowing as turned the pieces around, trying to make torn edges match and failed. Then, with a nod, he handed them to Marina.
Marina's eyes widened as she took them, her slender fingers trembling. "And you said one of these was found in the same room as me? I've never…" Her words trailed off as she inspected each piece. Then, without a word, she passed them back to Liam, with disbelief plastered across her face.
The silence was heavy, the kind that made you feel like you were drowning in it. Then, like a lifeline, Kurt's voice cut through it. "You know what we need? Pizza. Good ole pizza. I'm talking fresh, hot, with all the shit that makes it drip so much grease it will make us temporarily forget that we're dealing with ancient prophecies and torn-up clues." He smirked, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he turned and playfully winked at Marina.
Marina thought it was a ridiculous suggestion, the kind that made you want to laugh and roll your eyes at the same time. But it worked. The room began to breathe again, the weight of the parchment and the prophecy lifting.
"Pepperoni and mushrooms," Marina said, her voice soft but steady, breaking her own silence. "But no olives. They're horrible." She gave Kurt a half-hearted glare, but her lips twitched with the start of a smile.
Kurt graced her with a full, charming smile, the kind that made you feel like you were the only person in the room. "No olives, way too healthy. I'll let the mushrooms slide this time. But you sure as hell better eat the bacon and sausage too or else I might have to give you a hard time about it." He winked at her again, and Marina burst out into laughter
The pizzas arrived, and filled the room with their greasy, glorious smell. The boxes were flat brown squares with grease stains soaking through. Each one was a perfect, circular chaos of cheese and sauce covered in their greasy meaty toppings.
Kurt, never one to miss an opportunity, reached for another slice and leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving Marina's face. "So," he said, his voice low and playful, "when we're done with all this, and the world is saved, and the prophecy is over, what's the first thing you're doing?" He asked it like it was the most important question in the world.
Marina's cheeks tinted, a soft pink that made her look even more fragile, but there was a spark in her eyes, a hint of the strength she was only just beginning to discover. "The first thing I'll do," she said, her voice steady, "is go to the beach at midnight and watch the stars. And maybe, just maybe, I won't be scared of the dark." It was a promise to herself, as much as it was an answer.
Kurt's smile softened, the playfulness replaced by something far more genuine. "I'd like to be there too," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.