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1->''"Aska means ashes. The ashes that you, son of Hades, rule over. You've always wanted a quest; and now you have one. Join the Norseling. Join her and overthrow Hel. Join her and overthrow your father's kingdom. Join her before the ashes blow away in the wind."''
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3''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8186900/1/Aska Aska]]'' is a ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' fanfiction series written by ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/~gracegrenade grace.grenade]]''. It also takes inspiration from the fantasy novel ''Literature/{{Runemarks}}''.
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5The fic involves introducing the Norse gods into the Percy Jackson universe, necessitating a complex backstory that is being revealed slowly over the course of the story. Described by the author as an 'experiment to see if Nico/OC can be done a little differently', it tackles a niche looked down upon by the majority of the fan community, following the struggles of Nico di Angelo and OC Ayra Sorensen as they are caught in a war between two pantheons of Gods.
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7----
8!! ''Aska'' provides examples of:
9%%* AccidentalPun: Quite a few instances with 'Hel'.
10* AcidTripDimension: Bifröst, or the rainbow bridge, is definitely a MindScrew.
11* ActionGirl: Ayra, who proves that she is willing to fight wherever, whenever. Unfortunately, she isn’t always successful.
12* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Mentioned, that a TongueTwister's alliterative appeal is lost when translated into a [[FunWithForeignLanguages foreign language]].
13* AlienSky: The night sky in Asgard is blank, without a moon or any stars.
14* AllMythsAreTrue: To a point. Many of the myths, both Olympian and Norse, have been corrupted over time, and aren’t 100% accurate.
15%%* AmnesiacsAreInnocent: InvokedTrope by Ayra.
16%%* AmoralAttorney: The elves.
17* AngstySurvivingTwin: [[spoiler:Ayra to a T. Soren's death profoundly affects her and her life choices.]]
18%%* ApologisesALot: Ayra, with good reason.
19* ArchEnemy: The Olympians and the Norse, who have been feuding for centuries.
20%%* ArcWords: "Tell father. The Olympians are watching. Hades will fall."
21* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Jormungand could break free from his magical bonds, cause the end of the world, and make you crave herring.
22%%* BadassArmy: Any army mentioned, since they consist of gods.
23* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Norse are all varying shades of this trope. An argument could be made for the Olympians, too, but they're less of a family and more of an empire.
24%%* BilingualDialogue: Between Madeline and the Norse.
25* BondingOverMissingParents: Nico and Ayra bond over [[spoiler:losing a sibling]].
26* BringThemAround: [[spoiler:Ayra]] to [[spoiler:Nico]].
27* CanisMajor: Fenrir is an enmormous wolf, as per the myths.
28* CasualDangerDialogue: Ayra and Nico in chapter ten.
29-->''(as an army is charging at them)'':\
30'''Nico''': How'd it go?\
31'''Ayra''': Well. I think Percy and I really clicked.\
32'''Nico''': Good for you.
33* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: Odin as captain, Loki as sergeant.
34* CharacterTitle: Subverted. Quite a few readers may have been lead to believe that 'Aska' was the name of the OC. Rather, it means 'Ashes' in Old Norse, and is the codename for the Norse strategy at the beginning of the fic. 'Ayra' is pretty close to 'Aska', however.
35* [[TheChosenOne The Chosen Ones]]: Nico and Ayra.
36* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Idun, who is also permanently clueless.
37* ConsummateLiar: Loki.
38* CommandRoster/ TheSquad:
39** TheLeader: Odin.
40** NumberTwo: Loki.
41** FriendlySniper: Tyr.
42** TheSocialExpert: Freyr.
43** TheBigGuy: Thor.
44** NewMeat: Nico and Ayra.
45** TheSquadette: Freyja and Sif.
46** TheHeart: Idun, although she's not very good at it.
47** MissionControl: Mímir.
48* ColonelBadass: Loki.
49* CoolSword: Epilasis. [[spoiler:It’s so cool, they have to go back into the camp and get it, despite the fact it means fighting through hundreds of demigods.]]
50* CrossoverCosmology: The entire basis of the fic.
51* TheDarkTimes/ GreatOffscreenWar: The Olympian/Norse war.
52* DeadpanSnarker: Loki. Ayra also, to some extent.
53* DeadPersonConversation: Nico and Ayra with Eric, the Norse with Eric and Madeline.
54* DeathByOriginStory: [[spoiler:The deaths of Ayra's brother and mother are her and her father's entire motivation for sending her to the camp.]]
55* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: [[spoiler:Ayra's mother]].
56* DefensiveWhat:
57-->'''Loki''': ''(after pulling out a page from a book of prophecies)'' What? That was a dark period in my history, okay? [[NoodleIncident How was I supposed to know she was the King's daughter?]]
58* DoomedHometown: [[spoiler:Asgard]].
59* DontCallMeSir: Fenrir starts by calling Nico 'your Highness'. Ironically, Nico manages to ''get it'' to 'sir', although he gripes that [[ShoutOut now the wolf sounds like]] [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster Jeeves]].
60* DramaticStutter: Used often.
61* DreamingOfThingsToCome: Nico in the beginning of the fic. It turns out his dream was sent by [[spoiler:Fenrir]], who in turn was sent it by [[spoiler:Eric]].
62* [[AliensSpeakingEnglish Dwarves (And Elves) Speaking English/Ancient Greek]]: [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality Necessary for Nico to know what is going on most of the time.]] It's mentioned that they learn other languages to be able to talk to more customers.
63* EasilyForgiven: Ayra by Nico. It seems {{OOC}}, and she calls him out on it:
64-->'''Ayra''': I thought you were supposed to hold grudges. How come you're so forgiving?\
65'''Nico''': I wasn't really angry in the first place, just confused.\
66'''Ayra''': Confused seems to be word of the day for you.\
67'''Nico''': It always is.
68* EldritchAbomination: Jormungand.
69* ElvesVersusDwarves: Averted. The elves ''employ'' lots of dwarves to retrieve criminals. It's also mentioned that the elf world used to be very similar to the current dwarf world.
70* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Motor-Oil's conversation with his ex's answering machine. Also, Eric's first scene pretty much showed us [[{{Narcissist}}exactly who he was]].
71* ExactWords: Motor-Oil's case against the dwarf relies on the definition of 'to scratch'.
72* {{Expy}}: Madeline, an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette child of Thor, is probably the author's version of Maddie in Literature/{{Runemarks}}.
73* FakingAmnesia: Ayra does this at the beginning.
74* FatalFlaw: All the ones mentioned in Percy Jackson, plus Ayra's temper.
75* FateWorseThanDeath: 'The conditions of our surrender claimed we would receive eternal punishment for infractions, and to some it would seem that we did not receive it. But we did. We did.'
76* FieryRedhead: Ayra, sort of. Her hair is described as a 'chestnut more red than brown', but she's ''definitely'' fiery.
77* [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Fire and Brimstone Hel]]: Averted. Hel is abandoned, desolate and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking boring.]]
78* TheFogOfAges: Freyr can't remember most of the eighteenth century. Although that's probably because of [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy something else]]...
79* FoodPorn: Inverted with the description of the pickled herring;
80--> ''The concoction is the colour of old curry; yellow and disturbingly lumpy. A salty and rather unpleasant smell wafts from it.''
81* ForeignCussWord: Both the Norse and Ayra use 'fæn ta deg' on more than one occasion. Literally, it means 'may the devil take you' in both Norwegian and Old Norse, but it should really be interpreted as 'fuck you'.
82* ForeignQueasine: The pickled herring.
83* FreakOut: [[spoiler:Ayra]] has an... [[AxCrazy interesting]] one...
84* FriendInTheBlackMarket: The dwarves sell products of fine quality. Just try to ignore the prices.
85* FriendlessBackground: Before the events of the story, Ayra has never even met someone ''less than one hundred years older than her'', let alone a friend.
86* FrivolousLawsuit: They sue a dwarf who claims a shield 'cannot be scratched', since definition five in the dictionary clearly states 'scratch' means to make s high piercing sound, and a sword dragged across the metal can do ''that''.
87* FunWithForeignLanguages: Ayra tricks the Olympians into thinking she's cursing them by speaking Old Norse. Realising that it doesn't matter what she says, she comes up with some real gems:
88-->'''Percy''': Please! Don't do this!\
89'''Ayra''': Crabcake! Trousers! I like shellfish, I do I do I do!\
90'''Percy''': Whatever spell you're casting, just–\
91'''Ayra''': [[TongueTwister Silly Susie sells sarongs. Silly Susie sings sad songs]].
92* GeneralRipper: Odin. Enemy X is the Olympians.
93* GreyAndGrayMorality: Although the Norse are portrayed in a more favourable light than the Olympians, they still don’t have a great case. Ayra likens them to the [[BlackAndGrayMorality lesser of two evils]] , but she’s bound to be biased. Because, however, the story isn't focused mainly on the [[SympatheticPOV Olympian side of the battle]], the Norse come off as ALighterShadeOfGrey.
94* HappyFlashback: We see how Loki met Lise.
95* {{Hypocrite}}: Fenrir won't trust Ayra because she's a child of Loki. Guess who Fenrir's dad is?
96* HeroicBSOD: Ayra after seeing [[spoiler:the ruins of Asgard]].
97* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Every chapter is titled with an Old Norse word plus its definition.
98* InnerMonologue: Nico has one in chapter four.
99* InsaneTrollLogic: The elves wanted to be lawyers, but there was no legal system. So they started to ''prosecute criminals themselves'', leaving those accused no choice but to go to their firm for representation. Even more insane when you find out that sometimes the elf defending is the ''same one'' prosecuting, and ends up having arguments with himself.
100* InsubstantialIngredients: Used to make Gleipnir.
101* InsufferableGenius: Eric is a {{Narcissist}}, but he has the looks, intelligence and powers to back it up.
102* IntellectualAnimal: Fenrir is probably more intelligent than Ayra and Nico combined.
103* JerkassGods: The Olympians take this to a whole new level.
104%%* KangarooCourt: The elvish legal system.
105* LanguageOfMagic: The Old Norse runes.
106* LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler:Ayra is the only Norseling ''alive'']], although others do have a habit of [[DeadPersonConversation showing up]].
107* LawOfInverseFertility: Inverted. The Norse are almost entirely infertile, and they ''very'' rarely have children.
108* LibationForTheDead: That pickled herring was the worst thing Eric ever tasted.
109* LittleDidIKnow:
110--> '''Motor-Oil''': Little did they know the horror that awaited them!
111* LivingCrashpad: Ayra ''slams'' into Nico in chapter four after an [[ExplosionPropulsion explosion]].
112--> '''Percy''': [[RulesLawyer That's against the rules.]]
113* MajorlyAwesome: Freyr.
114* MassOhCrap: When Loki reveals that [[spoiler:Jormungand has woken up]].
115* {{Metaphorgotten}}: "His name sounds like fifteen scratched records playing at different speeds saying the words 'Motor-Oil' with a vague Canadian accent."
116* MilesToGoBeforeISleep: Fenrir has a ''lot'' to do before he can [[DeathSeeker finally die]].
117* MoodSwinger: Ayra, ''and how'':
118--> '''Nico to Ayra''': You're unbelievable, you know that? Absolutely, bat-shit insane. Either you're extremely hormonal or you suffer from multiple personality disorder... (but) You might as well enjoy being able to change your mood fifteen times per minute and making me frustrated.
119* MurderIsTheBestSolution: [[spoiler:Ayra's]] brief mindset about the problem of [[HeKnowsTooMuch Nico]].
120* NamedWeapons: The author christens Nico's weapon 'Epilasis', or 'oblivion'.
121* {{Narcissist}}: Eric. PlayedForLaughs; there is a large, ominous buildup before his first appearance– and then he spends his brief return to the mortal coil gushing over his cheekbones.
122* NiceJobBreakingItHerod: The Olympian's attempt to [[spoiler:kill any offspring of the Norse. They are successful until Ayra and her twin brother are born. Thinking that there is only one child, they kill him and stop looking.]] ''Big'' mistake.
123* NobleTopEnforcer: Percy, although he doesn't really know it yet.
124* NominalHero: For the third part of a trio, Fenrir is surprisingly... well, evil. He's a {{Jerkass}} NietzscheWannabe who's only in it for himself. He even kills a farmer for ''[[DisproportionateRetribution being annoying]]''.
125%%* NonHumanSidekick: Fenrir.
126* NoodleIncident: Loki has many. Apparently once he was a pirate.
127* ObsessedWithFood: Poor Jormugand, who is eternally hungry but can never eat.
128%%* OneWordTitle
129%%* OnlyFriend: Nico is Ayra's.
130* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Played straight with appearances (even the females have beards!) although subverted somewhat otherwise; they are greedy craftsmen, but they're all salesmen in a huge bazaar.
131* OverTheShoulderCarry: Nico carries Ayra like this while she's in shock in chapter 11.
132* PlanetOfHats: Alfheim is a world of lawyers, and Svartálfaheim is full of shopkeepers.
133* PlotTriggeringDeath: [[spoiler: Ayra's mother and brother.]]
134* PropheciesRhymeAllTheTime: Averted. As they do in the Percy Jackson series, all Olympian prophecies rhyme. However, Norse prophecies don't.
135* Really700YearsOld
136* RecruitTeenagersWithAttitude: {{Justified|Trope}}, in that the Norse have to be extremely covert. They use Ayra because she's one of them, Nico because he puts two and two together and [[TheChosenOne is majorly involved in a prophecy]].
137* RevengeByProxy: [[spoiler:The Olympians deal with the Norse breaking the rules by killing their loved ones]].
138* RunningGag: Thank them for your cheekbones.
139** Especially since you're so bloody handsome.
140** And stay away from the pickled herring.
141* SeaMonster: Jormungand.
142* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler:The Greeks hear that if Loki breaks free, he’ll cause Ragnarok. To prevent this they wage war on the Norse. The Norse then free Loki to help them. Fortunately, the technicality of him being freed by someone else means Ragnarok doesn’t come. Unfortunately, it means the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled….]]
143* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: The Customer Complaints and Feedback Form:
144--> ''As our members are in an undeviating state of acedia the ripostes to your responses are only being delivered with greater and greater degringolade, and therefore any implemented submitted vicissitudes will be picayune.''
145* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: When Heimdall implies that Ayra is tied romantically to Nico, Nico answers like this ''for her'', while laughing at the ridiculous idea. You can't help but feel bad for her, since (YMMV) by this point you can tell she has a little crush on him.
146%%* ShipperOnDeck: Freyja.
147* SpontaneousWeaponCreation/ SummonToHand: Ayra's runeaxe. Averted with Nico's sword; in fact, [[spoiler:they spend nearly an entire chapter fighting to retrieve it]].
148* {{Sssssnaketalk}}: Loki briefly does this when he is [[spoiler:possessed by Jormungand]].
149%%* TheStoic/ NervesOfSteel: Odin.
150* StrawNihilist: Fenrir, who likes philosophising to anyone who will listen, and anyone who won't. [[SiblingRivalry Hel finds this extremely annoying.]]
151* StrongFamilyResemblance: Ayra and her father have similar features and hair, although a different eye colour.
152* SugarAndIcePersonality: Ayra is very cold to those she doesn't trust and during tense situations, but (as shown with Nico) she can become much warmer.
153* TakingYouWithMe: During her FreakOut Ayra decides this after realising she can't [[spoiler:beat Nico]] without dying herself. Fortunately for her it doesn't come to this.
154* TalkingYourWayOut: Averted when [[spoiler:Loki unsuccessfully attempts to save Lise and Soren's lives]].
155* ThinksLikeARomanceNovel: Freyja in the second chapter, for obvious reasons.
156%%* ThouShaltNotKill: One of Nico's conditions for himself.
157* UnfortunateNames: Motor-Oil. His real name is [[XtremeKoolLetterz ÷*|≤•]]. And no, that wasn't a formatting error.
158* VillainsNeverLie: Dwarves always tell the truth about what they're selling; the bad stuff happens when you have to cough up the payment.
159* VitriolicBestBuds/ FireForgedFriends: Nico and Ayra have been through quite a bit, but now seem to place a lot of trust in each other.
160%%* WorkingWithTheEx: Njord and Skadi.
161* WorldOfSnark: Mostly everyone manages to switch to SarcasmMode at least twice, with the exception of poor Percy.

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