[lupus in fabula]

Reese Hale set the stack of cardboard boxes down, sighing with relief as he looked around the room. Even though the walls weren't painted and there was no furniture set up yet, save a black sofa he'd struggled to get through the door, the apartment still felt like home to him. And maybe it wasn't the view behind the glass of the marina that reminded him of Long Island Sound, or the music blaring from his phone that brought back memories of camp dances, but rather, the blonde girl that emerged from the bedroom, a tired smile on her lips.

"Well, I'd say that's everything," Imogen Cadwell exhaled, hands on her lips. The daughter of Cupid was as radiant as Reese had ever seen her; with her blonde hair twisted into short twin braids, her jade eyes glinting in the afternoon sunlight, and the smile on her face, she was as close to Aphrodite as Reese could imagine.

Reese's eyebrows went up, and he looked around the room at the heaps of boxes yet to be unpacked. "We're not out of the woods yet, Gen." He observed.

Imogen laughed, walking towards Reese, and flicking him playfully. He grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "I'm trying to be optimistic here, you nerd."

Reese grinned at the sound of her laugh; it sounded like the tinkling of wind chimes in a summer breeze. "You can be optimistic when the room's set up, but for now, pessimism is what will motivate us to finish."

Rolling her eyes, Imogen tried to walk away, but Reese tightened his grip on her hand. He pulled her back to him, landing in his lap, and Reese laced his arms around her waist.

"Reese," Imogen groaned. "You know I have to go to work."

"But do you want to go is the question you should be asking yourself." Reese began, kissing her shoulder. "Because why go to work and do boring law stuff when you can be here with me? We can order a pizza," He pecked her neck. "Watch a movie," Her cheek. "Watch the sunset over the marina."

Imogen sighed, turning to face him. Their faces were a miniscule distance from one another, and Reese's gaze traveled to her lips. "You'll stop at nothing, won't you?"

Reese cracked a wise grin. "Do I ever?"

Imogen laughed, pecking his lips. "As much as I would love to, my boss already is beginning not to like me because I stayed with you the last time I was supposed to come in." She slinked out of Reese's arms.

Reese pouted. "But being a lawyer is boring."

Imogen grabbed her bag on the counter. "Not when you can charmspeak." She winked at Reese still seated at the couch. "And besides, you have plans today too."

At first, Reese sat, dumbfounded, because he hardly ever had plans. But with a pointed look from his girlfriend, he remembered. "Oh!" He sprang up from the sofa, grabbing his phone from the windowsill. Already he had two missed calls from Kaden, one from Kaya, and a series of frantic text messages from both.

"Love you!" Imogen called as she slipped out the door.

Reese called Kaya back, muttering as many apologies for being late as he could, then slipped his phone back into his pocket. For a second, he thought that the daughter of Trivia would leave him stranded out of spite, but then a ripple of violet light shimmered out of the corner of his eye. The portal grew, and if Reese looked hard enough, he could almost see Kaya Blackwood glowering at him all the way in New Rome. He took a breath and stepped through it, leaving one home behind as he stepped into another.

--

He was right. Kaya was glowering at him.

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Reese pleaded, trailing after Kaya's violet cloak. As soon as he'd stepped through the portal, Kaya had given him a clipped 'You're late' before trekking off. Now, Reese was still following her, praying she wasn't actually that mad at him.

"You hurt my feelings, Reese, you know this means a lot to me." Her back was turned, so Reese couldn't see her face, but got a feeling the words were genuine. That was until she looked over her shoulder and was smirking like the devil.

"Oh, come on!" Reese exclaimed. "You really had me worried there!"

Kaya snickered, continuing her path. They'd reached the Principia's courtyard, already filled with flowers and decoration. "Maybe you should be more careful next time."

Reese grumbled under her breath, surveying the area around him. Legionnaires and Lares, the spirits of Rome, milled about the courtyard and surrounding trails on their way to the barracks. The sound of laughter and weapons clanging in the distance filled the air. Despite it being early March, the trees in the valley were already in full bloom, rattling in the wind. Camp Jupiter was prospering, and Reese wished the valley would stay like this, after so much desolation.

Kaya led Reese through the heavy golden doors of the Principia, where a statue of Kaden's predecessor as praetor, Alexander Deven, stood. Just looking at it, Reese felt like he was seventeen again. It had been just over three years from the time of Alex's death, when he jumped in front of an arrow meant for Tessa Brennan, ultimately saving New Rome. He was a hero, but Reese still felt lousy about it.

"There they are!" A young voice called, followed by the sounds of two sets of footsteps. Reese turned and saw two halfbloods, Adriana Oliver and Zach Malone, racing towards him and Kaya. They were younger, with Adriana being 15 and Zach following at 14, but had taken positions within the legion as interns within the Principia.

"Hope we weren't interrupting anything," Zach exhaled, catching his breath. "But this is important."

Kaya knit her eyebrows together. "What is it?"

Adriana shoved forward a single sheet of paper, crumpled from where she'd gripped it. "The task force is marching on the hit site as we speak." She explained as Kaya took the paper and scanned it. "According to Marcellus, if the hit goes well, we'll know where to strike next."

"Woah, we're already marching on one of the attack zones?" Reese asked, blue eyes incredulous.

Kaya inhaled sharply. She gave Reese a knowing look, then averted her gaze to the two legionnaires before her. "Thank you. Alert me to any new information."

Zach and Adriana nodded, saluted their superior, and darted off. As soon as they were out the door, Kaya headed towards the elevator in the distance. Her cloak hissed against the marble floor, and Reese hurried to catch up.

"The hit wasn't supposed to happen for another week. Why are they marching now?" Reese demanded.

Kaya jabbed the down button, then whirled around to face Reese. Her mocha eyes were troubled, and Reese got the feeling that they had no choice. "You'll see."

The elevator doors slid open and Kaya and Reese stepped inside. They descended to the official headquarters of the Principia, a place that Reese had seen the inception of when he was eighteen. Kaden would be waiting for them down below, trying to piece together the mystery unfolding around them.

"Did you know about this?" Reese asked as soon as the doors were open. Kaden Gray turned to face him from where he stood in front of the board, eyes arched in partial surprise.

"About what?" The son of Venus asked, pinning another string to the board before him.

"The task force," Reese clarified. "They weren't supposed to attack for another week or so."

Kaden bit his lip. "We got a flare of activity, so we had to send them in. They'll be fine."

Reese's stomach fell. "What kind of activity?"

Kaya swept towards them, a photograph in her hands. She snatched a pin from the receptacle and tacked it onto the board, beneath the red string Kaden had just pinned. Mallory Burke stared back at them the same way she had for the past three years: surrounded by mysteries and question marks.

"That kind," Kaya said, her voice low.

"They found her?" Reese asked.

Kaden shook his head, dragging a hand through his chestnut hair. The son of Venus had been Reese's best friend for as long as either of them could remember, but for the last three years, Kaden had become more and more tense. After he and Tessa broke up, it only got worse.

"We don't know yet," Kaden's voice was gravelly. "Marcellus reported the remnants of a mask near the site, so we ordered them to strike. The last thing Mallory saw was a masked figure, so it's as big of a clue as we can get."

The two praetors dispersed, chatting amongst the other officials that dotted the room. Kaya was in conversation with two grouchy looking Lares, and Kaden retreated over to the coffee machine on the table, a hard look on his face. While Reese could sense his own brother's emotions pretty easily, given that he and Flynn were twins and their father was a god, he almost could feel Kaden's. Besides, the two were as close to brothers as two could be. Kaden lacked his usually cheeriness, the sparkle in his eyes that charmed so many people.

"It's because he went to go visit Tessa," A voice Reese recognized as Eli Allistairs' chimed. Reese turned and saw the son of Ahklys stride towards him, a file folder in his hands.

Reese's eyes widened and he averted his gaze back to Kaden. That made a lot of sense, then. After Kaden and Tessa split, both seemed worse off than getting better, which is what they had hoped for. The war had damaged them both, and while they loved each other, they needed some time on their own to heal. However, Tessa had long since called it quits on the world of mythology, and going to visit her was almost like visiting a loved one in prison, because that's how Reese saw it. Tessa had locked herself up and called it safety, when the chains she'd locked onto herself were only keeping her down.

If Kaden had gone to visit Tessa in a time like this, it was to try and bring her back. Judging from Kaden's expression, she must have refused. Again.

"If it's one person I didn't ever think would leave this world, it's Tessa," Eli said, returning his file folder. "Coming from a person who's thought about leaving many times."

"Well, you had a choice in the matter," Reese countered. "Tessa didn't. She forced herself into being the person everyone wanted to be and...she cracked."

Eli shut the cabinet, walking back over to Reese. "Regardless, if demigods keep disappearing like this, we might need to bring her here for refuge. Powerful halfblood like that won't be staying safe and sound for long."

A pang of fear shook Reese's heart. "You don't think...?"

Eli met Reese's gaze tiredly. "I do. Maybe not now, since everything's been pretty quiet on the kidnapping front, but if things continue, she might really be in danger."

Reese swore under his breath, his hand halfway to his pocket to check on Tessa. She was one of his best friends after all, and the thought of her in danger after so many years away...He exhaled. Tessa was strong whether she wanted to be or not; she'd be okay.

Eli, whistling a jig, headed back over to his corner of the headquarters that he'd dubbed his lair. A trio of halfbloods, or as Reese called them "tech monkeys", got back to work on whatever task that Eli had entrusted them with. For a son of Ahkyls, Eli was pretty close to being a child of Vulcan for all the finagling with technology and weaponry he did.

Reese took a breath, walking back over to the investigation board. It had been growing for about a year now, after the first disappearance, a Greek demigod, had come onto the playing field. They'd later found out the demigod's identity: Bree McIntire, a daughter of Ares. She'd been one of Tessa's friends back at Camp Half-Blood, and Reese remembered listening in on their strategizing for Capture the Flag together. And now, she was gone.

Bree had been the first, and wasn't bound to be the last. Two Romans had gone missing as well six months ago. Their names were Jackie and Carson Calvert, twin legacies of Ceres. No one knew how they'd disappeared; only that one day, they were reported missing before War Games and no one had seen them since.

And then Mallory. She'd been gone the longest, but they'd only connected the pieces of the puzzle while looking for the other three demigods. All Reese knew to date was that three years ago, at the time of the War, she'd been on a quest to strengthen the ranks of Camp Jupiter when she went missing. Some crazy voodoo magic from the Somnus kids, one of them being Marcellus who was leading the search task force, had revealed that the last thing she'd seen was a man in a mask: her captor and most likely that of the other disappearances.

Reese's eyes locked on those of Mallory's in the photograph, and as if on cue, a crippling wave of vertigo washed over him. He clenched his fists together, staggering to the ground. His heart echoed like thunder in his ears and over the noise he could barely hear people calling his name. He saw flashes of faces, blood on his hands, and an army of darkness on another world.

And then just like that, it was gone.

--

The basketball bounced off the rim of the hoop, shooting right back to Reese. He huffed a breath, snatching it out of the air and dribbling it a bit.

"You're off your game," Kaden noted. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Reese, ready to shoot the ball again, gazed at his best friend sarcastically. "Kaden, just because you're a doctor doesn't mean you have to diagnose me. I'm fine."

"Oh, yeah? Prove it; make this basket." Kaden taunted, an impish look in his eyes.

Reese scoffed. "Make this basket, he says. Eat my dust, Gray."

"Put your money where your mouth is, Hale, and shoot." Kaden folded his arms.

Reese gave his best friend a look, then readied his stance. Being an archer for so long made basketball easy for Reese; both required focus and an eye for aim and Reese had both (most of the time). He dribbled the ball, then shot it towards the hoop. It hit the backboard and bounced off. Reese's eyes widened in disbelief.

Kaden laughed. "Now will you please tell me what's up?"

It'd been a few hours since Reese's episode, and Kaden had been hounding Reese for an explanation since it happened. But Reese couldn't tell him. Frankly, because he had no idea what was happening either.

"I just haven't been getting that much sleep lately," Reese lied, grabbing another ball from the cart behind him and Kaden. "Don't worry about it. Besides, I'm much more worried about you."

"About me?" Kaden asked, glancing at Reese shortly before shooting his ball. It circled the rim and slipped through the net, hitting the court with triumph.

"You've been off all day," Reese noted. "Did something happen when you went to visit Tessa?"

Kaden faltered, dropping from his position to shoot another ball. At first, Reese thought that Kaden might brush the matter off, but he only sighed, getting back into position. "Yeah, something happened." He shot the ball, only this time, he missed.

"What?" Reese asked, snatching the ball as it bounced towards him.

Kaden took a breath, dragging his hand through his hair. He snatched up his water-bottle, taking a sip before speaking. "She won't come back."

Reese pressed his lips into a thin line in thought. "Did she say why?"

Kaden sat down on one of the surrounding benches. "She's safe where she is. She doesn't want to put other people in danger. She thinks that all the tragedy that's happened has been inherently her fault for being the daughter of Poseidon." He sighed. "I wish I could get her to see that that isn't true."

Reese thought back to when he'd first met Tessa, at archery class when they were thirteen years old. He'd heard of an all-powerful daughter of Poseidon, but had never really seen her. He was slightly underimpressed when he saw that the daughter of Poseidon wore beaten up Converse with doodles on them, and spent more time glowering and misfiring arrows than she did being omnipotent. They'd become begrudging friends at first, then true friends.

Tessa lived under a burden, Reese knew that, as being the daughter of the god of the sea. She had an immense amount of power, and could control that power with skill that was unheard of for a girl her age. But Reese had seen that beneath the victories and the pride and the power, she was just a teenage girl who missed her home, her family, her life before it was taken from her. The rest of them had at least had the luxury of entering the army as footsoldiers, but Tessa had been assumed to be a general at first sight.

"Tessa Brennan is one of the most powerful demigods I've seen in my life," Reese spoke, a hand on Kaden's shoulder. "And where there is power, there is a great burden to bear with it. She just needs a little more time, Kaden. I miss her, too."

"I feel like such a hypocrite," Kaden looked down at his shoes. "The break-up was mutual because we both needed time to heal, but now, I'm wishing I stayed with her. I'd rather be with her, helping each other heal, than be so many miles apart in every sense of the word. Maybe, if we hadn't broken up, she wouldn't feel so helpless. Maybe I wouldn't feel so lousy."

Reese rested a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Everything that happens, does for a reason." He said. "After all I've been through in my life, that's the one thing that's rang true. And to me, Tessa took this break to come back better than ever. It's only a matter of time."

Kaden released a breathy laugh. "So much for a guy's night out, right?"

Reese made a face. "Excuse you, Kaden, my ideal night out is a heart to heart with my closest friends."

"Ah, yes, how could I have forgotten?"

"I don't know, but you owe me a game to make up for it." He nodded over to the stray cart of basketballs. "What do you say?"

A grin slowly crept onto Kaden's lips and Reese smiled as well. The two boys got to their feet, hurrying to the cart as if their lives depended on it. Instantly, the game ensued with Reese firing shots and Kaden blocking them, with the reverse ringing true as well. They called fouls and penalties and Reese travelled at least twice before the doors to the gymnasium flew open, and both boys stopped in their jubilation.

"Kaden, Reese," Zach looked up at the ceiling. "Thank the gods I found you guys."

"What's up? Is everything alright?" Kaden asked, slipping into his praetor mindset. His posture changed, his attitude changed, all he needed was a cloak and a throne.

"The task force group," Zach wheezed. Reese figured he must have run here, given his shortness of breath. "They just got back."

Kaden sighed with relief. "That's good news."

"I wasn't finished," Zach made an apologetic face. Reese lost track of the conversation, as Zach slipped into some Latin that only the son of Venus would understand. But Reese knew from Kaden's deteriorating expression that the rest of Zach's news wasn't pretty.

Kaden fled with hell on his heels, storming out the gymnasium door. Reese threw his hands up in confusion, but jogged over to Zach. "What's the problem with the task force group? The five of them are back so what's the problem?"

"That's the thing," Zach countered. "Five people left. Only two came back."