[ego te provoco]

Hell was breaking loose around the demigods, with plumes of obsidian smoke spreading across the city of New Rome. Screams and the sounds of battle were breaking out all around them, but Tessa's eyes were locked in pure disbelief at the centurion standing before her, at the drops of scarlet blood dripping off of his golden sword.

Vinny arched his eyebrows, surveying the group. "I must say, I was expecting more enthusiasm from such an audience."

"How could you?" Tessa said in a gravelly voice. Her heart was pounding in her chest to the point where it felt like it would beat right out of her if she didn't get it together. But how else are you supposed to react when someone you trust stabs you in the back?

Then it hit her.

All of Theseus' warnings, how he'd become suspicious of Vinny from the moment they met, it all made sense. All of Vinny's strange questions, his odd ways of making Tessa feel comfortable with him...it was all a ploy. He'd woven a false thread of trust between himself and everyone around him to make them all believe he was on their side, only he wasn't.

Vinny's grin stretched as his gaze fell upon Tessa's expression. "And she puts it together. How's it feel to take a ride through the city with a killer, Tessa?"

"If you think you're a killer," Tessa said slowly, taking a small step forward. "That's nothing compared to what I'll be when I'm through with you and your little fanclub."

Vinny blinked tiredly. "Well, my little fanclub happens to be working on our last hit before we overthrow Olympus as we speak. So I'd watch your mouth, sweetheart, before I tell them to get to your little friend in the Labyrinth."

Reese's eyes widened at Tessa's side, his grip on his bowstring tightening. "Hurt Dale, and Tessa won't be the only one on a rampage."

Vinny rolled his eyes. He glanced down at his glimmering sword, wiping off the crimson blood still dripping off of its blade.

Kaya inhaled sharply. Her violet cloak snapped in the wind filled with the sounds of agony coming to the city. How could she be so calm in a moment like this?

"Who did you have to kill?" She asked, her voice level.

Vinny quirked an eyebrow, smirking at Kaya. "You know, I never liked Lucillia to begin with. She thought she could stop me when she figured it out just a few moments ago, but frankly she never got to defending herself before I gutted her like a fish." He shrugged, flicking the blood off of his hands. "They just don't make good fighters like they used to."

"No, but apparently they still make backstabbers," Kaden managed. His emerald eyes flared with fury, the irises shattered from disbelief and sorrow. "How could you, Vinny? We were best friends."

"Operative word being were," Vinny rebuffed, meeting Kaden's steely gaze with one of his own. "Once we received word of your memory block being lifted, I knew in that moment that you weren't dead, or missing in action, but you'd chosen these...these imbeciles over us! We were your home, Kaden. If anything, you're just as much of a traitor as I am."

"Enough," Alex's voice boomed, causing even Vinny to look slightly alarmed as they met his gaze. The son of Mars marched towards them, flanked on either side by masses of legionnaires; Imogen, Julius, and the other centurions marched along as well.

"Ah, Alex, so glad you could make it." Vinny grinned, spreading his arms like they would hug. "I want both praetors to witness the other's death."

Alex didn't even appear to be fazed. He issued an order in Latin, and the legionnaires behind him took their battle stances. However, Vinny didn't move. His grin only deepened.

"You wanna know the funny thing?" He said, as if he were about to reveal the punchline to a joke. "You all actually believed me for all this time when I said I was unclaimed."

"Then enlighten us," Alex said flatly.

"I will," Vinny smirked. He wielded his sword and in a blink of an eye it became a spear. "This weapon was given to me by my mother, Victoria, goddess of victory. It can become just about any weapon I need it to become."

Tessa felt her heart skip a beat. She glanced at Reese, who seemed to have paled a bit. "Even a bow," She mumbled.

Images flashed through her head of what must have happened at War Games; Vinny had gone along with her plan so seamlessly. She should have been more suspicious of it. While he and Kaden were hiding, he must have shot Reese from afar with that poison arrow, then carried on with the rest of the game as if nothing happened.

"Yes, even a bow," Vinny said, twirling the spear around in his hand. "Yup, it all was me. The explosions, the monster attacks, the poison arrow, all done by yours truly."

"Vindex Maxwell, you're under arrest for the betrayal of the legion under the influence of the enemy," Luci surged forward, her platinum blonde hair tucked under her helmet as she surged forward, like she was about to cuff him.

"You can't arrest me," Vinny took a step back, chuckling under his breath. "I rescinded my allegiance to Rome as soon as Orion appeared to me at my discontent. He's my commander now, not any of you silly Romans."

"Why are you here then?" Imogen spoke, her voice cutting through the turmoil.

Vinny's visage darkening, and Tessa felt a chill run down her spine as her battle senses sharpened. "To enjoy the show."

He snapped his fingers, and out of the smoke surrounding them like a barrier rose various monsters; hellhounds, dracenae, katoblepones, Hydras, just about every beast that Tessa had bested formed from the ashes like phoenixes. And all of them were approaching either the group of demigods surrounding Vinny or the city of New Rome.

"Have fun," Vinny saluted the demigods, and before anyone could attack, a squadron of monsters charged them.

Tessa leapt backwards as the monsters approached, slashing Tempest at the nearest one. Thankfully, the others got to work as well, tearing the creatures to golden dust. Tessa looked up for the next challenge, but instead saw her chosen prey stalking off down a New Rome street with a skip in his step.

Tessa's eyes narrowed, and maybe it was the collective noise of the battle raging on around her, but she thought she could hear the crash of an angry ocean's waves in her ears. She swung Tempest in practice and ran off.

"Where the hell are you going?" Reese called in disbelief, firing an arrow at a dracenae.

"To skewer a traitor," Tessa called behind her. As she ran, she heard two sets of footsteps fall into step behind her, and she didn't have to turn to know that it was Kaden and Reese. The three of them sped off down the cobblestone paths of New Rome, dodging monsters and searching for Vinny.

"Where would he even be going?" Kaden breathed as they turned a corner. "The Labyrinth is in the Senate House."

Tessa shook her head as she ran. She couldn't answer, not with all of the questions of her own she had floating around in her head.

The demigods kept running, sidestepping the debris of fallen buildings. The streets were covered in monsters and demigods, ashes and debris; the city had become a warzone and Tessa wished she could help, but the only way she could for now was to capture Vinny.

"Tessa!" She heard Sophia's voice as she ran, and risked a glance to the side as Sophia came running towards them, flanked by Jett and Mallory.

"We heard what happened," Jett breathed. "Really? Vinny?"

"I know," Kaden took a deep breath. "Come on, he's getting away."

"Where's he going?" Mallory asked. Normally, Tessa would have wanted to add her to her Roman shish-kabob of death, but given all that had happened, she let all that had happened with Mallory slide, if only for the time being.

"We don't know," Tessa said, scanning the rooftops around them. "He's gotta have some sort of other rendezvous point with the Regiment, or else how else would he be getting out of here?"

Kaden's eyes widened, and he looked to Jett and Mallory with urgency. "The fountain."

"What?" Sophia echoed.

"He's headed to the fountain," Kaden said, already starting to run away. "Come on!"

Tessa didn't wait up; she and the others dashed after Kaden, and soon enough, they reached the large city square of New Rome. The replica of the Trevi Fountain stood before them, babbling silently and serenely in the center of a mass panic. No one else seemed to be in the square, aside from a traitorous son of Victoria who was scaling the statues of the fountain.

"Vinny!" Jett called, a stern look on his face. "What the hell, bro?"

Vinny only turned, like he'd been expecting them. "Sorry Jett, can't talk, I'm a little busy with world domination."

Tessa fought a sadistic laugh; he was really milking this. "Surrender, Vinny, and maybe—just maybe—I'll let you live."

"You might, but I won't," Kaden grumbled, a dark look in his green eyes. "Come down, Vinny!"

Tessa recognized the lacy quality in Kaden's voice and turned to him in mild shock, but he just kept going. "It doesn't have to be like this," Kaden called. "We can work it out."

Averting her gaze to the traitor, Tessa watched as Vinny stopped. However, just as quickly as he had faltered, he turned back to Kaden. "Charmspeaking me? Ouch. For that, I'm afraid I'll have to kill your little friends, Kaden."

He snapped his fingers, and out of the nearby plumes of smoke, a large beast began to form. It doubled in size almost instantly, reptilian eyes peering out of the gloom. Soon enough, the smoke faded, and an obsidian lizard-like beast was staring down at them.

"Lydian Drakon," Vinny's voice called. "Watch out for his spit, it's pretty venomous. And oh, Kaden? I'd like to see you try and save your friends from this guy...that is, unless he kills you first. See ya!"

More monsters materialized around them, and soon enough, the demigods were outnumbered. Around a dozen monsters surrounded them, not counting the drakon which let out a screech into the air and began to approach.

"Plan?" Mallory asked, gripping her golden axe.

Tessa surveyed the monsters surrounding them. There were six demigods and twelve monsters; two monsters per demigod, not including the drakon. They could handle it...right?

"Stay alive," Tessa ordered. She yelled in defiance, and the fountain behind them erupted at her will. A tidal wave of water surged above herself and her friends—she hoped she'd doused Vinny in the process—and swept towards the monsters, pushing them all back.

"Attack!" She commanded, and the heroes rushed forward. Jett took on a duo of hellhounds, while Mallory leapt off the edge of the fountain and over some katoblepones. Sophia and Reese teamed up, as the latter shot arrows at the approaching manticore and the former handled a dracaena. Tessa swung Tempest in practice as two more hellhounds approached, and didn't waste a beat.

She slashed her sword, cutting off the monster's attacks. They lunged at her, but Tessa only blocked them. She swiped Tempest's edge at one of the beasts, stabbing through the other. The hellish dogs dissolved into golden dust, and Tessa took a deep breath as she turned around.

More monsters seemed to be materializing, as if all of them were Hydras and the more Tessa and her friends killed them, they multiplied. They were about to be greatly outnumbered, and Tessa cursed under her breath.

"Jett!" Tessa commanded, seeing as he was the nearest one. "Go get reinforcements!"

The son of Bacchus slashed at his monsters before nodding to Tessa and bolting off. Tessa swept in, finishing off the monsters.

That's when she heard the drakon's roar.

Tessa looked up frantically, and with a painful twist of her heart, she saw Kaden taking on the beast single-handedly. Reese seemed to be helping out from a distance, firing arrows at the monster when he could, but for the most part, Kaden was dancing a deadly step around the monster, slashing at its legs. The drakon hissed at him, snapping its massive jaws, but Kaden only dove out of the way.

Tessa felt frozen in that moment. Should she surge forward and help him? Should she take care of the rest of the monsters? Should she sit down and cry? She felt like doing the latter, but forced herself to regain initiative. She started towards Kaden, but Vinny's voice stopped her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," He taunted. "The drakon's trained to only go at one victim at a time if it can, which I what I've commanded it to do. Kaden's the only one who can stop it."

Tessa turned and faced the traitor, standing shin deep in the Trevi Fountain, but she didn't move. His weapon had morphed into a bow, a shimmering gold arrow strung in his grasp.

And it was aimed directly at her.

The slightest movement, and she'd be done for.

"Whatever shall the young heroine do?" Vinny said, a smirk on his lips. "Ah, well, guess we'll have to find out."

"What are you gaining from this, Vinny?" Tessa asked, trying to remain as still as possible.

Vinny quirked an eyebrow at her, as if she were amusing him by talking on the dawn of her death. "Everything that I wasn't when I was just a lowly Roman. And I'll have that as soon as the attack is carried out. Both camps will crumble, and so will Olympus, all when Orion's power is at its strongest."

A memory fizzled at the back of Tessa's mind, but it seemed to die out as she gazed at the head of the arrow aimed at her heart. Coming from a girl who had died once and come back to life, death didn't scare her anymore. What terrified her, however, was that this boy whom she'd trusted, whom she'd called a friend, could hurt her friends once he was through with her.

That wouldn't do.

She needed to distract him, to keep him talking for as long as possible. Her mind split into two levels; one that kept talking, and the other to try and stop him. She spread out her senses like a wavelength, gripping hold of the water's energy mentally.

"Care to enlighten me when that'll be?" Tessa mused. She forced the water to remain as still as possible, but to gain pressure, almost like a soda that had been shaken too much and was about to burst. If she could execute it right, she'd blow Vinny right out of the fountain before he could hurt anyone.

"How cute, you think I'm dumb enough to do that." Vinny chimed.

"You're clearly dumb enough to believe Orion." Tessa grinned at him sarcastically.

Vinny sighed. "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this, but the Regiment frankly doesn't care if I capture you dead or alive. Sayonara, Tessa."

Tessa's eyes widened as the saw the golden arrow leave his grasp, and then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The arrow flying towards her in a perfect spiral, the sounds of battle turning mute, the boy leaping in front of her and the arrow piercing his torso.

Tessa stepped back in shock as everything went back to regular time. She glanced down at the boy who had leapt before her, and with an odd twist of her heart, saw that it was Alex.

Alex. The infuriating son of Mars who had made Tessa's life a living hell since the day she stepped foot into Camp Jupiter. The boy whose half-brother was a traitor of his own. The boy who had a life, a story, friends, a family, and all she'd cared to see was his brute manner of running a camp.

The boy who would now die for her.

"Alex," Tessa whispered, dropping to her knees. She eased the praetor onto his back, and the dark-haired boy winced. "Don't strain yourself."

Alex reached a trembling hand at the arrow-head piercing his torso. Given the fact that he was still alive, but barely, it must not have hit his heart. But if Tessa didn't act now, he'd die.

She bit down on her lip, racking her brain for every form of first aid she'd ever learned back at camp. What were you supposed to do if you were shot with an arrow? Pull it out? Leave it in? Her hands trembled, and tears were welling up in her eyes from her frustration.

"Don't," Alex said weakly as her fingers grasped the bloody tip of Vinny's arrow.

"But—"

"A Roman accepts death with open arms, Tessa, I can't expect you to understand that." Alex coughed. No matter how level his voice, Tessa heard the pain behind it—and the fear.

"You can't just die, Alex, surely there's something—"

"Tessa, listen to me!" Alex snapped, and somehow even when dying, he was still stern. "I know I've treated you harshly since you arrived, but you have to understand why. I knew that there was a traitor inside my camp since the eidolons started attacking, and I couldn't trust anyone until I was sure they couldn't be a traitor.

"I told you on that first day that the auguries reported the goddess Tempestas coming to Camp Jupiter. That's you. She's the goddess of storms, and if the auguries willed either her blessing or her wrath upon us, I want you to unleash your wrath upon the Regiment. It started in Rome and it'll end with a Greek. Promise me that." Alex coughed, blood dribbling down his chin.

Tessa searched his eyes but nodded. "I promise," She said, her mouth feeling like it was made with cotton.

"Good," Alex whispered. He rested his head back, shutting his eyes. "Tell Kaya I'm sorry."

"What? Alex, come on, stay with me!" Tessa said, her voice laced with panic. However, the son of Mars let out one last breath, and when Tessa listened, she couldn't hear or feel his heartbeat any longer.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to hyperventilate. He'd sacrificed himself to save her, to save his camp, and she couldn't impede on his wishes to die nobly. She couldn't.

Then why did she feel so rotten?

Tessa forced herself to her feet, picking up her fallen sword. She turned around, seeing that the battle was raging on around them, with more monsters, but thankfully more legionnaires. Jett must have retrieved Alex and his group, and the former praetor must have seen what was playing out between Tessa and Vinny.

"Alex?" Kaya's voice sounded so small, and Tessa turned to see the dark-haired girl sweep forward, disbelief in her eyes.

"Kaya," Tessa felt her heart break. "I'm so sorry."

The daughter of Trivia's lip quivered, but in the following moments, Tessa recognized herself in Kaya. Her sorrow morphed into true and blossoming rage, white-hot and unlimited. The girl's dark irises flickered with ethereal color, and the wind that was surging through the city that entire day seemed to wrap itself around her, changing color as her rage unleashed.

Like a fireworks show, arcs and bursts of magic flew from around Kaya as she screamed in defiance. Every which way, Tessa watched as the rays and balls of light and energy hit the remaining monsters, dispelling them from existence. Soon enough, the battlefield was cleared, save the demigods and curls of smoke from where the monsters were zapped away.

The blazing light around Kaya died down, but Tessa still saw the rage in her eyes. She blinked away tears, snapping her fingers. A few legionnaires swept forward, unclipping Alex's cloak from his armor and draping it on top of him. Then, they picked him up and carried him away.

"Kaya, I'm—" Tessa started, but the daughter of Trivia only looked down and held up a a hand to silence you.

"How did he die?" Her voice was deathly calm.

Tessa pressed her lips into a thin line. "He jumped in front of Vinny's arrow. He sacrificed himself for me."

Kaya inhaled sharply. "Very well," She said, a rasp in her voice. She looked up, but before she could speak again, her dark irises locked on something in the distance. "Oh my gods, Kaden."

Tessa felt alarm build up in her like an eruption, and she whirled around to follow Kaya's gaze. Where Tessa had expected to see something horrific, she only saw Kaden in a warrior-like state. He swiped his golden sword at the monster's feet, and as it stamped its feet around him, Kaden bolted up the side of a building, leaping off of it and his momentum carrying him on the monster's back. The drakon hissed and tried to shake him off, but Kaden ran up the monster's back until he was on top of its head. With a defiant cry, Kaden stabbed his blade down into the reptile's head, and leapt off of it as it fell to the ground.

The ground shook as the drakon collapsed in a dying heap, and everything seemed to stop. Everyone watched as Kaden staggered forward, a blaze in his eyes and an ooze-covered sword in his hand. The city square seemed to be holding its breath, but the son of Venus only met everyone's gaze and the ghost of a smile lit up on his lips.

"Please tell me you all saw that," He said.

Despite the circumstances, the legionnaires erupted into cheers. They swept forward, and everyone cheered and clapped. The battle appeared to be over in all parts of the city, given the dissipation of the monstrous smoke and the lack of monsters and general panic. The legionnaires circled Kaden and lifted him up on a shield, shouting things happily in Latin.

"What are they saying?" Tessa knit her eyebrows together, turning to look at Kaya, who had a hand over her mouth.

Kaya took a breath, lowering her hand. "They've made him praetor."

Tessa looked back to Kaden in shock, but before herself, Reese, Sophia, or any one of her friends could run forward and congratulate him, another roar sounded from across the city. Another plume of smoke erupted in the distance, and Tessa bit back a curse.

"Where did Maxwell go?" Kaya asked around, but everyone only shrugged. "Oh, for Olympus' sake, you can't deal with this right now."

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked defensively.

"I mean," Kaya's eyes flickered with urgency. "This all is just a warning for what's to come. It's not going to stop until we cut it off at the source."

Tessa knit her eyebrows in confusion, but the realization dawned on her with a chill. "It's time," She said.

Kaya nodded. She turned to give some hasty orders to the legionnaires flanking her, then whirled back to Tessa.

"What's going on?" Sophia asked, slightly out of breath as she approached. Behind her were Reese and Kaden, both beaming from Kaden's apparent newfound success. Surrounding the task-force was the remaining members of the legionnaires, a semi-circle of gold and purple.

"We have to go into the Labyrinth," Tessa said quickly. "We've gotta stop Vinny and Orion, as soon as possible."

"Come," Kaya said, sweeping off down the path. The legionnaires around them dispersed, most likely on accounts of taking care of the rest of the city, but Tessa and her friends had no choice but to follow the praetor through the streets.

Moments later, they arrived back at the start of it all, in front of the Senate House with its curling webs of smoke. They ran in through the debris, and down the amphitheater's steps until they were in the back hallway and down the steps. Thankfully, Lucillia's body must have been recovered, because there were no traces of the battle between the daughter of Pluto and Vinny in front of the Labyrinth door, which was open.

"He escaped," Reese said, fury backing his words. "That son of a—"

"Listen," Kaya cut him off. The legionnaires Kaya had sent off before they ran approached the hallway, and Tessa realized that they were carrying all of their things. She quickly retrieved her backpack from one of the two boys, and her friends did the same as they listened to Kaya speak.

"Vinny's still in the Labyrinth, no doubt on his way back to the Regiment to report on his progress. I don't know how soon the next attack will be, but you all have to stop them before then." Kaya rambled. Tessa could see the fluster in her eyes—her city was falling, her camp in shambles with casualties lining the streets, including her former colleague. Despite all of her power and strength, Kaya was a teenage girl who now had an empire falling at her feet.

"Vinny mentioned something about the overthrow happening when Orion's power is at its strongest," Tessa chimed. She racked her brain to think, but her mind felt like it was short-circuiting from all that had happened. "Whenever that is, we'll figure it out beforehand and let you know."

Kaya nodded. "We'll back you up when it occurs, we'll need a location though."

"But we only know New Orleans," Reese countered. "We don't have a set location. Do we have any way to track them?"

That did it. Amelie's face came to the forefront of Tessa's mind, and all of the memories of what she'd asked of Madi and her friends back at Camp Half-Blood surfaced.

"We'll make a stop at Camp Half-Blood. Amelie can probably track the Regiment, now that we have more sources." Tessa said, her voice laced with excitement at finally having a plan.

"Then go," Kaya urged. "And be careful."

Tessa and her friends hurried down the hall, and with a collective held breath, barreled their way into the Labyrinth. Tessa brought up the rear, and just as she entered the maze, she turned back to see Kaya standing at the end of the hall, watching them go.

"Kaya," She called. Another rumble shook the building, and Tessa saw her wince before meeting her gaze. "Alex wanted you to know that he was sorry."

Kaya pressed her lips into a thin line. "Thank you," She whispered. "Good luck."

And with that, the two girls parted ways; one back into a city plagued by monsters and earthquakes, and the other into a maze of myth, lurking with danger at every corner.