[aut vincere aut mori / conquer or die]

The only thing Tessa was sure of as she entered the dark and dusty room was that she was dreaming, but given the circumstances, she wasn't exactly thrilled to find out why she was brought here. The room was expansive, she could tell from the echoing voices and footsteps, and fairly new, despite the thin layer of dust that casted over the floors. Old-fashioned torches of green fire flickered along the walls, and shadows of spirits danced on the walls.

Tessa walked through the room, following the voices that didn't seem to have any sources. She felt as if she was being watched, which didn't do anything to settle her nerves. Finally, she reached what appeared to be the center of the room, and a dark crowd of figures stood in a semicircle around a man in a throne. Another figure stood on the dais beside him, cloaked in shadows.

"Bring in the prisoner," The man in the throne commanded, his deep voice reverberating through the vast room.

A shuffle sounded, and suddenly Tessa was standing nearby the semicircle of figures. She glanced at the throne's dais, and while she could vaguely make out the features of the man in the throne, she still couldn't see past the shadows of the one standing beside him. The sound of a groan shook her out of her reverie, and she glanced back at the empty space before the throne.

A boy lay in the center of the circle, beaten and bruised. However, he was still conscious. He staggered to a kneel, spitting out blood onto the pavement beneath him as he looked up. His platinum blond hair was disheveled and matted with dirt and blood, like he'd lost a fight with a battlefield after a war. Despite the darkness in the room, Tessa could still make out the fire behind his black irises.

The man in the throne smirked. "What a pleasant surprise," He chuckled. "Halfblood, are you not?"

The boy with the dark eyes narrowed his eyes. "What's it to you?"

The man's smile only grew, his hands curling around the ends of the ornate throne he was seated on. "Eli Allistairs, son of...Akhlys, yes?" When the boy nodded begrudgingly, the man continued. "Well, Eli, it is good to see you. I'm sure you're wondering why I have summoned you."

"Gee, it didn't cross my mind."

"I am here to offer you power beyond your wildest dreams," The man continued, ignoring Eli's retort. "Here, you will be trained among your fellow soldiers, and after our greater purpose is sought, you shall have anything you desire."

"Tempting," Eli said, while there was no trace of want in his tone. "What kind of greater purpose are you talking about?"

A hiss of laughter rose from the semicircle around him; the soldiers that the man had mentioned? Eli looked uncomfortably around him, before returning his gaze to the man in the throne.

"That, you will come to discover with time. Now, what do you say?" The man asked.

Eli hesitated, and Tessa wanted to jump in front of him and prevent him from saying yes. She wasn't sure why, but there was something very, very wrong with the scene playing our before her. She just couldn't figure out what it had to do with her.

Eli nodded, and with a snap of the man's fingers, he collapsed into a writhing fit. He cried out in pain, arcs of black lightning rippling across his body. After a few moments of Tessa watching in absolute horror, his body went slack.

"Lieutenant, escort him away." The man remarked swiftly, waving a hand in dismissal.

The boy who had been standing beside the throne, the lieutenant, stepped forward, out of the shadows. As the semicircle dispelled from around Tessa, she watched as the lieutenant stepped into the light, and with a gasp, she saw why he had been hidden.

The boy in the shadows was Mark.

~~

Tessa awoke with a sharp gasp, sitting straight up in her bed. She looked around wildly, confirming that she was in her bunk in Cabin Three and not in some odd building. She took a breath, forcing her heart rate to return to normal.

"Morning," Madi greeted, walking out of their bathroom. She had a towel wrapped around her shoulders, and was brushing out her dark hair. Upon seeing the look of distress on Tessa's face, her sister arched an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Tessa hesitated. "Nothing," She managed. "Just a bad dream."

Madi sharpened her gaze. She set her brush down on the desk and walked over to stand in front of Tessa, who pushed the covers off of her and swung her legs out of bed. "Nice try," Madi said. "Now tell me. What did you dream?"

And so Tessa told her. The further she went into explaining the dream, the more Madi's face seemed to tighten with thought. By the time Tessa finished, Madi seemed to be lost in her analytical mind, trying to reason a solution.

"This Eli kid you saw," She mused. "He knew his godly parent, a Greek goddess, but I don't know an Eli at camp. Do you?"

Tessa shook her head. "Which is the first thing that confused me. You can no doubt guess the second."

Madi nodded, pressing her lips into a thin line. She flicked her hazel eyes up to meet Tessa's sea green ones. "I wouldn't worry too much about it," She decided. "The dream sequence doesn't match up, anyway. If it were any omen of the future, it would have to make complete sense as to a location or scenario."

Tessa felt her heart squeeze. "But Mark—" She started.

"Tessa, I know you're still not over Mark's passing, but sometimes dreams are just dreams." Madi said softly. "Don't dwell on it for too much."

Tessa took a shaky breath. She could tell her what Amelie had discovered earlier that week, but to what avail? Madi had a point, and besides, Tessa had a much greater challenge to face for that day and the next month.

"Come on," Madi nodded. "You've got a big day today."

Tessa took a moment, her mind still focused on the image of Eli and Mark in the shadows, but with a mental push, she stood. She hopped into the bathroom and showered, the surge of energy from the water reverting her focus to the task of that day. A few minutes later, and Tessa was dressed in jeans, an orange tank top, and a black hoodie, her backpack filled with everything she'd need for this month in a strange, new place.

Madi escorted her out of the cabin and through camp, fussing over whether or not she had everything. As much as Tessa loved her sister, the girl was lucky that Tempest was stuffed in her pocket in pin form, or else she might have been skewered.

They reached the Big House, where the task force stood, waiting. Dale, Reese, Sophia, and Kaden stood in a circle before the front steps, deep on conversation. Perched along the railings of the farmhouse were the four Romans that had come to Camp Half-Blood, and undoubtedly, Kaya sat in a chair on the porch.

The praetor smiled thinly upon seeing Tessa approach. She stood, the winter sun catching her golden breastplate. "So glad you could join us," She said dryly.

Tessa shot the girl a venomous smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world," She retorted, joining her friends. She glanced at Madi, who narrowed her eyes at the praetor, but nodded to Tessa, turned on her heel, and marched back the way she'd come.

Chiron emerged from the Big House, a smile on his face that didn't match his demeanor from the night before. He seemed to have forgotten the severity of the situation at hand, and Tessa pursed her lips as the centaur approached.

"Good morning, heroes," he nodded. "Are you all ready for departure?"

Reese made a face. "Departure?" He asked, confusion laced in his voice.

"For Camp Jupiter," Chiron clarified, but Reese shook his head.

"No, I know that," The son of Apollo said. "But how are we departing, exactly?"

"Leave that to me," Kaya called, standing from her chair. She marched down the steps, and maybe it was Tessa's imagination, but as the praetor got closer, she seemed to radiate some sort of energy. "I am a daughter of Trivia, after all."

Tessa—and everyone else in the task force—glanced to Kaden for clarification. The emerald-eyed boy met their gazes with a soft smile on his face. "Hecate," He announced.

Tessa's eyes widened, and she looked back to Kaya as she spread her hands. This girl was related to Amelie? But they were so...different. However, the more Tessa stared at the praetor, the more she could sort the similarities from the differences. Both Kaya and Amelie radiated a sort of other-worldly energy, both were sure of their abilities, and both had a sort of mystical air to how they carried themselves. They were born of mist and magic, even if they were apart of two very different worlds.

Kaya spread her hands, her dark eyes sharpening. Rays of cerulean energy unfurled from her hands like tendrils, rotating in a spiral and growing in size before her. The praetor stepped back, and a few moments later, a large curtain of magic rippled in the winter light.

"A portal," Sophia breathed in astonishment. "I didn't know those could even be controlled."

Kaya caught that, and turned over to the daughter of Athena. She smiled mischievously, and when she smiled, she almost looked normal. "All things can be controlled with the right amount of talent."

Tessa considered this, and no matter how much she disliked the praetor, she knew she had a valid point. That summer, Tessa had discovered that she had the ability to transport herself and others through water to any other body of water on Earth. It took a significant amount of her energy, but she could do it none the less. She figured the same went for Kaya, who seemed a little drained.

"I communicated with Alex last night, and he has alerted the camp to your arrival, so you don't have to worry about any possible attackers." Kaya explained as her legionnaires gathered in front of the portal.

"Wonderful," Kaden mumbled. "And what happens when we get to Camp Jupiter?"

Kaya's gaze settled on him calculatingly. "We'll find out." She said simply and turned, walking through the portal and disappearing in a flash of blue light.

The legionnaires followed her through the portal, and before Tessa knew it, she was the last one standing. She turned back to Chiron, who was observing the scenario play out with an unreadable expression on his face. The centaur nodded to her, urging her to go.

Tessa faced the portal, shimmering and swirling like stars in the night sky. A whole different world lied on the other side, one that Kaden had been apart of. She had to trust the Romans, Kaden, and most importantly, herself on this month-long reprieve.

Tessa took a breath, and before her worries took the best of her, she stepped through.

~~

The warmth that hit her like an explosion made Tessa seriously regret wearing jeans. She came out on the other side of the portal and blinked away the glare of the sunlight that shone down on them. Polished cobblestones made up the pathway beneath their feet, and in the distance, Tessa could make out the whole valley.

"Whoa," She breathed, stepping forward. Spread out before her was the valley of Camp Jupiter, with its barracks and battlefields, its temples and ornate buildings. "This is a lot bigger than Camp Half-Blood, I'll give you that much."

Kaya only smiled when Tessa turned around. Her friends seemed to have the same visage of amazement on their faces, save Kaden, who only looked wistful.

"I'd forgotten," He managed with a weak smile. The more he stared at the valley below him, and at the figures of campers milling about, the more his morale seemed to be boosted.

Tessa looked away, taking a deep breath. She glanced around them at the streets and shops, but what struck her as odd was the masses of young adults and even families roaming the square. Kaya must have noted her confusion, because she began to speak.

"Veterans of the legion are permitted to remain in the boundaries of the valley," She explained. "Some attend college, get married, start families. This," She waved her hand around, "is New Rome."

Sophia's eyes were bright with amazement. She looked around eagerly at all of the ornate buildings, temples, and Roman architecture in general. "No, this is straight-up amazing."

Kaya's lips curled. "That too." The praetor clapped her hands. "Come, we'll head into camp."

The praetor led the way out of New Rome and into Camp Jupiter, and as they walked, they gained the attention of the Romans that they passed. A ripple of anxiety radiated throughout Tessa; she was the outsider now. She and her friends.

As they marched down the paths of Camp Jupiter, a hand laced in hers. She glanced down and back up at who it belonged to, and smiled wistfully at seeing Kaden beside her.

"Relax, Tess," He whispered, amusement in his eyes. "Everything's fine."

Tessa gave him a funny look. "We're demigods," She whispered back. "Nothing is fine for us."

Kaden laughed under his breath, the sound that always sent a happy pang through Tessa's heart. "Just promise me you'll enjoy your time here," He reasoned. "Camp Jupiter's a beautiful place. I'll show you some of my favorite spots if we have time."

You still remember them? Tessa wanted to ask, but only smiled and nodded. Seeing Kaden light up was enough to dispel her fears as he leant forward and kissed her cheek. She squeezed his hand, taking a deep breath as they made their way into camp.

The group reached a river, which Kaya explained as the Little Tiber, which had the power to strip one of their Greek blessings. They all laughed uneasily, but Reese in particular made sure to stick to the middle of the bridge as they crossed it. Then, they had arrived in the center of Camp Jupiter, with the legionnaires and centurions walking down the streets as they made their way to their morning activities.

"Romans!" Kaya's voice echoed. All of the kids nearby, wearing a mix of purple t-shirts and armor, turned and began to gather. Tessa could hear the whispers, feel the looks directed to them. Greeks, strangers, outsiders.

"Today, we begin a new era of unity with our long lost ally, the Greeks of Camp Half-Blood in New York. Not only do we anticipate future cooperation and days of peace, but we have discovered Kaden Gray, son of Venus, and he returns to us with open arms!" Kaya announced. The Romans cheered as Kaden stepped smiled his dazzling grin, waving to the crowd. "To celebrate, we shall hold a feast! Activities for the day are canceled, so please direct yourselves to the dining halls."

The Romans cheered even louder, dropping what they were doing and heading further into camp. Kaya stepped forward and smiled, and Tessa noticed that when in her natural element, this is what made her a leader. She was proud, diplomatic, loved by her people. Tessa's image of her was impaired, and she hoped that it was something she could repair in the next month.

"A feast this early in the morning?" Dale asked, glancing around the Via.

Kaya laughed. "If you haven't had a Roman feast, you haven't lived." She said, a twinkle in her eyes. "Come on."

~~

Kaya had a significant point. The dining hall was hardly a dining hall, but a massive roofed pavilion with low couches and tables, filled with trays of food. Air spirits flew around, delivering meals and filling drinks to the camper's whim. Laughter and chatter filled the air, and if Tessa closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that she was at the pavilion back home.

Kaya had joined her fellow praetor, the son of Mars, at the head table, but there didn't appear to be any particular seating chart. Tessa, Kaden, Reese, Dale, and Sophia were seated at a nearby table, and plates of steaming food appeared before them instantly.

"I could get used to this," Reese put his hands up in mock surrender before rubbing them together and grabbing a fork.

Dale whacked him. "We're not here to eat, we're here on business."

Reese pulled a wounded face. "So we can't eat for a month?"

Dale sighed in defeat, looking at Tessa for help. The daughter of Poseidon only laughed, turning to Kaden and Sophia.

"So you did this stuff every day?" Sophia asked Kaden, taking a sip from her goblet. "Pretty fancy, don't you think?"

Kaden shrugged. "Yeah, but you got used to it, I guess. I was pretty young, so I didn't really see what was fancy about it." He looked around, a nostalgic look in his green eyes. "Now I do."

Tessa's heart squeezed. They'd only been in this foreign camp for a half hour, and Kaden seemed to have fallen back into pace with how things worked. If she imagined hard enough, she could see him in the purple t-shirts that replaced Camp Half-Blood's orange ones, wearing golden armor instead of bronze, operating on a completely different lifestyle.

"Kaden!" A voice that Tessa instantly recognized as Jett's sounded. Sure enough, the son of Bacchus, now donning a camp shirt and jeans, was weaving his way towards them. "Yo, Kade!"

"Jett!" Kaden called, his familiar smile on his face. He stood, waiting for his old best friend to approach.

"Kade?" Tessa hissed to Sophia, who only shrugged and watched as Jett bounded towards them.

"Dude, you were popular before, but you're even more popular now. Everyone wants to see you!" Jett explained, not even out of breath.

Kaden looked around casually, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Really?" He asked.

Tessa and Sophia locked gazes and rolled their eyes: this boy, I swear.

"But two people in particular want to see you more than anyone else," Jett said, a teasing edge in his voice.

Kaden knit his eyebrows, but with a waiting look from Jett, Tessa, and Sophia, realization dawned on him. "Oh gods," He grinned, turning to Tessa. "Come on, I want to introduce you to some people."

Tessa took a breath and stood, returning her boyfriend's eager smile. Fighting Kaden's wishes when he had that bubbly and happy look in his eyes was like fighting an army with a stick: not going to work out in your favor. Tessa couldn't help it, he looked like a little kid in a candy store.

Kaden took her hand and followed Jett, who had begun to weave his way back through the crowd. Eventually, they reached another smaller table, and as soon as they approached, the people sitting at it lit up. A boy and a girl, engaged in light conversation that was cut off by their arrival.

"Kaden!" They both exclaimed in unison. They scrambled to their feet, surging forward and tackling the son of Venus in a hug.

"Whoa!" Kaden exclaimed, a laugh in his voice. "Easy, easy." He managed.

The boy and girl detached, looking at Kaden with a mix between melancholy and relief in their eyes. Kaden turned to Tessa, a grin on his face. "Tessa, I'd like you to meet Vinny Maxwell and Mallory Burke, my old best friends."

"Hey, I was a part of that group too." Jett protested jokingly.

Kaden waved his hand in mock dismissal. "Yeah, yeah," He laughed. "But Vinny, Mallory, I'd like you to meet Tessa."

Tessa put on her friendliest smile, even though there was a thin layer of venom behind it. "It's so nice to meet you," She said simply, nodding to them in acknowledgement.

The boy, Vinny, grinned a smile that must have meant something in boy speak because both Kaden and Jett understood at once. "Kaden, is she...?"

Kaden's cheeks turned a rosy pink, and Tessa only folded her arms and fought a laugh. "Yeah, man, she is." He turned and looked at her with a look of admiration so strong, Tessa could feel it washing over her like his charmspeak.

Mallory, the girl, made a small noise in the back of her throat. Tessa turned to look at her, but she wore a look of absolute joy to see Kaden. "Vinny, of course, she's his girlfriend. Why else would she be with him?"

Vinny put his hands up in surrender. "Excuse me," He said to Mallory before returning his gaze to Tessa. "So, Tessa, was it? Who's your godly parent?"

Tessa remembered what Kaya had said about the Romans fearing Neptune, but not respecting him. But then again, her father wasn't Neptune. Her father was Poseidon. There was a difference...right?

"Poseidon," She said airily. "Yours?"

Kaden, Vinny, Jett, and Mallory exchanged a look and for a split second, Tessa felt a great feeling of unbelonging. This was Kaden's group of friends from before. While she was his girlfriend and confidant, they must have had a bond like Tessa's friends back at her own camp.

"Vinny's undetermined," Jett explained simply.

Tessa arched her eyebrows and tried to think of something to say, but the boy in question only grinned mischievously. "That didn't stop me from becoming centurion, though."

Kaden's eyes widened. "What? Dude, that's amazing!"

Vinny made a big show of flexing his biceps, acting as if it was no big deal—but obviously, it was. "Nah, it's nothing." He shrugged.

"The only unsurprising thing about his whole promotion is the fact that he hasn't led the cohort to our own demise yet," Mallory piped up, folding her arms across her chest.

Vinny turned on the girl, and despite having a whole lot of height on her, Mallory still managed to stand her ground with a smirk on her face. He tried to speak, but she held up a hand.

"You know I'm right," She cut him off. "Don't even argue."

The centurion clamped his lips shut, causing everyone to burst into laughter. He turned back to Kaden, who was watching the whole scene play out with a familiar glint in his eye. "You missed so much, man. I've gotta fill you in."

As if it had been planned, Mallory swooped in on one side of Kaden while Vinny took the other. They began to fill him in on seemingly everything he'd missed in the past five years, escorting him away to another group of adoring fans and friends in the distance. Jett followed, serving as the announcer to his presence. Kaden Gray, loved by all, no matter what camp he was in.

Tessa watched Kaden go with that unbearable twist of her heart. She wasn't sure what she'd expected coming to his old camp, but not this. Sure, maybe seeing a few of his old friends with a wave and a smile but nothing to this extent. It felt like everyone at Camp Jupiter knew him, even the officials and some of the older veterans.

Before she could get lost in thought, Tessa maneuvered herself back to her table. She sat down on the plush red couch with a sigh.

"What's up?" Sophia asked, knitting her eyebrows together.

Tessa waved her hand noncommittally. "Kaden the Great strikes again." She said simply.

"Old friends?"

Tessa nodded, pressing her lips into a thin line.

Sophia sighed, setting down her drink. Tessa found it funny how just months ago, the daughters of Athena and Poseidon would have ripped one another to shreds if given the chance, and now, they were practically best friends. Guess when you're proven not to be a backstabbing liar, things can change.

"I'm sure there's nothing that you have to worry about in specifics," Sophia confided. "He meets his friends now, catches up with them, but I guarantee that nothing...problematic will result from it."

"How can you be sure?" Tessa whispered. "You didn't see it, Sophia. They just...lit up at seeing him. He's some kind of god to these people, and now that he's older and significantly more attractive than he must have been as a kid..."

Realization dawned in Sophia's light brown eyes. "You think there's a girl," She nodded solemnly.

Tessa nodded. She scanned the crowd, searching for her boyfriend, and found him flanked by his old posse, shaking the hands of an older man. She looked back to Sophia. "I don't know, Soph, this whole thing stresses me out."

"It'll be okay." The daughter of Athena reassured, ever the wise one. "A month will go by, we'll fight some eidolons, and we'll all go home happy."

Tessa glanced back at Kaden in the distance, smiling and laughing. This was the happiest she'd seen him in days, months even. Maybe he'd decide to stay, and she'd lose him forever.

She took a ragged breath, and noticed Dale approaching them. The daughter of Demeter looked puzzled and defeated, despite it only being morning.

"Have you guys seen Reese?" She asked upon approaching Sophia and Tessa.

The girls met gazes and looked back to Dale, shaking their heads. "Wasn't he just here?" Sophia looked over her shoulders in search of the son of Apollo.

Dale sighed, fiddling with the ends of her braid. "He went to look for the bathroom and I think he got lost." She scanned the crowd and came up short. "Anyways, Kaya and Alex want to meet with us in the Via Principalis."

Tessa blinked. "The what?" She turned to peer at the head table, and sure enough, the praetors were missing.

"I don't know," Dale responded. "But I'm gonna go grab Kaden. He probably knows where it is." And with that, the daughter of Demeter sauntered away.

"I'm sure he does," Tessa said softly as she and Sophia stood, marching their way through the crowd of Romans, who unknowingly parted for the strangers among them.