[manu militari]

Tessa clapped a hand over her mouth, suppressing the scream that was building up within her. Her turquoise eyes bugged out, glued to the door that was right under their noses for so long. The more she stared at it, the more she realized how faulty their searching had been to begin with.

Of course the Labyrinth entrance was somewhere near the Senate House. The explosion in the Forum had ignited a block away, offering a perfect amount of distance between the Regiment's battle and then escape route. The Labyrinth was hiding in plain sight, in a building that the Romans thought of as immaculate and sacred to their tradition.

"Tessa?" Kaya's voice echoed throughout the amphitheater above, her footsteps reverberating on the ceiling. "Are you here?"

Tessa lowered her hand, forcing herself to move. She made her way back up the stairs and down the hall, where she spotted Kaya searching the large room.

"There you are. I was beginning to worry," The praetor exhaled, but upon sight of Tessa's distressed visage, her face fell. "What's wrong?"

"I found it," Tessa spoke, the worries gripping her heart like a vice.

Kaya's dark eyes widened. "Show me."

Together, she and Tessa fled down the back hallway of the Senate House and down the steps. As soon as they step foot in the small, seemingly abandoned sector of the building, Tessa watched Kaya for any sign of recognition or surprise. She had the strangest feeling of regret, as if she shouldn't be down here alone with Kaya, right in front of the Labyrinth.

"Did you know?" Tessa asked, her tone sharp.

Kaya shook her head, her eyes still glued to the glowing blue delta on the door. "I had no idea." She took a deep breath. "This isn't good."

"Gee, you think?" Tessa snapped. "What are we supposed to do? The traitor's been traipsing back and forth right underneath our noses!"

Kaya tore her gaze from the door, searching Tessa's. "We go after them."

Tessa blinked. "You're funny."

"I'm being serious," Kaya responded brusquely. "We have a location pinpointed."

She stuck her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a Ziploc baggie that contained the small keycard they had recovered from Alcatraz. Written across the bag was a single city name: New Orleans.

Tessa plucked the bag from Kaya's grasp, turning it over in her hands. "New Orleans? That doesn't exactly narrow down a specific location, does it?"

Kaya shook her head. "The card was too corrupted to determine exact coordinates, but at least we have a set city." She peered down the hallway at the Labyrinth door, the faint sound of hydraulics running within it echoing off the walls.

"So what now?" Tessa asked. "We can't exactly move a whole camp through the Labyrinth to cut off the Regiment, can we?"

Kaya took a deep breath. She took the key card from Tessa, stuffing it back in her pocket. "We need to meet with the Senate. Then, we can decide what foot to put forward."

"Yeah, but where?" Tessa muttered under her breath. She shot one more hesitant look at the steel door as she and Kaya headed back upstairs, as if waiting for someone to walk through it at any given moment.

~~

If it weren't for Kaya and her powers, the Archives would have become a very cramped place for the Senate to meet the following day. However, the red and gold room of the Principia managed to expand with the magic, and everyone fit within it comfortably. There was even a dais for Kaya and Alex to stand upon, surveying the group before them.

"I'm sure you all are wondering why we're gathered in the Principia of all places for this impromptu meeting," Kaya's voice reverberated off of the walls, silencing the few side-conversations that were blooming in the crowd. "The Senate House has been compromised for the time being due to the entrance to the Labyrinth being found within its walls."

Tessa's gaze darted around the room, trying to find a face in the crowd that wasn't put off by the sudden news. As the outcry erupted, she scanned person after person, but came up empty. If the traitor was among them even now, they had a very good poker face.

"I understand this is troubling news, and that up until now, we had thought the task would take much longer to complete. However, we must act quickly. Now that we have both a location and a means for transportation, I propose that we maneuver our legions through the Labyrinth in order to—" Kaya continued, but was cut off by a glistening Lar who stood in the crowd, half in his own seat and half in front of the person seated beside him.

"In order to what? Leave the camp and city undefended?" The ghost spoke, and a ripple of agreement chimed from the audience. "With all due respect, Praetor Kaya, I do not believe that what you suggest would be the wisest course of action."

Beside Kaya, Alex cleared his throat, his dark gaze locked on the Lar who had spoken. "Then what do you suggest, Brutus?"

Tessa's eyes widened as she turned back to face the Lar, who apparently was one of the conspirators that had killed Julius Caesar. What, was Camp Jupiter home to traitors or something?

"I believe it would be better if we abstained from entering the Labyrinth until absolutely necessary. If the Regiment wants to attack again, then they can, but we will be ready for them this time." Brutus spoke, his ghostly posture straightening.

Kaya arched an eyebrow from the dais, weighing the ghost's words. "Interest viewpoint, but while I understand your necessity for precaution, I don't believe we have time for precautions. Time is one thing we are running out of, and we need to make a decision as soon as possible."

"So you want to throw an entire legion to the wolves?" A voice chimed from the crowd, but Tessa couldn't pinpoint where it come from.

Alex smirked. "We were brought here by wolves, why not join them again?" He straightened in his throne, and the room silenced. "I propose a vote and listen closely, because here are your options. Option One is that we send the legion into the Labyrinth to apprehend and defeat the Regiment once and for all. Option Two, as proposed by Brutus, is that we abstain from using the Labyrinth until the Regiment decides to attack again, when and which we shall be prepared for."

"That isn't going to work," Sophia hissed from beside Tessa. "They're completely forgetting about what's at stake here."

Tessa glanced at the daughter of Athena staring daggers at the two praetors on the dais, and cursing under her breath, she stood.

"Ah, Miss Brennan," Alex said in mock amusement. "What do you have for us today?"

Tessa allowed the son of Mars' sardonicism to pass. With a deep breath, she straightened her posture and surveyed the room. "Aside from myself and the people seated beside me, you all are Romans. You have run a mighty training ground for the people of your kind, and my task force, while we are different in parentage and tradition, is here to help you in the face of this force. However, with all due respect, your authorities are forgetting about the other camp at risk. My home, Camp Half-Blood, is at risk for attack from the Regiment as well."

"So what is your proposal, graecus?" Brutus drawled, flickering lazily in his seat.

"I normally wouldn't answer to a backstabber but considering my friends and this entire camp is subject to one, I will," Tessa retorted, staring the ghost down. "I propose that my task force and I are submerged into the Labyrinth. The Regiment would never be able to anticipate such a small group from a large legion, and because they aim to destroy both of our camps and ultimately the gods, it is the best course of action."

Silence struck the room, and Tessa forced herself to stay focused. "Rome can train and defend themselves, but my task force and I can go ahead and try to stop the worst of the damage before it's done."

"It's a suicide mission," Vinny spoke from the row of centurions in the audience. He met Tessa's gaze like he was standing at her funeral, but Tessa brushed it off. "You guys don't know how to maneuver the Labyrinth. You'll go mad down there."

"Except we do," Tessa said, smirking a bit.

"What's your idea?" Kaya asked, genuinely puzzled from her place on the dais.

Tessa cleared her throat. "My half-brother, Theseus, has been in the Labyrinth before. He was able to survive and defeat the Minotaur, saving the other youths as well as himself without going mad. I've met him before, and I plan on speaking with him for advice."

Kaya glanced at Alex, who shrugged and turned back to Tessa. However, she wasn't finished.

"As Kaya said earlier, we're running out of time. Give us a week at most to prepare and meet with Theseus. Then, we'll be on our merry way." Tessa said quickly. She heard a strangled sound coming from behind her, and she figured it was Reese, trying to extend the deadline.

Tessa held her breath as the senate delegated. There was the possibility that they could entirely shut her down, and the thought of it made Tessa's chest constrict. She needed them to OK her plan, or else she would have to figure out something else that she was nearly positive her friends would hate her for. The more she lost herself in thought, the more she almost missed then the senate silenced themselves again.

Kaya stood from her throne, watching Tessa intently. "The Senate approves of your plan, Tessa. You, Sophia, Kaden, Dale, and Reese have a week to prepare for your journey into the Labyrinth."

Tessa exhaled in relief. "Thank you," She said.

Kaya nodded, but turned her attention to the row of centurions. "Until then, we require a guard to be stationed outside the Labyrinth entrance. Vinny, Imogen, Julius, Lucillia, please work together with your two cohorts in order to determine a guard rotation."

The centurions nodded, and seeing as her time was up, Tessa sat back down. The Senate delved into more complicated Roman issues, ones involving sentry duty and other tasks, which meant Tessa could breathe without having all eyes on her.

After a short while, the meeting was coming to a close. Tessa and her friends prepared to leave, but Alex stood, delivering his concluding statement.

"Kaya and I thank you all for coming today under these pressing circumstances, and we appreciate your cooperation. However, in the days to come, it is understood that one task and task only is to be dwelled on." His dark gaze scanned the room until they fell upon Tessa's, and she froze. "We are now at war."

~~

"It just had to be a week." Reese groaned, flopping backwards onto Tessa's bed.

Tessa glared at the son of Apollo. "What did you want me to do? They were only focused on themselves, I had to say something dramatic for them to give us a shot."

"I thought camp was already preparing for battle," Sophia chimed, leaning against the wall. When Tessa nodded, she continued. "Then why bring it up?"

"Because they were missing the point," Kaden folded his arms cross his chest from his place on the edge of the bed. "They were about to completely let this thing blow over under the pretense of being ready, or let their entire legion die. Neither option was very convincing, but Rome is pretty much only concerned about Rome."

Tessa sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Nonetheless, we've got a week to prepare. I spoke with Kaya after the meeting, and she said that she'd be able to arrange transport for me into San Francisco in two days so I can meet with Theseus."

"Okay, wait, hold up." Reese sat back up, wincing a bit because of his wound. "We're going into the Labyrinth in a week, right? You do realize that while the five of us are pretty strong demigods, we're no match for an army."

"I know," Tessa concurred. "Which is why we'll make a pit stop at camp for a larger force. Besides, Amelie's working on tracking Orion. Now that we know what city he's in, I'll Iris-Message her and give her the information. Hopefully, by the time we get there, she'll have some coordinates."

"What about the traitor?" Kaden asked, staring into Tessa's eyes so intently that she had to look away. "News about this gets out, then they'll just run and tell Orion."

Tessa shook her head. "Kaya put a spell around the door. No one will be able to go in or out of it unless she lifts the enchantment."

"Hopefully," Sophia mumbled. Upon Tessa's sharp look, she put her hands up in surrender. "Sorry, there's just a lot riding on us right now. I'm stressed."

Tessa took a deep breath. She glanced at her friends' faces, and she could practically feel the apprehension emanating from them.

"Guys, I know how stressful this must seem, but we have to do it. The Regiment has already claimed the allegiance of hundreds of demigods, Mark included. They took one friend from us, we can't let them take more, whether Roman or Greek." Tessa said.

"Speaking of Mark," Sophia added. "Where's Dale?"

Tessa knit her eyebrows and glanced around the room. Sure enough, the daughter of Demeter was nowhere to be seen.

"After the Senate meeting, she said she didn't feel too well so she went back to her room." Reese said simply.

Tessa bit her lip. She didn't want to force Dale to do anything, more so now than ever considering her best friend was hardly speaking to her, but she needed to hear this. "Do you think she's feeling better by now?"

Reese shrugged, pushing himself off of Tessa's bed. "I can go check," He said, sidestepping through the room until he was out of sight.

"So where exactly is Orion? Was Kaya able to find out which city?" Kaden asked, glancing from Tessa to Sophia.

Tessa nodded. "New Orleans, which makes sense when you think about it."

"Of course!" Sophia exclaimed. "In the Civil War, that was one of the first advances the Union made against the Confederacy. They seized the city and the port, and then moved up the Mississippi to blockade it."

Kaden nodded in realization. "Which explains why they'd be using the Labyrinth to supply Imperial Gold from Camp Jupiter to the Romans in the Confederacy."

Tessa opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of rapid footsteps cut her off. She turned to her door, and a moment later, Reese poked his head in.

"Guys," He spoke. "Dale isn't in her room."

A flare of panic shot through Tessa. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"See for yourself," Reese breathed, stepping aside.

Tessa got up from her seat, taking off out of her room and down the hall. She skidded to a stop outside of Dale's now-ajar door, taking a deep breath before entering.

Sure enough, the daughter of Demeter was nowhere to be seen. And strangely enough, the room looked as if no one had been inside of it in a while. The bed was made, everything was in its place, no luggage or inhabitant in sight.

So that rules out a kidnapping, Tessa thought in relief. She turned around the room slowly, scanning everything in sight that seemed out of the ordinary.

"Where'd she go?" Kaden asked, poking his head into the bathroom to see if anything was in there.

Tessa shook her head, but froze when she saw a book on the desktop. It was opened, but set upside down as if to bookmark it. Slowly, Tessa approached it and flipped it right-side up.

"Oh my gods," She breathed, her heart skipping a beat in her chest. She scanned the pages of the book, finding that it was opened to a section on the Labyrinth.

"What?" Sophia asked, surging forward and plucking the book from Tessa's grasp. Realization dawned in her eyes, and slowly, she set the book down. "That's not good."

"She's in the Labyrinth," Tessa took a deep breath.

"What?" Kaden and Reese said in unison.

With trembling hands, Tessa picked the book back up. She searched the pages for any sign of what her best friend was doing, fear filling her from head to toe.

"Why on Earth would she be in there?" Reese asked, bewilderment in his blue eyes.

Tessa racked her brain for everything the daughter of Demeter had done since they'd fallen out. It was after the battle of New Rome, where Mark had attacked and Dale didn't believe Tessa when she told her the news.

Then it hit her.

"She's going after Mark," Tessa said, her senses kicking into gear before she could stop herself. "We've gotta find her before he does. Or else..."

"Bad things will happen?" Sophia guessed.

Tessa nodded. Together, she and her friends emerged from Dale's room, and as they embarked down the hall, Tessa felt as if she were already in the maze, with a new obstacle being thrown at her from left and right.

~~

The woman who was adamant on killing them was actually pretty nice, Eli found.

He sat on the cold basement floor, a few feet from the Labyrinth's entrance. Aspen and Lukas flanked him on either side, and all three of them were staring at the woman who was guarding the door.

Her green eyes were still wild with fear, but she seemed to radiate a sort of aura that made Eli feel content. She was leant against the wall next to the door, watching the kids before her.

"So why were you in the Labyrinth?" Eli asked, taking a sip from the water bottle she'd given to him.

The woman's gaze fell upon him, and Eli did his best to stand his ground. She was nice, but still pretty scary, like any wrong move and he'd be unconscious again.

"I was looking for my daughter," The woman spoke softly.

"She's lost?" Lukas asked from beside Eli, his Australian accent kicking in.

The woman sighed. "Yes and no," She said. "She's a demigod, like I'm sure the three of you are, but I haven't seen her in quite some time. The last time I did...well, I bet you all saw what the upstairs of the house looks like."

"She did that?" Aspen asked incredulously.

"No!" The woman exclaimed. "Not at all. But she's quite powerful, and the house was invaded by monsters who were looking for her. She and her friends were able to escape, and so was I, but I set off an explosion to set both the kids and the monsters off my path."

"Wait, pause," Lukas interjected. "You blew up your house to save your daughter by letting her believe that you were dead?"

"Well, when you put it that way, it doesn't sound that heroic, does it?" The woman said sheepishly. "Nonetheless, I was able to find the Labyrinth and make my way through it. However, I'm more curious as to why you three are doing what you're doing?"

Eli felt panic rise up within him. "What do you mean?"

"Three demigods, dressed in dark combat clothing for stealth, that are armed and waltzing through the Labyrinth. I assume you're looking for something, because when you showed up in here, you were beyond confused. Your blades are both Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze, which indicate that you have been to a demigod training ground before in order to acquire such weapons. So my guess is that you're on the hunt for someone, rather than something. Am I correct?" The woman recited as if she were reading from a script, and Eli's eyes widened in astonishment.

"How did you—" Aspen stammered.

"Answer my question, please." The woman said, although Eli could detect the pride in her green eyes.

The realization dawned on him too quickly. Eli stared into the woman's eyes, and instantly knew where he'd seen them before. In countless debriefings, in wanted posters, they belonged to the daughter of Poseidon they were supposed to apprehend.

This woman was Tessa Brennan's mother.

Instantly, Eli felt the amount of guilt within him grow tenfold. He wanted out of this forsaken mission. He couldn't very well look the mother of the Regiment's most wanted enemy in the eye and tell her what and who they were looking for.

"We're looking for a way to Camp Half-Blood in order to ambush them," Eli spoke, his words running into one another. "We're from a group called the Regiment, whose leader is Orion, who is deadset on destroying both training grounds and then overthrowing the gods."

Aspen looked at him incredulously, but to Eli's surprise, Lukas pitched it.

"Your daughter, Tessa Brennan, is pretty much public enemy number one in the eyes of the Regiment's leadership. They're planning a big invasion of both camps, and they're trying to either kill her or turn her, the way they thought they could do with us." Lukas spoke. "But they were wrong."

Ms. Brennan blinked, weighing the two boys' tales. She glanced at Aspen. "I don't suppose you have something to pitch in too?"

"They pretty much covered it all," The girl said glumly. "And because we're now pretty much traitors of the Regiment, they'll be coming after us shortly with bounties on our heads."

Ms. Brennan took a deep breath, but before she could speak again, the door to the Labyrinth opened.

And standing in the doorway, flanked by two other Regiment soldiers, was the Lieutenant.

"You three must be lost," He drawled. "This isn't Target B. I suggest you get going before you join your friend here."

Eli knit his eyebrows together, but before he could react, Ms. Brennan was apprehended.

Then, something really weird happened.

Whereas any mortal would have just succumbed to the force of being kidnapped, Ms. Brennan fought back. She used her own force to pull her captor before her in a sort of judo-flip, and elbowed the other one behind her in the face.

The Lieutenant whirled around in surprise, and despite the recognition on Ms. Brennan's face, she socked him in the face. However, he grabbed her hand in mid-air, twisting her arm at an angle that arms shouldn't have been able to reach. Ms. Brennan cried out in pain, but she looked into Eli's eyes.

"Run!" She managed.

The three demigods didn't need to be told twice, apparently. They bolted back into the Labyrinth, taking off down the maze's path. And as Eli ran, he couldn't fight the sorrow that was growing within him, as if he were Tessa when she had been forced to leave her mother as she tried to save her out of the goodness of her heart.

"So what now?" Aspen panted as they turned a corner. "We'll be dead if they catch us."

"If," Lukas managed. "If is good."

"You did not just quote Hercules at a time like this."

"Guys!" Eli shouted. "Focus. They aren't going to catch us, because we're going to do exactly what they want us to do. We're going to Camp Half-Blood, and we're going to find Tessa, but instead of being their enemies, we're going to join them. We'll take down Orion and the Regiment once and for all."

He wasn't sure where the confidence was coming from, but as he and his friends ran, Eli figured that it was what he had to rely on now. Strength, confidence, faith in what they were doing, or else he wasn't sure what he would have to face should he fail.