[compos mentis / in control of the mind]

Tessa made two discoveries in the ten seconds she hesitated after Charlie introduced himself. One, he reminded her of someone that she couldn't place, and two, he was pretty darn attractive.

Before time could draw out for too long, Tessa withdrew her hand from her side to shake Charlie's. She gave him a small smile as she did, looking into his gem-like eyes. "Tessa Brennan, nice to meet you."

Charlie's face paled a bit as he shook her hand. "T-Tessa Brennan?"

Tessa arched an eyebrow but nodded. "Is there something wrong?"

The tall boy blinked, an embarrassed look on his face. "No! No, not at all. It's just, I've heard all about you. Daughter of Nep—Poseidon, right?" He scratched the back of his neck, biting his lip.

Her lips quirking into her signature smirk, Tessa nodded. "Right," She confirmed. "And you?"

With a small sigh of relief, Charlie dropped his hand. "Vulcan," He said, a hint of pride laced in his voice.

Tessa ran through the inventory of gods she was keeping track of in her head, and matched Vulcan to be Hephaestus. With an amused thought, she tried picturing Charlie with Calum and Nova and the other Hephaestus kids back at Camp Half-Blood, and her smile grew.

"Well, Charlie, I'm a bit lost right now and I could use some help. Are you a legionnaire?" She started, and when Charlie nodded, she continued. "Do you mind showing me back to Camp Jupiter?"

Charlie's eyes shimmered in a way that Kaden's normally did when Tessa was around, which made her heart do an odd sort of backflip in her chest. "Yeah! I mean, no. I mean," The son of Vulcan's cheeks pinked. "I can show you back to camp."

Tessa smiled. "Then let's get going." She cast a quick glance around them, as if waiting for Kaden to somehow magically rematerialize before her. When he did not, and the image of him being carted around by Mallory surfaced to the forefront of her memory, she started down the cobblestone streets.

Thankfully, Charlie got the message. He hurried after her, and directed her in the right way. The two demigods made their way through New Rome, and absentmindedly, Tessa kept an eye out for Kaden and Mallory. Despite her airiness, Charlie managed to keep up a conversation to pass the time.

"So," He drawled, looking around them. "How are you finding Camp Jupiter so far?"

Tessa made a face. "Hardly," She said sarcastically, and when her companion laughed, a ghost of a smile made its way onto her lips. "But it's beautiful."

Charlie smirked. "Yeah, we have a habit of luring beautiful things here." He winked at her, and Tessa quickly looked away, her heart racing. Five minutes ago, he'd been stumbling over his words and now he was sweet-talking her?

Tessa took a breath and laughed along. "Do they always stay?" She asked sarcastically.

Charlie arched an eyebrow in amusement. "That depends," He mused. "How long are you gonna be here for?"

Tessa laughed out loud. She ran a hand through her hair, casting a look around them. They'd emerged from New Rome, and were now on one of the paths leading back to camp. "Roughly a month," She replied. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Charlie responded nonchalantly.

"I'm sure," She retorted. "So you mentioned you've heard about me. Care to enlighten me on that?"

The son of Vulcan made a considerate face and shrugged. "Well, it's just the standard stuff, I guess. Everyone heard the rumor of a bunch of Greeks having Kaden, and they'd be returning to help us stabilize the camp."

"I don't see what that has to do with me specifically," Tessa countered.

Charlie blushed again, and he bit his lip as he averted his gaze. "Well," He said, his voice going up an octave.

"Well?"

"Let's just say that after everyone saw you for the first time at breakfast, you've been...popular among the boys at camp."

Tessa blinked, but her smirk only grew. "Interesting," She noted. "I'll keep that in mind."

She and Charlie continued on down the path, engaged in light conversation that was punctuated with laughs, until they eventually reached the center of Camp Jupiter. Legionnaires and the ghosts that Tessa learned were called Lares roamed the streets, with a few casting a wary glance her way.

stopped in their tracks, and Tessa would have asked for his accompaniment to her residence hall, but figured that was pushing it.

"Well, here's where I leave you," She turned on her heel to face Charlie, who was looking at her with that signature shimmer in his eyes.

"I'll see you around?" He asked, the level of hope in his voice making her smile.

A small part of Tessa's conscience nagged her to say no. After all, he'd flirted with her, and she was clearly taken. But then again, he didn't know that, and was there any harm in making a friend at this strange new place? She went with no, but couldn't fight her hesitation.

"Yeah," She responded, a tentative smile on her lips. "See you around."

Tessa turned on her heel and marched away towards the immaculate Principia in the distance, fighting her temptation to turn back around to see if Charlie was still there. However, once she turned a corner, the levity of her actions seemed to hit her all at once.

Did she really just shamelessly go along with that guy's flirting? She had a boyfriend whom she loved very much. She shouldn't have done that.

Tessa continued to walk, a warred expression on her face. Then again, she wasn't flirting back, was she? It wasn't her fault that the Roman guys found her intriguing, nor was it her fault that Charlie had been the one to catch her and escort her back to camp. Just a matter of chance. No harm, no foul. Right?

Tessa suppressed a groan as she made her way to the residence hall. She wasn't sure of where her friends were, but if it was one thing she was certain of, it was that she needed a break. With a weary sigh, she trudged into her room and flopped onto the white sheets of her bed. Maybe it was how exhausted she was, or maybe it was Hypnos taking pity on her, but she fell asleep faster than she could say her own name.

~~

That night, Tessa was rejuvenated enough from her nap to actually enjoy another Roman feast. Dinner was served in the same dining hall as before, and glowing lights like the ones back at her own camp floated around the room. The air spirits whisked food and drinks around at top-speed, and unsurprisingly, the campers got up from table to table to gossip and chat with their friends. Laughter filled the air, and oddly enough, it came from Tessa's too.

The daughter of Poseidon tossed her head back and laughed, the feeling giving her a buzz-like feeling that equated to the effects of nectar or ambrosia. She took another sip from her goblet of water, glancing around at her friends. Kaden, Reese, Dale, and Sophia sat on either side of their table, plates of food before them, and laughter in-between them all.

"No way did that happen to you, man," Kaden shook his head, a grin on his face. He clapped Reese on the shoulder, who only shrugged.

"It did," The son of Apollo responded helplessly. "Flynn and I pretended to be each other for a day and it ended very, very badly."

Sophia smirked, leaning against the table. "So," She interjected when the moment died down. "Day one at Camp Jupiter. How's it been?"

All eyes flickered to Kaden, whose green eyes glimmered in the low light of the dining hall. The son of Venus only smiled. "Better than I had anticipated," He concurred, causing another ripple of low laughter to emanate from the group. "Which reminds me. My friend, Vinny, is holding a party in our honor tomorrow night and I'm inviting you all to come with."

Everyone seemed intrigued in that fact, and while Tessa loved a good party, the familiar coil of ice wrapped around her heart. They'd been here a day, and Kaden had already melded with his old friends, his old memories. It seemed as if the boy who feared the very day that they came to retrieve him was gone, dissipated to the wind.

"Tessa?" His voice shook her out of her reverie, and Tessa glanced up. "You okay?" Kaden was looking at her expectantly, that signature look of his that always seemed to lift her spirits.

Tessa feigned a smile. "Yeah," She managed. "I'm great. It's just been a long day." She laughed sheepishly, masking her emotions by taking another sip of her water.

Kaden didn't look convinced, but before he could ask again, someone came around from some random table, snaring his attention. Tessa sighed in defeat, as if this was proving her point, and cast a glance around the room.

Up at the head table, Alex and Kaya were engaged in a hushed conversation, their heads bent together. While Tessa couldn't catch the two praetors looking at her and her friends, she wouldn't be surprised if they made it into their talk.

She kept looking, and eventually her vision fell upon Charlie, who was watching her from a distance. He looked a bit startled at her catching him, and waved sheepishly. Tessa smiled sympathetically at the son of Vulcan, who quickly averted his gaze, and continued to look around. She wasn't fazed by any of the people glancing over at her until she recognized the blonde girl who had her targets locked on Reese. Imogen, her name had been.

"Hey, Reese," Tessa called, and the son of Apollo looked up from his burger with bright blue eyes. "You've got a shadow."

Reese knit his eyebrows together, but followed Tessa's gaze. As soon as he spotted Imogen, his head turned back to the table just as quickly.

Tessa exchanged looks around the table before narrowing her eyes at the son of Apollo. She glanced back up at Imogen, but with a smirk on the blonde girl's face, she'd looked away.

"Who was that?" Kaden asked, nudging his best friend.

"A friend," Reese managed sheepishly. "Not to worry."

Tessa's gaze slid over to Dale, who didn't seem the least bit fazed. She watched her best friend carefully, but with a defeated sigh, turned back around. "Alright, well, anyways," She started.

"Kaden!" A voice Tessa registered as Vinny's filled the air, and Tessa fought a groan. The disheveled-haired centurion raced towards them, his eyes locked on Kaden. "Dude, you've gotta see this."

Kaden stammered a refusal, but before he could manage a coherent attempt, he was being whisked away by his old friend. He mouthed an 'I'm sorry' to Tessa before disappeared into the crowd of dining Romans.

"Second time today," Sophia noted, setting down her fork. She glanced at Tessa quizzically. "How you holding up?"

Tessa forced a thin smile. "I'm great," She lied through her teeth.

Sophia smirked, laughing under her breath. "As much as I know this sucks for you, all I can say is that I'm glad it isn't me."

Tessa took a deep breath. As dinner went on, she found herself becoming lost in thought; a state she was becoming all too familiar with. What was she supposed to make of Kaden nowadays? It had been a day, and he'd...changed. He was still the same Kaden she loved, the one she could count on, but the fear clutching her heart like a vice was making her feel as if she wouldn't be able to count on him for too long.

The rest of dinner went on in hushed conversations around the table, and before Tessa knew it, she'd hardly touched her food and the feast was over. Everyone began to file out of the dining hall and head back to their respective cohorts, but even as Tessa and the task force made their way to their residence hall, Kaden was nowhere in sight underneath the starry Californian night sky.

~~

Tessa couldn't find any solace in her dreams. As soon as she'd succumbed to exhaustion, she was whisked away to some undiscernible location, and the unease began to flow around her like the fog at her feet.

In her dream, Tessa was walking down a tunnel, not unlike the one she'd dreamt of before. Creaks and groans in the walls filled the musty air around her, and every once in a while, she'd feel a rumble in the floor beneath her, as if the path was changing.

With a chill in her blood, Tessa realized she was in the Labyrinth, and her suspicions ran true when the tunnel twisted and turned, and she ended up in a dusty temple-like room. Faded mosaics lined the walls, and what must have once been a fountain sat in ruins in the center of the dust-covered floor.

She made a move to investigate, but the sound of footsteps echoed in the lofty room. Tessa whirled around, and with a lifelike twist in her gut, she found herself facing her mother.

Sera Brennan walked into the Labyrinthine room in a sort of stupor. She couldn't see her daughter standing before her, but then again, Tessa was only there in a dream. Ms. Brennan maneuvered her way through the room, standing only a few feet from Tessa.

"Mom?" Tessa croaked, her voice catching. She knew that her mom wouldn't be able to hear her, but the pain of having her so close, and yet so far away was indescribable.

Her mother looked around, the flashlight in her hand scanning the room. She knit her eyebrows in a manner that Tessa recognized in herself, and lifted a hand. Suddenly, the sound of rocks caving in reverberated through the room, and when Tessa turned, she faced a new tunnel.

Sera Brennan took off down the new tunnel, not daring to look back at the daughter she'd left behind.

Tessa shot awake, breathing heavily. Her turquoise eyes were wide, darting around to confirm that she was in her room in the Roman residence hall and not in the odd room in the Labyrinth. Once her heart rate returned to normal, she took a deep breath.

She took her dream with a grain of salt. While Tessa desperately wanted to believe that her mother was out there looking for her, that she clearly had survived the explosion at her home, there were a few things that weren't adding up. The worries bombarded into Tessa's head so quickly that she got a headache, and hissed as she got out of bed.

With a bitter look at her bed, Tessa weighed her options. She could remain here and witness more dreams and visions that would only drive her mad, or she could go to the one place she knew she'd have a peaceful rest.

Before she'd thought of the cons of the situation, Tessa had slipped out of her room and padded down the hallway to Kaden's. Quietly, she knocked on the door and prayed to the gods that her boyfriend was a) home, and b) awake.

One, two, three seconds passed, punctuated by pounding pulses of Tessa's heartbeat. She debated going back to her room when to her relief, Kaden's door swung open.

"Tess? What're you doing here?" Kaden responded, his voice scratchy with sleep. The son of Venus was shirtless, wearing only low-hanging sweatpants that only made Tessa blush. His hair was more disheveled that usual, and his emerald eyes were foggy with sleep.

Tessa bit her lip. "Can I come in?" She whispered, sneaking a glance down the hall.

Kaden smiled sleepily. "You don't have to ask, you know that." He swung the door open so Tessa could enter, and when she shuffled into his room, he swung it back shut.

Thankfully, Kaden knew the drill by now. Since he and Tessa had become a couple, every once in a while, they'd spend a night together. Nothing inappropriate would happen, they'd only talk and sleep, safe in one another's embrace. In Tessa's opinion, sleeping in Kaden's arms was the only surefire way she'd have a night without bad dreams, and from what he'd told her, the feeling was mutual.

They crawled into his bed, and like clockwork, Tessa rested her head on Kaden's chest. She exhaled in content, shutting her eyes and listening to his heartbeat. A regular beat, with an occasional jump whenever she shifted. "Thank you," She whispered.

"No problem," Kaden whispered back, a smile laced in his voice. He ran his hand through her hair soothingly, and Tessa leant into his touch. "Bad dream?"

Tessa sighed in response. "In a way," She answered, sitting up a bit to face Kaden.

The son of Venus knit his eyebrows together. "What makes you say that?"

And so Tessa recounted the events of her dream to her boyfriend, who listened attentively. When she finished, she tried searching for reason hidden in the misty facets of the dream, but came up empty-handed.

"I just have so many questions," She sighed. "How did she survive the explosion? How did she get into the Labyrinth? How did she know to leave the necklace as a clue?" She flopped down onto the other pillow, staring up at Kaden's ceiling.

"Hey," Kaden said softly. Tessa turned onto her side, and Kaden reached a hand up to caress her cheek. "Your mom's a strong woman."

"I know, she raised me."

Kaden smiled softly. "Exactly," He whispered. "I'm sure that whatever she's doing, she's got it all figured out. She's your mother, after all. She's bound to be like you."

Tessa searched Kaden's emerald eyes for any sign of him placating her, but only found genuine honesty. In that moment, she felt a twinge of guilt play at her for her little walk with Charlie, but as soon as the feeling arrived, it passed.

"Do you think it has something to do with Operation: Delta?" Tessa asked.

Kaden pressed his lips into a thin line in thought, a habit of his that Tessa had come to find endearing. "There's no way to be sure as of now, but the more we learn about it, I'm sure more answers will surface." He smiled encouragingly. "We'll find her, Tess. I promise."

The feelings Tessa had harbored regarding her mother caused a small crack in the dam she'd held them back with, and before she burst, she leant forward and kissed Kaden slowly. He kissed back instantly, and after a few moments, they leant their foreheads against one another's.

"Let's get some sleep," He whispered. "We've both had long days."

Tessa laughed sardonically. "Tell me about it."

Kaden pressed a kiss to her forehead, and the gesture made Tessa's heart flutter. She went back to resting her head on Kaden's chest, and by dwelling on the little things in the moment, like Kaden's heartbeat, his hand in her hair, and the general promise that came in his presence, she fell asleep. And theory be proved, no nightmares came to haunt her as long as she was in his arms.