[alibi]

Camp Half-Blood was a lot different than Eli had imagined it to be. Sure, he'd seen layouts for invasions and such within the Regiment's base, but seeing it in person was like visiting a brand new city even though you had a map in your hand; you knew what was in the city but had no idea how to get there.

It'd been three days since he, Aspen, and Lukas had stumbled out of the Labyrinth into Camp Half-Blood's territory, and even though they pleaded innocent, they'd been put on parole. In the Greek's defense, they were smart—three members of the enemy show up out of an entrance to one of the most significant pieces of Greek mythology out of the blue and say they're good? Not exactly binding evidence.

Regardless, Chiron had divided up Eli and his friends, pairing them off with some of the more skilled campers within the valley. Aspen's 'parole officer' was a boy named Orpheus, who seemed way to happy to see another pretty girl within camp; Lukas' was a black-haired girl named Sierra, who somehow always was wearing a scowl that seemed to pierce Eli as well as any of the silver arrows she carried in a quiver on her back. And Eli's? Well...after meeting Sera Brennan, Madi McKinley was nowhere near unintimidating.

Eli made his way throughout the camp, earning glances from the campers that he passed. He brushed their stares off, however; they were a lot better than the ones he'd gotten when he'd first arrived, covered in dirt and dust with a wild look in his eyes. Now having showered, gotten a fresh set of clothing, and eaten an actual meal, Eli had a bit of pep in his step as he walked.

Eli made his way to Madi's cabin, a low stone building with a grand porch out front. This was where he was supposed to meet Madi each morning, but the daughter of Poseidon was nowhere in sight. A few minutes passed, and as Eli strained his ears, he couldn't hear any movement inside of the cabin that would indicate that his parole officer was inside.

"Madi?" Eli called. A few campers gave him a funny look for that, but with only a slight blush, he decided to look around. And as fate would have it, he didn't have to look very far.

Around the corner of Cabin Three was Madi, her arms linked around a blond boy's neck as they kissed—Ben, Eli recalled, the son of Athena. The couple seemed entirely oblivious to the ex-enemy watching them, and Eli tried to tear his eyes from the scene, but couldn't. What exactly are you supposed to do when you see the sister of your ex-enemy kissing someone when she should be carting you around?

Finally, Eli couldn't bear it anymore. He cleared his throat, and watched as Madi and Ben sprang apart, the blush on their cheeks matching the redness of their lips.

"Oh, Eli," Madi took a ragged breath, clearing her own throat. "Sorry about that."

"I'm sorry I had to interrupt," Eli said awkwardly. "But we have stuff to do, I think?"

Madi nodded, glancing up at Ben. The son of Athena only nodded, leaning down to peck her cheek before starting off.

"See you, Eli," Ben patted Eli's shoulder as he passed, and Eli nodded before turning back to Madi, who'd recovered her normal disposition.

"So...what's on today's agenda?" Eli asked Madi sheepishly.

The daughter of Poseidon met his gaze. After three days, Eli was used to Madi's deep scans, the ones that felt like she was analyzing him from head to toe to take in as much as possible. However, the silence that entailed them was a bit unbearable at times. Thankfully, Madi spoke, breaking the spill of silence.

"Overseeing battle prep," She said at last, starting forward. Eli fell into step beside her, and even though the dark-haired girl was a couple inches shorter than him, he still felt small.

Eli nodded to himself, surveying the area around him as he and Madi passed. They made their way out of the omega of cabins and down one of the inner trails into the forest. Within the trees, Eli spotted various nymphs and dryads staring him down, as if he'd decide to just torch their plants. He tried waving to them kindly, but they'd just disappear into their trees.

"What're you doing?" Madi asked, giving him a sideways glanced as they walked.

Eli felt his cheeks burn. "Nothing."

Madi arched an eyebrow. "You were flirting with the nymphs, huh?"

"No!" Eli said quickly, although the blush on his cheeks probably said otherwise. "Not flirting, just..."

"Trying to be friendly?" Madi shook her head. "Trust me, no one is going to believe you're friendly until you prove yourself. Until then, as brutal as it seems, get used to being seen as the enemy?"

"Oh, trust me, I am," Eli grumbled. He dragged a hand through his platinum hair, making the tufts stand up on edge. "How am I supposed to prove myself?"

He and Madi entered a clearing, and with a quick glance, Eli realized that it was the same one that held the entrance to the Labyrinth. Sure enough, surrounding the clearing were various archers.

Madi looked up at Eli with a devilish smirk. "Don't betray us."

And with that, she sauntered into the valley, to a worktable that had been set up. Eli hurried after her, noting that Lukas and Sierra were among the few campers that were surrounding the table. Judging from the volume of their voices, and the awkward looks on the other campers faces, the two were arguing. Again.

"Guys!" Madi called. "Guys, calm down, what's going on?"

Begrudgingly, Sierra tore her steely gaze from the Australian boy and looked at Madi. "This one," She jerked her thumb at Lukas. "Is trying to tell me how to do my job."

"She could use some pointers on how to be a people person," Lukas drawled, a lazy flicker in his eyes.

Sierra met the boy's gaze again, only making the smirk on Lukas' face stretch. "And you could use some tips on how not to be an asshole!"

"Too bad I'm an expert on being an asshole," Lukas flicked the feathers of one of Sierra's arrows. "Try again, love."

Sierra opened her mouth to rebuff him, but thankfully, Madi intervened. "Guys! Chill out for five seconds, okay?" She took a deep breath. "Status report."

Sierra shot another look at Lukas before returning her focus to the layout on the table. "No sign of activity since the last time," The daughter of Apollo reported. "We've had a constant rotation of guards and patrols set up since then, as well as Amelie and her siblings strengthening the barrier around it."

Madi stared at the map on the table, her hazel eyes scanning the paper. "Any other reports?"

Sierra shook her head. "I'll let you know if something comes up."

Madi stepped away. "Thank you," She said, glancing from Sierra to Lukas. "Are you guys gonna go at each other now?"

"Gladly," Lukas smirked, folding his arms.

Sierra's eyes widened. "Madi, in what way did you mean that?"

Madi's eyes glinted devilishly as she gave them a mock salute and turned on her heel. "Come on, Eli."

Eli stifled a laugh as he followed in Madi's wake, the both of them walking back into camp. "Impressive," He noted.

Madi flashed him a grin. "Why, thank you." She picked up some reports from a few other campers along the way, flipping through them. "So, Eli, what exactly does the Regiment know about Camp Half-Blood?"

Eli recounted all that he could recall of the Regiment's intel on the two camps, and Madi listened intently as he explained. Before he knew it, they'd made it back to Cabin Three. Madi flew up the steps, whereas Eli stared up at the three imprinted on the trident above the door.

"What?" Madi asked.

Eli blinked. It seemed to occur to him in that moment that this cabin, this girl, was connected to Tessa, public enemy number one of the Regiment. The demigod who would ultimately make or break his old alliance's forces had lived in this camp, slept in this building...he was talking with her half-sister right now.

"Nothing," Eli said slowly. "It's just...the Regiment's all bent up on trying to turn or capture your sister. Is she powerful? Well, that's a stupid question, but—"

"My sister," Madi began, stepping towards him slowly. "Can summon the force of the ocean in the blink of an eye. She can withstand the pressure of the greatest depths of the sea, communicate with and control every animal under our father's command, and create storms that could deteriorate an entire coastline. My sister can cut you apart in about four dozen different ways with her sword, puncture your heart with an arrow, and do about a bunch of other things that would make any enemy run in fear. She's defeated countless monsters, as well as a god. So is she powerful? I'd say so."

Madi stood on the bottom step of the cabin, now eye-level with Eli. "So if your old Regiment is out to try and turn her?" She chuckled under her breath. "They've got a storm coming."

Eli blinked. "I'm assuming that you can do just about all of that as well?" He cleared his throat, hoping his voice hadn't gone up a few octaves.

Madi grinned. "You're correct," She said, turning on her heel and starting back up the steps. "Now, come on, it's time you meet Tessa Brennan."

~~

"Okay, run that by me again?" Tessa asked, sitting atop the counter in her bathroom. She stared into the hazy rainbow mist before her at Madi, who aside from what she'd just heard, had good news.

"Three Regiment soldiers were able to get through the Labyrinth and are now supposedly on our side." Madi reported, her voice somewhat distorted from the Iris-Message.

Tessa stared at her half-sister incredulously, somehow unable to register all that she'd said. "Okay, so what you're telling me is that three members from the enemy side have made it into Camp Half-Blood and no one is asking any questions?"

"Well, we're asking questions, but they haven't done anything problematic. It's been three days, and if anything, they're helping us prepare for possible battle." Madi informed.

Tessa took a breath, running a hand through her hair. "Have you been keeping an eye on them?"

"Yeah! Sierra, Orpheus, and I have been assigned to each of them. Eli, come say hi." Madi said to some point out of Tessa's vision. Footsteps filled the air until Tessa was staring into the face of the boy of one of her dreams, with white hair and bright eyes.

"Hi," The boy waved sheepishly, and Tessa watched him carefully. Remnants of the vision she'd witnessed about him surfaced, and seeing the boy battered in bruised in her mind and completely clean and healthy before her was a bit baffling.

"So you're from the Regiment," Tessa said slowly.

Eli nodded. "Formerly, yes."

"Do you have any plans whatsoever to wreak havoc across my camp?" Tessa asked, her eyes narrowing into calculating slits.

"None," Eli confirmed.

Tessa watched him. "Madi, if he causes any trouble, I give you full permission to skewer him."

Eli paled a bit. "W-what?"

"Alright, I have to go, I've got a lot to do today. Keep me posted." Tessa said with an exhale. She slashed her hand through the Iris-Message, cutting off the connection.

Tessa hopped off of the immaculate counter and out of the bathroom and her room altogether. Before she knew it, she was outside, taking gulps of the crisp January air to try and ease her strained mind.

For the past day, all that Tessa had been able to think of was what Theseus had told her. While she should have been focusing on his advice on how to survive the Labyrinth, her mind kept gravitating to his warnings. Trust only who you must, he had said, and already, Tessa was beginning to question her loyalties. She gave almost everyone another mental background check, making sure she was armed at all times. If Tessa didn't know any better, she was probably making herself an island...but what if that was what the traitor wanted?

Tessa suppressed a groan as she made her way into the Principia, her footsteps echoing across the pristine marble floors. She passed a group of legionnaires with files in their hands, and when she stepped into the Archives, she made two discoveries: one, the room was a complete warzone, and two, the two people she least expected to be getting along were inside.

"Ah, Tessa," Jett looked up from his book, a cheery glint in his eyes. "Glad you could join us."

Tessa took a moment to gauge the state that the red and gold room was in. Papers, files, and documents of all kinds littered the tops of the tables. Everywhere Tessa looked, she saw books and maps sprawled across counters. In the far corner of the room, a few centurions were using a Smartboard, analyzing some sort of map of the camp. A few other senators and Lares were milling about the bookshelves, and Jett and Sophia were seated in the center of the room, going through a stack of books.

"What happened here?" Tessa asked as she wove her way through the room.

Sophia shrugged. "Everyone's trying to find a way to stop the Regiment now. Kaya and Alex's orders."

Tessa made a face. "But I thought this all was...y'know, confidential."

"You must have missed the announcement," Sophia mumbled, scanning the pages of the book she was reading. "They made it yesterday."

"Ah, well, that explains it," Tessa grabbed a file from a stack on the table, reading it as quickly as possible. "What're you guys working on?"

"A way to stop Orion," Jett reported with a sigh. He leant back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "For an immortal guy, he's done a pretty good job at keeping his head out of the immortal tabloids."

Tessa found herself staring at Jett for a moment, taking him in from head to toe. He radiated such a similar aura to Mark, which somehow hurt Tessa more than resembling him, which he also did. They were so alike, but with a twist of Tessa's heart, she realized that the Mark she was comparing the son of Bacchus to was still buried in a cave-in.

"Tessa?" Sophia's voice broke her out of her reverie, and before Tessa could lose her cool and tear up, she looked away. "You good?"

"Yeah," Tessa took a ragged breath. "Have you guys found anything?"

Sophia rifled through a few of the papers on the table they were at, and while she did, Tessa noted just how tired the daughter of Athena looked. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her fiery red hair was tied up into a topknot. She appeared as if she hadn't slept in days, and with a pang, Tessa realized why: Alexia must have still been missing.

"Here," Sophia handed Tessa a manila folder filled with paper. Tessa took it gingerly and opened it, scanning the pages.

"For the most part, the guy's an exceptional archer. As the only male Hunter of Artemis, he'd picked up some tips in his day. After being banished from the group for falling in love with Artemis, he had his eyes torn out and replaced with mechanical ones by Hephaestus. He's also a giant, the son of Gaea." Sophia reported, folding her arms on the table.

"Well, we know he's been active in the Regiment for about a century now," Tessa mused, flipping through the papers. "But why?"

"That," Jett pointed to her, a smirk on his lips. "Is where our lead comes in."

Tessa arched an eyebrow. "Do tell."

Jett grinned. "We have reason to believe that the Regiment originally began after the Civil War, which would explain the usage of the Labyrinth into New Orleans during the war. Tensions began to rise between the demigods who had lost the war and those who did, and the disgruntled ones began to blame the gods. Now, where there are disgruntled demigods, there is normally an immortal leader who promises them something that they'll ultimately never achieve.

"Orion excels at betrayal and hurting those who once were close to them. He was also a pretty great lieutenant to Artemis, and we dug up some research to find that he fought in the Civil War on the Union's side." Jett handed Tessa an old photograph, and with wide eyes, she saw the handsome face of the Regiment leader, donning the uniform of the Union soldiers.

"Why not the Confederates? The Regiment base is in New Orleans, after all." Tessa countered, looking up at Jett.

"That's where the betrayal comes in," Sophia chimed, standing up to join Tessa and Jett on their side of the table. "At some point in the latter half of the war, Orion broke off from his unit and did some bad stuff. He betrayed his commander, and was let go. Now, he and a few other soldiers—demigods, I should say—made their way to the Confederacy. That's where the trail goes cold."

Tessa knit her eyebrows together, glancing back down at the flimsy old photograph in her hands. "So Orion began the Regiment after the war?"

"Most likely," Jett answered. "He's been recruiting disgruntled demigods since then. Their attempts at overthrowing Olympus hadn't been successful until what seems like a century ago, right around World War One."

"Which is the last time they were actually present regarding Operation: Delta," Tessa concluded. "Alright, got it. We've got an immortal archer who's been on the bad side of society for over a century. Nice."

"We also were able to come up with something else," Sophia reported. "He's got some crazy abilities, too."

Tessa looked up, her attention flaring. The image of the portals in her dream resurfaced, as well as how Orion had made himself disappear within the armory.

"Like what?" She asked, meeting Sophia's gaze.

The daughter of Athena sighed. "Aside from being a good shot, he's got asterokinetic powers; he can control the stars and other things like that."

"Considering he's a constellation, I'm not surprised," Tessa took a breath. "Any known weaknesses?"

Jett shook his head. "No, but we'll keep looking."

Tessa nodded. She set down her files and bid her goodbyes, making her way out of the Archives. As soon as the sunlight hit her face outside, she closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to just about every god she could think of; please, give me something, anything, that can help me defeat this guy.

But as the wind picked up and Tessa continued on her way, she couldn't shake the feelings of paranoia that crept up her spine, turning the whip of the wind in her ear into a cackle that sounded too much like the hunter among the stars, rescinding her prayers right out of thin air.

~~

The gymnasium seemed to have become Tessa's happy place lately. Even if the first time she stepped foot into it, she had her heart broken, that seemed to have been blown into the wind for the amount of time she'd spent within its walls in the past week alone.

After an hour of hand-to-hand combat training with a surprisingly formidable opponent, Tessa slouched over to one of the benches along the sidelines. She picked up her water bottle and took a hearty gulp, the liquid revitalizing her.

"Nice fighting skills, Cadwell," Tessa noted as Imogen padded over to her own stuff, tying her short blonde hair back.

"Right back at you, Brennan," Imogen retorted. She took a deep breath, stretching herself out. "Who would have thought Greeks knew how to fight like civilized soldiers?"

Tessa gave the daughter of Cupid a sarcastic look. "Ha-ha, funny," She said. "But in all honesty, I did not expect that out of you."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Imogen shrugged. "But it's okay, because the look on their faces after I kick their asses makes up for it."

Tessa tossed her head back and laughed. 'That, I can resonate with."

Imogen grinned, taking a swig from her own water-bottle. "So, a little birdie told me that the last time you were in here, you and Gray got back together." She winked.

Tessa felt her cheeks burn as she averted her gaze from Imogen. She found herself staring at the punching bag in the distance, and remembered the fire behind Kaden's lips as he kissed her, his hands roaming over her body like she was a fragile piece of art, the relief in his eyes as soon as she said 'I love you' back to him.

"Must have been quite the reunion," Imogen chimed, breaking Tessa out of her trance. "But hey, with a guy like Gray, I'm not surprised."

"True," Tessa laughed. "But enough about Kaden and I, what about you and Reese?" She wiggled her eyebrows at the blonde girl suggestively.

"What about Reese and I?" Imogen said innocently, to which Tessa gave her a look.

"Oh, let's see, what about the bruises I keep seeing along his neck?" Tessa said.

Imogen's cheeks turned as pink as her running shorts, and Tessa knew she'd struck a chord. "That's classified," She said.

"I'm sure," Tessa rolled her eyes, but laughed it off. "We should just start calling ourselves the Hot Boyfriend Squad."

"Amen," Imogen laughed.

The two girls changed and gathered their stuff, exiting the gym. Halfway through their training session, Reese had barged in half out of breath, telling them that as soon as they were finished, that Kaya needed to see them in the Principia. Then, before his girlfriend could even say a goodbye, he'd bolted off. For a boy who'd been bedridden due to a poison arrow to an Achilles heel only a few days before, Reese had a lot of energy.

Tessa and Imogen made their way down the trails at camp, but as they walked, Tessa noticed that something seemed...off. The atmosphere around the Roman valley seemed to have shifted while she was busy training, and while she normally would have brushed it off, given the recent circumstances, it felt like something to dwell on.

"What's up with everyone?" Tessa murmured to Imogen as they walked. Everywhere they looked, legionnaires were arming themselves and reporting to their cohorts.

Imogen knit her eyebrows. "No idea," She said incredulously. "I should probably check in with my cohort."

Tessa nodded, and the blonde girl darted off among the mass of Romans. With another quick survey of the valley, Tessa headed further up the trails until she reached the Principia. She'd hardly entered the tree-dotted ground when she spotted Kaya bolting out of the building, Kaden and Reese in her wake.

"Woah, guys, what's going on?" Tessa asked, falling into step with them. Panic seemed to be filling the air, and for a girl with anxiety, she knew the feeling all too well.

"There's a breach at the Senate House," Kaya said hastily, her purple cloak whipping in the wind as she ran. "Someone or something was able to either go in or out of the Labyrinth."

"What?" Tessa echoed, her turquoise eyes wide.

"Kaya's spell let us know that something was up," Kaden reported, a vigilant look in his emerald eyes. "We've gotta check it out now."

"No kidding," Tess mumbled. She glanced at Reese, who was stringing an arrow even as he ran. "Will you be okay to fight?"

The son of Apollo gave her a look. "I'll be fine. Now, come on!"

The group of demigods took off down the paths, and soon enough, the scenery shifted from a quiet courtyard to a busy city. Like Camp Jupiter, the city of New Rome was preparing for some sort of battle, which only sharpened Tessa's senses. They made their way towards the Senate House, which loomed in the distance, surrounded in yellow tape with Latin markings across it that Tessa guessed was the Roman version of POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS.

Suddenly, Kaya stopped in her tracks, causing the Greeks following in her wake to skid to a stop. They watched the praetor before them, her eyes locked on the Senate House.

"Kaya?" Tessa asked, inching her hand slowly towards Tempest at her side. "Something wrong?"

Kaya took a shaky breath. She spread her hands quickly, a panicked look in her eyes, and a web of violet magic spread out from her palms. Instantly, the energy turned from purple to red before disappearing altogether.

"Get down!" Kaya shrieked, collapsing to the cobblestones.

"What? Why—" Reese managed, before an explosion shook the ground. He fell to the ground, the shockwave of the eruption knocking him, as well as Kaden and Tessa, to the cobblestones below.

Tessa hit the ground with a hiss, her bad shoulder flaring in memory of her former injury. She forced herself up, her ears ringing, and everywhere she looked, she saw smoke. Smoke billowing into the sky, smoke thundering down the streets, streets masking the entrance to the Senate House as if it was the gate into the Underworld; plumes of onyx so dark and thick that Tessa could feel it begin to suffocate her.

Kaya staggered to her feet, issuing commands in Latin at a rapid pace. She spread her hands out like she was holding something back with either hand, and orbs of golden energy formed before her palms. All around her, the smoke nearby was sucked into her magic, dissolving instantly. The air began to clear, but the explosion had still done its damage, and it seemed to be getting worse. Whatever plume of smoke Kaya couldn't dissipate was beginning to ignite other buildings on fire. The air was filled with smoke and screams, and Tessa, for the first time in her life, felt powerless.

"Gray, Hale, look for survivors!" Kaya commanded. The boys didn't need to be told twice. They bolted off into the nearest building, despite it being on fire. "Brennan! Help me put out the flames."

Her heart pounding, Tessa channeled her every ounce of power into materializing water before her. A wall of water appeared before her at her will, and with a thrust of her hands, the wall morphed into a wave, breaking into various streams through every entrance in the nearest building ablaze.

Tessa grit her teeth, trying to keep the control on her water constant. "Regiment attack?" She asked Kaya behind her.

"It had to have been the traitor," Kaya reported, followed by a string of words in Latin that must have been curses. "Where are they, the godsdamn coward?"

Tessa continued to move the wave of water to the next burning building. Reese and Kaden ran out, the people within their building covered in soot but otherwise in good shape. Being Romans, they armed themselves in an instant, and hurried off to go do damage control. A group of older Romans donning glimmering armor suddenly arrived at the foot of the burning buildings; the Roman team of fire-fighters? Regardless, Tessa dropped her power, taking a deep breath and turning back to her friends.

"Has anyone reported any suspicious activity?" Kaya asked Reese as he and Kaden approached, weapons drawn.

"Isn't this suspicious enough?" The son of Apollo asked incredulously. "But no, no one saw anyone go in or out of the building in these past few minutes."

Tessa stared at the entrance into the Senate House, now shrouded in a thin screen of smoke. With a pang of her heart, she made out a figure walking through the blaze, towards them.

"Looks like our traitor has decided to come out of the shadows," She said loudly, averting her friends' attention.

Her friends took battle stances, and Tessa drew Tempest, her heart pounding. Whoever this was, Tessa wanted to be the one to rip them to pieces for all the damage they had done. But at the same time, she didn't want to know...

It felt like time somehow slowed down. Out of the smoke, walked a boy, with disheveled chestnut hair and bright blue eyes. The boy's signature grin seemed malicious now, and while he wore the golden armor of the Romans, Tessa felt every feeling of alliance that she had shatter in that instant. Her blood ran cold, her heart seemed to stop, as her eyes widened in shock of this now unmasked traitor.

"Hey there, guys," Vinny grinned malevolently, a hand on his blood-stained sword. "Glad you could make it to my little party."