[absentis est quos non anhelo]

When Tessa was younger, she'd seen a movie where in the climax of the battle, a large group of people was placed under a spell. It was up to the small group of heroes to save what they knew, and in the end, they did. The aftermath of that battle was calm, dotted with reunions between families, and everyone went home okay in the end.

Tessa would have given anything to have that aftermath be her own.

The Battle of New Orleans had been a taxing one, there was no doubt about that in Tessa's mind. As she wove her way through the crowds in the center's vast halls and rooms, she oversaw members of the Regiment fight against being turned, and as soon as their bond to Orion had been broken, she witnessed just how damaged these people—these kids—really were. They'd been taken from their families, from their respective camps, from the Hunters, from just about every safe haven these demigods and nymphs and minor godlings would have been protected. They'd been stripped of their happiness, of their identities, forced against their will to submit to an ulterior cause and thinking it was for their own gain or to protect their loved ones.

Each story that Tessa heard made her glad that Reese had punctured just about every immortal vein in Orion's body.

Oh gods, Reese...

Tessa stood up after listening to another story and scanned the sea of black and gold for the head of blond hair. Sure enough, she found it, and there was Reese slouched at the foot of a wall, his eyes vacant, his hands clenched into fists. Imogen was crouched beside him, no doubt trying to calm him. She glanced at Kaden on Reese's other side and nodded, and the son of Venus stood.

Tessa took a deep breath and walked towards her boyfriend. Just like everyone else, Kaden had his fair share of battle wounds; his bicep was bandaged heavily, there were slashes dotting his clothes, and he had a small cut on his forehead that he had refused to touch up. His green eyes were dim, and as he stopped before Tessa, she could feel the weight he was carrying.

"How is he?" Tessa whispered.

Kaden pressed his lips into a thin line. "He's holding up," He decided at last, meeting Tessa's gaze. "But I don't think he's going to be back to himself anytime soon."

Tessa glanced over at the son of Apollo, and in doing so, she could only imagine the rage and sorrow at war with one another within him. Reese had witnessed the death of his twin brother, he'd watched as Flynn was ripped from doing what he loved—helping those in need—and plunged into the flames of the combusting portals. The world had stood still in that moment, and as it slowly had begun to revolve again in the aftermath, it still was halted for Reese.

Tessa didn't realize she was crying until Kaden had pulled her into his arms, embracing her tightly. She sobbed into his shoulder, allowing all of the emotion she had forced herself to lock away in the heat of battle to come rushing out like a dam had been burst within her. With each sob, Kaden did all that he could to comfort her; hugging her tighter, playing with her hair, rubbing her back, kissing the top of her head. But with each tear that fell, Tessa knew that he was feeling just as much as she was.

"I hate this," Tessa sniffed, pulling away slightly from the embrace. "I could have helped him. I could have done something, stopped Orion, I could have—"

"Tessa," Kaden interjected, brushing her tears away. "It happened too rapidly. Please don't beat yourself up over this. Flynn...he wouldn't have wanted this."

"He wouldn't have wanted to die either," Tessa countered.

Kaden took a breath. "I know it's hard, Tess, I'm grieving too." His voice trembled as he spoke, and Tessa could see the tears begin to well up in his eyes. "But at the end of the day, we can't fight fate. At least...at least Reese was able to put a stop to this."

Tessa nodded. She fell back into Kaden's arms, and stood there in his embrace for who knew who long. It wasn't until Kaya forged her way towards them that the duo separated. Kaden pecked Tessa's lips and parting and disappeared into the crowd alongside his colleague.

"Tessa?" Mark's voice shook Tessa out of her reverie, and she whirled around to see the son of Iris hobbling towards her, an apologetic smile on his face.

The dam broke again. Tessa rushed towards Mark, hugging him tightly. "I swear to the gods, if you pull something like that again, I will kill you." She laughed through her tears, pulling away to look at him.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you could," Mark smiled weakly. "How you holding up, sea princess?"

Tessa wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "Barely," She confessed. "How about you? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Mark shook his head. "I'm fine," He said softly. "I've got a few cuts and bruises, but nothing that ambrosia can't fix, right?"

Tessa took a ragged breath. "I'm just glad you're alive," She whispered. "You scared us half to death, Mark. What were you thinking?"

Mark looked away. "I-I thought I was protecting you guys." He winced and heaved a deep breath. "Tessa, I promise I'll explain everything at another time."

Tessa nodded and pulled the son of Iris into another hug. However, Mark broke away after a little while with his signature impish smile on his face. "I'll let you get back to work." He nodded towards the crowd of demigods beginning to follow her around, then disappeared into the crowd.

~~

Tessa made a mental note to take a nap as soon as she had the chance, but judging from the sea of people she still needed to talk to, check on, consult with, she figured it wouldn't be for a while.

She, Kaya, and Kaden had made the announcement that the former members of the Regiment would be divided and taken to either Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter based on their alliances for recuperation. As soon as they were physically and mentally prepared to head back into the world, to whatever families they'd been taken from, they could. If they decided to remain in the world of mythology, they could choose that alternative as well. For the most part, everyone seemed to be pleased by that part, which slightly confused Tessa.

Maybe it was her own bias, and how she'd always be subject to the worst the world of mythology could throw at her for her parentage, but she wondered why anyone would stay in such a situation. Was a life where you feared death with each new horizon really a life worth living?

Regardless, the demigods seemed thrilled at that fact. One by one, Kaya began to escort them through the portal back to Camp Jupiter. The entrance hall to the convention center began to empty, and Tessa could finally breathe. Things were ending, things would be over, she could rest easy.

Tessa had just sat down on a bench when a voice chimed, "I knew you'd be able to do great things one day, Tessa, but becoming a war general? That wasn't expected."

Tessa's head shot up quickly at the sound of her mother's voice. Sure enough, Sera Brennan stood a few paces away, a thin bandage around her forehead and forearm, but looking otherwise alright. Her mother spread her arms, and Tessa wondered how much she was going to cry that day as she sprinted into her mother's arms.

"You're alive," Tessa whispered through her sobs "H-how are you still alive? Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you find me?"

Ms. Brennan pulled away slightly from the embrace, brushing Tessa's hair to the side. In that moment, Tessa felt like she was little again, and the biggest problems she'd face could easily be fixed with a hug and a kiss from her mother. Things were so easy back then, but give it a few years, and Tessa would have discovered just how drastically things would change.

"I know, sweetie, I know," Ms. Brennan said softly. "There's a lot to tell you. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Tessa nodded, and she and her mother sat back down on the bench. Ms. Brennan clasped her hands together and took a deep breath, turning to meet her daughter's gaze with troubled green eyes.

"On the day when the monsters attacked the house, I made sure that you all had left safely before I tried to fight. I was able to kill a few of the monsters, but more just kept coming. I ran to the basement, and stumbled upon the Labyrinth. At first, I was shocked to find that the entrance was within our house, but I forced the thought aside and entered it.

"And that's where I was for the past few months. Because I'm a mortal, it was easy for me to make my stops back at home when I needed to, but for the most part I was trying to find you. I didn't know if you'd made it out of your quest alive either, and so I tried to look for you. I came across monsters, sure, but I know how to fight. I was fine." Ms. Brennan smiled wryly.

Tessa blinked. Somehow, after hearing her mother's story, only one part of it began to puzzle her. "You know how to fight?"

Ms. Brennan smiled impishly, the same smirk that Tessa was known for. "Don't tell me you think your only powers and skills come from your father." She arched an eyebrow, waiting for Tessa to realize something she couldn't place.

Tessa frowned. "Mom, I'm gonna need you to spell it out for me. In case you didn't notice, I've kind of been to hell and back today."

Ms. Brennan nodded. "My knowledge of the mythological world didn't come from meeting Poseidon," She began slowly. "I'd already known how to fight by then, and frankly, I didn't want to, but as time went on, I did."

"Did what?"

Ms. Brennan met Tessa's gaze. "I broke my vow."

Tessa's eyes widened in bewilderment. "You were a Hunter?! Mom, what the heck?"

Ms. Brennan laughed. "I was," She nodded. "But my point, Tessa, is that you don't have to worry about me anymore. I can handle myself, just like I know you can handle yourself."

Tessa looked away at that. Sure, she knew how to control her powers and she knew how to fight. She'd had nearly four years of practice by now. But what she was beginning to fear was that darkness within her, the voice in her head that almost drowned Vinny, the monster within her that shook the earth and ripped the very water out of living things. What if she couldn't control that?

"You will," Ms. Brennan said, causing Tessa to turn back to her in surprise. "You're one of the strongest demigods in history, Tessa. All heroes have darkness within them. It's what you decide to do with that darkness that defines what kind of hero you'll be."

Tessa searched her mother's eyes for any premonition she had regarding Tessa's abilities, but came up empty. Within the green irises, she only found love and warmth, and for the first time since the battle, Tessa smiled.

~~

The convention center was empty, save a few Romans and Tessa's task-force. Imogen had made sure to escort Reese back to Camp Half-Blood, where she'd be able to keep an eye on him as he recovered. Sophia and Alexia had reunited, and thanks to Alexia's powers, she'd been able to fake her death. The daughter of Pluto was perfectly safe and healthy, and Tessa couldn't fight her grin as she saw her friend light up once more. Alexia had gone back to Camp Jupiter for the time being, and on the Greek side, Lukas and Orpheus had gone back to Camp Half-Blood as well, alongside Ms. Brennan.

Tessa made her way to where Kaden, Sophia, Eli, and Madi were congregating in the center of the now-emptied room. They all wore dark visages, and Tessa felt her heart twist as she approached.

"What's going on?" She asked, snapping their attention to her.

Madi's gaze flicked from the group back to Tessa. "We were discussing what to do with Vinny."

At the sound of the traitor's name, Tessa's eyes narrowed. "Was he unable to be changed?"

Kaden shook his head. "We tried to, but we decided he'd be too...troublesome to deal with as we got to everyone else. By the time we went back...he was gone."

"We don't know if he was changed by someone else and went back to Camp Jupiter, or if he's still a whackjob and escaped," Eli started, his blue eyes filled with worry. "So there's that."

Tessa took a moment to gather her thoughts. If Vinny had escaped, where would he have gone? The Regiment was in shambles, their leader gone, where else could he have turned to?

"He's got nowhere to run," Tessa decided. "Unless he finds some other insurgent group, which I doubt, he'll be evading capture for as long as he can. I'll issue a search for him when we get back to camp."

"Tessa, there's something else," Sophia spoke softly. Her fiery red hair had fallen from his ponytail in the midst of battle, and Tessa wondered just how much red she'd seen on the battlefield that day. "Amelie."

~~

Whatever magic was linking the battlefield of Orion's Pavilion to the convention center must have been still intact, because as Tessa emerged back into it, it was exactly as she'd left it. Ruins dotted the area, as well as blood and dirt and debris. However, Tessa fought the panic at seeing it again as she forged her way towards the platform in the back, where a daughter of Hecate stood.

"What're you doing?" Tessa called, but Amelie didn't move. As Tessa approached, she could see that the daughter of Hecate's eyes were bloodshot, and her muscles shook as she cast spell after spell at where the portals once stood.

"Flynn's alive," Amelie grit out. "I can feel it."

Tessa felt her heart shatter a little more as she hopped onto the platform. "Amelie—"

"It's not just because he was my boyfriend, okay?" Amelie turned to her, a sad fire in her eyes. "The portals are unstable. It's like the energy to create them is still here and it's pinned, preventing the magic from unfolding again."

Tessa knit her eyebrows, but shook her head. "Amelie," She spoke, her voice feather soft. "Please don't do this."

Amelie faltered. "I have to."

"No, you don't," Tessa countered. "You have to rest is what you have to do. Come on...Flynn wouldn't have wanted this."

Tears began to slide down Amelie's face, and Tessa set a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You're working yourself to death. If Flynn's still alive, we'll find him."

Amelie met her gaze, bleary pale green eyes staring into electric sea-green ones. "Promise?"

Tessa couldn't stop herself before she said, "I swear it on the River Styx."

A ripple of thunder shook the pavilion, and Tessa knew that whether she liked it or not, her vow was binding. Amelie seemed to relax a bit, but her gaze was still centered on the arches before her. But at last, she spoke.

"Let's go home."