[stet fortuna domus / let the fortune of the house stand]

Tessa wasn't sure what the Olympians made of the cold, but judging from the frost icing the pillars and columns and villas of Mount Olympus, they must not have minded it. The daughter of Poseidon made her way across the cobblestone walkway hanging in the sky, unfazed by the fact that she was 600 stories above New York City. Pearly gray snowclouds hung in the sky around her, and as she walked, she wondered what it would be like to witness a blizzard from this high up.

            Tessa wove her way through the palace of Olympus, earning passing glances from the various nymphs and godlings as she passed. They no doubt knew of her, but given the circumstances for her presence, she hoped they knew better than to cross her.

            The throne-room of Olympus eventually loomed before her, and Tessa let out a frosty exhale as she entered the vast domelike building. Its floor was sparkling marble, and various immaculate columns lined the room. The ceiling was dotted with moving constellations. A blazing hearth sat in the center of the semi-circle of thrones, and Tessa spotted the one that resembled a deep-sea fishing chair—the throne of her father, Poseidon.

            Her footsteps echoed in the lofty room, but she wasn't alone. Standing at the foot of her quicksilver-like throne was Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Her auburn hair was tied up, and her signature quiver was strapped across her back. The goddess looked up as Tessa approached, her moon yellow irises flickering.

            "Lady Artemis," Tessa nodded in acknowledgement.

            "Welcome, Tessa," Artemis said, stepping away from her throne. "I see you got my message."

            Tessa shifted her weight, watching the huntress before her. "I did," She responded. "And now I'm curious as to what you have to say. Any reports on my mother?" Her voice was fragile as she spoke, but she hoped her typical strength was evident despite it all.

            Artemis sighed, staring into the amber flames of the hearth. "I wish I did, Tessa," She murmured. "But it seems that whatever force kidnapped your mother, it has done an exceptional job at covering its tracks."

            A pulse of disappointment pounded in Tessa's heart, radiating through her veins. It had been five months, and there was still no sign of her mother. Maybe Aphrodite had been wrong, maybe Tessa's mother was dead after all. As much as Tessa didn't want to believe it, she felt as if that was the only plausible explanation left.

            The goddess seemed to sense Tessa's warring emotions, because she tore her gaze away from the hearth. "She is not dead, my girl," Artemis spoke. "Just...hidden."

            Tessa laughed wryly, the sound bouncing off the pristine white columns. "I'm not sure which is worse at this point."

            Artemis eyed Tessa for a while, a calculating look in her ethereal eyes. "Tessa, you have my word that I will do everything in my power to find your mother. I have given you my blessing, and now I give you my word. I swear it on the River Styx."

            Tessa's eyes widened a bit. "Thank you," She whispered, her mouth numb.

            The goddess nodded, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "I'm afraid I must go now, but before I go, Merry Christmas, Tessa."

            Tessa arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Do Greek gods celebrate Christmas?"

            Artemis shrugged. "We recognize every holiday, despite the religion. A god is god, no matter what religion, yes?" She smiled impishly.

            Tessa laughed. "Thank you, Lady Artemis."

            "Farewell, Tessa."

~~

            It didn't even occur to Tessa that it was Christmas Eve until Artemis had reminded her, and that's saying something. As the daughter of Poseidon walked down the streets of New York, back to Central Park's reservoir, she found herself lost in thought.

            Just like every holiday at camp, activities would be canceled due to a party. For Christmas, the festivities would be held inside the Big House for a more intimate and closeknit celebration. Each year had some sort of theme that Chiron and Mr. D would end up being the only ones to participate it, and Tessa could only imagine what it was this year.

            If Tessa rewinded a few years, she would have been spending Christmas with her mother, watching various movies and complaining about the snow that never seemed to fall in December. She would have begged to make cookies for the holidays, ended up making too many, and being forced to eat them all to hide the evidence from her mom. Her mom would still insist on going to bed early so Santa could show up, despite the fact that Tessa stopped believing in Santa when she was nine.

            The memory was heartwarming, but given the circumstances, it filled Tessa with longing. She missed her mother more than she could ever describe, and it was frustrating to have so much power and yet be powerless in something like this.

            Tessa sighed, her breath crystallizing in the cold. She turned a corner, continuing her walk. She cursed herself mentally; why didn't she have Argus bring her to camp? No, she just had to exercise her water teleportation abilities in the middle of winter.

            She huffed a breath, and eventually reached Central Park. She made her way down the paths, and in her haste to get to the reservoir, she almost didn't see the Asian boy watching her.

            Tessa froze. She turned in time to see the boy barreling down the path, his jacket flying up to reveal a purple shirt underneath.

            "Mark?" Tessa breathed in disbelief. The boy continued to run, but Tessa flew after him.

            She prayed to the gods that she wouldn't slip in pursuit of him, but as she made sharp turns and dodged the occasional jogger or family, that proved to be difficult. Maybe-Mark kept sprinting ahead, and before Tessa could continue to follow, her feet met a particularly slippery part of the icy path.

            Tessa fell to the pavement with a thud and a hiss, the impact sending a sting through her bad shoulder. Despite the burn from the Palikoi having been healed months ago, it still gave her phantom pains sometimes, and this was one of those times.

            She sat up, shooting a look at the duo of power-walking old ladies who gave her a look. She pushed herself to her feet, dusting the snow off of her figure as she scanned the area. No boy to be found. Maybe it wasn't Mark, and the part of her mind and soul that still believed he was alive had gotten the best of her.

            Dejected, Tessa turned and trudged her way back to the reservoir. Just like every other body of water in the area, it had frozen over, but the area still held a place in her heart. As she made her way to the part of the lake that was unfrozen, she spotted the bridge where she and Kaden had kissed on both her birthday, and his. Coming to Central Park had now become a tradition with the two of them, and with an icy twist of her heart, Tessa wondered if there would be a stitch in that tradition what with Kaden's past.

            "Not now, Brennan," Tessa scolded herself under her breath, staggering down the slope to the shore of the lake. With a quick glance around, she took a breath and leapt in, the chill of the wintery water stinging her skin enough to spur her focus.

~~

            Camp was normally quieter in the wintertime, but especially during Christmas and other wintertime holidays. The demigods that wanted to could be granted leave for a few days to spend the holidays with their families and then return to camp, which seemed to be the case for a good chunk of the campers.

            Tessa made her way down the trails of camp, her hand stuffed in her pockets. Some of the Apollo campers were seated on the steps of their cabin, singing Christmas carols which lifted Tessa's spirits a bit. She reached Cabin Three, and hadn't even taken two steps inside when she heard her sister's voice.

            "GET OUT!" Madi's voice shrieked in panic.

            Tessa jumped, blinking in surprise. "Madi?"

            "Down here."

            Tessa looked around, and sure enough, her half-sister was seated on the floor, covered in bits of wrapping paper and bows. Gift-wrapping supplies were strewn all around her like the debris from a tornado's path.

            Tessa stifled a laugh. "Is this why you wanted me to get out? So I wouldn't see you like this?"

            Madi blinked, her expression neutral. She sighed, blowing a strand of her chestnut hair out of her face. "Partly," She deadpanned. "But I'm wrapping your present right now so you can't see it until tomorrow!"

            Tessa folded her arms across her leather jacket-clad chest. "How do you think you're going to manage to hide it from me until then? I live here."

            Madi narrowed her hazel eyes. "Fine," She grumbled in defeat. She grabbed her current project and stood, handing the gift to Tessa. "I hope you like it. It took me weeks to find everything for it."

            The green eyed girl plucked the gift out of her sister's grasp gingerly, noting the colorful paper. She tore it open and gave Madi a look upon seeing the plain gray photo album. "A photo album?" She asked.

            "Just open it."

            So Tessa did, and nearly teared up at the first picture. Mark, Dale, and herself stared back at her, grinning and mid-laugh at one of the summer bonfires.

            Tessa looked up, her eyes water. "Madi, how did you—"

            "Just keep looking."

            Tessa flipped the page, and smiled at seeing two pictures: one of herself and Madi on her birthday, when Madi had insisted they wear party hats just for Tessa's humiliation. The other was of Tessa and Kaden, taken candidly from a small distance. Kaden was kissing Tessa's forehead, and she was smiling, her eyes closed.

            The rest of the book was filled with camp memories, from the various holiday celebrations, to just random moments through the days. There were selfies of herself and Dale, Reese, Amelie, Flynn, Nova, all of her friends. Possibly her favorite photo rested at the back, a panoramic shot of herself and all of her friends: Mark, Dale, Kaden, Reese, Flynn, Amelie, Ben, Calum, and Nova.

            "Madi," Tessa whispered, looking up at her sister with tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

            Her half-sister smiled, her eyes equally as watered. "Love you, kid."

            "I'm older than you."

            "By a month."

            "Still."

            The two girls burst into laughter, and Tessa pulled her sister in for a hug. While apprehensive about Madi at first, the girl had truly lived up to being her sister. She was always there for Tessa, and despite her fiery temper that matched her own, they were a duo that couldn't be beat.

            "Now come on," Madi pulled away. "Party starts soon and if I know Gray, he's gonna pull some sort of romantic thing for you and you," She jabbed a finger at Tessa. "Need to be ready."

~~

            The Big House was filled with warmth and light, as well as demigods and nymphs. Everywhere Tessa looked, there were people, laughing, chatting, eating, giving gifts. It made her smile, and distracted her from the myriad of dilemmas she found herself facing.

            "Tessa!" Chiron's voice boomed cheerfully. "Merry Christmas, my girl." The centaur approached her, condensed into his wheelchair form to save room for the mass of demigods. He wore an ugly Christmas sweater—so that was the theme that he and Mr. D had decided on—with what looked to be a Minotaur in a Santa suit on it.

            Tessa laughed, greeting him. "Merry Christmas, Chiron." She turned back around, and took a sip from her mug of hot chocolate as she glanced around the room.

            A hand snaked around her waist, and before Tessa could react, she turned to see Kaden standing beside her. Her heart panged and she smiled. "Hey," She greeted.

            The son of Aphrodite—Venus, whatever—smiled back at her. "Merry Christmas, Tess." He looked around, a charming glint in his eyes. "Nice party."

            Tessa laughed, spotting the poor satyrs who were facing Mr. D in yet another edition of Holiday Pinochle. "For the majority of us, yes."

            Kaden laughed. "Come on, I wanna give you your present."

            "But it's not Christmas yet."

            Kaden gave her a funny look, his voice bright. "Just come on."

            So Tessa allowed him to escort her outside, where the balconies of the Big House were covered in glowing lights. The entirety of camp was spread out before them, illuminated as well. Kaden shut the door behind them, muffling the sound of the party before walking up to her.

            "Alright, Gray, what's this mystery present?" Tessa folded her arms, leaning against the railing.

            "Close your eyes first," Kaden instructed, a warm smile and mischievous look on his face.

            Tessa heaved a dramatic sigh, but shut her eyes. She could hear Kaden moving closer, and after a while, he spoke.

            "Alright, now look up." He whispered.

            Tessa's eyes fluttered open and glanced up, before giving her boyfriend a sarcastic look. Madi had been right; Kaden was going to pull some sort of romantic act. Tonight, it came in the form of the mistletoe he was dangling above them.

            "You're actually a nerd," Tessa remarked, smiling at the boy who was all hopeful grins before her.

            "I try." Kaden noted, smirking. "Now," His free hand tucked a strand of hair behind Tessa's ear before cupping her cheek. "We can't break tradition." He whispered.

            Tessa laughed, shaking her head slightly. She wrapped her arms around Kaden's neck, and his lips found hers instantly. She kissed him softly and slowly, as if they had all the time in the world and no cares within it.

            Kaden pulled away, and they leant their foreheads against one another's as they caught their breaths. "While that was great, it isn't your actual present." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a jewelry box.

            Tessa's mind went elsewhere, and at the sight of the box, only one possibility came to her mind. Her eyes must have looked panicked, because Kaden only tossed his head back and laughed. "Relax, it's not an engagement ring." He opened the box, revealing a silver necklace with a single droplet of an aquamarine gemstone on it.

            "Kaden," Tessa breathed, her eyes glued to the pendant. "It's gorgeous."

            The son of Aphrodite grinned. "A beautiful gift for a beautiful girl."

            Tessa felt her cheeks flush despite the cold. She knew that for however long she was with Kaden, he would never fail to make her blush.

            "Allow me," Kaden said, removing the necklace from its constraints. Tessa swept her hair over her shoulder as Kaden clasped it behind her neck. "There."

            Tessa turned, and didn't hesitate to kiss her silly boyfriend with all the love for him she had in her heart. She took him by surprise, but he smiled into the kiss as he returned it.

            "To quote our favorite son of Iris, 'get a room'.'' A voice chimed.

            Tessa and Kaden pulled apart, glancing at the now open door that basked them in light and warmth from inside. Reese stood in the doorway, an ugly sweater on his frame as well, watching them with a sarcastic look.

            "Nice sweater, Reese," Kaden smirked, noting the festive sloth on the red print. "You look festive"

            Reese blinked at his best friend and sighed. "What am I gonna do with you both?"

            "Leave us alone?" Kaden and Tessa chorused.

            "HA." Reese laughed sarcastically. "Absolutely not. Inside, now."

            Kaden and Tessa broke apart and sighed, making their way inside after the son of Apollo. The camaraderie of the party flooded Tessa, who in the sudden spirit, remembered that she had gifts for everyone.

            "I'll be right back," Tessa pecked Kaden's cheek and patted Reese's shoulder before slipping through the crowd. She found her sack of gifts, which she was surprised had remained intact this long, and pulled on her Santa hat before carrying out her tasks.

            Thankfully, her friends loved her gifts. She'd gotten Kaden a picture frame of them both on his birthday; Reese and Flynn, matching pairs of novelty socks with squirrels on them; a pair of hairbows for Amelie; matching t-shirts for Calum and Nova; a book on 'How to Not Be Annoying' as a joke for her newest close friend, Sophia; a dress for Madi; a tie for Chiron; a beanie for Ben; and then there was one gift left.

            "Hey, Reese," Tessa tapped the son of Apollo's shoulder, who was still eyeing his squirrely socks disdainfully. "Where's Dale?"

            The blond boy looked up and around, confusion filling his eyes. "I'm not sure, I haven't been able to find her since the party started."

            Instantly, Tessa knew where to find her best friend. Reese realized it too, because his gaze became somber. "Go get her?" He asked, biting his lip.

            Tessa smiled reassuringly. "On it." She nodded and wove her way through the crowd to the staircase.

            She flew up the stairs, the sound of the party still a din as she escalated through the house, until she reached the attic door. Before Tessa opened it, she remembered how she had followed Phobos—in shroud form at the time—on this very path only five months ago. As she swung open the rickety attic door, she half expected to find Dale in her shoes.

            Except she wasn't, and Tessa wasn't sure what outcome would have been worse.

            The daughter of Demeter sat before one of the walls, where a golden laurel wreath hung beneath a plaque dedicated to Mark, their fallen best friend. Even though the attic was dusty and filled with spoils from various battles and quests, this one corner had become a place of solace and pain for not only Dale, but Tessa, Reese, and Kaden as well. It served as the permanent reminder of their one failure, their one mistake on that quest that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

            "You're missing the party," Tessa called out, her voice reverberating through the attic.

            Dale only sighed, fiddling with the ends of her dark braid. "I don't care."

            Tessa sighed, approaching her best friend and sitting down beside her. She looked up at the laurel wreath, their symbol of victory shrouded in failure. "He wouldn't want this, Dale."

            The daughter of Demeter tensed. "I know," She choked out. "But...I can't help it. I feel like each time I come up here, there's just something that strikes me as off about the whole thing."

            Tessa's senses prickled. "What do you mean?"

            "Mark is—was—our best friend, Tessa," Dale explained, her voice fragile. "If he was really dead...I don't know. I think we would have felt it. And I haven't. Have you?"

             Tessa hesitated, but shook her head. "The dreamer in me still thinks he's out there, but the realist in me knows that dwelling on it isn't going to do either of us any favors." She gave a sideways look to her best friend. "That goes for you too."

            Dale turned to look at Tessa, her gold eyes glimmering faintly in the low light. "I miss him." Her voice cracked.

            Tessa pressed her lips into a thin line to keep from crying. "I miss him too, Daley Dear, but...wherever he is, I'm sure he's living the dream."

            "Mark the Great," Dale murmured wistfully. "Off on another adventure."

            Tessa cracked a weak attempt at a smile. She recalled Dale's gift in her sack, and dug it out. The framed picture of herself, Dale, Mark, Kaden, and Reese from the Fourth of July fireworks stared back at her. She showed it to Dale, who only teared up.

            "Would you mind if...?" Dale motioned to Mark's shrine, and Tessa shook her head, a sorrowful smile on her lips.

            Dale plucked the frame from Tessa's grasp and placed it on top of the box nearest Mark's shrine. Both the picture and the shrine were illuminated in moonlight, and Tessa and Dale watched for a moment, paying their respects.

            "We should head down now," Tessa said softly. "Are you ready?"

            Dale took a ragged breath, wiping away a few fallen tears. "I'm ready," She nodded. "How much have I missed?"

            Tessa grinned, and enlightened her best friend on the highlights of the Christmas party. If the girls hadn't been so caught up in catching up, maybe they would have caught the sudden blur of darkness before Mark's shrine as it knocked the photograph face down and then disappeared.

~~

            That night, Tessa didn't dream of sugarplums and fairies. Despite the festivities of the evening, as soon as Tessa had gone to sleep, she succumbed to the dreams that only whisked her away from what she knew.

            A mirage of images flashed before her, and none of them were reassuring. She saw what looked like a Roman-style building, with a dark-haired teenage boy in blood red robes, pacing the marble floors. The vision changed to a barren white room, covered in boxes, before Tessa's dream self was whisked forward through and into a twisting maze, alternating pathways at every turn.

            Finally, Tessa ended up in a bustling city, illuminated in the darkness of night. Music played around street corners, but standing in the middle of the street was Mark Akagi, his dark eyes unseeing.

            Tessa shot awake, breathing heavily. She looked around, confirming that she was still in bed at camp and not in the streets of some city or in the middle of a maze.

            She caught her breath, looking around. Madi, ever the heavy sleeper, wasn't fazed by Tessa's awakening, hardly shifting in her sleep. The cabin was dark, with the only illumination coming from the undersea decorations lining the shelves and windows, and the moonlight filtering in through the window.

            After a moment, Tessa lied back down, but all hopes of sleep were gone. It had been a while since she'd had a foreboding dream, and she didn't like one bit of what she had seen. The images, while hazy, confirmed her various fears.

            Tessa glanced once more at Madi's sleeping figure as she decided on her plan. McKinley wouldn't even know that she'd been gone, right?

            Tessa hopped out of bed and grabbed Tempest, pulling on a hoodie as she made her way out of her cabin and into the chilly December night. Her so-called grace period was ending, but not if she had something to say about it.

            She was Tessa Brennan, daughter of Poseidon, and she would be ready for the nebula bursting into existence around her.