[bellum]

The first thing Tessa heard was the swing music that floated through the air.

Her feet hit the pavement, and as her body adjusted to jumping through time, she scanned her surroundings. Eli leant against the brick wall of the alley they were in, catching his breath. Light still blared from behind them, but as their other friends jumped through the portal, it was hardly noticeable in the broad daylight. Masses of people strolled down the sidewalks at the end of the alley, dressed in the fashion of the decade and proving to Tessa that they definitely were not going to in.

Reese groaned from behind her, and Tessa turned to find the portal closing. "That was a lot more nauseating that I expected it to be."

"Agreed," Eli coughed. "I feel like I've been on a boat in a bad storm."

Tessa took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "I'm sure our senses will adjust as we move," She figured. "We need a gameplan."

Imogen pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a slow inhale of the air around them. She dropped her hand back to her side and despite the queasy look on her face, tried to hold herself together. "I vote we rest first."

"I second that," Eli held up a finger.

Tessa ignored them both, thinking. "We've got to change first, or else it'll be pretty obvious that we don't belong."

"What's wrong with that?" Reese coughed, leaning against the wall and glancing up at the sky.

Kaden gave his best friend a look. "We're in the middle of World War Two. Being seen as an outsider is not exactly something you want to happen."

Reese waved his hand lazily, "Minor details."

"Kaden and Tessa are right," Imogen chimed, glancing at her boyfriend. "We've gotta change and then find Vinny and the relic."

"Hooray," Eli mumbled, pushing off of the wall. "How are we even supposed to find one crusty old relic here?"

Kaden clapped the son of Ahklys on the back. "Guess we'll find out."

Tessa gripped Tempest in her coat pocket for reassurance, the cool sting of the bronze pin spurring her mind to focus. "Let's get moving."

She started forward, and her friends trudged after her. Soon enough, they'd reached the end of the alley, and Tessa was faced with the severity of their situation. Everywhere she looked, she saw people of another time, donning suits and skirts and victory rolls. There were posters of Uncle Sam everywhere, beckoning the young men forward and directing them to the nearest recruitment center. The swing music in the air seemed to intensify the more she focused on it, the background to a nation mobilizing for war.

"Woah," She whispered, her turquoise eyes bugging out a bit.

Kaden gave her a sideways glance, the one he always gave her when he was trying to read her. "What're you thinking, Tess?"

Tessa let go of the breath she'd been holding, watching the old-fashioned cars zip down the streets. "I'm thinking that this might be a little harder than we had originally anticipated."

~~

After the stupor of their presence wore off, Tessa and her friends managed to make their way down the streets of New York City. They attempted to keep their heads down, to stick to the outskirts of the sidewalks as if to blend in with the shadows of the verandas outside shops and restaurants that Tessa didn't recognize. However, people still gave them funny looks, and Tessa prayed to the gods that the walk of shame would end soon.

Eventually, they came across a store and Tessa hadn't been so relieved in her life. She and her friends surged inside, nearly frightening the shopkeeper who'd been reading a magazine behind the counter. The old woman eyed them suspiciously, lowering her paper.

"Can I help you?" She crowed, her eyes darting from each of the demigods before her.

Tessa glanced from her friends back to the old woman. "Just browsing," She flashed the shopkeeper an innocent smile, and with a tired look, the woman returned to her magazine.

Tessa exhaled in relief, but began to file through the racks of clothing that filled the shop. She'd always loved seeing the fashion of the '40s in textbooks and movies and to find that she was in that era, flipping through dresses and skirts and sweaters as if she were shopping in Forever XXI at the mall in her time, was astonishing to say the least.

Imogen padded over to her, a few selections already building in her arms. "Think we'll be able to keep these when we get back?"

Tessa made a face, her eyes still glued to the rack as she flipped through the hangers. "If we could, that'd be the least surprising thing about all of this."

The blonde daughter of Cupid snorted, smirking a bit. "You've got that right."

Tessa allowed a ghost of a smile to encroach upon her lips. After a little while, she managed to find a few options and decided on a short-sleeved blue dress with a flared skirt. Imogen helped her pair it with some black heels and a bright red lipstick and not before long, the two girls were ready.

They approached the woman at the counter, who peered at them from the top of her magazine. With a sigh, she set down her magazine and took the bundles of clothing and accessories from the two girls. "You've got money?"

Tessa's eyes widened. She hadn't exactly thought of that part. Sure, she had money from the 21st century, but it must have looked different in the 40s than it did from her time.

Just as Tessa was beginning to panic, Imogen smiled dazzlingly. "You take drachmas and denarii, right?"

The old woman's eyes glazed over; the effects of charmspeak at their finest. "Yes," She mumbled.

Imogen grinned. "Great!" She dug out a couple Roman coins from the pockets of her jeans and slapped them down on the counter. "This'll cover the boys charges too."

The shopkeeper nodded as if she were in a trance, taking the money and handing the girls their receipts. "Have a nice day."

Tessa, ever impressed, picked up her items and walked towards the dressing rooms with Imogen. "You're a lifesaver."

"To be honest, I didn't know if it'd work until I tried it." Imogen shrugged, walking into a stall.

Tessa snorted, walking into the next stall and shutting the door. "Story of my life."

A few moments later, and Tessa found herself staring at her reflection in the mirror. With the dress, heels, and lipstick on, she looked exactly like one of the girls she'd seen walking down the streets earlier. She'd taken a few spare bobby pins from her pocket and pinned two sections of her hair back, replicating the popular style of the decade; she'd also pinned Tempest in her chocolate locks as well. And somehow, she'd transformed. Of course, Tessa knew that she didn't belong in this time, but with the power of clothing and makeup, no one would be the wiser.

Tessa shook herself out of her reverie, and dug out the pin Amelie had given them before they left. She pinned it to her dress and with a sudden flash of light, Tessa's 21st century clothing on the ground disappeared. To where, she didn't know; she just had to trust that from that point forward, her clothes would magically transform to match the decade.

With a sigh, Tessa emerged from the dressing room, overwhelmed to say the least. Someone cleared their throat, and Tessa looked up, finding her friends dressed and ready to go.

"Took you long enough," Eli teased, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

Tessa shot the white-haired boy a look before returning her gaze to the others. She took them all in for a moment, finding it hard to believe that just moments earlier, they'd been donning jeans and shorts, camp shirts and jackets from a different century. Imogen wore a red dress in a similar style to Tessa's, only her skirt fell loose rather than flared out. Reese wore a sweater with a button-up underneath, as well as simple slacks and dress shoes. Kaden wore a button-up that had its sleeves rolled up, with slacks held up with suspenders. Eli, on the other hand, wore a similar outfit but with a dress jacket and tie.

"Anyone else feel like they're dressed up for Decades Day during a school spirit week?" Kaden joked, standing from where he sat.

The others raised their hands in agreement, but Tessa smiled at her boyfriend. Somehow, he still managed to make vintage clothing work and look good on him, and in all honesty, she could get used to seeing him dressed like this. She must have been staring, because when Tessa met Kaden's emerald gaze, he was smirking like he'd read her mind.

Tessa's cheeks burned as red as her new lipstick, and she tore her gaze from Kaden to her friends. "Ready to go?"

With that, the demigods emerged from the fitting rooms. They nodded goodbye to the woman behind the counter, who still seemed entranced by Imogen's charmspeak, and headed back out into the city.

"What next?" Reese asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Tessa turned to look at him as she walked, smiling. "We blend in." She turned her gaze ahead of her and stopped dead in her tracks.

Walking towards them was none other than Vinny Maxwell, dressed similarly to Reese with his sweater and button-up. He was looking around casually, a swing in his step as he wove through the people before him. He didn't seem to notice Tessa and the others, but it was only a matter of time.

Tessa looked around wildly, and found another alleyway to duck inside of. She hurried towards it, her friends following her lead.

"That was easier than I thought it'd be," Imogen huffed a breath, pressed against the brick wall.

Tessa watched the opening of the alley, and her breath caught in her lungs as Vinny sauntered past, without a care in the world. He walked out of sight, crossing the street, and Tessa waited a few heartbeats before relaxing.

"Come on," She ordered, marching out of the alleyway with a dark look in her eyes.

"How is it that even in heels and a dress, she's still terrifying?" Tessa heard Eli hiss, and a smirk stretched across her lips as she continued forward, marching across the street after the boy she'd once trusted.

~~

"You've gotta be kidding me," Imogen folded her arms, staring up at the marquis above the dance hall. "Why would he go in here?"

The daughter of Cupid had a point. If Vinny was supposedly searching for a relic from ancient times, why would he look in a dance hall of all places?

Music floated out into the street from the hall's open doors, and Tessa could see the couples dancing away on the floor. The music was loud enough that she knew a live band was playing, and maybe it was the whim of being in an era that was long before her time, but even if Vinny had led them astray, she wanted to go dancing.

"Trick of the Mist, maybe?" Kaden figured, his face etched with confusion. "There could be something about this place that we're not seeing."

"Then it's time to find out!" Eli clapped his hands together and was the first to walk into the bouncing dance hall, leaving the others to either go in after or go on without him.

Tessa bit her lip and grabbed Kaden's hand, rushing in after Eli. Instantly, she found herself smiling. She'd been right before; a live band played on the small stage at the back of the room, a spotlight on them as they played swing and jazz music that radiated through the air. Couples of all ages twirled and stepped their way through the dance floor, and while Tessa couldn't see Vinny, she understood why this might be an ideal place to lose his pursuers: it was packed, and Tessa could hardly make out Eli's platinum hair as he wove through the crowd. The perfect place to lose an unwanted visitor.

"So," Kaden drawled, squeezing Tessa's hand. He gave her an impish grin, and Tessa felt her heart flutter. "Feel like dancing?"

Tessa laughed as Kaden escorted her onto the dancefloor. Within minutes, they found the beat of the swing music, and Kaden twirled her around and lifted her up and matched just about every move that they saw executed around them. If Vinny was watching, Tessa guessed that he wouldn't be able to tell the difference from Tessa and Kaden and one of the actual couples moving around them.

Kaden had just spun Tessa out and was about to pull her back in when her eyes locked on a familiar face across the room. There was Vinny, moving his way towards a door in the back of the room. He still had a ways to traverse across the dancefloor, but if they didn't slow him down, their mission would be for nothing.

"There," She spoke as Kaden pulled her back in. "Over by the band."

Kaden knit his eyebrows but scanned the crowd. The realization dawned in his eyes and he looked down at Tessa with urgency. "That's not good." He bit his lip.

"We've gotta slow him down," Tessa said, searching the crowd for Eli, Reese, and Imogen. Her friends were nowhere to be seen, and frustration began to well up within her.

Kaden nodded, running a hand through his hair. "You go find the others, I'll try to slow Vinny down."

"Wait, how?" Tessa started, but Kaden had already pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and was off, weaving his way through the crowd.

Tessa pursed her scarlet lips but made her way through the dancing couples on the floor. Thankfully, she didn't need to search for long. She found Reese, Imogen, and Eli in the corner of the dance hall, scanning the crowd.

"Thank the gods," Tessa exhaled, walking up to them.

"Tessa!" Imogen exclaimed. "Did you find Vinny?"

"Well, in a way," Tessa answered. She gazed back at the crowd, but couldn't find either the traitor or her boyfriend who had some plan to stop him. "But he was moving towards the door in the back of the room. I think that whatever relic is in this era, it's through that door."

"Or it's a trap," Reese chimed glumly.

"That too," Tessa concurred. "But most likely the former."

Eli nodded, his piercing blue eyes locked on some point in the distance. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

Tessa bit her lip. "Kaden's going to set up some sort of distraction, and when he does, we have to see what's behind that door."

As if on cue, the band began to play again, a faster and louder song. In response, the couples and dancers before the stage began to move and jump and spin, creating a Labyrinth of people that Vinny would have a difficult time maneuvering through in time. Tessa searched the stage and saw Kaden ducking off behind a saxophone player, and a moment later, he stood at their side.

"What if it's a bust?" Eli asked as they made their way towards the door.

Tessa didn't answer, she only kept moving. It didn't do well to consider how a plan could fail, especially when you didn't have much to go on for it to succeed.

Reese reached the door first and tried the doorknob, and with a panicked look in his blue eyes, he looked back to the others. "It's locked."

Tessa cursed under her breath, but reached up to snatch Tempest out of her hair. Still in pin form, she crouched down and stuck Tempest through the lock. She wiggled the pin around, and was rewarded with a barely distinct click among the music playing nearby. She stood up, still gripping Tempest, and shoved the door open.

An old wooden staircase stood before them, leading up into some sort of second floor. While Tessa would have preferred to remain in the room of music and light, she didn't exactly have a choice. With a quick breath, she started up the stairs, her friends in her wake.

"So what exactly are we looking for up here?" Eli asked as they walked.

"If it looks old, it's probably what we're looking for." Imogen reasoned from behind Tessa.

Tessa kept a tight grip on Tempest as she climbed the stairs, each footstep of her own and of her friends causing the wood to creak in groan that did nothing to assure her. However, she stepped on the landing at the top of the stairs, where another door waited.

Only this time, it was ajar.

Tessa barged into the room and coughed at the amount of dust that floated into the air. Whatever this room was, some sort of spare room or attic, it looked as if no one had been up there in years. Dust covered boxes and pieces of furniture covered with tarps. Old photographs and paintings lined the walls, and atop dusty shelves sat old antiques and relics.

Her friends filed into the room, searching just about everything they could without stirring up more dust. However, from the sound of it, they were coming up empty.

"This is pointless!" Reese exclaimed. "How are we supposed to know what to look for? All of this is old and dusty."

Tessa approached a leather chest in the corner of the room. Like the rest of the room, it was covered in dust, but had an intricate bronze padlock that shimmered in the dim light. Celestial Bronze.

"Over here!" Tessa called, her eyes still locked on the padlock. She racked her brain, trying to think of how to open it, when an omega flashed on the padlock and Tessa was rewarded with a click of the gears unlocking. The lid popped open a crack, and light gleamed from within.

"Oh, yeah, that's totally it." Imogen noted. She reached forward gingerly, and opened the chest.

Inside the chest, atop heaps of red silk, sat a shimmering silver bow. It resembled a crescent moon, and radiated a sort of power that Tessa had felt before. An old power, an ancient aura, of a young girl with eyes like the full moon.

"Artemis' bow," Reese exhaled in disbelief. "What's this doing here?"

"Who knows?" Tessa asked, blinking away her stupor. She reached inside and grabbed the bow, pulling it out of its box. At the slightest touch, Tessa could feel the power that hummed through the arcs of the weapons; pure moonlight had carved it, and it had seen the expanses of the wilderness that Tessa could only imagine.

She stood, Tempest in one hand and Artemis' bow in the other, and froze when she heard footsteps escalating the stairs. There was only one person who it could be, and even armed with two weapons, Tessa didn't want to face Vinny at a time like this.

No, when she fought him, she'd make sure there was no chance that he could get away.

A blare of light erupted in the room, and Tessa tore her gaze from the door about to open to the portal that had burst into existence before them. The swirling expanse of stars and light was a relief to see, and her friends didn't waste any time jumping through it. Tessa was bringing up the rear when the door to the attic swung open, and Tessa could only see the look on Vinny's face as she descended into time and space: completely calm, aside from a malevolent smile and a deadly glint in his eyes.

As if he'd known that they were there this entire time.