[et in futuro]

Tessa awoke to the sound of crickets chirping. Her eyes fluttered open after what felt like awakening from a century-long slumber, and widened at seeing her surroundings.

She was sprawled along a mountain-side, atop the grass and dirt. Lush green trees grew from the rock, and despite it being the middle of the night, the full moon above and the sky full of stars made for enough illumination. Tessa's eyes adjusted enough to the darkness to see a staggering amount of buildings along the mountain-side; the shape of a city.

Tessa groaned, sitting up. She glanced down at herself and realized that her clothing had changed to match the era; rather than the Victorian dress and jacket of London, she wore a flowing white chiton with a gold band around her waist, connecting to a leather scabbard where Tempest was sheathed. Her dark hair had been pinned up in an intricate style, and with a chill, Tessa realized just where and when she was.

Ancient Greece, the land of gods and monsters from where her bloodline began.

The realization was like a blade of ice, stabbing its way through Tessa's insides. Part of her felt sick to her stomach; how had she come this far? Her head throbbed as if she'd been hit, and the memories of how she'd arrived there came back. The trident in the British Museum, the portal, and now...

Tessa staggered to her feet, filling her lungs with the fresh mountain air. Everything seemed quiet, calm, but there in the silence was the softest sound of footsteps approaching her.

Tessa tried to draw Tempest but it was too late, because by the time the realization dawned on her, a golden blade rested at the base of her neck.

"Hey there, Tessa," Vinny grinned, a malicious look in his sapphire eyes. "Glad you could make it."

The coil of darkness began to slink its way around Tessa's heart at the sight of the traitor, and her hands clenched at their sides, wishing that they were gripping his throat.

"What do you want with me, Vinny?" Tessa spat, attempting to keep her voice level.

Vinny smirked, chuckling under his breath. "Isn't it obvious? You fell right into my trap." He lowered his sword ever so slightly, to where Tessa felt a pinprick of the blade against her collarbone. "You were so convinced that the trident was the third relic, which it was, that you didn't even see the Mist surrounding it. I lured you here."

"I figured that much," Tessa retorted. "But why?"

Vinny glanced around, as if this were nothing but a midnight rendezvous between lovers in the mountains. Tessa fought back the bile rising in her throat at the thought of it.

"You see, Tessa, you're crucial to this plan of mine. Long ago, in the era that we now stand in, an oracle prophesized a destiny for the world and its inhabitants. I heard of this prophecy in the Regiment, and given its advantages, I'm doing everything in my power to make sure it comes true." The son of Victoria explained.

"And the relics have to do with it?" Tessa asked, her heart pounding. She needed to keep him talking, to distract him to the point where she could attack.

"Partially," Vinny responded with a feral grin. "But you'll see about that shortly."

Before Tessa could react, she found herself twisted around, her hands behind her back. Vinny gripped her tightly, with his sword now a dagger pressed against her neck.

"Walk down the mountain, I'll guide you." He said in her ear, making Tessa cringe. "Or I send some...allies of mine back to the British Museum to take care of your friends."

Tessa's eyes widened in horror and her heart stopped within her chest. However, despite her fear, she set her jaw and marched forward, in the arms of a traitor.

~~

Gravel morphed into stone after a half hour of walking, and Tessa felt a flare of relief erupt in her chest. She looked around, trying to see in the darkness, and made out the shape of a small temple with a curved dome, surrounded by walls forming rings around it.

"Where are we?" Tessa asked, her voice soft.

"I'm glad you asked," Vinny drawled from behind her. He shoved her forward, to where she fell atop the steps leading up to the temple. "Behold the temple of Delphi, home to the Oracle."

Tessa felt her blood run cold within her veins, shivers spider-walking down her spine. She'd seen pictures of the temple before, but it had been decrepit and in ruins from millennia passing by. But now, Tessa knelt at its base in a time where it had been the glory of those seeking to know their fate.

And Tessa got a feeling that she was about to find out her own.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to her feet and turning to face Vinny, only a few feet away with his sword drawn. "Alright, here I am. Get on with it."

Vinny folded his arms, watching her in amusement. "You think you can tell me what to do?"

Tessa's lips curled up into a serpentine smile. "I think that if you don't do what you came here to do, I'll rip you to pieces."

Vinny chuckled, stalking forward. He reached up and gripped Tessa's chin, jerking her face forward. "Oh, Tessa," He taunted. "Don't you know that this is all about you?"

Tessa's irises widened ever so slightly. "What do you mean?"

"All of it," Vinny motioned around with his sword-arm. "Your quest with Deimos, your fight with the Regiment, it's all connected. Believe me, the Regiment didn't want you on their side because they thought you were powerful. No, you're destined for something that you can't imagine, something that I'm going to change.

"Now here's what you're going to do," Vinny continued, pushing Tessa back towards the temple. "You're going to march up there and summon the spirit of the Oracle with the relics. She'll tell you the Great Prophecy, and then you're going to watch as I open and maintain the portals of Orion."

"And if I don't?" Tessa asked.

"Then I kill your friends." Vinny's eyes flashed with darkness.

Tessa took a slow breath, trying to spur her focus. "What could you possibly want with the portals?"

Vinny grinned. "You'll see," He drawled. "Now go."

Tessa narrowed her eyes at the traitor before her, but found herself marching up the steps to the temple. The platform was fairly small, only about fifteen feet in diameter and surrounded by pillars leading up to the dome above. Scattered around Tessa's feet were drachmas and other offerings to the goddess; no doubt sacrifices that commoners and halfbloods could make to hear their fate.

Tessa took a deep breath. Vinny had given her an ultimatum that she couldn't fight; if she didn't obey his word, he'd kill her friends. Even though she knew that her friends could take him, she didn't want to risk any surprises and be the cause for her friends' demise.

But there was something else sparking to life within Tessa, a feeling that took over her whenever she had something to prove. Her ambition, her desperation and obligation to be the greatest there ever was, shone through, overshadowing her worries and fears. If she was truly destined for something great, this was as good a time as any to hear it.

With a heavy heart, Tessa drew out the pin that had become Artemis' bow. Now in its original era, the bow elongated into its natural state, shimmering in the moonlight. She held it out, and waited.

A hiss like a thousand snakes erupted into existence, and the green smoke that embodied the Oracle herself began to flow in plumes around the temple. In the haze, Tessa could see a figure walking towards her; the Pythia, or Oracle.

The Oracle was a young woman, with black hair that was pinned up in a similar fashion to Tessa's. She wore robes of white and violet that flowed around her figure as if they had minds of their own. Her eyes were a bright gray, and they stared sternly at Tessa.

"Thalassa Brennan," The Oracle spoke, her voice in harmony with the faint hissing of snakes. "You seek my guidance at last."

Tessa inhaled, meeting the Oracle's gaze as she held out her hand. "I present to you the bow of Artemis as collateral for a prophecy."

The Oracle arched a dark eyebrow. "My, my, where did you get that?" She eyed the bow, but nodded. "Very well."

Tessa felt her heart constrict within her chest, as if actual snakes were twisting around her vitals. She watched as the Oracle spread her hands, and the green smoke around her began to pillow. Her eyes began to shine, and a resonation like a hum in the earth began to vibrate at Tessa's feet.

"I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach seeker, and ask." Came the Oracle's voice.

Tessa took a deep breath. "Show me the Great Prophecy."

A bright light began to shine from around the Oracle, as if a new dawn was forming behind her. Tessa held up a hand to shield her eyes, but found herself entranced as the Oracle spoke. "Out of the depths, a half-blood shall rise and become the key to the ancient ones' demise. And see the turn of eras new and old, defeat the traitors of bronze and gold. Or witness the world in smoke and flame, accept thy darkness, accept thy name."

The green smoke began to dissipate, and the Oracle's eyes faded to their normal color. She seemed a bit out of breath, and she took a moment to recover herself. The light behind her kept blazing and blazing as the Oracle dissolved into green smoke, and Tessa found herself staring at the portal now erupting into existence, and at her friends emerging through it.

"No!" Vinny roared from behind Tessa. The daughter of Poseidon whirled around to find the traitor stamping up the steps, his golden blade drawn. "I said I'd kill your friends but I can make an exception for you as well!"

Tessa staggered back, too shell-shocked from hearing her fate to draw her weapon. However, as Vinny's blade neared, another golden sword deflected it.

"Get away from her," Kaden growled, a blazing inferno in his green irises. He shoved Vinny away, slashing at him.

Tessa blinked away her daze, and despite her trembling hands, she drew Tempest. She looked around wildly and spotted Imogen, Reese, and Eli hurrying towards them as well, all wearing the fashion of Ancient Greece. However, plumes of smoke erupted before they could reach the temple's base, and they found themselves fighting a squadron of monsters.

Vinny kicked Kaden to the ground, and dashed away, shouting something in Latin as he waved his hands frantically. Tessa hoped that whatever he was saying was old for 'I surrender!' but she helped Kaden up before going after him.

"What's he saying?" Tessa asked, searching her boyfriend's morbid gaze.

"He's opening a portal," Kaden said, his words rushed. "We have to stop him."

Tessa's eyes widened, and she searched the platform of the temple for Artemis' bow, but found it nowhere in sight. She cursed under her breath, the realization of Vinny's ultimate plan now hitting her.

"It was all a trick," Tessa exclaimed as she and Kaden started after Vinny, who was now standing before a growing spiral of magic. "He knew that we'd try and find the relics to stop him, when all that it'd do is help him out. We practically stole them for him."

"And now he's going to use them to sustain the portals," Kaden cursed. "But why?"

Tessa shook her head, but explained to him everything that Vinny had told her. She told him about the prophecy, and how he'd use the portals as a way to change its course. And now that he was opening them and sustaining them once again...

"How do we stop him?" Kaden asked as they ran.

Tessa didn't answer, but as the spiral of light loomed closer, she only prayed that they would be able to find a way. Or else just like the heroes of old, they'd be nothing but a streak of godly blood on the ruins of a temple, eroded by time into the myths that had created them.