[guadia certaminis / the joys of battle]

Well, that makes a lot more sense, Tessa thought to herself. Her sea green eyes softened as she looked upon the goddess sitting before her, smiling at her and Kaden as if they weren't apart of some mythological mess.

Aphrodite's eyes flickered to their joined hands, and her kaleidoscopic eyes glinted mischievously. She looked up at her son. "Well, looks like all of those prayers paid off, Kaden." She winked.

Kaden stiffened. "Mother, with all due respect, not the time."

Aphrodite waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh, hush." She shook her head. "We've got some time before you all are supposed to go. Let's chat." She glanced to Tessa and grinned. "I'm glad Kaden has found you, dear. He carries a lot of weight on his shoulders from his past and—"

Kaden coughed, interjecting his mother. "Elle ne sait pas de cela."

Tessa's head whipped to the side so quickly at hearing Kaden slip into French. It took her a moment in that circumstance of utter weird to realize that it was the language of love, so it would make sense for Kaden to speak it fluently.

Aphrodite made a face. "Vous deves lui dire bientot, Kaden. Cela va vous deranger plus tard. Surtout si vous allez a la Californie."

Kaden opened his mouth to speak but Tessa cut him off. She looked straight at the goddess sitting before her. "Kaden told us that you could offer us transport to California. Is that true?"

Aphrodite's eyes glimmered with something Tessa couldn't place, and she hoped that she hadn't angered their only chance west. Thankfully, Aphrodite smiled. "Of course," she said sunnily. "One of my personal chauffeurs—oh, he doesn't know who I am in actuality, though—will be outside momentarily. He'll take you to California, to one of my other favorite places to stay while off Olympus."

Tessa blinked. That was easier than expected. "Thank you," she said.

Aphrodite straightened out the fabric of her dress, despite there being no wrinkles or folds where they didn't belong. "Not a problem, dear, I quite enjoy helping demigods. Especially if one of them is my child." She looked back up, and her visage changed slightly—almost sorrowful.

"Is something wrong?" Tessa asked softly.

Aphrodite took a breath. She glanced around the room, although the three of them were the only people in the cove. "Zeus has forbidden us to offer much aid to you five, but I can't keep this to myself any longer. There is a spy at Camp Half-Blood, waiting to do Deimos' bidding. I do not know who, no one does, but while you do not have a deadline on this quest, I urge you to finish within this next week. It is best that Deimos and his cohorts do not get that much leisure to wreak havoc."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop and Tessa half expected her breath to crystallize as she let go of one. "What else is new?" She cracked a weak smile.

Aphrodite matched her disposition, and her crystalline eyes turned gray. "Tessa, there is something else," she whispered. "Your mother. She's alive."

Tessa felt as if someone had pulled out the floor from under her. She felt far away, like she was falling, she was drowning in this truth that she somehow believed to be a lie. She had seen her house explode, the army of monsters breaking into it. There was no way her mother could have survived that, as much as Tessa wanted her to.

She couldn't breathe, couldn't challenge the words of the goddess who had confessed. She looked up at Kaden desperately, and back to his mother. Then, the curtain was ripped open by Reese, his bow in his hand.

"Kaden, Tessa, we've got to go. Now," he said desperately. He glanced over their shoulders at Aphrodite, and gave a little wave, as if this wasn't the first time he'd met the goddess of love. Then he turned his attention back to Tessa and Kaden, his disposition grave.

Tessa took a ragged breath. "Why? What's wrong?" Her head felt like it was on the verge of exploding from everything happening at once.

A scream ripped out from the crowd as people began to flock to the exits. Among them, Dale and Mark headed towards them, weapons at the ready.

"That's our cue to leave." Kaden breathed. He turned back to Aphrodite, only to find that the goddess had disappeared.

Another scream from the crowd and Tessa felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her veins, clearing her head if only for a few moments. In that time, she pulled Tempest from her hair, elongating as it turned into a sword. She didn't care that she was in a dress and heels, she'd take care of whatever the hell had the gall to make her night that much worse.

"I've missed fighting." She tilted her head from side to side, swinging Tempest in practice as she stalked out of the cove, a predator in search for her prey.

The ballroom had cleared in record time, save the six black mastiffs prowling the glittering floor. They seemed to be sniffing around, looking for a tasty demigod treat. At Tessa's presence, they looked up and snarled, blood red eyes glowing.

Tessa met their gaze, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. The sound of a shuffle behind her alerted her to her friends arrival, but she didn't dare look behind her. Instead, she lifted Tempest and charged the nearest hellhound.

The beast roared, leaping for her. Tessa didn't miss a beat, jabbing Tempest into its belly. The monster disappeared into gold dust, and she didn't so much as blink. Another one sprinted towards her, but she leapt out of the way and swiped at it, cutting through its hide.

The hellhound leaped for her and Tessa rolled out of the way, coming up in a kneel as she swung Tempest, disintegrating yet another monster. She took a breath, scanning the ballroom, which had turned into a battlefield.

Her friends, still donning their formal wear, fought away at their own hellhounds, swiping and stabbing and shooting. Kaden swung his odd golden sword into the heart of one monster, his emerald eyes ablaze with fighting fury. Reese fired his arrows at one of the hounds sprinting around the room, trying to pin it down. Dale and Mark stood back to back, hacking and slashing at the two hellhounds darting around them.

Tessa stood, trying to decide who to help, when a voice sounded from behind her.

"Oh, don't harm the poor little puppies. They're just here to play," A voice purred from the doorway into the ballroom.

Tessa whirled around, Tempest at the ready. A slender woman was draped against the doorway, a blood red gown on her figure. Her skin was lily white, and her hair was as dark as the night sky. Something tickled Tessa's brain as she looked upon her, but couldn't place it.

"Who are you?" Tessa asked carefully. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, but she couldn't move her feet.

The woman clicked her tongue in shame. "Tsk, tsk, Tessa. You know who I am." She grinned maliciously, revealing elongated canines.

Tessa's eyes widened. She's a vampire.

Suddenly, the fog cleared. Tessa remembered her dream from the other night, with the woman in the alley, whose mouth was covered in blood. It was a perfect match. Only now she had a vampiress to deal with, and she didn't have any holy water or garlic.

Tessa decided to play dumb, though. She narrowed her eyes in contemplation, then made a big show of realizing it. "Oh my gods! I think I was you for Halloween when I was six. Don't you belong in the costume section of Party City?"

The vampiress's dark eyes glinted in malevolence. "While I normally hunt men, I think I'll make an exception for such an insolent female halfblood such as yourself."

Tessa spread her hands, Tempest shimmering in the low light of the ballroom. "While I normally kill intimidating monsters, I think I'll make an exception for such an excuse of a Halloween character."

The vampiress bared her fangs and charged Tessa. Thankfully, Tessa was able to leap out of the way at the last second, sending her attacker directly into the bar. She whirled around to alert her friends.

"Guys, we gotta go!" Tessa shouted. She backed away carefully from Lamia, who was slowly recovering from her daze.

"Woah, Tessa, who's your friend?" Mark noted, pointing to the vampiress.

"Oh, you know, Lamia, mythological vampire who hunts and kills men," Tessa mused, grabbing the son of Iris' wrist and dragging him away.

"Never mind, then," Mark said quickly, then turned and called out to Reese and Kaden. "Oy! Sunny, Lover Boy! Time to go!" 

Reese and Kaden knit their eyebrows and quickly got rid of the last hellhound. They followed Mark's gaze and quickly got the message. However, Lamia was faster.

In half a second, Lamia had somehow recovered and had Reese pressed against the wall. "Son of Apollo, hmm?" She purred. "You have your father's good looks." She dragged a red nail down Reese's cheek, and the poor guy could only mouth help.

Tessa started to move, but across the room, Dale looked about ready to burst into flames. She threw out her free hand, and the large potted plant outside the ballroom flew in at the daughter of Demeter's command, stretching and growing out of its constraints. Vines and flowers wrapped around the vampiress, tossing her into the corner of the room.

"Thanks." Reese breathed. He stared at Dale with a new sort of awe in his eyes, and for the first time, Dale didn't bother to look at the boy she admired. She simply grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to meet Mark, Kaden, and Tessa.

"Let's go," The daughter of Demeter said with urgency. "Before she breaks free."

"What about our stuff?" Mark asked. "We'll be without supplies."

Tessa cursed. Would they have enough time to go to their rooms and grab their things, then escape without encountering Lamia again? "I'll go," she said.

"I'll go with you," Reese nocked an arrow. "She's targeted us both, so its best the others go to find our ride."

Tessa nodded, too frazzled to argue. She met Kaden's gaze, and he simply nodded, his emerald eyes glimmering with initiative. Together, he, Mark, and Dale sprinted off.

Tessa looked up at Reese. "Shall we?" ]

Reese fired an arrow at the writhing vampiress for good measure. "We shall."

Together, she and Reese took off for their rooms before the bloodthirsty woman before them was freed. They sprinted down the hallway, filled with panicking mortals and staff workers. They reached the elevator and dove inside, stabbing at their floor's button.

"How do we defeat her?" Reese asked, his blue eyes ablaze.

Tessa shook her head. "No idea, to be quite honest." She rested against the wall of the elevator. Her head was pulsing as if it had a heartbeat of its own, a migraine in formation. She couldn't deal with this right now.

"Well, fabulous." Reese ran a hand through his blonde hair. They were the oddest duo at the moment, Tessa realized. Both in dress clothes, both frazzled, both wielding weapons that didn't belong in this century.

The elevator doors opened and Tessa and Reese didn't miss a beat. They sprinted out, heading their own ways to grab their stuff.

Tessa bolted to hers and Dale's room, swiping her keycard and dashing in. Thankfully, she and Dale left everything in their backpacks, which made things so much easier. She swung their packs over her back, and made a point to jack some of the complimentary lotions and soaps from the bathroom while she was at it.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she sprinted out of her room, mentally complaining with every step at the backpacks flailing around over her shoulders. She was strong enough to carry them, but her ego was wounded at resembling a turtle in a party dress at the moment.

Reese darted into view, three backpacks over his shoulders. "Ready?" He asked, taking a breath.

"I'm afraid you both aren't going anywhere."

 Lamia's voice stopped Tessa and Reese in their tracks. They turned, and there she stood at the end of the hallway, her eyes burning with a malicious flame.

"You really have to stop underestimating us," Tessa noted. She grabbed Reese's wrist with her free hand and together, they bolted down the opposite direction.

"You can run but you can't hide, halfbloods!" Lamia taunted from behind them.

Tessa and Reese dashed through the labyrinth that was their floor until finally, they reached the maintenance stairs. They flew down them, nearly collapsing from the added weight on their backs.

"Think the others found our ride?" Reese panted from beside Tessa. They passed another floor, heading down another set of stairs.

"They better have or I'm going to be seriously angry," Tessa said between wheezes.

They continued down the stairs until they finally reached the ground level. Tessa didn't know where Lamia was or to what extent her abilities grew, but she kept running. She and Reese reached the lobby and bolted out into the Las Vegas night, searching desperately for their friends.

"There!" Reese yelled. He pointed across the street, where a limousine was waiting, with Kaden pacing outside of it. They ran for it, dashing in between oncoming cars.

Kaden looked up at their arrival and mouthed a prayer of thanks to the gods. "I was getting worried." 

"So were we." Tessa paused and took a breath. "Mind if we join you three?"

She didn't wait for an answer. Tessa swung open the door, diving onto the leather seats inside. She chucked Dale's backpack at its owner, letting her own sit on the ground as she shut her eyes.

Kaden and Reese slid inside, and as the door shut behind them, the limo pulled into the street. Tessa didn't rest until the hotel and the vampiress wandering around inside had disappeared into the horizon.

~~

When Tessa woke up, she was met with an ocean view, which seriously surprised her. The proximity to the sea sent energy into her veins, waking her up entirely. She pushed the plush white covers off of her, padding to the window and looking outside of it.

The Pacific Ocean shimmered in the morning light, and surfers and swimmers and suntanners dotted the stretches of beach below her window. What looked to be an outdoor restaurant spread out before the pavilion met the sand, and Tessa noted she must have been in the other hotel Aphrodite mentioned.

She whirled around in confusion, looking for her friends. Her backpack was sitting at the foot of her bed, Tempest leaning against it. She was dressed in a plush white robe with a hotel insignia on it, her dress from Las Vegas hung over the side of a chair. The other bed in the room was made, although Dale's backpack rested against the pillows.

Tessa dug out her clothes from her backpack, slipping into some shorts and a camp t-shirt. If she imagined hard enough, she could pretend that with the distant crash of waves and the emptiness of her room, she was back at camp. The thought made her heart ache more so than it had already been hurting.

She stuck Tempest into her pocket, slipping on her shoes and nearly freezing as she heard voices. She followed the sound cautiously to a door, pushing it open and nearly letting her jaw drop.

She found herself in the center of a massive suite, with ceiling to floor windows along one wall. A fireplace sat along the wall with the front door, a set of sofas and chairs across from it. In the distance, around a lavish gray dining table, were Kaden, Dale, and Reese. Mark was nowhere to be found, which puzzled Tessa.

Kaden looked up at Tessa, smiling warmly. "She lives," he noted, getting Reese and Dale's attention. "How'd you sleep?"

Tessa blinked, padding slowly into the room. "Well," she managed. "How'd we get here should be the better question."

Dale grabbed a water bottle from the counter and tossed it to Tessa, who caught in midair. "Kaden's ride got us all the way to Los Angeles, like Aphrodite promised. At mention of her mortal name, management gave us the presidential suite. You were asleep the whole time."

"Ah, that explains it," Tessa said jokingly. She took a sip from her water bottle, feeling her energy reserves strengthen. "Where's Mark?"

"Talking to his dad." Reese shrugged, heading into what looked to be the bathroom. The door shut behind him, so Tessa turned to Dale and Kaden.

"Mark's dad is here?" She asked in astonishment.

Kaden nodded, flopping down onto the sofa. "Yep." He exhaled. "He's the owner of the hotel, so that's half of the reason why we got this suite. We got here pretty early in the morning though, so he summoned Mark about an hour ago though."

Tessa ran a hand through her hair. "Alright, that's new," she noted. She crossed over to the dining table, where a map of California was spread out. "What's our plan of attack?"

Dale joined her, shrugging. "Good news, we can end the quest as soon as possible. Bad news, Deimos is farther than we thought."

Tessa looked at the daughter of Demeter in bewilderment. "What? He was in Redwood National Park."

Dale nodded. "Yeah, well, that's a lot further north than we had hoped. It's nearly a ten-hour drive."

"So we need another ride," Kaden added. "Which is annoyingly becoming a theme in this quest."

Tessa stared at the map. "We'll have to figure something out, then." 

Before anyone could say otherwise, the door to the suite opened. Mark trudged in, his eyes blank. He looked up, nodding in greeting. "Hey guys," he said glumly.

Tessa knit her eyebrows. "Mark, what's up?"

The son of Iris shrugged. "Oh, you know, the usual. Met with my father, nearly died last night, I won money at a casino before I was ripped away from it." He shot a look at Dale, who pretended not to see it.

Kaden blinked. "You what?"

Mark waved a hand in dismissal. "I'll explain later. But as of now, my father's sending us to breakfast. He's also invited us to dinner tomorrow night, so unfortunately, we'll have to postpone our happy fun questing times to after tomorrow."

"I'm fine with that." Tessa put her hands up in mock surrender. "Postponing possible death? Count me in."

Mark ran a hand through his dark hair. He trudged over to Kaden, flopping down on an armchair and turning on the TV. However, what filled the screen was enough to silence the other demigods.

"Another mass panic attack has occurred in San Francisco just this morning. Multiple people were injured in the riot, but no fatalities. Experts are scrambling to try and figure out what could be behind all of this madness—" The newscaster said, but was cut off as Mark hastily shut off the TV.

Tessa felt her heart stop. She stared at the dark screen of the TV, replaying the words in her head. Deimos was moving south, closer to them...as if he knew they were there.

~~

The rest of the day flew by, and Tessa hardly spoke for most of it. She had too much on her plate, and if she didn't resolve her stress somehow, she'd burst into flames.

She stared at the ceiling of hers and Dale's room, trying to focus on the distant sound of waves crashing outside. She couldn't sleep, didn't want to in all honesty. Not when there were so many thoughts running through her head.

Firstly, they had decided how to apprehend Deimos' source of power. They'd send in one or two people as bait, and take on the god of panic head on. Then, the other three would blitz in and steal the spear of power. Or something like that, at least. All that would come to Tessa's mind as she discussed was her awful nightmare of walking down the cavern, and she'd zone out.

Secondly, the god in question was moving south from where he had been these past couple days. The only valid reason as to why had to be that he was trying to intercept the demigods, there couldn't be any other reason. It scared Tessa right to the bone, and she found herself cursing Phobos's name for sending her on this mission.

Thirdly, and most stressful of all, Aphrodite's news that Tessa's mother was still alive. The goddess of love's words still reverberated in Tessa's mind, doubts and possibilities fusing together around them. If her mother was alive, where was she? How had she survived? So many questions ripped through Tessa's mind, and as she dwelled on the subject, she gave herself another migraine.

Tessa suppressed a groan, sitting up in bed. Dale turned in her sleep, and Tessa carefully crept out of bed to grab some water from the kitchenette in the suite. However, as she made to leave her room, voices made her stop in her tracks.

"Now would be the worst possible time to tell her, bro," Reese's said, his voice hushed. "Tessa's already stressed out, it wouldn't end well for either of you."

Tessa had half a mind to barge in there and wonder what Reese was doing talking about her, but found herself listening. Her heart began to pound in her chest.

"I know, I know, it's just...I look at her and I'm just amazed by how incredible she is. She's so powerful and beautiful and I just wish she could give herself some credit for bearing the weight of this quest on her shoulders. I want to be there for her, to comfort her, but..." Kaden groaned in exasperation.

"But, Tessa's strong enough to take care of herself." Reese countered.

"You're supposed to be helping me, Reese." Kaden huffed.

"I am," Reese said. "I'm telling you to not tell her how you feel until we get back to camp. Tessa's got a lot on her plate, it'll be better for both of you if you wait."

Silence.

"Do you think she feels the same about me?" The softness and innocence in Kaden's voice made Tessa's heart swell.

"Dude, have you seen the way she looks at you? You both just...fit together. You make each other happy," Reese said, clapping his best friend on the shoulder.

"Thanks, man," Kaden said.

"No problem." Reese yawned. "Now I'm gonna crash. You staying up?"

"Yeah, I've gotta gather my thoughts. Night," Kaden said softly.

"See you in the morning."

The sound of Reese getting up and heading across the suite to the boys' room filled the air, and Tessa had to wait a couple minutes to gather her own thoughts.

Kaden liked her. Kaden felt the same way about her that she did about him. But she couldn't let him know that she knew. Nope, she needed a plan.

After five minutes passed, Tessa hobbled into the central part of the suite. She passed Kaden and grabbed a water bottle from the kitchenette, turning and acknowledging him. "Hi," she whispered. "Did I wake you?"

Kaden shook his head. "I've been up for a while," he whispered back.

"You and me both," Tessa sighed. She ran a hand through her hair, taking another sip of the water. She crossed to join him on the sofa, sitting a reasonable distance from him. "I keep thinking about everything."

Kaden laughed wryly under his breath. "Tell me about it."

Tessa met his gaze, and found that something darker was in his eyes. She remembered all of the times that Kaden had looked like he hadn't been sleeping, when he came to her cabin that night after having a nightmare, and how he had screamed at Phobos's torture, shouting out names like Kassie and Landon.

"Kaden," she said softly, getting his attention. "Tell me the truth. What's been keeping you up? If you don't mind my asking...who's Landon?"

Kaden pressed his lips together. His eyes became faraway and glassy, and he sniffed. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you'd think...I don't know what you'd think but—" His voice cracked and Tessa felt her heart break.

On a limb, she reached out and rested her hand over his. "Kaden," she repeated softly. "Try me." She smiled weakly.

Kaden searched her eyes, his green eyes red and glassy. He took a shaky breath. "It's just...Kassie's the only family I've got left, Tess. I haven't told anyone this, not even Reese, but...when I was younger, before I got to camp, my dad and little brother died.

"Kassie was away at some friend's house for winter break, so my dad took me and Landon for a drive on one of the country roads. Everything was going great, we were listening to music and joking around, until an animal darted out in front of us. The car swerved and flipped over, skidding for a couple feet. I remember having a really bad headache, but other than that, I felt fine. I tried calling for my dad and Landon but they..." Kaden took a shaky breath, tears slipping down his face.

Tessa reached up quickly, brushing away his tears. "I'm so sorry, Kaden. I had no idea." Her heart broke at seeing him cry. It hurt her very being.

Kaden shook his head. "That's when Aphrodite claimed me and Kassie. She sent us..." He paused for a moment. "We went different ways. I went to camp, and Kassie joined the Hunters. Every now and then, I dream about that night, and I wish there was something I could have done to save them."

Tessa flashed back to seeing her house erupt into flames, and understood what Kaden was feeling.

Kaden turned to face Tessa. "I know that this quest is dangerous, Tess. I know. But I don't want anyone to die. I won't let that happen and I know you won't either. I can't lose anyone else." He reached up to cup her cheek and Tessa had to fight leaning into his touch. "I can't lose you."

Tessa felt her heart skip a beat. She debated coming clean to Kaden, confessing her feelings for him right then and there, but decided that they both needed solace for now. "I'm not going anywhere. And if I do find myself with a one way ticked to the Underworld, I'm sure my uncle can pull a few strings." She winked.

Kaden laughed through his tears. He wiped away the remaining droplets, smiling at Tessa. "You, Tessa Brennan, are truly one of a kind."

Tessa smiled. She and Kaden stayed up for about another hour, and they both found themselves tossing the remote back and forth, telling one another about random things from their lives to cheer themselves up. However, what Tessa remembered most about that night was falling asleep on the sofa beside Kaden, and for the first time in a long time, no nightmares came to torment her.