[defendit numerus / safety in numbers]

For a moment, everything was silent. Tessa blinked in amazement and shock at her father, who stood before her for the first time. The tide kept rolling in, and Poseidon only reeled in his fishing line and smiled at Tessa.

"I'm afraid I don't have much time, Tessa," Poseidon said at last. "I wanted to make sure I could speak with you before you departed on your expedition in the morning."

Tessa couldn't find words. Here was her father, after sixteen, nearly seventeen years, for the first time. She had so many questions, so many furies, so many reliefs to express, but she couldn't manage any of them. She simply nodded.

"I know you must have much to share with me, and I promise that one day we will sit down and discuss these matters, but for now, I have a gift for you." Poseidon held a hand out over the water, and a ripple of light soared across the waves. Something glowed in the god of the sea's palm, and the light and seawater materialized into a single bronze bracelet.

"A bracelet," Tessa noted bluntly.

Poseidon's eyes glinted in amusement. "I knew you were perceptive, Thalassa, but not this perceptive." He winked.

Tessa froze. "How'd you know that that's my full name?" She did everything in her power to go by Tessa at school and at camp. Not even Mark or Dale or even Kaden knew her full name.

"I'm your father," Poseidon said. "Of course I know your full name. Besides, it was my idea to name you Thalassa, but I like Tessa for short as well."

Tessa blinked. "It was?"

Poseidon nodded. "It means 'The Sea' in Greek." He looked at her and cleared his throat. "Regardless, yes, this is your gift."

Tessa looked at his outstretched hand cautiously before getting up from her rock and padding over to her father. Slowly, she grabbed the bracelet from his hand and slipped it on her wrist.

"It does not have a name, but like Tempest, this is merely its dormant form." Poseidon reached forward and tapped the bracelet.

Instantly, the bronze grew, spiraling around and around until it had become a shimmering shield, dotted with the same aquamarine gems as Tempest's hilt. Maybe it was a coincidence, but the shield left her sword arm bare, like Tessa subconsciously knew that it would become just that.

"This'll come in handy," Tessa murmured. She tapped the rim of the shield and watched as it shrank back into a bracelet.

Poseidon smiled, although it turned into a grimace as he looked at her longer. "Tessa, there is something you must know about this quest. You are destined for great things, my dear, and this quest is the door to that. However, you will come across great turmoil on your journey. You must not let these weaknesses get to your head, and more so, your heart."

He reached forward and grabbed her shoulder, looking into her eyes sternly. "I am aware of your panics, and of your flaws. I know you are strong, Tessa, one of the strongest heroes I have ever encountered. But while your fatal flaw is ambition, you must not let fear be your weakness. Deimos will use this to his advantage and the Fates have showed me what waits on your journey should you allow his power to overwhelm you."

"I-I won't," Tessa stammered. Her heart was pounding, as if not listening to her father's words.

"Do not trust your dreams," Poseidon urged. "They will only become realities should you allow them to." Thunder rumbled across the clear sky, and Poseidon let out a sigh. "I wish I could say more, but I would go against destiny." He stepped back into the water.

"Wait, father! W-what's my destiny?" Tessa called.

Poseidon looked back at her sorrowfully. His fishing pole glowed and turning into a trident, a shimmering aura surrounding it. "You shall determine that on your own, my dear. Just remember that while the sea is your greatest asset, is not only that. The sea flows through your veins, in your heart. It will do whatever bidding you ask it to."

Tessa nearly stamped her foot in frustration. She just wanted straight answers and now she got this?

She tried to call out to her dad, but before she could, the god of the sea disappeared. Tessa stood on the shore of the Sound with an omen for her future and a bronze bracelet, none of which answered the questions racing through her mind.

~~

Thankfully, Tessa was able to get some sleep after that. She wasn't plagued by nightmare for once, which was nice. Maybe her father had allowed her some peace, seeing as it could essentially be the last time she got any. However, before she knew it, the sun was rising in the East, and Tessa had a quest to embark on.

She got out of bed and took a quick shower, grateful for the newfound energy rippling through her afterwards. She dried her hair, changed into a hooded sweatshirt and jeans with her converse, and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

Mentally, Tessa thanked herself for packing ahead of time because now her pack was filled with spare clothes, a canteen of nectar, a baggie of ambrosia, a full water bottle, mortal money, drachmas, a small first aid kit, some snacks, and a spare dagger—just in case. Tempest would always return to her pocket, but in case she lost it during a fight and needed a quick way out, the Celestial bronze dagger would have to do.

Taking one last sweep of her bedroom, Tessa felt a pang of sadness. She had seen this room each day for three years and now she was leaving for her first trip into the mortal world since she had been brought to camp. Her heart filled with longing, but also excitement, and a little bit of fear. She'd truly be tested now, in the mortal world. This was the time.

Tessa left Cabin Three, forcing herself not to look back as she marched to Half-Blood Hill.

Most of the camp wasn't up yet, and she didn't know what memo she missed, but her four companions plus Chiron stood atop the hill. They looked at her expectantly, like she was holding them up.

Tessa frowned. "Am I late?"

Chiron shook his head. "No, my dear. You are the leader of this quest, after all." He sighed, looking at the opposite side of the hill. A white van was parked at the edge, and the camp security guard, Argus, leant against it. "Argus will take you into the city as far as Penn Station. From there, it's up to you to decide what route you would like to take to reach Deimos."

"But we don't even know where he is!" Reese protested. The son of Apollo was bleary-eyed and messy-haired, like he had just now woken up.

Tessa racked her brain. The only clue she had to where Deimos could be was what Phobos had told her about his brother's last appearance in California. That, and the fact that her dreams took place in a cave.

"We've gotta get to California," she announced.

Mark knit his eyebrows. "What, why California?" Realization dawned upon him and his face fell. "Don't tell me you're actually trusting Lionhead."

Tessa shot a tentative look at Mark before glancing at her companions. Either they were too tired to pay attention or simply didn't care. "It's our only lead so far," she said, readjusting her backpack's strap on her shoulder.

Chiron nodded. "Very well, heroes. Remember that once you are outside of the barrier, you are at the mercy of the gods and monsters. May the Olympians help you on your travels." He sounded like he was reading something out of a death list.

With one last look at the valley behind her, Tessa turned back to her friends. "Come on," she said. "We're burning daylight."

Tessa bounded down the hill, her friends in tow. As soon as the slid into the van and waved goodbye to Chiron, Argus took off, steering down the rural Long Island roads towards New York City.

~~

Before she knew it, Tessa was staring up at Penn Station in New York City. Her friends stood at her side, trying not to become a traffic obstacle for the masses people hustling around them.

"So here we go, huh?" Kaden asked. "What's the plan?"

Tessa took a deep breath. She fiddled with Tempest in its pin form in her pocket. "We find an Amtrak train that'll take us as fair west as possible. Then we'll cross the rest of that bridge when we get to it."

"Wonderful," Dale decided, twisting her fishtail braid. "Let's get going then."

"Woah, guys, hold on." Mark said. He whacked Tessa's shoulder and pointed behind them. "Look."

Tessa knit her eyebrows at the son of Iris but when she turned, she saw it. The Empire State Building towered in the near distance, and it dumbfounded Tessa that they were so close to their parents and their powers but they couldn't see them.

"Olympus," she marveled. She allowed herself a longer gaze before turning back around. "Dale's right, we should move. The five of us can't afford to stay anywhere for too long, remember? Demigod scent."

"And muggers," Kaden figured. "Kidnappers, that sort of thing too."

"Today on The Lives of Teenage Demigods," Reese quipped.

Tessa managed a weak smile. "Come on," She laughed.

The five demigods hurried into the train station, weaving their way around the terminal until they found the Amtrak routes. Took them longer than it should have, what with some of their dyslexia combined with others ADHD. An hour or so later, they stood at the counter, and were already dazed.

Tessa slumped down onto a nearby bench. The masses of people were making her anxious, which she hated to admit. She hadn't dealt with a crowd this bad since before she was at camp, when she lost her mom in the mall on Black Friday. Ever since, large crowds was enough to send Tessa into a small descent into anxiety.

"So who'll buy the tickets?" Mark asked. Tessa's four companions stood in a semicircle before Tessa, looking at her expectantly.

Tessa's head felt heavy from her nerves but she looked up. She took a deep breath and rummaged through her back, pulling out the bag of money. "L-let's just all pitch in enough for our own tickets." She lobbed a wad of cash at Reese. "Take care of the tickets, would you, Hale?"

Reese nodded, but frowned at Tessa in concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah, Tessa, you're looking a little pale," Kaden noted. He took a step closer to her and one look into Tessa's eyes and he knew. The son of Aphrodite turned back to the others. "You guys go get our tickets."

Dale, Mark, and Reese watched them for a moment before departing, heading over to the line at the counter.

Kaden sat beside Tessa. His presence would have sent her nerves into a sensory overload but Tessa managed to keep herself calm.

"Tess? Take a deep breath," Kaden said softly. His voice had an added luster to it, and although Tessa wanted to slap him for using charmspeak on her, she figured she needed it unless she wanted to have an episode.

Tessa took a deep breath, filling her lungs. She continued to inhale and exhale, focusing on the sound of Kaden's lulling voice. After a couple minutes, her head cleared and her heartbeat went back down to a normal pace.

"Better?" Kaden asked. His emerald eyes sparkled, and Tessa realized just how close his face was to hers at that moment.

Tessa nodded. She reached down to the floor, where her backpack sat in between her feet. She grabbed her water bottle out of the side pocket and took a swig. Instantly, the water washed away her nerves. "Better," she confirmed.

Kaden smiled softly. At that moment, Dale sprinted back to them, her cheeks flushed.

Tessa knit her eyebrows, shooting up. "What's wrong?"

Dale took a breath. "We got our tickets but the train leaves in five minutes and the terminal for it is on the opposite side of the station. We gotta go, now." The daughter of Demeter surged forward, expecting Tessa and Kaden to follow.

For a moment, Tessa stared at the nearby clock before everything hit her at once. She swung her backpack onto her shoulders, grabbing Kaden's hand and sprinting off after Dale, her heart racing once more.

They wove through masses of people, and Tessa was grateful for all her combat training in the past three years as she did. It helped her agility, so she didn't end up running into too many angry businessmen and their briefcases or the occasional college student.

A couple turns and staircases later, Tessa, Kaden, and Dale reached their train with two minutes to spare. Reese and Mark stood nervously outside one of the doors, the groups tickets in hand. Upon spotting the others, they sighed in relief.

Tessa slowed to a stop, snatching her ticket from Reese. "That, my friends, is what I call perfect timing." She grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, always on time, we get it. Now move!" Mark pushed Tessa onto the train, their friends in their wake.

They shuffled down the car, finding seats just as the train lurched into motion. Breathing heavily, the demigods crammed their stuff into the overhead compartments and collapsed into seats.

"California here we come," Dale said from beside Tessa.

Tessa nodded, looking out the window as New York City passed by. Soon enough, they were out of the city, and Tessa's home was now officially left behind.

"No turning back now," she muttered, her heart heavy at the prospect of what was to come.