[ad undas / to the waves]

"I swear it looks different on a post card." Reese pressed his hands up against the taxi's windows, trying to get as close to the foggy window as possible. He smudged the condensation away from the glass, peering outside at the city racing past.

Tessa rolled her eyes. It was too early for this. "How about we see if you're right as soon as we're done here?" She suggested, sarcasm laced in her voice. She leant against her window, taking a deep breath.

She and her friends had left their luxurious suite in Los Angeles early in the morning in hopes to reach San Francisco by noon. They'd gotten extra supplies, food, and money from Mr. Akagi before they left, who also had received a vision from Iris that Tessa's brother was somewhere near the Golden Gate. Now, Tessa and her friends sat in a taxi, weaving towards the bridge in the distance.

"Tessa, where are we going again?" Dale asked, nudging the daughter of Poseidon with her knee.

Tessa dug into her pocket, retrieving the crumpled sticky note on which Mr. Akagi had scribbled the only clue they had as to where Tessa's brother could be found. "Pier 39," she reported, looking from Dale to the taxi driver.

"Lovely area!" He exclaimed. "You kids will love it there. Say, why are you five headed here anyway?"

"Don't worry about that, just keep driving." Kaden's voice took on its silky tone, as it always did when he used his charmspeak. He looked distracted though, peering out the windows as if he were looking for something amidst the blurring landscape. Tessa squinted at the son of Aphrodite, aware of the secrets he hid, and wondered what else he could be hiding.

Tessa shook her head softly to herself, forcing her gaze out the window. She tried to focus on the task at hand: find her brother, get information, kick some godly butt. However, the more she thought about what she and her friends were expected to do, the more she felt like she had become Atlas, carrying a burden of another world on her shoulders.

After a little while, the golden pillars rose in the distance, and masses of tourists moved in flocks down the sidewalks of the pier. Music played from some speaker in the distance, and Tessa could hear the muffled sounds of sea lions barking near the docks.

"Here we go, Pier 39," The taxi driver announced. "To your left, you'll see the Golden Gate Bridge. To your right, you'll see...well, a lot of things." He pulled the van along the curb, and the doors on either side slid open.

"Thanks a lot, sir!" Reese said cheerfully, hopping out of the van.

"Not a problem, kid. But..." The taxi driver jerked a thumb to the blinking price on the small screen atop the dashboard. It was a larger figure than Tessa cared to admit but to her surprise, Mark dug out a Ziploc bag filled with cash, and handed the fraction of it necessary over to the driver.

"Where'd you get all that?" Tessa hissed to the son of Iris. Mark's father had given them money to get by, but definitely not that much.

Mark grinned impishly. "Where else? Vegas, baby!" He zipped the bag shut in triumph, stuffing it back into his gray backpack.

Tessa blinked, scampering out of the car. Kaden and Mark joined her, and they congregated with Dale and Reese, who were already trying to find a postcard to compare the gate to in reality.

"Mark, where'd you get all of that money, man?" Reese asked, looking up from his postcard.

Mark held a hand to his heart as if he were touched. "I'll have to enlighten you all on the tales of Mark the Great when all of this nonsense is over with. Now." He clapped his hands together, facing Tessa. "Where can we find this brother of yours?"

Tessa opened her mouth to speak but clamped it shut upon seeing Kaden stare off into the eastern horizon. Something filled his green eyes that she couldn't place, and his face was distorted with what appeared to be longing. Tessa tried to decipher what he was staring at but could only see the green hills in the distance.

"Kaden?" She asked, her voice filled with puzzlement. "You alright?"

The son of Aphrodite blinked, coming back down to Earth. "Yeah," he said, his voice gravelly. "I'm fine."

Tessa wasn't convinced but she took a deep breath. Brother first, Kaden later. "Okay," she continued. "If I were a son of Poseidon, where would I be?"

"Well considering you're a daughter of Poseidon, can't be too hard to figure out," Reese reasoned, folding his arms over his hoodie.

Tessa gave the son of Apollo a look before continuing to scan the pier. Everywhere she looked, she spotted stands of postcards and souvenirs, restaurants, and masses of people. The one building that stood out to her sat right at the entrance of the massive pier, with bright blue displays featuring different sea creatures and tourists climbing the stairs to the entrance. A marquee caught her eye, identifying the building as the Aquarium of the Bay.

Tessa smiled. "There." She pointed to the building and then started forward, her friends in tow.

~~

Tessa both loved and hated the aquarium from the minute she stepped foot into its exhibits. She and the others had dodged the admission stand, filtering into the different exhibits for various creatures. The rooms filled with blue light enchanted her, but the sea creatures behind the glass that constantly called out to her did not.

"Tessa, why do you have a look of absolute horror on your face?" Dale asked, the blue light of one of the exhibits washing over her tanned skin.

The daughter of Poseidon blinked. "They're in my head," she grumbled.

"What are?" Mark asked.

They walked past another tank, this one filled with sea otters. The mammals gaped at Tessa, and instantly, their voices filled her head.

Daughter of the sea god! Lady Thalassa! They chanted in their high pitched voices. Tessa winced and jerked a finger to the fuzzy things swimming about in their tank.

"These are," she replied to Mark, letting her arm fall back to her side.

Slowly, a smirk stretched across the son of Iris' lips. "So if I were to call you the Otter Whisperer—"

"Don't you dare."

"Guys!" Reese interjected. "Focus?"

Tessa took a breath, reaching up to fiddle with the end of her braid. "Right, right," she looked around for anyone that appeared to be a demigod. From the looks of it, no other people were realizing their ability to understand aquatic mammals.

"We've still got a whole other floor to check." Kaden readjusted the strap of his pack on his shoulder. "Let's go."

The group of demigods wove their way through the aquarium, headed for the elevator in the corner. Quickly, they dove inside, slamming the down button before anyone else decided to hop in with them.

"Should we prepare for a fight?" Dale asked, twirling her tube of lipstick around her fingers.

Tessa hesitated, but shook her head. "He won't hurt us, but be on the lookout for any monsters. This area isn't safe for demigods, remember?"

"Yes, it is," Kaden rebuffed, an oddly defensive look on his face. However, the visage was gone as soon as it had been there. "I mean...nowhere's safe for us, right?"

Tessa met his gaze, trying to understand what was making the son of Aphrodite so on edge. "Right," she said after a pause.

The chime of the elevator doors opening shook them all out of their reverie, spitting the demigods out into a labyrinth of glass tunnels. More blue light flooded them, and larger animals like sharks and jellyfish floated around and above the walls. Families and workers wove through the tunnels, making their task even harder.

"So...now what?" Reese asked, exhaling slowly.

Come closer, a voice erupted into Tessa's mind, causing her to jump. She looked around wildly at her friends, who only stared at her in return.

"What?" Dale asked, her eyebrows taut with concern.

"I...I heard a voice." Tessa swallowed the confusion that was choking her, forcing herself to stay calm.

"We've been over this, Otter Whisperer, you can hear different sea creatures," Mark said in mock placation.

"No, not that," Tessa snapped. She stared into the nearest tunnel entrance, the one that would serve as a pathway to view various sharks. She could almost feel the ebb of the sea pulsating through it, like a second heartbeat that Tessa could fall into as easily as her own. "It sounded...it sounded like my father."

We don't have much time, Tessa. Come closer.

Tessa took a breath. "This way," She said, straightening her posture. She started down the glass tunnel, unsure of what exactly she and her friends were looking for.

Then she saw him.

He leant against one of the glass walls, his arms folded over his white lab coat. Glasses rested atop his nose, exemplifying the crystalline sea green eyes of his bloodline. His hair was windswept and as black as the depths of the ocean, unlike Tessa's brunette appearance.

"There you are," he said. "I was beginning to think you thought I was one of the sharks and dismissed me."

Tessa gaped for a moment before shaking herself out of her reverie. "Here I am," she said awkwardly.

He glanced over Tessa's shoulder, where her friends stood, waiting. "I believe I should introduce myself before we get to the fun stuff. My name is Theseus, and I am the son of Poseidon. Now, shall we? I get off of my break in twenty minutes which is hardly enough time to tell you all how to save the world."

~~

Theseus led the demigods down a staff hallway and soon enough they were out into the salty air of San Francisco. He guided them across to one of the railings separating the pier from the waves beneath it. He leant against them, facing the demigods who had followed him in expectant silence.

"Is there a reason why you all are staring at me?" Theseus asked, his sea green eyes filled with puzzlement. Realization dawned on him and he sighed, although a mischievous smirk laced his lips. "I know, I look good for a few thousand years old."

Dale coughed. "Why exactly are you an immortal?"

Theseus waved a hand dismissively. "We can talk about that if you all survive your quest. Now, to the point." He looked out to sea, as if drawing upon its strength to tell them what he had to say. "Deimos is in hiding, I'm sure you all know as much."

"Somewhere near the Redwoods," Reese said.

Theseus nodded. "I pray you're correct. Lately, his attacks have been...weaker. Less people affected, shorter durations. Due to my mortal alias, he hasn't figured that I've been watching him and reporting to my father on what I see." He sighed. "I'm afraid this only bears bad news for you kids."

"Like?" Tessa asked. "We can take it."

Theseus met Tessa's gaze quizzically, and Tessa recognized the same piercing shimmer in Theseus' eyes that people told her she possessed as well. She stared him down full on, and the hero spoke.

"From what I can gather, it seems that Deimos is conserving his strength for you five. Whatever he has in store for you, it will be gruesome. If only some of his energy can cause a riot among mortals, I can only imagine what all of it will do to five half-bloods," Theseus reported, his voice dark.

Tessa took a breath. This wasn't exactly surprising to her, considering what the Nereid had told her about Deimos planning to drown her.

"How can we face him?" Kaden asked, folding his arms. His green eyes were electric with anticipation, his jaw set.

Theseus dragged a hand through his windswept hair. "It is crucial that you all face your fears. Deimos will use them against you and it'll be difficult to fight him if he has the upper hand." He glanced over each of the demigods before him, his vision falling upon Tessa. His visage turned sorrowful, and Tessa's stomach flipped.

"May I speak with you privately, Tessa?" Theseus asked, motioning over to a part of the dock nearby.

Tessa hesitated but nodded, following her immortal brother. As soon as her friends were out of earshot, Theseus spoke.

"Tessa, I have been unfortunate enough to see glimpses of your near future. I sent the nereid to warn you of Deimos' plans, and while you may not fear drowning, you might not be able to fight the fear he plants in your head." His voice was gravelly.

Tessa blinked, a chill running down her spine. "What are you saying?"

Theseus took a deep breath. "I can't tell you, but I can show you."

Tessa knit her eyebrows together in confusion, but as soon as Theseus shut his eyes and grabbed her hand, she was immersed into a montage of visions.

Colors and scenes blurred past her so quickly that she couldn't keep up, until the fog began to clear. She saw herself and her friends standing in front of a waterfall, then the image changed as they all walked down a cavern that looked too much like the one Tessa would walk through in her dreams. The image changed, and Tessa wished it didn't.

She saw herself, riding a wave into battle and wielding Tempest. Her friends seemed to be separated from her, and only Mark was left standing, Dale, Reese, and Kaden lying unmoving around him. Mark's face was frozen as he held his father's katana, like he was listening to a voice that came from someone Tessa couldn't see. Then, the last thing Tessa saw was herself sprawled on the cavern floor, a man with a bloodied knife standing behind her.

Theseus pulled them out of the vision, watching his sister in absolute sorrow.

Tessa's heart stopped, and suddenly the summer air around them turned to a chill. She looked up at her brother in shock, shaking her head slightly. "No, no, that can't be true."

She waited for Theseus to burst into laughter, or for Ashton Kutcher to jump out and announced that she'd been Punk'd, but the immortal hero before her only watched her with a grim disposition. His eyes turned the color of the deep ocean, the color of the chill freezing her heart.

"Maybe there is more to what I have seen, but you have to make sure that you do not attempt to change the future," Theseus responded.

"But my friends and I can try—" Tessa started, but her brother gripped her shoulders, keeping her in place.

"You especially cannot tell your friends. They will only try to protect you from what you must face alone," Theseus said in a low voice.

Tessa bit down on her bottom lip, shaking her head. Tears threatened to fall but she forced them away. She would accept this, and do what she could to see her journey through to its end.

"Fine," Tessa managed, taking a ragged breath. "Is that all you have to tell me or do you have more bad news?"

Theseus shook his head. "That's all." His voice was soft as he let Tessa go.

Tessa nodded, looking at the ocean surrounding them. She tried to draw some strength from it, but the impact of what Theseus had told her prevented her from focusing. Her connection to the water was almost nonexistent, too centered on the waves of fear in her heart.

"Tessa," Theseus said. "I believe in you."

Tessa looked up, and despite the hurricane of thoughts ripping through her mind, she managed to meet the hero's gaze full on. Sea green met sea green, and maybe it was her imagination, but Tessa felt as if her immortal brother was lending her some of his strength through a single look.

She nodded, and made a silent vow to herself. If Deimos was planning to save all of his energy to attack Tessa and her friends, she would only do the same thing. She might now know how the quest would end, but she wouldn't let it end without a fight.

~~

Tessa did what she was told and didn't tell her friends about what Theseus had told her. She made up a lie about more information on how to apprehend his spear of power, and while they were slightly suspicious for a while, they dropped the subject. They managed to find a place to regroup and plan, before heading out to find Deimos the next day.

That night, Tessa snuck out of their room, and headed down to the pool. She hadn't checked the time—it was midnight? One in the morning?—but she knew that no mortal would be around to witness her training.

She dodged staff members and dove past different hallways and corridors until she was outside in the humid summer air. The moon hung above them, a few stars igniting the navy sky. The pool was lit up with underwater lights, turning the water a bright turquoise color, a shade away from Tessa's irises.

With a quick glance over her shoulders, Tessa stood on the edge of the pool. She focused her energy on the water at her feet, feeling the connection between them flare within her. She held a hand out and watched as the water rippled in response to her actions.

Slowly, Tessa rotated her hand until her palm was up, and she willed the water to form an orb in midair. She levitated it with her control and took another breath.

The echo of Theseus' words resonated in her head, causing her to grit her teeth. The orb of water she was manipulating faltered, but with viper-like speed, Tessa slashed her hand through the air and watched as the water spread out into separate orbs. She flexed both of her hands, and with a tug in her gut, the water solidified into icicles, hanging in midair.

Adrenaline, anger, fear, worry fueled her abilities, straining her muscles to keep the control. Tessa pressed her lips into a thin line, and just as the frustration filling her body reached its breaking point, a voice sounded from behind her.

"Can't sleep?"

Tessa jumped, the control on the ice dissolving as the icicles melted into chlorinated water and dropped into the pool below. Tessa almost fell in as well, if not for the sudden hand around hers, pulling her onto solid ground.

She prepared to see the face of an angry caretaker or janitor, but instead, found Kaden. He looked tired, but the sparkle in his eyes was still there. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," Tessa said after a pause. She looked down at the near nonexistent space between them and forced the flush away from her cheeks. "What're you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question," Kaden responded, letting go of Tessa's hand and shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked tense, but calmer than he had seemed earlier that day.

Tessa took a breath, running a hand through her hair. "Just needed some air." She retreated over to a deck chair, flopping down onto it.

"Mind if I join you?" The son of Aphrodite asked, watching Tessa carefully. She nodded, and he walked over to join her on the opposite chair.

"What's keeping you awake?" Tessa asked, facing him.

Kaden sighed, and she noticed him fiddle with the golden ring around his finger that would become his odd sword. "Nightmares," he confessed. "Nothing to worry about."

Tessa nodded. "I wish that was my case."

Kaden knit his eyebrows together. "What's up?"

Tessa bit her lip. Abort mission, Brennan. "Nothing, just...nerves. For tomorrow." She gauged Kaden's reaction, and averted her gaze when she saw he clearly wasn't convinced.

"Come on, Tess, tell me," Kaden said softly, his voice laced with concern. His emerald eyes glimmered in the night, and Tessa realized just how much power Kaden had over her. He didn't need his charmspeak to get her to confess, just one worried look and Tessa's heart would jump over itself at letting him in on any secret she had.

Tessa shook her head softly. She shut her eyes, and the image of Kaden's pale and lifeless face from her vision came to the forefront of her mind. She couldn't risk it, losing him. Or Dale, or Reese, or Mark.

She didn't realize she had burst into tears until she felt Kaden wipe away at her tears, suddenly seated beside her. She blinked her way into clarity, sniffling. "I'm sorry," She stammered, but Kaden only wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest.

Tessa didn't even try to fight. She only buried her face into the crook of Kaden's neck and rode out the remaining sobs she had left in her. Kaden ran his hands soothingly up and down Tessa's back, trying to calm her down.

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this so often." Tessa sniffed, pulling away slightly.

Kaden shook his head, smiling softly as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't apologize for coming to me," he said. "Frankly, that's all I want."

Tessa felt her heart pang. "My coming to you?"

Kaden smiled sheepishly. "It shows that you trust me. I care about you, Tess, I don't want to see you in pain."

You won't be able to considering you'll be gone first. Tessa pushed the thought from her mind. If she let it dwell, it would consume her.

"Whatever is hurting you, Tessa, we'll put an end to it. I know you're stressed about the quest, but it'll be over soon. I believe in us, we can do it," Kaden said, wiping away the last of Tessa's tears with his thumb, ghostly touches on her face. "I believe in you."

Tessa didn't realize just how close her face was to his until she met his gaze. There had to be an inch of space, if not two, between their lips. Tessa felt her cheeks flame, and when she looked up into Kaden's emerald eyes, she saw his vision dart to her lips for a split second.

Slowly, Tessa leaned in, only for her senses to kick in as she heard voices coming from beyond the pool yard. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed Kaden's hand, pulling him to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Kaden whispered. His cheeks were red—out of fluster or frustration, Tessa couldn't tell—but he had let go of Tessa's hand to cover his ring, should he need to use its abilities.

Tessa held a finger to her lips, and strained her ears. The voices seemed to be coming from the opposite side of the wall separating the pool from the street beyond it. It was a small hotel, after all. It made sense for there to only be so much land it could be on.

"What do you mean, you have no idea where the halfbloods are?" A masculine voice asked.

"There are too many of them around here! It's hard to keep track of who we're looking for," A feminine voice responded.

Tessa's eyes widened. She didn't recognize the man's voice, but the woman's rang a terrifying bell; Lamia, the vampiress from Vegas. Tessa met Kaden's gaze and found him in the same state of shock and initiative as she was.

"Bah, that's enough searching for one night. We must return to Deimos, or he'll think we've fled," The man chided, frustration in his voice.

The sound of footsteps receding filled Tessa's ears, and she looked to Kaden quickly. "We've got to follow them. They know where Deimos is." She stood up, only to have Kaden grab her hand.

"Tessa, we can't risk a fight. Do you remember how many mythological figures Deimos has turned? If they lead us to an army, we'll be ambushed," Kaden said, his green eyes electric.

Tessa bit her lip. Her body was surging with the anticipation of wreaking havoc on Deimos and/or his minions, but Kaden had a point. "You're right." She sighed. "But we still have to follow them. No fighting, I promise. But we can at least scout out a way that they're headed and use it to our advantage in the morning."

Kaden weighed the options, and Tessa hoped her face was pleading enough. Mark had often told her she had to resemblance of a seal pup when she wanted something, and she only hoped Kaden wasn't immune to it by now like the son of Iris was. Thankfully, he sighed in defeat. "Okay." He ran a hand through his hair. "But I'm really not in the mood to die tonight."

Tessa grinned and started for the small gate in the fence on the opposite side of the pool. "Us? In mortal danger? What a concept." She winked, and unlatched the door.

Kaden shook his head, laughing slightly as he caught up with Tessa. Together, the two demigods crept out into the streets of San Francisco and took off in the direction of the two villains.