[ad victoriam / to victory]

Tessa dashed to her cabin, her heart racing. As soon as her vision landed on the seastone building, she sped up, not even breaking a sweat. She ran on pure adrenaline, she finally had a lead.

She left the door wide open, not caring to close it as she bolted to her desk, where the books were sprawled. Instantly, she flipped through the pages, and the image of Phobos and Deimos, the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite stared back up at her from the pages. How had she not registered it before?

She didn't know about Deimos, but Phobos, the god of fear, was often represented by a lion. When he had shown her his shield up in the attic, the lion must have been the one hint that he could give her as to his identity. The dream she had had that night must have been Zeus and Ares, Phobos' father, but why was she being shown that? And what was Phobos trying to get her to do?

Possibilities rammed into one another in her head, her brain becoming an accelerator for the particles of thoughts. Fusions and starbursts of queries resulted in a migraine for her. She groaned and sat down on her bed. Images began to flash through her head of the Olympian throne room, thunder rumbling as two gods shouted at one another.

"Tessa?"

Through the war waging on in her head, Tessa looked up at the door. Kaden stood in the doorway, concern etched onto his face. Of course he followed her, she had bolted off without a second glance.

"Are you alright? You just took off," he said, biting his lip.

Tessa managed a nod. "Yeah, it's just...I know who the shroud is. It's Phobos, the god of fear. Your half-brother, actually." 

Kaden frowned. "What's he doing at Camp Half-Blood then?" 

Tessa shrugged. She felt the headache begin to ebb, and she sighed in relief. "Not a clue," she said. "But considering the fact that I know who he is now, he'll have to turn up again."

Kaden nodded, his eyebrows knit together in thought.

Tessa's lips quirked up. She found it cute how he would squint his eyes slightly and stare off into the distance whenever he was working something out like a battle strategy or in this case, motives for a minor god to appear to a demigod.

He glanced up, meeting Tessa's gaze and smiling. "Well, if Phobos is connected to the shield, how does that explain the explosion?"

Tessa shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure yet. But once Phobos turns up again, I'll ask him."

Kaden smirked. "Can shrouds talk?"

Tessa made a face. "I don't see why they can't."

Kaden laughed. "Well, I guess I should head back to my cabin. I'm probably pushing my luck too far." He bit his lip. "Good night, Tessa."

Tessa smiled. "Good night, Kaden."

The son of Aphrodite gave her a final smile, pushing himself off the doorway and heading away from Tessa's cabin. Tessa watched him go, a melancholy smile on her face before shutting the door.

When she turned back, however, a new flame of determination sparked in her eyes. She stormed over to her desk, shutting the books. Phobos would appear to her, and she would get an answer out of him as to what was going on if it was the last thing to do. How hard could it be to get the attention of a god?

~~

Very hard, apparently.

Days passed without any sign from Phobos. Tessa became quite skittish, allowing any sudden movement to become the god of fear. She nearly decapitated Mark as he snuck up on her after she was training, thinking he was a shroud. Her nights on the night guard were spent staring into the shadows, like the darkness would materialize into a masculine form.

It didn't, and by Friday afternoon, Tessa was getting very nervous. They were standing in the clearing near the woods as the campers prepared for Capture the Flag, in which she and Kaden would be leading their team to hopeful victory.

"Earth to Tessa, come in Tessa." Mark waved a hand in front of her face. "Anyone home?"

Tessa jolted, blinking away her daze. "What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking."

"As long as you weren't fantasizing about Gray, I could care less what about." Mark waved her off.

Tessa gave him a look. "Not about Kaden," she snapped. "About Phobos."

Tessa had filled Mark and Dale in on what was happening the day after she discovered who the shroud was. They had taken it surprisingly well, but were clearly worried about how nervous Tessa was becoming over waiting for Phobos' summons.

"Ah." Mark nodded. "I see. Well, when Lionhead decides to show up, I'm sure we'll have a grand old time."

Tessa glanced up at the heavens, expecting some sort of energy to come down and smite Mark for giving such a nickname to a god, but the clear azure sky remained benign. She glanced over at Dale, who was leaning against a stand of helmets, her eyes set yet again on something in the distance.

"Oy, Dale." She snapped her fingers under her nose. "Wake up."

Dale turned her head slowly. "I'm awake," she deadpanned.

"Whatcha staring at?" Mark interrogated. "You aren't getting away with it this time, flower child!"

Dale winced, her cheeks turning red. "If I tell you guys, promise not to make a big deal out of it?"

Tessa and Mark shared a look. "We promise," they chorused.

Dale still looked skeptical, but the daughter of Demeter sighed. "I was looking at Reese," she whispered.

Tessa's eyes widened. "You like Ree—" Dale's hand swept forward and clamped itself over Tessa's mouth.

"You said you wouldn't make a big deal!" She hissed.

Tessa narrowed her eyes. She reached up, removing Dale's hand. "You should've made it a binding deal." She grinned devilishly. "But don't worry, I won't tell."

"Besides, another lover boy this way comes." Mark jabbed a finger in Kaden's direction as he sauntered over to meet them.

Seeing Kaden in his armor made Tessa think about those stories of his claiming, how he should have been blessed with the armor of princes but wasn't. She thought about it more than she was willing to admit.

"Evening, team." Kaden grinned. "Ready to win?"

"You pronounced 'lose' wrong," Mark quipped, holding up a finger.

Kaden and Tessa shot a glare at him. They would win, they had planned out their battle strategy and gone over it essentially at every meal. Calum and Nova's traps scanned the perimeter, and Kaden and Tessa had put the Hermes and Aphrodite kids in charge of the main offense. Kaden and Tessa themselves would look for the flag, while Mark and Dale went to set off the traps. Amelie, Reese, and Flynn would defend their flag. Foolproof.

The horn sounded, and Tessa felt adrenaline begin to surge through her. "Here we go." She grinned. She pulled her helmet over her head, drawing Tempest.

~~

The battle began. Kaden and Tessa led the charge, breaking off to go their own way. The sounds of battle raged around them, giving Tessa more and more energy and motivation to win it all. The whole camp was in more of a spirit this time around, as it was the Fourth of July game.

"This way," Tessa said.

They ducked past a distant group of red scouts, hurrying along the river through the forest. Tessa felt the water's power thrumming through her, waiting to be unleashed.

They came to small clearing, and stopped to strategize.

"The flag's gonna be along the river," Tessa figured. "Sophia's trying to bait me in and it'll work."

Kaden surveyed their surroundings. "I haven't seen the Nike campers which is a little unsettling."

Tessa took a breath. The absence of the Nike campers was getting to her too. Hopefully, they were back at the central battle and Tessa wouldn't have to deal with them.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," she said. She couldn't charmspeak, but she hoped her words were reassuring enough to put Kaden's worries at ease.

Kaden nodded. "Let's keep going."

Swords in hand, they took off. Along the way, they heard small explosions—no doubt Calum and Nova's traps. The distant whistling arrows and the clanging of swords became the soundtrack to the battle. At one point, a badger with a scabbard around its waist scurried past them. Tessa didn't know what Amelie and her siblings were doing to fend off the opposite teams and if it meant turning them into badgers, she had no problem with that.

They followed the meandering river, and eventually reached the clearing where the red banner was hung. However, Tessa and Kaden froze in their tracks.

Guarding the flag were six demigods, five lounging about like they hadn't a care in the world. The sixth, a red headed girl tossed her sword from hand to hand, a smirk on her face.

"Tessa, I'm so glad you could make it." Sophia sneered, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Oh, I just heard the sound of an ego the size of Olympus and followed that." Tessa grinned. "Wasn't hard at all."

Sophia frowned. She waved her hand at the girl nearest her, wearing an eyepatch and whittling away at a stick with a knife that appeared to be crystalline. "Time to fight, Lyric, chop-chop."

Tessa's eyes widened. Upon closer realization, she recognized Lyric as the head counselor for Nike. Which meant...

Tessa and Kaden had walked straight into a trap with the children of victory, with a battle strategist as their leader. The realization was enough to make Tessa tense with rage.

"Have to get someone to do the dirty work yourself, Sophia?" Tessa called. "I'm surprised at you, considering at how you jump to be the cause of every conflict at camp."

Sophia made a sour face. She turned to Lyric, who was still lounging around. "I told you to get up!"

Lyric turned lazily to look at her commander. "I fight on my own terms. I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Sophia's face was almost as red as the plume on her helmet. "I am your captain! You'll do as I say."

"Yeah, how about no?"

"Kaden, now!" Tessa commanded.

Together, the two demigods split up. At the presence of a fight, the four other Nike kids perked up and divided, two headed to Kaden and the others to Tessa.

One of the two boys raised his sword, bellowing a battle cry. Tessa lifted Tempest, parrying the attack, pushing as she did to knock him away. She whirled around, kicking at the chest of the second boy who had come from behind.

As they started to get up, Tessa yelled in defiance and thrust her free hand forward. The bank of the river behind her exploded, surging over her in a tidal wave, washing her opponents away. Once they were taken care of, Tessa headed for the flag. She noted how Kaden had disabled both of his opponents as well, but a small group of nearby campers was beginning to gather. Tessa ignored them, heading straight for the two bickering girls.

Sophia gritted her teeth. "Lyric, get up and fight!"

Lyric blinked. "Normally, I can tell which team is the winner. I thought it'd be you but as soon as I saw this strategy, I knew you were going to lose."

"And why's that?"

"Your so-called bait to lure Tessa here is now her strongest asset. You're done for, kid. Now if you don't mind, I'll go look for an actual fight." Lyric pushed herself off of her tree and padded away.

Tessa grinned. "Well, if the gods haven't blessed me with an act of providence, I don't know what this is."

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "I'm still the daughter of the goddess of war, Brennan," she spat, brandishing her own sword.

"And you're about to get your ass kicked." Tessa spread her arms as if to say 'oh well' and swung Tempest.

Sophia was quick, but not quick enough. She lifted her sword, blocking Tessa's attack. Tessa ducked away, jabbing at the daughter of Athena in a deadly game of tag.

Sophia swept her blade at Tessa's legs, knocking her off her feet. She tried to strike down at Tessa, but she rolled away, leaping back up.

Tessa spun and pushed Sophia away with the hilt of her blade. The daughter of Athena stumbled backwards, seething.

"Don't you know what you're getting yourself into?" Sophia fumed. She raised her blade again, but Tessa blocked, pushing her away.

"I could ask you the same question." Tessa grinned. She yelled in defiance as Sophia charged, the river erupting behind her once more.

Tessa rose up on a tidal wave, sweeping herself forwards and knocking Sophia off her feet again. The irate redhead ended up at the edge of the clearing. Tessa manipulated the wave over there, hopping off of it and pacing towards Sophia.

Sophia spat out water, sitting up against a tree. She was breathing heavily, but she held her breath as Tessa held the tip of Tempest underneath her chin. Her blue eyes widened, looking at Tessa in shock.

Tessa smirked slyly. "Next time you set up a trap for me, don't use my strongest asset as bait."

Sophia gulped. The look on her face and the absence of victory in her favor was enough to make Tessa go home happy. But she still had one thing left to do.

Tessa backed off, looking around at the crowd of red and blue soldiers that had gathered. An Ares kid surged forward, but Tessa swung her sword, the strength of the water revitalizing her. The Ares kid ended up with a cut on his arm, staggering away.

A few more ganged up on her, but a sweep of water from the river and they joined their Nike teammates on the opposite shore.

Tessa looked around, holding out her arms as if to ask for anyone else. Smirking proudly, she sauntered over to the flag. The red banner billowed softly in the wind, and all was silent as she paced up to it, jabbed Tempest into the ground at its feet, and lifted the pole out of the ground. As soon as she held it up, the blue soldiers erupted into cheers.

Grinning, Tessa spotted Mark and Dale, hugging each other and leaping up and down in victory. Reese waved his bow around in victory, while Flynn and Amelie hugged, then leapt apart with blushes on their faces. Calum and Nova hollered and whooped, and Kaden looked up at her with a look of admiration in his emerald eyes that Tessa had never noticed before.

Tessa marched up to him. She held out the banner, a smile on her face. "This is your victory too, co-captain."

Kaden blinked out of his daze and grinned. Together, he and Tessa waved around the flag, the cheers growing louder. Their team rushed forward, lifting them up onto their shoulders and carrying them back to camp, and Tessa didn't lose that feeling of accomplishment all the while, grinning and cheering without a care in the world.

~~

An hour later, and the feeling still didn't fade.

Being that it was one of the monumental games of the year, a party—held by Kaden's siblings and the Dionysus kids—was being thrown in the Blue team's honor within the arena. Music played and lights floated in the air, bodies dancing and laughing and chatting all around.

Tessa, having changed into a simple black daydress, sat at one of the tables that had been set up. Tempest was also pinned in her hair, something she hadn't done in a very long time. The golden laurel wreath rested on top of her dark brown hair, the crown that she had earned. Somewhere, Kaden wore an identical one, and people stopped by to wish them both congratulations.

However, as the party raged on and after fourteen people were asked to the fireworks tomorrow night, Tessa started to remember the situation at hand. She still hadn't heard from Phobos, or figured out any way to invoke his presence. Fear was common, present everywhere, but it couldn't be channeled. It was something that happened when you least expected, it couldn't be controlled. Fear has a mind of its own.

It wasn't until Dale walked up to her that Tessa actually looked up from her spot in the horizon.

"Please don't ruin your night with this." Dale sighed, sitting down next to her.

Tessa looked at her and forced out a laugh. "Not my night and no promises."

Dale leant forward and whacked Tessa's arm playfully. "You know what I meant." 

Tessa smiled. "Don't worry, Daley Dear, I've got my predicament under control." She looked around, and spotted Reese nearby, chatting with his brother. "Don't you have a son of Apollo to flirt with?"

Dale groaned. "Tessa!"

"Go." Tessa jerked a finger in Reese's direction. "And tell me all the details afterwards."

Dale bit her lip. "I really hate you sometimes." She sighed and stood up.

"Love you too!"

Dale took a deep breath and marched over to Reese. Tessa watched as she tapped on his shoulder and struck up a conversation. Reese smiled warmly, stepped away from Flynn, and began laughing and smiling along with Dale.

"Ah, young love," Tessa said wistfully. She took a sip from her glass of nectar. It had been diluted with water—Chiron made sure of that so no demigods would spontaneously combust at the celebration—but still tasted like a million good feelings in liquid form.

"Who's in love?" A voice asked.

Tessa jumped, turning to see Mark behind her. He grinned impishly, a glass of nectar in his hand.

"Because if it's you and Kaden, I totally saw that one coming." The son of Iris slumped down in what had been Dale's seat, taking a sip of his drink and watching the party.

"Would you cool it with me and Kaden? You know we're just friends," Tessa said.

Mark made a face. "Friends do not look at one another like how you and Kaden do."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "At least I didn't accidentally kiss this friend of mine." She fixed Mark with a look.

Mark's eyes widened. "I told you never to speak of it."

"You were asking for it."

Mark groaned. He and Dale, while best friends with Tessa, had their own sort of bromance. One time, Dale was giving him a sisterly peck on the cheek when Mark made the mistake of turning towards her and the two accidentally kissed. It had remained a taboo topic since then.

Mark sighed. "Oh, well. The past is history."

"Unless you're in this friendship, in which every embarrassing moment of our lives becomes grounds for a future discussion."

"Where's the lie?"

Mark and Tessa laughed, drinking from their glasses. Mark looked out at the crowd. "Here comes the man of the hour."

Tessa followed his gaze and found Kaden walking towards them, a dazzling grin on his face. The laurel wreath on his head glimmered in the lights, a white dress shirt and skinny jeans on his frame. Tessa would never admit it, but her heart did a tap dance at seeing him.

"Hey guys," Kaden greeted. "Why aren't you joining the party?"

Tessa wrinkled her nose. "Not my style," she admitted.

Kaden shrugged. "Well, the dance-floor's a bit tight anyway. Someone brought a shield and now it's lying in the middle of the dance-floor like a bronze wet-floor sign." He laughed.

"Who brings a shield to a party?" Mark frowned.

"Beats me."

They continued to debate the situation, but Tessa sat up as the realization struck her. A shield... That was it! 

The image of her meeting with Phobos in the attic surfaced, how he appeared to be guarding his shield. That was the way to invoke him.

"Guys," Tessa said gravely. "I hate to be the party pooper, but I need your help."

Mark and Kaden exchanged looks. A mutual understanding passed between them, but they looked back to Tessa with determination in their eyes.

"What's up?" Kaden asked.

"I'll tell you on the way. Just follow me." Tessa set down her glass and stood, marching out of the arena with Kaden and Mark in tow.

~~

"So you mean to tell me that getting close to Phobos' shield will set off some sort of godly proximity alarm and summon him?" Mark asked as they scaled the stairs to the attic.

"Basically," Tessa replied. "It's the best shot we've got."

They made it up another flight of stairs, and eventually the door to the attic stood before them. Tessa swung the door open, heading inside. She passed where she hid from Sophia, watching her rummage through a box of Greek fire. What was she doing with that anyway?

Tessa shook her head. Bigger fish to fry.

She and the boys made her way through the attic, until they reached the corner where Phobos' battered shield hung on the wall, a relic without a name.

"That's it?" Kaden asked.

Tessa nodded. "The Shield of Phobos." She turned to face her friends, exhaling. "Alright, so, who wants to touch it?"

Mark made a face. "How about you touch it? Your spooky mission, you summon the god."

Tessa arched an eyebrow. "You afraid of a little shield, Akagi?"

Mark scowled. The two demigods engaged in a short staring contest, which Tessa promptly won. Mark pushed past her, grumbling under his breath.

Tessa twirled around, a smug smile on her face.

Mark lifted the shield off its hook. He blew some dust off of the battered front, holding the shield by the rim.

They waited...and nothing happened.

"Oy, Phobos, this is your cue!" He called into the attic. No answer, obviously.

Tessa was grasping for an explanation until Kaden snapped his fingers. "Mark, give it to me."
Mark knit his eyebrows. "What, why?"

"Phobos is my half-brother; our mom is Aphrodite. Maybe that'll get his attention somehow?" Kaden theorized.

Tessa shrugged. "Worth a shot."

Kaden switched places with Mark. He held the shield in his hands, and instantly, it began to glow. A ghostly aura emanated from the bronze-work, taking the form of a shroud rising from the battered lion on the front.

"It's working!" Tessa exclaimed in triumph.

Only things went downhill quickly. The aura must have been some sort of burning light, because Kaden dropped the shield as the glow brightened, scampering away from it like it had burned him. The shield kept glowing, the ghostly figure protruding.

"Uh, Tessa? Is this the part where we prepare to fight?" Mark asked from beside her.

Tessa didn't answer. She watched, frozen, as the figure solidified into a young man with angry brown eyes and short cropped dark hair. It had worked. Phobos had been summoned.

Tessa started to open her mouth, but the god's eyes set on Kaden, igniting with a fury that sent a wave of fear through the attic. Phobos bellowed, the shield at his feet glowing brighter as he threw his hand towards Kaden, whose face went slack as horror filled his eyes.

As Phobos manipulated the son of Aphrodite, Tessa didn't know whose screaming was louder, Kaden's or her own.