ostensio secretorum, ac falsa

The line between nightmare and daydream, fiction and fantasy, blurred in Tessa's delirium. Gone was the capacity to differentiate between what was memory and what was premonition in her dreamlike state, and she found herself subjected to a never-ending stream of horrific and fantastic possibilities. She saw a man basking in the silver and sapphire glow of the sea at midnight. A woman with her smile drawing the curtains of a familiar room. Her friends shouted her name over and over again, out of desperation, fear, or encouragement, Tessa wasn't sure.

But most chilling of all, Tessa saw herself descending down a dank earthen tunnel where shadows danced across the wall as if they had minds of their own. Stalagmites pierced her vision, and Tempest's bronze glow reflected off the obsidian walls like some kind of haunting firelight. Whispers and cries of agony floated through the air, carried on phantom winds straight to Tessa's ears until she reached the end of the tunnel to find the shrouded figure seated on a throne of mist. She only had enough time to gasp before a blade jammed its way through her heart and she collapsed into sand.

All these visions and more played on a fierce, unrelenting loop in Tessa's head until finally, the weight that seemed to bind her eyelids together lifted. Light began to stream in, and a figure eclipsed it, getting closer to her. It reached out a hand, and hopeful, Tessa grabbed onto it. This was an anchor to reality, away from her nightmares.

"Kaden?" Tessa asked groggily, blinking through the haze.

The owner of the hand she'd latched onto slowly withdrew it. Tessa's vision cleared and she found that it had not been Kaden but rather Flynn Hale, Reese's twin brother and the best medic at camp. He smiled awkwardly. "Hey, Tessa."

Mortified, Tessa shot up in her cot. "Oh my gods, Flynn, I'm so sorry—"

Thankfully, Flynn laughed, holding up a polite hand to cut her off. "Don't be," he said. "I've had stranger happen to me. Once, a patient completely rolled out of their bed while I was picking something up and—"

"That'll be enough, Mr. Hale," a deep and wizened voice said. Mustering her strength, Tessa tried to sit up as Chiron trotted into Tessa's sector of the infirmary. His hand across his back and his quiver nowhere to be found, Tessa could almost pretend that the old centaur's eyes weren't filled with dread.

"I'm sure Miss Brennan is in need of a change of scenery rather than a delightful anecdote."

A rock seemed to fall into the pit of Tessa's stomach. She pushed herself up, her muscles crying out for help. "Chiron—"

Chiron put up a hand, his eyebrows knit in concern. "Don't strain yourself, child. We're glad to see you awake." He dipped his chin, gazing at Tessa pointedly the way a father would, and seeing as Chiron was the closest thing to a present father figure she had, it worked. "Do you think you can stand?"

Tessa swallowed her rising fears and nodded. Despite the nerves within her urging her to remain seated and still, she rebelled and got to her feet. Something had to have been wrong; she could read as much in Chiron's eyes. He led her out of the infirmary and into the daylight, nearly blinding to Tessa after what felt like months adrift in darkness. "How long was I asleep?" she asked, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Only a day," Chiron said with the lift of a shoulder. He gave her a sideways look. "You gave all of us a quite a scare there, Tessa. Do you recall what happened?"

Slowly, like ink spreading through water, memories of what had happened began to permeate Tessa's mind. She remembered the shroud, murky in the daylight for the first time, appearing in the pavilion to no one but her. She remembered her lungs feeling like they were constricting as panic took over, spurring her feet into action as she ran down the hill and through the valley. The shroud following her, the tidal wave, and then everything went black. She winced, the memory of the impact sending a throbbing pulse through her body.

"I'm sorry," Tessa muttered at last, unsure of what else to say. They had reached the Big House at last. Normally, the Big House was a happy sight for Tessa. It sat like a crowning jewel atop Half-Blood Hill, its windows always reflecting the sunlight pouring down on the valley. However, as Chiron led Tessa into it, it was almost like a shadow fell upon the blue house.

"Nothing to apologize for, dear," Chiron chided as they passed into the living room. "I know exactly what happened, and I'm sorry you had to experience such a fright."

He gestured for Tessa to take a seat. Once she had settled herself atop the old gray sofa, Chiron cleared his throat. "What did you see that sent you into a panic, Tessa?"

Tessa took a deep breath, bottling it up inside of her as the urge to lie built up alongside it. Nothing, she wanted to say. But who would buy that? What would that do her? Half of camp had followed in her wake, watching as she was reduced to mental shreds by something only she could see. She'd summoned a tidal wave out of thin air, attacking nothing but her mind. No, that would only make the rumors about her worse. People already feared her abilities as the sole daughter of Poseidon; she didn't need to make them think she was crazy too.

Which left one option: tell the truth. Tessa flicked her eyes up to Chiron's, watching her patiently. He offered the slightest of smiles, an encouragement and sign of support. Despite the darkness lurking around them, he wanted to help. "I've been seeing...a shadow figure," Tessa said, the words feeling foreign on her tongue.

Chiron raised a brow in curiosity but said nothing as Tessa continued. Once she began, it was hard to stop until every little detail about the mysterious shroud was out in the open. This was no longer her burden to carry alone; if someone knew about it, someone could help her. Relief began to slowly weave its way through Tessa's body until she felt as if she could stop shaking from the inside out. Before her, Chiron's face contorted into one of deep thought, but out of curiosity or concern, Tessa couldn't tell. "And how long has this figure been appearing to you?" he asked.

Tessa shook her head, thinking back. "A few months now?"

Chiron hummed in contemplation, starting to circle the room. "And yesterday was the first time it had appeared to you in the daylight?" When Tessa nodded, so did he, stopping in front of her with a smile on his face. "Well, Tessa, I am sure that this is little but the work of some kind of spirit."

Tessa frowned. A spirit? "What?" she asked, incredulous.

"A trickster spirit," Chiron clarified. "Likely conjured by someone within the valley that didn't know what they were getting into. It may have gotten loose of its bounds and has decided to cause havoc."

Tessa blinked, unsure what to think. Could it really be just a half-blood's half-baked spell gone wrong? Part of her wanted to cling to the idea Chiron seemed so certain of, but the longer she thought about it, the more she wanted to rip her hair out and scream in protest. She gauged Chiron's cheerful expression, and it didn't take her long to realize it was just a veneer. There was steel behind his eyes, ancient wisdom and knowledge unbeknownst to her that had its suspicions. Only for Tessa's sake, he was keeping it to himself. Which only meant that what was truly haunting her was anything but a trickster spirit and in fact something much more sinister.

Darkness began to surge back in where the newfound daylight had taken up refuge. Tessa couldn't escape from it now, not until she knew what was causing all of this. But for now, she needed to lay low. She feigned as natural of a sigh of relief as she could muster, sinking into the cushions of the sofa. "That makes a lot of sense," she tried. "I thought it was something worse."

Chiron laughed lightly. Tiptoeing around the truth. Tessa narrowed her eyes at him, ever so slightly. He believed her relief. "Nothing to worry about, my dear," the centaur said with a smile. "I'll poke around camp to see if I can find the camper responsible. Until then, how would you like a task to get your mind off of some of your stress?"

Tessa spread her hands. "Let's hear it."

Chiron nodded. "This weekend is the annual Fourth of July festivities, which I'm sure you're aware of."

Despite the uncertainty surrounding her dreams, this was a little bit of light and excitement Tessa could hold onto. Every year, camp threw the biggest game of Capture the Flag for the Fourth of July. All camp activities were suspended for the week as campers prepared for the game, bringing out new strategies, alliances, and tricks that they'd never seen before. The victors of the game received special privileges for the rest of the month, as well as bragging rights at the camp party that always followed the game. Then the night would end with a grand display of fireworks at the beach. It was one of Tessa's favorite parts of being at camp.

She nodded to Chiron fervently, heart leaping. "I'm aware. Why, what's up?"

"How would you like to be captain of the blue team this year?" Chiron asked, eyes gleaming.

Tessa shot to her feet, feeling as if she'd won the lottery. "I'd love to be!" she exclaimed. She cleared her throat, attempting to remain calm. "I mean, I can do that."

Chiron chuckled. "Then let Kaden Gray know he will be your co-captain, if he's willing."

Tessa clapped her hands together, already elated. If she and Kaden were leading, the red team stood no chance; this victory would be theirs. Which reminded her... "Who's leading the red team?"

"Sophia Ransom of Athena and Matthew Baines of Ares."

--

Tessa sailed down the steps of the Big House so quickly she almost didn't notice Kaden and Dale flanking her on either side. She jumped when she spotted them, clutching her heart. "Have you guys been out here the whole time?"

"We went to the infirmary first! Excuse us for wanting to check on the dead," Dale teased, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "Now what's up?"

"How're you feeling?" Kaden asked, concern lacing his frown.

Tessa took a deep breath to steady her nerves, both good and bad. "I'm fine," she said with a smile. "And I've got good news." She relayed Chiron's offer to Kaden and Dale, watching as their excitement soon rose to meet hers. "Isn't that great?"

"You guys got it in the bag!" Dale applauded, gold eyes glimmering with excitement. She cleared her throat nonchalantly. "I mean, as long as you have the Demeter cabin on your side."

Tessa rolled her eyes, smiling. "You've got it."

"Who's opposing?" Kaden asked. "Did Chiron tell you?"

Tessa's smile fell. "Sadly," she said. "Sophia and Matthew are leading red which means that we've gotta move."

She attempted to push past Kaden onto the path back to camp, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop, an amused look on his face. "Woah, whoa, Tess, slow down!" he said with the trace of a laugh. "We're in this together, remember?"

Tessa ran a hand through her hair. "I know, it's just..." She stamped her foot into the ground. "I wanna beat them."

Kaden grinned. "That's cute."

Tessa frowned. "I'm not cute, I'm fearsome. I am the night. Fear me."

She turned on her heel, but Kaden and Dale fell into step beside her. "Matthew, I understand, but why do you wanna beat Sophia so badly?" the latter asked.

They reached the arena, which thankfully was empty. With all the nervous energy coursing through Tessa's veins, she needed to practice to get her head on straight. If she wanted to stand a chance at facing the children of the war gods on her own, she needed to feel like herself again. "Because, my dear Dale, she is the very embodiment of all things obnoxious. Besides, her mom and my dad don't get along," she groused.

Kaden sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Tessa, Tessa, Tessa, it's just a game."

Tessa whirled around sharply, jabbing a finger in his face. "Hey, stop that. That's quitter talk. I refuse to have quitters on my team."

Kaden quirked an eyebrow, challenging her. "But I'm your co-captain."

"Exactly," Tessa affirmed. "Game face on or else you're demoted."

Dale heaved a dramatic sigh, stepping in between Tessa and Kaden. "Alright, sergeant," she glanced at Tessa. "What's our first task?"

Tessa thought, pulling her hair into a high ponytail. Reese and the rest of Cabin Seven would surely follow Kaden into any battle; the two were glued at the hip in combat. Dale and the Demeter kids would follow Tessa, as would Amelie and her siblings. While that bolstered their team with elemental and chaos manipulators, they needed strategy, they needed tactic, and they needed tools. "Go find Calum and Nova. We're gonna need the Hephaestus kids on our side if we want to win this," she decided.

Kaden lifted his hand in a salute. "On it." And with that, he jogged out of the arena.

Dale turned, arms crossed over her chest and a knowing look on her face. "Am I going to have to worry about you, Tessa?"

Tessa made a face. "What do you mean?"

Dale shook her head, a lazy smile on her lips. Since arriving at camp three years ago, Tessa had found that Dale possessed a power that couldn't be matched by any demigod ability. Her ability to read her friends and read them well was a superpower in and of itself, and no one was immune to it. Not Tessa, not Kaden, not Reese, not Mark. One look of Dale's golden eyes across your face and she could read every thought without having to know it at all.

"I just want you to know that I've got your back," Dale said, her words soft. "In this game, in life, in anything. Okay?"

Tessa held Dale's commanding gaze. This went further than just the game, and she knew that. "Okay."

Dale nodded, satisfied. Hands in her pockets, she turned on her heel. "I'll go round up the troops."

"Thank you!" Tessa called over her shoulder. Moments later, Dale was gone and Tessa was left by herself. She smiled smugly as she unsheathed Tempest from her side, gazing at the reflection in the bronze blade. The reflection may have changed over the past three years from a frightened flight risk of a girl to a commander of battle and strength, but the sword itself hadn't. The trident etched into the base of the blade remained the same, as did the jewels delicately encrusted into the leather-bound hilt.

Memories of a life that Tessa no longer felt was hers seemed to flash across the blade, empowered by Tessa's mind. She saw herself and her mother, alone in their house but never lonely. She saw a monster emerge from mist in the wreckage of her junior high's gym, and a younger version of herself somehow summon enough water to destroy it. She saw the sword in her hands for the first time, morphing from a bronze hairpin to a weapon the next night. Tempest had been given to her in the middle of a storm that changed her life, and so it was duly named.

Three years later, storms lurked on the horizon in the form of shadows and secrets. That life Tessa had been forced to leave behind was beyond her now, her mother as well. All that mattered now was staying alive and staying on top; nostalgia and melancholy could wait.

Tempest in hand, Tessa trudged towards the dummies set up in the arena. Adrenaline surge through her veins, she struck.