Tessa Brennan and Kaden Gray find themselves at the ends of one another's weapons as war between their two groups threatens to break.

Pairing/s: Tessa Brennan/Kaden Gray

Warning/s: N/A

Word Count: 1019

The wind howled wildly through Central Park, whistling through two demigods' ears as they walked towards one another to rendezvous. The city around them was unusually silent, the works of a god turning the urban area into a soon to be battleground.

Tessa Brennan made her way through the park from her demigod base. Her hands were shoved in the pocket of her jacket, one hand wrapped firmly around her sword Tempest in its dormant pin form. Her heart was in time with her footsteps as she went to meet Kaden Gray, leader of the enemy—and her former friend. The son of Aphrodite had asked to meet with her peacefully, the day before the battle was to start. Her sea green eyes glinted curiously as she spotted him at a distant picnic table, the water in the reservoir nearby responding to her emotion.

Kaden Gray sat on the edge of a picnic table, his feet tapping against the bench rhythmically. He ran his fingers through his disheveled brown hair and glanced around cautiously in anticipation of the girl he was waiting for. He was grateful the absence of people in the park, because he looked like the dead. His emerald eyes were bloodshot, his normally dapper clothing rumpled from the tasks he has had to commit. After this meeting with Tessa, whether or not she cooperated, he would be subject to the hardest task to come.

Shaking his head, Kaden pulled up his collar as he spotted Tessa approach his table. Upon seeing her, his heart squeezed painfully, like his forsaken mother was still messing with his emotions as the girl he loved approached him with a fire in her eyes.

Tessa kept her chin held high as she neared Kaden, stopping a reasonable distance in front of him. She knew Kaden, and any closer, she would be subject to a fight. No doubt he was armed, because she was too. Silence filled the air as the two half-bloods stared one another down, sizing one another up.

"It's been a while," Tessa spoke at last in a gravelly voice.

Kaden sucked in a quick breath. "So it has," He said quietly.

He stuffed his hands in the pocket of his gray coat and looked down at his feet. Seeing Tessa like this was steering him over the edge. He wanted to say something—anything--to Tessa, but he wasn't sure what there was to say. He loved her. More than anything, he loved her, and yet he had still left.

Tessa gave him her signature steely look, her sea green eyes stormy with untapped rage. "What's this about then? Finally come to your senses?" She barked, venom laced in her voice. Her heart was pounding, on the verge of breaking. She loved him—always had, always will—and yet he had left her.

Kaden looked up at her. His emerald eyes had grown darker, filled with pain and longing. "I'm sorry, Tess," He said, his voice filled with pain. He stood up and bit down on his lip.

Tess laughed darkly, her eyes glittering coldly like a thin layer of ice atop a deep arctic ocean. "What for? A simply 'I'm sorry' isn't going to cut it, Gray, and you know that. Stand down, call off your army."

"I know that," Kaden responded quietly. He looked down again; he couldn't stand the malicious look in Tessa's eyes, knowing it was because of him that it was there. "I'm sorry, Brennan, but I can't stand down. If I back out now, everything that's been done to m—I mean, everything I've done...it means nothing."

Tessa wanted to punch something out of frustration. She felt like someone was freezing her heart right before her eyes. "What'll you gain, Kaden? You think Kronos is going to make you the ruler of the world? Give you everything you've ever wanted? Newsflash, there won't be a world left to rule if he takes over. You'll be thrown aside. You're just a pawn." She gripped Tempest in her pocket like a vice.

Kaden couldn't meet Tessa's gaze. "This isn't for me," He managed. "Th-this is for all the people who come after me." He took a step away from Tessa.

"Tess," His voice was strained, "I love you. Nothing will ever change that. But I have to do this."

It felt as if someone had punched Tessa in the gut after that blow. She hardened her gaze to keep herself from breaking down. "You never loved me," She shook her head slowly in disbelief. "Not if you decided to do this."

Kaden couldn't keep the hurt expression off his face. "You don't understand how hard this us," He whispered. He took a step towards Tessa and reached out his hand toward her, but stopped himself short. He let his hand drop and he stared at her, his eyes stone cold.

Tessa pressed her lips together. It felt like her lungs were filling with liquid hydrogen. The water in the reservoir began to form large waves at her agitation. "Kaden Gray," She whispered. "The next time we meet will be on the battlefield." She gave him one last look, one last silent chance to change his mind. But when he refused, she stormed off.

It took all of Kaden's willpower not to go after her. After standing there alone for a few minutes, he felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and answered the call. "What? He snapped. The voice on the other line nervously asked him if he was ready, to which he reluctantly responded.

Kaden glanced over to see if Tessa was still in sight, but she was gone. He stumbled back to the van awaiting him on the street corner. Almost as soon as he closed the door of the van, a crippling pain arched through his spine as his irises turned gold.

"Drive," A voice that wasn't Kaden's commanded the demigod in the driver's seat.

Meanwhile, Tessa returned to the hotel that she and the forces at Camp Half-Blood had turned into their base. With the island of Manhattan asleep, it was easy to take over. As she entered the lobby, the demigods looked up, watching her expectantly.

"Prepare for battle," She said gravely and stalked off, not allowing anyone to see her tears for the fall of the boy she loved.