in which Kaden Gray reflects on his life, his position, and plans for what lies ahead.

ship: kaden gray x tessa brennan

warnings: SPOILERS FOR NEBULA AND INVICTUS

word count: 1182

~~

Some legends are told

Some turn to dust, or to gold

But you will remember me

For c e n t u r i e s

It all was like a film reel playing through his mind. Each time Kaden Gray shut his eyes, he saw moments of his life flashing before his eyes. He'd cheated death more times than he could count in the past few years, each escape more frightening than the last. He saw glimpses of the Hydra battle in Chicago, Crystal Cave crumbling around him and his friends, Orion's pavilion of portals erupting into light, and New Rome disintegrating because of the General's war. His life had been tempered into steel, and he wielded it like a weapon in all his endeavors.

Kaden pulled himself out of his thoughts, zoning in on the map of the United States spread out on the table before him, He'd been staring at it for hours, trying to figure out where Vinny Maxwell could be, but to no avail. His cursed old friend had fallen off the face of the Earth—again—and Kaden had a bad feeling that he wouldn't surface until he had hell to pay once more.

In that moment, the son of Venus was no longer just a demigod who'd made it to adulthood. Staring at strategies, donning golden armor and a violet officer's cloak, Kaden was an emperor looming over his kingdom, waiting for the next attack to strike. He wondered if this is what Ancient Rome was like all those years ago, if the enemies of the Eternal City had once been its allies.

Kaden sighed in exasperation, leaning off the table. He flexed his tense fingers, exiting the lavish throne room of the Principia into the immaculate foyer. Standing in the center of the room was a statue of Kaden's old mentor, Alexander Deven. The son of Mars had perished in the Battle of New Rome last winter, sacrificing his life for Rome's. He'd not only saved the love of Kaden's life, Tessa Brennan, but he'd ultimately saved New Rome from being conquered by evil. He was as a hero, in life or in death.

"You'd know what to do, Alex," Kaden murmured, his fingers grazing the edge of the golden-engraved plaque. "You were always better at strategies."

Kaden shut his eyes, finding himself in that place in his mind that belonged to the whispers of the past, blowing into hurricane-force gales. He saw himself with Jett and Mallory, darting through camp with laughs on their lips. Alex trailed after them, their adoptive older brother it seemed. And there, lagging him, was Vinny. The son of Victoria had his familiar smirk on his face, although where it now was a horrible omen, back then it had been a sign that he was in a good mood. They'd all been kids, swept up into a storm, and returned to find that nothing would ever be the same.

"Kaden?" A familiar voice like the soft babble of waves across the shore echoed through the Principia. Kaden turned and smiled, his gaze falling upon Tessa Brennan.

Tessa took a step forward, into the light filtering in from the mosaiced dome roof of the Principia. The light turned her brown hair into gold, turned her turquoise eyes into uncut gemstones, her smile into diamonds. She was as valuable and precious as any treasure on the face of the earth, and Kaden still wondered how he'd been the one to keep the key to her heart.

"Everything okay?" Tessa asked, approaching Kaden.

Kaden glanced back up at Alex's statue, flicking his gaze back to Tessa. "Just stressed as always." He managed a smile, reaching for his girlfriend as she neared.

Tessa pressed a sweet kiss to his lips, pulling away to smile at him softly. Her turquoise irises ran the length of Alex's statue, and Kaden recognized the familiar glint of guilt that daughter of Poseidon so often harbored.

"Hey," Kaden brushed his lips against her cheek, regaining her focus. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Tessa muttered, her eyes still locked on the statue. Kaden caught her next movement as miniscule as it was: the brush of her hands against her leggings, like she was wiping something away. Tessa was no longer in the Principia, but back in the center of New Rome, watching Alexander Deven die at her feet.

"You know what," Kaden reached for her hands slowly. When she didn't pull them away, he squeezed them in reassurance. "It wasn't you."

Tessa sighed, squeezing her eyes shut. When she opened them, the glint in her eyes was fading. A year had passed, but she was still mending, still healing. They all were, and it didn't help to fight in war after war where old wounds reopened and new ones were formed.

"Remember when we had just become friends?" Tessa asked, her voice soft. "You told me that with luck, we'd become legends someday."

Kaden remembered that day with a soft smile. It had been the first of multiple sword-fighting lessons Kaden had given Tessa. She could hardly hold Tempest, much less use it, so before she stormed out in frustration, Kaden had given her a pep talk. He thought about how that day was probably the day Tessa placed her trust in Kaden, and he felt that unmistakable bond between them tighten.

"Was I right?" Kaden asked, lacing his arms around Tessa's waist.

Tessa looked back up at Alex's statue. She didn't speak, but Kaden could read Tessa better than he could read himself. The hazy look in her eyes, the way she stood, the everything about her. She knew her power, just like Kaden knew his strength, but in the face of all they'd done, it was hard to see yourself as mighty when you'd seen the fall of others around you.

Words withered between them in that moment, but Kaden didn't mind. They didn't need to speak to understand what the other was saying. Instead, Kaden squeezed Tessa's hand and led her away from Alex's statue, out into the day. They both needed a positive distraction to forget about their lives, their work, their schooling, and just be Kaden and Tessa, a boy and a girl who across time and space were meant to be with one another against all odds.

But Kaden made a silent vow to himself as he walked through the streets of New Rome. In the face of every young legionnaire who looked up at him in astonishment, he saw himself coming to Camp Jupiter for the first time. He was a child of Rome, a warrior of Greece, and a leader of the mythological world. He'd faced adversity and come onto the other side. He'd faced his demons and destroyed them with light.

Whatever the Fates planned to throw at him or his friends, he'd be ready. Whenever Vinny attacked again, he'd be ready. He might have been a little boy once, darting along in a purple shirt with laughter and smiles all around, but that had been then. With his friends at his side and his legion behind him, Kaden would lead New Rome into the years to come. He'd be a legend. They all would.