[eluceat omnibus lux]

/two months later\

Snow danced outside of the expansive windows in the lecture hall, falling in graceful clusters from the pearly gray sky. A chill permeated the exam room, and Tessa tore her distracted gaze from the winter wonderland outside to the final question on the philosophy test sitting before her.

A short answer question that asked for the student's opinion on their role as a demigod.

Of course.

Tessa suppressed a snort, looking up from her paper and around the room as if to ask, you're kidding, right? However, her sea-green gaze returned to the question, reading it over, and pondering the answer that came to the forefront of her mind.

Being a demigod was never even apart of Tessa's plans in life. She'd wanted to grow up and see the world, be successful, and enjoy all that life had to offer her. However, that dream had been taken away from her at thirteen, replacing college with battle training, wedding dress shopping with sheathing swords and strapping on armor, finding a job and place to live with finding a place to hide and praying you lived to see your next birthday. At first, that life had seemed like a burden to Tessa, then it had quickly proved to be her calling.

The chill in the room seemed to coil up Tessa's spine, forcing her to shake away the haze in her eyes that painted this lifestyle as a gift. That darker side of her knew that it was misery incarnate, that it was life as a warrior in a battle she'd never signed up for. She was only eighteen, and she'd witnessed death and sorrow and agony as vividly as the bloodstains she'd been forced to rid herself of after each battle.

Tessa inhaled sharply, and pressed her pen down to the paper. She scribbled her answer down as fast as the words filled her mind. When she finished, she was half-expecting to see steam curling off the edge of the paper.

'I believe that my role as a demigod is, like Atlas, to carry the weight of these two worlds I represent, and protect them both. The world of mythology, although being thrust upon me at a young age, opened my eyes to the truths of the world and life within it. It showed me that everyone has potential to better themselves, to wage war and spread peace, to become a hero like those of old or a legend of tomorrow. While this lifestyle is permeated with the tragedy that has plagued battlefields and great empires throughout history, it is something that cannot change. I was a girl who barely knew how to use a sword when I first walked into Camp Half-Blood, and over time, with training, I grew into a hero. I aspire to use what I've learned, and what I will continue to experience, to protect those I care about and the worlds I live in, no matter the cost.'

"Alright, time's up!" Professor Socrates announced, pacing to the front of his mahogany desk. "Please hand in your examination forms and be on your merry way to celebrate, oh, I don't know, whatever holiday mortals have created during the winter months."

With that, Tessa joined the masses of students in her class as they filed to the front of the room, handing in their essays. She shouldered her bookbag, handed her paper in, and marched on her way out of the room.

The winter air outside was enough to spur her focus and Tessa took hearty inhales of it as she emerged from the building. Already, the cobblestoned path was covered in a sparkling sheet of snow. The sound of her footsteps atop it soothed her nerves, if only for a moment. It almost took her mind off of things, the issues eating away at her sanity for the past two months.

Almost.

Two months. That was how long Reese had been trapped in the alternate dimension, subject to the gods knew what on the other side. According to Kaden and Kaya, the General had encountered them and seen through Reese's act in a heartbeat. If that was the case, what had become of one of her best friends?

Tessa took a shaky breathed, continuing on down the path to her dorm, Winter had come and affected all of her friends to the very core, practically altering their personalities as the sun disappeared into the horizon earlier and earlier each day. To them, however, darkness had already shrouded their lives with the absence of Reese Hale, and no amount of joy and cheer could shake the trembling fear that had risen on that fateful day.

Even thinking about what had happened after the portal closed made Tessa weak, and had she not reached her dorm, she would have stopped dead in her tracks as the sorrow hit.

Tessa stared at the slot of empty space before her, breathing heavily into open air. A wall of rage flew up in her soul, as strong and as black as the darkness running through her veins. This wasn't supposed to happen. And yet it had.

The daughter of Poseidon turned and met Kaden's glassy gaze, his emerald eyes widened in shock. His jaw was set, his fists clenched, and if Tessa didn't know any better, she would have assumed that his demons were flying freely within him as well.

The room was silent, save the hum of the computer monitors encircling the platform they stood upon. No one spoke. No one cried or screamed or shouted.

Slowly, Tessa curled her fingers into a fist at her side. Her nails dug into the skin of her palm, but Tessa didn't flinch at the pain. She imagined her nails elongating into claws, with which she'd tear the portal back into existence before springing through and ripping apart the General's army, piece by piece.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps filled the room, and everyone turned towards the golden doors to see Imogen standing in the threshold. The daughter of Cupid was in her centurion armor, her bow slung across her back. Her cheeks were red, strands of her blonde hair were falling from her short ponytail, and she was slightly out of breath.

Tessa met Kaden's gaze once more, understanding passing through them. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Where's Reese?" Imogen asked, her voice meek yet laced with imperative. Her jade irises scanned the room, and even from the distance Tessa stood from her, she could see the look in Imogen's eyes go from anticipating, to shock, to panic.

Kaya bit the inside of her cheek, taking a small step forward. "Imogen, you might want to sit down."

Imogen's eyes seemed to grow larger as tears of panic began to formulate. She entered the room, small hesitant steps. "Where—is—Reese?"

Tessa couldn't find the strength to explain. It seemed that no one could get over their own shock to distribute it to someone else. And yet, Tessa watched a head of dust-covered blond hair stand from his crouch on the floor, covered in bruises and scars and yet radiating the light of his father—Flynn Hale.

Somehow, the weakest person in the room had enough strength within him to explain what had just unfolded. Tessa watched in partial disbelief, partial heartbreak as she watched Imogen's eyes bug out, her pale hand flying to her mouth, the shake of her head in denial.

"No," The daughter of Cupid whispered. "No."

Kaden stepped forward. "He isn't dead. He can't be, I know he's not."

Imogen looked up, a fierce look of rage in her green eyes. "Don't try and humor me." Her gaze returned to some point on the horizon. "If there was an army after him, even with Reese's strength, he wouldn't have been able to hold out for long."

"He wouldn't go down without a fight," Tessa added, her voice surprisingly stronger than she'd thought. "But, Kaden's right, there's a chance he could be alive."

For a moment, Imogen only met Tessa's gaze, venom laced within it. No one spoke, but Tessa noticed Eli wipe a hand over his face and dart to one of the monitors. Before Tessa could see what he was doing, Imogen's voice sounded.

"Oh really?" Imogen's voice was almost comically high, as if she were trying to maintain her composure, holding in every fraying piece. "Like what?"

"He's now the only link they have to our world," Mark chimed. "They'll keep him alive in order to get information out of him."

"He'd never spill though," Dale countered, her gold eyes seemingly darker in the shadows of the moment. "This is Reese we're talking about. He'd never budge."

"Let's hope he doesn't," Kaya added. The daughter of Trivia stood with her dark eyebrows knit together, as if she were trying to piece something together.

"I hope he does," Imogen murmured.

And Tessa knew what had caused such a statement. The Regiment was brutal, and their torture took multiple forms. Mark, Flynn, and the dark-haired girl, Kiara, were evidence of that. If Reese truly was alive on the other side, was a life submit to torture worse than death?

Tessa blinked out of her flashback, breathing in the familiar air of her residence hall's common room. She'd slumped down in a chair when the memory hit, and now, weakly peeled herself off of the plush cushion.

Two months had come and gone, with falling leaves turned to barren trees, but even if the months had passed, Tessa still felt as if she were frozen in that moment, locked in time as the portal closed before her, trapping Reese on the other side.

~~

Inhale. Exhale. Foot tapping relentlessly against the floor.

Look up at the clock. Look back through the window.

Repeat.

Tessa tugged on the sleeves of her sweater as she stood outside the small room in New Rome's infirmary. Through the little glass window in the chestnut door, Tessa could see Kaden talking with Flynn and his companion from the other side, Kiara. Earlier, they'd been checked for any major and pressing injuries and illnesses, and now, stepped into the psychological aspect. Kaden, executing his medical studies as well as reading emotions, was serving as their doctor.

Footsteps sounded behind Tessa, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Mark and Dale headed towards her. Her best friends wore matching faces of grim anticipation, and when they tried to flash her a smile, it almost made her deflate even more.

"How are they?" Dale asked when she approached, her voice soft. The daughter of Demeter reached up to fiddle with the end of her messy fishtail braid, a nervous habit she'd long since developed.

Tessa shrugged, her gaze returning to the window. Inside, Kaden nodded along to something Flynn was explaining. For the whole session, it seemed, Flynn had done most of the talking. Apparently, Kiara wasn't much of a talker but Tessa wasn't sure how to justify it.

"It must be killing Flynn," Mark exhaled, running a hand through his onyx hair. "He's been separated from Reese for so long, only to have him ripped away again."

"They need a break," Tessa agreed, eyes locked on Flynn's now-frail figure within the room.

There was a beat of silence before Dale spoke, her voice somber. "Don't we all?"

Even though Tessa knew that they were all thinking of the same answer, their thoughts were interrupted as the door before them opened. Kaden walked out, a distraught yet analytical look on his face. He shut the door behind him, meeting his friends' gazes.

"Hey," He managed, his voice breathy. "I take it you guys are here to see Flynn."

Dale nodded. "He could use some friends."

She reached for the handle, but Kaden cut her off quickly. "Just...let me talk with you guys first."

Kaden let Tessa, Dale, and Mark over to a nearby open area, glancing down at his clipboard. "They both have bruising, bouts of malnutrition, among other things, but that's not exactly what I'm worried about."

Tessa met Kaden's gaze. "Physical injuries heal. Mental and emotional ones don't."

"Well, they can but...they've been through some pretty traumatic things. Flynn was in that cell for close to nine months, and Kiara about a year if not longer. They both were subject to torture. Flynn described being whipped, beaten, and given mental images of Amelie and others being tortured rather than him." Kaden explained, his tone darkening with each word. He seemed hunched over, like the weight of the situation was beating down on him.

"What about Kiara?" Mark knit his eyebrows together. "What'd she tell you?"

Kaden shook his head. "Absolutely nothing. She only talks to Flynn, and when no one else is around. I diagnosed it as a post-traumatic tendency, but I won't be sure until she becomes more comfortable with where she is."

Tessa mulled over Kaden's words, her heart breaking at the image of Flynn and what he had to endure. However, with a chill down her spine and the purr of the monster within her, a new realization dawned on her.

"The General executed those punishments, didn't I—she?" Tessa bit her tongue, but eyed Kaden. When he nodded with remorse in his gaze, part of her weakened.

And yet, the darker part strengthened.

"I don't think I should see him then," Tessa took a small step back. "It could be too damaging. They associate me with pain and torture."

"Tessa, you know that's not true." Kaden began, but Tessa cut him off with a stern look.

"You know it is," She chided. "And if not me, then my face. My voice. I'm the living embodiment of a trigger to them."

"They haven't seemed like that these past few weeks," Dale theorized. "Maybe they know that we're not who we are over there?"

Kaden glanced down at his notes, sighing. "I can run a few more tests, see what they associate with each of us and if they genuinely feel like they can be around us."

Tessa nodded, no matter the tightening feeling in her chest. She shut her eyes and took back the timeline to the battle of New Orleans, where Orion had given her the chance to glimpse alternate universes. One had held a completely mortal version of herself and her friends, where they didn't have to worry about death and danger and trauma.

What she would have given to step through that portal.

What she would have given to have changed it all.

~~

Later that afternoon, Tessa sat on overnight duty in the Principia's headquarters. Eli was supposed to be there with her, but Kiara had given word of wanting to see him, and the son of Ahklys had bolted faster than the lightning bolts Luci, the Roman augur, could summon. So Tessa sat alone in the vast metallic room, in a half daze of sleep and tension.

Her gaze averted to the small platform where the portal had stood, where they all had stood when Reese was out of their reach. In her sleep-induced daze, Tessa found herself running through each memory she possessed of Reese, of his comforting words, his unwavering loyalty, and more.

It had been nearly five years since Tessa had first met Reese, awkward and quiet and brooding, at Camp Half-Blood. They'd met in their archery class, and where Reese had been pretty outstanding with a bow at fourteen, Tessa was still beginning to learn.

"Aren't you supposed to be, like, inherently good at everything?" Sophia sneered from another spot on the archery field, watching as Tessa's arrow veered over the target and into the field beyond. "Some all-powerful demigod."

Tessa bit back a snarl at the red-haired girl. What, did people expect her to fly next or something?

She nocked another arrow, fists trembling in rage. She couldn't see down the wooden shaft of the arrow, she was shaking that badly. Half of her wanted to miss so epically that Sophia would shut her damn mouth, but the figure of the blond boy walking towards her cut her off.

"Take a deep breath," The boy instructed, his voice soft yet strong.

Tessa frowned but obeyed. Turns out, breathing on someone's command was a lot more uncomfortable than one would think.

"Now draw your arrow back to your cheek. Don't listen to what people say, only focus on yourself and the arrow." The boy continued.

Tessa did so, and on the boy's command, let it fire. It whistled through the air, hitting a few rings away from the bulls-eye; closer than Tessa had ever gotten.

The daughter of Poseidon lowered her bow in amazement. She whirled back to the boy, who wore a small smile. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," The boy nodded, jerking his hand out towards her. "I'm Reese, by the way. Son of Apollo."

The name sounded familiar, until Tessa realized that this boy was one of Kaden's friends. She nodded in realization, but shook his hand regardless. "I'm Tessa—"

"I know." Reese wise-cracked. "Your name's all over camp, remember?"

Tessa's expression soured at that, and she pulled her hand away.

Reese frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just stating a fact. Everyone's been talking about you these past few weeks. It's nothing bad. At least, that I've heard."

Tessa shrugged, her gaze at her chlorophyll stained converse. She was thirteen, she wasn't supposed to be some sort of mythological celebrity. But no, her three-thousand-year old dad had made sure of that, hadn't he?

"It's okay," Tessa found herself saying, flashing a bright grin at Reese through her teeth. "As long as it's me they're talking about, I don't really care if it's good or bad."

Reese arched an eyebrow, but Tessa looked away smugly. She drew another arrow, and when Reese spoke again, she turned the arrowhead towards him. He yelped and ducked away, causing Tessa to laugh.

"Don't do that! Your grip is awful, you could have let that fly and I'd be dead!" Reese's words rammed into one another in his panic.

"But you're not, are you?"

"Yet."

Tessa smirked. She had a feeling she was going to like this uptight son of Apollo.

A sudden beeping on a nearby monitor shook Tessa out of her reverie. She blinked, standing from her chair and pacing over to the platform of computers.

Plastered atop the central monitor was a picture of Reese, the headshot they'd taken of him before the mission to the other side. His heartbeat was going off the charts where it should have been flatlined.

Tessa felt her own heart skip a beat as a box appeared on the screen. An audio message.

For a few seconds, Tessa heard static. What she heard next shook her to her core.

"This is Reese Hale, son of Apollo, do you read me? I don't know how long I have left on here, I've been jimmying this goddamn watch for the past two weeks but I want you to know that I'm alive. I don't know when I'll be back, or if I won't be dead by the time you hear this but I'm alive."

~~

[alternate universe]

Reese wasn't a fan of the obsidian build of the Palace, but it sure fit the tone of the Regiment. Dark, gloomy, yet regal and elegant. Just the General's type apparently.

The son of Apollo emerged from a debriefing with the General herself, and was surprised to find his heart-rate entirely normal. Apparently, the Reese that she knew was always sarcastic with her, so as soon as he pretended that the Tessa before him was the Tessa back home, playing the role she expected him to was simply.

Reese chuckled under his breath. The General praised herself for being perceptive and clever, but couldn't see the wolf in sheep's clothing right under her nose.

Or would it be sheep in wolf's clothing if the Regiment was that vicious? Reese was vicious sometimes, maybe it was a wolf in wolf's clothing? A bear, perhaps?

'Snap out of it, Hale,' His conscious told him as he walked to his chambers. Well, not technically his. 'You've got more important shit to do.'

A chill crept down Reese's spine, like someone was staring daggers at his back. He turned, a hand halfway to the golden quiver on his back, but no one was there. No one was down either way of the corridor, which somehow didn't strike Reese as odd. The Palace was huge, he'd learned that in the past two weeks.

Besides, he needed to make a quick detour.

Reese veered off the path to his chambers and walked the way down to the dungeons. He hadn't spoken to Matthew Baines in two weeks, when he'd given the son of Ares his bracelet to fiddle with. Eli Allistair's inventions might have been the only way to let his friends back home know that he was alive. He hadn't checked if Baines was tech savvy, but if he knew any better, he'd become that way.

Reese nodded to the guards outside the dungeon, donning his new signature stone-cold gaze. They opened the door, and Reese fought the empathy flaring in his chest as he walked down the rows of packed cells, filled with the damned. He made his way to the high-security cells, now only holding one prisoner.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Matthew drawled, looking up from his work.

"Is it ready?" Reese demanded, crouching down before his cell.

Matthew nodded, handing him the bracelet. "I sent the message just before you walked in. You'll need this for when you escape."

Reese slipped the bracelet on and underneath the cuff of his jacket, sure to hide it from any prying eyes. "What about you?"

"This is my world, Hale," Matthew motioned around him. "I'll figure something out."

Reese opened his mouth to speak, but Matthew's eyes locked on something behind him, his face filling with a stunned sort of fear. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh, what?" Reese asked, eyes widening in panic.

"They never put cameras in here," Matthew muttered to himself. "Why now?"

Reese turned and found himself staring at the security camera, propped right in the top corner of the room. Suddenly, his blood ran cold and he shot up. Without another word, he took off.

He sprinted down the ornate hallways until he reached his chambers, his heartbeat beating rapidly in his chest. A vanguard had to be assembling to take him out, which meant it was time to do one thing.

Accept his darkness.

Reese dove into his chambers, locking the door behind him. He looked around wildly, and hurried into his walk-in closet. He flicked on the light, and found himself staring at the bound and gagged version of himself from this dark, dreary universe.

Dark Reese glared at Reese as he neared, hardly even flinching.

"Part of me wants to say I'm sorry about this," Reese spoke, keeping his voice level as he reached for the dagger strapped to his leg. "But the other part knows that that'd be full of crap."

Dark Reese's gaze was as unyielding as the night sky, a sapphire blaze staring into a mirror image of themselves.

Reese shut off all feeling, all emotion as he unsheathed the knife, and with the sound of the vanguard approaching in the distance, said a quick prayer.

Then, swift as an adder, stabbed the Celestial bronze blade through his doppelganger's heart, watching as the life leeched out of him like the blood spurting onto his hand.

"You're done hurting people," Reese said under his breath, but as he pulled the knife out of his victim's chest, realized he was staring at himself, talking to himself, and after what he just pulled, was there really a difference between them after all?