[dies irae]

Morning approached with wraith-like stealth, turning the midnight skies into a bright azure sky. Everything seemed supernatural in the January sunlight: beams of sunlight fell from a perfect cloudless sky, the grass shimmered in emerald, the cobblestones atop which the Roman forces moved were polished. It all looked like a celebration of rebirth, but to Tessa, the glory felt more like a tomb being decorated.

The daughter of Poseidon stood with fortitude, her plan close to fruition. The war council had met earlier that morning—entirely on edge—to reassert roles and any last-minute strategies. Despite her friends carrying most of the impending battle on their shoulders, Tessa possessed a swaying part in the war. If everything went well on her end for the first phase, then the fighting would eventually cease. She'd be able to aid her friends when needed, but first, she had her own job to do.

Tessa risked a glance around at the army that surrounded her. Blurs of gold and violet radiated under the sun, but as clear as day, Tessa could discern her friends. Kaden and Kaya sat on horseback at the front of the legion, donning full battle armor and their violet cloaks. Mark, Dale, and Adhara stood nearby, their weapons in hand as they watched the horizon in onyx, gold, and violet. Somewhere within the city, Sophia, Ben, and Charlie would be ready to fire the bombs of Greek fire to prevent intrusion in the city. And along the rooftops of New Rome, Imogen and Reese would be leading a squad of archers prepared to take down anyone who managed to pass through the barriers.

With swords in their hands and expressions cut from stone, they were all just kids who had seen the worst that the world had to offer. They had stared into the darkness, found it had stared back, and emerged into the light with the shadows trailing behind them darker than ever.

No one spoke as Tessa averted her gaze back to the horizon. Silence had stretched so thickly throughout the valley, it was easy for mortals to look over the Oakland Hills and see nothing. The Mist and its powers were powerful, but silence and stealth were in the arsenal of every great warrior.

That's when Tessa felt the snap ripple through her body, as if she were a pond and a stone had been dropped atop her. Her nerves sang with energy, her eyes illuminating, and each one of her old wounds began to ache again.

The Twelfth Legion must have felt the Regiment cross into their universe as well, because Tessa heard the rustle of footsteps and the clinking of armor. Everyone was looking around, in complete disorder, as if the source of their discomfort could be seen.

And it wasn't for a moment.

But just as swiftly as Tessa met Kaden's gaze from across the way, nodding briefly, that moment was spent.

A crack ripped through the air like lightning, and Tessa and the legion looked up to see a thundercloud of arrows soaring towards them. No one moved a muscle, just as they were told.

From atop her Pegasus, Kaya threw up her hands. A shockwave of energy flew from her palms and radiated through the valley, forming a barrier so vast and so wide that all of the Regiment's arrows bounced right off of her magic.

Tessa took a deep breath, adjusting her posture. She could see the General's forces beginning to encroach over the hills, a blur of black against a sea of gold. The trampling of their feet and the bellowing of their battle cries was a distant roar, only getting louder as the seconds passed.

"Steady," Tessa called out. "Stand firm."

The distant rumble became a prominent roar. The blur of black became discernable soldiers and glints of weapons.

"Hold!" Kaden shouted. "Cuneam formate!"

Kaya grimaced, the weight of her powers beginning to bear down on her. "I can't hold it much longer."

Again, Kaden and Tessa locked eyes from where they stood on the battlefield. Understanding passed through them, and they returned their eyes to the horizon. The Regiment was a hundred yards away, seventy-five, fifty.

"Attack!" Kaden and Tessa yelled in unison, raising their weapons.

And Kaya's barrier disintegrated as she lowered her arms, allowing for the Twelfth Legion Fulminata to charge forward, weapons blazing, into a sea of black and shadows.

~~

The battle was absolute chaos. From where Tessa stood, she could see the full stretch of the battlefield before her as Regiment soldiers crossed with Roman legionnaires, and the bloodbath began. It felt like déjà vu. Now was the second time that Tessa had pitted hers and her friends' forces against a Regiment of darkness, but the stakes were much higher on this most crucial of battles.

Tessa's battle senses began to kick in, but because of her plan, she couldn't move. She had to stay still, just out of reach. Just as she would gain power from the General's defeat, the reverse was true from her doppelganger. Tessa needed to remain safe until she was away from most of the fight, but she couldn't do that until she had the General on her tail.

If people approached her...well, Adhara had helped her realize another hidden power that Tessa would be forced to use.

Tessa gripped the hilt of Tempest at her side until her knuckles turned white. Her instincts were telling her to jump into the pulpit and fight, but she had to yield. Her fight was with one person, not a whole army. And as soon as that was over, defeat would leach into the other universe's forces.

A blur of black raced past the corner of Tessa's vision, and she turned her head in time to see a young Regiment shoulder darting towards her. He was maybe a year or two younger than her, already donning the uniform of a killer and the expression of a madman, but how he held himself told Tessa otherwise.

She sighed, gathering the strength she needed. Then, she lifted her free hand in the boy's direction—and flexed her fingers.

The boy staggered into place, gasping for air as if his lungs had never possessed air. His eyes widened in shock and Tessa knew what he was thinking. How was she doing it? Why was she doing it?

Tessa's heart twisted as power surged through her veins, pumping through her heart. The boy was going pale and he fell to his knees in mercy. Then, Tessa couldn't bear it anymore. She flicked her hand and the boy tumbled away from her like a rag doll.

The daughter of Poseidon made a mental note to yell at Adhara for making her do this, but it was a useful trick. She couldn't defend herself with magic or her powers. Until she got the signal, she'd have to stick to controlling those who attacked her.

She only wondered how long she could maintain the ruse.

A fizz of static erupted into her ears, and Tessa pressed her free hand up to her ear. "Talk to me."

"A squadron of Regiment soldiers just began to move towards the city." Eli reported from his base in the Principia. "They're all wearing black so I can't see if one's the General."

Tessa fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Do any of them look like me?"

"Negative, but I will keep you posted. Connecting you to Charlie now." Eli continued, and with a faint click, Tessa heard a sound like gears whirring from the other line.

"Charlie, have you, Sophia, and Ben prepared the bombs?" Tessa demanded, scanning the battlefield. Kaden was engaged in a battle, but he ducked under an enemy weapon and darted away. Madi elbowed a soldier in the face before slashing at their arms.

"Yes, we have. Which do we need to fire?" Charlie confirmed.

Tessa recounted the coordinates that Eli had mumbled, and she glanced up at the azure sky for strength. Please let this work.

"Tessa!" Mark's voice snagged Tessa's attention, and despite Charlie in her ear, she turned around...and felt her heart sink.

A boy with dark hair and bright cerulean irises had Mark apprehended. The Regiment boy held an onyx sword to Mark's throat, and something mixed with fury blazed in his blue eyes.

"He'd like to speak with you," Mark wheezed, his fingers clawing at the boy's forearms.

"Tessa? Are you there?" Charlie asked from Tessa's earpiece. Slowly, lowered her hand to her side, Charlie's voice cutting off.

"Tessa Brennan," The boy spoke with an English accent. "Just as charming on this universe, I'm sure."

Inclining her head, Tessa spoke. "And twice as fearsome. What do you want?"

The English soldier smirked from behind Mark, but his smile was laced with a sort of sadness. "I believe you should be asking yourself that, love. If you don't want your friend here to die, I suggest you give me the information I need."

Tessa inhaled slowly. "And that would be?"

"Give me the whereabouts of Ariel Rathaway." The boy demanded, although his voice sounded strained, like he didn't want to say it.

Of course, Tessa knew where Ariel was hidden. She and Kiara were within the Principia with Eli, making sure that they could be on the battlefield on any given moment. Kaden had tried to condemn Kiara to bedrest, but the daughter of Asteria had given him a glare so forceful, the praetor backed down.

"I have no idea who that is," Tessa said airily, as if he were wasting her time. "Now release my force and be on your merry way."

She met Mark's gaze, and understanding passed between the two best friends. Tessa swiftly returned her eyes to the English boy's to see the precipice he stood on. He seemed troubled, but tense, like an animal backed into a corner. Even if he didn't want to, he would attack if forced to.

"Now!" Tessa exclaimed as she threw her hand forward.

The Regiment soldier tensed up under her control, and Mark slipped out from his grasp. The son of Iris executed a swift punch just as Tessa released her control, and the boy tumbled down the way he'd come.

Tessa exhaled, but before either she or Mark could revel in their minor victory, two things happened. One, more cries of agony were filling the battlefield. The Regiment had nearly twice as many soldiers as Camp Jupiter, and despite all the calculations Kaden and Sophia had prepared regarding casualties, Tessa feared they might have been wrong. Second, an explosion echoed through the air in the direction of New Rome which could only mean one thing.

Tessa whirled around to see the plume of green flame rise into the sky. She raised a hand to her ear, pressing on her earpiece. "Please tell me that was you guys."

"Who else?" Charlie confirmed amicably in her ear.

His voice was cut off by Eli's as he invaded the airwaves.

"The General was just spotted moving towards the city center. She's alone; she must have been the only survivor of the explosion. Get a move on, kid." The son of Ahklys reported into her ear.

Tessa nodded, turning around to face Mark, but the son of Iris had already plunged himself back into the battle. He'd snatched a staff from an enemy soldier, and was using it to pummel the two attackers flanking him on either side.

So with a deep breath, Tessa turned her back on the battlefield, stained with blood, and darted up the trails leading into the city.

~~

Even in the heart of New Rome, Tessa could hear the echoes of battle as prominently as if she were back on the field. She could feel the surges of anxiety beginning to flare in her soul at leaving her friends alone, but they could take care of themselves. Besides, their safety now depended on her power.

Tessa turned a corner, continuing down the silent streets of New Rome. Every able-bodied veteran of the legion was called into battle, and all those that weren't had locked themselves into their homes. The streets were empty, beckoning a battle or a parading army, but Tessa was a one-woman war, a predator on the hunt for her prey.

The roads opened into the large city center crowned by the replica Trevi Fountain and Kaden's statue. However, Tessa had arrived at her destination.

At the edge of the Trevi Fountain, looking up at the engravings, stood the General. As per usual, she donned her black armored jumpsuit into battle. Her labyrinthine gold belt hung from her waist, as well as her sword belt. Her long chocolate hair had been left down despite war blazing on around her.

"I know you're there," The General spoke, her voice echoing across the square. "I felt you approaching."

Tessa remained silent, drawing Tempest, and relishing in the comfort that came with being armed. She kept her focus on the General, who turned on her heels to face Tessa.

"I was like you once, Tessa. I had a head full of fantasies and dreams. I was devoted to being a good hero and honoring my friends and family. My world was much like how yours is now." The General spoke, taking a few slow steps forward. "But then, I realized just how much that the father that claimed to be proud of me really didn't care. I noticed how the gods used us as pawns. They're weak."

"And you're a coward," Tessa rebuffed, her words laced with venom.

The General bristled, but continued her words. "And just like that, those dreams and fantasies and hopes shattered to the ground around me. I realized just how much power I could truly possess, only if I tried. And now..." She waved her arms around. "I'm here."

"About to get your ass handed to you," Tessa nodded along. "What a trip to make."

The General's sea-green eyes honed in on Tessa's, and Tessa fought to suppress the chill spreading like frost through her veins. "You try and deny what's truly in your heart. You think that you're nothing like me, that I'm a monster wearing your face, but you're wrong. You have the darkness inside you, Tessa, you've had it all along. I'm only embracing it."

Tessa stalked forward, shadows on her heels. "I prepared for a war, not a speech. So if you're as terrifying as you're so proud of, why don't you shut the hell up and prove it?"

The General smirked a predator's smile. "My pleasure."

As the two daughters of Poseidon charged towards one another, the world seemed to freeze in its revolution. It wasn't until the two bronze blades collided that it all came crashing back at hyper-speed.

Tessa ducked as the General swung her sword at her head, dropping to the ground and rolling. She swiped Tempest at the General's feet, but her doppelganger leapt up. Tessa followed suit, glad for the distance between them.

The General swiped at her arm, and Tessa bit back a cry of pain as the wound drew blood. She forced herself to focus. Victory now, pain later.

Tessa parried and stabbed until it became a reflex. She would swipe at the General, dodge, slash, duck, stab, roll, repeat. She became a spirit of battle, a wraith. Nothing could touch her.

The two girls' blades clanged once more, with either the General or Tessa trying to force the other's blade down.

"Stand down," The General said through grit teeth. "Even if you win this, my plan is already close to fruition. Cities will topple, war will break out. It'll be the end of life as you know it."

Tessa didn't respond, despite her words ringing around in her skull. She knew the cost of the battle, what could happen if Tessa faltered for even a moment. Her friends, her loved ones, everyone would be slaughtered.

Tessa grunted as she kicked her leg out before her, and the General stumbled backwards. Tessa caught her breath, swinging Tempest around in her hand. However, the General recovered quickly.

"You think you're so powerful," Tessa taunted, backtracking towards the rim of the fountain. The General eyed her, slowly stalking after her. She had a cut on her forehead, and the fabric of her right sleeve was shredded from Tessa's blade. "But I've got something you can't touch."

"And what's that?" The General gave her a bored look. She wielded her own Tempest, Tessa's blood leaking off of it.

Tessa fought the wave of nausea that surfaced at the sight of her own blood. She spread her senses all around her, to the water in the basin behind her to the vapor in the air, all the way down to the blood in the General's veins.

"You were born with a heart forged of darkness," Tessa explained, spreading her hands. "I was born with a heart of forged from light."

"And what good do you think that will do?" The General mused.

Tessa smirked. "I can control my darkness. Your darkness controls you."

The General arched a wary eyebrow, but Tessa's plan was already in motion. She felt the wrenching tug in her gut as every gallon of water in the basin behind her obeyed her every win. The fountains shut off as Tessa manipulated the clear water, turning it dark and darker, until it was as onyx as the suit the General wore. Tessa controlled it into a tidal wave of her own making, foaming, preparing to break.

And for the first time, Tessa saw a glimpse of fear in the General's eyes. That's when it hit Tessa.

The General had denounced the gods on her universe, therefore allowing them to fade into nonexistence. Without the gods, the General and her Elite possessed next to no control over their former godly parents' spheres of power.

The might General Brennan of the Regiment couldn't control the sea her father used to command.

Tessa smirked, and with a battle cry, threw her hands forward. The wave commanded. It surged over her in a wall of water, racing straight towards the General. Water flooded the square, leaking into the streets, turning the city center into a wave pool of water as dark as the bottom of the sea.

When the water subsided, Tessa sauntered back into the square proudly. Not a drop had gotten on her, but the General was doused from head to toe, coughing up water on the cobblestoned ground.

"How the mighty fall," Tessa crooned, looking down at her doppelganger.

The General flipped over onto her back, breathing heavily. Her eyes were bright green, beacons of fury. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

In the split second of Tessa's confusion, a flare of pain erupted from her side. Tessa cried out in agony as she pressed her fingers to her side. They came away sticky with scarlet blood.

The next thing Tessa knew, she was the one on the ground. The General stood above her, bloodied blade in her hand. Her eyes were those of a madman's, blazing with an insane fury. Blood dripped off the sword onto Tessa's face.

"Trust me," The General breathed. "I'm only saving you from what's coming."

"I find that hard to believe," Tessa exhaled, shaking from both the pain of her wound as well as the fear beginning to well up in her heart.

The General raised her sword up, about to strike, when a streak of gold flew clean through her shoulder. She bellowed in agony, her sword clattering to the ground. Tessa had enough nerve to roll out of the way, making the General fall to her feet.

Tessa stood, vision blurry, as she stared at the golden arrow protruding from the General's shoulder blade. She turned, facing the nearby buildings, and her turquoise gaze fell upon Reese Hale, his golden bow drawn as he stood nearby.

"You looked like you could use some help," The son of Apollo shrugged, another arrow already nocked.

Tessa turned back to the General, fallen on the ground. She was breathing heavily, her gaze seething as Tessa approached with Tempest.

"You don't have the guts," The General spat. "You're too weak to kill."

Tessa raised her head. "You might look like me, talk like me, even sound like me, but you will never, ever, know who I am or what I am capable of."

The General huffed a breath, wincing at the pain of her wounds. At that moment, Tessa felt as if she were back in Delphi, listening to the Oracle reveal the prophecy. It was as if the Oracle herself were watching this moment right now, waiting to see what Tessa would do.

Accept thy darkness, accept thy fate...

Tessa brought the sword down into the General's heart. Right as Tempest's bronze blade pierced through, the General disintegrated into a flash of light, until all that was left of her was the smell of blood still lingering in the air.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion after that. Tessa dropped Tempest, staggering backwards. Reese swooped forward and caught her as she fell, her muscles weak. Nectar dripped through her lips, and at the taste of the godly drink, Tessa felt her energy begin to recuperate.

"I did it," She breathed incredulously. "I can't believe I did it."

Reese smiled sympathetically, his eyes shadowed. "You did what you had to do, Tessa. Now we need to get back to the others."

Tessa winced as Reese helped her up. Her hands were still red with the blood of her and her enemy, but she forced the thought from her head. She needed to help her friends finish the battle, if it hadn't ended already.

They'd just emerged from the city center when the ground began to quake. Reese and Tessa met each other's gazes in confusion and panic, pressing their fingers up to their earpieces.

"Eli, what the hell's going on?" Tessa barked, fury lacing her words.

"I'm working on it! It looks like an earthquake just started in the valley. The Regiment's soldiers began to disappear, and that's when the quake started." Eli reported.

"But the valley's enchanted against any natural disasters or storms." Reese countered. "How is this possible?"

"If I knew, I would tell you." Eli exhaled. "I'm working on trying to trigger the camp's emergency barrier to see if that'll do anything magic-wise to prevent any damage. Also, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we've got another problem."

Tessa and Reese hurried into a nearby doorway as another tremor shook the earth. "Which is?" Tessa asked.

"Vinny," Eli said. "He's here."

~~

[Kaden Gray's Perspective]

As soon as the Regiment soldiers began to dissolve like ink dropped in water, Kaden began to relax. The battle was over. Tessa had done her job. They could tend to their wounded and count it as another victory in the books.

That's when Kaden saw Vinny Maxwell's smug little face near the entrance to New Rome.

An eruption of fury sprang up in Kaden's soul, and he quickly abandoned his post on the battlefield. Sword in hand, the son of Venus darted after the traitor into New Rome, blitzing past buildings and monuments. His heart pounded in his chest with each step. This was it, this was the end of Vinny and all the torture he'd put Kaden and his friends through in the past year.

Kaden mirrored Vinny's actions as the son of Victoria skidded to a stop. For someone who'd been chased to hell and back, Vinny seemed sure of himself as he turned to face Kaden.

"Hey there, Kade," Vinny grinned. "Long time, no see."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kaden demanded, his grip tight around his sword.

Vinny motioned around with his sword, as if the answer was obvious around them. "To wreak havoc, of course. What else would I be here for?"

Kaden set his jaw, gritting his teeth. "You're a monster. You belong in the depths of Tartarus."

Vinny's sapphire eyes flickered in animosity. "Ouch. Taking the knife and twisting it, aren't you, pal?"

"Please," Kaden scoffed. "Like you care about anything I say."

"You're right, I don't," Vinny nodded. "But I come bearing a message. Even if your little graecus girlfriend defeated the Regiment, you all have another storm coming. The General and her forces were only one phase of it, and I'm afraid this..." He snapped his fingers. "Is the next."

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to quake. Kaden's eyes widened in alarm. The valley was enchanted against natural disasters, so how was this possible?

"I might have been the General's lieutenant but I serve a greater power. I'll keep coming until I see these camps destroyed and the Olympians thrown into Tartarus." Vinny called over the roar of the earthquake. "Project Maelstrom will happen in time, and you all will wish you'd died at the hands of Deimos, of Orion, of the General, when it does."

Kaden weighed his options, thinking fast. He could hardly stand, let alone fight. The best option right now was to use his powers and keep Vinny talking. If there was some evil beyond the Regiment that Vinny knew about, Kaden would get it out of him.

"My, my, what will the praetor do?" Vinny taunted. "Remember what we used to call you when we were kids, Kaden?"

Kaden grimaced at the memory of Vinny and himself as kids, followed by Jett and Mallory. "Invictus Optimus Maximus."

Vinny sneered. "The unconquerable, the best, and the greatest. How that's changed."

Kaden glared at Vinny. "What's Project Maelstrom?" He laced his words with charmspeak, praying that his former best friend wasn't immune to the power.

However, the son of Victoria only grinned. "Armageddon."

With that, the earth let loose a powerful tremor, and Kaden staggered as he tried to maintain his balance. By the time he'd collected himself, the streets were arcing in waves, buildings began to topple, and Vinny Maxwell had disappeared.