[Deus nobis haec otia fecit] 

What was once a valley of gold and light was now one of obsidian and shadows. It was as if the fog that so frequently rolled around the Oakland hills had finally leached into Camp Jupiter, permeating throughout the trails, the barracks, until it had wrapped around every legionnaire's heart like a cocoon of darkness and sorrow. The sea in the distance was gray and murky. The skies above New Rome were tainted with slate clouds, as if a storm were about to burst in the middle of winter.

Tessa had grown accustomed to the cold in the valley, but given the war on the horizon, the border's enchantment melted the snow and evaporated the cold. A brisk breeze hung in the air regardless, weighing down on Tessa like Atlas' burden.

It was their last day of peace before the Regiment came blasting through the breaches of space and time with hell to pay. Sophia and Kaden had drafted lists and lists of calculations regarding the amounts of weapons they'd need, the ammunition, the forces around certain parts of camp...as well as the projected number of casualties. Tessa had tried to ignore that last part, but it stuck around like an arrow through her side; painstakingly there, even more dangerous to try and resolve.

As Tessa walked through the valley, she couldn't help but notice the looks on people's faces. War was on the horizon, but it had already dawned on the Twelfth Legion and veterans of New Rome. Legionnaires never roamed without some form of armor and weapon at their side. Laughter and chatter was replaced by clanging within the forges and the sounds of swords being unsheathed. Children within the city limits never strayed too far from their parents. Curfews were installed and enforced. There was no longer light in the second Eternal City, only a lingering sense of the tragedy about to unfold.

It was as if Tessa had never left the ruins at Delphi, and she was still a part of a world where war and strife and omens were commonplace. Despite it being the twenty-first century and her lineage being derived from mortals as well as gods, she might as well have been living in the past for all the peace she'd been receiving.

Whispers floated up through the streets as Tessa walked through New Rome on her way to the Principia. Crowds parted, people were pulled away, and everyone's sullen eyes traced to Tessa.

She stopped in her tracks, glancing around tentatively. They were all watching, waiting for the great daughter of Poseidon to make her next move that would either save or endanger them all. They all knew of the threat, a Regiment force led by a girl wearing the exact same face as one of their heroes.

They wanted to know just what this girl was getting them into.

Liar, they called her. Unreliable. Weak. Loose cannon. Graecus.

Tessa held her head a bit higher as she continued her walk, the whispers bouncing off the armor of her years. But as soon as she entered the immaculate Principia, she found that she hadn't been able to shake off all the jeers, the complaints, the hisses. They'd stuck into the places of her mind she'd never be able to forget.

~~

The basement of the Principia had become the hub for the war effort. There was always a member of their council down there in case anything less than positive was incoming. Papers were scattered everywhere, and it was difficult to try not to slip on something given the mass chaos that everyone seemed to be partaking in.

Dale, Sophia, Reese, and Eli were darting around headquarters as Tessa entered, fulfilling any last-minute tasks. Dale was swinging around from computer to computer, running anything from binary codes to facial recognition. Sophia was rifling through a filing cabinet with manila folders stuffed under her arms and one in between her teeth, a determined look in her hazel eyes. Reese was analyzing the battle plan that had been drawn on a board near the meeting table in the back of the room. Eli was fiddling with some new contraptions at his work-table, bits and pieces of gadgetry sprawled across the countertop.

"You guys rang?" Tessa called as she walked in. Sophia looked up at the sound of her voice, then squinted and turned back to the filing cabinet.

Dale glanced over her shoulder from the central platform, swiveling around in her chair. "Oh, Tessa! Glad you could make it."

"What's up?" Tessa asked, casting an eye around the room.

Dale, without tearing her gaze from the screen before her, snatched up a file from the clear tabletop beside her. "We've got a few questions regarding the battle strategy for tomorrow. Just a review of everyone's positions."

Tessa nodded, taking the file from Dale even though she'd committed the strategy to memory. She'd stayed up all night to have it drafted in time, and spent every waking minute after that to work out any flaws in the system.

Dale averted her gaze to Reese, her golden irises flickering. "Reese? Your question?"

The son of Apollo was shaken out of his reverie, and he approached Tessa. "I've been looking over the diagrams for the battle and I'm still not too sure where I'm supposed to be."

Tessa nodded, taking the dry-erase marker from Reese and walking back over to the transparent board. She uncapped the marker and wrote Reese's name with an arrow pointing to a 'x' labeled 'First'.

"You'll be helping the First Cohort defend New Rome. The archers of the cohort will be lining the building tops, sort of like snipers. If anyone gets past the borders that looks less than friendly, you know what to do." Tessa handed the marker back to Reese, who was still frowning at the board.

"But isn't everyone going to be defending New Rome?" He asked.

"Yes and no," Tessa explained. "The Second and Fifth Cohorts will be leading the guerilla warfare strategy along the central roads into camp to slow the Regiment down and hopefully take out a few of their forces. The First, Third, and Fourth will be spread out evenly throughout the valley in about a mile-radius around the city in all directions. The First is only in charge of last minute assault, in case people manage to get through our initial defenses."

Reese nodded at that, realization dawning in his sapphire irises. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" He plucked the marker out of Tessa's grasp and continued to scribble away at his diagrams on the board.

The sound of the file cabinet shutting snagged Tessa's attention, and she looked over to see Sophia shuffling forward with a plethora of files in her arms.

"So I've been doing some research and I think I have another way that we can defend the city," The daughter of Athena stated as she slapped the files down onto the table. "The armory has a series of Imperial Gold tripwires, as well as some vials of Greek fire. If we can assemble them properly around the city limits, if anyone crosses, they'll trigger explosions."

"You'd have to contain the explosion though," Dale countered, looking up from her monitor.

Sophia chewed on her lip. "We'd be able to if we angled the triggers the right way." She paused for a moment, lost in thought, before scooping up her stack of files and hurrying towards the elevator. "I'm gonna go talk to Charlie, see if he and the others in the Forges can figure something out."

"Tell them to hurry if they can!" Tessa called just before the golden doors shut.

"Oh, Tessa, by the way," Dale began. "We touched in with the Hunters and Camp Half-Blood like you'd asked. They've mobilized and should be in position by midnight tonight."

Tessa nodded, looking over at one of the computer screens. The weather channel was airing, the volume muted, and a series of photos and video clips of disaster played on the screen. Tessa frowned, walking over to it. It appeared that there had been a series of earthquakes in Washington state, as well as a massive snow storm moving through the Midwest.

"Do you think this has something to do with the Regiment?" Tessa asked, glancing over one shoulder at Dale and Reese.

Reese turned away from the board, squinting at the computer screen. "They can't cause natural disasters, can they? Because if they can, we're in a whole other world of trouble."

Dale swiveled around to glare at the son of Apollo. "Was that a pun?"

Reese shrugged, looking back to Tessa.

On the monitor, the meteorologists were discussing possible causes of all these weather phenomena and natural disasters. However, something as simple as a blizzard or tectonic plates shifting didn't sit right with Tessa. As a demigod, she'd learned never to take things at face-value. The Mist was always there to fog up her view of the world and even more so for mortals. Given the timing, something about this wasn't right.

"Does everyone know what they'll be doing tomorrow?" Tessa asked, her eyes still glued to the monitor. Half of her mind was mulling over possible explanations to the natural disasters, whereas the other was rehashing the battle strategy.

"To my knowledge, yes," Dale confirmed.

"Double check," Tessa commanded, stepping away from the screen. "This has to be a victory for us...and Olympus."

Instantly, her words took their toll. Dale and Reese both looked down at the mention of Olympus, a dark look in their eyes. Dale's fingers froze over the computer keys, a hard look etched onto her face. Reese's fist clenched and unclenched around the marker he was holding, a muscle in his jaw twitching. Then, just like that, the haze passed.

Tessa frowned, the realization weighing down in her soul like an anchor hefted into the sea. The Olympians might be their parents, but nowadays, it felt less like Tessa and her friends were honoring them rather than cleaning up their messes. No one asked to be a demigod, it was thrust upon you like a bomb you had to figure out how to keep from detonating.

And for just a moment, a split second, Tessa understood the animosity the General and the Elite harbored against the gods on their world. They'd renounced them into the depths of Tartarus, and Tessa wondered if this was how the descent into darkness started: a little bit of anger, a little bit of spite, until the next thing you knew, Olympus' glittering kingdom was all yours.

That possibility would have been too enticing to turn down. One moment, the General could have been resting in the throne room of the gods, and the next, she was looking for cities to topple with newfound power. She would have become a god on earth herself, one who wrought terror and havoc and despair.

Something hardened inside of Tessa, her heart pounding. She wouldn't resort to that. Not now, not ever.

But the darkness inside her only churned like the storm brewing outside, preparing for that final blow.

~~

[Mark Akagi's Perspective]

Mark never had much to worry about as a demigod up until a little over a year ago. As the son of a minor goddess, he was essentially out of harm's way when it came to monsters and nasty prophecies. He took life at camp easily, cracking jokes whenever he could. Despite the severity of the mythological world, he felt as if he was out of its warpath.

But all of that solidarity was snatched away from him with a crumbling cavern and a cursed weapon. From that point forward, he became an enemy to his friends, watched countless people die, waged war, and waited for his friends to return from battles sorely fought.

Now, Mark truly understood the phrase 'calm before the storm' with every ounce of his being. He, Kaden, and Reese had taken the night shift of preparing for tomorrow, and were walking through the streets of New Rome on patrol. The night was quiet, calm, with a soft breath of wind in the air to spur the feverish thoughts away from their heads.

For a while, the only sound was of the boys' footsteps atop the cobblestoned streets. They walked in silence, watching, waiting for something to spring out at them from the shadows. But nothing came.

The trio of boys approached the replica of the Trevi fountain and sat against its edge. In the center of the large city square was a statue of Kaden—his tribute upon slaying the drakon and becoming praetor. However, there was no shimmer of pride in the son of Venus' eyes as he rested against the fountain. Kaden only seemed wary, strained, poised like a panther about to pounce.

"This time last year we had no idea what we were getting into," Reese exhaled, his eyes settling on the darkened streets stretching out around them.

Kaden laughed wryly. "You're telling me. It seems like everything we do is just a part of a chain reaction." He flipped his sword to his other hand, the golden blade glinting in the moonlight.

Mark glanced up at the stars above, then immediately turned away. He was free of his bond to Orion, the forsaken hunter who had condemned Mark to be his lieutenant, but anytime Mark gazed up at the stars, he felt like his old commander was still watching him.

"When you guys rescued me and all of those other kids from the Regiment," Mark began, his voice tentative. "You gave them a choice as to what sort of lives they wanted to leave. Right?"

Kaden and Reese glanced at one another and nodded.

"Where did most of them end up going?" Mark asked.

Reese made a face in thought. "To the camps."

Mark exhaled slowly. "Why?"

No one spoke for a few moments. It was a valid question, given the pressure they were under. That could be their last night alive; a feeling they knew all too well. How could anyone choose to be a demigod?

"I guess a lot of those kids didn't have homes to return to," Kaden figured. "Or being a demigod gave them some sort of meaning. Whether we like it or not, we're meant for this life."

Mark barked out a bitter laugh. "Some life it is."

The son of Iris glanced over at Reese, who suddenly seemed closed off.

"Guys, I need to tell you something," The son of Apollo spoke, each word like a sigh. "But it stays between us. You can't tell anyone. Not even Imogen knows."

"What'd you do, kill someone?" Mark tried for a joke, a weak smile on his face.

Reese took too long to shut him down. His sapphire eyes only darkened with sorrow, and the rise of demons that he couldn't quell.

"That was a joke, but damn dude, what happened?" Mark urged.

Reese took a shaky breath. He ran a hand through his hair, facing his friends. "When I was on the other side...I had to witness a lot of terrible things. I saw executions and torture and Regiment soldiers smiling through the blood caked on their faces from successful missions. I never had to take part in any, thank the gods, but what I did...it was just as bad.

"I had my doppelganger trapped in a closet for the time I was there, so if anyone asked, I could say that he was me. Well, he was me, but you get the point. The General was starting to suspect something, and I was close to blowing my cover one night, so I went to get rid of the evidence. I went to my chambers, into the closet, and..." Reese's breaths turned labored, like the memory pained him. "I killed him."

The wind in the air got a little colder at that.

"It gave me more time to work with, but even now, I can't shake the feeling of literally watching myself die. It's like that saying of someone walking on your grave, but..." Reese's grip tightened around his bow. He turned back to Kaden and Mark, eyes pleading. "You can't tell anyone, not even Tessa or Imogen. Please."

Kaden nodded. "You've got it but, Reese, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Reese shook his head. "I haven't been prepared to up until today. Besides...if tomorrow is the end-all, I wanted to have my chest clear of any secrets."

The three boys sat in silence after that. They eventually got up to move, but Mark was able to catch a glimpse of the fountain's basin of water before they passed. Maybe it was the darkness of the night, but he couldn't see the reflections his friends had cast; only shadows like ink spreading over the water.