[nec spe, nec metu]

"What the hell just happened?" Mark marveled as he and Dale approached Kaden and Tessa, conversing conspiratorially amidst a sea of other campers, darting back and forth.

Tessa met his gaze, and Mark was almost taken aback at how electric her eyes had gone. "The Romans claimed their legionnaires and are moving them to their Midtown base."

"What?" Dale burst, her eyes wide. "That's absurd."

"Tell that to Alex and Kaya," Tessa agreed under her breath. "We should have known."

Kaden shook his head. "They're just acting out of fear, but I expected more from them. For all we know, we'll be on our own, so we need to move."

Tessa looked around, her gaze landing on a point in the distance. "Reese!" She waved her hand in the air, flagging him down.

Mark watched as Reese jogged over to them, the shadows in his wake a stark contrast to his own internal light. His blue eyes seemed troubled. "Hey, guys."

"You saw?" Tessa asked.

Reese nodded grimly. "I did more than just see. Imogen went with them."

"What?" Mark squawked. "Why?"

"She's going to try to slap some sense into Kaya and Alex," Reese ran a hand through his disheveled blond hair. "Although they seem to have made up their minds."

Dale nodded to Kaden. "Well, it's a good thing we've got one other Roman on our side."

Kaden didn't smile, and Mark couldn't blame it. He wasn't sure what he would have done if he had been Kaden in this situation: divided between two parts of himself, two camps, two families that all made up who he was. Kaden was as much a Greek as he was a Roman, and at the end of the day, he'd chosen to stand as a Greek.

Mark had known Kaden a long time, but that fact boosted his respect for the son of Venus just that much more.

"We have a lot to do," Kaden said gruffly, his emerald eyes dark with questions still without answers. He pinned his gaze on Mark. "Have you heard from Adhara?"

The sound of her name sent a pang through Mark's soul, one that clung to each nerve in his body. He shook his head, his muscles suddenly tense. "No."

A shadow seemed to befall the group, and Mark set his jaw. Adhara had told him and Dale not to tell the group about what she was doing unless absolutely necessary, saying that she'd be back in two days.

It had been three. And Adhara had sent no word regarding her whereabouts.

Deep in Mark's heart, he wanted to look for her, he wanted to stop everything and send out a search party while they waged this war on Menoetious. But he knew that he couldn't afford to do that. Adhara was strong, he had to respect that, and if she had gotten into something she couldn't get out of...

Mark sucked in a breath, feeling like ice had constricted his lungs. Well, in that case, Adhara would want them to keep sight of the true mission, to keep things in order and balance against those that created chaos.

So, with a heavy heart, Mark said, "We need to keep moving forward. This is war."

Tessa met Mark's gaze, her turquoise eyes empathetic. He wondered if she had said something similar when he had gone "missing" after their quest. By the way she was looking at him, he supposed she had, and it stung.

Finally, Tessa looked away from Mark and back to the group, their moment of empathy gone. "I haven't heard from Lukas, either. He's been searching for the missing artifacts, as well as Phobos."

Reese shifted. "Are we sure we didn't send him on a wild goose chase?"

Tessa took a breath. "For the artifacts, maybe, but that's the Romans' fault. As for Phobos..." She shook her head. "He'll be in hiding, but even with Lukas' skill, I don't think he'll be able to find him in time."

"Then how do we find him? That could be the leverage we need to weaken Menoetious." Dale proposed, her slight face etched with concern.

Suddenly, Mark's eyes flew open in realization. They'd been in this exact situation once before, and thanks to a revelation of Tessa's, they'd managed to summon the god of fear at last.

"I know how to find him," Mark exclaimed. His friends looked at him in surprise. "I know how to summon Phobos."

And before he could waste more time, Mark took off towards the Big House, towards a shield in the attic that had once been the god of fear's.

~~

"Are we sure this is going to work again?" Kaden cast a wary look at the bronze shield hanging on the wall, his eyes locked on the lion emblem in its center.

"Why wouldn't it?" Mark countered cheerfully, leaning against the wall. "Phobos likes his trinkets. If one of his siblings tries to take them, he freaks out on them."

"Yeah, but why me?" Kaden grumbled, shooting Mark a look.

"It's the only lead we've got," Tessa placated, snagging Kaden's attention. A ripple of understanding passed between the two, and Mark squinted. Were they back together?

Reese nudged Mark, snapping him out of his reverie. "Is this really how Tessa got the quest?"

Mark nodded. "Crazy, but it worked."

Reese shook his head in what Mark supposed was equal parts confusion and amazement. "This was really as weird as it got back then, wasn't it?"

"Hey," Dale chirped, interrupting their conversation. "Do you both wanna shut up, or do you want to continue your conversation in the hallway?"

Mark and Reese clamped their mouths shut.

Dale nodded, a mischievous glint in her golden eyes. "That's what I thought."

Kaden exhaled, shaking out his limbs. "All right, let's just get this over with." He reached for the shield, unhooking it from its place on the wall. A thin sheet of dust fell off the bronze, and in the daylight filtering in through the attic windows, the shield glimmered hauntingly in Kaden's hands.

At first, Mark thought that it wasn't going to work. Seconds passed, until it had been two minutes and the god of fear had yet to materialize the way he had four years ago. His friends began to look at one another skeptically, until Kaden tensed.

"Oh, no," He muttered, gritting his teeth as he winced. The sunlight reflecting off the bronze seemed to intensify, growing in strength until Mark needed to shield his eyes, sneaking glances.

Just as it had before, a figure began to grow from the shadows beyond the light, taking form into the shroud Tessa had seen around Camp Half-Blood all those summers ago. Despite the warmth of summer creeping into the attic, Mark felt a bone-chilling frost seem to settle over the room.

A man in a tailored suit stepped out of the shadows, adjusting the cuffs on his sleeves as he looked out at the five half-bloods standing before him, weapons drawn. His dark hair seemed to be darker than the shadows he was emanating, and his eyes were as dark as ash.

Phobos, god of fear, gave them a serpentine smile. "Well, well, well. What have we here?"

Tessa stepped forward, Tempest in hand, her chin raised as she locked eyes with Phobos. "Cut the crap, Phobos. We know what you've done."

Phobos rolled his eyes, giving Tessa a condescending look. "Oh, do you?" He laughed wryly. "You half-bloods. Always thinking you know everything. There is still so much you do not know."

"You killed Sierra Hanson, daughter of Apollo, in cold blood." This time it was Reese that spoke, his voice hardened metal. "You gave us information regarding Chase Ferguson's condition. Either you're very bad at being a double agent, or you like causing chaos."

Phobos merely shrugged. "Guilty, but maybe I do like causing chaos. It reaps fear, anyway."

"Enough," Kaden said forcefully. He discarded the shield, and Mark noticed how Phobos didn't even flinch at the raucous noise it created. "What is your game, Phobos?"

Phobos roared in laughter. "Who are you to make demands of a god, child of love?" He pinned Kaden with a look. "I have taken so much from you. I can take more, if you are not careful."

"I'm not afraid of you," Kaden held the god's gaze, emerald on obsidian. "None of us are. And if you do not give us the information we require, no one else on the face of the earth will either."

Mark resisted the urge to whoop in celebration. They were showing the god of fear who was boss, and maybe it was Mark's imagination, but he thought he saw a glimmer of...well, fear, in Phobos' eyes.

Phobos narrowed his eyes at the demigods before him. "Very well. What is it you want to know?"

"Why are you working with Menoetious?" Tessa began, her words sharp and concise.

Phobos returned his attention to the daughter of Poseidon, sizing her up. "He made me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"And what was that offer?" Dale continued.

Phobos seemed taken aback. "Dale Alcander, daughter of Demeter. You certainly wouldn't have anything to fear, would you?"

"If I did, do you think I would be here?" Dale took a step forward, as if challenging the god before her.

"You might," Phobos said simply. "But so might your father."

A chill seemed to befall the room, and Mark looked to Dale in bewilderment. He knew enough about Dale's past, as much as she had told him, but there was something in how her eyes seemed to lose their shine, how her face seemed to go white, that told him there was much more to his best friend than he had known.

"Enough," Tessa snapped. "What are Menoetious' plans? What do you know about Project Maelstrom?"

Phobos sighed. "You all really aren't the best at interrogations, are you?"

"You're not the best at staying hidden," Reese rebuffed, drawing an arrow. "Now, last I checked, Celestial Bronze can wound immortals too. Answer the questions or face the consequences."

Phobos held up his hands in reluctant surrender, rolling his eyes. "I don't know anyone's plans but my own, and those were carried out a long time ago. Send a ripple of fear through your forces, give you enough information to get things started, and that was all."

"The visions," Kaden continued. "Was that you?"

A smug look of pride formed on Phobos' face. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it was. You all need to do a better job at guarding your minds, really. Just pitiful."

The sound of Reese drawing his arrow back further washed away the sarcasm from Phobos' expression. "That is, that's all I have done. I do not know how Menoetious plans to strike, nor when and with whom. I'm done."

"There has to be something else," Tessa insisted. "Something—"

"Oh, enough of this!" Phobos swept out his hands in a quick manner, and the demigods were forced back by an invisible force. The shadows behind Phobos seemed to grow stronger and multiply, creating a wall of darkness behind him.

"Do you really think I am not a force to be reckoned with? I have single-handedly destroyed half of your forces, leaving you to fend for yourselves. I have killed your loved ones, I have spread fear into the hearts of both Romans and Greeks, pitting them against one another. Even as we speak, Menoetious plans to strike with such a force, you half-bloods will be forced to surrender. You do not know anything!" Phobos roared.

His wind disappeared, and the demigods surged towards him, weapons drawn. Phobos spread his hands again, pushing them back.

"I am a god," Phobos raised his chin, his eyes like twin flames of black fire. "I can blast you to dust right now and save His Lordship the effort. How can anyone be so foolish? You may think you hold all of the cards, half-bloods, but you know nothing of the game you are about to play. Your camps will burn, your city will be destroyed, your loved ones will perish, and it is only a matter of time until the reign of shadows begins."

Mark tried to resist against the wind as Phobos began to place images in his head, in all of their heads. He saw Camp Half-Blood on fire, Camp Jupiter nothing but ash. New York City was in shambles, with people running down the streets as an apocalyptic storm raged on above them. He saw his father, a group of civilians hunkered down behind him in his hotel, as a group of monsters approached. He saw Adhara, chained to a wall as she cried out in pain, her eyes bright violet.

But it was all an illusion. It had to be, right? Phobos was trying to shatter their resolve, send them running for the hills.

But it wouldn't work. It hadn't worked, and it wasn't about to now.

"Farewell, half-bloods," Phobos cackled. "And beware."

In a swarm of shadows, the god of fear disappeared. Mark and his friends fell to the dusty wooden floor of the attic, coughing and groaning as Phobos' hold on them dissolved.

"Everyone okay?" Reese coughed, rolling over onto his stomach.

"That's a relative term," Tessa began, but her attention was snagged by the sound of rapid footsteps coming from beyond the attic door. Before either of the five could act, Kassie Gray through open the door, her pale green eyes wide in shock.

"What the hell were you guys doing?" The Huntress looked at them in alarm.

"Kassie," Kaden said, getting to his feet. "What is it?"

Kassie nodded as if remembering what she'd come up there for. "Right. Flynn needs you all in the infirmary. Chase has gone into shock, and he might not come out of it."

Mark felt his heart sink to his stomach. He got to his feet, meeting Kassie's gaze. "How did you know where to find us?"

A shadow flitted behind Kassie's luminous eyes. "Chase knew. He could see you."

~~

No amount of resolve could prepare Mark for what he was about to witness. With Kassie leading the way, he, Reese, Dale, Kaden, and Tessa raced out of the Big House's attic and to the infirmary. They filed to the back of the building, where in an isolated room was Chase Ferguson, thrashing in his bed as if he'd entered some kind of seizure.

"Oh, good," Flynn looked up as he tried to hold Chase down enough to tranquilize him. "You're here."

"What's going on?" Mark insisted, rushing with his friends to Chase's bedside.

"I don't know, he was fine one second and then he just started screaming bloody murder," Flynn began, his words frantic and running into one another. "Hold him down, please."

Mark and his friends obeyed, grabbing Chase and trying to hold him down to the disheveled bed sheets beneath him. He was screaming, his wide eyes bloodshot and filled with tears.

"NO, NOT AGAIN!" He was screaming. "MAKE IT STOP!"

"Make what stop, Chase?" Tessa tried asking in a soothing voice.

"The voices," Chase whimpered. "I can hear him in my head, I can hear all of them. The daughter of Nemesis."

Mark's attention flew to Chase's wide eyes. "Adhara?"

"Mark!" Flynn snapped, and Mark held down Chase's leg.

"She's gone, they're gone, the son of Neptune, he's gone," Chase was rambling, weeping as he did.

Mark's heart was in his ears, his pulse racing. He looked to Tessa, who'd gone white, but snapped herself out of it. The son of Neptune was Lukas.

"He's slipping," Kaden insisted. "Flynn, where's the tranquilizer?"

"I can't just stab him now, I could miss!" Flynn waved his hand to the thrashing son of Nike before him.

"Flynn!" Reese barked. "You can do this!"

Chase continued screaming, this time louder. It sent a chill down Mark's bones. "HE'S AWAKE! OH GODS, PLEASE. HE'S AWAKE, HELP ME!"

"Who's awake?" Dale placated, desperation in her voice.

"TYPHON!" Chase screamed. "HE'S RIGHT THERE!"

"Where?" Tessa insisted, following where Chase was looking along the opposite wall. As if on cue, the lights in the room flickered, and the television turned on, reporting the news. Footage of colossal tidal waves battering the west coast—Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle—met Mark's vision, filling him with dread.

Typhon had awakened, and with it, Project Maelstrom had begun.

The screams from the civilian's videos streaming on the news filled Mark's head like the ghosts of all his friends he couldn't save. He forced himself to shut them out, turning to Flynn. "Do it, now!"

Flynn cursed and brought down the syringe into Chase's carotid. Chase's hyperventilation slowed, his screaming stopped, and soon, his eyes slumped shut.

Mark said a silent prayer, although how much use it would do now, he wasn't sure. He straightened up, returning his attention to the TV. Cars and people and parts of buildings were being swept down the streets of major cities and small towns alike. Mark was watching as the death toll raised.

"We need to do something," His voice seemed raw, as if he'd been the one screaming and not Chase.

Reese dug out his phone. "Kaya and Alex need to see this. Maybe it'll be enough to bring them back to our side. I'm calling Imogen."

On the second ring, Imogen's fair face filled Reese's phone screen. Mark and Tessa surged over to Reese to join the conversation, while Dale and Kaden and Flynn fussed over Chase and barked orders into the hall of the infirmary.

"Gen, are you seeing this?" Reese demanded.

"Yes, oh my gods," Imogen sounded horrified. Behind her, the office building that the Romans must have been using seemed to be in panic. "We're trying to do something."

Reese's jaw set, and Mark tried not to notice why: Imogen had lumped herself in with the Romans, whether she'd realized it or not.

"Imogen, you need to find Kaya and Alex. We need to be united on this, it's too dangerous not to be—" Tessa began, but she was interrupted by someone yelling something at Imogen from across the room, and the daughter of Cupid's face turned grim.

"There's been a sighting of something," Imogen reported, looking over both shoulders as she watched her fellow Romans sprint either way, weapons drawn. "I need to go."

"Imogen, no!" Reese exclaimed. His voice cracked. "It's not safe, please!"

However, Imogen was too busy responding to someone else crying out her name that she hadn't heard Reese's pleading. Her jade eyes had widened, and Mark watched in horror as a bright white light erupted behind Imogen, and her phone fell to the ground, the only thing in frame Imogen's now-limp hand, her wedding ring now dotted with ash and blood.