[ex oriente lux]

[June 2004]

Sera shut her eyes, basking in the late evening sunlight as the sun disappeared behind her.

Her thoughts consumed her with every waking moment, and for nearly six years, she'd known. The fate that Artemis, Phobos, and even the Oracle had warned her about all those years ago had rung true in the form of a daughter of the sea with turquoise eyes and hair like chocolate, who called the waves her home.

Sera wished she'd known that Poseidon would walk into her life. She would have done her best to maintain her vow. But as soon as immortality left her soul and Jared was out of her life, the god of the sea—or as Sera knew him as the boy from the mountain—had walked back into her life. He'd repaired the hole in her heart that had been there for two years, and had given her a gift to help her recover.

But he'd had to go. He was needed on Olympus, and eventually needed to stop spending time with Sera. The last time Sera had seen Poseidon had been two years ago, in a setting much like this, where he'd warned her about Tessa's fate.

Little Thalassa Brennan with eyes of the sea, if only you knew of the hero that you'll be, Sera thought wryly. Her daughter was fated to be a hero, but she didn't know that the monster she would have to slay took form in her half-brother, now estranged and disappeared.

It was their last day in Florida, and Tessa had beseeched Sera to take her to the beach one last time. Sera was hesitant to let her so close to her father's realm again, especially given the circumstances, but gave in to her daughter's baby seal eyes.

"Mommy," Tessa tugged on her mother's earlobe to get her attention. "Are you sleeping?"

Sera smiled, pecking her daughter's cheek as she opened her eyes. "Not sleeping, sweetie. Just thinking."

"What about?" Tessa asked, cocking her head to the side. Her dark hair tumbled over her shoulder, and Sera ran her hand through it, brushing it out of her daughter's face.

"A hero," Sera winked. "A strong girl who'll save the world."

Tessa's eyes lit up. "Is she like Ata..." Tessa frowned. "Atlantis?"

Sera chuckled. "She is a little like Atalanta," She poked her daughter's side, making Tessa giggle. "In fact, she looks a lot like you."

"Really?" Tessa's eyes were glowing with wonder.

Sera nodded. "Would you like me to tell you the story?"

Tessa nodded her head so hard, Sera thought it would fall right off.

So Sera told the story of her daughter, before she even know what would ring true. She told her about the past, about a girl with a silver bow and a baby boy with silver eyes, and prophesized the future of a heroine who'd save the world from a very bad man. And as the sun went down and Tessa cuddled up to her mother, Sera turned her back on the sea, on the sunset, as the moon rose above her, watching, waiting, protecting her just as she was promised it would.

I'll teach you to be better than me, Sera thought as she kissed her daughter's forehead. I'll protect you from whoever tries to hurt you, even when you can protect yourself.

And in her sleep, Tessa smiled through her dreams of strong heroines and stories of the stars, waiting to take her place among them in the future. It was only a matter of time.