[fortiter et fideliter]

That night, Sera found herself staring at the silvery rays of moonlight filtering into Cabin Eight. Sleep had evaded her, yet not her companions. Emily, Daphne, and Grace had easily fallen asleep their first night at Camp Half-Blood, but that luxury belonged to them and them only.

Sera sighed, shifting in her bed. She tried to focus on little things to help her fall asleep: Emily's snoring, the panes of moonlight on the silvery floor, the feeling of her bed's silky sheets on her skin. However, nothing worked. Each time she shut her eyes, she was plagued with memories of Grace's prophetic vision. It drove Sera crazy, not knowing what each image meant, but the more she thought about it, the more fear began to fester in her heart.

A louder snore from Emily in the bunk above was the last straw for Sera. She huffed a sigh and shoved the silvery blankets off of her figure, stepping out of bed. She risked a glance around the room, but thanks to a year of stealth training, her friends remained asleep.

Sera shrugged on a light hoodie to combat the evening breeze, slipping into her shoes before heading out the door. Instantly, the cool air hit her face, refreshing her heated skin. If Sera closed her eyes and imagined, it was almost like she was in the middle of a hunt with the rest of the Hunters in Russia or Norway or deep in the Rocky Mountains.

Sera wasn't sure where she was going, she just needed a breath of fresh air. The serenity that was Camp Half-Blood at night was refreshing, so much different from her fever dreams and visions. However, the distant smell of the sea only brought forward the memory of those subtle waves crashing from Grace's eyes, and Sera's focus shattered.

That's when the atmosphere shifted. Sera felt a prickling sensation, like she was being watched. The chill in the air suddenly got heavier. The rattling of leaves turned into ghostly whispers.

Sera felt her battle senses slide over her normal ones like she was putting on armor. Her hand crept to her arm, where just below her shoulder, a silver band of metal rested. With one tap, it became her hunting dagger, and it shimmered in the moonlight from which it was forged.

Out of the shadows of the night, a shroud crept to the forefront of Sera's vision. It was a void of pure darkness, something from the beginning and end of time. It was the depths of Tartarus, the endless night sky, and every fear from humanity all in one. It materialized into the form of a man, before solidifying into exactly that. The next thing Sera knew, a young man with sleek dark hair and a tailored black suit was staring back at her.

"Sera Brennan," The man spoke, his voice a rumble of distant thunder. "I have heard a lot about you."

Sera's hazel eyes stared into the man's onyx ones. "Who are you?"

The man smiled thinly. "My name is Phobos, god of fear, and I have a favor to ask of you."

~~

Phobos didn't give Sera a second to make a decision. He swept forward like he was walking on shadows, traipsing down the trails towards the Big House in the near distance. Sera had no choice but to chase after him.

"Artemis sent you here to aid the half-bloods with a malevolent force that's beginning to threaten them, correct?" Phobos deigned to glance over his shoulder at Sera, lagging in her pajamas and combat boots.

Sera nodded.

"What you didn't know was that you were fated to do just that," Phobos continued, stopping before the Big House. "You are fated for greatness, Sera. It just might not be the greatness you expect."

Sera faltered. "What do you mean?"

Phobos waved a hand and the front door to the Big House swung open as if by a breeze. "I've heard of a great prophecy told long ago in Delphi. It all began when a daughter of the sea and the son of victory grappled for greatness, over peace and chaos, right and wrong. This prophecy tells of a half-blood rising from the depths, who will ultimately determine the rest of life as both mortals and immortals know it. You, Sera, will help train this half-blood."

Sera blinked, the image of the waves lapping against the shore in her memory once more. "Who are they?"

"Someone close to you," Phobos smirked impishly. "Someone who I will meet soon enough."

Sera shook her head, but Phobos continued into the Big House. He crept towards the staircase, and in the distance, Sera heard voices: Chiron and Dionysus, the camp directors.

"You hear them?" Phobos asked. "This malevolent force is only rising out west, and if it gets to full power...well, camp being destroyed will be the least of everyone's worries."

"What is it?" Sera whispered, her hand on the railing. "The malevolent force?"

Phobos disappeared, only to rematerialize at the top of the next staircase landing. Sera got the feeling that whatever it was, this force was to be named on a need-to-know basis. With a grumble under her breath, Sera climbed the staircase.

The hunter followed Phobos all the way to the top of the stairs, where a rickety attic doorway stood before them. With a wave of Phobos' hand, the door swung open, releasing a strong scent of dust and what seemed to be Windex into the landing.

"You'll find your answers in here," Phobos instructed. "And as for what my favor entails...I hope you'll be clever enough to put the pieces together."

Sera stepped into the attic, hazel eyes scanning the dusty boxes before her. Suddenly, it all fell back to her, like she'd been walking in a dream. "But why me--?" She whirled back around, only to find that the god of fear had dissolved into shadows, nowhere to be seen.

"Great," Sera huffed a breath, strands of her dark hair flying into her face. She ran a hand through the flyaways, mumbling curses under her breath to Phobos as she maneuvered her way through the bustling attic.

Everywhere Sera looked, she saw old relics and crates and weapons draped in silk or deteriorated with poison. The attic was a piece of history, commemorating all the best—and the worst—that Camp Half-Blood and its inhabitants had endured.

Sera's gaze had been drawn to a laurel wreath with pallets of gold so thin they could have shattered when she heard a soft hiss, like someone had released a snake among the boxes. That familiar feeling of being watched crept upon her once more, and Sera turned...only to bite back a scream.

Seated on a three-legged stool in the back of the attic, a mummy watched Sera with its dead, hollow eye sockets. It was draped in fashion from what looked like the Seventies, with dozens of bracelets and beads and necklaces hanging from its neck and wrists. However, what was most chilling of all was the feeling Sera got when she looked at the mummy. It was as if she was compelled to step forward, and when she did, things only got worse.

Green mist spilled from the mummy's open mouth, and it staggered into a sitting position as if it had been woken up. Sera had to fight the urge to bolt out of the attic and camp altogether at that. The mummy hissed and groaned, like it was waking up from a deep sleep.

"I am the Spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty python. Approach, seeker, and ask." The mummy spoke with the voice of a thousand snakes. Green mist billowed around the floor in tendrils, and Sera shifted her weight.

"W-why am I here?" Sera found her voice at last, hoping it had fortitude.

"There is a great destiny tied to your name, Huntress. But in order to understand its culmination, you must first incite its creation." The Oracle hissed. "Those of two worlds, reunited again; one colder than the moon, the other a friend. Unite against darkness, whose spell casts over sight, Through peril and danger, under the cover of night. Resolve worry and Fear, against the Hunter's intent, Or unleash a plague of fury before Solstice end."

Sera knit her eyebrows together, the words of the Oracle rattling around in her head. "What does that mean?" She tried to ask, but her voice was drowned out with the sound of the Oracle succumbing back to silence, the green mist dissolving into nothingness.

 Sera took a shaky breath, clenching her fists to keep them from trembling. However, despite the strangeness and the mystery and all that it entailed, Sera couldn't fight the feeling of some piece of the puzzle in the grand scheme of things finally finding its place. For the past year she'd been a wanderer, searching for her place after everything she knew disappeared. She thought she'd found it with the Hunters, but maybe now, this was what she needed. This favor of Phobos, this prophecy of the Oracle, it all was tied together to whatever her grand destiny would be. 

 So when Sera heard the sound of hooves in the threshold of the attic, she only looked over at Chiron and said, "I'm ready."

~~ 

 The next morning, Sera found herself seated at another camp meeting with each of the cabin's counselors. A prophecy had been given, and it was time to decide what exactly to do about it. Sera sat flanked by Grace, Daphne, and Emily, as if her fellow Hunters would keep her safe from this precipice she now stood upon. Seated around the ping-pong table were various half-bloods: Jessica, the daughter of Demeter who was eyeing the Hunters carefully; Hartley, the son of Athena who consistently was pushing his glasses up his nose; and Carmen, a daughter of Dionysus who kept fiddling with her long, dark hair. All of the demigods, as well as the few satyrs and nymphs that sat in on the meeting, kept their vision on Sera and the Hunters. It was their fault a quest was being issued, and Sera was sure that all these young heroes wanted was a chance to prove themselves in the eyes of the world.

 Sera had just recounted the prophecy in front of the group, and now, different accusations of theories were flying.

 "A plague of fury, maybe that means a literal plague on the verge of breaking out?" 

 "Who are the friends and what kind of spell does it mean?"

 "Hunters and campers together? Maybe that?"

 Chiron held up a hand, silencing the voices of the half-bloods surrounding him. "There is no use contemplating a prophecy in the hopes to understand it. It can only ring true as it unfolds. And due to this, I believe Sera understands what this mission is exactly, that she is being tasked with." 

 Sera thought back to Phobos telling her that she should be clever enough to put two and two together. "I have to retrieve something that belongs to Phobos, the god of Fear."

 "Very good," Chiron confirmed. He turned his attention to the rest of the group. "While all quests result in a trio or quintet of demigods heading out to complete it, I have reason to believe that this quest is to be led by Sera Brennan, the Hunter of Artemis. Who she chooses to accompany her on this quest is entirely her decision."

 A dozen hopeful pairs of eyes glanced at Sera across the table. Sera mulled over the words of the prophecy. If she was the first person, only one other person would be allowed to join this mission. A friend of a different world...Sera's eyes locked on Daphne, one of her only friends in the Hunters that was of Olympian descent. The girl's blue eyes widened in equal parts shock and amazement.

 "I choose Daphne Danvers," Sera spoke. "Daughter of Aphrodite and Hunter of Artemis."

 "Very well," Chiron nodded, trotting over to a map on the opposite side of the room. "We have reason to believe that this malevolent force and the object of the quest's interest are linked. The last place we've gotten a flare of activity from this force is Glacier National Park in Montana."

 Sera pursed her lips. How was she supposed to get to Montana by the solstice? That gave her roughly ten days, ruling out air travel as a mode of transportation.

 "The Hunters will leave first thing tomorrow morning. This meeting is adjourned, heroes, back to your activities." Chiron dismissed the half-bloods, and in a blur of orange, they all filtered out of the rec room. Only Daphne and Sera were left in the room, and with a knowing look from Chiron, the two Hunters emerged from the room. 

 As Sera and Daphne emerged into the sunlight of Camp Half-Blood, Sera couldn't shake the feeling of the looks of Chiron, of Phobos, and of Artemis over the past two days. They looked at her like they knew exactly when she was going to die, and it was sometime soon if this didn't go well.

~~ 

 The next thing Sera knew, she was whisked away on the quest. The past afternoon and night had been a blink of an eye, a gale of wind on the front of a storm. Argus, the camp's security guard, had driven Sera and Daphne into New York City to begin their quest, and now, the two Hunters were traipsing down the streets in search of a way to Montana.

 "Maybe we can take a train?" Daphne asked as they walked around a snowy corner.

 "If we can find one that gets us as close to Montana as possible, then sure," Sera replied. "I just wouldn't bank on it. We'd probably still have a lot to cover."

 Daphne huffed a breath, but the two girls continued on down the streets of New York City. 

 As they walked, Sera couldn't help but wonder about the streets and the buildings and the last time she'd been in New York. A Florida native, her parents had taken Sera to New York as a little girl to see the sights. They'd even gone to the Empire State Building, completely unaware as to the gods living atop its 600th floor. That had been a part of a different life, one that Sera had become a ghost to. That had all been before the fire, before the loss, before the wound that was still scarring in Sera's memory. She'd destroyed every remnant, every tie of her past life in order to start anew and block off the pain.

 But it seemed as if the Fates had something else in mind. 

 They weren't supposed to take a pit stop in the nearest café, but Daphne's bladder suggested otherwise. Sera wasn't supposed to sit awkwardly in her hunting gear and silver diadem among the businessmen and college students. Sera wasn't supposed to see him munching on a berry muffin, trying and failing to maintain the damage of the crumbs.

 Sera gasped. He looked up. His jaw dropped, as well as his muffin. 

She saw him mouth her name, then realizing he'd dropped his food, looked down. Sera used that moment to blitz out of there. She'd never felt so shaken, not since the day her life entirely changed.

 "Hey, you ready?" Daphne's voice sounded far away as Sera whirled around, completely oblivious. 

 "We need to go," Sera clasped her friend's hand and shoved through the line of people towards the door. But he was faster. He'd always been faster.

 "Sera," He breathed her name like a song. "It's really you." 

 "I don't know what you're talking about," Sera mumbled, trying to keep her head down. "Now, excuse me—"

 "They told me you were dead, that you died in the fire, but I knew that wasn't true." His voice swelled. "Where have you been? I've missed you so much."

 "Sera," Daphne squeezed her hand. "Who is this?" 

 Sera felt her heart twist as she looked up at the face of her old mortal best friend, her partner in crime through many tricks and moments. "Jared Knight."