[ex abundanti cautela]

Eli had never been a fan of goodbyes, and there was nothing worse than a goodbye that just felt permanent. He'd witnessed too many tragedies in his life, too much heartbreak, and saying goodbye always struck a chord of his heart that brought back all those painful memories. So, when Liam and Ariel jumped through one of Kiara's star-portals to the Badlands, Eli felt something heavy and burdensome settle on his soul.

"What's wrong with you?" Eli tore his gaze from empty space to Kiara, standing a few feet away. Her starry eyes watched him quizzically, with a slight air of sympathy. The pendant hanging around her neck still shimmered with Asteria's power, ready to be used again.

"Just..." Eli waved lazily, searching for the right words. "Something doesn't feel right."

Kiara raised a dark brow. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Eli raked a hair through his platinum hair, huffing a breath. "I just don't think this is gonna end well."

Kiara fixed him with a pointed look. "Please save all pessimistic outlooks on the task at hand until after we've finished it, thank you very much." She grabbed the crystal on her pendant and began to cast its spell.

"How'd you learn to do that?" Eli asked, watching as the star magic arced and crossed through the air before them.

Kiara froze for a moment, her eyes locked on the shimmering beams, before continuing her movements. "Valiance."

Eli nodded curtly in understanding. When Kiara had been taken to the other side, she'd been a part of a rebel group against the General called Valiance. The last Eli heard of the group, and the alternate universe in general, it had been destroyed.

Before Eli could say much of anything else, the star portal was completed. Kiara tucked the necklace beneath her shirt and turned her head to look at Eli. "Ready?"

Eli wanted to say no. He could feel it in his gut; if he went through this portal, there was no going back. For either of them. They'd either prevent this war from starting or send it spiraling into action. Who knew what awaited them at the Cliffs of Acadia? He'd hardly survived the last attempt to shut down Typhon's power.

And Kiara...could he risk losing her again? To either one of her missions or to...no. It was too terrible to think about. Not while she was blinking at him with those starry blue eyes like the night sky solidified. Not while her dark hair was swirling in the soft breeze like tendrils of ink floating through water. Not while she was so delicate, so fragile, but anything but.

So Eli didn't answer. He couldn't. Instead, he turned his attention to the swirling ellipse of magic and energy, as if he could see right through to the Cliffs of Acadia. And then he stepped through it, making a silent vow to himself that if anyone was going to stay behind during...whatever was awaiting them, it'd be him.

~~

The next thing Eli knew, he was standing atop a cliffside, staring at an indigo sky. Choppy waves were slamming into the cliffside, some twenty or thirty feet below where he stood. Eli knew that it was hardly midday, and yet the sky was a deep blue, almost purple, like a darkening bruise. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Eli could feel it in his bones.

"I'm starting to get what you meant by having a bad feeling," Kiara chimed from beside him, materializing from the portal. "This isn't exactly reassuring."

Eli huffed a wry laugh. "No kidding," He surveyed the area. The incoming storm was no doubt keeping people away from the Cliffs, leaving Eli and Kiara alone to face storm spirits, Mania, and whatever Menoetious wanted to throw at them.

"Where could this thing even be?" Kiara squinted up at the sky as raindrops began to fall.

Eli shook his head, before his gaze landed on what looked like a sea cave at the foot of the cliffs. "There."

Kiara made a face. "Are you sure?"

"Nope," Eli decided. "Let's get moving."

He trekked away from the cliffside, each footstep cautious. Kiara jogged to catch up with him, and they embarked down the cliffside, careful with the rickety rocks and slippery rain that hindered their path.

"So, seeing as we could be walking to our deaths, any last words?" Kiara asked airily.

Eli rolled his eyes, giving Kiara a funny look. "How about you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kiara mused, but upon averting her gaze to Eli's, her façade crumbled. "Oh, alright, alright. I guess I do have some stuff to get off my chest."

They reached the bottom of the cliffside, and Eli leapt across the small gap to the ledge leading into the sea cave. Kiara followed, and once they dug out their flashlights and ducked into the cave, Eli motioned for her to continue.

"A few weeks ago, I was running a mission. I was trading intel for intel, trying to work my way around the whole Mask situation." Kiara began. "I trusted this guy, he seemed pretty helpful. In exchange for updates on Aether and his Masks, I gave him intel on both camps."

Eli felt his heart stop. "What kind of intel?"

Kiara wrinkled her nose, shaking her head. "Nothing that I'd deem troublesome. He asked about Camp Half-Blood a lot. Particularly Tessa Brennan."

Eli raised his eyebrows, taking this into consideration. "Did you know who this guy was?"

Kiara shook his head. "He never really gave me a name. He was tall, dark-haired, fairly good-looking." Eli tried not to let that last detail bother him. "Nothing too special, I guess."

Eli flicked his flashlight beam down the sea cave, watching as the light refracted off the water. "Go on."

"Right, anyways," Kiara cleared her throat. "One day...one day, I knew something was wrong. He wanted to meet somewhere we'd never met before, his messages were concise and weird. I went anyway, but I proceeded with caution. And I found out something that day I wish I had never discovered."

Eli stopped in his tracks, turning to face Kiara, who had also stopped. She was staring at the water less than a yard away, as if its reflective surfaces were replaying her memories.

"Kiara, what happened?" Eli asked, his tone grave.

Kiara pressed her lips together. "I was ambushed. And I found out that all the intel I had been passing on to this guy was killing those Masks. I didn't know they were demigods in disguise. All the intel I had given them must have been useful somehow, because they started to die. One in particular..." Her voice cracked. "He'd been a spy from Camp Half-Blood, meant to infiltrate the Masks. My intel exposed him, unintentionally.

"Another man...I couldn't see his face. He was well-dressed, he sounded powerful, and convincing. He's the one who told me all this. And when I didn't believe him, he showed me the proof." Kiara sucked in a deep breath. "I watched as he brought out this boy and beat him within an inch of his life. He was tortured in every way possible, and I was forced to watch it."

Tears were streaming down her face now. "I've done worse to people. It shouldn't have bothered me that much. But knowing that this boy was innocent, that he was on the good side, your side, I just...it broke me."

Eli reached out and attempted to pull her into his embrace, but she refused. "That's why the Mania are after me. I interfered with a dark, dark movement. I practically aided and abetted a murder."

"Kiara," Eli breathed. "Why didn't you tell me? You could have gotten help from us."

Kiara shook her head. "I didn't want to...I just—I don't know." She hung her head, biting her lip. "Asking for help is a sign of weakness to me."

Eli reached out and lifted her chin, and she didn't flinch away. She only looked at him with broken blue eyes. "Not in a time of war, Kiara."

Kiara searched his eyes. "Why do you always wait for me, Eli? I'm a horrible, horrible person."

"Because that's not who you are," Eli began. "Maybe what you do, but what happened was not your fault, Kiara. We'll stop Typhon, we'll stop the Mania, and we'll stop Menoetious. You'll redeem yourself."

Kiara didn't say anything for a moment. Eli was afraid he wouldn't believe her, maybe that she'd turn her back on him and disappear. But then she was grabbing the collar of his jacket and bringing his face down to hers and pressing her lips to his, and Eli let go of his worries.

Lightning could have struck the sea, electrifiying the waves crashing just inches from their feet and Eli wouldn't have noticed. All he knew was the lightning in Kiara's lips, and the feeling of pure bliss that came with it.

Eli could have stayed like that forever, but a thunderous sound echoed from further down the cave, tearing Eli and Kiara apart. They both looked at one another, platinum and diamond, and recognized the task ahead of them.

And with a newfound determination, Eli and Kiara drew their weapons, called on their power, summoned whatever strength they could muster, and embarked down the eroded pathway down the cave into darkness, towards whatever awaited beyond.

~~

Eli could feel it in his bones. The thunderous pulse that shook the rock beneath his feet, reverberating through his body. It was like the beat of a drum, full of absolute power and energy that lulled him closer and closer.

The pathway turned into a staircase, and at the top of it was a platform, built into the cliffside. Pillars and columns like a Greek rotunda were built into the rock, with a gaping hole along the far end of it, opening up like a ceiling to floor view of a stormy sea. They had to be fifty feet above the waves, and Eli knew that if he got close enough to that crumbling mountainside, that altitude would drop pretty quickly.

But most importantly of all, a glowing cylinder of energy sat right in the center of the rotunda, luring them closer and closer.

"What's the—" Kiara began, her voice soft, but another voice interrupted her, triggering Eli's senses.

"Well, well, well," A taunting voice echoed across the walls, and Eli followed the sound to see Vinny Maxwell emerging from behind a column, a malicious grin on his face. "Look who's here."

Eli's grip tightened around Azrael's hilt. "What, you weren't expecting us?"

"Oh, I was," Vinny retorted. "I always look forward to the gruesome death of my enemies."

Kiara snorted at Eli's side. "What are you, a Shakespearean villain? I think I read that line in Macbeth."

Vinny flicked his attention to Kiara, taking her in. "Kiara Fairwolf. Don't you have some innocent blood on your hands?"

"No," Eli answered for her. "But she will have yours. That is, if I don't get that privilege before her."

Vinny scoffed, drawing his own sword. "Please. I'd just like to see you try."

"You underestimate him," Kiara warned.

Vinny leant against the column, bored. "Him, and what army?" He snapped his fingers, and like tendrils of smoke rising from the rock, storm spirits began to materialize in the cavern.

"Fancy," Eli remarked, before nodding to Kiara and the both of them broke into a sprint.

Eli blitzed his way through the impending storm spirits, weaving a path through them and stabbing any that got in his way. He charged for Vinny's rotunda, and the son of Victoria only watched him as he approached. But right as Eli got too close for comfort, Vinny struck out.

The metal of their swords clanged in communion, and Eli spun around, swiping Azrael's blade towards Vinny. The traitor leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding the sword, before bringing his own golden weapon down on Eli. Eli parried with Azrael, using all the strength he had to stop Vinny's blade in place. With equal force on both sides, Eli mustered his energy and kicked out like a jackrabbit, pushing Vinny away from him. Eli hit the ground and rolled, springing back onto his feet.

"What?" Eli motioned around with a cocky smirk on his face. "That the best you've got?"

Vinny spat, his sapphire eyes malevolent like fire. "You'll regret that, Allistairs."

Eli shook his head. "Nah, don't think so."

Vinny grabbed his fallen sword, uttering an incantation that, with a golden glow, turned it into a bow and arrow. Vinny pulled the string back and Eli fell right back into a fighting stance.

"You're a lousy shot, Maxwell," Eli taunted. "Remember Reese?"

Vinny fired, and Eli leapt out of the way. He had to be quick on his feet, because it seemed that Vinny had gotten better at archery in the past few years. Eli tried to deflect one arrow, but it ricocheted and grazed his sword arm. Eli bit back a cry of pain, and Azrael clattered to the cavern floor.

"Pity," Vinny said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important things to do with my time."

Eli tried to run for him, but not only did his wound scream in pain, but something got in his way. Suddenly, Eli was staring at the ghastly face of a Mania, and he froze in place.

"Sic em, ladies," Vinny called, jogging up to the rotunda.

"Eli Allistairs," The spirit hissed. "Your time has come."

The Mania's hollow eyes glowed a sickly green, and Eli felt a feeling like his heart turning to stone. He cried out in pain, staggering to his knees. Waves of nausea washed over him, and his blood felt like fire in his veins.

Was he dying? Yes. Yes, he was. What else could the Mania be doing to him?

Eli blinked through the searing pain in his body, and lifted his head, feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds. Through his daze, he saw Vinny step away from the power source, and the cylinder began to glow an eerie purple, sending a tremor through the cavern. Then, Kiara charged towards him, tackling him to the ground and rolling to the cavern floor.

"Kiara," Eli croaked, reaching out for her, but his voice felt like a whisper.

Another crippling wave of pain shook his body and Eli bellowed in pain, but kept his eyes on Kiara, trying to move towards her. Her rage would help her, but also blind her. Vinny was wily and wasn't afraid of foul play. He didn't have an honorable bone in his body.

Their fight got dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, and Eli felt fear overshadow the pain in his body. Kiara was hit, she was clutching her side as blood poured from a wound, her back to the cliff. And Vinny was coming in for the kill.

Something snapped inside of Eli, something that ripped through the pain the Mania were inflicting on him. He reached out towards Vinny and Kiara, and like a surge of power, he felt control over every nerve in Vinny's body.

The son of Victoria froze in his fighting stance, his sword arm above his head, his face contorted in a battle cry. His eyes darted around, confused, but realization dawned in his blue eyes. After all, this wasn't the first time Eli had used his powers on him.

The strength overwhelmed the pain, and Eli managed to get to his feet. He gathered his strength, breathing heavily, and thrust Vinny to the cavern wall like he was a rag doll. And when Vinny fell to the cavern floor, Eli resumed his control and threw him back to the rocks again.

And again.

And again.

That familiar burning feeling was trickling back into his veins, a different pain from the Mania's power. This was Eli's own fault. But he made a promise to himself. Kiara would walk out of here alive. He wouldn't.

"You're a coward," Eli said with a shaky breath. He felt like a madman, but he didn't care. His steps were broken, like Frankenstein's monster.

The control was burning him up, up, up, like he was nothing but a match. But Vinny was still alive, still breathing. And that wouldn't do.

"I'll see your death, Allistairs," Vinny choked out. "I'll make it happen."

And before Eli could cut off his circulation, shatter his lungs, crush his brain, Vinny disappeared, leaving a crumpled piece of paper in his wake.

Eli collapsed, taking breaths of air like he'd never breathed in his life. He crawled over to where Vinny had been, reaching for the paper with shaking fingers. He didn't have the strength or patience to open it now so he just shoved it away, for later. After all, Vinny's disappearance called off the Mania and the storm spirits, but he'd still...he'd still triggered the power source.

Eli pushed himself to his knees, looking back to the rotunda. It was glowing like a second sun now, almost unbearable. Swirls of energy and power were emanating from it, and cracks in the earth were ripping through the cavern floor.

That woke Eli's senses up enough. He got to his feet and fumbled for his sword, picking it off of the ground. "Kiara, we need to go—"

He whirled around, looking for Kiara, and felt his heart sink. She was standing with her back to the edge of the cliff, clutching her wounded side, with her eyes locked on the cracking cavern floor at her feet.

And for all his own control, Eli couldn't move fast enough. He watched as the cracks reached Kiara's feet, as she looked up at him in for what he could see was pure fear, as she mouthed his name before the ground fell out from beneath her feet and Kiara fell to the waves below.

~~

[one week later]

Everything was too much. The fluorescent lighting of the Principia's headquarters, the sound of his friends' voices, the silence. He couldn't take it.

Liam and Ariel gave their condolences. Charlie and his team went back to the Cliffs of Acadia for a search and rescue twice now, but came up with nothing. Only a splatter of blood on the jagged rocks below.

Eli didn't sleep. He didn't eat. He hardly moved. He spent all his time searching, searching, searching from his computers for any sign of that starry-eyed girl. Hell, he'd be happy to see a mugshot right now. Just anything to let him know she was alive.

But he found nothing. Everyone found nothing.

Eli cursed out yet another failed search of his, pushing away from the desk. He held his head in his hands, massaging his temples, when the elevator door chimed open. Eli whirled around—maybe it was her.

"Hey," Lukas said, his voice soft. He looked tamed; dress shirt, khakis, a semblance of combed hair. "How you holding up?"

Eli shrugged silently. Lukas knew the answer.

"There's a Senate meeting in ten minutes," Lukas began.

"Then you should get going." Eli got to his feet, snatching his Styrofoam cup of coffee off his desk and stalking over to the machine.

Lukas was silent for a moment. "You know what I meant. Liam and Ariel have given their verbal reports of what happened in the Badlands. You've gotta report it sooner or later, Eli."

"I'll think about it," Eli tried to sound cheerful, but it didn't work.

"Okay," Lukas said softly, before the chime of the elevator doors disappearing signaled his departure.

Eli didn't want to do anything. He wanted to wither away, burn up like he should have. He'd cheated death so many times, he wondered if the Fates were keeping score. The son of Misery, victim to his own strength.

But a niggling voice in the back of his head reminded him of what needed to be done, what had to be done. He'd made promises to his friends, Angela Hale, himself, to protect those he cared about. What good would he do those promises by doing nothing?

Eli made to turn around, but stopped. He couldn't face the Senate right now. Not like this. There had to be another—

Wait a minute, Eli thought to himself. He reached down into the pocket of his jeans and slowly pulled out the crumpled piece of paper he'd recovered from the cavern. Vinny's paper, whatever it was.

Eli unfolded it, his heart pounding, and was met with the face of a man that Eli recognized, but not entirely. A smiling guy waving to a crowd—a politician? Dark hair, handsome face, dressed in dapper clothing. The photo was ripped from what looked like a newspaper, but Eli got part of a name: Rainier.

A quick Google search gave him the confirmation he needed: Alderman Grant Rainier of New York City.

The next thing he knew, Eli was digging out his phone. He held it to his ear, listening to the phone ring and ring—come on, come on.

"Hello?" Tessa Brennan picked up on the other end.

"Tessa, hey, it's Eli," Eli spoke, his heart pounding. "Listen, I've got something that might be of interest to you."

"I'm listening," The daughter of Poseidon spoke.

Eli took a deep breath. This guy's profile matched that of the man Kiara had seen. Maybe there was a chance.

"What do you know about a guy named Grant Rainier?"