Tempest

Two

[aminus certus in re incerta / sure friend, unsure matter]

Tessa was thankful for the general havoc at breakfast. She sat alone at table three, eating her meal silently, but the other nineteen tables made for lots of noise and laughter and chatter. Normally, Tessa would have despised such chaos early in the morning but what with her eerily silent nightmares, she would have been perfectly calm at a heavy metal concert.

She lifted her golden goblet to her lips, taking a sip of the orange juice within it. She surveyed the pavilion casually, listening in on the louder conversations and trying to spot some of her friends when two bodies sat across from her at the stone table.

Tessa's sea green eyes widened in sudden surprise, but she relaxed upon seeing her two best friends, Dale and Mark. "You both do realize that if Chiron sees you both sitting here, you'll be on the night guard for about a month."

Mark snorted. "Silly Tessa. Chiron loves us too much to actually punish us." His dark almond eyes glinted impishly, like he had a secret artillery of comebacks just waiting to be used. Which of course, he did.

Tessa set down her goblet. "Ah, yes, how could I forget?" she said, a laugh laced in her voice. She glanced at Dale, who had her vision set somewhere away from Tessa and Mark.

"Hello, earth to Dale, come in Dale." Tessa waved her hand in front of her best friend's face. The daughter of Demeter flinched, her golden eyes losing the dreamy haze that had just occupied them.

"What?" Dale asked, looking from Tessa to Mark and back.

"What's got you all dreamy-eyed?" Tessa smirked, trying to follow Dale's previous line of vision. She couldn't pinpoint anyone or thing in particular, meeting Dale's gaze quizzically.

Dale's cheeks turned pink. "No one."

"She never clarified 'what' being a 'who', Dale. Tell us." Mark grinned devilishly.

Dale's gaze flicked between Tessa and Mark when her vision locked on someone behind Tessa. "Kaden!"

Tessa jolted, Dale's outburst ringing in her ears. "Jeez, Dale, chill," she grumbled.

Dale had already shot up and was dragging the son of Aphrodite over to table three, a confused visage on his otherwise handsome face. "Hey Kaden, how are you today?"

Kaden blinked, slowly sitting down beside Tessa. "I'm good," he said cautiously, gauging the situation at the table. "Am I in trouble?"

Tessa's lips quirked up into a sly smile. "No, Dale's just using you as a pawn to get out of a sticky situation."

"Ah, that explains it." Kaden nodded. He ran a hand through his tousled brown hair. "What kind of sticky situation?"

"A romantic sticky situation." Mark wiggled his eyebrows.

Dale groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You guys are the worst friends ever," she said from behind her makeshift vail.

Tessa laughed, reaching across the table and pulling Dale's hands from her face. "You pronounced 'best friends in the entire world' wrong." She grinned.

Dale fought a smile. "You suck most of all, Tessa Brennan."

Tessa shook her head slightly, laughing. She ran a hand through her dark hair, leaning back. She glanced at Kaden on her left. "Did Mr. D take back the laurel wreath so soon?" She arched an eyebrow pointedly.