Tempest

Seven

[audio hostem / I hear the enemy]

Tessa was frozen, her blood turning to ice, crystallizing her in place as she watched the god of fear torture Kaden right before her eyes.

The son of Aphrodite screamed in agony, tears running down his face. Whatever he was seeing in his head must have been unbearable. He kept screaming apologies to someone named Landon and another named Kassie. At one point, he looked directly at Tessa but it was like he couldn't see her, only some sort of vision in her place.

Seeing the pain in his eyes triggered Tessa's instincts. In one swift motion, she dove at the god's feet, snatching up the shield he had formed from.

Phobos looked over at her in rage. "You dare touch my shield, you foolish girl?" He threw his hand over to Tessa, leaving Kaden alone.

Tessa's sea green eyes widened. She did the only thing she could do—hide. She held up the shield, gritting her teeth as she anticipated the tidal wave of fear.

The shield warmed, becoming hotter and hotter, but Tessa held on. She didn't know that the god's power manifested itself as some sort of thermal energy, but the more she knew. She grit her teeth, forcing herself to grip the shield tighter as it burned into her skin. She needed to counteract Phobos's power, but how?

One idea came to mind and despite Tessa's conscious screaming at her that it would backfire, she did it anyway.

She forced her mind to channel every fear she had into the shield in her hands. Images flashed through her mind of her worst fears, she trembled, but she continued. The shield seemed to cool down, and finally, she forced the energy to return to its source.

Phobos cried out, and Tessa dropped the shield as the god of fear flew into the wall behind him, collapsing. His shield clattered to the floor, steam curling off the bronze.

Tessa took a deep breath, glancing at Kaden. Mark sat beside him, his knives drawn as Kaden watched the scene in horror. His eyes looked broken, which only angered Tessa even more. She pulled her pin out of her hair, tapping the gem as it elongated into Tempest. Fury in her eyes, she approached the god of fear.

As Phobos recovered from the blast, he groaned, sitting up against the wall. The sudden bronze sword at his throat didn't seem to faze him.

"What the hell was that?" Tessa barked.

Phobos watched her calculatingly. "That, my dear Tessa, was a god defending his source of power. I suggest you lower this sword of yours before I do to you what I did to your friend."

"I suggest you give me some answers before I slit that throat of yours. Tell me, Phobos, what happens to a god if they die how mortals do?" Tessa's voice trembled with rage.

Phobos didn't speak. He and Tessa stared one another down, might against might. Finally, he sighed. "What would you like answers to?"

"Everything," Tessa snapped. "Why have you been appearing to me and no one else? Why did you lead me here to your shield and then attack my friends when we came back to see it? What the hell is going on with you and these explosions and fear waves at camp?"

Sword still at his throat, Phobos straightened his posture and laced his fingers together in his lap. "One, I chose you. Two, because of said choosing, I needed to inform you as to my identity and what I needed you to do. The son of Aphrodite was targeted because while I am related to him on my mother's side, he was able to summon me but I did not condone that summoning. Three, that is what I wanted to discuss with you."