𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙥𝙞𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙮, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙮 𝙟𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣

chapter three

chapter three !
dense bone boys

- THE NEXT MORNING crept up on the tan skinned girl, leaving her bleary eyed and not-at-all ambitious to start her day. Yes, Tessa was excited, thrilled even, that she had been offered a spot on the once-in-a-lifetime quest to the Sea of Monsters. However, the whole leaving at first light had her not only tired beyond comprehension, but her bones achy and her mind a jumble of incoherent thoughts.

Like Clarisse had told her the previous night, she got up earlier than even that and got ready soundlessly in the bathroom of the Hermes Cabin, before creeping over in the still dark fields to the Apollo cabin to badger Lee and Micheal for some nectar and ambrosia to pack within her black backpack to take with. Inside she had only grabbed the essentials: including clothes, a toothbrush, deodorant and then her other demigod-ish things. Those being her sword strapped to her side, a smaller dagger stowed inside her bag and the godly food and drink for healing purposes and emergencies only.

With all her things strapped to her back, dressed in a pair of black athletic leggings she usually wore in the winter months at camp and a plain white tank with a denim jacket. Tessa Fairbanks felt ready to conquer the world- one monster attack at a time. Though despite the feeling of being quite literally a god, with all the power and adrenaline coursing through her fingertips, not to mention the excitement, she was also filled with dread and anxiety. It filled the entirety of her abdominal cavity with wriggling worms. The dream, more like unwanted parent induced lecture from last night, gave her the feeling of unrest and sheer exhaustion despite her seven hours of sleep,

She had a dream. Not the usual type of dream where she imagined unrealistic fantasies of a perfect life, or another world where everything turned out the way she wanted it to, but instead she dreamed of a throne room. With sleek black tiles and at the centre of it a white throne with two spears carved in the chair making an x in formation. On top it sat a woman she had only seen in two pictures. One being her baby picture in a hospital with her father. He had smiling next to her as Tessa herself was held in the woman's arms with blazing eyes of molten gold. The other captured when she had just left the hospital- with the woman handing her off like mail delivered peace to her father. The nurse had taken that one, so all three faces could be easily spotted by the camera. It was only because of those photos, taken so very long ago that she even recognized her mother at all. Enyo, the female counterpart of Ares, the God of War.

By instinct in the dream, Tessa had dropped to her knees in respect. Her mother sat atop the white marble and looked down at her, before giving her permission to stand. The brunette girl had always presumed she got her looks from her father, as they looked eerily similar with their matching pigmented skin and angular jaw, but when presented with her mother, she saw a more perfected version of herself. Despite the coils of black strands as dark as the night itself, and eyes the color of gold, Tessa strongly resembled her mother. With her high cheek bones, toned biceps and lean muscle mass along her legs and abdomen. Even the broad shoulders not quite feminine nor masculine. Tessa had her father's eyes, jaw and pigmented skin, though watered down by her mother's more copper tone-, everything else was her mother through and through.

"Tessa," Her mother had acknowledged stonily as she stared down at her with her eyes narrowed and her facial expression otherwise neutral. She didn't look at all impressed when seeing her daughter for the first time in years. "You have changed much since the last I looked on you."

"Mother," The brunette replied after standing at her small height and meeting her molten gold eyes with her own amber ones. At the address, Enyo's facial expression took on a grimace before morphing to it's normal neutral. Tessa had never had contact with her previously, but the look of distaste at being her mother, her relative at all, hurt the young girl a lot more than she thought it would. Was she stupid to think her mother might care about her at all?