Solstice

II

[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."