[dulce bellum inexpertis]

Three cups of coffee would have normally been a bad idea for a demigod like Mark, but right now, it was the only thing keeping him awake. He took a sip from his mug, almond eyes glued to the disaster zone of papers covering the table he was seated at. He'd been in the café since it opened, and frankly, would probably be there when it closed.

The field reports and research Mark had been tasked with combing through weren't anything special, especially given the grave nature of things. Anytime a quest group left on a mission, it was almost a given that they might not return. Monsters and spirits were growing stronger with the awakening of their father, and if the demigods didn't stop them all in time...

Well. Bad things would happen.

Mark blew out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was more reading than he liked, but it had to be done.

"Come to any groundbreaking revelations?"

Mark glanced up to see Dale standing at the end of his table, eyebrow quirked and coffee pot in hand. The daughter of Demeter topped off Mark's mug, before sliding into the booth seat across from him.

"Well, have you?" Dale pressed, golden eyes catching the daylight streaming in through the window.

"Why do I get the feeling that you want me to be done so I can leave?" Mark narrowed his eyes at his best friend, raising his now-full mug to his lips.

Dale made a nonchalant face, readjusting the napkin dispenser atop the wooden table. "You wouldn't be entirely wrong."

Mark feigned offense, putting his free hand to his heart. "I'm wounded. Truly."

Dale rolled her eyes, a laugh on her lips. "But really, what's the deal?"

Mark sighed, motioning to the papers spread out before him. He pushed a few towards Dale. "See for yourself."

The daughter of Demeter plucked a report from the pile, scanning it before frowning. "More mission reports? How many demigods are actually on quests right now?"

Mark glanced up as someone passed their table, noticing how Dale's voice got softer as they passed. When the person was gone, Mark returned his attention to Dale, watching him with precise intent.

Mark cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. "More than I'm comfortable with. It feels like there's a new shroud to burn every week."

A shadow crossed over Dale's luminous eyes, and she scrunched her lips together, thinking. She was silent for a moment, rereading the paper before her as if searching for the right words. Only Mark knew firsthand that there wasn't much to say when the people you were supposed to train and protect ended up dying.

The sound of the café's doorbell jingling snagged Mark's attention, and he twisted in his seat to face Kaden, Tessa, and Reese filing in. All three of them were dressed for business, which in a way made sense, given the fact that two out of the three had jobs to go to after this. The rest of their group spotted Mark and Dale and shuffled over.

"Oh, you all actually showed up," Dale chimed by way of greeting, sliding out of the booth. "The usual?"

"You know it, Daley Dear," Tessa patted her best friend on the shoulder as she filed into the booth.

Dale nudged Tessa in return, before nodding to Kaden and Reese and disappearing behind the counter of her café.

"Busy work, Mark?" Kaden cast a look at the papers across the table.

"More than I'm used to," Mark concurred, gathering them all up into a neat stack. "Which is none."

Tessa snorted, her turquoise eyes twinkling. "Oh, don't worry. We know."

Dale returned a moment later, distributing their usual brunch orders. "Double espresso and blueberry muffin for Reese, hot chocolate and a croissant for Kaden, and a caffe mocha and cheesecake slice for Tessa."

Reese wrinkled his nose at the daughter of Poseidon. "Who eats cheesecake this early in the morning?"

Tessa swatted Reese with a napkin, taking a sip from her whipped-cream topped mug. "Let me live, Hale."

Mark looked at Dale in partial shock. "What, no order for me?"

Dale scoffed, nodding to the counter. "You practically live here, you don't need me to get it for you."

It stung that it was partially true. Ever since Dale opened Nectar and Ambrosia on 5th Avenue, Mark had declared it his second home whenever Dale was working. It was mostly his fault whenever they ran out of a certain pastry or sandwich, but that was beside the point.

"So, what's this about?" Reese said from behind his muffin, glancing at Kaden, who had called the meeting.

Kaden met the gazes of his comrades, and Mark noted how tense the son of Venus was. His shoulders were hunched over the table, he seemed lost in thought and given his normal, cool demeanor, anytime Kaden was stressed meant something big was brewing.

"Vinny summoned me last night," His words were soft but they could have been nuclear explosions for the effect it had on the group.

Everyone went silent, varying degrees of bewilderment strewn on their faces. Tessa's eyes widened and her fork clattered out of her hands; Reese coughed, choking on his muffin; Mark felt his heart sink to his stomach; Dale merely shrieked, "What?!"

The people seated nearby glanced at them in confusion, but once they looked away, the five demigods focused in one more.

Kaden shifted in his seat, his hands wrapped around his mug of hot chocolate. "He had a message for us." He glanced up, darkness in his bright green eyes. "We have two weeks until war."

Mark felt his heart stop. Of course, he knew that war was coming. He'd be a fool not to. It was like preparing for a powerful storm, not there yet but on its way. It had seemed so distant, but this...this meant the end. One way or another, this war would begin and it would end.

Absentmindedly, Mark cast his gaze over his friends. Their hearts were beating, they were still breathing, but for how much longer? Would he have to feel the silk of their burial shrouds, the way he had for so many fallen demigods lately?

"That's not enough time," Tessa asserted, her cheesecake forgotten as she looked to Kaden incredulously. "We haven't even found Menoetious!"

"Which is probably why we have a grace period," Reese countered. "But that makes no sense. Why give us time to prepare if you're going to strike nonetheless?"

Dale drummed her fingers on the top of the leather seat. "They want to see us panic. They want to watch us move on the chessboard they've already laid out the pieces to."

Mark inhaled sharply, averting his gaze to Kaden. "Did Vinny say anything else?"

Kaden shook his head. "No. He disappeared."

"Typical," Reese scoffed, rubbing a hand over his chin. "The rat's not exactly reliable."

"There's more, though," Kaden said, glancing sympathetically at Tessa, who pressed her lips into a thin line. "Tessa found something."

Tessa begrudgingly dug out a flash-drive from her coat pocket, setting it down gingerly on the tabletop as if it would explode. "Someone left this flash-drive on my desk at work last night. It was heavily encrypted, but when Kaden broke through the firewalls, we found one video of Chase Ferguson being beaten within an inch of his life."

Mark's eyes widened, part of his mind going numb at the mention of the son of Nike. Ever since he'd been informed that Chase hadn't actually died at Aether's hands, he'd felt partially responsible for his condition. If this flash-drive held the answers...

"Did you see who did it?" Mark insisted.

Tessa shook her head. "No, but we did see someone." She took a deep breath. "Kiara Fairwolf. She was there that night, when Chase was beaten."

Reese leant back in his seat. "Well, then, that gives us possible motive for Kiara's death."

Dale drew her eyebrows together, addressing the son of Apollo. "Kiara fell to her death, though. The ground caved beneath her feet."

"Or did she?" Reese asked. "Vinny could've known what she did, and instead of risking her talking, killed her. Made it look like an accident."

"No," Kaden rebuffed. "The timeframes wouldn't match up. Vinny has his ways. If he wanted Kiara dead, he would have killed her there. Assuming he was even there that night."

Reese put his hands up in mock surrender. "All I'm saying is there're a lot of questions regarding Kiara's death. I don't think we should rule out foul play just yet."

"For now, we need to focus on the clear and present," Tessa met each of their gazes. "We need to find Menoetious."

"Can't we just call Adhara and get her to arrest Rainier?" Dale griped. A customer motioned to her for a refill, and she rolled her eyes, snatching the coffee pot off the table. "I'll be back."

"I wish," Kaden huffed a breath, addressing the rest of the group. "But hopefully the bug will give us some more info."

"And if it doesn't?" Mark asked.

"Well," Kaden tried for a wry smile. "That wouldn't be ideal, would it?"

Dale returned after that, gliding towards them frantically. She'd replaced the coffee pot with a newspaper, and judging by the sudden excitement on her face, she had good news.

"Dale," Mark hedged, but before he could finish, the daughter of Demeter slapped the newspaper down onto the table, rattling their dishes.

"Here's your lead, detectives," She pointed to the front page, depicting a smiling image of Alderman Rainier waving to a crowd.

Mark and the others crowded around the paper, trying to read it from where he sat. " 'Alderman Grant Rainier hosts fundraising gala'...why's this exciting?" He glanced back up at Dale.

Dale frowned at him pointedly. "We can infiltrate it. Get the info we need to pinpoint him as Menoetious."

Tessa nodded along to Dale's words, a ghost of a smile forming on her lips. "Not only that, but his campaign office and his apartment will be empty. We can send one group to the gala as a distraction, and one to scope out the rest."

"And if we find something convicting, we'll have eyes on Rainier to bring him in," Reese nodded along, his sapphire eyes glinting with the prospect of this plan.

Mark felt it then. The hum of energy that thrummed through him whenever he and his friends were on the verge of something big. Maybe it was their combined godly power, maybe it was their determination, but there was nothing more inspiring to Mark than the looks they all shared. Like with a little work, they'd be the gods ruling over this world.

Kaden blew out a sigh. "Well, we got more done than I'd originally thought. And just as well, because I've gotta get going." He got to his feet.

Tessa glanced at the clock and her eyes snapped open, the glaze of possible victory gone. "So do I, oh my god." She slid out of the booth, readjusting her coat. "Dale, how much do we owe you?"

"You still owe me a lobster roll, Brennan," Dale said from where she leant against the booth seat. "Until then, that's my price."

Tessa laughed, rolling her eyes. "Whatever you say, Alcander."

Kaden and Tessa soon departed, leaving Dale, Reese, and Mark in the booth. Eventually, Dale got caught up in orders and had to disappear behind the counter, and Mark was left alone with his papers and Reese.

"So," Mark asked, piercing the silence. "How's married life?"

Reese watched Mark suspiciously. "It's good." He hedged. "Why?"

Mark shrugged. "Just making conversation."

Reese made a face. "Really? After a possible murder mystery and a new mission, that's the best you can do?"

Mark reached over and tore off a piece of Reese's blueberry muffin to the son of Apollo's protest. "It's not that deep, Hale, relax."

Reese rolled his eyes, but Mark caught the glint of amusement in them. Yeah, sure, they got on each other's nerves but they were still tied the way the rest of them were.

"I don't know how much longer I can leave Imogen in the dark," Reese revealed after a beat of silence.

Mark slowed his chewing. "What, about Chase? She still doesn't know?"

Reese shook his head in response. "Flynn's bequest. Something about keeping it consolidated to Camp Half-Blood."

"There's not exactly a problem in that," Mark brushed the crumbs off his hands, freezing when he caught the sudden shadows obscure Reese's face. "Or is there?"

Reese met Mark's gaze, looking at him like a deer in headlights. He glanced over his shoulder and leaned over the table, taking a deep breath. "Things are getting...tense in Camp Jupiter."

"Define tense."

"Like, the Romans are starting to think we're not letting them in on something. And after the earthquake a few weeks ago..."

Mark nodded in realization. "They'll think we're leaving them in the dust."

"Exactly," Reese dragged a hand through his blond hair. "And when your wife is very good at finding answers, there's not much room for keeping secrets in a marriage. Especially in wartime."

Mark snorted. "What's the difference?"

Reese glared at him. "Don't."

Mark put his hands up in mock surrender. "But really, Reese, I think we'll be fine."

"And if we're not?" Reese questioned.

Before Mark could answer, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He dug out his phone, staring at the now-illuminated screen, and answered the call in both fear and excitement.

"Adhara," Mark breathed her name. "What's up?"

"NYPD. Meet me there. I have something for you." Came Adhara's cryptic response.

Mark frowned, listening to the sudden dial tone. Reese watched him with raised eyebrows, sipping his drink.

"I gotta go," Mark gathered his stuff and scrambled from the booth.

"Think she'll be happy to see you?" Reese asked.

Mark shot Reese a look. "Don't you have a muffin to eat?"

Reese mumbled 'not anymore' just as Mark darted from Nectar and Ambrosia, headed for NYPD. There, a daughter of Nemesis was waiting for him, and Adhara Wren did not like to be kept waiting.

~~

"Could it have taken you any longer?" Adhara's tired violet eyes stared holes into Mark's, making him shift.

"It's not my fault! Blame the subway," Mark tried.

Adhara merely sighed and turned around, her dark hair flouncing from where it was bound into a neat ponytail. "Whatever, just...come on."

Mark followed Adhara through the thrumming lobby of the New York Police Department, pinnacle of all things crime related, and in this case, Adhara's workplace. After the Masked Battle, Adhara had used the Mist to meander her way into a detective's position to aid in the impending war, and here she'd been ever since.

Adhara led Mark into her office, and picked up a manila folder from her desk, handing it to him. "Here."

Mark quirked a brow, plucking the folder from her grasp. "Will you tell me what's going on?"

Adhara inhaled, leaning against her desk. "Orion's portals. Ring a bell?"

"Yeah," Mark said gruffly. "What about them? They were destroyed in the battle."

"Not quite," Adhara corrected. "They were highly unstable, resulting in that imbalance that allowed Matthew Baines from the other side to come through. Their power still stands today, but the imbalance they created effected just about everything natural and supernatural in our world."

Mark knit his eyebrows together. "What, they're still standing?"

"No," Adhara said. "Their power. It's sort of...I don't know, floating around where the portals once stood. But I did some digging, and there's no way that such a magical imbalance could have erupted from that battle. Furthermore, it connects to how Menoetious could raise Typhon. The same energy from the portals fueled Typhon's power sources."

Old fears and worries began to stir in Mark's mind, ones that had long since been quelled. "Adhara, what are you saying?"

Adhara pursed her lips. "Do you remember the lightning bolt? The visions you were having?"

Mark gave a grudging nod.

"While the visions were incited by your dark side and the Regiment, the lightning bolt still confused Amelie and I as to its creation. Until now," Adhara exhaled, as if what was coming next wasn't going to be good. "It's from the same energy source as Orion's portals."

Mark blinked. "Okay."

Adhara frowned. "I wasn't finished." She bit her lip. "Only two people have been known to control the portals and its energy. Orion for one, and the General's regiment for another. Since the Regiment collapsed..."

That fear touched Mark's heart, and suddenly the file in his hands felt like it weighed a million pounds. "No."

"Open the file, Mark. It has all the information I've gathered." Adhara's voice was apologetic, and while not a very emotional person, Mark saw the genuine sympathy in her violet irises.

It was such a simple task. And yet it felt like Mark was moving in slow motion. He opened the file, his heart pounding, and felt every nerve in his body turn to stone.

Because in the file folder was a single picture tacked onto a stack of reports, all marked with different locations. A single picture, slightly blurred, but Mark had seen him before. His face had haunted his memories for years.

And now Orion was back, ever the hunter searching for his prize, with hell to pay.