Chapter Text
art by the incredible Boba!!!
I
TESSA
Tessa Lamb was eighteen when she became immortal. After the war with Gaea, she had accepted Artemis’s offer to become one of her hunters, swearing off love forever. It wasn’t something she could do again, not after she lost her girlfriend in the battle of Manhattan. Kiki had been one of many of the Apollo children who lost their lives that day because they were trained to be healers, not warriors. The only reason she hadn’t gone completely crazy was that she was able to focus her energy on rebuilding the camp’s hospital and helping her sister track down where the hell Hera had hijacked her boyfriend off to.
Annabeth had been distraught when Percy went missing. She still remembered the fretful expression mirrored in her little sister’s golden owl irises. That look drove Tessa to go on unauthorized quests trying to hunt down where her friend was being imprisoned, swearing on all the Gods that her sister wouldn’t meet the same fate as her, because she knew if Percy had a choice there was no way in Hades he would leave Annabeth behind like this after everything they’ve been through together.
Thankfully, Percy and Annabeth got their happily-ever-after. Once they graduated from New Rome University they got married. Annabeth had become an extraordinary Architect. Her greatest project had been building the Garden of Grace, a haven for all demigods to age in peace after they were finished at New Rome or Camp Half-Blood. It was named after their friend Jason Grace, who they all missed dearly. For a short time, Percy became a teacher who helped children with dyslexia like himself. He rescued countless unclaimed demigods before the age of thirteen this way, but now he is content to be a stay-at-home father to their daughter, Penelope Sally Jackson.
Now, fifteen years after the Door of Death was sealed again, the daughter of Athena waited up in the rafters, hidden in the shadows of the Funhouse, an isolated farmstead on the lost island of San Andreas. Laistrygonians, cannibal eating giants, had begun to mimic clowns to trick local mortals and demigods into their home to feast upon them. The Hunters had gotten word that five half-bloods kidnapped from camp were trapped inside, but when they had arrived a mysterious sixth was being brutally whipped in their manmade arena. Meanwhile, the others they had come for were trapped behind individual celestial bronze cages that hung in the air. She could see where the chains reached the middle of the ceiling. On the outside, the house appeared to look like your average rundown estate, but the interior was as big as the inside of a circus tent- a vast open space.
The majority of them were unconscious, severely injured, and on the brink of death. However, one remained responsive from her cell, begging the giants to spare the boy whose screams would haunt Tessa for eternity. There were around a dozen clown-like cannibals that wandered around the room, but their leader, whose mask was the creepiest of them all, was circling the boy crying out in excruciating pain.
“What’s wrong Chatterbox? Can’t handle the voices in your head?” The giant, who wore a blue-painted mask with matching tufts of hair poking from the sides, spoke in a menacing tone.
Chatterbox clutched his head with blood-stained gloves, covering where his ears would be underneath his own clown mask. It was almost a carbon copy of the monster above him except the blue above his eyes was more rounded and the bunches of hair were red. He was lying in the fetal position looking completely broken. Whatever mental warfare was playing inside his mind couldn’t be heard by the hunters, but Tessa could feel the rage and vengeance that radiated from the demigod. It filled the room like an invisible vapor that seeped into the minds of its victims, flooding them with the darkest of intrusive thoughts. She had to shake her head a few times to try and get rid of the images of her childhood-like burning her house down after her father beat her dog Maisy to death and wanting to do the same now-but they still lingered in her peripheral vision like the shadow of a ghost you never dared to face.
“You know what to do to make it stop.”
She couldn’t make out the boy’s response, muffled through his gritted teeth.
“Now. Now Chatterbox, Bobo taught you better than that.”
A strike of his whip came down across the demigod’s back. Tessa felt a hand suddenly on her shoulder, stopping her from making a huge mistake. Unknowingly, she had lurched forward, almost forgetting the plan she had created and sacrificing the quest. The other hunters were still getting into position. That was entirely unlike her, being so rash. This place was like a colossus magnet for impetuous fury-the source stemming from the halfblood disguised as a monstrous clown man-eating giant.
“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” The girl demigod with dark espresso hair woven into two long French braids shouted from the swinging cage.
With the fierceness that poured out of her Tessa was certain she was a daughter of Ares. Her bravery was admirable, but foolish in the same breath.
The Ogre-like beast known as Bobo, with soulless eyes peered up at the girl with a wicked intent. He attempted to storm his way over to her, but was stopped immediately by a forceful grip around his ankle- immobilizing him.
Somehow, even though Bobo was five-times bigger than Chatterbox, the young boy’s strength was far greater. It was like the Greek version of David and Goliath, until his head involuntarily jerked back. Agony screeched out of his vocal cords from another inaudible attack.
From her perch, Tessa could see the way the demigod's body convulsed, allowing the giant a moment to break free from the young boy’s unyielding strength. Bobo’s attention was back on Chatterbox, forgetting all about the girl who was now hurling insults. It was like both of them were trying to protect the other by redirecting the Laistrygonian.
Her body flinched at the loud crack as a massive foot kicked the teen in the ribs, causing his body to tumble over. Bobo began pacing around him like a predator stalking its prey, waiting to strike-but he never did. Instead, he laughed.
“This is what you get Chatterbox.” The blue freak crouched down so his yellow-stained smile was right above the halfblood’s ear. “For choosing them over us.”
Tessa grew impatient as time went by. She had to refrain from snapping at her fellow sisters who seemed to be dilly-dallying around. It was moments like these she wished she still worked closely with Thalia, but Artemis had asked them to lead two separate teams. The Earth was far too big for them to travel as one pack.
Another wretched wail rattled the foundation of the house, embedding her nails into the splintered wood. Whatever he was battling mentally was far greater than anything the giant dished out. Tessa knew what it was like having a faceless deity plaguing the inside of her mind. She preferred physical blows over the ulterior as well.
“Where is your loyalty boy!?”
“NO!!!!!” Chatterbox bellowed, as his spine arched back.
He fought against the unknown anomaly that kept him paralyzed and his arms bound to his sides. No matter how much he struggled the demigod hardly moved an inch, but then she could feel the atmosphere shift in the room. Suddenly, Chatterbox’s body went into a seizure-like state, as his eyes rolled back under the painted smile. His limbs began to violently jerk around, contorting his muscles like a puppet on a string.
Her hazel eyes glistened with tears as she saw him trying to refuse the unseen demonic entity. The last time she had ever seen anything similar was when Luke became possessed by the spirit of Kronos and almost destroyed all of Olympus. If it hadn’t been for Percy, the Titans would be reigning over the world as we speak, and they all would be dead.
The resemblance gave her flashbacks to The Great Prophecy, Rachel Dare-The Oracle of Delphi-had spoken after Gaea’s defeat. Percy had been the first child of a Great Prophecy, and then another.
Tessa remembered word for word what the third Great Prophecy had said that night.
A half-blood born from vengeful rage
Shall seek revenge for the caged.
Their fatal flaw, a draw of luck;
Consumed by a grudge or loyalty struck
Will bring Olympus to its knees
After the summer solstice, they turn nineteen.
She remembered exactly how terrified everyone was, especially Cabin 16, the children of Nemesis. It wasn’t long before, during the Battle of Manhattan, when their sibling-Ethan Nakamura-had betrayed them all by being a Lieutenant in Kronos’s army. He had almost killed Percy that night by locating his Achilles Heel, but Annabeth had saved his life, stepping in the way of the poisonous knife. Eventually, he had tipped the scales when Percy reasoned with him that destruction was not the same as balance, but Ethan was no match for the Titan of time.
Every child of Nemesis, though there were few and far between as the years went on, held their breath as their nineteenth birthday approached, but nothing ever came. The Hephaestus cabin was no longer considered the cursed cabin at camp, that title solely belonged to Cabin 16-which remained vacant for almost ten years now. No threat of the prophecy had haunted any demigod for ages.
So, why did the image of the frail boy remind her of all that, and why did she have an awful feeling festering inside her gut?
The breath fled from her lungs when she was unexpectedly met with a pair of deep brown eyes with speckles of amber that glimmered like the honey from Aristaeus’s bees. The demigod was looking directly at her.
Tessa’s heart began to race. She feared that he would give away her position; he saw her silhouette in the rafter clear as day, but he didn’t. What he did next surprised her even more.
His voice stuttered through clenched teeth, sounding broken and raspy.
“Cha-Cha-tter-box do-esn't want to be a w-we-apon an-anymore.”
He was talking straight to her, sending a message-pleading for help…
“Chatterbox has no choice.” Bobo mocked.
Tessa swallowed nervously. She knew they needed to act soon or something bad could happen, but she was struggling with deciding what to do. Did she wait and hope her hunters were ready before it was too late, or did she act now answering the boy’s prayers?
“STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!”
Chatterbox’s gaze darted to the daughter of Ares who roared from her cage. A worried glaze coated across his eyes, turning to a wide panic.
“No-no-no-no-No-No-NO-NO! P-p-pl-please, p-please n-not h-her.”
It was odd, Chatterbox had responded before the giant had even acted. He hadn’t said or stood up until the young boy had stammered out like that, desperate and hopeless. Bobo now had his sight set on the girl, as Chatterbox thrashed against impalpable restraints. That gave Tessa an inkling that the giants here might be being controlled by the same evil presence that was torturing the poor boy.
The giant clown stood tall enough that he was eye level with the girl, as he started twisting the cage around like a cat playing with its food.
“Oh, the plans our Master has for you.”
Tessa’s suspicions were proven right, but who was this faceless ring leader?
The young girl showed no fear. She didn’t back away from him, her eyes of silver continued to glare him down, and her voice didn’t betray her.
A vicious demigod ready for the fight.
“You don’t scare me”
“Oh, but Bobo will.”
Bobo twisted a key into the lock, opening the girl’s cage. That was a mistake. Out of her boot, the demigod pulled some kind of weapon that grew into a celestial bronze sledgehammer, uppercutting the beast with all the strength she had left. Tessa was sure the giant was seeing stars from that impact, as he stumbled to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The daughter of Ares jumped from her cell and did something that surprised the hunter watching from above. Instead of finishing off the Laistrygonian like any child of war would do to their enemies, the girl raced over to Chatterbox who was still fighting a battle of his own. She fell to her knees at his side, curling her fingers under the base of the mask, trying to free him from its clutches, but no matter how much she pulled, the rubber plastic couldn’t be peeled away.
Like it had melted into his skin.
“Chatty, I’m- I’m trying-but-it-won’t-budge.” Desperation cracked in her vocal cords.
The force that was holding his arms down had weakened, as his hand reached up to cradle the girl’s cheek.
“Go.” A grated plea fled his lips. It took everything in him to get his next words out. “Leave- ergh-get your friends-and go- before it’s too late.” His eyes clenched shut. “I don’t know-ergh-how much longer I can keep fighting him, Cups.”
Cups shook her head at him vigorously. “I’m not just going to leave you here.”
The other Laistrygonian in the room began to stir, noticing how their leader still hadn’t risen. One released a rambunctious roar, as they started stampeding towards the demigods. Luckily, Tessa’s team of six was finally in position, signaling them with an owl call.
The two archers in their group aimed their arrows down at the giants. They released their quivers the moment the others fell from the ceiling, surrounding the two half-bloods like a shield with their weapons drawn. Their arrows landed directly into the hearts of two of the giants, disintegrating them instantly.
She wished the rest of them would have fallen as easily, but as soon as Tessa’s feet hit the floor, she could feel a darker energy surrounding them all. She hated being right, as she saw a spear impale her friends in the rafters like a kabob. They had no time to react to their friend’s death before the herd of cannibals was on them, swinging their swords and clubs at the hunters. The Hunters of Artemis were only immortal from aging, but it didn’t stop them from dying in battle.
Tessa had fought many Laistrygonians in the past. She and Clarisse had rescued Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson once years ago at the edge of camp from these monsters. The battle had ended quickly, and the giants had found themselves greeting the gates of Tartarus. However, these Laistrygonians were different. Whatever evilness that possessed this place had given them an advantage, blessing them with astronomical strength.
One of her friends is thrown into a wall like a ragdoll, staining the wooden panels with her blood.
There were only three of them left now, and there were at least ten more of them. A scream fled from another, and Tessa turned just in time to see her head being crushed under an enormous boot. Panic flooded Tessa’s mind, freezing her in place, as she watched every single hunter die before her eyes. This wasn’t how the mission was supposed to end. Originally, the quest had been presented to them as a simple in and out, but this was far from that.
Tessa was now the last one standing amongst the Laistrygonians. Four demigods remained unconscious or dead in their cages, and the two behind her were in no condition to keep fighting. Chatterbox was still actively being tortured inside his mind, and the girl Tessa only knew as Cups looked almost drained of all her energy. This whole time, her quick feet had dodged every strike thrown her way, but eventually Tessa knew one would land. It was only a matter of time.
She moved strategically, making sure every blow she cast from her sword landed a damaging mark on the hideous creatures that hid under their clown masks. She did her best to keep the attention on her, distracting the giants with her fast blade and nicking them near important arteries. Their screams were music to her ears.
Tessa summer saluted away from a sword just in time before he struck her down, but unfortunately was greeted with the front end of someone else’s club. All the wind was knocked from her lungs, as her body flung to the ground. Her vision went hazy, as she started seeing double. She released a shaky breath, ready to accept death like an old friend as the giants surrounded her. However, death never came, but what did was the head of a bronze hammer. Cups had come to her defense, pushing the giants back enough to help Tessa to her feet.
“The clown masks. That’s where their power source is being drawn from.” Cups explained, offering out her hand.
“So, if we remove the clown masks they’ll become weaker?”
“I believe so, but if they are anything like Chatty’s then it ain’t going to be easy.”
Tessa glanced over at the boy, doing her best to shove down the odd instinct to run over to him to see if she could heal any of his pain. Every time she caught a glimpse of his tearful eyes, bile burned in the back of her throat. His body was still trembling, but she could see him trying to roll over on his stomach. She forced herself to turn away from him. She couldn’t afford any more mistakes. She already blamed herself for waiting too long to step in, and she feared that if she prioritized him right now then they all would die. That was the reasonable choice, so why was it so incredibly hard for Tessa to divert her attention? Why, for the first time since Kiki’s death did she feel tears pricking her hazel eyes?
The Laistrygonian had regrouped, with Bobo in the lead. He had finally awakened after the blow from Cups’s hammer, emerging from the crowd with his freakish smile.
A good thing about being raised at Camp Half-Blood was that when you ran into a fellow demigod, whether or not you had fought together in the past, it was easy to conform combat styles. Tessa and Ray were like a well-oiled machine, taking turns with their strikes and shielding each other's blind spots. Surprisingly, they were doing pretty well together, managing to take out two more of the beasts.
Their luck didn’t last long though. Eventually, the giants got the upper hand. Tessa ducked to avoid the slash of the club, but Cups didn’t have a chance to. The bludgeon ricocheted off her head, causing her limp body to skid across the ground. Chatterbox howled her name, leading Tessa to take her eyes off the battlefield. He was now on his stomach, nails whittling the floorboards as he tried army crawling towards them. His sights set straight on Cups. Tessa’s heart ached at the image. The only thing she wanted to do was help him get to her, but she couldn’t. Not when Bobo’s hand had found its way around her neck, lifting her like a farmer ready to butcher his chickens. She struggled against his grip, doing her best to squirm out of it, but it was no use. With the air from her lungs being cut off, Tessa felt her consciousness slipping.
It felt like a drum was beating directly in her ear, as her vision went dark. The next thing Tessa expected to see when her eyes regained their sight was the field of Elysium, but instead, they were met with the same dingy blood-soaked floor of the Funhouse. Her hands clawed at her throat for air, as her chest heaved with each breath she took. Bobo had let her go, but why?
Her question was answered rather quickly when a blood-curdling scream tore from Chatterbox’s throat. Amongst the chaos, he had somehow made it to his feet. Despite being injured and obviously exhausted he did his best to stand tall.
The look in his eyes was deadly.
As he screamed something unbelievable happened. An earthquake erupted, shuddering the foundation of the entire house. Tessa was on her knees as Bobo hovered above her, and for the first time tonight, she saw fear peaking through his clown mask. A crack in the floor formed, separating her and Cups from the rest of the Laistrygonians as the ground split open, and out of the abyss came an army of shadows casting an aura of vengeance. Slender Man-like silhouettes started attacking the cannibalistic giants, swallowing them in total darkness as they dragged the cruel beasts back into the pit of Tartarus. Bobo had been the last to fall. It appeared the specters were saving him for last, making his death excruciatingly slow as they pulled him apart limb by limb. Once they disappeared into the bottomless void the earth sewed itself together, puzzling the splintered floor boards back to their original shape. The Funhouse looked completely untouched.
Tessa stared at where the ground had been fractured, unsure of what she just witnessed. In the corner of her eye, she saw Chatty’s knees give out from underneath him. He almost face planted but his arms stretched out just in time to break his fall. Silence filled the room except for the sound of their heavy breaths. After she regained her composure she couldn’t help but study the powerful demigod before her. The last time she had seen anything like that before was when Nico, a son of Hades, had led his own horde of skeletal soldiers at the Battle of Manhattan, tipping the scales of the war in their favor, but what Chatterbox had done felt entirely different.
Wild,
Manical,
Vindictive.
A pent-up rage he kept suppressed his whole life.
When his head rose his mask had been ripped down the middle, revealing the boy beneath. A shock expression flashed across his face as his hand reached up to trace the scars etched into his skin. As his fingers grazed the leftover plastic residue that sat unsupported on the crown of his scalp, they didn’t hesitate to pluck it aside. Tessa wondered how long it had been since his bare face had seen the light of day. How long had the clown mask kept him prisoner?
His eyes traveled to Cups’s flaccid body, widening with distress. She hadn’t moved an inch since the club had knocked her out cold. The only reason Tessa knew she was still alive was by the subtle rise and fall of her chest. Chatterbox tried to stagger to his feet, but his strength had been depleted. Nothing, this time, stopped Tessa from going to his side now and scooping him up by her shoulder. He winced at first contact. Tessa wasn’t sure if it was from an injury or a trigger response, but either way, he accepted her help.
“Wh-who ar-?” Chatterbox doubled over before he could finish his question., groaning from a laceration to his gut Tessa hadn’t noticed until now.
She did her best to hold his weight, helping him stumble over to Cups.
“Tessa, I’m a hunter of Artemis.”
“Chat-ergh-Chatterbox-don’t know-ergh-what-that-is.”
“It’s not important right now.”
Her muscles burned, as she assisted in lowering him to the ground where Cups was slumped.
You're hurt.” Tessa pointed out.
She knew she had ambrosia and nectar somewhere in her backpack that the hunters had brought with their supplies. Hopefully, she had plenty for everyone, because the health of the other four demigods remained unknown in their comatose state.
“It’s not-ergh-imporpant right now.” He grumbled, positioning Cups’s head in his lap.
Tessa observed as his fingers brushed the matted hair from her pale face.
“C-Cups?” He whispered, shaking her arms lightly.
When she didn't respond the alarm in his voice amplified, as his jarring increased more aggressively.
“Ray!?”
His despair was too hard for Tessa to listen to. She started searching for where her duffel bag ended up, spotting it close to some rubble that had fallen from the tremor Chatty caused. She scurried over to rummage through the contents, finding three vials of nectar and three squares of lemon ambrosia. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. There was at least enough for the others, and she could do without until they made it back to camp-ignoring the fact she had her own sharp pain near her spleen.
She sprinted back to where Chatty held Ray in his arms with tears streaming down his face. Tessa sank to his side, showcasing the vessel in her hands. A pop echoed out as she uncorked the bottle.
“This is nectar. It's like medicine.”
“Mepacine?” He sniffed.
“Yeah, it will heal whatever is hurting her.” She explained gently, tilting the girl’s head back as she emptied the liquid down her esophagus.
“Will it heal Chatterbox?”
His question sounded innocent, so why did Tessa’s heart ache thinking he asked because he thought he was the cause of the girl’s suffering?
She cleared her throat, humming a simple yes, as she placed an ambrosia cake in his hand. He gave the sweet pastry a funny look before ultimately shoving it in his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in ages.
Tessa dusted the crumbs off her palms, looking up at the cages hanging in the air. “What about the others?”
His head dropped to the floor, as guilt riddled behind his brown eyes.
“Ch-Chatterbox is the reason they are hurt.”
A part of Tessa wanted to hug the poor boy, which was strange because she had never been one to offer physical affection, but the only thing she wanted to do was ease his self-reproach. She knew there was probably more to the story. It was obvious he was being controlled by some higher power. She wanted him to know it wasn’t all his fault. However, the logical side of her knew she should tend to others by finding a way to drop the cages from the ceiling. Who knew how much longer they had?
After locating the lever, Tessa was able to nurse everyone's wounds, using the skills she learned from running the hospital at camp years ago. They were all going to be okay.
Chatty still cradled Cups in his lap, sketching each of her freckles with his thumb. The color had returned to her cheeks. Tessa joined him again, sitting on the backs of her heels.
“Will they be okay too?”
His tone was varnished with sincerity for the other demigods, but she still caught a hint of vitriol towards himself regarding his involvement. The amount of blame he was carrying was far more than he deserved, and Tessa couldn't take it anymore.
“Yeah, they sure will. All thanks to you.”
Chatterbox didn’t seem to agree. She was surprised he didn’t give himself whiplash from how hard he had shaken his head ‘no’. Another pang prodded her callous heart.
“Chatty, will you look at me, please?”
His shoulders tensed up, but he forced himself to meet her gaze.
“If it wasn’t for whatever you did back there we all would be dead right now.” She confessed, pausing to catch his reaction.
He held his breath like he didn’t want to believe her, so she continued with the mission to do just that.
“You saved us, Chatty. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”
He wiped his tears with the sleeve of his shirt.
“W-w-what happens now?”
Tessa’s hand caressed the golden drachma she kept hidden in her pocket for emergencies. The coin could send a message to anyone in the world, and she knew Artemis would be able to guide their journey home. She had no clue how she was going to tell her lady about the significant loss they endured here tonight. It wasn’t supposed to end like this, as a lone wolf.
The only thing she needed now was a rainbow. Coincidentally enough, she recalled seeing a flicker of one coming from the red-haired demigod while she was healing her earlier. Tessa was pretty sure that made her the daughter of Iris herself.
She flipped the drachma in the air, catching it before it clattered onto the floor.
“Now, we go home.”
A glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes like a brass flint striker
“We?”
Her hand rested firmly on his shoulder.
“Yes, that includes you as well, Chatty.”
“What’s home?”
“A place far better than here, even on its worst days.”
Three months later:
“Well, Tessa, what’s it going to be then?” Artemis asked grimly.
Her Lady wasn’t too happy with her, rightfully so. Not only had Tessa taken a hiatus from her duties as a hunter to help Chatterbox integrate into the real world, but she had just requested the unthinkable.
To be dismissed from the hunters so she could continue being there for the boy who had reminded her what love felt like. It was far from the romantic kind. If anything, the love she felt for Chatterbox was nothing but maternal.
She cherished every moment of his progress here at Camp-Halfblood. When they arrived at it had taken almost a month for him to be claimed by his godly parent, breaking the oath all the gods had made to Percy Jackson about recognizing their children by their thirteenth birthday. Tessa’s suspicion had been correct though.
Chatty was the son of Nemesis.
The sole member of cabin sixteen,
and the potential bearer of the great prophecy.
His interactions with the other campers were a little rough around the edges. The tricks and pranks he construed didn’t help matters much, but Tessa found them endearing. It brought a lot of joy and laughter in her life seeing Dionysus, the god of madness, going mad himself, as Chatty released whatever mischief he had planned for that day.
Tessa knew a lot of the campers’ skepticism stemmed from fear. His entire life he was raised to murder his own people, and now he could hold the fate of Olympus in his hands. That responsibility was far too great for anyone to carry on their own. She saw what it did firsthand fifteen years ago. For weeks now, she contemplated her future, knowing there could be consequences to her actions, but she was prepared to accept them.
When she shared her dilemma with Artemis, the goddess gave her two options. Either she left Camp Half-Blood tonight, never to return to keep from severing the vow she had made to her lady, or she gave up her immortality forever, becoming her rightful age of thirty-three, and she had to help Chiron and Mr. D direct the camp as her punishment.
For most people, it would be a tough decision to give up the blessing of immortality to babysit a man-child god. For two decades Tessa struggled immensely to overcome her fatal flaw. Self-doubt haunted every choice she made, but not this one.
She couldn’t stop the smile from reaching her eyes, as she watched Chatterbox from the hill above. In the middle of the valley, he stood, completely carefree, training and laughing with the few people who accepted him for who he truly was. Cups, Twinkles, Reina, Wendy, and Sneaky, the five demigods Tessa was originally assigned to rescue, had formed a bond with the son of Nemesis she knew would become the ultimate catalyst for the hurdles ahead.
She understood he still had a lot left to learn, but she didn’t doubt for a second that if Chatty was the child of the prophecy then they would be in good hands. Tessa trusted him with her life after everything they went through together. He taught her just as much as she taught him during their lessons, and in the end, Tessa realized there was not a thing she wouldn’t do for him.
“I want to be his mother, m’lady.” She finally answered with searing confidence.