Tempest

Eighteen

[audeamus/ let us dare]

"Coast's clear," Kaden whispered, peering around a small wall. He turned back to Tessa behind him, his green eyes luminescent in the dark of the night. "Come on."

            Tessa nodded, and the two continued on. They'd been hunting their demonic prey for the past half hour, and the villains ahead of them weren't leading them anywhere in particular. They needed a location, a hint, anything that would aid them on their quest and so far, Lamia and her henchman weren't telling them anything.

            "Do you think they're lost?" Tessa asked as they shuffled down the San Francisco street.

            "It's either that, or they know we're on their trail," Kaden quipped, but with a quick look from Tessa he smiled. "Let's hope it's the former."

            Tessa shook her head, a smile laced onto her lips. They continued down the sidewalks, and the smell of salt water filled the air. Tessa grabbed Kaden's wrist, pulling him back from following their prey.

            He looked at her in confusion. "They're gonna get away."

            Tessa shook her head. "We need to give them some leeway for a minute. Do you know where we are?"

            Kaden glanced around and realization filled his eyes. "Back at the pier."

            "Exactly," Tessa noted. "The smell of the sea and the smell of my blood will confuse them enough that we'll be able to sneak up on them even better. But we still need to be careful."

            Kaden nodded, and they waited for a moment, hiding behind a post card stand as they watched Lamia and her henchman slink down the pier. Tessa hoped that Theseus wouldn't be in any sort of danger, but then again hoped that for an immortal son of Poseidon, he could handle himself if necessary.

            Tessa turned her attention back to their targets, and after waiting a few seconds, she grabbed Kaden's hand and pulled him forward. She tried to ignore the arc of electricity that shot up her arm at their locked hands, and tried more to focus on getting information out of her enemies.

             The two demigods ducked behind shops and restaurants, following Lamia. However, their trail was running low. The vampiress and her cohort had approached the very edge of the pier.

            "What are they doing? Enjoying the view?" Tessa whispered, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

            As soon as she spoke, they moved. They seemed to catch glimpse of something in the distance, and took a sharp right. Tessa and Kaden lurched forward, peering around the nearest shop to see where they were going.

            Lamia and her henchman were walking down the secluded part of the pier, reserved for those with port access to the boats parked outside the pier. Light pierced the late-night gloom of the harbor, and it took a moment for Tessa to process that the villains had a ride to who-knew-where. The boat pulled up to the side of the path, and Lamia and her henchman stepped aboard, disappearing belowdecks. As soon as the boat had appeared, it had begun to pull away.

            "Come on!" Tessa hissed to Kaden, taking off down the path.

            The demigods reached the place where the villains once stood. They took a moment to catch their breaths and regroup, desperate for a plan.

            "Alright, what now?" Kaden asked, running a hand through his hair. "They got away."

            Tessa exhaled, looking around. She needed to figure out where the boat was going, but it was too dark and too far away to discern any writing on the ship. The sounds of the water sloshing at the wooden poles beneath her feet shook her out of her reverie, forcing her to concentrate on its lull.