The universe was born from the entity Chaos. Consciousness was born from it because it perceived itself. Of the beings that attained sentience, there were only two: Terra and Uranus. It should not be mistaken that these beings were of Chaos, for they were not. They rose from Chaos and became what they saw themselves to be. Effectively, one was matter, and the other spirit. Earth and Heaven.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Anton Ravenson, Codex Deorum, Essay Six⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Reyna's voice was solemn in the crowded dining hall.

All the campers were clustered at the tables, listening as she spoke. A deathly silence hung over the room as we contemplated what she said. The news that Reyna had shared with Ethan and I had just been shared with the rest of the camp.

"Does everyone understand?"

There were a few nods, but mostly everyone was still reeling from the revelation. After a few moments, one of the campers from legion nine raised a hand.

"Do you think the insurgent demigods will come to Camp Jupiter?" It was a young girl I recognized from the fights, Charlize, the one with the daggers. Reyna's response was quick.

"Undoubtedly, they will want as many demigods on their side as they can."

"Are we going to fight them?"

Reyna's voice faltered a little, the conviction in her eyes dwindling. My eyes widened. Ethan, who was sitting next to me, gave a small gasp as he realized what was happening; I could feel his shoulders tense up as she continued.

"They will not attack Camp Jupiter, I don't think. They will however send an emissary of some sort, assumedly to convince people to join their side. And⎯⎯⎯"

"And you're just going to let them in?" Charlize countered, her eyes shooting daggers as sharp as the ones she carried.

"Charlize, I'm afraid there's no other option. We have to let whoever they send into the camp. I don't like it, but we have to. They will destroy this camp if we reject their emissary. We must play their games, at least for a little bit."

"How do you know, they're going to send someone? What if they just attack?"

"They won't risk taking down a potential ally. They need an army, and they are inevitably going to send someone "

"But what if they bring some of us to their side?"

My mind had already pondered this very question. I could tell the rest of them were thinking about this as well, I didn't even have to read their minds to know.

"Then I will let them, and whomever they convert leave the camp. It is better for Camp Jupiter to remain, with just enough demigods to fight back, than for it to be destroyed at full potential."

I lowered my gaze, shifting slightly closer to Ethan as I did so. I wasn't quite sure why I did it, but there was something about Ethan… It was like a pulling, continually drawing me back to him. I didn't know if Ethan noticed; if he did, he didn't show it.

After a long period of silence, Reyna nodded and strode quickly away. The rest of the meal was taken without much conversation. The only time anyone spoke was in hushed whispers about Reyna's declaration. As I sat, my mind began to wander, and as it drifted, and insidious revelation began to grow inside me. It had yet to blossom, but the beginnings were there. It came in the form of a question. Whose side was I on?

I shoved it away. I knew what side I was on, Camp Jupiter's.

But why?

I didn't want to think about it.

Ethan's hand was on my shoulder.

I jumped at the touch, waking out of my reverie. Ethan laughed, and shifted to put his arm around me. I looked up at him, and I think he saw the worry in my eyes, because the next moment, he told me: "Don't worry, Reyna's got this under control."

I nodded, and looked at my barely touched plate of food. Everyone's plate looked about the same, still full of food, brought by the invisible creatures I assumed were the "Lares" that I had heard of from everyone.

Suddenly, on a fleeting impulse, I grabbed Ethan's shoulder.

"Wait⎯⎯⎯" I muttered. Ethan was baffled, amusingly enough.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Just a second."

I slipped into that in-between place, between soul and body, to that moment where all the world became whole. It wasn't truly a place, but rather a fullness of time. The world became lethargic, fat and slow with power. It was as if time had doubled in on itself, and as it gathered in temporal folds, the physical place became layered with all essences of itself. As it folded together, like a dual exposure image, time suddenly snapped together, revealing its secret world. I saw the cords of power that touched every demigod, luminous, undulating beams of blue. And the two that I had, one blue, and the other a bright green.

And then I saw them. Humans⎯⎯⎯ or at least, some of them were human. They were all sorts of colors, some purple, some red, some blue, or even green. They were eerily transparent, and seemed to leave a sort of after image as they traveled; their motions could be tracked to a couple steps back from where they were. In that moment, I could hear them⎯⎯⎯ well, not truly hear them. Their voices seemed to be picked up within my brain, without the use of my ears. It was like something was whispering, or at times, rudely belching into my mind.

After a moment, I slipped out of the place again, and this time, the reverse motion of time happened. It was as if all those folds that I had sown together, had suddenly unraveled, the layers of images fading away with each loosening stitch. And then time snapped back together as if it had been that way all along.

Ethan was staring at me, his pale blue eyes unblinking.

"What happened?"

"I saw the lares." I whispered.

"You did?"

I nodded. He smiled, as I explained what had happened.

"That's wonderful, Jason. So you had to look in that, whatever place, to see them?"

"Yeah."

"Could you hear them at all?"

"Yeah, it was like they were speaking directly into my mind."

"That's exactly how it feels! Oh my goodness, isn't it creepy?"

I laughed, and nodded my head. It was a little creepy.

Just then, Ethan grew silent. The rest of the hall had just regained their talkativeness, but Ethan had quieted. In a softer voice, he said:

"Jason, can I show you something?"

My brow furrowed, confused. "Yeah," I said, unsure of what to say.

He brightened a little. "Come with me."

We got up out of our seats and slipped out of the hall, into the midday light.

Ethan and I walked for a while, until we reached the boundaries of the camp. Ethan was strangely silent as we traveled. I assumed it was because of the solemnity of the occasion. Or whatever he had to show me. After the better portion of an hour, we reached a small but ornately decorated temple. Even more confused than ever, I followed Ethan up the stairs that led into the main atrium.

"Ethan,"

"Yeah?"

"What is this place?"

Ethan stopped, and shifted around for a moment. He stood at the top of the stairs, and I was only halfway up.

"It's⎯⎯⎯um… the temple of Venus."

I nodded, still confused. What was Ethan so nervous about? I caught up to him, and we walked into the temple together.

Blossoms covered the floor of the temple, pale pink, and lavender. A floral aroma filled the air, and sweet incense burned on the altar, rising through an opening in the ceiling. Somehow, the torches on the wall gave a soft light, rather than the harsh, flickering light one would expect.

"It's beautiful, Ethan." I said. "What did you want to show me?"

He swallowed. We were standing in front of the altar, and his eyes were wide, glowing in the reflected light. I stared as he tried to sputter out words, but nothing seemed to be coming out. I laughed, amused. But most of all, I was profoundly confused. Why had he brought me here?

Suddenly, Ethan reached out and took my hands in his. He stepped towards me, until we were only inches away. I was overwhelmed by his presence. If I had felt a warmth before, when I was around him, it could not compare with the feeling I experienced now. He was taller than me by a good couple inches, and at this range, I had to look up to meet his eyes. His hands were shaking as he held mine, and his voice quavered ever so slightly, as he spoke.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?" I whispered.

"Can I kiss you?"

I was speechless. But I nodded.

His hands left mine, and wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me so close that every inch of the front of my body touched his own. And then he kissed me.

My heart erupted with butterflies, and I nearly fainted. I reached up and put my arms around his neck, as he pressed his lips to mine.

We stood like that for a little, just the two of us, the incense still burning sweetly in the air. I now knew what it was that I felt, and it formed in my mind and bloomed into a vast flower.

And then the kiss ended, and I could say it.

"Ethan?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."