Chapter XII

                                    

                                          
Hazel
Hazel smiled in satisfaction at the sight of all the other demigods safely inside various tents in Edenburg's courtyard. It may not have been as luxurious as Camp, but it was definitely easier to rest here than it had been while they were in the forests.   
Tegan and the other witches returned from using the Ouija Board, and from how shaken Tenn looked, the news probably wasn't good.
Bettina quickly filled everyone else in on what had transpired. Hazel's mouth dropped open and she cast a pitying glance towards Tenn. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he must be feeling. The mother he had never known had been trying to communicate with them through the Ouija Board, and he hadn't even known.
Kessler's sigh brought Hazel back to the conversation. "I don't have the locket, nor have I ever found a locket of any kind."
Annabeth perked up. "This spirit was Tenn's mother, correct?" When Tegan nodded, she continued. "Maybe she means where you found him?"
Kessler paled, then Tegan stepped forward. "Picture the exact location in your mind. I'll bring us there."
The white flash of Tegan's portal sucked them in, bringing them to the middle of a forest. Immediately after appearing, Hazel sensed death nearby. It unsettled her.
"This is where I was Marked," Tenn whispered.
Hazel recalled what Tegan had told them earlier about the Coven, how they were marked by the Goddess Hecate when the previous Coven member passed away; a roman numeral corresponding with their Card was burned into their forearm; like the Legion's tattoos.  
Tegan dropped her arms in confusion. "I don't feel any magic here."
Percy frowned. "So?"
"So, theoretically, since this locket contains a ton of magic, she'd be able to sense it was here." Annabeth jumped in.
"I thought you said Ruth would've cloaked it from magical tools?" Hazel glanced at her surroundings, trying to sense if the Mist had something to do with hiding this locket.
"I'm a figurative tool, dear Hazel. I meant a literal tool." Tegan winked. "And yes, I am pretty positive that I could at least sense its presence."
"So why send us here?" Henley wondered.
"Maybe she hid it somewhere nearby and knows that Tenn passed it?" Bettina theorized. 
"I remember running here," Tenn said softly. 
Kessler moved closer to him. "Where did you come running from? I've never gotten that out of you." 
The Emperor, who normally was so confident and intimidating, stared at the ground, looking broken and lost. "I couldn't figure out how to tell you...plus it was all fuzzy memory." 
His adopted father nodded. "Do you remember now?"
He nodded, then led the whole group through the trees. Finally, he stepped between a row of trees and into a clearing that overlooked a river. Hazel heard a gasp from nearby- somebody must've recognized this area.
A quick glance behind her revealed that it was Bettina; who pointed at the riverbank. "That's where we found him digging up that random wooden chest-" 
Before she could finish her sentence, Tenn sprinted towards the riverbank. He stumbled into the river, his eyes wide. The chill, eerie feeling of death grew as Hazel followed Tenn's footsteps, but she couldn't directly identify from where- or who. She blinked back tears. If only Nico were here...
"Babe, talk to me," Tegan was saying, while Kessler called out, 
"Son, what's wrong?"
"I've been here..." Tenn whispered, the faintest shadow of tears in his eyes. Hazel could see how hard he was trying to hold them back. "This is where I lost my mother."