I sighed. I had picked Nico and Brenda to take with me on my quest, which started in about five minutes, and Liz was mad at me. "Why aren't you taking me?" She fumed angrily.

"Because, I didn't want to." I snapped impatiently, glaring at her. "Now, go away."

"No way!" She practically growled, like a rabid animal. "I hate you, Starling Ann Carter!"

"How'd you even get my middle name, creeper?" I asked, surprised.

She smirked and raised her eyebrows. "Creeper? How original." Sarcasm seemed to ooze off her words.

I rolled my eyes, fighting the urge to box her in the nose. "Goodbye." I gave her a little wave as Brenda and Nico appeared, walking side by side. "Hey!" Brenda squeaked nervously, and I was willing to bet hundreds of dollars it was because of the dark-haired boy at her side.

"Hi." I smiled, giving them both a little wave.

Nico gave me a dark look, then turned to stare unblinkingly at Brenda for a moment, his voice distant when he said, "Let's go."

I nodded at him, and the three of us walked down to where Chiron was, smiling grimly. "Greetings." He spoke softly and sadly. "It's time for you to set off on your quest. I wish you all luck. A girl from the Aphrodite cabin got three Pegasus's ready for you."

Right as he finished, a girl with long black hair and brown eyes appeared holding three different set's of reins. I stepped forward first, taking the reins of a pure white Pegasus and mounting easily. Brenda went next, taking a strawberry roan one's reins and slowly and clumsily getting on. Then, finally, Nico went to grab a pure black one's reins. It snorted nervously, side-stepping away from him, and he frowned anxiously and tried again. This time, it tossed its long, flowing black mane and reared up, lashing his hooves through the air skillfully.

Nico sighed, and the girl from the Aphrodite cabin stepped forward and helped him hold the animal still while he got onto it's back. She released, and it instantly soared into the air and began to buck, trying to get him off. He stayed on, and eventually it gave up. Chiron nodded goodbye as Brenda and I rose up into the air. "Be careful!" He called, his voice sounding distant from so far up, and our Pegasus darted forward, powerful wings flapping.

"Okay, let's do this!" Brenda shouted over the roar of the wind, and I nodded, taking firm hold of my Pegasus's reins and angling towards a city spread out below us.

The animal neighed loudly to Brenda and Nico's Pegasus's, and they all flew towards the ground in sync. The wind swallowed my startled yelp and I grinned, dropping the reins and spreading out my arms, feeling like I was an eagle high above the earth below. "YAY!" I shouted gleefully.

Brenda smirked knowingly and then spread out her arms to. "THIS IS SO FUN!" She cried, smiling widely.

"I KNOW!" I shouted back and we both exchanged happy grins.

Nico rolled his eyes at us, and I stuck out my tongue at him. "PARTY POOPER!" I declared loudly.

Nico gave me another dark look, like the one from earlier, and I frowned at him. Then, I threw up my hands and began to whoop again. Brenda yelled with me, and we were pretty much having the times of our lives. That is, until something spiky hit our Pegasus's in the necks and they went unconscious instantly. On the spikes, there were tiny notes. Mine read: Child of Apollo, beware. I screamed wildly as my Pegasus began to drop rapidly, and I took my feet out of the stirrups and jumped. Stupid, right? But I wasn't really thinking: I was just doing.

"Are you CRAZY?" Nico screeched, grabbing the reins of his unconscious Pegasus and beginning to yank at them frantically.

"Yes!" I yelped, and tried to grab my falling Pegasus by the saddle horn. Unfortunately, all that did was make me fall at it's side.

If there was one thing for certain, it was this: We were totally screwed.