Apparently, I wasn't the only one to find a star attached to a monster. I also wasn't the only one who's arm was absentmindedly reaching towards the necklace.

After the rain had gone, the skies started to clear. Blackjack flew me along, as I gripped his beautiful black neck and re-thought my entire existence-which is a very long process if you've had more than one, take it from me.

Every time I was close to getting answers, something would happen and I'd lose the opportunity. Dionysus clearly knew what was going on - why wouldn't he? He was a god, this was probably their doing. I couldn't very well go back to camp to talk to him because Chiron would surely punish me if he ever saw me again.

I closed my eyes and felt the wind on my face. It was calming, and sort of reassuring, like someone else was there making sure I was alright.

I didn't dare cry anymore. Mom would probably get Zeus to strike me with a lightning bolt. The most repeated thing she'd ever said to me was "Don't Show Weakness In Front Of Your Enemies". And although I wasn't near any enemies at the moment, I had always taken that to heart, and tried never to cry in front of anybody. Would you want people thinking you were weak? Of course, I suppose I had my moments when I broke down in tears. But every once in a while, that's alright, isn't it? To know that you can just let go what you've been bottling up?

But not now. Not when I had a star strapped around my neck and a mission to complete.

I thought about the last words Echidna had shouted at me; Schrödinger's Cat. My cabin had talked about this not long ago, and it had been mentioned repeatedly since then. I had no idea why. Surely that was no importance to a monster, a theory the person who made it didn't even believe in. But I pushed aside the thought for now, because if I thought about it any longer, I would be fallen off of the horse in utter frustration.

I wasn't sure how long we'd been flying, or how Blackjack even managed to find where Percy, Annabeth, and Jason were, but when Blackjack neighed and I opened my eyes, we were above an unfamiliar place that looked completely abandoned, and the van from camp was parked in an empty parking lot.

Blackjack landed all to quick, and I was thrown off of him. It all happened so fast, I couldn't quite comprehend what was going on, but I managed to land on my feet - which hurts a lot. Next time I'll just land on my butt.

After regaining my balance, I patted Blackjack'a head.

"Stay here just in case, I'll be back soon." I said, and started making my way down the cracked street.

It was like a ghost town, and it didn't feel like the sort of thing you'd see in New York. NYC, the busiest place ever, right? So many people walking around the square, too many shoppers crammed in a mall, many rude insults shouted at many different taxi drivers. But here the air was colder from lack of movement. The houses were wooden and boarded up, but completely empty of everything except the few prices of furniture. If I didn't know better, I would've said I'd hopped in the TARDIS and gotten a lift back to the 'Wild West' era.

When I looked through the windows of the van, I could see it was empty, but there didn't look to be a sign of a forced absence; they'd left on their own terms.

Next conclusion? They'd found a star.

The cracks got bigger and more frequent the more I walked, so I assumed I was either getting closer to my friends, or this was the oldest part of this aged and misplaced town.

Then the ground shook. More cracks scattered along to meet my feet; nearly making me fall. I grabbed the nearest lamp-post to keep my balance.

When the world stopped shaking, I started to run. Soon enough, a street corner later, I was greeted by the rushed faces of my fellow demigods, and one of an ugly beast I'd only read about before: Io.

If you just see a woman with curly brown hair and piercing blue eyes, wearing a white dress and black boots, your first thought would not be: this is a legendary being. However, when that woman has a star around her neck, a cow skin cape, and a gadfly chasing her around, you'll start to assume things.

You're probably there now, thinking, Hey, Tera, could you maybe...um...tell us who the heck E-I-E-I-O is? Well, let me give you a crash course using my Athena-like wisdom.

She's the daughter of Inachus, and another one of Zeus's love affairs. Hera found out, like she always does, and from what I understand, turned the girl into a cow and sent a fly after her. A stinging fly. A stinging fly that was apparently so painful that Io ran all the way to Egypt, past Prometheus who was chained to his rock on Mount Caucasus, who also managed to shout as much encouragement as he could in the circumstances. At Egypt, pausing for breath, Zeus managed to turn her into a human again and the fly buzzed off. Yada yada hooey, like always, the chick got pregnant with Zeus's baby and had a child. But it didn't make sense that she was here with a star around her neck and the gadfly still chasing her even in human form. She apparently disappeared into Egyptian mythology then, becoming identified with Isis and later Luna. Don't ask me about that though; I haven't gotten around to Egyptian Mythology yet.

Anyway, Io was angrily shouting Greek profanities at my friends, who didn't seem to notice me in all the confusion. Jason was the closest to her, and it looked like Percy was tending to puncture wounds on Annabeth, who was unconscious. I was about to run forward, when I realized I would get myself killed. Io said something under her breath and her gadfly gladly left her side to attack Jason. I flattened myself against a building wall and watched.

So the gadfly comes back and works for her? Wow, Hera. Thanks for backfiring all your plans. Jason had his golden sword raised, but he was using it like a fly swatted instead of a pointy weapon that could kill him if he swung it round to hard. He stumbled back, but the gadfly was too quick, and he bit Jason right on the forehead, and he was out like a light within seconds.

I had a vague idea of what I could possibly do now, a plan that had over a 50% chance of failing horribly. I ran over to Jason as the gadfly flew back to Io, and I grabbed his sword.

Now, I was in the line of fire. Io saw me, and I'm sure Percy did too, because soon he was running to my side with his sword, and we stood three feet away from the lunatic woman.

If it had been a better time - perhaps where there wasn't a gadfly welding maniac with a key interest for our quest around her neck - I'm sure Percy would've let me have it about how stupid I was coming here. But for now, he stayed silent and looking grim.

He had one bite on his shoulder, and it amazed me that he hadn't passed out with the others. Though, I suppose being bitten on your forehead hurt a lot more than the shoulder.

"Why do you have a star?" I shouted at Io, before she could will her demon-fly to bite me next. I had always been one to use my words before actions...well, in this reality anyway.

"You've had children with Zeus, you should be on the side of the gods! If you don't give it to us the world will burn from the heat of the sun without balance from the moon!"

She snorted, which was a mix between an angry growl and a fake laugh. "I was turned into a cow by Zeus's wife! Why shouldn't I help the demons plunge the world into light, burning it to a crisp so the gods have nothing to rule?"

I frowned. "Because it's really rude, have you tried anger management?"

Her attention was fully on me, so she didn't very well realize that Percy's hand was stretching out to meet the star. I remembered the pain it inflicted in my hand, that shot up my arm and ate away at my sole being. I remembered how easily it had killed the demon, but how much it had burned.

So in one swift move, after shouting an ear-splitting "PERCY NO!", I knocked him off his feet and pulled the star off of Io's neck while I had the chance.

The sensation was different the second time around. It still hurt like Hades' Realm, but this time the white light seeped into my veins, and I felt my blood racing through my body - which is the scariest feeling ever. Imagine those bugs from The Mummy, how they crawled under their victim's skin before killing them. That's what it felt like; hoards of bugs rambling around inside of me, reaching my heart and making it beat louder than a drum.

I felt the energy shoot out from my body, through the star, and disintegrate Io and her evil gadfly. And I fell to my knees, dropping the second star on the ground.

Percy grabbed me by the shoulders and held me up right, and I was just about ready to collapse. The pain stung at my hand, I could feel the now--raw flesh prickling with feeling.

"Don't close your eyes!" Percy shouted at me, moving his hands to my face. I must've looked pretty bad, but my eyelids felt heavy and I was giving in to the pain.

"They will...open..." I managed to say before falling into the dark void.

~

I would've fought to stay awake, because I'd just call Blackjack to bring me my kit, and I could treat myself to ambrosia and nectar and goss. But I had the nagging feeling that closing my eyes was the better option.

Oh. Wait, no. Sorry. THAT WAS MY MOM WILLING ME TO THINK THAT, NEVER MIND.

Her silhouette flickered before all her features came in to detail. Her hair was unkempt, and she looked horrified, anxious, sleep-deprived, and worried. Worried is usually something I'd never see on her face, but I didn't focus on that right now.

Beside her, was Apollo, looking like a seventeen-year-old pretty boy, with no shirt and tousled blonde hair. He wore the exact same expression as my mom, which was really unnerving.

"Do you understand yet?" My mother questioned impatiently.

"Understand," I furrowed my brows. "That Artemis is going to destroy the world? Yes, I think we've all got the bit down."

Apollo frowned. "I understand how you think. You're right, my sister's rage is mislead and she shouldn't be acting so rash" -so many big words for the sun god it was scary. Oh wait, that was the ATHENA IN MY HEAD THINKING THAT AGAIN.- "about it all, but she's upset. Zoë Nightshade was her head huntress. When she was killed, Artemis was shaken to the core. She made her into a constellation, and believe me it was her favourite one in the sky. Whoever planned this out knew how to ruffle her pelt," he laughed in a whisper at his own joke despite the circumstance, "enough so that she'd cause the apocalypse."

"Is this what I'm suppose to understand?" I asked, still confused.

"'No," Athena looked at Apollo and I knew she was mentally shushing him with her eyes cloudy grey eyes. "You must understand what has to happen next."

"Well, we've got to find the other stars. We have lots of time." I shrugged.

Apollo shook his head. "Isn't that what you said last time, when I was..." he shut himself up and I furrowed my brows. Was he talking about the last quest, in the other reality? Even if he was, he wasn't there when I...well, I didn't even say it out loud. I suppose I thought it in my head. I was about to question it, but mom continued, and if your wise, you won't interrupt the goddess of wisdom.

"You need to understand the pull of the stars. When you first found yours, you went to grab it before you thought about it; you did it without realizing." I nodded, and she continued. "The second time...well, each star is harder to obtain. As you continue with the quest, you will find that each star is more painful. If that dreaded son of a sea god were to touch one of the stars it would burn him alive. That would be an improvement, granted, but what if it were Annabeth?"

"Or Jason," Apollo added, though mom looked uneasy when he mentioned his name.

I tried to understand what she was trying to say, when it clicked. "So it gradually gets worse, and since I was able to obtain the second one...oh. You mean to say that if I gradually accept the pain of each star it wouldn't kill me, but if the others were to grab a star they'd burn up because their body hasn't complied with the previous, less painful stars. I have to grab all the stars."

Athena nodded, and the image began to flicker. She looked almost relieved, but still worrying. Apollo disappears as the image dissolved.

"You must open your eyes, quickly."

But before my eyes opened, the scene shifted and a warmness started tingling around in my body. My surroundings were pure white, like a void, but a man stood stiffly in front of me, and he looked out of place in the vast whiteness.

He was wearing all black, and I knew him well. He had a sort of devilish look in his face, though I suppose that's how he always looked, but I knew he was a nice guy. It'd been a long while since I'd seen him last, since I'd pleaded with him. I frowned a little, because I knew this was only in my dreams - or whatever you call an illusion while you're passed out. He frowned back at me.

"Am I dead?" I asked right away. "Is that why you're here?"

Hades shook his head. "You're on the verge of it. And as your mother told you, each star is worse. You'll be seeing me a lot until you've actually, well, died. Then you're stuck with me." Hearing him talk to me as if I were a member of his family made me feel uneasy, but the easiness about his voice made me feel calm. I guessed that was how he talked to dead people with a good soul; calm and collected.

Despite what people say, Hades is one of the best gods. He stays in his realm to escape the drama that goes on with his brothers and the other gods. He's kind to his children and other demigods. He's calm and nice when you're at death's door, which I was right now. Though I didn't plan on walking inside just yet.

"So I could be dying?" I asked.

He shook his head. "You are dying. You probably won't. But you are." That didn't reassure me.

The warm sensation reached my heart. It began to beat, and I suddenly realized I had been without a heartbeat since I'd passed out.

"Oh, you're already waking up," Hades shook his head. "The best advice I can give you is not to get angry or frustrated. It won't help you figure it out. Schrödinger's Cat."

My eyes opened and I screamed "What does that even mean?"

But he was gone, replaced with Percy looming over me, and the vast whiteness replaced by the sky. I was on my back again. I'd passed out again. I frowned, which surprised Percy.

"How long--"

"You were dead for three minutes." Percy closed his eyes. "I mean - no heartbeat. I though--" he choked, and I reached my hand up to stroke his cheek. His eyes were puffy, he'd been crying.

"But she's alright now," Jason appeared above me, and helped me stand. "That's all that mattered."

"What mattered most is that she got the star," Annabeth said, staring in amazement at the orb in her hands. I supposed after I risked my life to obtain the stars, they'd be able to be touched by anyone else without the hassle. Wasn't that great.

But it hurt what Annabeth said. Sure, the star was important, but she was my sister. I thought me being alive and not dead would be on top, or at least she wouldn't say it wasn't out loud. I averted my eyes from Annabeth and started to tell Percy and Jason what I just saw.

"...so it has to be me to grab each star, you guys will be burned alive."

"No way!" Percy nearly shouted. "You died for three minutes! What if next time you don't come back?" His voice cracked.

"Percy," Jason said before I could. "We need those stars. Would you rather burn up?" He questioned, and Annabeth grabbed my arm. She pulled me away from the boys who were arguing about my well-being and the quest.

"What is it?" I asked Annabeth, who had an urgent look in her eyes. She had placed the star around her neck.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" I realized my mistake there. She didn't have an urgent look in her eyes. She had an angry one. "You couldn't spend one day without being in the limelight. One day away from the glory. And now? Now you claim that you're the only one who can actually get the stars?" She scoffed. "Well I'm telling you right now; I'm not buying it."

I was completely and utterly...unimpressed. I wasn't angry, like I should've been. I wasn't yelling back all the flaws of her thoughts. I was simply unimpressed by them.

"Annabeth, do you even hear yourself?" My voice was level, which must've startled her a bit. "Why would I lie about something like this. I died, do you really think I'd tell you I'm the only one who could get the stars if I keep dying? No. You're smarted than that. Why are you even upset?"

"Schrödinger's Cat." Her words didn't match her lip movements. Like when the in the Chinese spoofs, when he talks really loud but all that comes out in English is one word. My mouth went dry. Why did everyone keep saying that? What was so important about it?

"What?" I asked, open-mouthed.

"If you aren't going to listen to me what's the point? It's my first quest, Tera! I wanted to do it without you! That's what I said!" She frowned angrily and walked away.

I shook my head, and closed my eyes. Great, now not only was I hearing Schrödinger's Cat everywhere I went, but my sister was also jealous that I'm going to have to keep dying every time I get the stars. Because if I don't, the world will nO LONGER HAVE A NIGHT TIME AND WE'D ALL BURN ALIVE! Why couldn't she just see that? She's suppose to be smarter.

She started walking in the direction of Blackjack, with Jason trailing behind her, and Percy grabbed my hand.

"What happened? You two, like, never fight." He whispered as we walked after the other two.

"Nothing, just...forget about it." I replied. I didn't really want Percy thinking less than Annabeth, because I really didn't believe she was like this. It still felt surreal that she'd downgrade to jealousy.

When we got to Blackjack, he'd already called three of his friends. Percy probably told him to do that telepathically. Still, these pegasi looked like they came from camp, and that was really far away. It seemed weird that they got here this fast. Then again, I had died.

"Before we head off," I said, stopping Percy. "Where even is this place. It's all...abandoned."

"Pioneer Village attraction," Percy replied. I almost laughed. A pioneer village with lamp posts? Okay, whatever.

"Also," Jason wheeled around to face me. "And this questions been nagging at me, how do you guys know where we're going to find the stars?"

Jason smiled.