Written by:
Awesomeelsa (beginning outline by JewelsDiamondz)

I woke up on an uncomfortable couch, and for a scary moment I didn't know where I was. Thinking back to the moments before I went unconscious, I assumed I might be in a room in the Big House.

I had a splitting headache, and I was sure I had Kandy from the Ares cabin to thank for that.

Thinking about why they'd flooded around me made me feel sick. Kronos had an army, and I was, deceivingly, in it. War was bound to start on my birthday - a war I didn't know we could win. My birthday was in six days.

I sat up on the couch. The room was dark, and I couldn't see much, so I assumed it was early in the morning or late at night. As my eyes adjusted, I could make out another couch, parallel to my own, with the outline of a body spread across it.

I pushed myself to my feet, and shuffled over as quietly as I could. It was Percy.

Poor kid, I thought. He'd never met me face-to-face until a week ago, and now he was sleeping in uncomfortable spaces because he was worried about me. That, or the campers thought he was on my side (being Kronos's army) after he yelled at them for beating me up.

I laid back down on the couch and thought of everything happening right now. Mark...my birthday...the war...

It's a dangerous thing, to let your mind wander. To think of everything you've done in your life and what it amounted into in the long run. Though, I suppose the burden is heavier for people who had more than one life.

I think about the first reality I was in; everything was simpler then. I was innocent; I wasn't used to the gods just yet, even though I'd met them. I was optimistic. I was hopeful. I was in love.

Now...now the worlds were getting harder. I was tougher than I was back then, headstrong. I knew about the world I was in. I knew about death. My life had gotten darker now, as stupid as that seamed. I was in the middle of a war.

And I hated it.

I thought about my final thoughts as I was a daughter of Athena. All I'd have to do is die in this life, too, and I'd come to the choices Narilla was talking about. I'd be done with this all.

Maybe being a child of Athena made it seem simpler, but now, as a child of the sea god...the idea seemed far fetched. I couldn't just end my life. That was suicide.

I thought about all those times I'd died. Did life continue for my friends after I was gone, or were the worlds just anchored around me, and when I was gone the world disappeared, too? Did they mourn my death, or did they simply stop existing?

My headache got worse. Thinking about this wasn't helping. I decided I'd better just go to sleep, at least then I could get rid of a few hours.

I closed my eyes and shuffled closer into the uncomfortable couch. Just as my breath was evening out, a voice rang in my ears.

'Be strong.' It was distinctly a man. The voice sent shivers down my spine. I hadn't heard his voice since...since my first reality.

'It will not get easier, but you must be strong.'

'Poseidon,' I answered. 'Father,' I wanted to ask him what this all was; which god decided to do this to me; why this was happening in the first place. Somehow, I knew he'd either answer them on his own, or not at all.

So I said, 'What can you tell me about the war?'

'It is not an even match,' Poseidon said thoughtfully in my mind. 'They have monsters and demigods and Titans. We only have us; demigods and gods. But these are not the questions you want to ask.'

I wondered if that was an invite to actually get the answers I wanted. I decided to take it.

'Is this a test? All these realities...are you testing me?'

His presence grew warmer in me. 'That is a very good question. I am impressed.' I thought he wasn't going to answer, but he continued, 'It is not a test in the way you'd imagine. But it is for the good of you, dear child. You will come to see this when you get to your choices.'

'And I'll get to those when I die here.' I implied.

'Yes.'

'So couldn't I just do what I did in the first reality and get over with it? Get to the choices?'

'That would only bring shame. There is a war you must fight. To get to your choices, you must be killed in battle. If you do it to yourself, you will simply die.' Poseidon informed me. And without another warning, I felt his presence leave me.

"Oh." I muttered. "Yippee."

~

I don't remember falling asleep, but I woke up with a straw stuck between my lips. A sweet liquid was trailing its way into my mouth; it tasted like Mom's home-made cookies that she used to make, before Zeus struck her airplane down.

It was Nectar.

My eyes open, Percy and Annabeth were there.

"Oh, good!" Percy smiled. "She's awake!" He was holding the glass in his hands.

"Tera," Annabeth inquired. "How are you feeling?"

"Like the end of the world is coming." I admitted. My head was still throbbing, despite the nectar I'd been drinking. My limbs felt like jello. I wondered how long I'd been sleeping.

"Three days until your birthday." Annabeth told me, as if reading my thoughts. "You've been out for a while."

But I hadn't 'been out', I wanted to tell her. I'd been awake at night...whichever night that was.

"The camp hates me?" I asked it like a question, but I already knew the answer. "What's our next move?"

"That's just it." Percy said, putting a hand in mine. "We don't have one. Annabeth offered a few suggestions. We don't think they're the best ideas right now."

Annabeth glared at Percy like that was the worst way he could've worded that.

"We need to get them to believe I'm on their side. I am on their side." I told them, not that it helped much.

The door opened. A beautiful girl came in. Selina, from the Aphrodite cabin.

"Sorry to interrupt," she smiled sweetly. "I just wanted to check on Tera. Mind if I have a minute with her alone?"

Annabeth and Percy exchanged glances. We were all thinking the same thing: 'that's weird'.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Annabeth, Percy, go wait outside."

~

She sat down in front of me. As soon as the door closed, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad." I said, still confused as to why she actually came here. It certainly wasn't to ask how I was.

"Good." Selina held out her wrist. On it, a silver charm bracelet shimmered in the light. "Luke was terrified, he said it was all his fault that you're here. Go on, then. Say hi to him."

All I could think as I stared at the scythe carved into one of her charms was, Great. Another person to act for.

"Luke?" I spoke into the charm. "Are you there? Luke, it's Tera?"

It took mere seconds before the reply came. "Tera! What happened? You aren't hurt, are you? Why did they attack you?!"

I tensed at the sound of his voice. "Ares cabin must've gotten everyone else to think I'm a traitor rather than a friend. I'm not hurt. My cover's blown."

"Come back to the ship!"

"I can't. That'll only give them a stronger hate towards us. I'm trying to figure out a way to convince them."

Selina looked at me expectantly. "I have a few ideas."

"Good." Luke said. "Thank you, Selina. Oh, and Tear-Tear? Be careful. I have to go."

I was relieved when Selina pulled her arm away. Then I waited for her to tell me her plan.

"Blow up the Andromeda." She said flatly.

I stared at her in disbelief. Sure, it didn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe I could stop the war before it started. But this idea was coming from someone who was actually on Kronos's side. This might be a trick to see if I was loyal or not. So I said,

"But that's our side. What about Luke and the others? What about Kronos?"

"Luke is Kronos, Tera. As much as you may hate it. He's been Kronos for a long time. Blow up the ship, it'll look like you're on the gods's side - Kronos will save them." Selina insisted.

"Charles Beckendorf," -she blushed at the name- "is going to be doing it anyway. Luke, er, Kronos is already ready for it. We'll just let them know you'll be doing it to get on the good side of the camp."

I could see all kinds of flaws with her plan. I didn't point them out.

"When do I leave?" I asked.

"Now." Selina led me outside. Annabeth and Percy weren't at the door.

I wondered how useless this thing might be. But because I was actually on the gods's side, it wouldn't hurt for them to know I was on their side.

I thought of all the people I'd been deceiving lately. I thought about Luke actually being Kronos. Surely, if that were true, he would've been able to tell who's side I was really on, right?

~

Beckendorf and I both got onto Blackjack's back. I'd never met Blackjack in this reality, so he didn't talk to me much.

"Don't worry about the others." He said. "I believe you about being on our side. You have the Greek fire, right?"

I nodded.

~

It was almost dark when we saw the boat.

The Princess Andromeda glowed on the horizon - a huge cruise ship lit up yellow and white.

Seeing the ship again twisted my gut into knots. I'd gotten two people - Mark and Matthew - killed on this ship, even though it wasn't directly. The ship was heading straight for New York.

"Blackjack," Beckendorf said to the Pegasus, "Set us down on the lowest stern deck. "

Gotcha, Blackjack said in my head. Man, I hate seeing that boat.

"Don't wait for us." I told him. "Trust me. We'll get out by ourselves.

Blackjack landed, wished us good luck, and flew off into the night. Beckendorf handed me a sword - celestial bronze, three feet long, perfectly balanced.

He look at a picture of a girl - Selina.

"You two are...dating?" I asked. He nodded.

"Don't worry. We'll get back to camp. You'll see her again." I wondered if he knew she was a spy. I wondered if it mattered.

"Yeah." He agreed. "Now let's go blow Kronos back into a million little pieces."