The lightning bolt shot out of the sky, with a loud cracking sound following it. Before that, however, my knife missed its mark and sunk into the Titan's arm. He shouted in pain and dropped Mr. Chase, who sprawled on the ground in pain. Luckily, not dead.

Right as the knife stabbed him, the bolt of lightning shot down, shocking the Titan. He screamed in agony, and Annabeth rushed to pull her father out of the way.

I turned to see the person who caused that lightning strike; Jason Grace, finally awake. He was breathing heavily, slouched over against the car door. "Hey," He gave a slight smile with a wince, "Did I miss anything?"

"Jason!" Annabeth lugged her father over to the car for safety, "Take care of him for me." Yes, leave the boy who just woke up from being strangled by his girlfriend with an equally just as unconscious father who passed out from fright.

The Titan shook as if he was a dog; giving us a death glare and acting as if the bolt didn't faze him at all. "Actually, I think I can settle on killing the daughter of Artemis first!" He made a lunge for me, but a swift horse kick to the face stopped his words. I looked up, finding my pride and joy:

"Rigel!" I shouted while holding my arms up. He bit onto the back of my shirt and tossed me into the air, catching me in the process. The moment I landed on him, a shock ran up my broken leg and I held back a shriek.

Apologies for being late, Madam Astra, Rigel whinnied. Your mother wouldn't tolerate it if I left you out here to die. Pity.

"Aw, reasons why I love you so much," I kissed his mane. "How did you know I was here?"

Who else is able to talk to horses?

A glowing sword caught my eye, and Riptide sunk into the Titan's shoulder blade. Percy jumped off of Blackjack, who decided to fly next to us, and let go of the sword's hilt and ducked between Atlas' legs. "AGH!" Atlas bellowed as he ripped the sword out like a toothpick and tossed it aside. No worries for Percy, though, because it would simply return back to his pocket.

"This is the worst summer vacation, ever," Percy grumbled as he gave a swift kick the Titan's shin. Atlas fell the ground and his face smashed into the road. "Say, would saving the world be something colleges look for in a student?"

"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth said, "Ouranos is at the top of the mountain; who knows where he has gone now?"

The sky continued to deteriorate. I have no knowledge of science whatsoever, but nothing seemed to be affecting us yet, such as air, or even gravity. Mythology is strange. I will be taking you back to camp, Rigel stated. You are in no condition to fight. He swooped down and caught my quiver in between his teeth. Nico tossed my bow up into the air and I caught it in my hand. Leaning over, I pulled an arrow out of the quiver and nocked it against the string.

"I have to help in the best way I can," I launched it at the Titan who barely managed to avoid it by getting out of his make out session with the ground.

"Blackjack! Take Annabeth, Jason, and Mr. Chase to safety!" Percy yelled. "Nico, think you can shadow travel us back to Camp Jupiter?"

"No problem," Nico replied, "I've got the doctor's permission. I don't think we're ready to fight a Titan, especially this one on our own."

"COME. FIGHT! I DARE YOU," Atlas made a grab at Percy, but Nico got to the son of Poseidon first and took a hold of his arm. Within moments, they disappeared into the darkness.  Rigel made a dive and Annabeth quickly jumped onto his back. Jason hefted the body of Mr. Chase onto Blackjack, but Atlas' pounding footsteps were drawing near. Pulling another arrow out of the quiver, I let go and watched it soar into the Titan's shoulder. Ichor leaked from his punctured skin and yet he ripped out the arrow without hesitation.

This gave the two enough time to climb on Blackjack's back within moments the two horses were up in the air and making their way back to Camp Jupiter. A heavy throb pulsed in my broken leg but I tried to ignore it. "Astra," Annabeth said, "I have some ambrosia in my pocket-."

"I'll be fine," I grit my teeth. "Don't want to explode from eating too much."

"But you'll explode if you accidentally use another star," Annabeth persisted. She reached into her back pocket, pulled out a small tissue and pulled out a small, caramel-looking square. She placed it against my lips and I willingly parted them and ate it. A light heavy, feeling flowed through my bloodstream and the pain instantly lessened. My leg was still was bent at an awkward angle, though; probably weakened from Nyssa's and Malcolm's earlier fight. Hopefully, Will or any son of Apollo could fix it...

Austin.

That ridiculous, cornrowed haired instrument loving boy turned his back on us. Why? It obviously wasn't just because Apollo became mortal and had to do his trials; there was something more. Something we didn't know.

I peered down below, realizing that the mountain's peek beneath us. A single figure stood there, proud and tall. Ouranos waved his hand as he bid us goodbye. "I'll give you some time!" He called endearingly. "Be sure to prepare yourself an army, sweetheart!"

I nearly vomited; my own father, planning to kill me and the rest of humanity. Yes, technically it wasn't him, but the fact that words were coming out of his own mouth... I shook my head, pushing any thought to the back of my mind. Annabeth rubbed in between my shoulder blades fully understanding what I was thinking about. I leaned myself into Rigel's mane and a wave of exhaustion flooded over me.

Within moments, I was asleep. And let me tell you, it wasn't the best dream.

* * *

Morpheus must hate me, because he gave me a nightmare I couldn't forget.

I was standing in the heart of Manhattan. Everything was in ruins. The buildings were crumbled to the ground, all the plants in the vicinity were dying, and the stench of smoke filled the air. The Empire State Building was on a slant and the thought of Mt. Olympus collapsing made me run over to it. A small figure was standing by the doors crying and bent over something. My chest felt heavy as if my heart was trying to break through my ribs.

I stopped by the figure's side; it was a familiar face. A boy; possibly the age of twelve and an empty quiver over his shoulder was holding someone. His golden eyes were filled with tears. His red shirt was torn as if he had gone through a fight. He sniffed and wiped his nose. "A-Aria made me promise. She had to go finish it, and I promised her I'd help you. I'm sorry. I really am."

He laid his head against someone's chest and sobbed into the bloodied, orange shirt. Shivers ran up my spine and I grabbed my arms to keep them from shaking. I covered my mouth to hold back a scream.

There, on the ground, was Lance with a slash drawn across his chest.

His eyes were open; staring aimlessly at the sky. His blood trickled onto the concrete and began to form waves that cascaded over my shoes. The blood grew up to my knees, and I began to sink as if I was in quicksand.

"NO!" I shouted, grabbing at the air. "AARON! LANCE!" My head went under and they disappeared from my line of sight.

What happened?!

My eyes shot open and I sat up quickly, accidentally bonking foreheads with a blonde, son of Hermes. "OW!" Lance clasped his forehead. "Even in your sleep, you're violent, Stargirl!"

A sigh that was built up in my chest was finally let out. "Lance..." His name escaped my mouth and I just stared at him. My hands were tightly knotted up in the bed sheets as if reminding me of how traumatizing the dream was.

He looked up at me briefly and lowered his hand. "Yeah?"

His eyes were bright blue... And full of life.

"Lance!" I exclaimed, lurching across the bed and pulling him into a hug. Burying my face into his shoulder, I tightly gripped his shirt as if confirming that he was still here with me. He tensed up for a few seconds before relaxing and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"What's wrong?" He asked, "Did you eat something funky? I told you, those chocolate tacos do something to your head-."

"No, it's not that," I laughed quietly. "I'm just glad your here."

Realizing how strange that sounded, I instantly let go of my grip on him and pushed him away. A dull throb in my left leg reminded me of our earlier fight. I lifted the covers to realize a cast was hugging my leg with a small, annoying doodle in red pen that read: Leo McShizzle wuz here!

"You're in Camp Jupiter's infirmary," Lance explained. "Our troops were ambushed on the way up the mountain, which is why we couldn't get to your father. Reyna is making plans with Hazel, Frank, and Jason as we speak. I'm sorry." He placed his hand over mine but I didn't feel the urge to pull away.

"I-It's fine!" I felt my face flush. I looked around me; there were injured demigods all around me. The scent of ambrosia and nectar was all around. Lance picked up some crutches that were leaning against the wall next to my bed and handed them to me.

"Want to take a breath of fresh air?"

* * *

We wandered into the Garden of Bacchus which overlooks the entire valley. The sky was dark as night but the lack of stars made me want to claw at my skin. Only the moon gave light in the darkness. Grapevines made a canopy overhead, and smack-dab in the middle of the area is a fountain with a statue of Bacchus on the top. I adjusted the crutches under my arm, obviously uncomfortable and not used to them. Feeling an aching buckle in my knee, I slipped from the support of my crutch.

Lance caught me by my waist and shifted my weight so I could stand upright. "You okay?" He asked while pointing towards a nearby bench. "Want to sit down?"

"Yeah..." My cheeks heated up again at his touch. He placed my arm over his shoulder while holding onto one of my crutches, leading me towards the bench. As we sat ourselves down, the sound of bees buzzing filled the air.

"Astra," Lance said. I turned to him, and he had a serious expression plastered on his face. "Your eyes look clouded. Something's troubling you."

"Ah, it's probably just the leg," I tried to laugh it off while gesturing at my cast. "When we get back to Camp Half-Blood, I'll have Will check on it-."

"No. Something happened on that mountain. Tell me," Lance demanded.

My mind rewinded; the star I lost, Ouranos... The dream. "There's nothing to say," I mumbled, scooting away from him.

Lance refused to remove his hardened gaze. I had to look away. "Astra." He said my name again; this time in a lowered whisper. "Tell me."

I felt a sting behind my eyes. "Stars..." I mumbled, pushing the thought of the dream away. "The stars."

He raised an eyebrow. "What about the stars?"

I finally worked up the confidence to look him in the eye. I was going to have to say it for the third time, but it didn't matter. I was going to die anyways. "I'm just going to sum it up because it's a bit long..." I said, and Lance moved over so he could hear what I was saying. "Artemis made me from the stars, remember?" He nodded. "When we met the Hunters earlier, Artemis gave me a talk." I swallowed nervously. "There are five main stars that I'm made up of. Every time I overexert myself and my powers, or if I'm in a difficult situation, it explodes and gives me a burst of... Energy, but I'll get exhausted afterwards."

"Yeah," Lance's brow wrinkled. "I remember; the manticore-." His words stopped. "Wait a minute. Then how many stars do you have now?"

"T-Two..." I stuttered. "Two. I lost one on the mountain because of Aphrodite; long story."

"And if there's one left..?"

"I'll... I'll..." I rubbed at my eyes. "I'll explode."

He grabbed my arm. A look of panic flashed across his face. "Is there any way we can stop this?"

"It's almost as impossible as escaping Tartarus," I muttered.

"Tell me," Lance's hand left my arm and gripped my own. "We can fix this together. What do we have to do?"

"There's nothing we have to do," I said, tearing my eyes away from him. "It's Zeus. I need love to make myself fully human, but the only person who can offer that is Zeus."

"Mine can't make up for it?"

"I... I don't think so," I said, keeping my mother's words in mind. "It has to be a family sort of love, and Zeus is the only who can give that to me because, well, he's the one who pushed me away to begin with."

He squeezed my hand tightly. "We're going to go to Olympus later to inform the gods on Ouranos. You should come and talk to Zeus."

"I doubt he'd do anything," I gave a dry laugh. "He still hates my guts. And who knows when Ouranos will return? We have to be ready for him."

"Not with that leg, you won't," Lance pointed at my cast and I frowned. "Astra, we can't have you dying. We need you. I need you."

My heart felt as if it were being compressed and squeezed; it was in more pain than my leg was. "But I'm afraid!" The tears finally escaped from my eyes and fell down my cheeks. "If I use my last star before earning Zeus' approval, I can't save my father! The world will end-."

Lance pulled me towards him and my face sunk into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me again, settling me into a tight embrace. "Astra," He whispered by my ear. "Trust yourself. You've survived a lot, and you'll survive whatever is coming next."

"How can I trust myself if my own body will kill me?" I cried, "My very existence is the reason why this world is ending! I should just-."

"You aren't doing anything," Lance kept his voice calm and collected, but I could hear a slight strain. "The whole world needs you. Don't let Ouranos have his way. And besides," He moved the hair in my eyes out of the way and wiped away at my tears. "You've got us!" He gave me a grin that felt just as warm as sunshine.

I felt all the weight lift off my shoulders. My heart didn't feel as tight. The tears stopped running down my face. "Thanks, Lance," I smiled against his chest with a slight sniffle.

Lance bent over and kissed the top of my head. I felt my face heat up into a fiery blush. My heart began to race, as if it jumped onto a treadmill.

What was this feeling?

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Anyone excited that Austin actually had speaking lines in The Hidden Oracle? However, I have to rewrite his physical appearance and personality a bit... Gosh dangit, Rick.

The Lance x Astra was strong in this chapter.

Anywhoo, I'll be holding another Live Q&A; more information is in Red String's A/N! I hope you'll join me!

XOXO,
Arisa