Aster wanted to punch Dem right in his annoyingly handsome face. He was like a sullen teenager sometimes. She walked away from his house, away from him, and realized that she didn’t really have anywhere to go. Nausea rolled through her at the thought of being in the big house alone.

Why did she even come back to the island? Oh yeah, because if she stayed on the mainland for long, then the likelihood of the Order of Talos tracking her down and abducting her again increased exponentially. Bastards.

She meandered through the woods, following the path to the trap door she had become so fond of, planning on taking her frustration out on Leonard. Only, by the time she got there, the frustration had already fizzled out, and the thought of going down there with the precious gift she was holding was repugnant. If there was one aspect of her life that the Order wasn’t going to invade, it was this.

After a few hours milling around, she found herself in front of Thad and Cin’s house. The house where she had expected to be staying, instead of left alone in a house that was as haunted with memories as she was. She knocked, her gut twisting with nausea.

When Cin opened the door, Aster shoved past her. “I’m gonna puke.”

Her sister’s footsteps sounded behind her as she threw herself into the bathroom. She couldn’t even close the door before her stomach began its rebellion against her.

It was over an hour later when she finally was sure she was done. She had to be; there was absolutely nothing left inside her at this point. Cin swapped out the washcloth on the back of her neck for a fresh one, the cool water trickling over her shoulders and down her chest. She was thankful that Cin had put her hair up.

Sitting back, she leaned against the cool tile that covered the wall. The squares were such a pale green that it was easy to miss at first, but the more she studied the wall opposite her, the brighter the green seemed to become.

“How are you feeling?” Cin’s voice was soft, concern drenching every word.

“Better.” She took a tentative breath, assessing her body. “Much better.”

“Good. What was that about?”

Aster shrugged. “I’d been feeling icky most of the day, and then all of a sudden, it wasn’t just a feeling anymore.”

“I wonder if you ate something weird?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” She ran her hands over her face. “Do you have a spare toothbrush?”

Cin nodded and stood. Aster followed, once again clutching the box containing her blanket. When they got to the master bath, she handed the box to Cin. “Check it out. It’s my baby blanket.”

Her sister plopped down on the closed toilet while Aster brushed her teeth. The surprise on her face was a pale comparison to what she’d felt when her mom had given it to her. After she was done, she turned to her sister.

“Crazy, huh?”

“Just a little.” She paused. “Mom gave this to you?”

“Yeah, apparently it was what I was wrapped in when my biological mother dropped me off.”

“Wow.” Cin whistled, still staring at the embroidered corners in her hands.

“So, I need a favor.” Aster pulled her hair down and redid the bun, making sure everything was in place, or as much as it could be given her hair had a mind of its own.

“If I can help, I’m all yours.” Her sister stared at her expectantly.

Aster took a deep breath, but the words didn’t want to come out. “I, uh, well, I need . . . The thing is, Mom suggested I go and speak with Hermes’ kids since his symbol is obviously on the blanket.”

Cin looked down, and Aster pointed to the hare.

“I just need someone to get me to Mount Olympus.”

A peal of laughter broke forth from her sister before she looked up. “Oh, sorry, you’re serious?”

Aster nodded and absently reached for the lotion that was on the counter, putting some on her hands, the lavender and lilac smell soothing her. It was the same lotion Cin had used since high school, and every time Aster used it, she felt grounded, safer.

“Well, Sunshine, I don’t think I can get you there. I can barely make it to the furies’ cave in the Underworld, and unfortunately, Thad’s out for work. He should be back next week, if you can wait?”

“Could you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister.

“Before, I would have said no, but after meeting my biological mom, I say yes.”

Aster knew that Cin and her bio-mom had been butting heads, but she hadn’t realized how bad it was. “I don’t want to wait. Plus, I can’t, so it’s a moot point. I need to solve this now, before my eye and these weird vision things get worse.”

“I wish I could help, I really do, but something in my gut just tells me if I try and get into Mount Olympus, I’ll smack up against it, like running into a glass door or something. It’s not where I’m meant to go.”

“I get it.” The three words were like lead balloons in her stomach as she spoke.

“Try Alec or Hal? They might be in town.”

“Can you jump me over there? I’m exhausted.”

Cin nodded with a smile. “Happy to help.”

A moment later, she was in Alec’s kitchen with a surprised but welcoming Ellie, though Cin had left, claiming she had some kind of research to do for Hades.

“Hey, Ellie,” Aster said, trying to keep the dejection out of her voice.

“Hiya. What brings ye here?”

Aster succinctly relayed the situation, and as she reached the end, Ellie’s brows drew together, giving Aster a sinking feeling in her stomach.

“Sorry, I wish I could help ye, but Alec and Hal are off together. Apparently some eejit was able to get their hands on one of Hera’s peacocks. Needless to say, she’s not best pleased. The two of them have gone off, and I dinnae expect them back for a while. It depends on if the wee beastie is still alive, or if its feathers have gone walkabout. If that’s the case, then I wouldnae expect to see them for a while since they’ll have to track down the feathers.”

Her hopes crumpled around her. She was going to be stuck with these visions and only one functional eye for a while.

“Thanks anyway, Ellie.” She hugged the curvaceous brunette and headed out the door, box in hand once more.

Aster walked for over an hour, just wandering around, trying to figure out a way out of this corner she seemed to be stuck in. The nausea wouldn’t leave her alone, either. She was starting to think everything was related somehow, like she had all the puzzle pieces, she just needed to figure out how they went together.

When she realized that she was back in front of Dem’s house, she wanted to scream. She knew he wasn’t busy. There were no errant peacocks or other assignments pulling him away at this particular moment. He could take his reasoning, whatever it was, and stuff it.

She needed him, dammit.

Pausing, she gathered and tried to calm herself before she went inside. She would not be knocking at his door anymore. Oh no, she was going in there and demanding that he take her. A flush rose on her cheeks at the way that statement might be misconstrued. Phrasing, it was all about the phrasing. She walked forward and threw open the front door.