So, I really liked Turnabout Academy in Dual Destinies, and considering how heavily involved and significant Athena was in this case, I pretty much had to split the Turnabout Academy part of the fic into two chapters since a single chapter would make this incredibly long and difficult to both write and read in a single chapter with everything that happens. I managed to reduce as much Dual Destinies stuff in the chapter while keeping the scenes relevant to the plot, which was why I took my time with this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it!

The Lunar Eclipse

Chapter 10: Ghosts

Four Months Later

Another night with barely any sleep. Athena placed her hand on her heart, feeling it beat hard and fast under her palm. Slowly, she heaved her legs off the bed, stood up and walked towards her desk in the dark.

She fell back into her desk seat. Still groggy, or maybe even tired. Most of her nights lately had little sleep because of the culmination of fighting criminals as the Lunar Eclipse and experiencing nightmares of the past. And lately they've been more frequent. Reclining in her seat, the teenage lawyer wondered if something was coming due to the rate of these horrible dreams. She wasn't a person to believe in coincidence and superstition, but she could sense it in her bones.

Athena sighed, and spun her chair around to face her desk. She switched on the lamp, shining the spotlight on her Lunar Eclipse journal. Her only outlet where she could express her feelings without being judged by Ivan, or by anybody else. She opened the journal to the closest blank page. She looked over at her phone, reading the blinding screen.

Armed with a pen, she wrote,

It's the early morning of 24th October, 2027, and I've experienced five nights of the same nightmare in a row. I'm in a void, seeing my new friends die before me, all because I'm the Lunar Eclipse. It makes me wish I could talk to someone around here about this life I have. How I put my life at risk every waking hour. Even now I feel like I'm being watched by the people who want me dead.

Athena gazed at the page, her eyes already felt strained from the sensation of waking up, and exposing them to the bright lamp to her left. Her mind was trying to stretch out and think of other people she knew, but nothing came up.

I don't know what to do. Ever since my family died I haven't been able to rest well. And unlike other Lunar Eclipses, I have nobody who can relate to me.

Athena sighed while running her hands through her hair. There was so much on her mind, wanting to be expressed through this journal. The whirring thoughts themselves were enough to give her a headache if she were to kept them bottled up inside.

She reached for her phone, letting it play a stored playlist of her favourite singles from the eighties. The soothing ballads and the positive tone from the bands she listened to in the background allowed her to relax and continue on writing.

The minutes quickly turned into hours, and through her blinds she noticed the rays of light coming from the outside. Though she didn't let the sunlight distract her from writing out her thoughts.

As her long playlist ended, she managed to write her final thoughts.

The Lunar Eclipse can't fight an unknown enemy. But I can undercover who is out to kill me, and the Lunar Eclipse can help me...

Athena shook her head. She could tell she was trailing off in the last paragraph, and stopped there. She reclined in her seat, listening to the lyrics of Ordinary World through her headphones. The lyrics rang true in her ears. She closed her eyes, not only out of tiredness, but she was deeply engrossed in the song. And she has fallen asleep to music from the eighties before.

Suddenly she heard the reverberating sound of her cell phone vibrate on her desk. Athena sat up and grabbed her phone, staring at the text on the bright screen.

"Oh shit!"

The teenage lawyer rushed to her wardrobe and quickly dressed in her suit. She then grabbed everything she needed before running out the door.

She was late.

Athena arrived at Themis Legal Academy half an hour late, but just in time for the opening of their school festival. Fortunately everybody had gathered in the auditorium, including her boss and co-worker, who were a little annoyed she was late. However the person they were supposed to meet hadn't even arrived yet.

Instead, they were greeted by Professor Means, the man in charge of defence course at Themis. Despite his rather creepy smile, he was pleased with visitors from outside the school, and Athena's enthusiasm to defend. But Athena really couldn't shake the feeling perhaps something terrible happened to the professor they were meant to see, Professor Courte.

As they were talking to the professor, Athena heard footsteps approaching them. She turned her head, seeing a girl with long brunette hair, with a sunflower in her hair. She was wearing a black dress and a yellow scarf, similar to the dresses some of the girls wore. The girl was very familiar to Athena, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why she felt that way.

"Prof. Means, forgive me for interrupting you and your guests. I'm Juniper Woods, a third year in the Judge course," Juniper introduced herself to the trio, then turned to the Professor, "Professor, the trial will begin shortly. Since you'll be delivering the pre-trial speech... would you mind waiting up in the balcony until we're ready for you?"

Shocked, Athena completely blocked out the conversation ensuing in front of her. She couldn't believe she would reunite with her childhood friend here of all places. All her previous hiking trips to that forest during the summer break, her mind always reminisced the days she was playing with Juniper in the forest near her house. And then they would climb up the hill to go to her place and eat, then resume playing again.

Athena couldn't remember the last time she had contacted Juniper, but she certainly regretted not allocating time in England just to send her an email or something to let her know how she was going.

"Now then, I trust you will look after our visitors, Juniper?" Professor Means asked.

"Yes, of course, Prof. Means.," Juniper said with a nod.

Athena was disturbed Juniper hadn't recognised her yet. Surely Juniper didn't completely forget about her, right?

"Juniper? Juniper Woods? Is that you?" Athena blurted out.

"Hm?" Juniper gazed at the long red haired girl for a while, until suddenly she let out a gasp, "T-Then- Athena! I almost didn't recognise you. I didn't know you were back from Europe."

"Wait, you two know each other? Now that's a coincidence," Phoenix said with a light chuckle.

"We've known each other since we were kids. We're like best friends, right, Junie?"

"Yes... Well, we lived close to each other, so we used to play in the forest together."

"Yeah, like a lot a lot."

Athena's brow furrowed. She noticed Juniper was barely even looking as her as they spoke. But then again, she wasn't surprised. She hadn't kept in contact with her in almost seven years. She should've expected this reaction from her, as heartbreaking as it was to Athena.

"Anyway..." Apollo spoke up, "We're supposed to go wait in the waiting room, right? Not that I wouldn't mind taking in the mock trial you're putting on today."

A mock trial? Athena was hoping she could catch it, but she immediately found out from Juniper it was only for students and faculty normally unless they were invited. Her boss got an invitation, but not her and Apollo.

Apollo expressed his disappointment over missing out on the mock trial, but Phoenix was sympathetic, and even let him take his place to watch the trial for his own experience. Athena would protest, but she restrained herself. Coming to the academy late would not have helped her chances, even though Professor Courte herself was late.

While Athena was following Juniper to the waiting room with her boss, she couldn't help but feel that it was strange that this person they were supposed to meet was extremely late. Surely Professor Courte wouldn't miss the one of the most exciting parts of school festival. Athena grew worried, feeling the sensation well up in her heart over the missing professor.

Athena wished she could sneak away from Juniper and her boss and investigate this as the Lunar Eclipse. But she had no time to wear the supersuit underneath her suit when she left, and she didn't want to cause suspicion around the campus. She would have to wait with her boss until the mock trial ended, and partake in other activities for the festival over the day.

While her boss was asleep on the couch, Athena kept herself occupied looking at past messages on her Lunar Eclipse phone. It was awfully quiet without Ivan around to criticise her every achievement as the Lunar Eclipse, or being present during her motorbike lessons to get her license in the United States. But she didn't really miss him.

Ivan barely sent any messages to her at all. The only times she had received something from him was confirming he made it to England and psychological advice from Leslie that he sent on her behalf. As much as she enjoyed the lack of a patronizing mentor in her life, she found his minor contact over the past four months strange.

A loud crash erupted, pulling Athena back into the room. She immediately sprung up off her seat, rushing outside. Despite being fast asleep when Athena first heard the crash, Phoenix managed to be right behind her. Surprised but could relate to being a light sleeper herself, Athena ran to the direction of the stage certain that the noise came from around that area.

Athena was taken back the grandeur of the stage. It replicated a courtroom pretty accurately except all the benches and stands were pearly white, but the backdrop implied it was outdoors, which took the realism out of it for the young lawyer.

"Athena! Behind the witness stand!" Her boss' voice rung in her ears.

Athena snapped her attention where Phoenix commanded her to. She could see something green and rather out of place, but the view was obstructed by the stand itself. The teenager ran on right side of the stage for a clearer view, and her body froze.

A dead woman was sprawled out, with an arrow piercing her side and blood pooling around her stomach. The bruises on her wrists stood out on her pale skin, and her long wavy brunette hair still had its colour. The sight made Athena sick, and her mind was tumbling back to the night she discovered her aunt and Carter's bodies in a bloody mess.

"Professor Courte! Can you hear me?" Phoenix called to her.

Athena Cykes hated to admit her instincts were right about Professor Courte. Yet her logic to why she felt that way was simply following what she had observed from the anticipation of the mock trial. She should have seen this coming, but there was no way she expected to be the first to find the body and seeing how gruesome the body was laid before them.

"It looks like our meeting's been cancelled for us."

It still felt so surreal that a murder was committed on a school campus. Her gaze was set on the professor's corpse, trying to digest how this could possibly happen. The sensation felt similar, but it wasn't as powerful.

"...Thena, Athena?"

Phoenix's voice brought her out of her thoughts. She took several breaths and looked him in the eyes.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"We have to call the police now. Are you okay with doing that?"

"Of course, boss!"

Athena quickly walked off the stage and whipped out her phone. As much as it didn't take her mind off the murder, it was better than looking at the body. Once she called and got an answer, Athena explained to the operator how she and her boss discovered the body. The call was shorter than she expected, having never called the police before when she dealt with criminals faster than they could dispatch.

She turned back to Phoenix and announced, "The police should be here soon."

Athena suddenly just noticed how grim her boss' expression was. She had never seen him appearing so bothered about something. Then again, no one could have expected that the person the Wright Anything Agency was supposed to meet would wound up dead the day of their meeting.

"I'll go and tell everyone in the lecture hall too."

Before Athena moved a muscle, Phoenix quickly spoke, "No, wait."

His face turned serious, commanding Athena's attention.

"I wasn't sure if you're up to it, but I'm going to investigate the crime scene before it gets too crowded here."

"Wait, are we allowed to do that?"

"As long as you don't touch anything the police would be none the wiser," Phoenix said, restraining a chuckle behind his smile, "Anyway, it's your call Athena. I can't investigate the scene if you alert everybody before the police do. That's if you decide to do that."

Athena never imagined her boss was happy enough to give her the reigns this early in her career. She lacked experience to make the right decision here, especially if Phoenix or Apollo ended up defending the accused. Yet, she felt that this wasn't going to be a tough choice to make. It was just the shock that lingered throughout her body.

"Let's investigate."

Phoenix smiled warmly, leading the way to the stage. With that smile, Athena felt a little better about the investigation. Perhaps she could tolerate the crime scene, despite how much it reminded her of that night. It wasn't just her and her thoughts alone this time.

The cops soon arrived at Themis Academy, and all Athena could think about while she was being questioned was Apollo's reaction to the crime scene.

"It's the same! It's exactly the same as the mock trial!"

His words and emotions echoed in her mind. Was it wrong for her to suspect something very sinister was behind this murder already?

And now as she was talking to Juniper and Apollo about the murder, she could barely sit still in her seat. Something in her mind was really set off after seeing the body. Perhaps it was the fact there was nothing she could do, even as the Lunar Eclipse. How would she even anticipate a murder happening at a prestigious school like this?

Yet, she felt responsible for not being able to protect the professor when she really needed the Lunar Eclipse. Athena could imagine using her staff to knock the assailant out, or punching the murderer's wrist to disarm him and threatening to report him to the police.

When Robin and Hugh, Juniper's friends and fellow classmates, introduced themselves, she couldn't help but harbour suspicious about them both, especially Hugh, who left her with the most pretentious first impression of him. But as they spoke about themselves and their friendship, Athena couldn't ignore the constant discord from their voices when speaking about it. What the hell happened between the three of them?

Athena looked up; noticing Apollo's gaze was fixed on something behind them all. Athena stood up and spun around as a man shouted, "Everyone, stay right where you are! Don't move a muscle!"

The teenage lawyer recognised Detective Fulbright instantly, watching him speed down the stairs with two officers behind him. He immediately noticed Apollo, speaking to him before he turned towards Juniper.

Another awful feeling coursed throughout Athena's body. Considering how accurate her instincts had been today, she anticipated the detective was going to announce something didn't want to hear.

"Juniper Woods, you're under arrest for the murder of Constance Courte!"

Athena demanded answers from the detective, almost to the point she wanted to sock him over the head for arresting Juniper on very little grounds, and obeying Prosecutor Blackquill's orders for keeping the more reasonable ones under tight lip.

Despite Juniper's protests, Fulbright ordered his officers to escort her out of the room. Athena glared at Robin and Hugh, wondering why they haven't stood up for her yet. She then looked up, seeing the officers were already halfway up the stairs with her friend.

I have to do something! I... I can't let them take her away like this!

"Wait! I refuse to believe that she's the killer!" Athena yelled at the top of her lungs, causing all eyes in the room to rest on her. She stared up at Juniper, and took a deep breath, "Junie, I've decided! I'm going to defend you! I'm going to fight with everything I've got!"

Athena couldn't believe what she just said. Was she really going to go through with this? Was she really ready to defend someone herself?

"Th-Thena," Athena heard Juniper utter, and smile. That was all she needed to know that she was doing the right thing. The affectionate nickname brought back wonderful memories of her childhood.

"Junie, it's good to hear you say that name again."

"Hate to interrupt your bonding time, but... Aren't you rather new to all this? You're barely even a lawyer!"

The urge to punch Fulbright rose within Athena again.

"Well, I don't have much experience, and I may need Apollo and Mr. Wright's help at times... but nobody believes in Junie as much as I do!"

"I'll help you too, Juniper," Apollo piped up, "There's no way you murdered your professor."

Athena flashed a smile at her older co-worker, glad she wasn't alone believing Juniper's innocence.

"Thena... Apollo... Thank you both. I'm counting on you!" Juniper said, coughing in between some of it.

"We've got your back Junie!"

"Guess things worked out after all," Fulbright muttered, "Now that you have your lawyers, Ms. Woods, it's time for us to head back to the station."

The group watched as Juniper was escorted out of the auditorium by Fulbright and the two officers. It wasn't the way Athena wanted this situation to go down, but she had an opportunity. The chance to prove to herself, Simon, and the world, that she was capable enough to defend somebody and prove their innocence.

Athena stared at the doorway Juniper and the authorities went through, while a mixture of thoughts began to whirl in her head. She was really ready for this, right? There was barely anything similar to her Lunar Eclipse duties except protecting someone. There was no eight hundred year old superhero identity she could hide behind. All she had was her education and the two cases she helped her senior co-workers achieve their clients' not guilty verdicts.

This time, it was her turn.

The moment Phoenix approved that Athena should be the lead for Juniper's defence; she hit the ground running finding clues and questioning possible witnesses to help prove Juniper's innocence. Although there was nothing concrete, it was possible either Hugh O'Conner or Robin Newman could've killed Constance Courte. Both of these persons though were Juniper's friends, and if one of them was the murderer it would break poor Juniper's heart.

Yet it was Athena's responsibility that Juniper was proven innocent above all else. She was the person she was defending, and not her friends. She was bothered that Professor Means would suggest that she save Juniper's friends at the expense of finding the truth, but she wasn't deterred by his constant prattle which always came across as 'the end justifies the means.'

After a long day at the scene of the crime and working with Apollo at the office after hours, she just wanted sleep. She didn't bother turning on the lights as she entered her apartment, nonchalantly dropping her satchel on the couch and dragging her feet to the bedroom. She undressed out of her suit, and wore a baggy t-shirt and polka dot pyjama pants that didn't match. Wearing much more comfortable clothing, she fell back into bed, and attempted to fall asleep.

Shutting her eyes, she tried to relax into her bed, concentrating on her breathing. The teenager made an extra effort to even feel her chest expanding and contracting as she made each breath.

Do you want somebody to die like Constance Courte did?

Athena ignored the voice, clenching her fists to exert her stress. She remembered the shock felt throughout her body when she and her boss discovered her body unfurled in the middle of the stage.

You know you're the only one who can prevent somebody from meeting an early end.

Athena quickly opened her eyes and sat up. She promised herself she wouldn't do any Lunar Eclipse duties while she had the lead on cases. Her client was depending on her to defend her, and she needed a good night's rest to defend properly.

Yet, she knew the voice in her head would keep pestering her to go out in the dead of night to protect the innocent. She reluctantly accepted the only way that she would get any rest was to do what she did best.

She stripped out of her pyjamas and dressed in her supersuit, feeling its familiar tightness around her body. She adjusted her custom made beanie on her head, making sure the front of it was drooping over her eyes, but not too much, which gave the guise that it was primarily the hood of her suit that was concealing her face. Plus it neatly pushed her bright red hair back in the shadowy depths of her hood.

"Okay, I'm only doing this for one hour, and then I'm heading straight back here."

Athena pulled her hood over her head, putting her mindset to assume the identity of the Lunar Eclipse. She opened the window of her bedroom, and grabbed the pipe running up the block of the apartments. As she made the climb to the top, she really hoped nothing too eventful happened in the next hour.

"Give me your money old man!" A young man demanded, his shout being drowned out by the noise from the streets of Los Angeles.

The darkness of the alleyway couldn't hide his furious expression, staring down the older man who was calmly looking back. Fear barely crossed his mind as the younger man loomed over him. He could see that this young man was clearly agitated over something despite his threatening stance. His brown eyes were darting left to right constantly, and he could even see the beads of sweat from his curly brown hair.

"You picked the wrong person to demand money from. I'm lucky enough to wear the clothes on my back," the older man sternly responded.

"I don't care! I have no future! Unless I get money from people like you, I may be able to get away with it and get back on my feet," the young man rebutted, his voice growing shaky.

"Look son, this is a tough time, but you don't have to resort to this," the older man warned.

"I don't have a choice," the young man hissed, pressing something against the older man's stomach, "I need the money."

The older man's breath became audible as he felt the chill of the object, but he maintained eye contact with the younger man, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"You don't want to do this kid," the older man affirmed.

The younger man leaned closer, but a flash of moonlight came in between them, blinding them both. The young man turned in the direction of the light, pointing his weapon. At that moment, his back was suddenly pressed against the rough brick wall, and he found he couldn't move his firearm up.

His vision quickly recovered, and his eyes were fixed on a man whose face was shrouded by his cowl. His suit appeared black, or perhaps purple? It was hard to discern in the dark. His breathing grew rapid, as he struggled against his grip.

"What are you?"

"Somebody that's telling you you shouldn't go down this path," the hooded man answered steadfastly.

"Wait, how do you know that?" the younger man asked.

"That's not important. What's important is the facts. If you killed this man, he wouldn't provide enough for you. So then you will have to kill somebody else, or maybe a third or fourth person. Eventually the police are going to find these bodies and you'll be wanted as a serial killer. You'll be worse off than where you started," the hooded man explained coolly.

"B-But what else can I do?"

"There's a shelter down on Absio Avenue. They can help you better than I can."

The younger man leaned to the left, before realising the iron grip of this man hadn't loosened yet.

"Okay, but why aren't you letting go of me?"

"The people at the shelter would be terrified if you walked in with a firearm. So promise me when I let you go, you will go straight to the gun store and sell your weapon before you cause harm with it. Then go to the shelter."

"I-I promise."

"Good, then go. I wish you the best of luck."

The hooded man released the young man and stepped back, with a hand over his hip. Shocked, but a little relieved, the young man at first walked backwards out of the alleyway, watching the cloaked man. Once he found himself under the beam of a streetlight, he immediately ran off. The older man was astounded with how peacefully this situation was solved, although his fears escalated.

"Who the hell are you and why did you let him go? He could target somebody else!" The older man demanded.

The hooded man turned around slowly, his face still shrouded in darkness. The older man wasn't intimidated by him; he could tell just by his stance that he was smiling under that hood.

"I'm a friend, and I'm sure he won't attack somebody else," the Lunar Eclipse stated confidently, "I know he's thinking of the consequences of murder and he wouldn't attempt it again."

"Look, kid, I know that nothing is certain in life except death," The older man spat out bitterly.

"I never said I wasn't going to check on him. I'm going to catch up with him. Take care!"

The shadow figure rushed past the middle aged man, grabbing on a thin pipe leading to the roof. As soon as the man spun around, the pipe suddenly snapped. The hooded man dropped quickly to the ground. The impact appeared violent, as he lay prone and lifeless.

Forcing open her eyes, Athena found herself in the middle of the desert. She felt the relentless sun sap her energy as she stood up. Her body felt heavy and her posture slouched. Her mind was dangerously weightless, with only one thought keeping her grounded.

I. Need. Water.

Her feet shifted through the sand, barely taking a step forward. She didn't care if her progress was slow. She was inching closer to her destination, her boots filling with sand with each small glide. As long as she had the will to move, she would find water.

Then she saw it on the horizon. A body of water. Palm trees. An oasis. She felt it didn't take her long to find water. How long exactly was she slithering across the sands? Five minutes according to her distorted sense of time seemed to be too good to be true. Perhaps it was a mirage. A reflection of what she desired.

She wanted to survive.

Athena dug deep, and found the energy to sprint towards salvation. Her feet were dragging along the sand, but the oasis grew larger and larger still. She could taste the coolness in her mouth. She was so close.

She went down on her knees, skidding down the last metre to the edge of the body of water. She cupped her hands, closed her eyes and splashed the water across her face. It wasn't a mirage. It was real. Athena dipped her hands back in, and cautiously brought her trembling hands up to her lips. The cool, refreshing liquid soothed her dry throat, and restored her energy.

Then she stared down at her hands. Purple encased her fingers and her arms. Puzzled, she looked down at her body, seeing that she was indeed wearing her supersuit. Athena questioned why she was wearing this out in the middle of the desert, yet alone survived. Her hands hovered above her head, checking if her cowl was pulled up. But she only felt her hair. Was she losing her mind?

Athena looked up again, and believed she really was losing the plot. There was a body, floating face down, in the middle of water. How didn't she notice it before? With the thought that perhaps he might be still alive, she stood up and stepped into the water.

She reached him in no time, but was surprised he drowned as the level of water was only up to her knees. The teenager grabbed his hair, intending only to see if he was still alive by forcing his face out of the pond.

Horribly, Athena easily lifted up his entire head, discovering it wasn't attached to his body. However, she refused to loosen her grip. She recognised this person. She's seen him without a head before.

"Hey Athena."

The teenager jumped. She was really losing it now. A decapitated person doesn't speak. But she didn't let go.

"Hey Carter."

Athena closed her eyes briefly, trying to block out the gaping neck wound. She constructed his body out of her own imagination, although not accurate to his height, considering she was holding up his head.

"What's the matter Athena? It looks like you've seen a ghost."

Athena swallowed hard at the accuracy of his words. But she had to stay strong for him. Pretend as he was alive, and that her arm was not holding his head by his hair.

"Can you recite the Lunar Eclipse oath to me? I wish I could've attended the ceremony but... something held me back."

Trembling, Athena wondered if Carter knew he was dead. She wouldn't like to break down the news to him in his current state. She avoided his gaze for a moment, composing herself to speak the vow she made several months ago.

"I, Athena Cykes-"

"No, your birth name!"

"I, Achelois Selenic," Athena corrected herself, not even questioning how he knew she had to say her birth name, "Pledge my life to protect the men, women and children that live in peace."

"And what about those who disrupt that peace?"

Athena raised her eyebrows. She was certain Carter didn't know the exact words of the oath. How would he even know after death?

"I bring those who destroy that peace to justice."

"You forgot one thing. Who's going to follow you?"

"My children will. If I have any."

"If you have any. That's where you break your oath."

Athena's jaw dropped. Every bit of warmth in Carter's voice transformed into ice. She began to shake violently. Surely he would feel that through what little of his body existed.

"I'm only eighteen. I have the rest of my life ahead of me."

"You said you died the same day I did. You only survived because you wore the Lunar Eclipse's supersuit. Right now, you're really the Lunar Eclipse, and you inhabit the body of Achelois Selenic."

The teenager couldn't believe this was directly coming from Carter's mouth. How on Earth did he know all this?

"If I were still alive, I would continue the line! I had Rachel! We could've been a family. But you let me die. And now, the immortal Lunar Eclipse dies alongside the family that protected her life!"

Athena dropped his head in panic, but found quickly she couldn't even move. She looked down, discovering that the water had transformed into quicksand. She knew it was impossible for her to reach the edge. She was going to die. Slowly. Painfully. She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

Yet she hadn't felt any pain. She forced open her eyes. Water? Why was she underwater? Either way, she was surrounded by darkness. She couldn't even see the surface of the water.

Suddenly, her leg jerked. She looked down and began to panic. Bony hands grabbed her legs and her waist. Athena struggled, kicking their bodies, trying to force them off her. But she knew the best way was to swim.

Positioning herself, she kicked a skeleton with such force she propelled up. Then her feet began to kick freely. Her arms and her legs cut through the water, but she began to feel the pressure and the lack of oxygen get to her.

Why would a dead girl like you cross back over the dark river?

But she could finally see the surface! She kicked harder and moved her arms faster. She glanced down and found the skeletons were still keeping up with her. She just had to hang on a little bit longer.

Her vision gradually became blurry. The only thing driving her was the warm light getting closer.

I'm the last in the line but it doesn't mean I'll die today!

With one last surge of energy, she swam until she broke the water's surface.

Athena gasped for air as she saw the blue sky. Immediately she was overcome by a strange sensation, recognising the sun's rays weren't harsh, and her lips and mouth were wet and cool. She heard a lot of motor engines in the background, and some loud car horns.

"You're finally up, kid."

Startled, Athena suddenly sat up, and her surroundings made sense. She was back in Los Angeles. Confused, and dazed, she was expecting the desert again. She rubbed her head, wondering what was that dream. Or if it even was a dream in the first place. And she couldn't call it a nightmare either.

At least there the man she protected was still with her. But he wouldn't know the Lunar Eclipse was really an eighteen year old adolescent. She still had her supersuit on when she scanned her body.

"How long was I out for?" Athena enquired, speaking in her Lunar Eclipse voice.

"Six hours, but cut the charade. I know you're a woman."

Oh shit.