To RandomFanAuthor- New things are giving me a headache. And I had to save Crest, it was only fair! ^_^ I like to think Hedge listens to soundtracks from kung fu films and re-enacts the scenes :P And they were going on a plane anyway, so I figured I'd toss Lou into the mix, just for funsies ^_^

To Sabrina- do you mean my original rewrite of this? In that case, thank you! XD

To someone- Yes, their relationship is just Tired Big Brother and Chaotic Little Shister ^_^

"Is she coming back?"

"What?" Jason blinked, repressing a sigh. The common room was dark. Jason had been dozing off in the comfy armchair, his book open on his lap. Morris loomed over him.

"Is she coming back?"

"Who?"

"Your cousin."

"Ooh, please tell me she's not coming back!" Rajah hissed from where he lay on the sofa, reading over his paper. Jason groaned, rubbing at his face, irritating the bruise from Louisa's slap. It was nearing midnight. It had been a long couple of days and he just wanted to sleep.

"No. She won't be back."

"Oh, why not?" Morris sounded disappointed. Jason squinted up at him, straightening his glasses. He didn't like that tone. "Can I have her number?"

There it was.

Jason carefully picked up his book, neatly closing and squashing it between his hands, giving himself a moment to revel in imagining it was Morris's neck, his big brother instincts kicking in.

"No."

"Come on, man. Just give me her number."

"She doesn't have a phone."

"Yeah, right." Morris scoffed. Jason wanted to wallop him with a smack worthy of Louisa, taking a deep breath to shush his rising temper. "Why can't I have her number?"

"I don't think her girlfriend would appreciate it."

"Girlfriend, huh?" That retort could have gone one of two ways. It was going the way Jason didn't appreciate. The look on Morris's face- that was definitely going to get pried off. "She can come too if she wants."

"Ha." Jason snorted. "Oh, you don't know what they're like." Another little revelling- Reyisa would make quick work of Morris's ego.

"Pfft." The other boy croaked a fake laugh, clearly disbelieving. He wedged himself onto the arm of the chair, knocking Jason's shoulder. "So, she smacked you because you supposedly did something stupid? Big deal. I'll sort her out."

"Really now?"

"Please don't bring her back." Rajah whined, using his paper to shield his face. "She's scary."

"She's just a girl, too big for her boots. I can fix that."

"Fix that." Jason echoed. "You think you can fix that?"

"What, like it's hard?"

"Oh my gods." Jason laughed. He could feel the animosity rolling from Morris in waves and Rajah's terror in the way his work shook. "You poor, poor boy. You have no idea, do you?" Morris started to speak, to argue. Jason just laughed again, loving the mental image of his roommate getting his ass kicked. "Lou can and will stomp you into dust without a second thought. And her girlfriend? Pfft. There are only two people on this planet that she's scared of and she's dating one of them." He couldn't help another laugh, thoroughly enjoying himself. He stood, stretching nonchalantly. "You want them together, huh? Do you realise how dumb that is? Like, epic high proportions of dumbness on only levels you can reach?"

"Shu-"

"Oh, Morris, Morris, Morris," Jason cackled, patting him on the head like a small child, "you sure about this, yeah?" He turned away, unperturbed by Morris's clenched fists. "I think it's you who's too big for his boots. Lou on her own will kill you. Lou and Reyna together?" He smirked. "No one will ever remember you." He turned on his heel as he reached the stairs to the dorms above, waggling his fingers and grinning. "Goodnight."

"Do you even know where ya goin'?"

"Yes." Apollo repeated, glaring at her in the rear-view mirror. Piper had been kind enough to plan ahead and book them a car hire. As the only one with some form of licence, Apollo drove. Meg sat shotgun, playing with the windows- reeee-reee-reeee- and Louisa lay across the back seats, still not fully recovered from her stint on a plane. Her eyes were bloodshot and ringed with exhausted shadows, staring hazily at the ceiling of the car.

"I like this place." Meg said, leaning towards the opening window to fill her lungs.

"What is it you like?" Apollo feigned interest. "The abandoned warehouses? That sign for Bo's Chicken 'n' Waffles?"

"Nature." Meg replied. Apollo squinted.

"Yes." He said sceptically. "I do love the concrete species of nature."

"There are trees." Meg sighed. "Plants flowering, moisture in the air. The eucalyptus smells good. It's not like…" She faltered, tapping her fingers on her thigh. Apollo knew where her mind was- their time in Southern California had been of scorching temperatures, raging drought and unforgiving, all-consuming wildfires.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a loud, surprised sneezed from the back seat. Louisa flung her arms over her head, hiding her face.

"Close the window." She requested, groaning, voice thick with congestion. Meg obliged- reee SHLOOMP- and Apollo regarded Louisa in the rear-view again.

"Do you… have hayfever?" He asked. Louisa sniffed.

"No." Two seconds later, she sneezed again. "Maybe." She rectified. Apollo gave a disbelieving laugh and she sat up, glowering. "I will push you out this car." She warned, squeezing her eyes shut as another sneeze built. Meg twisted in her seat, narrowing her eyes at Louisa.

"Are you allergic to me?"

"I'm allergic to most people." Louisa sighed, rubbing at her eyes with one hand, the other gripping Apollo's headrest. "But you? Yes. You're all flowery 'n' shit 'n' that hurts my nose."

"Don't you take anything for your allergies?" Apollo questioned, ever the medic. She dropped her hand to glare at the back of his head.

"Don't ya know how ta mind ya own business?"

"Um-"

"Just get ta camp." She ordered, lying back down. Traffic slowed down at the I-580 interchange. Meg puffed on the glass of her window, drawing a frowny face in the mist.

"You do know how to get to Camp Jupiter, right?" She asked.

"Ugh, for the millionth time- yes."

"You said that about Camp Half-Blood."

"We got there!"

"Frozen and half-dead."

"Oh, shush. You're a picture of health. Look over there, the entrance to camp is there." He waved vaguely, which earned him a frown. "There's a secret passage in the Caldecott Tunnel or something."

"Or something." Meg repeated. Louisa sneezed again, muttering swears. "This is going to take forever." Meg complained. Apollo sighed.

"I've not actually driven to Camp Jupiter before. I normally descend from the heavens in a glorious sun chariot and- do you mind?" He pouted. She had begun to snore, mock-starting awake and offering him an equally mocking apologetic smile. "Lou, back me up. There's a passage to camp in the Caldecott Tunnel, isn't there?"

"Mm? Yeah. Tunnel."

"That was very convincing." Apollo deadpanned. Louisa sniffed and ignored him.

Apollo turned northeast on Highway 24. The congested traffic eased as the hills loomed closer. The elevated lanes raced past winding streets of neighbourhoods and giant conifers, white stucco houses pinching on the sides of the grassy ravines.

He spotted a sign for the Caldecott Tunnel, stating it was two miles away. It should have brought him comfort, but Camp Jupiter's borders were heavily guarded and magically camouflaged. The camp itself housed an entire Roman legion that could shield him from his worries, even for a little while. This thought did nothing to settle his nerves. He could only hope Louisa would help them get to camp.

His skin crawled. Something was wrong.

He looked in the rear-view mirror. He saw nothing but traffic through the back window.

"Shit." Louisa sat up, pulling a knife from her sleeve. How many weapons did this girl have? Apollo wondered distractedly.

"What?" He fretted.

THUMP.

The car bucked under sudden weight. Two foot-shaped impressions had dented the ceiling above Apollo's head. He swallowed nervously. "Is that the what, Louisa?"

"Something just landed on the roof." Meg announced.

"I never would have deduced that." Apollo snarked. "Thank you so much. Now, can you get it off?"

"Me? How?"

"Swords."

"Ooooh, sharp stab-stabs in tiny space!" She bopped herself on the forehead. Apollo scowled. "Fantastic idea, goddy."

"Ssh." Louisa scolded.

CREAK. CREAK. The footprints deepened as their freeloader adjusted its weight, sinking into the metal roof. A whimper built in Apollo's throat, hands trembling on the steering wheel as he ducked his head. He yearned for his bow, but it would be as useful as Meg's swords in this space. The only weapon they could rely on was Louisa's knife.

"Uh, Meg? Why don't you open the window and tell it to go away?" He suggested.

"Tempting, but no. Why don't you shake it off?" Apollo was going to casually mention something about that possibly being a terrible idea at fifty miles an hour, but was cut off by the sound of a large can opening- the crisp, pneumatic hiss of air through metal.

Claws came through the ceiling, grimy white talons the size of drill bits. A heartbeat later, their new friend tore open the roof. Peering down at them hungrily was a withered, ghoulish humanoid. Its blue-black hide glistened bug-like, filmy white orbs for eyes, bared teeth dripping saliva. It wore only a loincloth of tattered, greasy black feathers. Apollo tried not to breathe, the stench from the creature worse than any dumpster he had fallen into.

"FOOD!"

"BASTARD!"

"KILL IT!"

"SWERVE!"

Apollo was duty-bound to obey any orders Meg McCaffrey issued. That included her screaming demands of 'SWERVE!'. This translated into him yanking the wheel hard to the right, careening across three lanes of traffic and straight through the guardrail, nose-diving into the canyon below.