Greetings, fellow fan-fictioners! The end of summer is almost upon us, which is why I'm squeezing in a few more chapters and making the most of it.

Sword?

Check.

Armor?

Check.

Flashlight?

Check.

Marshmallows?

Still working on that last one. I paw through my bunk bed and its cubbies, adding potentially useful things as necessary.

"Should I bring my "Green Chili Festival" Chuy's* t-shirt or my "This is my ass, this is my ass on Chuy's" t-shirt?"

"Maybe bring both, just to be safe." I jump and turn around to see Conner Stoll standing behind me. He gives me his evil grin.

"Geez Emma, why so jumpy? Just came by to check on you. I heard you were leaving. This doesn't have anything to do with that Luca kid, does it?" he asks, his expression darkening. "'Cause if so, we have ways of dealing with the Ares cabin."

I give a little laugh. Most other campers view their cabins as family, but in the Hermes cabin the Family is capitalized. And, since I've been going to camp for four years now, I'm something of a senior mafia member, so heaven help anyone who publicly wrongs me.

"Nah, Luca's just your average jerk, he's got nothing to do with this. I'm leaving on... personal business."

"You mean fixing that compass?" I start. How did he?... Ugh, assuming I get back alive, remind me to repay Shane for his sellout, this time with some non-mechanical spiders.

"Yea that. No big deal, just a little trip out west. Always wanted to drive cross-country." Yea, no big deal, just running an errand for a madman.

"Really? because it sounds like a quest to me."

"It's not a quest it's a... treasure hunt." I'm having serious deja vu here.

He shrugs, then grins again. "Alrighty then. Good luck on your... treasure hunt. But of, course, I can't guarantee that every thing you own will still be here when you come back."

"Conner Stoll, if a single half eaten mini-muffin goes missing, I will strip you in your sleep and duck tape you to the flagpole!"

He rolls his eyes. "How would you be able to tell anything was missing from that mess?"

After quickly deciding that vintage Chuy's shirt is too valuable (to me, anyway) to come, I zip my bulging backpack mostly closed and walk over to the parking lot. Skylar is already waiting there for me, along with... you have got to be kidding me!

"Skylar what the hell is this?" I glare pointedly back at Luca, who is standing next to her.

"This is an intervention." She says clearly pleased with herself for thinking up this brilliant idea.

I do not. I put my hand to my forehead. "Skylar, I don't care what you junior psychology book says, this is so not the time for a little tete a tete."

"I know, but we'll have plenty of time on the road right? I can't stand you guys fighting, so please, at least give this a chance." She gives me her most heart-wrenchingly adorable puppy eyes.

I sigh in defeat, then look at Luca, hoping he has the strength to resist.

He grunts in disgust. As he walks up onto the Crap-mobile he calls down, "You know you're all heart and no brains, right Skylar?"

"And you're all schmuck and no brains, you realize that Luca?"

"Guys, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

5 hours 56 minutes and approximately 36 seconds later, we are driving by Clearfield PA. All attempts at conversation have resulted in attempted strangling, so I have claimed Driver's Rights to the radio and we are now listening to wonderful sounds of Neil Diamond**. Its not that I like Diamond, its just that Luca hates him even more then me. Skylar is reading a Pennsylvania travel pamphlet, trying to find something to say.

"Hey guys, did you know we're passing through beautiful Moshannon State Forest right now? Did you know the name Moshannon means 'moose-stream'? Did you know in the winter you can snowmobile through it?"

Did you know you're beginning to sound like an even more annoying Angeline?" Luca snaps. Skylar quiets down, and for the next minute there is silence, except for Neil Diamond emotionally crooning these touching words:

I am I said

to no one there.

And no one heard at all

Not even the chair.

After which a dark shadow emerges from beautiful Moshannon State Forest and hurls us off the side of the road.

*Chuy's is a tex-mex store in Austin that sells great t-shirts. It's probably the greatest restaurant chain ever.

**I hate Neil Diamond. It probably has something to do with being forced to listen to "Sweet Caroline", at regularly scheduled intervals at summer camp.

Hope you like Conner Stoll's cameo. I was afraid that I made him too responsible and thus OOC, but then I figured that he is a head counselor, so he does have to be serious occasionally. I like to create stories with very few cannons, so that I don't have previous character lines I have to follow.

As per-usual, I appreciate any and all reviews, even flames. Actually, flames tend to be rather amusing, plus for some reason the worse a story is, the more people read it. Just look at "Starkit's Prophecy"

Hasta la vista baby!

-Sage Nicholson