College is hard...

Pretty soon, we started to feel a lot like fugitives. Every few hours, we'd stop the car at a gas station and walk into convenience stores as inconspicuously as possible. We'd guard the doors as each of us used the restroom. I gave Hazel my hunting knife so that she'd have something to protect herself with if it came to it. I was pleased to see that she was pretty good at defending herself. She managed to take on a dracanae in Holbrook on her own.

We stocked up on snacks whenever we could, but by midday, we were all pretty sick of chips and soda.

"We'll stop in Kingman," I said. "I have no idea what's there, but it's worth a try."

"I've never been to this part of the US," Hazel said. "It's so…empty."

"Try living here," I said. Arizona was a lot like New Mexico. Sandy, desert-y, and rough, although Arizona seemed to lack the charm that I was used to from my home.

"Why didn't you go to Camp Jupiter, Jamey?" Hazel asked.

Oh gods, delicate territory. "I trained at home. My house is just as safe as camp is. Plus," I added. "I don't always play well with other kids."

"Oh," Hazel said. I couldn't see her while I was driving, but I knew she was nervous. "What if I don't play well?"

I shrugged. "I think you'll be fine. You're a really nice kid, Hazel. Besides, my problem is just that I feel uncomfortable around other people. To be in the legion you have to be able to work in teams and whatnot. That won't be a problem for you."

"I hope so," Hazel said.

I really wished I could be more reassuring than that, but I'd never been particularly eloquent. Plus, I didn't want to give away more than I needed to. To be honest, I would've preferred to stay home than go to Camp Half-Blood. I've never been a good team player, so I had a few hellish nights of capture the flag.

It was early afternoon when we reached Kingman. It was a fairly sized city with a lot of history, mostly in film and television. I drove around for a bit until I found a place that looked somewhat promising, unless it turned out to be infested with monsters.

I parked the van in front of Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner. The sign itself reminded me of Grease, and I wondered if we'd be forced to participate in some sort of demonic musical montage once we walked through the doors.

"Mr. D'z…" Nico looked from the sign to me. "Mr. D as in…"

I shrugged. "Who knows? But when it comes down to it, I'd rather dine with gods than with monsters, even if they are bad-tempered."

We walked inside. More fifties imagery. A bar at the front had turquoise leather stools in front of it, and the booths and tables all had pink chairs. The painted faces of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley watched while customers ate burgers and milkshakes. An old fashioned jukebox sat in the corner, but it was anybody's guess if it worked or not.

Still, there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary. Most of the customers were families that seemed to be taking weekend trips and the like. A few couples were doing the stereotypical sharing a milkshake bit. We ignored everybody and chose a table closest to the exit in case we had to make a quick escape.

A very hyper waitress took our orders and disappeared again behind the counter. Speakers above our heads blared Elvis' "Blue Suede Shoes." Hazel looked around.

"How come this place looks so weird?" She asked.

"You mean the theme?" I asked. "Post-World War nineteen fifties décor. See, the fifties was when Americans started getting comfortable with the idea of being a first-world country. Veterans found steady jobs in blue and white collar jobs, women became housewives and the baby boom hit. The average family was popping out five or six kids each. Cars became more popular and families went on more vacations, so highways were built to accommodate cross-country expeditions. Rock-n-roll was popularized and teenagers rebelled the way teenagers often do, so places like these became ideal hangouts for kids who didn't want to be at home. You should read The Outsiders. Actually, I suggest you read a lot of fiction set between the end of World War Two and today. It might come in handy to know what's happened since then."

Hazel looked like she wasn't exactly looking for a history lesson, but she nodded anyway. She was doing some sort of hand gesture like she was fanning herself. "Things sure have changed."

"They sure have," a man said standing over us, and I almost recognized the voice. I looked up at middle-aged man dressed in a really gross-looking purple shirt and khaki shorts. He'd made the sad decision of wearing ankle socks with sandals. He also wore a wide-brimmed hat lined with grape vines.

"Well," Bacchus said unpleasantly. "If it isn't a son of Apollo and two children of the Underworld going on another pointless quest."

"It's not a quest," I replied. "Just a delivery. Mr. D, you literally saw me about a month ago. Aren't you on probation?"

Hazel looked at Nico and mouthed: Who is he?

The wine dude, Nico mouthed back.

"Probation?" Bacchus replied with distaste, and for a moment his form flickered into that of a fatter guy wearing a horrifying leopard print Hawaiian shirt. "You must have me confused for somebody else, Jacob Sampson. I am Bacchus, god of wine and owner of Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner."

Somehow the idea of the grumpy, old camp director running a fifties-themed restaurant gave me bad images of him dancing like John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. I shook the image out of my head.

"Anyway," Mr. D/Bacchus said, a Diet Pepsi appearing in his right hand. "I hope you're ready for the trials ahead. You'll find that there is a lot awaiting the three of you. And you," he looked directly at me, his eyes burning with purple fire. "I suggest you get that power under control before searching for the Doors."

I blinked a couple of times. "Excuse me?"

Bacchus flashed a rare, almost insane-looking smile. "I don't usually help heroes, but you three look like you could use all the help you can get." He tossed something small into the air, and Hazel was barely able to catch it. "Enjoy your meal."

With that, he disappeared, leaving behind the smell of fresh grapes. Nobody else in the restaurant seemed to notice that a man had just gone poof, but what else can you expect from mortals?

The waitress arrived soon after with our food, and she smiled brightly as she said that it was on the house. Once she was out of earshot, I turned to Nico.

"Is Bacchus usually so helpful?" I asked, because I knew that Dionysus sure wasn't.

Nico shrugged. "I've never seen him in this form before." He turned to Hazel. "What did he give us?"

Hazel revealed what looked to be some sort of key card, the kind you might use at a hotel. She handed it to me.

"Sparta Inn," I read, then turned it over. "Bakersfield, California. I guess we're going there."

"What? Why?" Nico asked. "I say we avoid it at all costs. If Bacchus is sending us there, it can't be good."

"You heard him," I said. "He's trying to help us…I think."

"What did he mean by getting your power under control?" Hazel asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe he meant my healing abilities? I stink at healing."

"He mentioned the Doors, too," Nico said quietly. "He wants you to search for them."

I felt my insides turn into ice. I stared at the card in my hand, trying to keep it from trembling. "He couldn't expect me to…I mean," my throat felt dry, and I was beginning to lose my appetite. I put the card down. "I'm too old for quests." I looked at Nico and Hazel, who were both looking at me with worried eyes. "Eat your lunch. We'll drive into Bakersfield and see if Bacchus' help is legitimate. If not, be ready for some fighting."

I tried to enjoy my meal, but my mind was swimming. This was supposed to be a simple operation. Drive to California, drop off Hazel, go home. Now it was turning into something far more complicated, and whatever the gods were up to, it looked like I was right in the middle of it.

I wasn't a quest kind of person. There were no prophecies about me; no gods asking specifically for my help. A lot of demigods have dream visions that allow them to see important bits of information that might come in handy in the future, but I rarely got those. These days, I either couldn't sleep, or I'd sleep so soundly that I wouldn't get any dreams at all. It was simple. I wasn't a hero. So why was the universe so bent on making me one?

After five and a half hours, a quick pit stop in Barstow, and an attack by a group of Venti that Nico managed to destroy while the van was almost going eighty, we made it into Bakersfield. I typed in the address of the Sparta Inn into the GPS and drove to the outskirts of the city. There, in the middle of the desert, stood a fairly large resort. It didn't look like an inn at all. It looked like a movie-star hangout.

We drove into the parking lot. There seemed to be a lot of cars here, and I wondered if this really was just a regular hotel without any magical affiliation. Given that we'd been directed here by a grumpy wine god, I had a feeling that wouldn't be the case.

"I don't know about this." Nico said, eyeing the hotel with apprehension. It occurred to me that he'd spent almost seventy years trapped in Lotus Hotel in Las Vegas. Crap. What if this was the same?

"Okay," I said. It was dark out, and I was exhausted from driving. I could use a good night's rest, but there was too much at risk. "Backup plan time. We don't get separated. If anybody tries to separate us, we come up with an excuse, or if they turn out to be monsters, we kill them. We're here because Bacchus sent us. Do not eat or drink anything unless I tell you to."

"What if you turn out to be wrong?" Nico said, making sure his sword was strapped to his side. "What if this is a trap?"

"Then you get the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so,'" I said. "And we fight as hard as we can. Hazel, are you okay with this?"

Hazel smiled at me from the backseat. "I'll do my best."

We all took a deep breath and got out of the car. Even though the parking lot seemed to be full, there were no people around. "Hotel California" by the Eagles started playing in my head, and I tried to ignore it. What if this was a trap?

As we got closer, I noticed details of the building. It seemed to be built in a strange combination of adobe and Greek inspired architecture, but whoever built it really had no eye for beauty. It looked fine from far away, but up close, there seemed to be lots of fire and war imagery involved. Torches with real fire burned on either side of the entrance, and everything seemed to have a red tint to it.

We walked into the lobby. Although it was cool inside, it was far from pleasant. Paintings decorated every wall, all of them depicting horrifying images of people at war. Roman centurions spearing victims, Leonidas' army being destroyed by the Persians, German concentration camps, Vietcong mercenaries picking off American soldiers, and even some images of the current struggle in Afghanistan were depicted in horrifyingly lifelike color. I grasped my bag's strap, ready to hit the trigger in case I needed to fight.

Nico didn't seem to be bothered by the images. Every once in a while he'd point to one and give some sort of factual remark. Hazel looked very uncomfortable.

There seemed to be absolutely nobody around. The front desk had no one behind it. There were a few television screens displaying the weather and a few news stories. At the bottom of the screens were the words Hephaestus TV. Different signs pointed to the gym, the pool, and a restaurant. It would've looked like any other luxury hotel if it weren't for all of the bloody images.

"This is starting to feel like a trap," I said quietly.

A woman laughed. "Why on earth would you say that, my dear?"

I whirled around to face her, readying my bow. When I saw her, though, I felt myself falter. Standing behind the front desk was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She was young, fair, and reminded me of every super model and actress I'd ever seen. More than anything, though, she reminded me of my sister. Even though her looks were constantly changing, she had the same easy smile and she seemed to ooze the kind of confidence that could drive any boy wild. I could already feel myself hating her.

"Aphrodite," I said. I suddenly realized that we were the only ones there. Nico and Hazel had disappeared. How had I not noticed?

"Don't worry about them, darling," Aphrodite said, her voice like honey. "They'll be fine. I wanted to speak to you alone."

I looked at her apprehensively. Somehow, her presence only made this war-themed cavern even scarier. "What about?"

"Darling, where did you get that t-shirt, it's so…ratty. And those glasses…have you ever considered wearing contacts? They'd make you look quite handsome."

"I thought you wanted to talk to me about something important." I suddenly felt more self-conscious than ever.

"Why, of course, you have so many trials ahead," Aphrodite said as if she were rehearsing a scene from some gaudy drama. "All the pain and suffering. You'll make a few conflicting discoveries. But I'm here to talk about love. Your love, to be specific."

"My…love?" I took a step back. "I don't really do love."

"Oh, but you will, my dear," Aphrodite flashed a blindingly white smile. "You will find love with the most unlikely person. I've already planned it out. Oh, there'll be so much confusion, so much sorrow, but in the end you'll find–"

"Stop," I said.

"My dear," Aphrodite looked only slightly taken aback. "You can't stop love."

"Thanks, but I'm not really the loving type. I don't like being looked at. I don't like being touched. I don't like being around people. I can't even stand to have my mom kiss me on the cheek. What makes you think I want to fall in love?"

"Jamey," Aphrodite said as airily as if I'd just asked her about the weather. "Love finds us sooner or later, and it helps us overcome the hardest of trials. You will find someone who will lift you from your sadness; someone who will see the light within you and cherish you for it. Remember that in its purest of forms, true love stems from friendship."

"Right, friendship," I laughed without humor. "Where are my wards? I want to get out of here."

"My dear, you must rest," Aphrodite waved her hand and three very beautiful black-haired women appeared dressed like hotel staff. "My boyfriend built me this resort. It's a bit…well, it's not too pleasing to the eye, but you do get some lovely views from the pent house. Clean up and get a good night's rest. You'll need it, if you are to survive the trials to come."

With that, she disappeared in a pink puff of smoke. The three women approached me and bowed.

"We are the Graces," the first said. "Goddesses of beauty and Lady Aphrodite's attendants. Please come with us."

I was inclined to say no thank you, but I had no idea where Nico and Hazel were, and I was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion. I let them lead me into the depths of the hotel, where we emerged into a large spa room. The Graces ran me a very aromatic bath and offered to help me bathe. I very quickly said no. I felt uncomfortable enough having the three of them watch me undress.

I scrubbed myself clean as quickly as possible as the Graces laid out some pajamas.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked them.

"Certainly," one of them said. I didn't know if they had names or not. They looked exactly alike.

"Aphrodite's…predictions about love," I said carefully, not knowing what else to call them. "How often do they actually come true?"

"Oh, Lady Aphrodite knows all of love," another replied. "She is always correct."

My heart felt like a stone in my chest. "I was afraid of that."

I got dressed, and they led me into an elevator. The doors opened up into a very spacious room filled with big, fluffy couches, a TV, a table, and a kitchen area. Huge floor to ceiling windows looked out onto the pool, and in the distance, I could see the lights of the city flickering.

It was certainly not as war-themed as the lobby had been.

Hazel and Nico were sitting together at the table, both of them looking incredibly worried. A full, fancy meal had been laid out in front of them, but neither was eating or drinking, probably because of my rule.

"Jamey," Nico jumped up, running to me. It seemed like the Graces had gotten to him and Hazel, too, because they both looked freshly bathed and were wearing pajamas that smelled vaguely of roses. The Graces bowed and stepped back into the elevator. When the doors closed, Nico gave me an imploring look. "There's too much love magic here. I don't know why, but I can feel it."

"Venus," I said for Hazel's sake. "This is her hotel."

"Ugh," Nico looked sick at the prospect. "Can we leave?"

I shook my head. "She's right, we all need rest. As far as I can tell there's no real threat…" I trailed off. My mind was still on what the love goddess had told me. An unlikely person, a friend…no, shut up. I didn't want love. I didn't need it. Love is for heroes and people without common sense. I tried to get the goddess's voice out of my head.

"Jamey," Nico said, noticing my expression. "You talked to her, didn't you?"

I sighed. "Go ahead and eat. Get a good night's rest. Hazel," I looked at her, and she looked way more worried than I liked. "From here, it won't take too long to find the Wolf House. Reserve your strength for when Lupa tests you."

I stepped out into the balcony and took a deep breath in the fresh night air. My head was swimming. Two gods in one day, and both of them telling me that I had all of these terrible trials ahead. I closed my eyes, willing my heart to settle. What could I even do? What if I couldn't pass these trials? What if Hazel or Nico got hurt while in my care?

"You should eat, too." Nico said, and I almost jumped. He had a knack for sneaking up on people.

"Not hungry," I said, crossing my arms.

Nico came to stand next to me. At the time, he was only a couple of inches shorter than me. "What did Venus tell you?"

"It was actually Aphrodite, if it makes any difference, and she said the same thing as Bacchus, really," I replied. "Except far more dramatically. Apparently, I'm destined to feel lots of pain, heartache, and sorrow. But you know Aphrodite. Everything is laced with some sort of stupid love story." I leaned against the railing, and my heartbeat almost hurt. "I'm not a hero, though. I'm not clever like Annabeth, or brave like Percy. I've never been on a quest, I've never defeated anything huge, and I'm practically an adult, for crying out loud. I helped with the Titan War, but really, I just got lucky and survived."

"You're selling yourself short," Nico said darkly. "The most important battles aren't always the ones fought against an outside force, but the ones we fight within ourselves. You're constantly fighting. It didn't end at that hospital just because people started to acknowledge your struggle. You're always fighting to find the will to keep going, and you find that will by helping others. It means the world to Hazel that you're helping her, and I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Jamey, you are a hero."

I remembered my time in the hospital, waking up to doctors and shrinks telling me that what I'd tried to do was wrong. I remembered the guilt I felt when my mom and sister came to see me, and the shame when some of the people from camp came by. Through all of that, Nico had stayed by my side. He hadn't offered any real words of comfort, but he stood up for me when things got ugly.

I remembered pacing around my little hospital room in that stupid gown they'd made me wear, my wrists covered in bandages. I wanted nothing more than to get out and go home, but they wouldn't let me. I was screaming and crying like a stubborn child. I finally dropped to the floor and wept like some stupid fairy tale princess, and Nico never left my side. He was the only person I'd allow to touch me. I wouldn't even let my mom near me for about three days.

With Nico there, I felt calmer. I knew most people felt uneasy around Nico, but that's because they were too quick to judge him. To me, Nico wasn't the scary son of Hades who emanated fear and hatred and made everybody run for cover. He was still that ten-year-old boy; the kid who never stopped smiling and looked at the world with undaunted enthusiasm.

"I promise I'll get Hazel to the Wolf House, Nico. I'll keep her safe."

"We both will," Nico replied, finally looking at me.