Elise's POV

It was so hard to talk to Nico di Angelo. He seemed to shy away from anything Elise said or did. All Elise wanted to do was talk to him. It wasn't like she was asking him to wear a bright tourist shirt and parade around dancing the Macarena.

It was like she could do nothing right. Every attempt at being his friend went down the drain. What's worse, she didn't know what she was doing wrong.

She really cared about him. She wanted to be his friend. She wanted to be able to see him smile.

After the war, during the feasts, Elise had singled Nico out. He was the boy who, despite every happy thing that had happened and was happening, smiled the least. Oh, it was obvious he had friends. Yet, he still didn't ever seem entirely happy. Elise was determined to change that.

She had a pair of co-conspirators, as well. Jason and Will's mutual concern had made them the best of friends. They had the same goal: to make Nico happy. And nothing makes better friends than a common enemy: anyone who stood in their way.

This was by no means an obsession of hers. She was not dedicated, body and soul, to the joy of Nico di Angelo. She had a life. At the moment, it revolved around Austin, Kayla, and Lazlo's good luck (or bad luck? Nico was confusing.)

It was an absolute madhouse at the Apollo cabin. Elise had been graciously invited to a sort of party there by Austin. It was past curfew, but Kayla's boyfriend, a camper from the Hecate cabin, had put a spell on the cabin that made it appear as though all was quiet.

Someone had cranked up Broadway show-tunes, and everyone had a Sunny D in their hand. There was a big banner that looked like it had been made on short-notice (which it had been) that read "Happy Questing!" It was definitely one of the weirder experiences in life.

Elise stood, leaning against a wall, watching the crowd, and toying with the enchanted, circle pendant that hung from the chain on her neck. She had acquired it on her way to camp. It got warmer when monsters where nearby, and though she had no real use for it anymore, it always made her feel stronger.

Elise's good friend Austin stood at the other end of the cabin. They kept looking at each other and making weird faces. Elise figured that the humor of it helped to calm his nerves and distract him from all the attention he was receiving.

"Elise?" Kayla tried to get her attention.

"Sorry, what?" Elise quickly responded, snapping her attention away from Austin.

Kayla furrowed her brows. "Something up?" She turned to see where Austin stood. "Oh," she teased. "I get it. You're flirting with your boyfriend."

"I'm not flirting. He's not my boyfriend," Elise stammered.

Kayla smirked. "Who's not your boyfriend? Listen, everybody knows you and Austin like each other. You're not fooling anyone."

Evidently, Elise was fooling everyone. She didn't mean for it to look as though she and Austin were in a relationship. She just didn't think of him like that. It was always awkward when people tried to force them into being a thing. They were, in all honesty, just good friends.

"In your dreams, Kayla," Elise teased.

"You just don't give up, do you? I hope I have that kind of stamina on the quest. Well, I have party guests to brag to. I'll talk to you in a bit. Okay?"

"Sure thing."

Kayla ran off to be annoying, her self-proclaimed favorite hobby. When she left, Austin walked over. He said nothing, which was very uncharacteristic.

"Some party," Elise began, hoping to strike a conversation. It was odd. She and Austin hardly ever wanted for conversation.

He nodded. "Yeah, um, they threw it together last-minute, so it's pretty impressive." His normal talkative nature began to reveal itself, but slipped away.

"So," Elise prodded. "Did you come over to tell me something or to just hang, because I'm cool with both."

Austin looked around anxiously. "Actually, there was something I needed to say. I would ask to step outside but, ah," he laughed timidly. "Harpies aren't fun to deal with. So, would you join me in the corner?"

That sounded a bit cryptic to Elise, but she followed. They seemed to be out of sight and mind where they were. That was probably why they were there.

"Now," Austin began. "Tomorrow I will be leaving on a quest, which will be dangerous, and I may not return alive."

"Austin, don't—"

He held up his hand. "Please, let me finish. I was fully aware of the risk when I accepted the quest, but there is one I might yet avoid. I am not willing to take the risk of leaving tomorrow without telling you how I feel. About you, about the possibility of there being an 'us'…"

Elise had to interrupt. "Austin, there is so much going on right now." She automatically began twisting her pinkie finger. "Listen, what you're suggesting, it's a gamble. What if I turned out to be the daughter of Apollo? What then? And wouldn't I just be a distraction from your quest? I don't want to put you in any sort of danger…"

Austin stared at his feet. "I was actually thinking you would be my motivation to get back in one piece…"

Elise really wanted to let him down easy. She couldn't break him, not on the day before the quest. "I still can be." She took off the chain around her neck. "Take this. It's magic. Gets warmer when monsters are around. Be sure to return it to me when you get back."

She placed the one magical object she had in the palm of her friend. Pulling Austin into a hug, she muttered, "Good luck."

When they pulled away, a song called "Don't Rain on My Parade" came on over the speakers. Kayla screamed at the top of her lungs. "AW, YEAH, CRANK THAT SUCKER UP!" Her request was fulfilled. Theater kids were both awesome and weird.

The song went on for a while, with most of the Apollo kids singing over it and giving their own performance. The party stopped completely when Will Solace walked in.

He stared in righteous anger at every camper as every camper stared back at him. "Are you kidding me?" he shouted. "The night before a quest, when you need rest more than anything else, you throw a party past curfew? Whose idea was this?"

Kayla stepped forward. "It's just a celebration, Will. We're having a little fun before we go out there and risk our lives."

Will ran a hand over his face. "Kayla, Kayla, Kayla. I worry about you, sometimes." Everyone was quiet. "Pack it up, guys! The party's over."

Everyone moved to get their things.

Elise walked over to Will. "How is he?" she inquired.

There was no wondering who Elise was talking about. "I can never really be sure with Nico. You know how he is. He keeps to himself."

Elise nodded. "He didn't eat much at dinner. I'm worried that he's not taking care of himself like he should."

Will sighed. "Me too, Elise. Me too. But, hey, you need to get back to your cabin."

"Right, right, of course. My apologies for intruding."

Will laughed. "No trouble at all. It's these knuckleheads. Anyway, I'll see ya later."

"You bet," Elise laughed, walking out the door.

She sneaked her way back to the Hermes cabin. When she reached the door, Connor and Travis Stoll pulled her inside and started acting like idiots.

"So, girlfriend, how was the party?" Connor giggled in a high-pitched imitation of a girl's voice.

"Was it, like, totes amaze?" Travis continued.

"Was Austin Robinson there? I heard someone has a little crush on him."

Elise rolled her eyes. "Holy mercy, guys. Just let me breathe for a second before you bombard me with your endless round of questions about what Austin Robinson did or did not do or say or think!"

"Wow, sorry. We were just having a little fun," Travis apologized, though he sounded a little offended.

"Go to sleep!" a Hermes camper yelled from under a mountain of covers.

"Yeah, guys. Get to sleep."

They obeyed her.

Elise crept to the changing room, hoping not to wake any more slumbering demigods. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into her sleeping bag.

Elise loved camp. She loved feeling like she belonged somewhere. But she could never feel normal. Thirteen. That was the rule. She was supposed to know who she was by the time she was thirteen. She was fourteen when she arrived. She should've been claimed the moment she stepped in. Now she was fifteen. Evidently, she wasn't important enough to be claimed. And that was fine. She only wished she didn't have to put up with Connor and Travis's constant pranks.

Speaking of which, there was something slithering its way up Elise's leg. She reached for it and pulled out a garden snake, a harmless thing, but creepy nonetheless. Elise screamed.

"STOLLS!"