Needless to say, my conversation with Chiron was by far the most awkward thing I've ever experienced in my entire life with the exception of human growth and development in ninth grade. My biology teacher, fresh out of college, had refused to meet any of our eyes and was bright red the entire time he read off of his PowerPoint presentation. Not to mention the immature boys who would ask the most indecent things mortifying our teacher and the more sensitive girls.

Okay, I described that in way too much detail, sorry.

Anyhow, Chiron was surprised to say the least once I revealed my parentage to him. I had come up to him after breakfast, and while he had been finishing the last of his coffee, I kinda just blurted out that my father was Kronos and he choked. One of the satyrs that had been nearby quickly ran and returned with a napkin for Chiron, eying the centaur as if he was deciding whether he needed to pat Chiron's back or not.

"My office," Chiron had spluttered out, wiping his mouth of the coffee that had dribbled out. "Now."

After a very heated fifteen minute conversation about how I was to keep my father's identity under lock and key, Chiron sighed and put his head in his hands. He lifted his head and gazed past me, his eyes fixated on a single book that was shelved on the bookcase by the door. He wheeled himself over, pulled out the large leather-bound book, and set it down on his lap.

"Come, child," Chiron had beckoned, flipping through the pages until he stopped on what he was looking for. "If you are indeed telling the truth, I figure it's best you know everything about our father."

"I've read everything on him I could find," I had told Chiron, a tingling in the back of my mind telling me to be careful of how much I revealed. I had no doubt in my mind that it was Salina, reminding me that my arrival into this world was to be my best guarded secret, something I'd take to my grave. "Every article, book, and webpage."

Chiron raised his eyebrows at me, most likely surprised as to how in depth my research was. "May I ask why you've researched the Titan King so extensively, Andy?"

"I've researched every entity extensively," I had answered calmly. And I hadn't been lying. Once I agreed to join the crazy worlds that Rick Riordan had wrote about, I forced myself to commit every myth, every story about all Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian mythologies to memory. My biggest concerns were clearly the Greek and Roman myths, but in the off chance I ran into Magnus, Samirah, Alex, Blitzen, Hearthstone, Sadie, or Carter, I wanted to be prepared.

"What do you mean every entity?"

"I mean that quite literally, Chiron," I said nonchalantly, standing beside him to read the page he had opened to. I read the first few lines and said, "Yes, I've already read this before. Don't remember where, but I know this information already."

"I'm impressed," Chiron had said, closing the book and sliding it back into place. "Maybe I should put you in charge of mythology classes in the foreseeable future."

I shrugged, readjusting my bag's strap over my shoulder. "I'd love to, but unfortunately I already have other commitments. The Olympians have chosen to oversee my training personally, wanting me to be a spy for them."

"That is most unusual. Lord Zeus is known for his distrust and dislike of demigods, especially powerful ones such as yourself. Speaking of which, you really shouldn't be alive, not after the meeting Mr. D took you to."

"Thanks for those kind words, Chiron," I replied sarcastically, shaking my head at his poor choice in wording. "I survived by pledging my undying fidelity to the Olympians, swearing an oath on the River Styx that I'd never turn against Olympus."

Chiron had merely nodded, pensively stroking his beard. "I see. Well, in any case, I'm glad that you are still with us. Will you come back after your training?"

"I sure hope so," I had said, giving my half-brother a weak smile. "I know of the war that will be upon us in a few short years, and we will need as much help as we can get. My suggestion is to add more training time for everyone, and for those who especially want to fight, offer more specialized classes."

"That's not a bad idea, Andy, but I'm afraid we just don't have the resources to do such a thing. The campers that teach our classes are already stretched thin as it is, and I can only do so many things by myself."

"And the gods wonder why their children resent them," I muttered quietly under my breath, shaking my head in shame. "I'll try to stop by to help train others whenever I can," I told Chiron, fiddling with my bag's strap. "We need good teachers for the young ones. I'll see what I can do from my end."

After that, I had left the Big House and joined up with the rest of the Hermes cabin during our archery lesson. When I reached the archery range, I watched as half my cabin mates turned to look at me, ignoring Noah's instructions. He hadn't even bat an eye when I arrived, probably accepting the fact that I had a tendency to be late to our classes.

Noah then handed out the bows and quivers to the younger kids while the older ones all fought to get into the little shed where the equipment was held. An Apollo camper – Harry, I think – sat under an oak tree by the shed, wrapping and unwrapping his wrist with some ace bandages that he carried in his medical bag.

I stood next to Harry, waiting for the frenzy of kids trying to arm themselves to die down. It's not like I needed one of the bows in the shed anyways – I already had a bow curtesy of Salina – but I wasn't going to reveal all my secrets to the campers. Salina, although already one of the most minor goddesses in the entire mythological world, did her best to stay elusive from those who would exploit her powers, and that included other gods and demigods.

Harry glanced up at me briefly, shrugged his shoulders, and went back to wrapping and unwrapping his wrist. I liked this kid, I decided, entering the shed now that the rest of the Hermes cabin was making their way to their spots on the range.

I grimaced at the sight of the inside of the shed as I stepped over snapped arrows that had fallen out of knocked over quivers. The inside of the shed was dark and reeked of mildew, reminding me of the time I'd fallen into a sewer pipe after trying to run away from Holly.

The racks that were meant to hold the bows were rotting away and way too small to hold the amount of bows that would be needed to arm the entire Apollo cabin plus the handful of kids that preferred archery over melee combat.

The pegs that held up quivers of arrows were dark red with rust, and the quivers themselves were in awful shape. They were riddled with holes large enough for arrows to fall out of, and the zippers were completely busted.

As for the arrows, those were the only things in decent shape. Sure, they weren't as sharp as they could've been, but at least the fletchings, nocks, and shafts were in perfect condition, making them useful in combat.

I picked up one of the last bows from off the floor, frowning at the fraying string and the crack in the upper limb. If someone shot with this bow enough times, the bow would shatter from the amount of force and hurt themselves. I set that bow down in the corner of the shed with a few other bows in desperate need of repair before picking up another one that wasn't in danger of exploding.

I then grabbed a quiver of arrows, slung it over my shoulder, and walked back out onto the range, breathing in the scent of strawberries that blew in the breeze. No one paid me any attention as I took stand at the target farthest away from the shed and began to shoot, making it within the eight, nine, and ten point range every single time when the target was set up at fifteen yards.

Noah would periodically blow the whistle, signaling us to move our targets farther back to keep training. It wasn't until my target was fifty yards away that I was really struggling, but after looking around, that seemed to be the case for the most of us except for Giana, whose weapon of choice was a bow. She managed to get within the inner two rings up until a hundred and ten yards, much better than the rest of us could do.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed as we continued going to our classes. I once again fell asleep during mythology class, but at this point, I didn't care all that much about what the others thought of my actions. There was nothing more that Nicole, a daughter of Athena, could teach me about the gods that I didn't already know.

Of course, Nicole and Annabeth both chewed me out for falling asleep, but after subjecting myself to an exam-like amount of questions and answering them correctly, they left me alone. I then skipped Ancient Greek, preferring to learn language by myself rather than be forced to listen to other kids repeat the same questions repeatedly.

Let's just say I had a rotten experience in Latin class in high school and I vowed to never learn another language in a classroom setting ever again. I took my textbook and worksheets and went down to the beach to work, enjoying the sound of the surf as waves broke against the sand while I diligently did my assignments.

After finishing my work up through the day I was supposed to leave for Olympus, I walked into the sea, shivering slightly at the temperature difference between the air and the water. Before now, I'd never seen the ocean before. Growing up in Ohio, the only natural bodies of water I saw were rivers and lakes. And even then, Mrs. Stetson rarely brought us to Attwood Lake, saying that it would be a liability issue to bring twenty girls down to a lake with only one supervisor and no lifeguard.

I could count on one hand the number of times we visited Attwood Lake, but they were all great times, always ending with us throwing a campfire and eating s'mores before getting back into the van and passing out instantly. Other than that, Mrs. Stetson only took us to the community pool, which happened to be located at my high school.

So to say that I loved the ocean was an understatement. I had a little cutout of a beach from Florida, where the water was completely see through and the sand was white and soft, and had it tacked up to my wall, wanting to visit the ocean at least once before I left Mrs. Stetson's care. I'd never fulfilled that dream until now, and as I felt the waves rush past my legs, I knew it was just as magical as I thought it had been.

"I thought you'd enjoy this," I heard someone say, causing me to whirl around, my sword already in my hand. Once I realized that it was Salina, I sheathed my sword and blushed, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Hello," I said, feeling my face burn. "Sorry about the whole sword thing."

Salina smiled and waved her hand, brushing my actions aside. "It's your instincts and training kicking in, my child. I'm glad to know my training has paid off."

"More than you'd know," I said, shooting the goddess a smile as I bent down and touched the crest of an incoming wave. I laughed silently as the white crest burst into bubbles in my hand, making me seem like a young child.

"The ocean's beautiful," Salina said, staring wistfully up at the clear blue sky. "Many wishes are made here, allowing me some time to talk to you."

I straightened up and dried my hand with my pants, looking over at Salina, who was unbothered by the fact that the bottom of her dress was now completely soaked with salt water. Her blonde hair was currently down, flowing gently with the sea breeze. She wore a crown of blue perennials, flowers that were tolerant to salt water, allowing her to blend in as a naiad or Nereid instead of a goddess.

"What's going on?" I asked, turning my gaze back out onto the horizon, watching as a cruise ship passed by far in the distance.

"I'm sure you've had the vision we sent Deimos to give you," Salina said calmly, gauging my reaction to this information, "and we can't allow Thalia to become the prophecy child. That burden must pass onto Percy Jackson for the future to exist."

"I've figured that much out," I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "But what can I do? It's not like I can force Thalia to join the Hunters, and there's no way I'm going to kill her. The only thing I can think of doing is somehow freezing Thalia in time until Percy comes of age, but if I do that, Zeus will have my head, not to mention everyone else."

"Well, you're on the right track – Thalia must stop aging. That's why I've come with a Fates-approved plan."

I raised my eyebrows at Salina, turning to look at her once more. "This must be either really risky or controversial then."

"A little bit of both," Salina replied, a troublemaker smile plastered onto her face. "We're going to turn Thalia into a tree."

I stared at Salina like she had just grown a second head, or like she told me to go drink water from the camp toilets. But her smile had completely disappeared, and by the way the petals of her perennials were beginning to wilt, I knew Salina was dead serious in this plan. I mean, if the Fates gave their seal of approval and everything, it had to be carried out.

"How?" I asked, starting to fiddle with my bracelet.

"In two days' time, Hermes will stop by and offer Luke his Golden Apples quest. As per the custom at camp, he will be allowed two companions," Salina began, touching her crown, allowing for the flowers to bloom once more. "And Thalia will definitely be one of his companions. The other could possibly be Annabeth, but I'm not certain he would take her out into danger again because of her age."

"Then who's supposed to be his second companion? It can't be me. Athena owns me all week."

"It won't matter," Salina said with a wave of her hand. "All that matters is that Thalia ends up on this quest. She and Luke will head to Mount Tam in San Francisco, a mere six hours away from Los Angeles, where Hades is. He will allow the worst monsters out of Tartarus to attack her."

"You're really going to do that? I saved her in the Cyclopes lair to prevent this from happening," I said vehemently, unbelieving of what I was hearing. "She's going to have to die no matter what, isn't she? Being a tree was fated for her in this time and the last, right?"

"I'm afraid so, my child," Salina said solemnly, gazing downward towards the waves. "The Fates have ordained it so."

"Well, what am I going to do with Luke? Thalia's death is the reason he turned to him," I spat, the mere thought of my father making me want to jump into Tartarus myself and burn his remains. "I promised Hermes that Luke wasn't going to betray us."

Salina was quiet for a few moments, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her. I'm pretty sure she wasn't really all that concerned about Luke and more concerned about me and my reaction to this plan. She then cocked her head to the side, as if someone was speaking into her ear via the wind.

"That was Clotho," Salina said, shaking her head to clear the Fate's voice from her mind. "She hears and understands your concerns, Andy, and that's why the Fates have decided Luke will join Thalia."

"How's that supposed to work?" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. "Last I checked, lightning can only turn one person into a tree."

Once again, Salina cocked her head to the side, listening to one of the three Fates. Seconds later, the goddess of wishes clapped her hands twice and a glass vial full of purple liquid appeared. It reminded me scarily of the Elder Python venom I had been forced to learn about in my Sorcery 101 textbook Salina had given me back home. But this liquid wasn't steaming, instead there were little particles within the vial that seemed to be stuck in some kind of convection current, rising and falling in a constant cyclical motion.

"This is how you'll keep the duo together," Salina informed me, walking over and closing my hand around the vial. "This potion is potent enough that the both of them can be in the same tree, thus allowing their souls to converse with each other until they are saved."

"You know what this means, right?" I said, pocketing the vial in my bag before returning it to charm form, not wanting the contents to be soaked with sea water. "We'll need the Golden Fleece if we ever want them back."

"I know, but that is an issue for a different day." Salina's form then began to flicker, and she scowled up at the sky, specifically at the one cloud that ruined the perfectly clear sky. "I must go before my presence is discovered. Train well, my daughter, and we will see each other soon."

Salina disappeared in a whirlwind of dandelions, leaving the flowers to fall slowly into the ocean. I picked one up, the head of the flower already drooping from the water and mostly bare from the seeds being washed away. I blew at the remaining seeds, watching as they floated towards the beach with the incoming breeze.

Now I could only pray that Salina would help my wish come true.

The next two days were a blur to me until it was finally Sunday afternoon, the day that Luke was going to be issued his quest. I was a complete nervous wreck, but thankfully, we didn't have schedules on Sunday, allowing for us to have a much needed break in the week. This allowed me to be by myself at a picnic table, sketching in an attempt to calm my nerves as the sun continued moving across the horizon.

It was only a matter of time until Hermes arrived, and I had to be ready for when it happened. Even though I knew I wouldn't be going on this quest, I dressed sensibly in the off chance Hermes sent me to trail them. I really hoped he wouldn't do that, because Athena would be royally ticked off if I blew off my first week of training with her.

After looking back down at my paper and seeing that my sketch appeared as if a chicken had ran through ink and then across my paper, I set my pen and notebook back into my bag, choosing to take a walk to clear my head.

I made it as far as the forges before I heard – and felt – the sonic boom that could only be created by the fastest god: Hermes. Apparently flashing in had been too much of a chore for him, because the sonic boom was so volatile that I found myself getting launched against one of the walls of the forge, my back exploding in pain.

I crumpled to the floor, wincing as I tried to sit up. Not wanting to cause any permanent damage to myself, I allowed myself to lay there until it no longer hurt to move, only using gentle movements to get myself sitting against the wall.

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out some of my ambrosia and nibbled half-heartedly at a little bit of the square, just enough so that I could feel strength surging back into my limbs. Thankfully for me, moments later James came running out of the forge, his wielder's mask still on and his hands still wearing huge black rubber gloves.

"Andy?" James questioned, lifting his mask so that he could look at me. "What happened?"

"Hermes," I said through a wince, clutching at my chest. Okay, maybe being thrown into a wall broke something more than my skin.

"You're hurt," James said calmly, taking off his mask and gloves before crouching down beside me. Suddenly, he touched the sides of my chest, leaving me inhaling sharply in pain. "Cracked ribs, maybe fractured."

"Great. That's wonderful." I sighed, eating the rest of the ambrosia, the taste of Mrs. Silva's cinnamon buns flooding my mouth. "Could you help me to the infirmary, please?"

James shook his head, shoving his gloves into some huge pockets that were in his oil-covered apron. "I can't; there are other campers in the forge. But, I can ask one of my siblings to take you. Give me a sec."

I waited for a few minutes, struggling to get to my feet the entire time. I eventually got up, feeling as if I was breathing in pure fire, but too stubborn to sit down again. James returned moments later with one of his sisters, Wendy Hu, and she wrapped an arm under my legs and another under my back, carrying me bridal style.

"Wrong place, wrong time?" Wendy asked as she walked me back to the infirmary, flipping her jet black hair over her shoulder and out of her face.

"Yup. Didn't expect Hermes to do that, you know?"

"Ugh, do you know how much work it is to replace all the windows he probably broke? I wish we could hold gods accountable for their actions, but alas, we can't."

Wendy was silent the rest of the time, setting me down on the porch of the infirmary before turning on her heel, probably walking back to the forges. The infirmary was an addition to the back of the Apollo cabin that attached via a hallway. It was perfectly rectangular and white washed with the exception of a red cross painted on the side facing north, marking it as an infirmary.

I pushed the doors to go in and walked up to the daughter of Apollo who had been left with infirmary duty. She was young, no older than seven or eight by my estimates, but her sky blue eyes shone with intelligence. Within seconds of walking into the infirmary, the young daughter of Apollo looked up, gave me a once over, and said, "You've hurt your ribs. Come, take a seat on an exam bed. I'll be right there."

Gripping onto the desk and the metal bar that ran across the entire perimeter of the infirmary, I made my way to an exam bed and gingerly sat down, my chest aching with every breath I took. The girl, who then introduced herself as Cleo, snapped on some blue gloves, closed a curtain around the bed, and asked me to lift up my shirt.

"Yup, you cracked two ribs," Cleo said after pressing her hands against the left side of my chest, which had blossomed with dark blue and purple splotches. "I'll wrap them and give you some nectar."

"How long will it be before they heal?"

"If you take it easy, about a week, maybe two."

I shook my head. "There's got to be a faster way. I've got major commitments to honor starting tomorrow that require me to be unharmed."

Cleo was pensive for a moment before glancing down at the nectar in her hand. She set the glass of nectar down and went rummaging through some cabinets, returning with an IV bag and its accompanying tube and needle.

"Healing works faster if we give your nectar intravenously," she said, reaching for a blue rubber band, the kind they wrap around your arm before you donate blood. "It's this or wait to heal naturally."

I offered her my arm, surprising her slightly. I knew many demigods hated needles as a result of different treatments for their ADHD that their mortal parent subjected them too, but I never had a problem with needles.

Cleo quickly inserted the IV after finding a vein and then went to work to hook up the nectar. She calibrated the release to however many milliliters it was an hour but still went ahead and wrapped my chest in a thick layer of bandages, saying this would help my ribs set properly.

Once I was taken care of, Cleo moved on to some boys that had come from training and had some cuts that needed stitches and a tetanus shot. For being so young, she was an expert, stitching up both boys and giving them their shots within fifteen minutes before chastising them to be more careful.

"Friends of yours?" I asked, turning to look at how much fluid was still in the IV.

"Sam and Eric," she answered, jotting something down on her clipboard before turning to a filing cabinet and tucking the paper away in a cream colored folder. "They're in most of my classes, but they fight with swords while I use a bow. But honestly, if I can avoid a fight, I do. I'd rather be here in the infirmary."

"It seems kinda lonely here."

She shrugged, taking a seat in a wheelie chair and making her way back to my bed. "Gives me time to think and write music. This place is usually much busier after Capture the Flag or cabin duels, but on Sunday, we don't get as many campers."

Seeing that I was the only one in the infirmary, Cleo and I held a light and amicable conversation about camp and what we wanted to do with our lives on the off chance that we returned to the mortal world and survived to adulthood.

Cleo told me that she'd like to be a doctor without borders, the kind that go to the roughest and poorest parts of the world to treat people that would never receive medical help otherwise. "It annoys me how many people die of treatable diseases over something as trivial as money," she ranted at one point, looking downright murderous.

Her rant was interrupted when a bright blue light shone through the windows of the infirmary. Cleo bent down underneath the desk and pulled out a bow before slinging a quiver over her shoulder. "I'm going to see what happened," she said, pulling out a single arrow and notching it onto the string. "Stay put."

About ten minutes passed before Cleo returned, her bow no longer loaded and her quiver completely closed. Clearly there hadn't been an attack, but she was visibly shaken up, her skin pallid and her breathing shallow.

"You okay?" I asked, motioning for her to take a seat next to me as I sat myself up and swung my legs over the side of my bed.

"There's been a quest ordained," Cleo said softly, still fingering the string of her bow. "Lord Hermes tasked Luke to steal an Apple of Immortality from the Garden of the Hesperides."

"And who are his companions?"

"Thalia and…" Cleo broke off, biting her lip so harshly I saw blood blossom from the cut. I reached over with my free hand and handed her a napkin, which she used to wipe the blood away from her mouth. "Luke chose me."

"I thought he would've picked Annabeth," I told her, patting her shoulder gently. "Did he tell you why he chose you for this?"

"Something about needing a healer," Cleo said dejectedly, finally setting her bow down onto the floor. "Don't get me wrong, I'm honored to go on a quest and all, but I hate the mortal world. My dad has a lot of contacts with a lot of bad people who have hurt me before, and I don't want to face that again. I'll only feel worse if we fail because of my dad."

"Wait, but isn't your dad Apollo?"

"Yeah, but Apollo fell in love with my dad, Jacob Russo, and somehow I exist. I try not to think too much into the logistics of it all."

"Duly noted." I wrapped an arm around the younger girl's shoulders, giving her a side hug with my free arm. "You'll do great, Cleo, I know you will."

After the conch horn sounded, signaling evening activity, Cleo unhooked me from my IV and fastened my bandages with a couple more clips. She told me to be careful for the next few hours but that I should feel significantly better by tomorrow.

I thanked her, and the two of us walked down to the amphitheater for tonight's sing along curtesy of the Apollo cabin. When I asked Cleo if she would sing, she shook her head so quickly I thought she was going to give herself whiplash.

"Gods no," she had said, completely mortified at the insinuation. "I sound like a whale receiving the Heimlich when I sing. I can play the lyre for my siblings, but I'll leave the singing to them, thank you very much."

I laughed at her vehemence, waving goodbye to her as I took a seat with the rest of my cabin, seating myself right next to Luke. He was staring so intensely at the fire that he was completely unaware of my arrival, his hands tightly clenching onto his knees. If it weren't for his pants, I could guarantee you he would've torn the skin off his knees.

While the Apollo cabin began singing "This Land is Minos' Land" and "I'm My Own Great-Great-Great-Grandpa", Thalia joined us, setting a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder. That simple touch had been enough to jolt him to alertness, flinching so hard I thought he was going to fall off the bench.

"Chiron said we could leave early tonight," Thalia said softly, reaching for Luke's hand. He finally looked up at her, a cold mask of indifference on his face. "We're going to need all the rest we can get before this quest."

"I know," Luke sighed, swatting away a bug from his face. "I'm still in shock, you know? He shows up after all these years only to send me on a quest that's already been done before? I mean, the recognition is nice, but there's no glory in repeating something that only Hercules succeeded at."

"A quest isn't about glory," I told Luke, causing him to jump once again. "This is Hermes giving you a chance."

"A chance to die? How fatherly of him."

"No, he's giving you a chance to hone your skills as a hero. You're strong and smart, Luke, use that to your advantage."

Thalia was glaring murderously at me, probably fighting back the urge to strike me down right where I sat. Right, she had a thing for Luke, and here I was trying to comfort him. It didn't help matters that technically speaking, I was Luke's age while Thalia was still two years younger than the both of us, and I knew from personal experience what it was like to have a crush on someone who had a friend their same age.

Before the both of them could leave, I wished them good luck, reminding them that if they needed anything last minute, I could help them out. Luke thanked me, but Thalia had already grabbed him by the wrist and was pulling him away, silently fuming.

The campfire continued on, the fire a bright red and easily twenty feet high. I watched in amusement as the younger campers squealed in joy as their marshmallows were engulfed in flames, charring the marshmallow black, but they still ate it anyways. Hey, in a camp where sugar is heavily regulated, you take what you can get.

Chiron appeared about fifteen minutes later, right as the Apollo cabin was finishing up their last song. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cleo massaging her hands as she set the gold lyre down on the ground, talking to one of her siblings. I saw James and Wendy, too, both of them hunched over blueprints while they worked in the firelight.

Then, I caught glimpse of Annabeth, who was sitting glumly alongside one of her brothers underneath a flag with an owl on it. She was scowling at her marshmallow, which was so burned I'm surprised it hadn't fell off the stick yet. My best guess is that she's bummed that Luke didn't pick her for his quest, but honestly, I wouldn't have brought her along either.

While I knew all about the great warrior that Annabeth Chase would become, she had yet to reach that level of expertise. After all, she was only seven. It wasn't until she was twelve until she had almost full control of her dagger, and that was five years away, much too far to bring her out into the dangers of the mortal world again.

Once Chiron had gained everyone's attention by stamping his hoof, he declared that it was time for us to return to our cabins before the cleaning harpies got hungry. We all made our way out and towards our cabins, but for some reason, I couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching me.