You cautiously stuck your head into the hallway. You acted like a high schooler that was sneaking out past their bedtime to see their boyfriend. Except, instead of party clothes, you wore an oversized shirt that said "Beauty Queen" with a little crown on the B. You wore leggings that were a bit too big, so you tied a knot so it would fit.

You had found the clothes in your room's dresser. The clothes seemed brand new like they had never been worn before. You figured the clothes were gifts the receiver accepted, but never actually planned to wear. That would explain why the clothes were left on the ship.

The hallway's only source of light was moonlight. Moonlight glowed through a door that led to the deck. The door was open: you could hear the wind blowing outside. The wind wisped strands of your hair around your face as you glanced down both directions of the hallway. You noted the doors that lined the wall and the likelihood that the other passengers slept in those rooms.

Taking your first step into the hallway, you whipped around to stop the door from slamming. You turned the doorknob and eased it shut. (I'll give you a B- on your door-shutting skills, better luck next time). Once the door settled closed, you turned back to the hallway.

In front of the deck's door stood a dark figure. It wasn't there earlier. It's like it materialized. You only knew one thing about the dark figure: it was staring at you.

You did the only thing you could think to do: stare back. You stared back at it, making varying facial expressions in an attempt to scare it away. The figure responded by raising an arm and beckoning you over.

Gulping, you approached the stranger. The stranger walked out of the door, onto the deck. You followed, hoping you wouldn't get murdered.

When you got onto the deck, you found the stranger sitting on a bench that was under a porthole. It patted the seat next to it as an invitation.

Hesitant at first, you accepted and sat by the stranger. As you sat on the bench, your eyes began to focus so you could see in the moonlight.

The stranger appeared to be around your age...though maybe a year or two older. His skin was a darker color, but not necessarily brown. His eyes were oval and dark. His physical traits reminded you of those Native Americans had.

He tied his long, black hair in a low ponytail. The long hair cascaded down his back, reaching his lower back.

He observed you as well. He seemed to question your choice of attire but didn't bring it up. You questioned his choice of wearing all-black clothes as though he planned to rob a bank afterward, but you left it alone.

Finally, he spoke. "I am glad to finally meet you face-to-face. I was worried about how the crew members have been treating you."

His words allowed you to identify him. "Hunter."

He smiled, liking the sound of you saying his name. "Yes." He then looked out at the bright, full moon that hung in the sky. The clear night sky made you glad you snuck out. "The stars up there...they're beautiful. The constellations too and the stories behind them."

Looking at the stars, you could see what you had been missing out on your whole life. For the first time, you could finally see the stars. Instead of twenty, you could see what seemed to be twenty thousand. You wanted to capture the view in a picture. "Yeah, Greek mythology. They are the best stories."

Hunter's eyes focused on you. "Those stories provide so many life lessons. Have you ever heard of Dolon?"

"Dolon? It doesn't ring a bell, so probably not," you shrugged.

"In the Iliad, Hector, who was the Trojan prince and the greatest Trojan fighter, needed a spy. He wanted to know if and how the Greeks guarded their ships. Dolon volunteered. He likely felt cocky because he was practically the fastest running Trojan. Anyway, he used a wolf pelt as a disguise. With the wolf fur on his back, he walked on all fours and spied on the Greeks."

"I doubt that actually worked," you commented.

Hunter paused, unsure of how to justify the disguise. "I never understood that either. I think it was dark or maybe the Greeks were drinking. Like you called, Dolon was caught and eventually chased down. Dolon pleaded for his life. He promised his father would pay a great ransom. The Greeks promised to spare his life if he told them why he was spying on them. He did."

"So, the Greeks let him go? Or did they see his running talent and make them apart of their army?" you hoped.

"They decapitated him."

Your eyes widened. "That wasn't the bedtime story I was hoping for. Now I feel like I shouldn't have become a spy."

"No!" Hunter blurted. "Please, don't leave me. I need you to do this so we can have a better future. The lesson is this: do not sell out your own side. Once the enemy has what they want, they won't spare you. They will not protect you. Once they have what they need, they will abandon you," he warned you. "That's why we've taken precautions and made it a rule you can only trust me. It is to protect you."

You nodded, taking in his message. If all the crew wanted from you was your information, they wouldn't have a reason to keep you around after they know. They will abandon you.

"Now, we should discuss tomorrow's plan. As the intelligence officer, I will give you the information you need to be prepared for tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

Hunter chuckled. "You don't have to be so formal. I may be your superior, but I would prefer if we were friends. Just call me Hunter."

You hesitated, unsure if you were comfortable with having anything but a strictly professional relationship with Hunter. When you originally joined the mission, you thought you would be having relationships with either Nico or Leo. But Hunter? He was just a side character, right?

"I understand Annabeth is not quite on board with your claims of innocence. To make the crew trust you, you must hit them in their soft spot. They have a soft spot for troubled children because they are troubled children. So, when possible, you should mention certain things about yourself," he began.

"Annabeth isn't quite on board with your claims of innocence, but that's to be expected. She is the brains of the operation so she has to be skeptical. And, the other passengers won't be able to open up to you until Annabeth says it's okay. So, Leader has provided me with information of the crew. Apparently, many of them are troubled children, so they would have a soft spot for fellow troubled children."

"Okay, I know just what to say," you told him, thinking about how you would tell them you refuse to follow rules and have been a common visitor on Dr. Phil.

"While I'm sure you have great ideas, we must follow Leader's recommendations. So here are some symptoms you should show:

"1) You have trouble reading. You confuse m's with n's and b's with d's

"2) You do well in school because you are medicated for ADHD. Tell them you take the medication once a day. If they ask, say the name of the medication is, tell them it is a weird name. If they ask if it is Aderal, tell them you already tried that, but it gave you a migraine so you don't take that.

"3) You live with your grandmother, who refuses to speak about either of your parents.

4) You are always getting in trouble in school and teachers often call you out. You are blamed whenever something goes wrong."

You blinked a couple times. You stared at his lips, wondering if they were going to add another instruction. Thankfully, there were only four things to remember.

Hunter studied you as he allowed time for the instructions to sink in. But you weren't thinking about the instructions. You were staring at his beautifully smooth skin. Suddenly, you realized his hand was still on your shoulder.

You smiled. "That seems easy enough. I'll keep all of those things in mind tomorrow."

"So you think you can make it through tomorrow?" he asked, ensuring your confidence.

"Yes, sir."

He took his hand off your shoulder and hid it in a pocket. His face dropped before he quickly lifted it. "Oh, (Y/N), I may be the intelligence officer, but you don't need to be so formal with me. Let's be friends; just call me Hunter."

You hesitated, unsure if you felt comfortable being friends with the guy you considered to be your boss. You didn't know if there would be consequences if you refused his friendship. You weren't sure if there would be any benefits from being his friend. Would you learn more information that way?

"Oh, before I forget, there is more I have to tell you. Here," he paused as he fished something out of his sweatpants' pocket. You were jealous. You had a hard time finding sweatpants with pockets.

You watched Hunter pull a ring out of his pocket. The ring was simple. It was plain gold. At least, the color was gold. Considering your lack of expertise in the jewelry business, the ring could have been colored with a gold sharpie and you couldn't tell the difference.

You picked the ring out of his hand. "I don't understand why you are giving this to me."

"Leader is sparing no expense when it comes to ensuring the success of our mission. So, she gifted you this ring. If you ever need to summon me, simply rub on the sides like it's a genie lamp. I may appear if I am not busy. Simple, right?"

Choice time:

Chapter 54: Yes, sir.

Chapter 55: I guess you're a part-time genie, Hunter.