What am I doing here? you asked yourself. You turned onto your side, punching the pillow in hopes of making it comfortable. Is this really...real? You turned onto your stomach and punched the pillow again. Did Nico get food after leaving dinner? What other American dish do Italians hate?

While you were rolling onto your stomach and giving the pillow another beating, a soft knock came from the door. You froze in bed. Unsure of whether you heard something or not, you whispered, "Who is it?"

You heard another knock. Another soft knock.

Squinting your eyes at the door, you questioned why someone would visit you at a late hour. Curious about who it was and what they wanted, you rolled out of bed.

You tiptoed to the door. Another knock came from the door. Another soft knock. Insisting entrance.

Creeping open the door, you peeked at the visitor.

The first thing you noticed was the visitor's sweet expression. Despite the dark hallway, his eyes twinkled. His cheeks were rosy and his grin was small but sincere.

Shifting to the door's crack and tilting his head, he asked if he could come in. His manners were so nice, you couldn't say no. You took a step away to let him in.

The moonlight seemed to dim as he entered the room. You went to the dresser and began to fumble with a lamp to try to get more light.

"No," the visitor whispered to you as he eased the door closed. Raising your eyebrows, you questioned why he closed the door. "I understand this might feel weird and frightening, but I must insist the lights stay off," he explained as he gestured to the lamp your hands were still on. "Light will attract attention."

Before you could ask why you needed secrecy, you realized who the visitor was. In front of you stood Hunter.

You observed him, comparing him to who you had expected. From what his message was in Chapter 2, you pictured an intimidating, dominant, muscular guy that wore sunglasses indoors. Instead, Hunter seemed very sweet and considerate. You couldn't tell if he were muscular though. He wore a black turtleneck and black sweatpants, which did well to hide him in the dark.

As he pressed an ear to the door, you noticed his long hair. It wasn't boyband-rebel long, but rather like a sophisticated cultural look. His long, silky black hair was held back in a neat ponytail. You kinda envied his hair.

When he seemed satisfied with what he heard through the door, he took his ear off the door. "Good evening, (Y/N)," Hunter greeted.

"Hunter," you nodded your greeting.

His smile returned, pleased hearing you say his name. "Ah, you recognized me. I'm pleased." His smile weakened as he dropped his eyes. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, no," you assured him. You gestured to the pillow that lied on the floor near your bed. "You see that piece of crap I had to use as a pillow? I'm pretty sure a noose would be more comfortable."

He chuckled at your joke and walked to the pillow. "Do you mind?" he asked.

Curious about what he planned to do, you allowed him to do whatever with the pillow. You expected him to fluff it into a cloud or maybe even set it on fire and laugh as it turns to ashes. Instead, he hugged it to his chest, bowed his head, and closed his eyes. You could see his lips move as he said something.

Oh no, is he praying? Does that mean I'm part of a religious cult? Those are the most dangerous, you thought to yourself.

After a few seconds, he set it on the bed. In the moonlight, the pillow still looked like it came out of a one-star hotel, but you kept that to yourself. "Thank you," you said, biting your tongue before you could add "for whatever the heck you just did."

He blushed. "Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do since you have decided to help me--I mean us." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I've been looking forward to our talk tonight all day. I was worried about how the other passengers are treating you. Are they kind?"

Shrugging, you recalled Annabeth's warm greeting of a sword pointed at your throat. "Annabeth is a bit weary, but I don't blame her. Everyone else seems to be waiting for Annabeth's signal to know when to trust me."

Hunter nodded as a approached you. Placing a hand on your shoulder, he leveled his eyes to yours'. "They'll open up to you soon. You're a great person. No one can stay secretive from you for long," he assured you.

"They seem to be hiding something big. Do you know what it is?" you asked.

Hunter's lips tightened and he looked at the window. "I'm bound to rules just like you, (Y/N). I mustn't tell you anything about the others. Leader is concerned that if you know too much about them, your job would become harder for you."

You raised your eyebrows. "Wouldn't knowing more help me?"

His eyes remained locked on the window. You looked out and saw the night sky. "Please understand. I am not allowed to answer your questions, so it would be best if you didn't ask anything."

"Fine. I believe I can do a better job if I know more about the enemy," you stated.

Hunter turned to you, surprised by your statement that doubled as a question. "Imagine this: It is Christmas day. Your parents give you a gift. You already know what it is, but you can't let your parents know you snooped so you must pretend to be excited. When you pretend to be excited, most people either over-do it or under-do it. Trust me: the reaction you will have to the truth is something that cannot be recreated."

You sighed, giving up on getting any answers out of him. "I guess it's for my own good."

Hunter's spirits went from apologetic to excited. "I'm very relieved you understand. You're quite smart." He then paused to gather his thoughts. "Yes, I'm supposed to be telling you about tomorrow. Tomorrow, you will be able to have some of their trust. But, only if you listen closely."

You expected him to pull out a notepad and read off a list of ways to earn people's trust. Or maybe he would tell you how to not be sketchy. Again, you misjudged Hunter's plan.

"You have completed today's goal, which was to not be suspicious. Tomorrow's goal is to gain their trust. In order to do that, Leader has given me a list of things for you to incorporate into your act.

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

"2) You do well in school because you take ADHD medication. If they ask what it is, tell them you don't know. If they ask if it's aderal, tell them you tried aderal, but it caused headaches so you don't take that.

"3) Your grandmother refused to speak of either of your parents so you don't know anything about your family.

"4) Teachers often pick on you."

You blinked a couple times. You stare 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 56: Yes, sir.

Chapter 57: I guess you're a part-time genie, Hunter.