On the bus to Long Island, Leo and Quinn walked towards the back of the bus after dropping off their fare. It was long and shallow, with only a few people around. Near the front, a father with a baby sat near the window, watching the people pass by. Besides for them, there was only one other teenager sitting in the middle with his head against the window and earbuds in.  Quinn slipped into the last seat in the row, Leo followed. 

"Now what," Leo asked Quinn as she neatly put away the extra cash. 

"We wait... one hour"

"Got it"

An awkward silence filled between them until Quinn broke it after three weird minutes.

"I'm going to get some extra sleep, I didn't sleep well"

"Oh yeah, for sure" Leo replied but grew wide-eyed as Quinn shifted her weight to lay her head on his shoulder. 

What did that mean? he thought, Was it a friendly sleeping-on-your-shoulder or a flirty sleeping-on-your-shoulder? 

Quinn didn't seem like the flirty type but he hadn't known her long. Oh but, he liked her, so much. His body was so tense that when she laid her head on him it felt like static electricity. He wasn't sure of what he wanted. Leo knew that he wasn't good with girls, he almost always messed it up. And really, Leo had never had girls hit on him, he didn't know what it was like. Girls with their secretive minds and everything. Calypso never really flirted with him, she was so guarded and never fishing for anything until they got together. 

Stop, Leo told himself, stop thinking about her. 

The bus rattled on towards Long Island and halfway through the father and child got off. The bus driver drove out towards the woods and stopped in the clearing. 

"I guess this is a popular place for the cool kids?" the bus driver chuckled as he looked back towards the three teenagers, "I get at least 20 kids coming here during winter break". He put the bus into park and motioned for everyone to get off. 

Quinn was still sleeping so Leo quietly whispered her name a few times until she arose. She rubbed her eyes and got up with him. Curiously enough, when Leo glanced forward the other passenger was nowhere to be seen. Leo pulled Quinn up and together they walked to the front and exited after thanking the driver. 

...

After a short 10 minute walk to the hill, Leo's question had been answered. At the base of the entrance, he spotted the teenager running upwards, sword in hand. Leo looked back at Quinn and they exchanged a quick glance before running towards the other half-blood. 

Leo still couldn't see what was chasing the teen until they made it past the clearing of trees. Slithering towards the boy on the hill slowly but effortlessly, a huge thick mass of snake screeched across the valley. It was 15 feet long and about two feet thick, a swirling serpent colored so closely to dust that when it went over patches of rocky pebbles, it practically disappeared. On its head were two ram-like horns pointing dead center toward Camp. 

"That's a Cerastes, super fancy viper" Leo explained to Quinn as they were rushing up the hill. 

Leo was able to get a more clear image of the demigod running toward the entrance, his pants were ripped on the left leg and messy red liquid was protruding from the edges. 

"I think he's going to make it to camp!" Quinn exclaimed as she and Leo rushed towards the entrance as well. 

Seeing that it wouldn't catch the boy, the Cerastes slowly turned its head towards its new prey.

"Yeah but will we?"