I slipped out of the room early that morning before anyone had woken up, feeling just as tired as I had been when I lay down. I was so tired that I nearly tripped over Nico on the floor. No sleep, fourth night in a row. Maybe tonight I should try some of that drink Will gave me.

In my hand was the TV-looking device that... what's his name... Theodore (?) gave me. Once again it took me a few minutes to re-understand how to work it, but soon the screen was alive with Joel's sleepy face on it, smiling tiredly at me. The new dog's nose poked through some of the sheets and huffed loudly. "Hey buddy," I said, sliding to sit against the wall. "How you doin'?"

"Nice." I realized he was in my room, curled up in my bed. His smile made my stomach warm. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine. We stopped at a hotel last night-" Annabeth staggered out of the room, her bed-head resembling a peacock's tail, and yawned as she made her way to the elevator. Towels, she mouthed to me. I nodded. "Nothing much has happened yet. Very boring without you here, little man."

He stared into the screen for a while. Not a lot had to be said. His giggle was so familiar when the dog nosed into his tummy. Something tugged at the back of my mind, but I didn't even try to catch it anymore. I already learned whatever memory may have existed wasn't coming back, no matter how hard I tried. I'd only get a headache.

We closed the conversation when a much more awake Annabeth stormed back out of the elevator, towels in hand and an angry frown plastered onto her face. She slammed the room door behind her as she went in. "Um... I'm gonna have to go. Annabeth seems to have some sort of... issue."

When I went back into the room, almost everyone was awake. Grumpy, but awake. Except for Milo, who was completely lax in the bed, still asleep. "What happened?" I asked.

"I found out the hard way that our receptionist is Menoetius, god of insults. Apparently he's here for 20 more years because he mocked Aphrodite's hairstyle." She threw a towel at Milo, who didn't even flinch.

"I've met him," Calypso muttered, brushing her hair out. "He was such a jerk. Don't ask him any questions. He'll just find a way to insult you."

We all made our way downstairs with the luggage after we had showered and eaten. I'd also gotten a small notebook from the giftshop to write things down in. That way I'll never forget anything anymore, I'll just study what I've written. Nico, Annabeth, and I brought up the rear with the last of the swords and bags. We passed the front desk, and Menny sat behind it looking quite bored as he read a fashion magazine. He glanced up at us briefly. "Nice getup, kid," he said to Nico. "You bringing Backstreet back?"

Nico froze beside me. I felt the anger radiating off him. "Nico..." I brushed his fingers with mine, gently and hopefully in a calming manner. "He's just trying to rile you up," I whispered. "It's his job. Just ignore him-"

"I'll ask you to say that one more time," he interrupted me, turning to throw Menny a cold stare past me, "a little more politely."

Just Menny's smirk was enough to irritate me. "I'm just saying, you look like a Halloween costume gone bad. You could use-"

He never got to make his suggestion. At that moment, the marble floor cracked open beneath him, and he didn't have time to do anything but look shocked as he fell through the crack. It closed over him with a resounding boom. Nico turned and walked out like nothing had happened. "He obviously didn't know who he was dealing with."

I stood for a moment and marveled at the whole situation. Then I speed-walked after Nico, a little bit in awe of him.

Milo only drove five minutes before we decided it was safer to switch with me: Annabeth heard him snoring at a red light. So I resumed my position behind the wheel while Milo slept in the back seat. Annabeth seemed very interested in learning. I tried to explain it to her as we cruised along the highway in the morning fog.

"So Bernard-" because Calypso said "Questing Van" was too long of a name- "is an automatic, which is great news for you because it's less to worry about. So there are two breaks, one of which is the emergency break for... emergencies. It's usually either on the left of the break and gas, or up here past the... um, this handle thingy." I totally forgot the name, but Annabeth didn't comment.

Hours and hours more passed, Milo snored in the seat behind me, Calypso and Nico talked about some friends of hers that he'd met in the Underworld. By the time we entered Alabama following Chiron's directions, Annabeth knew most of the basics of driving. She even looked like maybe she'd try it out on the way back. Hopefully I didn't forget anything.

We passed a sign for Mobile, Alabama. Soon afterwards a tiny little town grew in the distance, small and old-looking buildings spread far apart in the dry landscape. "That way there," Annabeth said, pointing to a path veering off the main road. There were a few lights here and there, one for a motel, a few for restaurants. Further down I could make out some grocery stores. For the most part it was just empty and dead- pretty creepy.

A short distance down the path and suddenly the ocean appeared. I had no idea we were so close to the sea, but it was a beautiful surprise. That's the only good thing that could be said about this town so far. "What exactly are we supposed to be doing?" Milo asked as I pulled the van to a stop in front of the thin strip of beach. There didn't seem to be any signs telling us what to do next. "Was the quest-riddle-thing that the Oracle gave you any more specific than just 'Drive to Alabama'?"

"Well..." Annabeth looked around nervously. She hopped out of the car, all of us following her lead. "We're supposed to meet a guide. I don't know when-"

"Right about now, I'd say!"

Behind us on the higher part of the beach stood a young kid, no more than ten, with shaggy blond hair and playful, electric blue eyes that I found difficult to look at. He grinned like he meant it, wide and excited. His blue toga matched the colour of the clearest waters. "Palaemon, at your service." He took a dramatic bow. "God of waves, minor god of the sea. Let's get going, shall we?"

"Umm..." Annabeth looked confused as Palaemon walked happily down the beach towards the ocean. "Wait a minute! What's the quest actually about? Where are we going?"

He in turn gave her a confused glance, still smiling. "Hasn't the Oracle told you? I thought you'd know by now." He laughed it off and slid into the tide, whistling loudly against the wind. "The forces of darkness- quite literally- against the forces of light. The classic good vs. evil. Nothing special about this one. It's just like every other quest. Come along!"

Annabeth huffed at his response. Several dolphins rose from the surface, chittering and clicking to each other. Palaemon clicked right back, a cheerful smile on his face. He mounted one with ease, and I knew immediately it was going to take me forever. Calypso jumped on one's back like a pro, rubbing the smooth skin affectionately. Milo's dolphin flipped him in circles, completely dousing him. He seemed to fit so well in the water, like a surfer who rode waves all day every day with his fair hair and slightly-tanned skin. Palaemon rode the largest dolphin, and when his tunic touched the water it melted into the ocean. "We'll reach the island in just under a day. Hope you guys are good swimmers! These dolphins like to dunk you every once in a while."

When I headed for an empty dolphin, it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't really like the ocean. In fact, I discovered that I hated the ocean. I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at the water just barely reaching my toes in the sand, then edged away from the cold touch. Dread and fear boiled in the pit of my stomach. I felt physically sick when I thought about entering into the ocean. No way am I going to wherever we're going on the back of a dolphin, with no solid surface to stand at least 10 feet away from the water.

Calypso noticed my paralyzation on the shore. "What's wrong?" she called out, concerned.

I shook my head, eyeing my chittering dolphin splashing happily in the waves. "Was I scared of the ocean before?" I asked. Did I know Calypso enough that she would be able to answer that question? Probably not, now that I think about it. "Because I definitely am now."

Nico looked back at me guiltily, like he just remembered something. "That's right, you're afraid of water. I totally forgot."

"Yeah, well, so did I," I answered absentmindedly. I looked at them forlornly from the beach. It's not fair to the rest of them for me to hold them up like this. But the unjustified fear of drowning scared me more than disappointing the rest of the team. "I don't think I can do this, guys. I'm really sorry."

Annabeth calculated the situation, picking at her shirt's hem in concentration. "No problem. We could split into two groups, one with Palaemon and one on a boat rental. That would actually be better planning: we'll have a way of getting back without inconveniencing another god."

Nico volunteered immediately to go on the boat with me, and Milo shortly after him. Calypso joked that she and Annabeth would finally get some free time, not having to babysit us guys for a while. It made me feel a little better, that no one seemed too upset about the dilemma. We split the rations, ambrosia, and money from Annabeth's bag, and Palaemon gave us coordinates to the island. "You're going to get a bit lost," he said, smiling unceasingly, "because you can't find this island if you already know where it is!"

They swam away following his lead, while Milo, Nico and I headed for the boat rental down the beach. I hate sand in my shoes. I'd have to write that in my notebook, so I remember never ever ever to come to a beach again after this quest. I don't care what any oracle says. We arranged ourselves a small two-decker boat which Milo enchanted to take care of itself, since none of us knew anything about sailing. We stored our gear away, leaving weapons out and ready just in case. Once on the boat, I felt completely safe. Maybe I wouldn't get too close to the edge, but I could sit and close my eyes against the wind, rock with the feel of the waves, enjoy the salty smell of the air. Not for long, however.

"I'm starving," Milo groaned for the millionth time since we left ten minutes ago. This time, Nico agreed that he was also very hungry.

I sighed and got up to go downstairs to the small kitchen. "I guess I'll cook, then," I said, taking the hint. "Since no one else is willing to even try. You guys come watch though, so you can do it later. I get to have first watch for this."

Milo and Nico followed, Milo exalting to the skies his love of food and Nico silent as ever, but smiling along with us.