Sparks. Those fucking sparks. You see, that's what happens when I talk to Lila, she gets me cursing like she does! Sorry, sidetracked. Painful, stupid shocks every time, even when I'm doing something nice like keeping Lila from rolling down a hill. At least it didn't hurt as much as the first couple of times.

I was not expecting to hear what Lila told me. Just as I was about to tell her I'm out of her little quest, she tells me Adam's going with. Don't ask me why that made me change my mind. Seriously. Don't.

**

After breakfast, we each ran up to our separate bunks. Lila didn't have time to talk to Adam, so I guess we're just going to surprise him. Something like, 'surprise! You're not going to go on some lonely romantic quest with the girl you're obsessed with! Instead, the gloomy kid that you're unsure about is going to third-wheel! Have a nice trip!' I roll my eyes as I walk into my cabin. Since I changed my mind about going, I didn't exactly pack stuff. Not like I need much. I grab my sword and strap it on. I don't know what else I should bring, really. I grab my money from inside my drawer, both drachmas and dollars, and put on my aviator jacket. Good to go.

Before we left to go to our bunks, Lila told me to meet up near the main entrance to camp, like that's not conspicuous. I'm almost at the entrance, when I hear Lila talking to someone, probably Adam. Naturally, I eavesdrop.

"Adam, you can't be serious! Tell me you're not serious." He must have nodded or shrugged because Lila continued. "Really. You're crazy. You can't expect to go wherever the hell we're going with that much shit on your back! Run back to your bunk and come back just with the things you're going to need. Ok? Hurry, before people start to notice, or care!" Adam comes into my view, and I cover my mouth to stop myself from bursting out laughing. Adam jogs back to the Apollo bunk, sporting a backpack stuffed like he's going camping for a month. He looks like a tortoise, and the weight of the bag throws him off balance every other step. Once he's out of sight, I start howling with laughter. He's so stupid! Why would he bring that much stuff, it's not like we're going to get a break and stay at a hotel where we can lounge around and play card games, or whatever he brought! Obviously he's never gone on a quest, or seen other kids preparing for a quest. Sure, you need to bring stuff, but not enough to slow you down if you need to get the hell out of somewhere.

"Ahem." I shut up and turn around. Phew, it's just Lila. "Thanks for coming, Nico." She has something that looks like a backpack on, except it's like a crossbody- hybrid. Wait, I've seen Apollo kids with things like that! What are they called again? Sounds like shivers... quivers! That's it.

"Uh, don't sweat it." Out of the corner of my eye I see someone jogging up, and I pray to the gods it's not Adam. Because it'd be an awkward way for him to find out I'm coming along, of course. Not for any other reason. I get to relax, though, when I see it's just Percy.

"Lila, I'm glad I caught you before you left, I wanted to- What's Nico doing here?" Before Lila can explain, I jump in.

"I'm saying goodbye. Like, sending her off. Giving her advice and all that crap. You know." He knows. I think.

"Uh, ok. Thanks, I guess. Anyways, Lila. I told my close friends that you're going on this personal quest. It's ok, they're totally trustworthy. After I told them, Piper wanted to give you this." Percy holds out one hand, with something that looks like a compact mirror in it. Typical daughter of Aphrodite. Then Lila opens it up, and I see that it's a compass. Oh. Nevermind.

"Really? Piper would do that?" Lila takes the compass from Percy and closes it.

"Yeah. She told Leo to make her something 'she'll find handy'. She decided to lend it to you, because she thinks it's handy if you have it, or something like that."

"Thank you, Percy! And thank Piper for me, would you? A million times over." Lila hugs Percy, and something in my heart twitches at their brotherly-sisterly relationship. When Percy lets go, he says goodbye and waves to me as he jogs back down to camp. Lila and I walk back over to the entrance, just as Adam comes back up. This time, he doesn't look like he's going backpacking around the world. He just looks like he's going to school.

"Ok, Lila. Only necessities like you sugges- Oh, hi Nico." So, Adam doesn't hate me. Adam doesn't not like me, but he's not my best friend, either. Yeah, we had that one conversation yesterday, but I've been at camp for something over a week and Adam never really went out of his way to be friendly, thank the gods. He doesn't feel comfortable around me, mainly because I'm a child of Hades. It's like he thinks I'm going to suck the fun and emotion out of everything he does. Especially now, because I'm going to 'suck the fun and emotion right out of his little romantic and deadly quest'.

"Hey, Adam." I respond, my voice indifferent and chill. He works up a little smile, and I nod in return.

"So... you here to say goodbye, or what?"

"Heh, heh..." Lila awkwardly laughs. "Adam, Nico's coming on this little almost-quest too. Three people's the best number for a quest, you know." The two of them look thoroughly uncomfortable, and I feel the urge to laugh.

"Hey, man. I don't mean to intrude, if that's what you're thinking." Somehow, I end up talking to Adam as if we were two guys meeting in a skate park. Apparently this surprises Lila as much as it does me, because she's staring at me, wide-eyed.

"Nah, it's cool I guess." Adam does the same. The whole, 'we're guys and we're gonna get along because we can talk about cars and chicks' act. "It is Lila's choice." He says that like he expects Lila to change her mind and tell me to get lost. She just looks away, and I'm hoping I don't look smug. Even if I do, it wouldn't matter because Adam isn't looking at me. He probably won't look at me for the rest of the quest if he can help it. His loss.