---

We rode in silence, Danielle still gaping at everything. I carefully scanned the other people on the bus, wondering if there were any monsters aboard - even though Chiron boarded the bus before us, sniffing for them. My gaze dropped to the circular token that I'd been fingering. Taking a closer look at it, I did see a Lotus flower - looking awfully similar to the one carved on my Mother's statue in my cabin. It was heavier than most coins, but it looked gold, not bronze. "What's that?" Danielle asked, turning to face me. "I don't know... Argus gave it to me." "Can I see?" "I guess. Just be careful with it." I hand it to her and she stares at it intently. "It's been shaved. Like a loooong time ago." "Shaved? How can you shave a coin?" She suppresses a giggle as she tries to explain. "Well, a long time ago people made coins without grooves on the side, and they were worth by weight. Some people would shave off a little bit of every coin, hoping to make money off it. Eventually people got smart about it and added grooves to them, like on a quarter." She hands it back to me, pointing at the small straight lines around it. "See there? The sides are uneven and it kinda looks like an octagon. So it was shaved a long time ago, hence the rounded corners." I look at her incredulously. "And why, exactly, do you know this?" "Anybody will know a few facts about random stuff if you go to camp with Annabeth long enough. Wanna know about rainbows? They're actually circles." "Uhh, no thanks. I need to talk to Mark." I shove my backpack under my seat so I can stand, pocketing the coin and moving to make my way up to the front of the bouncing bus. "Mark?" He turns and looks at me with full attention. "Yeah?" "You know the way to DOA, right? Cause honestly I didn't have time to study some maps." He sticks his hand into his black leather jacket, reaching deep for something. "Try this." He hands me a piece of crumpled parchment. I smooth it over as best as I can on my knee, then flip it over. "That there," he points to a blob, "is us. If you look closely you can see it moving slowly. This here," he points to the other side of the map, "is our destination. Got it?" "I think so." "Good." He slumps down a little in his seat, crossing his ankles. "Take it for now and study it. Might be good to know if we get separated." "Thanks," I mumble, and stumble my way back to Danielle.

---

Our ticket ended at Little Rock, Arkansas. Thankfully, our bus was non-stop until here. We shuffled out of the vehicle, glad to be able to stretch and maybe sleep in a bed tonight. I shouldered my backpack and tilted my face to the warm morning sun. "C'mon, Freckles. We've still got a long ways to go." Mark said. I spin around to face him. "Freckles? Really?" He gives me that darn side grin again. "Hurry up, Danielle. We have someone to meet."

We walked up the wide steps of the college library side-by-side, trying to blend in with the students. Mark could pull it off no problem, his face as downcast as a Freshman with finals. I, on the other hand, was nowhere near looking like a college student. Danielle just kinda stared at everyone creepily.I opened the glass doors and looked in awe at the domed ceiling full of mosaics. Danielle nudged me as she walked past, following Mark towards an elevator. I shook my head to get out of my stupor and joined them in the elevator. "Hey, wait! Hold that elevator!" said a girl with a maxi skirt and hipster-ish glasses. "No prob," I said, holding my arm out to stop the doors from closing. "Psst. Haley!" Mark whispers. Then he gives me the glare of death. The girl, a little out of breath, thanks me and gives me a hug, a little smelly one which I really didn't appreciate. "Ssso. Where you guyss from?" "Ooh ooh! I got this one!" says Danielle. "We're from a special camp in New York City! We're on a quest to the Underworld." I glance at Mark and I can see he's facepalming pretty hard. I subtly elbow Danielle in the gut to shutup. "Hey!" she exclaims, rubbing her stomach. "Why'd you do that?" Ding. "Our stop. C'mon guys." Mark takes a step towards the elevator doors but they don't open. He hits is with his hand. Then with two. "Gah!" he yells in frustration and hits the broken door with a fist. "Well now. Won't we jussst have a grand time?" "Sure we will! I got a deck 'o cards in here... somewhere." Danielle says, kneeling to dig through her stuff. "What's your name?" Mark asks. "Alyssse." "Alyse?" "Yesss." His eyes widen the tiniest bit, and he subtly motions for me to move towards him. I let my shoe hit Danielle's as I take the two steps to the other side of the elevator. "What'ssss wrong, demigodsss?" Mark's hands twitch on his crossed arms, ready for action. "Take off your skirt." "WHAT?!" Alyse, Danielle and myself exclaim. "How dare you- you- imbecile!" Alyse practically slides over to us and up into Mark's face. Trusting that he had good reason to ask that, I take out one of my throwing knives out of my belt while Mark receives a tongue-lashing. If she was mortal, this shouldn't do a thing. I told myself. Then I plunge the dagger and pull down. SSSSHRIEKK!! Her eyes grew wide and yellow, filled with hatred. "A Dracanae! I knew it!" With her skirt torn and her legs - er, snake-things bleeding, she fled to the farthest corner. Hissing at us, she divided her attention between us and her wound. "Aww," says Danielle, "she's no more than a baby!" "What? I am not!" "Yes you are!" Danielle giggles. "Your serpents are barely grown." "No! I -" "Isn't she cute?" she whispers in my ear. "Uhh... no?" The Dracanae flew towards us in a rage. Being in such a confined room, swords would do us no good. Alyse scratched and shrieked and slithered all around, trying her best to evade us. 3 versus 1 is never good odds. Mark drew a dagger and cut her throat from behind, splattering Danielle and I with monster blood. "Ick," we both said in unison, trying to wipe it off our faces. Ding! "Now it opens! Geez..." I mutter. Mark scouts out the corridor we landed in, then motions for us to follow. He opens a old wooden door with no nameplate, and we jog up a small flight of stairs. There, we find another door. "Who's in here?" I ask to Mark. "An old friend." He opens the door, and we walk into the musty room.

Notes

I apologize for the long wait for this chapter, so I made it a little longer. :)
Life has its own unexpected schedule that needs to be kept.

Will there be a monster in the old room?
Is it a friend, like Mark said?
Hmm....