Clarisse flinched at the feeling of the cool towel on her shoulder. "You have got to stop fighting people,"  Alana scolded, not caring how cold the water was on the other girl's tan skin. "This doesn't mean you're in the clear by the way."

Ares' daughter rolled her eyes, refusing to look at Alana. "It's not my fault they're always being bitches."

"Clarisse."

She looked down quickly. Real name. The huntress rarely called Clarisse her real name, usually only when she was in trouble. "What? I- fine. Do you wanna know why I fought him?"

Alana directed her attention to the face of the other girl, who was finally looking at her. "Is it a good reason?"

"He said I didn't deserve to hang out with you."

The shorter girl took her hands off Clarisse entirely and just stared at her. "Well, you don't," she smirked, the flipped her hair as she said her next sentence. "No one does."

Clarisse glared at her. "Alana."

The aforementioned girl giggled, which made Clarisse smile unknowingly. "Kidding. Do you believe it?"

The curly haired girl rolled her eyes. "I feel like you wouldn't hang out with me all the time if you didn't," she stated sarcastically.

"Aw you do have a brain up in there," Alana teased, tapping Clarisse's head. "But seriously, don't let that get to you, everyone here likes to say shit to get on each other's nerves sometimes. You should know that. They know you react, so they want you to."

"You sound like a mom again."

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"There's no way this is what sacred smells like," Percy complained.

The four were now on a bus on their way to the entrance to Hades' lair. Alana currently was listening to classic rock on a walkman that she bribed a summer only Aphrodite camper to buy her a few years ago. She usually listened to music on her record player in her cabin, as the demigods weren't supposed to have electronics. But, she asked her mother and she said it would be ok to have a walkman for traveling music.

Annabeth and Alana were sitting in a seat together on the back of the bus, with Percy and Grover in the seat next to them. Alana sat in the window seat with her right earbud in. Her music was turned low enough that she could hear everything the others were saying.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Percy. "We're soldiers on a mission. It's not a vacation."

Percy shot her a look. Alana was really hoping she wouldn't have to step in soon... "Thank you for clearing that up. But if this is so important, why didn't Chiron spring for plane tickets? This seems kind of low priority, doesn't it?"

The girls glanced at each other while Grover looked at the blonde sympathetically. "Well..." the huntress trailed off. Why had no one told the poor kid this?

Percy jerked head to Alana. It was the first thing she had said since they got on the bus and it didn't seem like a good thing. "Sorry, I assumed someone had told you," Grover apologized.

"Told me what?" Posiden's son asked, eyes bouncing between the satyr and the other demigods.

Grover explained why they couldn't fly and Percy grumbled in the fact that no one told him. The girls were planning what they would do when the bus stopped for gas in a few minutes.

"I think she should get snacks," Alana smiled. "Maybe it'll cool some of the drama and tension."

Annabeth laughed. "I think you're optimistic. But I would like some snacks and I know Grover's down for that."

Soon enough the bus stopped and they stood up. "Okay, we're gonna go get us some snacks," the daughter of Athena announced.

Percy shot up. "I'll come with you."

Annabeth glared at him. "No. You'll stay here. Alana's coming with me."

"Why? It smells terrible back here," he complained more.

If he complained one more time Alana was about to shoot an arrow at him. "Monster's can't smell you through that, Percy," she explained, trying not to groan at the argumentative 12 year old.

"Exactly," Annabeth agreed. "So that's where I want you."

"I wanna vote," Percy declared. "Who thinks that we should all go get to breathe fresh air and buy our own snacks?"

The younger girl stared him down. Alana kind of fear for his life. "There's no voting."

"Chips and sodas ok for you guys?" Artmeis's daughter asked, attempting to distract them.

They simply ignored her. "I don't think you should just get to decide we don't vote," the blonde decided.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Annabeth sassed.

"Okay," Percy sassed back. "I wanna vote on whether you get to decide we don't vote."

Alana sent Grover a pleading look. He might be able to handle them better than she would, partially because he knew Percy better. She knew if they really started getting on her nerves, they would regret it. She didn't want that to happen though.

Grover saw this and nodded right as Annabeth tried to drag him into it. "Grover, please, can you help your..." She slowed as the satyr started clapping rhythmically. "....friend?"

Alana and Percy looked at him weird too. What was he doing? "I really don't wanna be a tiebreaker. I have a better idea," he explained. Then he started singing. Alana was really about to leave and never come back right then and there. "Oh, golly, the road's gettin' bumpy 'cause I got me some friends, who just can't get along. Oh, dear! When the team's gettin' grumpy, the trick to gettin' through it, is singin' this song."

Percy finally cut him off. "Dude, what are you doing?"

"It's the consensus song," Grover smiled. "Verse two encourages us to say nice things about each other. You get a few rounds in and you'd be amazed at how disagreements just kind of... fade away."

The demigods sent each other looks of pure concern. "Chips and sodas ok for you guys?" Annabeth asked suddenly, wanting to clear up that awkwardness.

"Whatever," Percy grumbled as Grover said, "Yes, please."

"Kay!" Alana smiled, clapping her hands together and pushing Annabeth forward before the 12 year olds could start arguing again.

"Our voting system's broken," Percy muttered.

Alana snapped in his direction, making him turn to her instead of the seat in front of him. "Hey," she hissed, like a mom in a store, "Lose the attitude. I'm telling Annabeth the same thing."

The huntress quickly followed the daughter of Athena out of the bus and into the gas station. "You two need to not be fighting this whole trip," Alana scolded. "Grover and I don't need to deal with that for Zeus knows how long."

Annabeth looked offended she would say such a thing. "It's not my fault he's arguing with me over everything! I know what I'm doing, he doesn't."

Alana sighed. "Just... try. Please?"

The younger girl laughed to herself. "Alright, mom."

The daughter of Artemis laughed, too. "I told him something similar too, by the way."

The two stopped in their tracks when they got to the isles of food and candy. They were 12 and 15, but had never been outside of camp, at least not in a long time. Of course they would be overwhelmed by the amount of choices in a gas station store.

They looked at each other with lit up eyes, then nodded at each other before splitting off. Annabeth when towards the chips and drink, while Alana tackled the candy. Alana wandered the isles, grabbing anything she thought looked good or that she thought the other kids would like. Suddenly she saw a candy with an orange wrapper that made her think of something, or someone, else.

"Reese's?" She muttered. "Ha, kinda sounds like Risse..." The huntress grabbed and handful of those and intended on leaving those in her backpack to bring back to camp.

"Hey." Alana turned to see Annabeth looking at her distractedly. "Can you pay for these, I'll be right back. Go straight back to the bus when you're done."

Artemis's daughter raised an eyebrow at the younger girl. "Sure, why?"

"Nothing I-"

"Annabeth." The girl stopped and looked at her older sister. "I saw them. Be careful. If anything happens scream."

Annabeth simply nodded before following Alecto.

Alana paid for the snacks and drinks and immediately went back to the bus. "Guys, we might have to dip," she mentioned, dumping the snacks into her bag as she reached their seats.

Almost immediately after she said that, Annabeth was seen running to where they were. "You guys need to open that window now!" She screamed. Alana ran over and started yanking at the window, but it wouldn't budge.

"I don't think these windows are supposed to-" Grover got cut off by the sound of a fury behind them. "Oh go go!"

Alana quickly pulled her necklace off and used her dagger to open the window.

"Go, go, go, go!" Alana screamed, about to shove the boys out, as all the other passengers left the front of the bus. Of course they couldn't see anything that was happening because of the mist. Luckily a person blocked Alecto's path and line of sight. Another fury was heard outside of the bus and it came crashing through the open window, breaking part of the bus with it.

The daughter of Artemis threw herself at the fury, keeping it from getting to any of her friends. However, she hadn't realized until she was already on the fury that she dropped her dagger. It would come back to her, eventually.

"Alana!"

"Allie what're you doing?!"

The monster's claws seeped into her shoulders as Alana pushed her into the wall. "Move your head!" Annabeth screamed, which the huntress quickly did. Athena's daughter threw her dagger at the fury, right as it was about to attack Percy too.

Alana dropped to the ground, quickly standing back up. Thank the gods all the training had paid off. "We're done here, let's go," Annabeth said as she grabbed the other girl's arm and lead her out of the bus.

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A/N: I already miss writing Clarisse and Alana together constantly :(

THIS TAKES ME SO LONG NOW WTF???