“Are you coming with us?"Black Hawk laughed. "Are you insane, or do you think I am? One immortal and three Elders,heading onto an island of monsters. I know who's not coming back from that trip."Mars worked his head from side to side, easing the stiffness. "He's probably right-he'd slow us down.""I'll be right here," Black Hawk said, "so that when you all come screaming back here,I'll be able to get you off the island."Even Hel laughed. "We'll not come screaming to you.""Have it your way.I'll be here,though. For a while,anyway," he added with a grin."I thought you would want to rescue your friend Billy," Mars said.Black Hawk laughed again. "Trust me, Billy never needs rescuing. Usually people need to be rescued from him.”

“Why do all men seem to think they need to rescue a woman? Are we not capable of rescuing our damn selves? Why do I need to be rescued? I don’t need a man to rescue me, and I certainly don’t need no wallbanging, Purina-fucking, listening-at-my-wall-like-a-goddamn-psycho coming over here to rescue me! You got that, mister?”

“Guess I can’t go back to working for Quetzalcoatl, eh?”“When this is over, Billy,” Black Hawk said. “I think maybe we should go and visit the feathered serpent. Hand in our resignations. I’ll bring a box of matches.”“You going to toast some marshmallows with him?”“I’ll toast something,” Black Hawk promised.”

“When I came back from lunch and found out you'd been reassigned to Nick, I went up to be certain that you were doing all right. Mary told me that you'd just gone into Nick's office, so I opened the door and looked in to see if you needed rescuing. There you were-smiling angelically at him while you gave him messages from other women and turned down his offer of an 'affair.'"Resting his head against the back of his chair, Jim closed his eyes and laughed. "Oh Lauren, you were magnificent! I was just about to leave when you pushed him too far and told him you'd call him when your daughter was of age, so that he could, er, initiate her,as I gather he initiated you?”

“Let me get you all some punch,” I said.“You're leaving us?” said Isabel, sounding panicky.“I'll be right back,” I promised. “If anyone comes near you, just scream and run.”

“You talk about trust, and you're the person I trust most in the world. The person I want at my back and by my side. I'd hoped to show you that on the island. I hoped to remind you what a good team we make. I wanted to ask you to come back to me and try again. I swear I'll listen to you, and work with you, and love you, and never take advantage again.”