A sword fight had started the conversation, they always do with half-bloods. Nico was practicing his sword fighting with his half sister Lydia on the deck of the Argo II, everyone was enjoying the warm air and sunshine except Percy and Annabeth, both of whom were trapped in Tartarus. Lydia was wearing long sleeves (like always) and she made an amazing jab at Nico, who managed to just barely miss it. In the process of doing so his sword caught on her sleeve. Rip! the sleeve came clean off, reviling her right arm. Piper gasped, so did everyone else because Lydia's arm was covered in scars.

"Its now what you think" she cried out in desperation.

"Than what is it?" Coach Hedge asked. He looked genuinely concerned for the girl. Nico looked sick, as did Leo for he had seen scars like that in foster homes before.

"Its nothing" she said as Nico stepped forward as if to apologize. Frank looked a bit nauseous as Hazel walked up to Lydia, looking for a way to help. "Leave me alone!" she spat as Nico and Hazel reached her. "Its nothing" she said again, as she shoved them out of the way to grab her sleeve and walk down to the storage room she shared with Nico. Upon reaching their room she grabbed another black dress from her bag and put it on. Then she pulled out a needle and thread and proceed to sew the sleeve back on her blouse.

Nico felt bad, his sister had so many secrets, and he had reviled a big one. One that he didn't even know about. "Alright everyone" Jason said, "time for a meeting, Hazel can you get Lydia?"

"I'll get her" Nico said, and he did. "Lydia" he said when he got to their room "Are you decent? Jason said that there is a meeting and you are needed."

"Go away"

"No, come one" after much argument she agreed. When she emerged from the room her face was red and puffy from crying. "Wash your face off" he told her and she did, and Nico lead her up to the mess hall. They heard voices before they saw the people.

"She needs help!" Jason was saying as Hazel interrupted him.

"You cant rush her Jason" she said as Nico and Lydia walked in. Lydia was about to stand in the shadowy corner like always when Piper jumped up.

"Oh Lydia come sit next to me."

"No thanks" she said.

"Thats because she wants to sit next to me" Leo said

"Not on your life Valdez" she said and moved to her corner, when they forced her into a chair.

"We want to know about the scars on your arms" Jason said.

"Oh I'm sure you do golden boy" she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm, but her eyes were darting back and forth like a caged animal looking for an escape.

"What do you mean 'Golden Boy'?" Jason asked cautiously.

"You are perfect, everyone loves you, they cant see you ever doing anything wrong. Son of Jupiter you wouldn't last one day as a child of Hades!'' she said sharply.

"Look Lydia we just want to help you" Couch Hedge said.

"Its nothing." she said

"Thats a lie," Leo said, "you are hurting, not just your self, but Nico and Hazel too. Cant you see that? They care about you, we all do…." she nervously spun one of her rings, the large silver skull.

"Its just that you wouldn't understand,…" she trailed off leaving nico to pick up the conversation.

"Maybe if you just told us?" his voice touched with worry, he had already lost one sister and he was unsure if he could stand to loose another. She started slowly

"I never fit in anywhere. Its hard when you are a foreign born bastard child of Hades. England during my childhood was a war zone. So we moved to the states, just mum and I. I didn't get along with anyone at school, they didn't understand what I had seen. Fast forward a few years, when I arrived at camp the first time. I was 15. I knew who my father was, but there was no place for him, no cabin. Nothing to mark his existence. I lied. I said I didn't know who my parent was. So I went to the Hermes cabin with all the other unwanted kids. I went to a bathroom stall to cry, and that was when I started, I clawed at my arms till they bleed. Can I go now? Or do you want all of my life story?" she said as she got up and left. The others sat with more questions than answers. When she went outside day had turned to night and she climbed to the top of the mast, in part to be alone and in part to keep watch. Shortly Nico came out and saw her perched high on the mast shrouded in black like a giant raven. Silently he made his way to the mast and quickly climbed up it like a rat.

"BOO!" he said as he appeared, "Whats wrong?" he asked when he saw her.

"Nothing, its just that I cant get away from creeps like you." and she attacked him with tickles.

"I think you're the crazy one" he said gasping for breath and ready to attack her with tickles. After a while he hopped down and ran inside. This left Lydia alone for a while. Soon Piper came out to send her to bed and take over watch. When she reached the storage room where they slept Nico was already asleep, so she grabbed her pjs. As she did so a razor fell from her pocket. It caught the moonlight and glinted silver. With a small chink it hit the floor. She bent down to pick it up and started to think.

"Think about it, you need this pain, you cant live with out it. You deserve it.."

"Think about Nico and the others, they don't need this, they are stressed as it is…"

"Just do it, CUT CUT CUT!" and the razor went down across her arm, she let out an audible gasp as little rubies stuck to the silver.

"Stupid stupid" she said to herself, "you've really fucked up you idiot" this woke Nico up, he looked over and saw Lydia in the corner crying and holding the bloodied razor at a distance. He ran to her side. "Take it away" she said "take it away and hide it." so he gently pried the razor from her hand, and put it in his pocket.

"Lets get you patched up" he said and half carried her to the bathroom where he bandaged up her wrist and cleaned her face. Then he put her to bed and went to Hazel. "Will you hide this?" he asked as he handed her the razor. She agreed, knowing what had happened.