Here's to welcoming our next camper! Also, I just want to add that if I choose not to write your character, it is also likely because I just can't understand what you wrote in the form.

But that's that. Here's an update :)

Alexander "Alex" Walker, 16, son of Hermes

As he lay on the cold forest ground with his limbs at an awkward angle, Alex regretted what he'd done. Not because she'd basically beaten him up and left him there as the pain sank in - he deserved that - but because upon considering his actions now, he realized that he had pushed too far.

It was originally intended to be a fun prank, purely to get a few laughs and to see her pretty face scrunch up in annoyance and watch as she got riled up a little. Though he knew close to nothing about Jade, Alex knew that she got worked up whenever someone commented on her fighting abilities and how she was 'nothing more than a pretty face'.

Of course now, laying disoriented on the ground, with brown leaves tangled in his dark curly hair, he would vouch that her fighting abilities were not one to be looked down upon.

Anyway, before all that, he'd noticed the daughter of Ares sitting by the edge of the lake, and staring into the distance. There was a small object clutched in her hand, though Alex didn't pay much attention to it because it was besides the matter of the prank. So he approached her, not making any effort to quieten his steps since he wanted his presence to be heard. His target for the day, Jade Avraham, was known to be a sharp girl, who is always aware of her surroundings. However, it seemed like today she was below her game. Only when Alex was a good two meters away from her did she turn her head to the side.

Her brows were furrowed in question as he stood beside her. And he feigned an expression of innocent curiosity as he leaned forward to look at something under the surface of the water.

Pointing with false interest an easily injecting a tone of excitement, he said, "did you see that?"

The girl didn't look very interested in whatever he was talking and replied dully, "see what?"

"That beautiful green rock!" He said, almost jumping up and down with impatience, "under the water. Look!"

Finally, she caught the hook, though with less enthusiasm that what he would have liked. Leaning forward over the edge of the water, she stared into its depths, trying to figure out exactly what rock was so intriguing.

"There!" He pointed deeper, so that both of them were craning over the edge of the water to look at a rock that didn't exist. "It's the pretty green one!"

For a split second, they were looking at their own reflections in the rippling water, and as he sensed comprehension dawning on her features, he shoved her with both hands, which was easy since she was already out of her center of balance, sending her tumbling face first into the murky lake.

He let out a snort of laughter, before clutching his sides because they ached from overuse as he watched her getting out of the lake, hair and clothes dripping wet and soaking. The war god's daughter waddled around in the knee deep waters, her hands waving around and eyes searching for something in the water. Her delicate feminine features scrunched up and cheeks pink from a rising hot temper. Alex knew it was almost time to make a run for it, but the prank needed a finishing touch.

Trying in between breaths to contain his laughter, he struggled to form a sentence, "I...your name...Jade... green rock….get it?"

She had stormed up from the lake, and was striding towards him, her face flushed with burning anger that even caught Alex by surprise. Sure, he'd expected some sort of reaction, but not this. Her eyes were wide, and contained a tinge of sadness.

"You asshole, Walker." She yelled, hurling her pain laced words at him, "You haven't even got a clue what you'd just done."

Alex took an instinctive step backwards, but his usually swift movements were too slow, and all he saw next was her fist, before a sharp pain flared up on his left eye. Hands flying up to shield his face, but too startled to actually defend against her wrath, he took another hit to his jaw, and then a punch to his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs.

All this while, Jade advanced on him, her small frame seemed to grow with each strike she took at him, and she swept her feet under his legs, sending him sprawling to the ground.

He crawled to his knees, but the aches on his body flared up, and caused him to fall to the ground again.

"Sorry...okay?" Alex said, mostly to prevent her from attacking him rather than apologizing for what he'd done. "Jeez, you pretty girls really can't take a joke."

Luckily for him, she had already marched away, so she didn't hear his last words, otherwise he would have been in a worse situation. Alex just lay there on the ground, feeling that uncomfortable root under his back, one hand covering his bruised eye. Even though it may sound unapologetic, he knew his prank had gone horribly wrong when she rained relentless hits on him. He didn't know what had caused her to snap like this, or what he'd said that hurt her, but he wanted to really make up for it. Problem was, Alex didn't know how.

All his life at camp when he pranked others, it had never ended up like this before. He recalled her expression as she left him there on the ground, and now he thought about it, her eyes had been...wet?

Oh boy, what on earth had he gotten himself into?

He inhaled sharply as he rolled onto his side, trying not to jolt around too much. What he really needed right now was to get himself fixed. It did feel like he'd broken something. Getting unsteadily to his feet, he clutched a tree for support before taking slow steps towards the main camp. Maybe he'd find an Apollo kid to patch him up because he knew he looked pretty bad.

Twice, he tapped the golden door of the Apollo cabin, before an older camper poked his head out to look at him.

"Hey Alex," the guy said with a welcoming smile, until he noticed the black eye he now sported, and a couple of other dark bruises on his jaw and arms. "What happened dude?"

Alex managed a small grin, though it faded when Shawn continued to look concerned for him.

"A girl punched me." He said mutely, "went a little different from what I'd expected."

Shawn opened the door wider to let him in. Looking around the empty cabin, he was relieved that the others had gone down for dinner, so they wouldn't have to listen to his humiliating story of exactly how he got beat up by a girl much smaller than him. He was closer to Shawn than the other Apollo kids since before being claimed, he and Shawn had a good few laughs in the Hermes cabin.

"Some prank again?" Shawn said as he reached under his bunk to get some nectar and ambrosia.

Both of them sat on the edge of the bunk, and he accepted a piece of ambrosia from the older boy, chewing on the stuff.

Over the years, he and Shawn sort of drifted apart since they didn't really share the same cabin, and their meetings were few in between practice and meals. But Shawn had this older brother vibe around him and suddenly, all Alex wanted to do was to tell him about what had happened.

"Yeah," he admitted, "but it didn't go well. She looked quite upset after I pushed her into the lake. But I don't know what exactly I said that hurt her. It was clearly a prank."

"Who was it?"

"Jade. Jade Avraham, you know? The pretty girl from Ares?" and he went on to explain what had happened down by the lake.

All this while, he could see Shawn's expression getting darker, and Alex almost felt like stopping his account but he pretended he hadn't noticed and just ploughed on with his story. Shawn didn't interrupt him, but let him talk until he finally finished what he wanted to say.

"...and she just started punching me all over, then storming off."

For a good minute there was an uncomfortable silence. And Alex considered leaving because the pain had already started to fade with the help of the ambrosia, but then Shawn said in a low voice, "you should apologize to her."

Alex wasn't expecting him to side with him and rule her out as a sore loser, but he wasn't expecting him to speak so seriously like this.

"I - Trust me, I wanted to….but I don't know how because she's so mad at me and it'll only make things worse."

Shawn sighed, then looked at him full in the face, "Look, Alex, I understand you just meant it to be a fun joke and honestly it would've been a good one… if you'd chosen a better time."

Not sure what to say, Alex just watched Shawn. Though Alex had been around Camp longer, Shawn was the older of both of them. And right now, Alex just wanted a bit of advice.

Shawn opened his mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it, and closed his mouth again. Then he finally said, throwing a glance at Alex, "Okay, promise you won't ever tell Jade I said this?"

He nodded, wondering what Shawn was going to say.

"Jade's pretty close to her mom, only they aren't able to keep in contact very often." Shawn said, watching Alex closely, "And I heard this afternoon she received a letter from her mom, and just wanted some space to herself by the lake."

Oh daaaamn, thought Alex. So he'd chosen the worst possible time to pull a prank on her. Then as it sank in, he gasped, "When I pushed her into the lake, she had something in her hand!"

"Her mom's letter, probably." Shawn shrugged.

"No! I mean, yeah! But…" Alex struggled to find the words, "it must have dropped into the lake when I pushed her in. Oh, I really am in trouble. She's gonna kill me."

"She is." Shawn said, through he added more seriously, "but you couldn't have known. So it isn't really your fault."

To Alex, it didn't matter whether it was his fault or not. He felt guilty for doing it anyway. That letter from her mother meant a lot to her.

"Doesn't matter. It is my fault. I just don't know how to apologise." It felt almost foreign, strange even, to hear himself. It showed a more vulnerable side to himself that he'd never do in front of his friends. And Shawn was more of an acquaintance, though surprisingly, he felt comfortable confiding in him.

"Just tell her you mean it. Tell her how you feel. She can be scary, but she'll understand, even if it takes her weeks before she forgives you."

"Thanks," Alex said, "for the advice."

A grin spread out on Shawn's face as he cocked his eyebrow at him, "don't mention it. But honestly, she is totally gonna kill you for that prank. Just so you know."

Punching the older boy in on the shoulder retaliation, he replied, "oh, that's very reassuring."

Alex is a creation of go-for-santa! Check out the updated blog :D