Thanks to all my lovelies for reviewing! I love you all! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own the anime, Bleach… Just in case any of you thought I did… e.e

Maxine took me to get my schedule next. I'm not sure what I imagined. Normal things, like cleaning the cabin, eating, and campfire were there. But the pegisi riding, sword fighting, and extreme surfing? Um… right. I didn't expect any of that. And I was positive "capture the flag" was not anything like what I'd dealt with before.

"For most of the actives you do, you're going to need a sword or a knife. See the Hephaestus cabin for help with that," Maxine told me. "I'll take you to Leo. He can help you find something to whack people with." She nudged my shoulder, like hitting people with lethal weapons was a joke and happened all the time.

Just then, two boys—who looked a lot alike, except one was taller—ran over to us.

"Hey, Travis. Hey Connor," Maxine greeted. "What's up?"

"There is a thing going on in your cabin. Check it out, I think it is really bad!" The taller one said.

The shorter one, looked at me. "Hi. I'm Connor. Are you new here?"

Maxine put her arm around my shoulder. "Yup. This is Grace. She is a daughter of Apollo. No. Pranks on her. Got it? From either of you. As for my cabin, why don't you show me, Travis?"

Travis blushed slightly. "Um, no thanks. Connor and I are busy, aren't we, bro?" Before Connor could answer, Travis was pulling them away.

I turned to Maxine. "Wha—"

"Travis and Connor Stoll. Sons of Hermes. Pull pranks, steal, flirt, and are very fast runners. My advice is stay away from them until you've learned the ropes. C'mon, let's find you a weapon."

We walked to a really cool looking cabin, where a dude who looked like a Latino woodland elf was hanging out around.

"Leo!" Maxine yelled, getting the boy's attention.

"This is Grace," Maxine introduced again, as I waved. "Daughter of Apollo. Needs a weapon. I'm thinking a custom-made bow and arrows will work. Do you think you could help?"

"Yeah. Sure. Follow me, Grace," He said, taking my hand. He lead me into the cabin and lead me to a small area in the back. "I make things back here," he told me.

"Cool," I said, trying to sound interested, It must have sounded really lame, because Leo laughed awkwardly. "I-I mean, I never was much of an engineer, but I'm sure you're really good."

He smiled softly. "Yeah, thanks. Um, so what kind of spirit do you want to live in your bow?"

"Eh?"

"Well, with every weapon, they have their strength and a weakness. Tell me what you want, I can make it like that, then we can find the weakness it has and train you to strengthen it."

Okay… I thought. That's both helpful and weird. "What kind of things do you need to know?"

Leo shrugged. "Anything. I swear on the river Styx that anything you say, I'll keep a secret, if you want."

This is my weapon. I want people to feel the fear I felt after… I shook my head. Don't go there, Grace. Don't think about it.

"Grace?"

I ran my fingers through my hair, laughing awkwardly. "Um, can I get back to you on this? I'm not sure what spirit I want yet…"

He nodded. "Sure. Your cabin is next to mine on the right. Rest, if you want. We can do this anytime you want."

I got up to leave, uncomfortable. What I wanted was not something I wanted to share. To make the most powerful bow I could, I would have to tell my secrets. Not cool.

As I walked out of the Hephaestus cabin, I wondered what it would be like to tell someone. If he promised not to tell anyone, what was the big deal? I was tempted to turn back around and talk to Leo, but before I could, a group of really strong girls surrounded me and carried me to the bathroom. It didn't take them long to stick my head in the toilet. In fact, the whole ordeal ended in five—ten?—minutes easily, because I didn't fight back.

I never fought anymore.

"What? You're not even going to fight back? Not even struggle? C'mon, newbie. Show us what you got!" The ring leader, Clarisse taunted. I didn't move, holding back tears in my eyes, when she kicked me in my stomach. "C'mon! Fight. You can do it, can't you, Sunshine?"

I didn't respond.

They fought and hit me, laughing, like it made them feel better. I cried and took it in. Not again. Not again, I reminded myself. Do not go back to the shadow days.

When they were done, I looked in the mirror. My light brown hair was messy and in my face. I had a black eye, lip bleeding, face and arms bruised. No problem, I said to myself. You are a survivor. You have been through worse. Stop the tears. No self-pity.

Just then, another really strong girl slowly stepped forward. She had curly, chocolate brown that reached her jaw line. Her eyes a piercing blue. She wore a Bleach t-shirt and skinny jeans, with leather boots. She was very pretty with her dark eyeliner and mascara. She was very tough.

"Hey," She greeted in a low voice. "What was that?"

I'm not sure what it was about her, but I burst into tears. "I never fight back. Not after all the shit I've been through. If you're going to hurt me too, go ahead."

She touched my shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey. I won't hurt you. My name is Vivian, daughter of Ares. C'mon. Those were my sisters, so I'll take care of that, under one condition."

I looked into her eyes. "Yeah?"

A slight twitch of a smile flashed on her face before disappearing again. "Next time, don't hold back." With that, she walked out the bathroom.

So… Did I just make a friend?