Mary

As I led our group to the training grounds, I felt completely and totally stressed out of my mind. Of all the people in the entire camp, I could not for the life of me figure out why in the world I would be the one they chose to lead us anywhere. Let me be completely and perfectly clear in case anything got lost in translation; I am not a leader. I'm not the person at the head of the charge, or who takes control when things are getting dicey, or who barks out orders in the heat of a crisis. I'm more of silent supporter, who is good at following directions and even better at just staying out of the way. Out of everyone on the team, I was the very last person you would want to lead us anywhere, yet here I was, making sure we made it to training on time. I glanced back at JB who smiled and gave me a thumbs up. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I smiled back, quickly turning around. While we were running through the forest, JB and I got to get to know each other a bit more, and I was more than a little bit surprised that he and I shared many mixed feelings about being a part of the New Heroes. He told me how nervous he felt and how under qualified he thought he was, and how unsure he felt, and it was like he had been reading my diary. When I told him I felt the exact same way, he just started telling me everything; all the doubts and fears and worries. I mean, I've never been the best comforter, but I could definitely relate, and I told him some of my own similar worries and doubts.

Personally, I'm not at all the type who likes to put it all out there or pour my heart out to others, but with JB I felt different. I don't know how to explain the feeling, but I just felt safe and not judged around him. Like no matter what I say or how badly I feel I've messed up, he'd understand. Most of my life, I've been too afraid to speak up or voice my opinion; rejection and saying the wrong thing have always been some of my greatest fears. So being leader, who not only has to say the right things but make the right decisions; suffice it to say that's not my cup of tea.

"Hey Mary; whatcha thinkin about?" JB suddenly asked from right besides me, making me jump nearly out of my boots.

"Oh, uh... nothing." I stated automatically, but after thinking it over for a few seconds, I couldn't help but sigh and look over at him.

"Honestly, I'm kind of sick of constantly being picked to lead us everywhere; I mean, being head of the pack is not one of my strong suits." I whispered, halfway worried Loralai or Damien would hear me. The look on JB's face made my heart smile a bit; it was such a genuine look of thoughtfulness, like he were actually trying to help me solve this problem.

After a few seconds passed, he looked over at me.

"I can totally see where you're coming from. Leading

Percy's team, even if just from here to there... gosh, I know I couldn't do it. But you know... they made the right choice, picking you to get us there." He admitted. I accidentally scoffed out loud.

"Really? How exactly am I the right choice?" I laughed bitterly.

"Well... for one thing, your head is always on straight. Me, I'm too excitable. Loralai is too laid back and Damien... enough said. But you; you're oriented on a single goal, and give everything you have to achieve it. That's a leader if I've ever seen one. I mean sure, maybe your leadership skills are a bit rusty, but give it time. If anyone can help you hone those skills, it's Annabeth Chase, savior of Olympus... and according to her Savior of Percy's bacon on multiple occasions." He added with a laugh, and I couldn't help but join in. After we calmed down, I glanced over at him, my cheeks feeling a bit warm once again.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an amazing friend?" I asked so quietly that it was barely audible, but he somehow heard me, the smile on his face growing even brighter if at all possible.

"Best friend." He replied, making me look up curiously. He shrugged his shoulders, looking almost bashful as he kicked a rock down the path.

"I mean... you're the best friend I've ever made at camp so far... most people don't talk to me for more than 5 minutes. Especially the Apollo kids." He muttered. It was then that I realized that JB was about as true-friendless as I was. A person as seriously and genuinely as kind and sweet as he was didn't even have any real friends at camp. I didn't know why, but from the look on his face, it was something he'd rather not talk about at the time. I reached over and grabbed his wrist without thinking, his eyes bolting up and meeting mine.

"Best friends." I replied with a smile, JB's face lighting up instantly. The minute I realized I was holding his arm, I let go, my face going from slightly warm to full-blown smeltering. Before I knew it, we were at the training grounds, Percy and Annabeth standing there in full armor and looking ready to kill. Or teach, whichever came first. Percy was looking at JB questioningly, like he was missing something.

"JB, where's your sword?" He asked, and that's when I noticed what me meant; JB didn't have a sword, or really a weapon of any kind for that matter.

"Oh yeah, well..." he stuttered, cramming his hand into his pocket and pulling out... a dental flosser. It was one of those green, plastic ones with the floss strung between the 2 end tips.

"A Plackers dental flosser... look out monsters, your teeth will never be the same when he's done with you." Damien stated sarcastically. I glared back at him with contempt; the nerve of that guy made me want to punch him in the face. Hard. JB totally shocked me by turning and smirking at him, with a glint in his eyes. That's when I noticed the actual floss; it was a shining golden color. Before I could even begin to try and theorize, JB flicked his wrist outward. The flosser sprung to life, instantly growing and morphing until he was holding a beautiful, golden stringed bow. Annabeth's eyes grew to the size of bowling balls.

"I think it's the bow of Odysseus. At least that's what Chiron told me when I took it from the armory." JB shrugged, Annabeth nodding her head silently.

"And of Eurytus. He challenged Apollo to an archery contest, using that bow." She explained. Loralai glanced over at it in shock.

"The bow of the legendary Odysseus is a Plackers flosser?" She questioned. JB shrugged, scratching the back of his neck embarrassedly.

"Well, it actually wasn't like that when I found it... Chiron told me that it's some kind of Mist magic. It makes it a lot easier to carry, anyways." He explained.

"So, you're an archer?" Percy asked, but the way he said it made it seem like he already knew. JB again shrugged, shifting on his feet.

"Well, I like to think so." He admitted. Percy gestured down towards the target range, looking over at JB.

"How about you show us what you can do." He asked. The color drained from JB's face as he swallowed and nodded, walking over a ways towards the targets, before stopping. Annabeth glanced over at the yard markers curiously.

"100 meters out is a long way... Even the Apollo kids only go about 70." She commented. JB either didn't hear her or didn't respond, taking a stance and raising his bow to the target. I was quite surprised when, at the peak of his draw, an arrow appeared on the bowstring. The look on JB's face was completely focused and calm; like nothing else mattered but the shot. He didn't even take much time, aiming and releasing in less than 5 seconds. The arrow literally whistled as it flew, and as crazy as it sounds, it was like the winds suddenly picked up and carried it to its destination. From as far away as we were, the arrow looked like it had hit completely dead center of the target, but JB just sighed, dropping his arms down defeatedly.

"Well, I got close anyways." He murmured. All of us, including Damien, looked over at him like he had sprouted a 2nd head.

"Close? You hit that target dead center." Percy spoke up, but JB shook his head.

"It's off to the left. Usually I can get, but I'm kinda nervous and it's throwing me off." He admitted, but none of us were even processing, except Annabeth, who looked kind of like what you'd imagine a thinking computer looks like; calculating all the added value JB's skills brought to the team. Annabeth marched down the field to the target, plucking an apple off of a nearby tree as she walked. She held it out from her body, standing right in front of the target.

"If I throw this into the air, you think you can hit it before it hits the ground?" She yelled. JB looked confused, like he thought she were going easy on him or playing some trick.

"Well, yeah. Why?" He called back. Annabeth waited a few seconds before throwing it into the air without warning. JB didn't even blink, drawing the bow and firing before I could even think. The arrow whizzed through the air, cutting straight through the apple and pinning it to the target, right in the red. Annabeth pulled 3 more apples off of the tree, looking over at JB curiously before throwing one. Again, JB fired away like a machine, nailing the apple to the target right next to the other one. Annabeth didn't waste any time, throwing 2 into the air at once, JB pulling back on the string with 2 fingers, firing 2 arrows at once, nailing both with precision I didn't think possible.

"Whoa." Damien muttered from behind us, and honestly I could feel my heart do a bit of a victory dance; Damien should have thought before poking fun at JB.

"What the heck was that?! That was the most amazin archery display I've ever seen! How'd ya do that?" Loralai asked. JB looked genuinely confused, looking between us.

"Guys... that's not that impressive." He started, but Percy interrupted.

"JB, I've seen a lot of archers in my time; but that is quite possibly the best shooting I've ever seen. Well done." Percy praised, and I swear JB looked half way between in shock and absolutely thrilled.

"You really think so? I mean, archery is my best skill... I'm not too great at much else." He admitted, but Percy put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"You said that you were worried about not measuring up to my standards... well, with skills like those, I'd say you overachieved." He stated firmly. I don't know if any demigod had ever been so happy as JB was in that moment. And to be honest, I felt so happy for him it made me feel warm inside. By then, Annabeth had walked back over, holding the apples in her hands.

"That was quite impressive, JB." She called over, suddenly shifting her gaze to me.

"Mary. You're with me for today." She said, and I could already feel my heart drop to my feet with nervousness. I glanced over at JB, who gave a tiny smile as Annabeth and I walked away. I had no idea where she was taking me, but I felt like my adrenal glands had gone into double overtime; I didn't even realize Annabeth was talking to me until she tapped my shoulder, jolting me out of my panic-induced mini coma. She studied me for a quick moment before casting her gaze forwards.

"I know what you're thinking; the same thing you've been thinking since Percy and I knocked on the door of the Athena cabin." She began, and to be truthful, it was kind of shocking how well she could read people.

"Why you? Of all the people in the entire camp, why pick you?" She questioned, literally quoting my thoughts back to me. For a while I just sat there and thought about it, until I realized she was actually asking me, staring at me intently. I tried to rack my brain to think of one reason she might make the mistake of dragging me along.

"B-because you saw something in me? Something I definitely don't see in myself." I finished, but Annabeth simply smiled at me.

"You know, Mary, I'm not supposed to tell any of you this... but I was the one who picked your file." She whispered, and I could literally feel my heartbeat stop for a split second. I looked up at her, probably looking like a fish out of water.

"Why me? Please, I really need to know." I begged. Even I hadn't realized how badly this was bugging me until now. Out of the 4 of us, I stuck out like a sore thumb; Damien was practically Jack Frost, Loralai was a freaking teenage witch, and JB was so leathally accurate with an arrow he could literally shoot a tennis ball out of your hand blindfolded without even thinking about it. Then there's me; small, scared, way out of my depth, sweater wearing me. Annabeth almost looked disappointed at my question, like she had expected me to understand by now, but shook it off.

"You know, we children of Athena... we've always made the best leaders. I mean, naturally we're just far superior to any other demigods when it come to a good, efficient strategy." She bragged, and I couldn't help but smirk.

"But we all share one, fatal flaw; our egos. We'd never admit it, but we're all a little too proud and too confident for our own good... all but you." She mused, looking at me with that same excited look on her eyes.

"When I read your file, I'll be honest; I wasn't all that impressed at first; the tactical awareness and strategy scores are to be expected from Athena's children. What really caught my eye was your personality report." She said, opening up a Manila folder I didn't know she was holding, and flipping a few pages.

"Mary is a quiet, gentle soul who rarely ever tries to stand out among her peers or siblings; although she has all the potential and skills necessary to shine far above them, her humble spirit keeps her from becoming overconfident in her abilities. If anything, she lacks the self confidence necessary to use her talents

to their fullest potential." She read aloud. Ok, I'll be honest; I blushed like crazy and felt like hiding when Annabeth freakin Chase, idol of the Athena cabin, said this words about me. She looked up at me with a glimmer in her eyes.

"What I saw in you, and what I see in you, is all the skills and knowledge the Athena cabins have to offer, but without all of the overconfidence that inevitably leads to our downfall. What I see in you is not just a good leader; Mary, you've got the potential to be one of the greatest leaders this camp had ever produced." She finished. Now, you'd assume that I'd be having to fight back tears, but in reality I felt like I was going to puke.

"You want me to lead the group? The New Heroes? Me?!" I cried, trying to wrap my head around it all; it made sense... that would explain why I've been leading the group from place to place. Annabeth nodded, nearly sending me into a panic.

"I can't. I'm not like you, Annabeth... I don't- I just can't." I stuttered. Annabeth put her hands on my shoulders, looking me dead in the eyes.

"Yes, you can. Mary, I know there's a leader inside of you. A gentle, kind, smart, talented leader. The kind of leader that I know the rest of the Heroes will want to follow anywhere you take them without a second thought." She said gently, and that's when I felt the waterworks trying to turn on, but I pushed them down.

"How? How can I be what you want me to be?" I asked hopelessly. Annabeth smiled softly, taking a step back.

"Well, firstly you've got to want it. You've got to set your mind to it and you've got to dig deeper than you ever have before, and you've got to promise me that you'll never give up or give in until you've become that leader." She explained. There was a certain fiery passion in her eyes as she spoke, and it was at that moment that I realized that I wanted to have that same spark. Until then, I hadn't really thought about who I was, but looking back I realized something; I didn't have a purpose. A reason. For so long I had been content just existing; being a nobody, reading books, hiding in the shadows. I realized I wanted to have that same passion Annabeth had whenever she spoke. And I also realized that I had been gifted a chance at one of the greatest purposes a demigod could ask for; leader of the New Heroes. For the first time in my life, I felt as though I had a calling, a purpose; a mission. I set my jaw and raised my eyes off of the ground, a new determination building inside of me. Annabeth Chase herself chose me for this team, and now I knew why; she believed that I would become the leader the New Heroes needed, and I was determined to prove her right.

"I promise I won't let you down." I swore, Annabeth's smile deepening.

"Mary, I-"

"That's not my real name." I interjected. Annabeth looked at me curiously as I forced down the nerves and continued.

"When I came to camp, I was too nervous about standing out and being the targets of the other campers; the new kid always gets picked on. So, I gave Chiron a false name, the most generic name I could think of, so that I would hopefully go undetected." I explained. She raised an eyebrow curiously; the look on her face like she was already making progress.

"Really? Ok, then... what should I call you then?" She questioned. I shuffled my feet, straightening my back up and looking her right in the eye. Now that I finally knew why I had been chosen, I felt as though I too could contribute something to the team. I knew it would be a long, uphill battle, changing from a frail introvert to the leader this group needed... but right then and there I snagged my first personal victory.

"I think it's time I started using my real name; Anastasia. Anastasia Marie."