'A new camper! A new camper! A new camper!' Maddie was practically leaping in the air as she hurried towards the Big House after Joey had notified her Chiron was looking for her. They had only received two new campers yesterday at the start of her fourth summer here at Camp Halfblood and Maddie had been upset that she wasn't the one to show them around. She had taken her job of welcoming new campers very seriously and was quite proud of it. Marcus had even commented on how she had begun to speak more clearly and with certainty since taking up the task and that was more than enough encouragement to stick with it.

Maddie bounded up the stairs and knocked on the main door, she immediately assumed a professional position by clasping her hands behind her back and standing up as straight as she possibly could. Though her giant grin took away from the image of professionalism she was trying to create.

Chiron opened the door and offered her a smile "Ah, Maddie. Come right in."

Maddie followed closely behind the man's wheelchair as he led her into the main living room of the house. Sitting on the couch was a girl who looked only a year younger than Maddie but was already so much more...enchanting. That was really the only word Maddie could think of to describe her. She had beautifully shiny long blond hair and her skin was almost too perfectly smooth. Her eyes were staring intently at Maddie, as though she was a new challenger or an enemy. Her clothes were quite revealing for a girl of her age, showing off the curves that had yet to be fully established. Maddie wrapped her arms around her own body, finding comfort in the heat of her hoodie. Why would this girl actively try to draw the eyes of strangers to her body?

"This is Chastity. She arrived here this morning. The other two campers have their orientation film in two hours. If you could show her around before then that would be great."

"Oh! Yeah! Of course!" Maddie forced herself to look away from the girl to talk to Chiron. 'Right. This is just a new camper like anyone else. Just treat her the same. You don't need to be intimidated by her.'

"I'm Maddie. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Maddie reached her hand out to the girl.

The girl stood up and took Maddie's hand, squeezing a bit too tight as if to assert some sort of dominance. "Chastity Montgomery."

Maddie quickly ushered the girl outside and led her down towards the main grounds of camp. "Where are you from Chastity?" Maddie asked the girl over her shoulder, hoping to make small talk and have her open up a bit more. Unfortunately, there was no answer, and her eyes seemed to be far off and distant. Maddie tried not to get too discouraged. A lot of campers were shy when they first arrived at camp, she was probably the same way. However, there was something different between the way Chastity reacted as compared to the other shy campers. As they explored the grounds, the more Maddie tried to ask her questions and get her to talk, the more Chastity seemed to be trying to blatantly ignore her.

"This is the training grounds. It's where we all come to hone in our battle skills and become more equipped with our weapons."

"Battle…?"

Maddie almost leapt for joy in the air as Chastity finally responded to the things she was saying. "Yes! Battle! All half bloods are trained to fight. If we are ever allowed to leave camp there are a ton of monsters that could kill you easily so we learn how to kill them easily instead. We play different battle games too every once in a while to test our skills against the other campers. It also helps when you're doing your every day to day training to have a partner to help you, since sparring alone can be difficult."

"Battling...I assume it's the best way to get yourself noticed around here?"

"Yep! A lot of demigods are really good and strong but each one of us have unique fighting styles. Oh! Some are even blessed by the gods and have different abilities and skills too! A lot of demigods are chosen to go on quests and are personally sought out by the gods if they prove themselves by being strong fighters!"

"I see." Maddie could practically see the wheels turning in Chastity's head. "You mentioned something about a partner?"

"Yeah! For example, Marcus is my designated fighting partner because if he isn't there I can lose control and accidentally kill someone so he keeps me in check. Hey! If you're interested in learning how to fight you can join me sometime! I'd love to help you out."

"Oh...thanks. Though if we're able to choose our partners I think I would much rather have a boy instead. No offense."

"Oh! Of course! I could ask Marcus to help you if you'd like. He's been here longer and trains more often then I do so he's very experienced."

"I do like an experienced man."

"I'll ask him while you're at orientation! I'm sure he'd be happy to help!"

"Right. Hey, Maddie. I was wondering about this. Why are you wearing a hoodie like that in the middle of summer? Aren't you hot?"

Maddie's muscles tensed at the question. She had received it a lot since she had started wearing the gift Kelly and Alicia had gotten for her, especially from a lot of guys whose eyes were filled with disappointment. But Chastity wouldn't know. Chastity had no reason to try and make her uncomfortable.

"It's a gift. A very special gift from my best friends. I don't like taking it off." Maddie shifted awkwardly and avoided looking at Chastity, wanting for this conversation to be done.

"You're kind of weird."

Maddie's attention snapped back to Chastity and her face flushed but Chastity had started laughing. "In a good way though. You're like...blissfully unaware but it makes you honest. It's a nice change from the lying dirt bags I've encountered throughout my life."

A smile grew on Maddie's face and she let out a small giggle to match Chastity. "I'm glad to see you finally smile."

Chastity froze and stared at Maddie. Crap, had she said something wrong? The silence lasted longer than Maddie was comfortable with but eventually Chastity's shoulders relaxed and she let out a sigh. "I'm not one to show it often so don't get used to it." she put her hands on her hips and stared Maddie down as if she was a lion carefully watching her prey. It made Maddie squirm. "But you're not too bad kid. How about this, I'll give you the right to sit next to me at dinner tonight. You can be graced by my presence and you can give me the scoop on all the available guys here. Deal?"

"Yeah!" Maddie was so excited to have made a new friend that she didn't even notice how their roles switched. Chastity already seemed older and wiser than Maddie even though she was a year younger.

The two walked off together, Maddie continued her tour and Chastity seemed a little more engaged now. By more engaged, she at least nodded at Maddie's ramblings and looked at her. Eventually they made their way back to the big house and said their goodbyes. Maddie immediately ran off to find Marcus as soon as Chastity was settled. She knew Marcus wasn't one for taking kindly to newcomers, she had witnessed it first hand when she had arrived at camp, but she was hoping Marcus would be willing to at least spar with a friend of hers. She knew if anyone was going to help her get initiated properly it would be her best friend.