A/N: Thanks for the review guys! Here's part 2. More to come!

Chapter 5 Part 2: Making friends through strawberries

"What?"

"Grab your picture we need to scram." I took my unfinished painting and Raina took her basket of strawberries and we started running. She grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the armory. "Wait, what are we doing at the armory?"

"Capture the Flag, silly!" she said while rambling through armors and swords. She handed me a shinny new armor, "Put it on!" and I did. It was heavier than anything I've ever put on my body, ever. Raina put on her custom designed armor, with flower engravings on it and handed me a sword.

"Oh, I don't think I need that."

"Right. Newbie. No training yet. Let's see…" she looked around and handed me a small dagger, "That could work. Now let's go." We ran back to the cabins as she dropped her basket in front of her cabin door along with my painting and dragged me out and to the entrance of the forest, where everyone was all armored up, too, holding weapons of all shorts and wearing different helmets. One team had a red mane on their helmets and the other had blue.

"Raina. Alena. Nice for you to join us!" Chiron said. I was trying to make up if he meant that sarcastically or not. "Sorry." Raina said and scurried to the red team and put on a helmet, leaving me standing there, with the crowd staring at me. I gave them an embarrassing little wave. "Ah, yes. We have to put you in a team now, don't we? Let's see… Nico, any space in your team?"

"Uh…"

"Splendid! Someone throw Ms. Rose here a helmet and we'll get started immediately!" So I scurried to the blue team when someone handed me a helmet that made my head feel like it weighed 240 pounds. "Welcome to the team, blondie!"

"Percy!" I let out a thankful sigh, "Thank goodness. I thought I was alone."

"Nah, you're never alone. I see you've met some new friends, and Nico."

"The dead but not dead guy?"

"Yeah, him." I peeked through the crowd and saw a black haired boy wearing a black armor, black hoodie and dark jeans. His hair was cut short and he was skinnier than the other boys around him. "He's leading the team this time."

"He seems to…Dark, though. Why isn't he wearing the camp shirt?

"Well, he's the son of Hades, after all. But he's not that bad inside. Orange isn't his color."

Chiron started leading the teams into the forest and both teams split up. He announced the beginning of Capture the Flag, and the teams sprinted into action. "Wait, what exactly do we do in this?"

"We need to get the opponent's flag and bring it towards the boarder. That means the river." Percy said, following the rest of the blue team. "Don't get killed, stay alive. Simple as that." He said at last, before being called of by Nico to go after the red team's flag, and I was left alone.

Again.

I watched as my teammates began going separate places and Chiron announced the game's beginning. I started hearing different swords and weapons clinking and clashing. Then I knew how serious campers took this game; people can really die by this. Hopefully they're not cruel enough to kill a newbie.

"Allie, right?"

"Alena."

"Close enough. You can go guard the flag." I turned around and saw Nico di Angelo standing behind me, holding a black sword. I gave him a confused look, not knowing where exactly our flag is and why he needs me to guard it. But I guess you can't throw a girl who barely knew how to use a sword out to battle experienced demigods now, can you?

Nico pointed to a blue flag far from us. "Yeah, don't let anyone get that, okay? Ten meters away from the flag is good. If anyone comes and attacks you just yell… Or something." Then he nodded and trotted away, raising his sword. "Okay, guard the stupid blue flag. No biggie." I said as I made my way towards the blue flag, looking for any hidden campers that would want to kill me. I stopped when I go close to the flag, keeping it in sight. Everything was so quiet from there, except for the muffled clinking and yelling, but other than that, nothing.

I felt something, though.

The leaves on a tree began rambling. I began to back away, most certain that someone was up there. Then I remembered my bracelet. I took it off and stared at it, the crystal shinning light everywhere, as usual. I gave it a slight twist, and it started to glow and grow into a slim handle. Another part of the crystal began to grow wider and wider, the arrows growing one by one. Before I knew it, a silver arrow was in my palm and the quiver was in another. I strapped the quiver around my back as the leaves continued to move. I loaded the arrow, scared to shoot, although I know perfectly well that someone up there's watching me right this second. But the problem was, I couldn't see him. If I shoot, it would pretty much mean I'd kill him.

But if I don't shoot, he'll shoot me.

Decisions, decisions.

"HIYA!" The next thing I knew, I was screaming and being kicked to the ground. "Get up!" I hear a girl yell at me. "What!"

"Grab your fancy bow and get up!" So I did what she said. I reached for my bow and got up, to be kicked down by her again. I twisted the crystal again and it grew into a sword. "Huh, some weapon you got there."

"Why are you kicking me!"

"This is Capture the Flag. We fight. Get up." I got up again and she charged at me, swinging her sword right at my arm. I dodged her sword and swung mine clumsily at her. My sword clashed with hers with a "Clink", before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of a forest, having a sword fight with a girl twice my side. I could barely see her face under her heavy helmet, but her eyes were vicious, like she wanted to eat me alive, watch me fail. They were hungry for victory, hungry for my misery, to see me fall beneath her.

That, I wasn't going to let her see.

My sword collided with hers a few times, but in the end, she was still the trained one, and I was just only defending myself. I couldn't attack her, and I mean literally, couldn't. There wasn't anytime for me before her sword swung towards me again and I had to dodge it with mine. She wasn't gonna give up that easily, for sure.

I wonder if she'll kill me if she had the chance.

"AHHHHHH." Another voice came from behind. I turned around as I saw a boy jumping out of the tree. He must've been the one I noticed before. The boy had blonde hair, much taller and bigger than me, but sometimes tells me that he's not as vicious as the other girl is. "OH MY GOD!" I yelled before swinging my sword towards him. He dodged, and swung his sword again. I caught his arm, preventing the blade from hitting me. I stared at him as he stared back, pushing his arm away me. But boy, was he strong.

"No. He can't get me like this. Not now." I thought to myself. "He just can't."

I looked at the blade above me, then back to him. When suddenly, he started sweating really hard. His eyes filled with pain and he groaned as he fell down to the ground. "What…"

"URRRGHHH." A sword swung towards me as I ducked.

It's these moments that you forget you're fifteen and in a summer camp.