Hey there. Another somewhat fillerish chapter, with a few more things still to establish, still Zoe gets a bow. Hope you like it.

Gwen held her spear in front of me, indicating that the fight had started, but I didn't attack immediately. I'd done that yesterday and the fight had ended quickly. Such errors couldn't be permitted in a real fight.

Gwen had also learned to be patient and seemed to be content with waiting for me to attack her. I had to make the first move. I took a step forward.

My best shot at winning would be to knock the spear out of her hands without getting in range of an attack. Difficult naturally; she had a strong grip on it with both her hands and greater strength.

Nevertheless, I sliced at the tip of her spear with my sword. It wasn't very effective with her control. I inched forward, trying to get closer to her without endangering myself. A few more slices aimed at her weapon. I didn't want to break it (though that'd be effective); I needed to coax her into attacking.

I leaned forward a little more. Gwen suddenly lunged forward and took a jab at me. Her speed was excellent; almost catching me out. I dodged though, and swiftly counterattacked. She couldn't prevent my sword slipping past her guard.

I held the golden sword at her neck for a few moments to confirm my victory before relaxing. I took a step back, allowing myself to smile victoriously.

"Good fight," Gwen said, lowering her own weapon.

"Thanks."

"I want a rematch, but next time I think I'll use a sword as well, this spear is too long," she grumbled good-naturedly.

"You're proficient with a sword as well?" I asked politely.

"Good enough."

"And the bet?" I asked.

Gwen chuckled, at my enthusiasm presumably. "Sure, you can have the morning off, but you're working again in the afternoon!"

I chose to explore New Rome during my now free morning. It was fair distance from the barracks and on my way, I passed a large field where campers seemed to be building something. Large and defensive properties were evident. I walked over to it, intrigued.

"Hello?" I approached a burly girl carrying some thin wooden planks.

"Yes?" she replied, irritably.

"Forgive the interruption. I'm Zoe, I'm new here, what are you building?" I said quickly.

"Oh, you're the new girl," the girl said in less glacial tone. She dropped her bundle. "I'm Melissa, daughter of Mercury, and welcome to camp!"

"Thanks, what's happening?" I inquired.

"We're building a fortress to defend for the war games tonight," she explained proudly.

Oh, the set-up seemed more elaborate than descriptions had suggested. According to Jason, it was all temporary. It showed impressive dedication. "Right, this looks impressive then," I said.

"Be impressed tonight when you have to break into it," Melissa replied, mischievously. I assumed that they'd have all manner of spikes and barricades and traps to fill their structure. That was fine, I knew a fair amount about traps.

I turned to leave, but then she asked me if I shouldn't be doing work right now, rather than wander around aimlessly. As if my affairs were any of her concern.

"I have the morning off," I replied.

"Why?" Her eyes were full of suspicion.

"That is none of your concern," I said stiffly and walked away before she said anything more.

I missed the respect I'd had as lieutenant of the hunters. How long would it take to gain respect here when I was just one of two hundred? Gwen had respect as a centurion, I knew. But she'd been here for years. I'd heard Jason had been around for over 10 years. Staying in a single place so long was not my habit, hadn't even managed to stay dead for more than two years. What was my purpose here, really?

I carried on towards New Rome, dismissing my worries for the time being. For now, I could just appreciate the splendour of life. Indeed, the secret city looked grand with all the old-fashioned architecture in perfect condition. And the walk was pleasant in the beautiful sunny weather.

"Stop there!" I froze turning towards a shouting statue.

It looked like a statue anyway, of a torso of a man, without arms. "Greetings?" I said, unsure of how to address it.

He introduced himself as Terminus, God of Boundaries. He was tasked with guarding the Pomerian line, which circled New Rome. Despite a lowly position, he proved to be arrogant, like most Deities.

His duties revolved around preventing any weapons from entering the settlement, though he took offense to any imperfections he observed. A singularly annoying trait, but I avoided causing any arguments. I handed over my sword without complaint.

Boundaries. It was a speciality the piqued my interest. Would he know anything about the boundary between life and death? I could only assume that something was wrong with it. Nothing else explained my second chance at life. Much as I supposed I was thankful, I also knew that exceptions shouldn't happen, it was not the natural way of things. Was it a mere coincidence or could someone have summoned me here?

I'd decided to join the legion to get some answers so perhaps this Terminus could give me some ideas. In Latin, Terminus meant 'end' after all. However, it was a risk too, perhaps he would become furious with me and use his powers to send me back to death. I wanted to avoid that. Still, I had to find out why I was here, didn't I?

I would ask him, but another time. Not now. I could allow myself a few days here, to appreciate this small slice of life I'd been given. I gave one final nod to the God of Boundaries before walking into New Rome.

My trip was largely anticlimactic after the hassle of exchanging disarming. I walked around and admired the architecture for a while. I walked into a shop and learned that they used denarii here as the currency though some shops also accepted dollars. I didn't have either. I soon left to return to the camp, with nothing to hold my attention.

It seemed obvious that the fates had drawn me to this place, but it begged the question of why. I needed to find out but the camp appeared strikingly normal, unaware of any change in the status of death. Perhaps I was only the first of many indications. I'd have liked a confidant, so I could reveal my situation to them but I knew no one at the Roman camp very well and leaving seemed unwise.

I had choices, yes. But they all amounted to watch and wait or go out to seek answers. For now, I would wait. Learn everything about Camp Jupiter and find out if all is truly as good as it seems. For now, I could talk to Gwen, who had been tasked with helping me to understand the way things worked her; and (much as I wished otherwise) Jason – a boy who was surprisingly personable and a Praetor.

Gwen was in a good mood when I talked to her at lunch, unfazed by the extra work she'd had to do. Even so, she seemed more interested in speaking with her friends, rather than me. It's not that she wasn't mindful of her task as my mentor, but I don't believe she cared much beyond that. To her, I was a fourteen-year-old girl, who happened to be an extremely skilled fighter. I asked a few questions about the camp, but it touched on nothing important.

I didn't wish to force my presence on her, but I didn't have anyone else to talk to. Here and now, I didn't know anyone else. None of my old friends knew I was alive. In some respects, it was like I was in a different life, because the old Zoe Nightshade was dead to all who knew her.

Legionnaire work was dull. They gave all the newest members particularly boring jobs, mine happed to be cleaning all the imperial gold in the armoury in preparation for the war games. Such menial work, with only Richard the descendent of Venus' annoying prattle to distract me. I restrained myself from making any displeasure known, but I wasn't even going to so much as contemplate confiding anything in a boy like him.

After work, I decided to fix my hair into a long braid. I had neglected my appearance so far but it would help to be respected and appearance was key. Beyond that, it had helped to make me look more like the huntress I still was, regardless of Artemis' blessing. It wasn't enough yet, not without a bow or traps or survival gear, but I was still the same person I'd always been.

Jason commented on it when I saw him. "Hey Zoe, your hair looks kind of nice like that," he said. I rolled my eyes in irritation and resisted the urge to ruin my braid; yet at the same time I appreciated the words.

"Good day, how do you like camp so far?" Reyna, standing next to Jason, greeted me politely.

"It's not bad. A lovely place though I don't know how well I'm fitting in. Is dinner soon?" I asked. I'd been leaning against a building but had stood up when I had noticed them both leave their office.

Reyna nodded, "Yes, the camp is like a home for me and many others. I hope you'll begin to see it as such."

"And it certainly serves food! I've been trying to convince Reyna to have an all-day-long buffet but sadly we're still following the archaic tradition of set mealtimes," Jason said, complete with cheeky smile.

"Only after you convince our coffers," Reyna retorted, without heat.

"A truly insurmountable challenge," Jason deliberately sighed, eyes on me. "Let's go to our regularly scheduled meal then."

Jason may have been the Praetor, with dozens of friends and I was currently lacking in them but he sat with me regardless. What were his motives here? Gwen had been friendly but she wasn't automatically a friend. Jason had even less reason to consider me as important, with friends of his own. I sensed that he had a reason for speaking to me.

Granted, with the way eating partners moved around, perhaps I was reading too much into the gesture. Still, Reyna mingled with her own friends and she'd said very little to me so far.

"I thought I should let you know that you're drawing a little unwanted attention," Jason murmured in a soft voice.

"What?"

"Nothing huge, it's just the Lares have been avoiding you since your arrival and others have started to notice. They can get a little superstitious about stuff like that," he explained.

Lares were ghosts, Household gods technically. They were meant to be hundreds throughout Camp Jupiter but upon reflection, it was obvious I'd hardly seen any. Was I truly so off my guard here? O'd noticed a few lingering stares too, but I'd dismissed them as simply due to being a new arrival. I hadn't thought I'd gained a negative reputation so quickly.

"What are they saying?" I hissed, checking that no one was paying much attention.

He took his time answering, eating some of his meal. "The Lares seem afraid of you for some reason, like you don't belong. Like you're a danger to the camp."

I digested his words carefully, examining his blank face. He had to be alarmed too, in the face of such a bad omen. My history was shining through now. My presence here, so many years ago, was not entirely forgotten, not by the spirits that dwelled here.

"I believe I am supposed to be here, I mean no harm," I replied honestly, looking him in the eyes.

"But you're hiding something too," his eyes narrowed at me.

"My past, yes." He seemed to think that just asking for it gave him a right to all her secrets.

"Well?" Jason pressed.

"I mean no harm." It was the only thing which should matter, even if it was nowhere near enough for them.

I equipped myself with a bow and arrow from the armoury, finding some light gear designed for fast-moving scouts rather than the heavy golden armour the majority would be wearing. It would seem peculiar to others, but they'd soon accept it.

I briefly tried them out, getting used to the weight and strength required to shoot straight. The blessing of Artemis had not followed me to this new life but regardless I was an excellent shot. Archery wasn't seen as so prestigious to Romans, with their emphasis on the skill of organised teams, but they'd appreciate my expertise.

With the new gear, I joined up with my cohort, drawing a few confused glances. Jason came up to me, and explained that typically new recruits had to be part of the main force. Then he shrugged and gave me permission to be an archer anyway. Despite what he'd said, I sensed he was trusting me somewhat. I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it.

Okay, hope you enjoyed it! Must make Jason disappear soon or at this rate I'll end up writing a Jason/Zoe story which is, admittedly, an interesting idea. Additionally, I sort of missed out mentioning the lares intially. With Percy they'd muttered about him being a Greek. Zoe's past is a little more shady, so they're outright avoiding her.

Anyway thanks for reading, I appreciate any reviews.