So we're both new? That's chance. [private]

For a girl her age, Nicole didn't look out of place in the redecorated mess hall. Her attire only composed of a blue buttoned-up flannel shirt, skintight pedal shorts cut two inches above her knees, and a pair of glossy black high-heeled boots adorning her feet. Her chocolate brown hair fell in waves to frame her face as usual, as the daughter of Ares saw it too much a bother to put even as small as a hair clip on her hair. Though she was quite an avid user of make-up, she surprisingly applied very little to her face tonight, only settling with the minimal amount of eyeliner and lip gloss. Nicole just didn't feel the need to impress anyone this night, especially considering that she arrived in the dance hall without a date. Okay, she usually didn't feel touchy about that sort of thing, but the sight of the dancing couples all around her just rubbed the fact on her face. Hard.

With downed spirits, Nicole stood alone near the food tables, munching on cheesesticks. The slow love songs filled her ears and she almost cringed at the whole romance thing going on. Maybe she ought to give whoever was in charge of the songs a piece of her mind. Why couldn't they just stick to those hip hop songs where you didn't need a partner to dance to the tune? She wanted to have some fun tonight, not sulk at some corner because of her inability to get a date.

Before Nicole can put this plan into action, her ears picked up the sound of someone calling her name. She thought it was just her imagination at first, since she didn't know a lot of people in camp and she figured that less people even knew her. But then, driven more by curiosity than anything, Nicole spun on her heel to search for the source of the voice. She found him in seconds - a blond boy just a little older than her. Bewildered, Nicole blinked and stared at him. She couldn't place his face, let alone his voice, and she slightly grew a little confused at how he seemingly recognized her.

Offering a tentative smile, Nicole swallowed the remaining cheese stick in her mouth before she politely acknowledged the boy. "Um, hi... Have we met before?" she asked gently, still a little taken aback by how he knew her name. Nicole wasn't good at remembering faces (or remembering in general, taking into account the other side to her personality), and she especially didn't recall people who she never talked to before. She could only hope that she didn't come across as rude to the blond boy and seriously hoped that they hadn't talked before this, else it'd be terribly embarrassing on her part.

"Um, yes, I'm her..." Nicole released a breath she didn't realize she was holding when the boy mentioned that they had never met. At least she was spared from the embarrassment. However, it sparked up another question in her mind. How did he know her name? Oh gods (she finally got the hang of that expression now), had someone discovered her secret? Was she being talked about in camp now? Swaying slightly on her feet, Nicole shot a hand out to grip the edge of the table tightly to steady herself. No, that can't be it. She had never once let slip about the other Nicole. Unless of course, it had taken over her without her knowledge, but that didn't seem logical. For one, she hadn't heard of any mysterious deaths happening so far...

Trying to clear her head of morbid thoughts, Nicole looked back up the blond boy. Did he know her secret? Well, he wouldn't come talk to her if he did, right? If he knew about the other Nicole, he certainly wouldn't put himself in no less than ten feet from the dangerous girl? Using these thoughts as consolation, the daughter of Ares managed to smile at the spectacled boy (who was quite handsome, she might add). "Okay. Nice to meet you, Bryce," she said, her voice barely audible through the loud music playing.

Nicole remained silent as she looked him over from head to toe. She really didn't recognize him, sadly, not even knowing which cabin he was from. Well, she might have seen him around before, but she never was known for her good memory. Not liking the awkward silence that took over, Nicole cleared her throat and decided to give in to her curiosity. "Um... how'd you know my name?"

"Oh, okay," Nicole mumbled with a small nod, convinced of Bryce's answer. She never thought of it that way. What with her lack of friends due to the fact that she seemed guarded all the time, Nicole never really got the chance to talk about a lot of things and especially not the new arrivals. Maybe it was just one of the things she had been missing out on, no thanks to her disorder.

Nicole followed Bryce's gaze to the couples on the dance floor and fought the urge to slink back to the shadows. Of course, that wasn't an option now, considering that someone actually started talking to her. Nicole nervously fiddled with her fingers, unsure if she should say something. She was never really good with conversations, especially with people of the opposite sex. What she usually did was give the reign to the other person and let them do all the talking as she did all the listening.

Upon hearing Bryce's invitation, the daughter of Ares allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "Thanks," she said as she sat down, letting her hands rest on the edge of her seat. Her eyes flickered back to the dance floor and she couldn't help but sigh, almost dreamily. The couples looked so happy, didn't they? It was evident from how their faces lit up with giddiness and excitement. Oh how she wished to be one of them, but she knew that the odds of that happening were less than zero. It was too dangerous.

Detecting a small movement out of the corner of her eye, Nicole shifted a little on her seat before looking over at the older boy. Her features twisted into that of worry as she regarded him for a little bit. Did she make him uncomfortable? Had she perhaps been right that Bryce knew a little more to her than anyone else? Nicole bit her lips, seriously concerned, especially when she saw something different flash through his eyes. She couldn't place the emotion, never having saw anything like that before. Was Bryce hiding something deep and dark? Did they share more similarities than she thought?

"You... seem to come here for food, also," Bryce said, cutting her off from the rest of her thoughts. Nicole blinked, taking a few seconds to process his statement before her lips widened into a grin. Looking longingly at the food table, Nicole reached for another cheese stick and ate half of it with one bite. Okay, so Bryce hit the nail on the head with that one. Besides, Nicole was pretty sure that a lot of other people felt the same way as both of them, even if the Pig Roast seemed like a more suitable option if they just wanted the food.

"Yeah," Nicole said with a small nod and offered him a wide smile. "They're pretty much the best part of the evening, but I don't think they'll agree." Nicole jerked her head towards the direction of the dancing couples for emphasis. With the anxiety she felt before now placed at the back of her mind, Nicole let herself get distracted by the people slow dancing under the moonlight.

Nicole returned Bryce's smile with one of her own before a wistful sigh escaped her lips. She gazed almost ruefully at the other campers enjoying their time, giving Bryce a few glances every now and then to clue on to his thoughts. The older boy seemed to radiate a mysterious aura Nicole couldn't place. Well, that and he kind of looked handsome. A slight blush crept up her cheeks at the thought and she suddenly grew thankful of the darkness provided by the night. Absently fidgeting with her fingers, Nicole gulped down the lump that had formed in her throat and was about to talk when Bryce announced that he would be right back, silencing her instead into a stiff nod and leaving before her unasked question left her lips.

Watching the boy retreat to undoubtedly find more snacks, Nicole sighed to herself and looked down at her clasped fingers. She spent the rest of her time quietly concentrating on her hands to avoid looking at the scene in front of her, not wanting to get any more jealous. She didn't even understand why she felt jealous about it. Well, she was a sixteen-year-old girl, and most girls her age had already tried their hand in dating. But Nicole wasn't just a sixteen-year-old girl by normal standards. For one, she had the tendency to slip off into a persona that had the potential to rip everything it touches into shreds without a care. Wincing a little at her weakness, Nicole slowly shook her head to herself and started to swing her legs back and forth as her ADHD kicked in. Ah ADHD, just another one of her abnormalities. At least camp reminded her that she wasn't the only one suffering from that.

And that was when a sudden crash resounded a short distance away from the mess hall.

Startled by the noise, Nicole suddenly jumped into a standing position, joining the other people anxiously looking around for the source of the noise. Heart racing, the daughter of Ares didn't realize that most of the dancing couples had frozen in place and focused her attention on what had distracted them all. The source of it made itself known through another noise - this time a blood-chilling roar that was loud enough to send tremors through her body. Nicole caught her breath and became still. It couldn't be...

Then a manticore came rampaging in, confirming her worst thoughts. Nicole felt herself go cold as she backed away like some of the shocked and scared campers, but she stopped moving when she remembered the boy who was kind enough to offer her a seat. Just as the battle started, Nicole spun on her heel and took a turn towards the table she had last seen Bryce peruse, eyes wildly scanning the area for the blond boy. "Bryce!" she called urgently, ducking as something sharp whizzed past her head. It was close enough to brush against the top of her hair. "Bryce!"

Oh my gods, oh my gods, please I don't want to die, Nicole begged in her thoughts as a drakon flew overhead, followed by many others of its kind. The giant serpent was enough to send campers scrambling for the exits and Nicole was almost one of them. Instead, she stood frozen beside Bryce. She tried to process what Bryce said about something being wasted but she found that she couldn't concentrate due to all the buzzing in her ears. All she could do was stare into his eyes through his glasses and see the terror mirrored on her own. It wasn't exactly reassuring.

Nicole shrieked as a Nemean lion entered the fray, letting out a loud roar that had her hair standing on end. She recalled that the beast had only been beaten by Hercules himself. Deciding that none of her thoughts was going to come close to reassuring, Nicole tried to keep her head and focus on what Bryce was saying. Maybe listening to him would be the key out of this mess, because Nicole didn't have fighting experience under her belt.

At the talk of weapons, her eyes darkened for a moment as she subconsciously rubbed her silver wristwatch with shaky fingers. Was fighting inevitable, then? Something within Nicole stirred at the prospect and she desperately fought to push it back to the pit of hell it had started to rise from. She so didn't need that kind of problem now. It didn't help when Bryce produced five knives out of thin air. Though in awe at his power, Nicole couldn't help but do a double take when she saw the blades. An image flashed through her mind: a kitchen knife in her bloodstained hands, a puddle of red on the tiled floor, and the lifeless eyes of Camille Reeve staring into space.

"No!" Nicole shrieked, taking two steps back as she trembled, hyperventilating. She looked back up at Bryce with wild eyes. "I - I mean, no, take the knives. I'm not a knife fighter..." Close to tears, Nicole couldn't even force a laugh out when Bryce talked to the paper bag. Instead, she nodded numbly and sprinted after him. He was right. They had to leave now, when Nicole feared something more than losing her life. It was losing her sanity.

Nicole forced herself to meet Bryce's gaze. She was scared to death, and she knew that he could see it. She also noticed one more thing, like the way Bryce looked at her as if she was a puzzle waiting to be solved. Nicole blinked profusely and averted her gaze. "I - I'm fine," she managed, before she felt his fingers clasping around her wrist. A blush tainted her otherwise pale cheeks as she stumbled after him.

The embarrassment soon faded when Nicole picked up the pained screams coming from all around. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a boy effortlessly plucked from the ground by one of the drakons and she cringed at the sight. A little distracted, Nicole didn't notice when the yells got louder and she was a moment too late when she looked, for right there in front of them both was a full-grown Nemean lion standing guard by the exits. She stood petrified when it took a terrified camper in its jaws and shook the kid around like it was just a mere rag doll. Sucking in a raspy breath, Nicole grabbed Bryce's arm and pulled him back with all her strength before the monster could take a swipe at him.

"Its golden fur deflects attacks," Nicole quickly uttered, finding the lack of stammering in her voice surprising. "I think Hercules choked it to death..." Gods, what an impossible task. Nicole fingered the edges of her wristwatch, wondering if her lance could be of any use in this situation. Maybe not, since it was said that the lion's fur was practically impenetrable as Hercules' arrows just bounced off of it. Nicole tensed up, looking at Bryce for ideas. The lion was the only monster standing between them and the exit. If they could only get rid of it... but how?

Shaking, Nicole managed to nod numbly at Bryce. The monster's jaws had missed her by mere half-inches. Had Bryce been a second later, she might have been lion lunch. Barely registering his firm grip on her shoulders, Nicole turned back to the lion and froze as the monster crouched in preparation for an attack.

"Run," Bryce said, making himself heard among the buzzing noises filling Nicole's ears. However, like him, her feet stayed rooted to the ground, unwilling to carry her off to a safer place. The Nemean lion snarled, almost cheerfully at the prospect of more campers to eat, before leaping into the air and baring its razor-sharp fangs at them. Nicole watched the scene unfold in slow motion, eyes growing wide as the lion drew closer and closer... This was it, she was going to die...

Then her eyes turned dark and gleaming silver flashed through the air. Just like that, and the tables turned.

The Nemean lion stopped in mid-pounce, meeting resistance in the form of a long silver lance suddenly materializing in Nicole's hands. Growling, it attempted to push through but with her strength, the daughter of Ares was able to keep the beast back by holding the lance flat against its throat. After dodging a wild swipe from its claws, Nicole twisted in her heel to knee the monster in what she judged to be its breastbone. With great effort, she managed to mildly crush its windpipe with her weapon. A sickening crack echoed in the air accompanied by a strangled yelp. The sound brought forth a sinister smile from the girl.

"Here, kitty kitty kitty," Nicole taunted in a falsely sweet voice under her breath as the lion took a few steps back. It seemed to be suffering from a coughing fit, but when it looked up, its narrowed eyes bore nothing but hatred. Nicole almost laughed. What a petty little thing. "Aww, is kitty scared of the big bad bully?" She advanced, daring to come within the Nemean lion's grasp. She spun her lance like a baton around her fingers, as if she was a lion tamer brandishing his whip in a circus. But then, as soon as a giggle escaped her partly open lips, Nicole suddenly froze in her movements. Her eyes grew hazy for a moment before shifting back into focus. Blinking quickly, Nicole took a few seconds to collect herself. She alternated glances between the furious lion and the lance in her hands, realization dawning on her features. Oh gods... that did not just happen...

Too preoccupied with what had been done, Nicole was too late to notice how the Nemean lion bent low and took to the air, claws and fangs out to seize and rip her to shreds.