Come and laugh at the new girl! (Well, technically) --> Open to all

My heart was pounding so hard I wouldn't be surprised if the front of my orange camp shirt was thumping along with it.

I looked up at the cabin, my cabin, and tried to swallow the fact that this would be my home for the next 365 days. Sure this wasn't the first time I've entered Cabin 7 - heck, I've been a summer camper for the last 10 years - but this was the first year I was staying for good and this time, I couldn't afford to be invisible any more.

Taking a deep breath, I practiced it one more time: "Hi! My name's Selene Shannon Cruz, 17. You probably don't know me - or maybe you do; I've been a summer camper, you see. But now I'm going to be here all year round. Nice to meet you!"

Gods, it sounded dumb. Even to my ears.

Well, too late to change the script now. I have been practicing those four lines seventy-three (my mother counted) times since I found out last week that I'm going to be a year-rounder. Hoisting my backpack, I trudged into the cabin with my fingers tightly crossed: maybe I won't sound as dumb as I fear.

Stefean had spent most of the day in the archery range tacking some of the junior campers in basic archery after which he headed to the infirmary to check on his patients, the day had been a long and stressful one for him the sun also was not helping matters as it beat down on the camp mercilessly "One would think being a child of Apollo would give you special sun protection or something. And I'm not complaining dad just stating a thought He muttered under his breath, the only thought that cheered him up was the fact that it would soon be time for dinner and he was off training duty for the remainder of the week.

As he got closer to the cabin he saw someone lingering outside for a few minutes before going in. "I wonder who that is ? She sure dose not look familiar, guess I'll just have to find out As he entered the cabin the first felling he got was that he just stepped in a disorganized orchestra which in the end seemed to blend together in a single meaningful tune. "You just have to love your siblings" He thought to himself as he was about to make his to his bunk. He glanced around for the new girl and saw her standing close to the door a few feet to his right. "Hi my name is stefan." He said dumping his now and arrow on a bunk nearby

Oh my gods, somebody's speaking to me!

Sheesh, Selene, calm down! You know how to speak English, don't you? I had never seen Stefan before...was he new in camp? He didn't look like he was a newcomer. In fact, he looked...important. And he looked tired. He had the look of one the trainers of camp after a really rough day. Maybe I just wasn't paying that much attention to my siblings? Regardless, someone was clearly welcoming me and it would be rude not to answer. I took a deep breath, plastered the biggest smile I could manage and prepared to deliver my script:

"Hi! I'm Selene! I mean, my name's Selene. With an S. Shannon Cruz. Selene Shannon Cruz. N-nice to meet you! You may not know me - or maybe you do! Do you? I'm new not here in camp, I've been here for 10 years. Only, I come by the summer - I mean, when summer comes. I come when summer camps."

---

I cringed, the blood rushing to my face when I realized I was getting lost in my own words. Stick to the script! The script!
"Oh gods, er, but now I'm staying all year. Nice to meet you Stefan!" I stick out my hand so sharply that I accidentally poke Stefan's stomach. Hard.

Damn...real smooth Selene. Real smooth.

He could clearly see that she was a little bit timid by the way she stumbled over her words, and who could blame her the first time he too got to the cabin he had tried sneaking in in the middle of the night only to step on a well placed "Don't sneak in" guitar trap which led to the most embarrasing statement of his life. "Hi I'm Hunt...Stefan Hunt and I guess I should have left the sneaking to the children of Hermes." Thinking back on the memory now brought a smile to his face. " I really should have left the sneaking to those good at it." He thought at the back of his mind

"Welcome to tha Apollo cabin, Selene with an s." He replied taking her hand and puttin on the most cheerfull smile he could manage. "So when did you find out that you were a sibling of mine?"

OOC: Merry christmas!

Thankfully, my weirdness didn't seem to frighten Stefan away. He shook my hand with the kind of smile that was so genuine, it was infectious. My embarrassment slowly melted away as my grin grew wider. "Found out since I was five. Came to camp when I turned seven, but like I said, only in the summer." Stefan seemed like an okay person. Definitely didn't look like a serial killer or a maniac. I bit back a chuckle as I recalled what Sofia said to me before dropping me off: "Listen to your mother, Selene. Every new face is a potential friend. Unless they look like psychopaths. That's when you run as fast as you can in the other direction, got it?" Well, Stefan didn't look like a psychopath...I'll give it a shot. I slipped a strand of my chocolate-colored hair behind my ear, a nervous gesture of mine whenever I met new people. As I did so, my eyes landed on what Stefan had dumped into a nearby bunk. Alarms went off in my head: a bow and an arrow!

Suddenly Stefan seemed more than a potential friend. Could he be...? Whoa, hold your horses Selene! Get to know the guy first! I slipped my heavy backpack off my shoulder and tossed it into my bunk. "How about you? When did you find out that you were a demigod?"


OOC: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO!

”Wow! Did you say five that was pretty early, hope the monsters went easy you?
I found out that I was a demi-god out at the age of 12. I got to camp with the aid of some senior campers who by chance happened to attend the same school I attended. At least that is what they said, personally I do not think they are being entirely honest.”
He replied happy to see that she was feeling a bit more comfortable. "Do you like archery?" Four full years of archery classes had thought him to be very observant of even the smallest changes and he could not help but notice the way her face brightened when she glanced at his bow and half empty quiver like it was something she could not wait to get back into

"To be honest, I've never really met any monsters outside camp. Weird, huh?" I admitted with a weak chuckle as I sat down on my bunk. I started playing with my hair to hide the blush that was surely forming on my cheeks. My monster-less life was something I never wanted to share with other demigods. Not just because of the odd stares they throw at me (like, is it my fault if no monster ever decided to come take a chomp at me?) but because it only highlighted how weak I am when it comes to fighting and defense. "Anyways, you? Met any big 'ol scary monsters lately? and to answer your question, yeah, I do like archery. We're kids of Apollo, aren't we? We're natural archers." At least, in my dreams, I finished inwardly, rolling my eyes with bitterness. "I got a bow and some arrows from Artemis herself," I added, deciding to show them to Stefan (Pardon the obvious pride in my voice, not every demigod can say that you know). I stood up to get them out of my bag.

---

Whoa, time to hit the gym. I thought, inconspicuously adjusting my pants. They're getting really tight.

"You got what and what from who!? Wow thats really cool. How did you get them? I would really like to hear that story. He replied in utter amazement. It was not everyday a greek god or godess decided to hand out weapons and here was one right in front of him.
"All Apollo kids are natural archers but some prefer to go into the artistic part of Apollo, if you take a second to listen around you would fully understand what I mean. And you can forget about those monsters for now, tell me about your encounter with artemis, after which we could both go to the arena and see what those naughty dummies are up to." The fatigue he felt earlier had almost if not practicaly disappeared at the thought of returning to the range but this time with someone who could actually notch an arrow.

I cringed as Stefan invited me to go to the arena with him. What have I done? I had implied so confidently that I was a natural archer. While I racked my brains for an excuse to decline, I went ahead with my story to buy some time. "It's actually an interesting story. One night I was sitting alone by the lake. It was a full moon and I was staring up, admiring it, when this doe cantered slowly from the woods towards me." I closed my eyes as I recalled that moment, the moment when I knew someone divine was coming towards me. I had never seen a doe in camp before and I was pretty sure that regular does don't come with sleek, shining white fur. "I knew the doe was special. I was too scared to move, afraid I might offend it in some way. So I just waited until it came close and sat down next to me. Finally, I asked if he was my dad." My heart skipped a beat at my words, remembering the hope and excitement I felt that night...then the resounding disappointment after. Back then, I was so sure it was Apollo, finally coming to visit me, to say hello, to do something. "The deer just snorted and bent down to look at the water. When I peeked at its reflection, I saw that of a little girl with her hair braided down her back. When I looked back at the doe, it was gone - I was suddenly sitting next to a little girl with braided hair, exactly like the one I saw in the water."

"She told me that she was Artemis, goddess of the hunt. I think I said something like 'Uh, so my aunt is an eight-year-old?'" I smiled, looking up at Stefan. "Pretty stupid, huh? But I think I was so stupefied then that my brain cells just died. I couldn't come up of anything clever. Thankfully, she didn't get mad or anything. She just laughed and told me she had a present for me." I held up the bow and quiver of arrows for Stefan to see. Sleek, smooth and completely made of silver. The arrows had elegant carvings swirling around and up to the tip. The bow was shaped perfectly for my grip. "These are my most prized possession." I say so softly that it was almost a whisper. "Someday, I'm going to be a hunter of Artemis." The day I become a decent archer....

That's when reality yanked me out of my reverie.

"Sorry, all this rambling of mine," I force out a weak chuckle. There is no way Stefan is going to see how much I suck in archery. If Artemis handed me a bow and arrow, I'm going to have to prove to the others that I'm worthy of them. "You must be tired. Are you sure you still want to go to the -"

All Apollo kids are natural archers but some prefer to go into the artistic part of Apollo...

I abruptly stop talking as Stefan's words echo in my head. I jam my lips together into a tight line as if afraid that any note of music was going to escape. My hands automatically ball up into fists as I catch my fingers subconsciously strumming an invisible lyre. No. No way. I gave up on music a long time ago. Apollo never came. But Artemis did. So archery it is.

Before Stefan could comment on what a weirdo I am, I rush in to say sweetly. "You know what, going to the archery range sounds like a great idea."

"Wow! You mean Artemis herself came to you, in this very camp? I should start taking moonlight strolls by the lake too perhaps I would meet my generous eight year old aunt." The story about how Selene got her weapons really facincted him to to extent he automatically started mapping out strategic places which Artemis might like to visit if she were to come again.

"I'm sorry but we mightnot be able to make it to the rangetoday, it would soon be dinner time, I have to let you settle down and I also have to take a shower before dinner. We could go tomorrow, I'm not all that busy. Stefan had heard of the bow's and arrows used by the Hunters of Artemis but he had never actually seen or touched one. "Can I see the set?"

OOC:What's your time zone

I didn't know whether I should be relieved or disappointed with Stefan's decline on my invitation to go to the archery range. On the bright side, it bought me another night's time before the truth spills out. On the not-so-bright side, I might not have the same courage to ask Stefan again. But the guy had been considerate of me, hadn't he? He was thoughtful enough to let me have some time to settle in. Yet another reason for me to believe he was a good guy. I knew he wasn't going to laugh at me if I asked him to teach me how to use Artemis' gift.

In the first place, why was I so ashamed that I can't shoot? Lots of campers don't have the skills for archery either.

I swallowed the bitter answer before it could take over my mind and ruin the mood. "Sure Stefan, let's just go tomorrow." I reply, smiling lightly. Maybe he'll never realize it, but Stefan made my day. I had come to camp with my irrational fear of rejection and by welcoming me warmly, he proved those fears wrong. Camp Half Blood might just be the right choice for me. "You're right, we should just rest and wash up for dinner. But tomorrow, okay? Maybe you can teach me how to not kill anyone with these." I place the silver bow and arrows into his hands, grateful to the gods because they were the hands of a friend.



OOC: Er, I'm really not sure. Google said: GMT + 8hrs. Same as Hongkong. Why? and what's yours?