Arriving to camp with zero idea.

people were talking all around the courtyard. A fusion of sounds, noises and actions ruled over the ground of courtyard. Sons of Ares were flexing their large muscles to the daughters of Aphrodite, which were giggling their facetious laughs and talking with their low-rising voices that sound more like moans instead of words. Sons of Hermes were bouncing around exchanging bits and pieces of fragmented gossips and lies for their own entertainment. The brainy children of Athena were comparing complex mathematical theorems and theories, while some children of Poseidon attempted to mimic the success of the couple of Annabeth and Percy, but alas, they failed miserably at this. Daughters of Ares were bullying newbies, which Juliana though extremely rude and unbecoming of a person, while sons of Demeter tended to their plants like parents caring for their children. Loud party music was heard on the cabin of Dionysus, which she suspected was due to the fact that they could just throw parties whenever they wanted, and daughters of Apollo were concentrating on their instruments or practicing their archery, both at which she excelled at.

Finally, after bearing witness to this always-entertaining circus of camaraderie, Juliana decided to sit on the ground and peacefully contemplate at the people and smile to whomever addressed her. For her part, she was wearing an ornamental black blouse that had accessories that made the shirt look like a corset, a short sleeve, white cardigan sweater over her blouse with only the middle button tied, her simple bracelets on her left forearm, while she used a black, ruffled skirt made out of organza, that reached to her lower thigh and was over her knees, and black plush knee-high boots with slight elevations on the sole, resembling stilettos, and let her layered long honey brown hair loose and wavy. So far, Camp Half-Blood was just as she remembered it before leaving for Summer. She giggled at her delight and wondered what sort of people she would meet. However, since she was already entertained watching the people, she just kept sitting down and remained in her optimistic and amused state.

Shower? Check. Breakfast? Check. Teeth brushed? Check.
I seemed pretty ready to start the day.
My long dark hair was pinned up with a silver, snake-shaped pin, making my strands fall down my shoulder blades. The pin included turquoise and blue feathers along with a silver arrow, mixing into my bangs. A shirt printed with a wolf-head howling at the moon was pulled over my bust and stomach, covered with runes and alchemy symbols I had written on it myself with a white pen. A temporary tattoo wrapped itself around my wrists, fine, Celtic, artistic, detailed. My trained legs were sheathed in a pair of camp trousers, the end stuffed in my combat boots, my weapon in xiphos modus sheathed at my belt. I had my Stygian iron arm pieces and I had a book under my arm.
As I walked out of my cabin, I almost bumped into a girl who was sitting in the courtyard, making me trip and fall on my knees.

"Putain," I cursed in French, which meant as much as 'dammit'. "I'm so sorry," I told the girl, "Are you alright?"

She was a very, very pretty blonde, with flawless skin, beautiful eyes and long legs, dressed in fashionable designer clothes. I didn't know her face so I assumed she was new. Quickly, I stood up and dusted my knees.

"Je ne suis pas une pute!" Blueted out Juliana as she eard an insult and vulgar word in her native tongue and jerked her head hard to see who said her languege. She then saw a lovely girl with dark and plentiful luscious hair and ran yo her side. She placed her hands on the other girl's leg and immedistly started to cast her healing magic.

"I am such q clumsy and silly woman! Please, forgive my airheadness. Let me make up by heqling your injury. I'm so so so sorry. I was just enjoying the site of my second home after such a long time and well, I forgot to hide in my freakishly large legs. I hope you are ok." Said Juliana as she begun to cast her powers on the injury. She had petite french accent, but she, regardless of beij a total stranger, she treated her injury like a mother to a child. Her dark blue eyes sparkling with derermination.

" Im sorry for the horrible morning, but I guess my name is Juliana Solidor Lumiere Fleuret." said the girl with a lovely and bright smile offered to the other girl.

Je ne suis pas une pute!" The girl immediately said and my eyes widened. Another Frenchie? Amazing!

"Euh...je n'ai jamais dit que tu en étais une," I replied. "I said it in the sense of 'mince'. Sorry you misunderstood."

But she didn't seem to mind as she pulled a hand on my knee.

"I am such a clumsy and silly woman! Please, forgive my airheadness. Let me make up by healing your injury. I'm so so so sorry. I was just enjoying the sight of my second home after such a long time and well, I forgot to hide in my freakishly large legs. I hope you are ok."

"What? Of course I'm okay, don't worry," I laughed. "It's not like I lost a leg or something."

But her spell was working and the little pain in my knees receded.

"Thanks, though," I smiled.

" Im sorry for the horrible morning, but I guess my name is Juliana Solidor Lumiere Fleuret."

"Not to worry," I laughed. "My name is Theano-Kristo Minalkis. Most people call me Morgan though."

"Oh, another girl from La France? Viva la France! Yes? oh, I'm' sorry for being such a stupid and silly girl. I just want to meet people here. Your name sounds a bit Greek though, not that I am against Greeks at all. Your name is so pretty though, Morgan is such a wonderful name. Nice to meet you Ms. Minalkis, I hope you can show me how has my beloved camp changed over the Summer. If that's not too much to ask." Said Juliana as she first lit up after saying her nation's name proudly twice, but then lowering her pride and strength to a mere whisper, only to return to her upbeat self. She stood up over the dark haired girl and offered her help by extending her hand to hers. She had a warm, almost ridiculous smile like the ones seen on Disney movies and cliché Hollywood films. Her long brown curls seemed to shine a shade of gold as the sun kissed her scalp and a slight wind blew as she exclaimed in her native tongue in shock of the cold weather.

"Ms. Minalkis, is it always this cold here? I prefer a hotter weather and such. Although I also prefer the presence of anybody who isn't placing judgment on people. I mean I am like a bamboo stick, tall, thin and strong. If anything people would think I'm a daughter of Ares, could you believe that scandal?" Said Juliana with a humorous tone in her voice as she chuckled a bit at her comment.

"Oh, another girl from La France? Viva la France! Yes? oh, I'm' sorry for being such a stupid and silly girl. I just want to meet people here. Your name sounds a bit Greek though, not that I am against Greeks at all. Your name is so pretty though, Morgan is such a wonderful name. Nice to meet you Ms. Minalkis, I hope you can show me how has my beloved camp changed over the Summer. If that's not too much to ask."

I first wondered why she said "Viva la France" when it's "Vive la France" in French, but soon forgot it.

"I... am afraid I was not there last year," I replied. "I arrived but a few weeks ago and got immediately sent on a Quest."

"Ms. Minalkis, is it always this cold here? I prefer a hotter weather and such. Although I also prefer the presence of anybody who isn't placing judgment on people. I mean I am like a bamboo stick, tall, thin and strong. If anything people would think I'm a daughter of Ares, could you believe that scandal?"

I really wondered how she could find the temperature here cold, I mean -- it was 27 degrees Celsius! If we were in France, the temperature would be exactly the same. Then she started about judgemental people; for some reasons, she rather reminded me of an Aphrodite girl: the smile, a hint of superficiality at first sight, though I could be mistaken on that. And of course the graceful features.

"Um... First question, where you raised in Marocco or why do you find it cold here; second question, if you saw some Ares girls or boys, you might have a surprise on how thin and skinny they are."

"Eh bien Non. Je suis né et j' ai grandi en Normandie pour les sept premiéres années de ma via. Puis j'ai déménage á Paris, mais je reviens tout juste d' Italie donc je suis devenu accustumed á temperature de leur." Said Juliana Informing Morgan of her origins by telling her story in her native tongue. She was smiling at the other girl but quickly turned around and faced the people. She grasped her hands behind her back and inspected the people on the camp.

"Have you enjoyed breakfast yet. If not, I would be more than glad to get to know you over meal. Said Juliana who looked at the mess hall with tempting eye. Her stomach growled, but she kept her posture, albeit she was strained and stressed on her face.

"Where you born in Marroco yourself, miss Morgan? It seems as though you have fond memories of the past. I inquire, what did your mission consist of." asked Juliana with seriousness in her tone.

"La Normandie? J'adore ! J'y ai été cet été ; moi j'ai des origines Bretonnes," I replied in French.

"Have you enjoyed breakfast yet. If not, I would be more than glad to get to know you over meal."

"It depends, are you a daughter of Hecate? If yes, I guess we can."

As usual, there was the rule of not sitting anywhere else than at your cabin's table; I didn't even know what punishment one would endure if breaking that rule. And quite frankly -- I didn't wanna find out.

"Where you born in Marroco yourself, miss Morgan? It seems as though you have fond memories of the past. I inquire, what did your mission consist of."

"No, I was born in the Underworld," I told Juliana. In Hecate's palace. Too bad I hadn't any memory of it. "In the mortal world, though, I'm supposed to be born in Turkey. As for my Quest.... It's quite long actually. Some gods thought, after Hera's kidnapping, that Zeus was not a good ruler and rebelled. They bound him and imprisoned him, then started arguing on who would rule next. My mother gave Zachary, the son of Zeus, a Quest, and he chose me and a son of Cratus, Hammer, to accompany him. We were dating back then, Zack and I. Our mission was to go seek out Briares, seeing he was the one who saved Zeus last time that happened. It wasn't exactly simple."

"vraiment? Je ne suis pas vraiment friands de Normandie à tous! Vieil homme a essayé de me tuer plus d'une centaine de fois et tout. Mais de toute façon, si nous ne pouvons pas manger ensemble, cela vous dérangerait d'aller dans le camp avec moi afin que nous puissions à la fois rattraper son retard sur les nouveaux trucs au camp?" Said Juliana as she smiled back at Morgan and cleaned a bit of dust from her skirt. She was hungry, but could resist thé hunger if she needed to. Right now she wants to meet new people, and a French woman was more than wonderful.

"Oh, so you where born in the Underworld I see. Well let us not continue on with banalist conversations and carry on with what we truly want to do, unless you have grown out-fond of me that is." Said Juliana as she paced slightly with her hands behind her back and her tone a bit sharper than she intended, as if she was some sort of intellect giving a speech, even though she herself was not a fan of long discussions of bookish topics.

"Oui, bien sûr. Mais tu auras sans doute plus de choses à dire que moi, je suis une petite nouvelle, comme j'ai dit," I smiled. "Tu veux aller où en premier?"

I was a bit surprised at her sharp tone, wondering if I had said or done something to annoy her. She seemed a bit peculiar, I wondered why. Her accent in French made me think she was a girl 'de la haute', from high society circles. Let's just hope she won't snob me like many Versailles people do, I thought.

"Hmm, ne faiblira pas, car nous sommes deux fortes dames de France non? Je pense que nous pouvons gérer Camp de Sang-Mêlé par nous-mêmes. Au moins une visite si rien d'autre. Je woud très plaisir à visiter l'arène et le mess, mais je laisse le choix à vous, manquez Morgan." said Juliana as she placed an arm around Morgan's shoulders and begun to walk away towards the arena. She wanted to go to thé arena for it was a place she remembered well enough for it's arduous fights and spars.

"Pardonnez le ton de ma voix, je ne voulais pas à dégager une impression mauvaise ou hautain." Responded Juliana as she recalled the harshness of her tone when she last addressed Morgan during her previous sentence.

"Pas de souci," I replied as we started walking towards the Arena.

It was a huge building, not as big as the Colosseum, but still pretty big, made out of gleaming white marble. Niches were cut into it, hosting statues of war deities, most of whom I knew, some I had to ask about (Polemos, the Hysmainai). Many were obvious though. Eris with her devious expression and the apple at her feet, Phobos and Deimos with their bandanas and armor chiseled with demonic skulls, Alala with her knitted eyebrows and wide open mouth, Athena and Ares being the most evident of course. Each niche was held up by Corinthian styled columns, and the details were amazing.

"Wow, what an impressive building yes? I love Greco-Roman architecture. Did you know that it is possibly the most distinguishable style of architecture based on it's strong bold symmetry and harmonious use of strong geometric figures? Sorry to bore you, but I'm a bit of a classical geek. Anyways, would you like to spar for a few minutes. It seems appropriate and just like my father told me during my fencing classes, the best way to discover someone is by crossing swords with them without killing them." Said Juliana with a smile as she walked around the Arena admiring the huge, magnificent place. She paid close attention to the surrounding details and specifically enjoying the appropriate statues of the deities that dotted the fighting center of Camp Half-Blood.

"I'm sorry to correct you, but this is Hellenistic architecture, not Greco-Roman. Greco-Roman architecture was far later, it was introduced by the Romans, but following the Greek architecture," I stated. "This here is hellenistic pure."

I was also a classical geek, like she said, and I planned to study Classics, Humanities and Archeology once I had my Baccalaureate. I loved mythology, Ancient Greek and Latin (but more so Ancient Greek), and archeology was my baby.

"You could never bore me with facts of the Antiquity," I told her, though I couldn't help but think 'though if you don't get the starting facts right, I'm unsure where it's gonna lead'. "But sure, I'd love to spar."

With a fluid motion, I unsheathed Apokryphos, my Stygian iron weapon, then put the book I had been carrying under my arm on a nearby bench. Lucky I already had my armor's leg and arm pieces.

"With or without shield?" I asked Juliana.

" I am grateful for the correction. If I carried on thinking like I  previously had, I would end up embarrassed  myself in the future one way or another. However, let us save the discussions of Antiquity and our love for the classics for later. As a lady of the sword I shall not utilize a shield. Let us agree though that the first to spill blood is the loser during this test of skills. Shall we use powers or would you rather we keep it weapons only?" said Juliana as she touched her third bracelet and a brilliant display of light erupted from her forearm as a long, thin steel rapier with the gilded guard and the tip comprised of celestial bronze.

"Allow me the honor of presenting Victoire, my sword of promised triumph." Said Juliana after taking her own variation of a fencer's starting position by pointing her blade to the ground and leaving her chest unprotected. Her face was now stern and serious with her concentration showing on her brow. She left her free hand poised high into the air. For her strategy, she would focus more on defensive blows and riposte after calculating the strength behind Morgan's attacks.

"Well, it was a pleasure meeting you miss Morgan. I do hope we can catch up and discuss further topic later. I had a wonderful time, but it is getting awfully late, so I must take my leave of absence." Said Juliana as she dematerialized her sword and walked away from the arena.