Avery walked into the mess hall. Or rather, she had a few moments ago. Before she had gotten caught up in a conversation with one of her bunk-mates. The minutes ticked by and she wrapped up her conversation, finally beginning to move towards the designated Greek tables. Only to have a tray of food fly over her head, emptying the contents on top of her. Brown eyes widened in surprise, her mouth forming a perfect O as she took stock of exactly what had happened. No one else seemed to be moving around or flinging food so either she was in the worst food-fight in the history of mankind or someone was having a very bad day. She held her arms out as food dripped from them, a bit of something falling to the floor with a thud. "I said dining in, not to go." The dumb joke slipping out of her lips as she gave a small laugh.

Avery had made herself at home at Camp Jupiter. It was, of course, vastly different than Camp Half-Blood but that didn't mean it was terrible. She had no problem with the new place. They had given herself and her camp-mates a safe temporary home and for that she would never be able to find a fault in them. At least nothing that she couldn't overlook. There were even things that this new place had that were well above what they had at Camp Half-Blood. Like an entire swimming pool and beautiful gardens. Places of unique beauty that always drew her in. She wasn't exactly the type that could always be quiet, thoughtful, and relaxed but she did have her moments.

She had been having one of those moments yesterday, visiting the gardens, when she had met a nice girl from Camp Jupiter. The two had talked about the pretty flowers and it was during that small chat when the other girl mentioned that she should check out the aviary. Avery had then made a joke referencing her name and the place and oddly enough, it was then that the girl had to leave. Leaving Avery to plan a trip to see the place for herself.

So she made her way there today, as soon as she had gotten done with her work. She had visited a few aviaries with her dad but that had been ages ago. She had been just a small kid, happily bouncing around from area to area. She hadn't paid much attention nor actually soaked it all in. 

She slowly made her way to the large building and marveled for a moment over how huge it actually was. She had hoped to see hummingbirds and maybe an owl or two. The building was so large though that she currently found herself wondering exactly what kind of feathered creatures they were storing inside. Never to balk from danger though, she walked in.

The place was just as large on the inside as it was on the outside. She found herself passing door to hallway then another door. Before she knew it, she walked through one door and stepped out into a large airy area as the door shut behind her. There were trees, bushes and large rocks and nothing made her feel as if she was in the right place.

Avery tried pulling the door, but it wouldn't budge. Her lips quirked to the side in thought before turning around and looking for another exit. It was then that she realized she wasn't alone. Four giant eagles occupied the space she was in, their sharp eyes watching her.

Avery made a small yelp before going very, very still. She had never seen an eagle this close and their massive size did nothing to help the fear that had made its way into her chest. "Hi…don't mind me. I'm just going to move over here okay? Your home is very lovely." She took one step forward and one of the massive animals shrieked, causing her to freeze and cover her ears. "Okay. No problem. I can stay very still if you guys promise to do the same." Taking her hands off of her ears and holding them up to show she was un-armed, she gave the birds an awkward smile and she tried looking around for an exit or anyone or anything that could possibly help.

Avery found herself returning the Roman boy's grin. She was pleasantly pleased that he wasn't at all what some of the other kids in her camp had made them out to be. Not that he was the all-encompassing representative of his camp or anything like that. He was nice though and was actually helping her, which was more than she could say of a few of her own camp-mates. Affirming the belief that people were people and could not be sorted and made to fit into pre-affixed boxes.


Avery commented about the poetry and she found herself grinning yet again as he commented about the Roman tendency to avoid poetry. When he mentioned that it was more of a Greek thing she laughed lightly before replying, "Ah, touché. You have me there. Hmmm." She tapped her finger against her chin in thought for a moment before her eyes widened as the idea came to her. "A statue then!" She turned to him, "Show me your best warrior pose. Go on, I know you have one." She was beaming of course, a bright smile on her lips as she watched him. So far he had seem to roll with her randomness and humor, she hoped he wouldn't disappoint, though she knew that some people weren't as comfortable as she was when it came to making a fool of themselves. Not that she expected a silly pose. He could pull out something serious of course, but somehow she didn't see that one happening.

Avery had just gotten the helmet on when she turned to face him, their eyes meeting at the most perfectly arranged time. Hers caught in the act of being mischievous and his in surprise at said random act. He began laughing, a genuine and honest deep laugh that caused her to grin in return. The grin spreading into a full once again beaming smile as he all but doubled over with laughter. A pleased feeling came over her as she watched him recuperate. She liked making people laugh. Her camp wasn't the easiest when it came to her antics and making them smile. It was nice being around someone who seemed to at least get her humor.

Avery moved her attention back to the weapons that he had arranged for her, moving down the list as she sprayed and wiped until the grime was off of them. She fell into step with him, following behind his organization and pick-up as she cleaned. When he spoke about marching and drills Avery gave a small grimace. She couldn't imagine doing that every single morning, day in and day out. He glanced over, assuring her that she would get used to it and she nodded, the action causing the helmet to dip lower than she intended. Avery balanced the cleaning supplies as she righted the large thing before replying with a bit of positivity. "Rome wasn't built in a day right?" She gave a small grin before turning back to her work.

It would be hard. There was no question about that, but there wasn't another alternative. This is what her new camp required and although she was going to fail, quite possibly in every aspect until she left the place, she would at least try to do what they demanded of her. It was the least she could do and she didn't mind putting in the work. She wasn't necessarily lazy, she was just utterly uncoordinated and the clear opposite of strong. So it would take time and patience which she just to happened to have in abundance.

He gave her his name, "Nice to meet you." Avery nodded, again forgetting that the helmet was on her head. Righting it once more, she turned back to her task. "So where are you from?" The whole job was much quicker with his help. What could possibly have taken her hours upon hours, he had accomplished in mere minutes. Not that her job was done. Still, he had cut her task at least in half already and he had been pleasant company, she couldn't have asked for more.

He mentioned her wearing her newly acquired headpiece into a war game and she gave a small chuckle, "Is that like your version of capture the flag?" She asked, glancing over at him. Not that it truly mattered. She wasn't exactly the person that her camp relied on. Though, she had never donned a cool looking helmet during her games so who knew what possibilities this new one brought.

The girl swayed in place, or perhaps Avery was the one who was swaying. She couldn't be certain. The girl moved forward and Avery was then completely certain that she had made a grave mistake. The girl grabbed a weapon off the wall and twirled it in her hands as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Avery could only watch as the blade spun around faster than her eyes could track. The girl then began to list off her lineage and Avery felt her brain physically begin to get fuzzy trying to follow the long list of words that sounded super important. Avery bowed, "Nice to meet you Iseult, daughter of the Bellona and master champion of Rome." Avery straightened up, putting a hand to her heart. "I am Avery Barringer. Daughter of a marine biologist and also Mercury and with the Greeks of the….Greek Barracks." She bowed again, slightly stumbling forward.

She righted herself, forcing the helmet to remain steady on her. It was much larger than she had anticipated, but it was also too cool to take off. The other girl radiated pure badassery, she could only hold tight to the helmet and hope that some of it rubbed off. "So. Want to spar?" She could think of a million things more logically sound than offering to spar with a Roman, but it seemed like a fun idea at the time. She then bounced on the balls of her feet, trying to warm up. "Should we like…rock, paper, scissors to see who charges first?"

Avery was grinning as she kissed the boy softly on his cheek. He was cute, and she could tell that he very much knew it. It was clear in the way he confidently smiled. The way he held himself. He wasn't too full of himself though. At least, she didn't think so just from her first impressions. She had dealt with plenty of vain demigods before and he didn't strike her as one.

She found herself trying to figure out his godly parent. Not that it mattered in any sense other than curiosity. Though, the she supposed it would be helpful to know if she was dealing with a half-sibling or not. Half-cousin? She wasn't sure exactly what kind of demigod family connection that would be between Greek and Roman demigods from the same but not exactly the same parent. It was enough to make a small headache form.

Avery smiled brightly, the boy giving a hair flip to keep his unruly locks out of his face. "Nice to meet you." She had then brought up the theatrics of breaking up and was genuinely surprised as he posed another option of an actual date. She wasn't exactly the most experienced person in the realm of dating. She had a few crushes that never went anywhere. She had even gone on a few dates, but boys tended to either find her personality too immature or annoying to go farther than those few dates.

She just wasn't the kind of girl who took things like normal people always seemed to. She didn't like being upset or sad. She didn't like to focus on the bad things that could happen or dwell on past mistakes. She liked being in the present and the now. She had a grin still on her face as she replied a little coyly, "I thought we were supposed to be enemies?"

He gave her another self-assured grin and she laughed lightly. "Are you always so charming or am I just catching you on a good day?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear while she waited on his response. Yes, if she had to wager a bet, she would bank on Aphrodite or rather, Venus. Though he could fit in well with Apollo too. He had rolled well enough with her little charade. Perhaps he was an actor in the making.

Avery peeked behind him one more time and once she was convinced that they were indeed gone she linked her arm back in his. "Can I get a glimpse of the gardens? I haven't seen anything that sounds so gorgeous since I've arrived. Not that your camp isn't beautiful of course." She made a slightly awkward face as she recovered, hoping he wouldn't take any offense to what she said.

Avery had always been the type who leapt without checking to see if there was a solid landing zone first. A trait that had surprisingly served her well. On the rare occasion when she had listened to her gut and it hadn't ended well, she had simply chalked it up to experience and moved on. As she slipped her hand around the boy's elbow, she waited to see if she would indeed fly or fall. She had whispered the plea and as if on cue, he turned into her knight in shining armor. Success! He gave her an easy smile, removing his arm from her grasp and wrapping it around her shoulders.

Avery tried very hard not to giggle at the sheer showmanship that he immediately jumped into action with. She leaned her head into his embrace with a grin, "Ah, my hero" just low enough for him and him alone to hear. The boy ushered her forward and away, causing a sigh of relief to come out of her lips. She thanked whatever gods that had been listening that he had been the one to answer her plea and not someone who might have shunned her. Though she supposed if she had been rejected she could perhaps play off a breakup. Fake crying with proper theatrics in the streets of Camp Jupiter seemed like a better alternative than facing  a Roman with a sword.

They rounded the corner and the boy withdrew his arm from her, moving away respectfully. No sooner had he moved from her though, he suggested a kiss to cement the charade. Avery laughed lightly at the boldness, thinking that if she'd have to guess, he might be a son of Aphrodite. Or rather, Venus. He had charm to spare. "Deal." She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before grinning brightly. "Thank you for playing along, I really do appreciate it. You saved me back there."

She peeked over his shoulder, pleased that she couldn't spot any of the campers from either side who had been pestering her. Putting her attention back to him, extending her hand out, "I'm Avery. Nice to meet you pretend boyfriend." She then put one hand in her pockets, the other tapping her chin in thought as she proposed a question to him. "So, was this an amicable breakup or did you shatter my heart into oblivion?" She said the last part with a hint of dramatics, placing her hand over her heart, head turning to the side, giving her best Oscar-winning performance.