Chapter One

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<Sam's POV>

You've got to be kidding me.

The one time I miss the target, the arrow lands in the Hades cabin.

I mean, I've been at camp for about three days, and I haven't been near it.

It started when my friend Morgan and I were practicing archery in the field behind the cabins.  Having just gotten there, we got a little bit of extra practice time (the last few days, we had just sat and talked and nobody seemed to notice/care). But today, I'm trying out for Intermediate archery, even though I just got here.

Morgan and I have been out here for maybe a quarter of an hour, taking turns with my bow.

"My turn," I say as Morgan hands me the bow.

"Fire away." Her greenish-amber eyes are bright with excitement. Her too-black-to-be-natural hair has fallen out of her ponytail, but either she can't tell, or doesn't care.

I step in front of the target, though a good ten yards away. I notch an arrow, and let it fly. It lands on the outside of the bull's-eye. I push some dark hair out of my eyes, and notch another arrow. I take a deep breath, and shoot.

It misses the target completely. Morgan and I watch as it soars over the target and flies through a window.

Which one?

Yep. The Hades cabin.

We're silent for a moment. Then Morgan says, "Well. This isn't good."

"Now what?" I ask. "Should we go get it?"

"No." Morgan pats the bow, which I find I'm still holding. "You go and get it."

"What? Why me?"

"Because it's your arrow, idiot. I'll wait here."

I swallow and say in a voice too high to be my own, "Okay."

So that's why I'm standing on the front porch of the Hades cabin.

I pause for a few seconds, then knock on the door.

No one answers.

With shaking hands, I reach for the doorknob, turn it, and push. The door swings open.

My first impression of the cabin? Dark, gloomy, and slightly creepy. Even with my only light being what's coming through the open door, I can tell there are skulls on the walls, and the bunkbeds are black.

"Hello?" I call. "Anyone home?"

Still nobody answers.

Then I see something glowing. I remember had put Glow-in-the-dark tape on my arrows, and walk towards it.

When I'm about half-way there, I hear footsteps outside. Oh, Styx, I think. There's no time to hide, so I freeze.

The light turns on, and without turning around, I hear someone say, "You know, freezing doesn't exactly make you invisible."

"Yes it does," I reply. I turn to see who the disembodied voice belongs to, and see a boy standing in the doorway.

He looks about thirteen, fourteen maybe, with dark hair. His eyes are a dark blueish-brownish-black. He's about two or three inches taller than me. He's wearing a black T-shirt and dark wash jeans, with dingy grey Converse for shoes.

"Going goth, I see?" I say without thinking. I slap a hand over my mouth. "Sorry," I say through my fingers. Stupid ADHD.

"Can I help you?" he says irritably.

"Who are you?" I ask at the same time.

"I'm Nico, and this is my cabin. What do you want?"

"I'm Sam, and I think you're being pushy."

We stare at each other for a minute. I open my mouth to say something, but he interupts me. "Get out," he says.

I smile and back up. (My arrow's still at the back of the cabin, but he doesn't need to know that.)

"What are you doing?" Nico asks, clearly confused.

I just smile.

Nico advances toward me, so I quickly turn around and grab my arrow. Nico reaches me and picks me up.

He carries me toward the door, me protesting the whole way, and drops me onto the porch. There is no subtle way of saying this, but I land on my butt.

"Hey!" I say as the door slams.

"Did you get it?" Morgan comes up the steps.

"Hey, I'm fine, thanks for asking," I say sarcastically, standing up.

"Cool. But you did get the arrow, right? 'Cause it's my turn with it, if I remember correctly."

"Thank you so much for your concern," I say, scowling. But, nonetheless, I hand over the arrow.

Yay. Wow, that took forever to write. The story is gonna be long, so watch for more

Thx

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