I rolled out of bed and lazily threw the blanket on the bed and walked out of the room full of still snoring campers. The sky was tinged with the pink and orange of the early morning.
Breakfast was not an important meal for the Romans and though you were encouraged to get up at 6 in order to train, campers still got up whenever they felt like it. I sat down on the Fifth cohort table which was nearly empty except for Jason Grace and me.
After a light meal of honeyed pancakes and bread, I asked Jason for directions to the music room and he led me there himself, since he said he was going past it anyway.
The door creaked open and the sound of beautifully played piano filled my ears. I scanned the room to see Breck on the piano, completely oblivious to my presence.
The song was fast and wild and I had never heard of it before. Maybe he had composed it. Notes gushed out of the piano dancing around the room scattered and random, yet perfectly in sync.
The music came to an end and I broke out in clapping. Breck looked up, pleasantly surprised.
I brought a chair near to the piano. Breck grinned.
"Do you play?"he asked.
"A little. I'm better at violin, though."
"I've been playing since I was three. My father wanted me to be the best of my generation."
I looked at him.
"Does he approve now?"
Breck shook his head.
"He doesn't know. I ran away when I was nine."
"Oh," was all I could say.
The floor suddenly became very interesting.
"Sokay," he said, patting the bench next to him,"let's play something."
He started to play the first few notes of Lu Xiao Yu.(A/N Watch it if you don't know it. It's one of my favourite piano duets.)

I grinned and put my right hand of the piano to accompany him.
Music flowed out from the piano. Breck's grin deepened. The room echoed our playing, gently projecting the notes around the room.
The song finished and it hardly seemed to have started yet.
Breck turned to me.
"If that's what you call a little than I would like to see what you can do on a violin."
I blushed slightly. "Secret is one of my all time favourite movies."
"Ditto,"Breck said,"and I was serious about the violin playing. Instuments are in the left corner."
I walked over to the corner which had several violins on stands. I picked out a beautiful, dark polished violin.
I ran the bow over the strings to make sure they were in tune and started to warm up and stretch my fingers.
After playing several finger drill and exercises, I walked over to the piano and gave Breck the piece to play to accompany me.
He practiced a few times and then nodded at me to start.
I drew the bow over the strings, effortlessly playing H. W. Ernst's The last Rose of Summer. The sounds of the piano and violin harmonized together and I became lost in the beautiful world of music.

I subconsciously played the last notes and clapping exploded from my ledt Breck was staring with his mouth open, applauding vigorously. When did he stop playing?
"I couldn't keep up,"he explained,"you were going at at least twice the normal speed."
"Oh, sorry,"I said sheepishly.
"No, don't be. That was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard in my life."
•~•■•~•
Even if Breck wasn't sorry, my fingers were. After I had left the music room I noticed they were bleeding.
I felt a tingling sense of guilt. Someone would have to clean that violin and my pride wouldn't allow me to do it.
I spotted Jason sitting on a bench and he waved me over so I walked towards him.
"Weapons pratice later after lunch. We're going to rebuild our cohort's reputation Meet me in the disciplina locus. Dont be late okay?"
Okaaay. What kind of camp has weapons training? And how did I know that disciplina locus meant 'training room'?
Jason gave me a short nod and walked away.
•~•■•~•
Jason turned at me fiercely daring me to fight harder, better. I waved my gladius around weakly.
"Stop"he said as he put his sword to my throat.
I choked down water, not getting enough of it. I tried to breath slower to slow down my heartrate, but this had to be the longest, and hardest exercising I had ever done.
Jason tossed me a hand towel.
"Same time tomorrow. Remember, you haven't been trained by Lupa. That makes you a weakness. Don't show it and don't tell anyone."
He walked away without saying a word.
Okaaay. That just confirmed Jason's complete weirdness. I don't blame him. He had a messed up childhood. I'm sure I would go crazy if I lived here for more than five years.
•~•■•~•
Breck gave me that annoying grin as I half crawled out of the training room.
"Did you get roasted?"he asked excitedly.
"That-guy-is-bru-tal,"I said between pants,"re-mind me never to get on his bad side."
Breck doubled over laughing but then quickly smoothed it over and became serious again.
"Jason can be the best friend you've always wanted when he thinks he can trust you. He's a good guy."
"Still, he must have a lot of enemies."
"A son of Jupiter attracts more monsters than usual. He's been here for so long and had so many quests that he probably knows how to kill every one of them. So, yes, a lot of enemies."
I stared out into the horizon, watching the sun set.
Breck smiled, but not his usual mischievous grin. This smile was a real, kind smile, the type that said you were completely content at the moment.
I smiled back at him.
I had made my first friend here.