She finds the first one a week into her second summer at Camp Half blood. She'd just left the sing-along and was about to throw herself into bed when she noticed it- the hilt of a celestial bronze dagger peeking out from under her pillow. 'Its fine work' she thinks as she examines the blade and the intricately carved hilt. That's all she has time to think before Clarisse is bellowing about lights out and being well rested for capture the flag tomorrow.
She finds the note the next morning.
I think you fight good.

A fortnight later she finds a second gift- they must be gifts- but who would send her anything she wonders. A staff just taller than her with two wicked sharp spear points at either end, a note tied to one end reads, you're fierce. She's never seen anything like it. She gives it an experimental twirl perfectly weighted and balanced. A sly smirk on her face as she envisions what all she could do with such a weapon.
"This'll work".

A week and a half later she finds the breast plate. It's also under her pillow, or rather her pillow is on top of it. She spots it right away her pillow sitting raised on the shiny metal. Its dark gray with a snarling wolfs head emblazoned on the front. This time the note reads:
No one can touch you- but just in case.
She spends all of the next day in the arena putting her mysterious gifts to good use. She lets out a long howl every time she defeats another challenger. She howls a lot that day.
No one can touch her.

She's going to kill Clarisse. Its one thing for the Ares kids to tease her for her gifts, she wouldn't expect anything less from her half siblings. But, to tell Sansa of all people, yep Clarisse is gonna die, if Arya doesn't die from embarrassment first. Arya had been minding her own business when Sansa had snuck up to her by the archery range. "When do I get to meet him" "Meet who, what are you talking about" Arya bit out after calming her racing heart. "Your boyfriend silly" Without turning she lets another arrow fly "The perfume fumes must be leaking in to your brain Sans, I don't have a boyfriend". "You don't have to lie to me, Clarisse told me about your gifts". "She what… Well she forgot to mention that I don't even know who sent them". Sansa just stares at her in that haughty daughter of Aphrodite way; Arya is way too familiar with this stare it haunted her as a child. "You're joking" Sansa barked out half laughing. "Am not, go away Sansa" "I know your mom's not Athena, but hopefully you're not actually this clueless." Arya turns to face her for the first time since Sansa walked up "whatever you're trying to say just spit it out or go away stupid." Sansa sighs out "look to your left" Arya quickly examines the camp grounds and finds nothing out of the ordinary. She sees a few of Mr. D's kids working in the strawberry fields and a boy sitting under a nearby tree fiddling with something metal. She turns back to Sansa sick of this conversation "Just tell me what exactly I'm supposed to be looking for". She receives an eye roll and a mumbled "by the gods" before Sansa says more clearly. "That boy under the tree is a son of Hephaestus, Gendry is the best black smith at camp and quite handsome when he's not covered in soot". "And..." sigh, "and he's always under that tree when you shoot or in the stands when you spar and… he obviously is your secret admirer, even if it's only a secret to you." Sansa may as well have as many heads as Cerberus for the look Arya is sending her right now, but Sansa has said her piece and is just watching her so she turns to look at the boy, Gendry, she reminds herself. She can tell he would dwarf her even though he's sitting a fair distance away. He's strong, she thinks as she examines his arms and then up to his coal black hair. He raises his head and she catches a glimpse of deep blue eyes wide with shock when they find her own cool gray eyes watching him. He stumbles to his feet and lumbers away as fast as someone his size can. He turns back once and trips over his own feet when finds her still watching him. He turns back around and is gone. Sansa laughs from besides her. Arya just glares.

At dinner that night she's the one watching him, he caught her eye once and hasn't looked up from his plate since. She corners him after dinner. "Did you make this" she demands thrusting the dagger in his face in a motion that is just a tad short of threatening. He gulps but nonetheless speaks "yes" "why" she demands again. "I…" She has to give the dagger another shake in his face when he hesitates but then he answers "Because... You're small" He breathes a sigh of relief when the dagger is moved away but a second later he's been shoved to the ground and has lost his breath. "Shut up stupid, I may be small, but I can still beat you." He swears he can see flames of rage in her eyes as she advances on him. He breathless when he answers "I know, you can beat anyone." That makes her pause in her advance "what"? "You fight like nothing I've ever seen before, I wanted you to have something better than a beat up practice sword, so I made you the dagger" his eye flicker to the weapon she still hold tightly. "You seemed to like it so I kept going." "And the notes? Why not sign them or just give them to me in person"? "I was going to, but Sansa insisted it would be more romantic this way". "Sansa made you do this"? "She didn't make me, but she did suggest it and helped some. I didn't know how to approach you. I guess I was being obvious because she and Clarisse cornered me one day and that's how this came about." She just stares at him for about two minutes before she offers him a hand and with a quirked brow and a smirk says "you fight good? Even a son of Hephaestus can do better than that" He groans and trails after her "It was the first one and I was nervous, the other were better, right?"