Divine Enmity (Catnipz)

IX. Capture the Rookie pt.1

"For today, I think a small dagger will do," Wonyoung suggested, picking one the size of her forearm. "Take this, you can wear it with this belt." She handed Haerin a small leather sheath that she could carry across her shoulder, easily accessible.

"It's manageable," Haerin held the dagger in her hands. "A bit heavy, though."

"You'll have to get in shape, sis," Wonyoung teased.

Haerin laughed. "I don't think it's going to be easy."

"Take it step by step," Wonyoung said, moving to the swords area. "I don't trust giving you a bow; they're difficult to use, and Danielle should teach you that.

"I also don't trust me to give me a bow," she laughed and agreed. "My aim isn't the best."

"Then it's settled," she nodded. "For now, the dagger and this sword should be enough for you. A little old, but we can go to Hephaestus' cabin and have it sharpened and prepared for you."

Haerin went to grab the sword, and it fell to the ground because it was so heavy, but only at first. With some effort, she managed to lift it and give it a little spin, but she didn't really know how to handle a sword.

"It looks...perfect. It's great," Haerin said.

"That's great; let's head to Hephaestus's cabin, and I'll explain some things about the game."

They continued their path, and he could see several campers already on the streets, wearing armor vests over their red and blue shirts. He could identify the latter a bit, while many of those with the red shirts didn't even return the greeting.

"It's very competitive here," Wonyoung said. "Capture the Flag is a game where the cabins become very self-centered and think they're superior when they win. In the end, you face half of the camp."

"But you said you could join any team regardless of your cabin."

"Of course, nobody stops you from joining any team, but most don't like going against their own siblings. Besides, when you group together the same type of demigod, you enhance their abilities."

"I don't quite understand..."

"For example, the Athena cabin plays with us, and they are very good at strategy. The more of them we have, the better plans we can make."

"That makes sense, but then cabins whose forte isn't combat, like ours, are at a disadvantage. If all those cabins join together, it's a bit unfair."

Wonyoung thought for a moment. "You're right, but we've discussed that already. It's balanced right now, especially with the Hunters."

"So, for example, the Athena and Ares cabins have never played together?"

"Not at all, and, besides, they don't get along in general," explained Wonyoung. "Too violent for the nerds."

Haerin laughed. "I see. It's like high school here."

"What did you expect? We're teenagers; that's obvious."

"I don't know... Part of me didn't think it would be like this."

Wonyoung shook her head. "The only difference is that now everyone has powers or whatever to show off, and they compete to see who's better at fighting."

"I guess so, then."

"Well, what matters to you about the game is this," Wonyoung pointed to the forest. "We play in the woods, and further ahead, there's a river that flows into the lake. The river divides the forest into two zones, one for each team, a natural border."