The Camp Half-Blood Chronicles

Capture the Flag and Campfire Songs

A/N: This is based on the game of Capture the Flag in @Chilea 's amazing book, Hecate's Revenge.

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Annabeth

'Come on, you guys!'

'Annie, are you sure this is the best place?'

'Percy, I told you not to call me that. And sure, why not?'

Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, along with a few other campers, were walking into the previously named Zeus' Fist, flag in hand and fully-armored.

'The Red Team will never suspect it to be here, that's for sure.' Malcolm, Annabeth's half-brother responded. 'And, even if they do, they won't have the guts to come in.'

'See, it's perfect!' Annabeth concluded, turning to Percy, trying to convince him, as if the doubts of all the other campers (her half-siblings included) didn't matter.

They were in the beginning of yet another game of Capture the Flag and, as team captain, Annabeth got to decide where they would keep theirs. However, to the chagrin of her teammates, she had chosen Zeus' Fist, aka, the most haunted place on camp.

The horn announcing the beginning of the game had already sounded, so they needed to be quick, or the Red Team (they were the Blue Team), led by Travis and Connor Stoll, from the Hermes cabin, would get the jump on them. As always, alliances and teams had already been formed before the game: With the Athena cabin, on the Blue Team, there were the Poseidon cabin (no surprise there), the Hephaestus cabin, Aphrodite, Nemesis, Dionysus, Zeus (or Jupiter, since it was only Jason playing), Iris and Hypnos; and with the Red Team, led by the Hermes cabin, there were the Hecate cabin, Demeter, Ares, Apollo, Hades, Tyche, Hebe and Nike. The Red Team did have more people, but, from Annabeth's perspective, the Blue team had the most powerful ones.

'Seaweed Brain.' A few of the Aphrodite girls "aww"ed at the use of their pet names for each other. 'We've been here loads of times before. What's changed?' Percy lowered his voice to answer:

'The battle changed things and you know it, Wise Girl.'

'Exactly! No one will dare come in here.' Percy squinted at his girlfriend.

'I can't talk you out of this, can I?'

'Nope.' Annabeth shook her head and Percy gave up. They put up the flag in the middle of the pile of rocks that used to be shaped like a fist, and was now shaped like... a pile of rocks. Annabeth and Malcolm decided Jay, from the Athena cabin and Ivory, daughter of Iris, would guard it.

'Maybe after this time alone you'll finally get together!' Mitchell, son of Aphrodite, shouted, causing everyone else to snicker and the two chosen guards to blush fiercely.

'Nyssa, spread whatever you've got in store through the forest, trip wires, stink bombs, knock them out before they can get here.'

'Sir, yes sir!' Nyssa answered, joke-saluting Annabeth, which caused another wave of snickers.

'Jason, get as high as possible so we'll be able to see when they are coming.' Malcolm continued giving out orders. 'Cabin 10, stay near here, you'll be our first defense line.' Piper nodded and went back into the forest, motioning for her half-siblings to follow.

'Percy, I want you near the creek, it's our biggest shot behind enemy lines.' Annabeth said, then turning back to the guards, who were already in position. 'Ivory, Jay, someone will come and switch places with you at some point of the game. Everyone else is on the attack team, spread out! Let's win this game!' All the campers shouted in agreement and did as they were told, except Percy, who was following Annabeth into the forest.

'I was just wondering,' he said, making her turn around. 'does Capture the Flag qualify for the need of a good luck kiss, or is that only in life or death situations?' They stopped walking and Annabeth looked at him in they eyes, a smirk forming in her lips.

'You and I both know we don't need luck to win this.' she noted.

'Yes, but they do have the Tyche cabin. And Nike. What chance do we even stand against the children of the gods of luck AND victory?'

'It doesn't matter. We have power, traps, and, most importantly, wisdom.' They were getting closer and closer to each other as she spoke. 'Face it. You just want me to kiss you.'

'Well, will you?'

'Like you even have to ask.' She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, separating them shortly after. 'Now, let's win this game!' she repeated her previous words and ran into the forest to join her half-siblings.

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The game lasted for a while, but the Blue Team won, thanks to Percy (again, no surprise there), who got the flag almost as a few campers from the other team reached their side. However, he got to them through the creek and managed to get the flag back.

Now, Percy and Annabeth where heading to the campfire, a few hours later, hand in hand, discussing the game.

'I'm just saying, maybe Jay and Ivory weren't the best choice as guards.' Percy debated.

'Well, how was I supposed to know they were going to flirt the whole time? I still can't believe they didn't see Lou Ellen climb that whole thing and get away with the flag...'

'Oh, darling, love does that to you!' Percy rebutted, putting a hand over his heart.

'Please don't call me "darling" ' Annabeth cringed, laughing. 'It's weird.'

'Whatever you say, Wise Girl. Is that better?'

'Much better.' she decided and gave him a slight peck on the cheek.

They reached the campfire and went to sit between the rest of Cabin 6 and Jason and Piper, with Nico joining them grumpily (his team did lose... or maybe that was just his permanent mood) after Jason motioned for him to sit there.

The Apollo cabin began singing the usual campfire songs, and everybody sang along, even the losers of the game, some of whom where still mad about it (cough, cough, Nike campers, cough, cough), which caused the fire not to be as tall and bright as it had been previous nights, but you could tell everyone was having a good time.

'I missed this.' Percy said, seeming lost in thought.

'What? Annabeth wondered, turning her attention from the fire to him.

'This. Just hanging out at camp, not having to worry about some prophecy or our eminent deaths.' he laughed, even though it was true.

'I don't think we have ever been here without having to worry about stuff like that.' she joked, and he shrugged.

'You know what I mean.' Annabeth looked around, to the other campers, to Jason and Piper cuddling near the fire, to Lou Ellen and Cecil from the Hecate and the Hermes cabins belting out the lyrics to the songs, singing purposefully bad, to Nico, who every once in a while would steal a few glaces of Will Solace, from Cabin 7, to the Victor twins, from the Nike cabin chatting merrily to each other, not a care in the world (except the usual monsters and whatnot), and to Travis and Connor Stoll, who were attempting to pickpocket a few campers, one of them Katie Gardner, daughter of Demeter, who noticed them and turned around to yell at the two brothers.

'Yeah,' she finally answered, as Percy put his arm around her. 'I do.'

Next: Pranks and Pigballs