Finding it

New Finding It Chapter: KATIE 8

I make the vine curl away from the fight and it points straight to the flag. The boys slide down the stem of the flower and onto the battle field, charging towards Percy. "Lets go," I say. Mae and I race across the vine as Miranda wishes us good luck. 

I don't think that Percy has seen us yet but that doesn't give us a reason to slow down. In fact, I sprint as fast as I can without falling off the green plant. Suddenly Mae's footsteps aren't behind mine and I turn around, wondering if she fell off, but then I see her. Standing consentrated, willing a wall of all sorts of plants to grow. 

She looks so strong, so powerful, so beautiful. The way her long brown hair flows around her as she holds her ground with the agriculture. The prominence of her muscles from years of fighting as she maneuvers her way around. How her lips have the faintest trace of a smile. Something twists in my gut. Maybe that's why Travis was acting strange, maybe he saw something in her that he liked. Maybe he's attracted to her. 

I shove the thought out of my head. This isn't the time, or the place to start making scenarios up in my head. I'm in the middle of a war game, I shouldn't be overthinking about my boyfriend's intentions. 

Continuing towards the flag, the water cannons making it sleek and slippery. I pray I don't fall off. I am so close to the flag. Maybe fifty meters. Below me I hear the shouts of Alex and Angelo, their struggles against the child of a Big Three. Percy his slowing down in his defenses and attacks and the so are Alex and Angelo, but below me their fight continues.

I notice, though, that they do fight together as a team . . . not recklessly but skillfully. They fight like lethal twins with spins and slashes and attacks. With capability and knowlege, they fight well. They hold they ground and do well in their tasked job.

All I have to do is get the flag. Twenty-five meters. Fifteen, ten, seven, five, two. I am so close. I turn my attention back to the flag itself and away from the boys on the ground, but in doing so I forget to watch where I step. My feet loose their footing on the vine and I slip.

The vine is wet with water from the cannon and I was a bit too distracted. I struggle, trying to regain my balance. 

"Katie!" I hear Miranda shout, and Mae's attentions falls on me. 

"Mae!" I shout, she's the closet to me. 

She races towards me as I fall off, but she conjures another vine for me. I grab it as I fall completely off the the vine which led straight to the flag. Damnit! I think to myself, I need to focus!

Mae wills the vine to begin swinging back and forth and wish enough momentum I let go of it, lunging for the flag—Its right there infront of me. Its so close, it's right there. The air rushes past me and a sickening feeling in my gut. I'm falling. From so high up. Too high up. And it wouldn't be a soft landing.

Luckily, a certain son of Hermes catches me. "Can't have my girlfriend's sister dying now can we." Connor says. He carries me by under my arms and lands me safely back to the ground.

"Thank you, but, Connie, it's over." I say smiling. "Red wins."

I hold up the blue flag. People around us hesitate in their fights, then quickly rush over with their weapons.

"She has the flag!"

"Get her!"

"Take the flag back!"

"Don't let her cross territory lines!"

 Connor's face is priceless as he realizes he probably shouldn't have caught me. As he regains his composure and his teammates surround us, I remember that I still have one last thing to do before victory is officially won. Connor reaches for me again and grabs hold of my arm, and in a panic I sink his feet in tightly twisted plants. They hold him secured.

"Now! Miranda, Mae!" I call.

"Mae?" Connor frowns at the brown haired girl above us. I reach out and a strong vine wraps around my wrist. It grows thicker by the second as Mae wills it to begin moving side to side, I'm pulled out of Connor's grasp.

Quickly, it swings through the sky and as I hold onto it, the vine pulls me across the on ground battles. Some arrows wiz towards me but most of them aren't even shot well enough to make it to me since the Apollo children are on the same side as me. In a heartbeat I'm back to my team's territory. Once back on the red team's ground I'm instantly regrouped with Mae and Miranda. We all pant with nervousness, excitement, and exhaustion now that the adrenaline is slowing down. 

The two girls look at me, winded, tired, but proud. "We did it."