Stoll Her Heart: Tratie's Story

10. Breaking Borders

Heeeyyyoo readers here's Chapter 10!
If you need a refresher on the last chapter go back and skim it, remember the Capture the Flag part, Percy and Annabeth need Travis and Katie to help...

Chapter 10

Katie pov

Sneaking across the border for the first time I ever have in this I'm a little nervous and unsure. Will their defenses be better than ours are? Will I be able to to attack like real offense? I think Travis is in the same position as me, so that makes me feel at least a little better.
Since he had told me everything about himself, someone might expect it to be, like, awkward? But it really isn't. It in not normal either. Usually I'm glaring at him and yelling at him to STOP. This time we are acting on a team, cohesively, and are alike to how friends would be. Weird.
Percy and Annabeth sneak around, winding through trees and bushes trying to make the least noise possible. The many leaves and sticks on the ground make it hard to stay silent. Travis and I follow behind, trying to get used to the idea that we are the offense team now, not just defending our flag. Luckily the sun has set long ago so the shadows help us remain anonymous.
When Annabeth explained the plan to us earlier, I was surprised by its complexity. I always just thought the offense team just charged, not thinking about what they were doing. At least, everyone except Annabeth. Apparently there was a lot of thought into every action. I, on the other hand, thought about playing defense every second of the game. I focused on not letting them through, do not let them get the flag. I'll just have to get used to the opposite for this time.
We see the first line of the other team. They look like a group of Aphrodite campers, and must be second choice because the better ones were decoys on our side. They don't even notice when we creep by to their left, too busy discussing what kind of shampoo they use to make their hair shiny. Very intellectual.
The next line of defense is a group of Dionysus campers. They will be a little harder to pass by, but Percy takes care of that problem for us. He uses the simple and classic distraction. Throwing a small rock far to the other side of them so it makes a noise, Percy makes them turn the other way and pursue that noise. It has been such a quite night for them so far that they will chase any sign of penetration they find.
It seems easy, too easy, when we finally spot the flag through the canopy of leaves. It whips in the wind on its post, flanked by guards from the Hephaestus cabin. They seem to take defense more seriously than the Aphrodite kids and more strategically the the Dionysis kids. Not to mention they're equipment and quick wit. They will be difficult to outsmart. If Percy and Annabeth needed more reinforcement, especially from Travis and I (?), it must mean that this will take good physical skills and intelligence. Even more than the two already have together.
We stop a little bit away from the break into the clearing where the flag is. Percy un caps his sword again and looks at Annabeth expectantly as I've seen him do a thousand times.
"Do you all remember what we're all going to do? Percy, it's the same plan as usual for us but you two need to do this first," Annabeth began, shifting her attention to Travis and I. "Katie-you first use your regular powers to overgrow the grass and roots to freeze the guards in place. When they're busy with that, Travis- you need to go to the catapult they have and break it. I know you have a skill for breaking things. After you both do that meet up in the middle and work together to keep the defense where they are, maybe put them under your laughing spray or grow more plants around them. Then when that's done Percy and I will break the final, usual defenses to reach the flag. Don't worry though, we all always take equal responsibility for getting it-If you've ever hoped to be the one to win the game for your team, news your lucky day," She finished. "Percy, got anything that I missed?"
"Do you ever miss anything?"
"No"
"Then just HAVE FUN!" Percy whisper-shouted to the sky, rising a eye-rolling smile from Annabeth. With that, she sent Travis and I bursting into the clearing, not giving me any time to doubt myself, surprising the Hephaestus campers.
The defense scrambles to get into position, but it is not long before they can't physically move places anymore. Now, they have roots tangled about their feet. I could do this in my sleep. Some struggle to get out but the roots only grow deeper around their ankles. They're not going anywhere before the end of the game. It's a good thing these games are held in the forest, where there are trees within at least ten feet of you at all times. I swing around to check where Travis is and, right on schedule, he is doing what he does best on the catapult underneath the flag. He finishes and looks over at me.
He's about to give the signal to Percy and Annabeth when something drastically alters our progress. Four more Hephaestus campers leap out from behind the rock pile where the flag is posed on top of. I am caught off guard but try to regain my skills as quick as I can. The enemy is too smart already though; they take quick steps so the roots break before entangling them. The expressions of the caught campers changes as they recollect they're backup men.
After that, Travis and I are outnumbered and are captured onto their side. I try not to worry about it too much, I trust Percy and Annabeth will improvise and still easily manage to get the flag. One takes Travis behind and one other takes me there. The two remaining Hephaestus campers stay in front but still do not expect anyone else to come.
Behind the rocks the two guards don't watch us too closely. In a matter of seconds we hear none other than Percy and Annabeth burst out of the woods and go through their attack plan, easily taking the flag. "Travis, Katie!" We hear Percy call, "Don't worry we got it! Great job you two! Thaaaanks!" His call is followed by a threat from the Hephaestus guards, but we hear Percy laugh out loud at them. I could practically see Annabeth rolling her eyes at him again, letting out an exasperated yet affectionate and proud, "Seaweed Brain." After a minute, the sound of rousing cheers emirate across the woods and Chiron blows the victory horn, signaling to all campers that the game is over. We won.
The two guards with us groan slightly and glare over at Travis and I. Travis sticks up a peace sign and crosses his eyes. "Loooosers," he says jokingly. They roll their eyes and I slap him on the arm, feeling a little bad for them, but also laughing along with him. They start going back to the camp and Travis and I decide to do the same. Before we leave the clearing, I glance up at the night sky out of habit. I gasp slightly, being the stargazer I am, because this is the best view of the night sky I have seen here. The night is dark and cloudless, with a sliver of a moon, and since we are in a clearing, there's a perfect circular opening made by the tall trees around us to see the vast expanse of the universe. I kind of want to stay here and just look for a while. It's then I remember that Travis is also an avid stargazer, having seen him do it with my own eyes. It would be a shame to waste this great spot, in the center of this clearing, with the rest of the camp back at a sing along.
Before thinking about it too much, I reach out and grab Travis' hand and turn him around to face me in the center of the clearing. He looks a bit confused for a second, so I simply point up to the sky. He glances up at the stars in the sky and when he looks back down at me, I see the same impressed bewilderment in his deep blue eyes as I felt a second ago. He asks a single question by exchanging a glance woth me and I understand clearly: Want to stay here for a while?
I answer with a resounding, yet silent,
yes.

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Ahahahahaha it's pretty short but I have big plans for the chapters coming up next, so STAY TUNED
And make sure you've read all the previous chapters before you skip too far ahead!