Disclaimer: The world of Percy Jackson, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of Rick Riordan and his publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life.This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
Capture the Flag was tonight and I'm dreading it so fucking much.
I have been mentally preparing for it all week and I still really didn't want to be called out as a daughter of Poseidon- isolated just for being born of a broken oath. I was already mourning lost friendships despite knowing that I made these friendships by being myself. I suppose I'll have confirmation later- if they're my real friends they wouldn't care less about parentage.
Travis suddenly looped his arm around my shoulders in a half hug. His big brother instincts must have notified him that something was wrong from the way he was looking at me in concern. "You okay Perce? You've looked sad all afternoon."
"It's just an irrational depressive episode, I'll probably be better tomorrow." I try to wave him off, but all it does is make Conner also pay attention to me.
"A depressive episode? Are you alright? Shouldn't you be taking antidepressants then?" he asked.
My irritation swelled for a second before I tapered it down by reminding myself that these two little kids were just worried about me. I shouldn't snap at people for being concerned.
"They're common. I get them every few weeks. No, I won't take antidepressants, I'm not compatible with the common brands and the obscure ones are too expensive. Either way, they'll just make things worse," I explain. "Don't make a big fuss, I've been dealing with this for years."***
Travis made eye contact and I had to force myself not to squirm at it. "Okay, but you'll tell us if it gets worse, right? Or at least you'll tell Luke."
"Yeah guys, I will." I gave them what I thought was a reassuring smile, but their faces told me I had failed horribly at it.
I turn back to my dinner just in time to hear Chiron blow the conch horn that signifies that it was time for Capture the Flag. My stomach dropped. I wanted to cry but instead, I stood silently at my table.
Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening grey, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.
I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "So, those are the flags?"
"Yep."
"Do Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"
"Not always," he said. "But often enough."
"What happens if one wins the game?"
He grinned. "You'll see. First, we have to get the flag."
"Whose side are we on?"
He gave me a sly look as if he knew something I didn't- which he didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight, something that made me shiver and turn away.
"We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we're getting the flag from Ares, and you are going to help."
The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities in order to win support.
Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. Demeter's kids had the edge with the terrain but they weren't the most aggressive, though I knew from my experiences with Katie that they were badass with traps and poisons. The Dionysus' twins were great athletes, but if you separate them, they panic and fold. Aphrodite's children are completely harmless until you piss them off, so I wasn't very worried about them. I've never seen a group of people emulate 'do no harm but take no shit' more. Hephaestus's four kids were stronger than some of Ares' kids, and they would be a problem. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet.
Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.
"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as the referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"
He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.
Being 4'10" and skinny, I had the advantage of grabbing the best armour before the rest of the crowd swarmed the table. With a quick glance back to Luke, who was first helping the others put on their own armour, I snatched him some armour too.
I attempted to put my armour on by myself but ended up having to ask Luke for help when my hair got caught in the straps. He started laughing when he spotted me grumpily pouting with my bracers on upside down and my hair knotted in the breastplate straps, but he managed to smother it when I told him I wouldn't grab armour for him next time if he kept laughing.
Annabeth spotted us two together and came over, something sour written all over on her face. "Jackson, you're on border patrol by the creek. Where's your shield?"
I scowled in return. "I have noodle arms, how am I supposed to lift one up? Besides, I have no training with a shield. I've only been at camp for a week!"
She huffed, "Fine. Don't get caught by Clarisse's spear if you're in the water." Her face softens completely when she turns to Luke even though he's frowning at us both. "You know the plan Luke, good luck."
She strode off, yelling, "Blue team, forward!"
The team cheered and shook their swords as they followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.
Luke was still standing with me, "Why can't you two get along?"
"Hey," I protested, "I'm trying! She just dislikes me and is always being rude!"
He sighs, and it's like he's suddenly aged twenty years. "I know, kid. Let's catch up." We went after the rest of the group.
-
It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.
Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my slightly-too-big armour, I felt like an idiot. Curse my tininess, none of the camp armours fit me properly, and none of the ones that were a close fit wasn't broken in so they pinched. I had my hand on Riptide, which was in still its pendant form.
Right, I'm at the creek. I haven't majorly pissed off anyone so I shouldn't get attacked, right? I tried to pay attention, I really did, but then I remembered that one of the things here was called Zeus's Fist. Does the King of the Olympians trademark his name? Is he annoyed that he can't trademark it because Olympus has liability issues especially regarding how mortals throw around godly names all the time? What's seeing someone in the mythical world like?
Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal as kids fought.
A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leapt through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.
Normal people might be upset at missing out on the fun, but I was quite happy here, thank you very much. At the creek, I had access to my personal form of protection- water -which would be needed if a hellhound shows up like in Canon.
I plopped myself down in the creek, uncaring to my soaked clothes, and blocked out the sounds of people fighting. Except...
"You know it doesn't matter if you're invisible or not if I can hear you, right?" I say in the direction of where Annabeth is hiding. "I mean, people have ears."
There's complete silence until I hear the very faint sounds of receding footsteps.
Oops, I think I've embarrassed her. Oh well, this means she won't see me completely ignoring the fact that I'm supposed to be patrolling the border.
Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by.
I yanked on my necklace, unsheathing Riptide as I stood; the hellhound had found me.
Then the growling stopped. Rustling noises then came from its general direction, but the sound got further away. It was... Retreating? What?
On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark.
"Cream the punk!" Clarisse shouted.
Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with a red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords- not that it made me feel any better.
They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin. Or I could-
My fight or flight instincts kicked in and I panicked. One second I was standing in the creek, surrounded by Ares kids, the next I was up the nearest tree and all my attackers were passed out underneath it.
Did I just-? Oh fuck.
My brain had somehow managed to choose both fight and flight at the same time. A focused tidal wave had knocked all the Ares kids the fuck out while my monkey instinct kicked in and I climbed away from the danger. Oops. I hope those definite concussions blur what really happened.
I'm still up a tree. How am I supposed to get down from my perch a full ten feet off the ground? I stare down at the suddenly way too far-away dirt. If I just fucking jump, the water in the creek should catch me.
I jumped, and the creek water rose up to cushion me, but I think I fucked up when I heard a tell-tale "CRACK!" and exploding pain from my ankle.
Great, now I have a fucked up ankle. Today is NOT my day. Fuck, this shit hurts!
-
I was busy putting my motormouth to use while trying to heal my ankle when it happened.
A howl split the air and made my hair stand up.
There on the rocks just above me was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.
It was looking straight at me.
I'm going to fucking die.
Inwardly my mind curses the fact that I was asleep for those first few days at camp- Kronos must have taken advantage and ordered Luke to summon the hellhound during that time.
Swifter than any predator that size should be able to move, it leapt towards me; like an enormous shadow with fangs for teeth.
Summoning my powers, I call up a frozen wall of ice. It runs full force into it, shattering my only protection, but I already knew what to do. It's dazed for only a second before the creek water rises up and freezes it in place. Riptide is a bronze blur as I lop it's head off.
It turns to dust the exact same time my adrenaline wears off and I fall over. My muscles are screaming and my ankle's throbbing in agony; there are hot tears streaming down my face from the pain. I'm exhausted, and creek water can only do so much.
I hear the tell-tale sounds of someone crashing through the woods towards me and instinct makes me unfreeze the creak, turning it all back to normal. The only pieces of evidence that pointed out something was wrong is the scattered, unconscious Ares kids and the tell-tale sign of golden dust.
Annabeth appears with her invisibility cap in hand only seconds afterwards. She's standing in shock, taking in the scene when I call out to her.
"Annabeth! There was a hellhound and knocked them out and I got a lucky hit in and I broke my ankle! I- Get help!" I babble to her in panic, sobbing.
One could call me a good actress if it wasn't for the fact that I wasn't acting. I really was hysterical because oh my gods I almost died!
The fucking bull-man does not count. That fucker had hurt Mãe. Nobody hurts Mãe.
Then I heard yelling and elated screams. Luke was racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids.
Luke ran across into friendly territory. I could vaguely hear our side erupt into cheers.
The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.
Somehow, this managed to break Annabeth from her stupor and she began screaming. "LUKE! CHIRON! HELP!"
The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron and Luke seemed to teleport to our side.
I was weakly cradling my ankle and, uh, sluggishly bleeding from somewhere? I couldn't tell. I was also sitting upright out of the water like a dumbass. My shirt's turning red. My eyesight is blurry. I'm five seconds from passing out.
"Percy!" Gods, Luke sounded terrified. "No, no, no! Stay awake!"
Chiron tipped some sweet tasting golden liquid into my mouth. Nectar. He looked up at Annabeth and asked what had happened, but all she could do was relay what I told her.
"Someone inside the camp summoned it," he frowned, looking at the other injured campers. "Luke. Take her to the infirmary, now! Apollo Cabin, help me with the others."
I was scooped up into Luke's warm arms and nearly unconscious when I realise something that makes my eyes flutter back open.
I haven't been claimed.
Oh fuck. I haven't been claimed. I've changed something so drastically that Pai hasn't claimed me! Think, Ophelia, think! Canon had something to do with Percy healing and Anna- Annabeth! She wasn't close enough to see me use my powers...!
But- but what about the quest?
I don't know. The only thing I know is that I truly fucked up.
Shit!