The next day, I wake up to Don's familiar knocking, and it takes me a full minute to realize someone moved me back to my cabin. I sit up slowly, but the ashy feeling is gone, the only remnant a dry, sooty taste in my mouth.
"Elana!" Don shouts, banging on the door and I rub at my eyes, registering the fact that I'm already fully dressed and my hilt is sitting in my pocket. "Come on, we're going to be late! It starts after breakfast!"
That wakes me up, a surge of competition rushing through me. Standing, I run to the door, flinging it open with a grin.
"Don!"
"Elana!" He yells, and I jump down to give him a hug. I guess the aftereffects of nectar are still wearing off, because I feel unusually chirpy. "You ready?"
"Yep," I grin, scanning him. There are no flowers in his hair today, and he's wearing shining golden armor that brings out his green eyes. If he's ever looked like a god's son, it would be now.
"Here," Don says. "Chiron told me to give you these, they're your Counselor's armor." I blink, but take the dark bundle from him, and unwrap it as we start to walk towards the dining area. I raise my eyebrows at the armor as it's revealed, reluctantly very impressed. It's made out of something that looks like obsidian, but doesn't weigh any more than normal armor. The material shimmers slightly, like dim stars, and is intricately carved with spiraling screech owls, snakes, and moons. When I've clipped it all on to the under harness thingy, Don lets out a low whistle. "Well... you look... extremely deadly, if I say so myself."
"Thank you," I smile, and catch the eye of Clarisse from across the dining area, wearing a ruddy golden set of wicked armor. I nod and she grins. "Well, see you in a few." I wave goodbye to Don, and walk to sit at the Hades table, very grateful to see a mug of coffee and a half full plate of breakfast waiting for me. Catching Percy's eye at the Hermes's table, I smile, nodding. Luke grins at me and I dig in, but only finished half of my sausage when a conch blows, and the Nymphs hurry to clear the plates, leaving the campers to stand.
The camp turns to cheers as Annabeth and two others run in through one way, carrying a silver flag decorated with a olive tree and barn owl. Clarisse runs in from the other way, carrying a flag of the same size with a bloody spear and a boar head painted crudely upon it.
The teams are announced, and it turns out I was one of the only ones who knew them, because the news of Athena, Apollo and Hermes verses Ares, Demeter, Dionysus, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Hades makes people turn and whisper to each other.
Luke turns towards me, raising his eyebrows at my alliance. I grin at him, flipping out my sword and tilting my head in challenge. He grins, narrowing his eyes, his own challenge echoing. We'll see how well he can defend their flag now.
Chiron stomps his foot down on the floor.
"Heroes!" He yells. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed, but the flags must be prominently displayed with no more than two guards. No killing or maiming, but I will be the on ground medic in case of emergency. Arm yourselves!"
He waves an arm and weapons clatter down onto the tables. Only two things clatter down onto mine, both made of the same obsidian material of my armor. The first is a small round shield that clips perfectly into my left arm, and is a helmet, curved menacingly at the bottom like fangs. Unlike Annabeth, Luke and Percy, who have blue horsehair plumes, I have blood red.
"Blue team, move out!"
"Red team, to me!" Clarisse calls out. I run over to her where she walks off, the other counselors up the front with her.
"What's the plan?" I ask, and Clarisse snorts.
"Demeter's cabin, border patrol, Hephaestus and Aphrodite attack for Athena's flag, Aphrodite's are the decoys. The two Dionysus punks are defending the flag. You can do whatever the hell you want, I don't care."
"Great," I smile. "And I suppose the Ares cabin are..."
"Getting revenge on that little punk who humiliated my cabin," Clarisse snarls, twisting her spear and I raise my eyebrows.
"OK, you do that," I say, and they split off, all the different cabins heading off in different directions. I frown, thinking. I know Dionysus told me not to use my magic, but surely if I just... I frown, staring ahead to a small shadow beneath a tree. A surge of power rises in me and I tense, ready to vanish, successfully managing to fall backwards into darkness. A flare of panic rises, but I force it down, imagining chains wrapping around my ankles, yanking me down to the ither side of a tree. It works. I gasp, eyes opening to light then grab one of the Dionysus kids, whispering in their ear my plan. he nods, and I turn as they keep walking, scanning till I see the biggest tree.
As the conch shell blows again, I reach up, grabbing the lowest branch, I swing up to rest on a partially covered branch, high enough not to be seen but not too bad to jump down from. I swing my sword, moving to a more comfortable position as Chiron's words ring in my ears.
Send off shockwaves or open fissures.
Fissures to what? Well, it can't be that bad. An Apollo kid leaps through the forest like a deer underneath me, but I let him go. He isn't wearing the leathery golden armor I'm waiting for. The sound of clashing swords fills on the forest, campers yelling and cheering somewhere across the creek. I turn on my branch, and begin to move towards the flag, shadow travelling between each branch.
Don darts underneath me as I reach above the flag, probably pursuing that Apollo kid and I grin as I see who follows him, the small group sneaking through the trees towards the flag now only defended by the Dionysus kids, who both raise their weapons in defense.
Luke points his sword, his five buddies spreading out behind him as he steps forward, eyes on the flag.
"Surrender now," Luke says, scar shining in the light. "And we have no fight with you." The Dionysus kids frown at each other, weighing the benefits of giving up, but I grab the branch above me, hanging by only my arms.
As soon as Luke steps forward I drop down, landing in a crouch between him and the flag. His eyes flare in shock, and I smirk, standing and unsheathing my scythe with a slice of air.
"You want the flag," I grin. "Then you have to get through me." Luke's eyes flash, and a crooked smile spreads across his lips.
One of his friends suddenly makes a rush for the flag, and I twist, slamming the bottom of the scythe into the dirt. A wave of sound shoots out, cracks spreading towards the guy's feet. He yells, and is knocked back by the soundwave, smashing into a tree. The Dionysus kids step forward now, both in line with me. Now they only have two to fight off.
While I deal with the main threat.
Luke smirks and removes his helmet, revealing his dark curls. I bare my teeth at him, which only makes his smile grow. So I just lift my chin and smile back, turning my weapon over in my palm.
There's a moment of tense silence, then the fight begins.
Luke lunges for me and I spin to the side, dodging the blow. Striking back, my scythe swoops a wider gap in between us. He hisses in annoyance.
"Come on, make it a fair fight!" Luke says and I smile, switching the weapon back into the dark sword. He grins savagely, and strikes again, this time flashing his sword in a way that catches the sun before he slashes at me, and I only just block in time. He raises his eyebrows, impressed. "You're good."
"So are you," I grin, and we exchange blows with stunning speed. It's been a while since I've fought someone like this, but Cade was always a harsh teacher, so the training he drilled into me is like instinct to fall back on.
Luke strikes down at my head and I block him, pushing back against his blade. Shit. He's stronger than me, meaning I'm wasting unnecessary energy in this little dispute. He know it too, judging by his triumphant expression. I meet his eyes through our locked blades and stare him down, but that only makes his grin widen.
His eyes dart down for a split second, and that's all the warning I get before my feet slip from under me, and I fall, landing on my ass. I wince, but freeze, snarling as Luke places the tip of his sword to my neck, lifting my chin with the blade.
Wow. That really shouldn't be as attractive as it is.
"Surrender," he says, and I reach up, grabbing ny helmet to rip it off my head. He steps back slightly, the blade of the sword now off of my neck, and that's all I need before I flip backwards, pushing myself off the ground to kick, successfully knocking his sword right out of his hand. It lands behind me, and I stand, my sword now pointed at Luke's throat.
"Never," I hiss, victory flooding through me as his eyes dart to me, then his sword, and back.
It's a testament to Cade's relentless drilling of strategy and reading body language that I know what Luke's going to do just before he does it.
He lunges with the unnatural speed of a Hermes's child, feinting one way before switching back and crossing the other. Just in time, I stick my foot out and catch his leg, tripping him up. He twists, grabbing my wrist and pulling me down after him, and thanks to my extra weight, we tumble down a slope, clinging to eachother as we roll. I sheath my sword back into its hilt just before it squwers both of us, holding it close to my chest as we finally skid to a stop.
Both breathing heavily, I try to take in what happened even as a blush slowly heats my cheeks as I register what position we're in. Luke's arms are braced above me, lying in between my legs and face inches from mine. He's close enough that when we both breathe, his chest brushes my breasts, and I can feel his warmth seeping into my body.
One of my arms is pinned by his hands above my head, and the other is curled at my stomach, holding the hilt. I study his face with wide eyes, taking in his warm brown eyes, his long eyelashes. His dark eyebrows and curls that I want nothing more than to feel in between my fingers. His jaw, his neck, his lips. The little freckles that splatter across his face, so light I can only just see them.
Something shifts in the energy between us, and I almost see visable sparks fly.
I can feel his breathing on my lips, and it's all I can do not to surge up and see what his mouth tastes like on mine. What his hands could do. Luke stares at me, his gaze piercing into my soul. He scans me slowly, then scrunches his face up.
"Fuck, Lana," He breathes, and leans down, placing his face in between my shoulder and neck. I can barely breathe as he shifts slightly, lips brushing my neck like a butterfly's wings. His lips trace my jaw with featherlight touches and it's all I can do not to moan. This is a bad idea. This- Luke's hair brushes my cheek and I gasp slightly, wrapping my legs around his waist to bring us closer.
What is this? This feeling pouring through me. Hell, I've only known Luke for almost two weeks, and this connection between us hasn't dimmed at all, only become more electrifying.
Dimly, I resister the hilt sliding to the ground as my free hand shifts, tracing the hem of Luke's shirt. He inhales sharply and I feel his muscles tense under my hand as it slides up underneath his top.
"Your hand is cold," he murmers against my neck, sending vibrations down my spine that melt my brain, then continues his half kissing on my neck, now moving to my throat.
Fucking hell this is a forest. Capture the flag is still on, anyone could find us here. Although it's kind of hard to remember that as Luke slides one of his hands down, skimming along my waist and chest as he continues his feather like kisses on my neck.
Hard to remember as his other hand reaches down to cup my face, stroking my skin. I reach down with my now free hand, leaning my head back farther a I tug on Luke's hair, curling my fingers on his abs at the same time. He hisses, shifting his hips uncomfortabley, then suddenly, he sits up, moving away from me. I blink.
"Fuck. Fuck!" Luke whispers, hands on his face. I freeze, worry shooting through me.
"Wha- did I do something wrong? I-"
"No, no, it's not you," Luke shakes his head, gasping like he can barely breath. "We just can't do this here."
"Can't do this.. Here?" I ask, fighting with all of my might not to jump at him. "Like, in the forest or in Camp?"
"In camp," Luke replies and my heart sinks. "And especially the forest. It's too wide open, and we can't do what we just did again if I have to appear anywhere in public for the next few minutes."
"Wh-" He blushes pink and I glance down to where he's having some... Issues, if you know what I mean. "Oh." I bite my lip, thinking.
"Please don't do that," Luke says, eyes now fixed on my mouth. "It makes me want to do some things that are definitely against the camp rules."
"Like what?" I ask, looking up through my eyelashes at him.
"Like pinning you to a tree right here and kissing you till you don't remember how to breathe," Luke says withought hesitation and I blink, something warm pooling in my gut. I look away, trying to shake myself out of this. Gods, he's like a drug. Electrifying, hypnotic, and very addicting.
"I-" I start, intending to tell him how much I would like to be pressed against that tree, but a small snicker cuts me off. Whipping my head towards the laugh, Luke and I spot her at the same time.
It's a girl around fourteen, redhead and bitchy looking, extending her hand towards us. Something is shimmering around her hand, some kind of pinkish cloud.
"Hey!" Luke yells, scrambling to his feet, sword in hand. "HEY!" The girl yelps, and jolts back from Luke, whose face is now contorted in rage. Even I have to admit he looks genuinely deadly. "CUT IT OUT!" He roars, and the girl's eyes widen before she stumbles away, disappearing into the forest.
Immediately after she's gone, my stomach drops, every warm feeling dissapearing and leaving an oily patchbof guilt in my veins. Luke's face pales, and my hands start to shake as I grimace, nausea churning in my stomach.
"What the fuck was that?" I get out, arms around where my stomach and legs have begun to cramp. I would think it was my period except I'm not due for another week or so, and I think that girl just used some sort of magic on us.
"That was Briar," Luke spits, anger still burning in his eyes. "She's an Aphrodite kid with no self control, and no idea what the consequences of her actions could be. Her daddy's rich, so she goes home every summer, thank god, but I'm pretty sure she's never even picked up a sword."
"What did she..."
"Aphrodite kids can manipulate emotions," Luke says, and my veins turn cold. "They can magnify them, and in some extreme cases, change them how they see fit. She probably just wanted to fuck around a bit, see what happened."
"She messed with our minds?" I snarl, anger rising fast enough I no longer feel the pain throbbing in my abdomen. "I will kill her!"
Shadows swirl around me, the rush of power eliminating my pain and discomfort immediately as I stand, darkness wreathing me like a cloak. Out of the corner of my eye, Luke watches me with an expression I can't quite read, bur doesn't go to stop me when I prepare to teleport. That is, until a shout cuts me off.
"SHADOW GIRL! THEY'VE GOT THR FLAG!" It's one of the Dionysus kids, and my head snaps up to where one of Luke's buddies is holding the blood red flag.
"Well, I guess we'll have to continue our fight some other time, maybe after you're done killing Briar?" Luke says, and I grin, competition surging again, along with my magic.
"Perhaps," I flick my eyes to his and try to ignore the simmering guilt and embarrassment. "Enjoy loosing."
He blinks, but I've already vanished.
---
The Athena flag, dispite being high in a tree, was fairly easy to get once I knocked out the two Apollo gaurds.
I'm sprinting through the trees now, flag streaming behind me as a literall banner for the five Athena, Apollo and Hermes kids chasing me. The Hermes ones are faster than normal, which is why I'm taking the really dense tree way. They don't question how the very shadows seem to trip them over, not when it could have been an unseen twig.
But in the distance... There! I can see the stream which acts as a barrier, the thing I have to cross in order to win. Extending a slow hand of shadows, I appear a few feet forwards, using the flickering of my pwer yet again. The transport feels longer this time, the flag weighing down on my like a physical weight.
The kids behind me are all shouting, trying to warn the border patrol, but a scream ahead rises above the rest. Clarisse. Sprinting faster, I bound down to the creek bank, catching the eye of Luke, who's running in from the other direction, carrying the Ares flag.
I aim a wicked grin at him the leap into the air, over the swirling water of the creek. Just as my toes hit the water I vanish again, appearing to tumble onto the pebbley beach on the other side of the river at the exact same time Luke's feet touch my his side.
Both flags shimmer, and I let out a spluttering laugh as I lay, limbs burning, staring up at my new flag. It's midnight black, a strange kind of cloth that seems to suck the light in, with a white stitching of a three headed dog. I stand slowly, groaning at my cut knees from the rocks, Don immediately rushing to my side.
"Elana oh my god congratulations!" He hugs me, and I grin, pain forgotten.
"Thanks," I murmer, but tune out slightly as he starts to talk about how amazing this is. I turn, staring over the creek to Luke, who grins at me, saluting slightly. I laugh, looking at his shining grey flag, complete with a cacadus.
But then a bright light shines in my eyes and I stare, wide eyes into the creek. To the reason why everyone has gone quiet.
Percy is standing in the water, sopping wet, staring up at the green trident floating above him.
"Holy shit," Don breathes.
"Percy Jackson," Chiron announces from over by Clarisse. "Son of earth shaker. God of the oceans. Son of Posiden."
The words are barely out of his mouth before the wolf attacks.