It was like a big game of chess with two people guarding the person or thing, as by me, carrying the flag and the others had to stay in their territory and try to defend them as they moved around, but there was a way to get everyone to move around freely, and that was by having two of the team members from each side go into a hidden cage, and once they were in the cage, they couldn't get out and the barrier that kept the two teams apart would be diminished. Then once the flag was obtained by the flag carrier and they had two flags then they would be released and the game would be done.
I was made the flag carrier and they said that I would have to choose my two guards, so I chose Thalia and since Artemis wasn't in the game I chose Phoebe as the other. I figured that this would be a good way to lock her trust in with me, and make us both trust each other more. There was a hidden part that I knew that they weren't telling us, but I passed it on and decided to just watch and learn if I saw or learned something that wasn't said.
Everyone went to the middle and a strong energy was felt as a barrier formed between the two sides, but it didn't effect me or my guards because we could move anywhere we wanted to, but we had to keep on moving and couldn't camp in one place for a while or their flag will be taken by the game and hidden somewhere for any 'mans' game, or catch. Moving around wasn't bad for us, but depending on who the others chose it would get to be exhausting and annoying to not stay in one place. I felt Thalia and Phoebe jump onto my back and then I felt them slide a vest around my glamoured form and slide the flag in-between. I looked at them like 'are you crazy'.
"What they never said that we couldn't secure the flag to make sure that it wouldn't come off, and even though it would be impressive if they even tried or succeeded in taking it from a dra--wolf" Thalia almost slipped and I had to growl to keep her in place, after all one of the guards could be a spy sent to scout out the enemy, and then that gave me an idea "this is just an extra measure of protection" I smiled and to them I looked like an evil wolf thinking of something equally evil, and I knew this because of their reactions and slight smell of fear.
"What" Phoebe was the first to snap out of it and ask as we walked through the forest
Which one of you wants to be a spy I said telepathically and they both said 'i' in unison, and then they bickered about who was faster and better.
STOP I yelled in their minds making them slightly cringe I am going to let Thalia go because I like her better they just stared at me like I was crazy and mean
I'm just kidding I said and they lightened up from their anger and slight shock you both can go, I'll be fine alone, I mean after all who can beat me I puffed out my chest and flexed my muscles underneath them making them shift uncomfortably.
"Okay egotistical Guardian" Thalia said as I lowered myself to the ground to let them off "see you in a half hour, wherever you get to be" and then they dashed off and I continued to walk changing direction every few minutes to make it seem like I don't know where to go. Then I felt three presences behind me in the trees and bush, and I decided to take the evasion route because I didn't want them to see what I could do just yet. My vision went slightly silver as I took off and I heard a gasp as I left them in the dust. I was ten miles from where they were and near the camps borders, and then I saw something that snapped me out of it.
I ripped the sheath off and took off the glamour, and the army of monsters, being surprisingly quiet as they were stopped and shivered with fear as they saw me. Then I attacked and I slithered through them slashing, biting, cutting, and freezing as I went through the army or monsters. Then I made a mistake and I slowed down just enough for them to see me and I got a spear thrown at my head, and I flapped my wings in their direction sending spikes of ice, just as the spear went into my chest.
I got angry and my vision turned black as I roared and used more of my power as I went through them as a speed that was faster than lightning or sound. They were all just piles of dust in under three seconds and I stopped realizing that I had taken down an army in under two, no three minutes. I looked down at my chest and frowned when I saw the golden hilt of the same damn cursed spear that killed me the second time. I did the same thing again, I covered that section of my chest in black ice and went back to where I left the flag, I passed a couple of frozen statues along the way which I just blasted apart with my head, body, or tail.
I put the glamour back on and I used my powers to levitate the neck band and put it back on my neck sealing it like nothing had happened. I found out that I was also the primordial of death and life so every time I died all I had to do was wait for the wound to be taken care of, and I could go back into my body. I had to admit it was rather weird, but I had laughed when I figured out my twisted form of immortality.
Just then the three decided to come into range and this time I decided that I wouldn't run again, well except for when I attacked them out of the blue. I tapped into my speed and ran at them, and they didn't even have time to react before the first guard was covered up to his head in ice, the second was wrapped in vines and tied to a tree, and gagged, and the guardian of the flag was pinned to the floor with my muzzle over his...no her face, I looked at them clearly for the first time and I found that Clarisse was the one carrying the flag.
"What are you waiting for mutt, take the flag already" she groaned at I took my paw off of her and then in a flash she was up, but I was faster and I had the flag from where it was tied to her back in my mouth, and she was already screaming as she flew through the air and into a tree slumping to the ground unconscious. I let the other two go and they rushed over to her as I carried the flag and there was the surprise. It came as a log tied to a tree, and my eyes widened as it slammed into my face making me yelp in pain and drop the flag as I was tossed through the air. I hit a tree and it snapped under my weight, and then I felt a pinch as something went through the one weak spot on my side where my scales were weaker. It was near the bottom of my chest, but I felt it go through my body and the breath left my body as my lungs were punctured.
I hated it when I died and I couldn't help it, but when the tree hit the ground I slowly, painfully pushed my body off of it and I saw the hole in my side heal and the scales reformed underneath the glamour. I shook my body and then looked over to where the branch was, and I saw that it was as hurtful as I thought it was, and the jagged piece of a branch stuck out of the trees side like a dagger, and I saw that they point was sharp and that's why it had gotten in-between my scales like that. I looked to where I dropped the flag to see Clarisse and her two guards standing there looking like they were going to be sick.
And why are you holding that flag I said to them and they chirped before gathering themselves together again and tightening their form around Clarisse, and she tightened her grip on the newly recovered flag.
"I'm guessing that you thought that there was a hidden catch in the game, well this is it, the flag can be recovered once during the game, and once done so it can't be taken for ten minutes by the other team" Clarisse said and I cocked my head at that. Why aren't Thalia and Phoebe back yet, I looked behind me to try and see if they were hidden out of range, but they weren't there.
"Are you looking for your two guards, yeah they aren't going to be back, at all with what they are currently stuck in" Clarisse snickered and this got me angered. I lept on her and growled loudly making the area around us rumble for a second.
If you did anything, or do anything to my hunters, then I will rip out your throat and cast you into the depths of Tartarus I threatened even if it takes me down with, oh and your times up she was trembling with fear, and I retook the flag from her and started to walk away.
"Hey that's against the rules, it hasn't been past the ten minute time limit" one of the guards came up and said
Actually it has, did you even think I had been counting the whole time, wait I don't have to because I already have an internal clock BUILT INTO MY SYSTEM I blasted at them, and they cowered back in fear. I huffed and was at the middle of the two sides in a flash and then I dropped the enemy flag in the place it went on the rock and then placed mine in after signaling that I captured it and the barrier went down and I barely heard the click as two doors opened and I noticed that two people came out of a tree on our side where the two people from the other side were transported through, and then I knew that if they went in on their side they would come out somewhere on the other team's side when the battle ended. I waited for Thalia and Phoebe to come and say where they were and the Clarisse and her two friends came into view and I got hot with anger.
I lept off of where I stood on the rock and my glamour went down as I 'flew' through the air towards her, and her eyes widened as she saw a fifteen foot dragon coming her direction with anger in it's eyes. I landed on-top of her and pinned her with a paw crushing her against the ground, and then I growled and this time a tree fell in the distance as a small earthquake shook the ground as I seethed my anger for all to see and my skin glowed an icy blue as I stared at her in anger.
Where are they I said thinking that Thalia would usually butt in and stop me from almost tearing her apart, but when she didn't it only made me even madder.
"I left them with the stoll twins" she said and I looked over to see if the stoll twins were in the crowd, but I didn't see or smell them. I smelt blood and I lept off of her and followed the scent, and it lead me to the stoll twins lying on the floor with their bodies torn open and if I were still human and not used to this then I would've vomited then and there, but I was so it just looked like the insides of a deer as I tore it apart. I heard the others come over but some of them started to leave, I would imagine from becoming sick at the sight.
Is this the stoll brothers you were talking about I turned to Clarisse and she nodded looking a little green as well.
"What was it" she asked "what killed them"
Nothing, we are still in the camp borders I said and they looked at me
"What do you mean, you are a monster, and you can come in camp" she snapped and I turned around in a flash and my face was three feet from hers with my eyes burning holes in her eyes.
I was blessed by Artemis, I am a primordial, and I used to be a human like you are I spit out the word like it was a curse or a bad tasting salad to a carnivore, I turned back to the dead brothers but no this was not caused by a monster, but a person, a rather bad one too. I'm just glad that they were killed before the person decided to cut them open.
I saw her face turn greener and then she couldn't take it anymore, she ran off with her hands on her mouth. I chuckled at the weak stomachs humans had and then I smelled something stronger, and stranger coming from the edge of the barrier and it was joined with the scent of Thalia and Phoebe, I know that they struggled a little as by the few drops of blood and the multiple sets of footprints, body-prints, and the fact that the scents were twined in a large circle for a little bit. When I stepped out of the barriers I smelled it before I saw it. A syringe of a sleeping drug that was used on them, I raced to Peleus to see that he was also asleep after being effected by the drug, and then I realized that the army was just a distraction for me and if they actually got in the barriers it would've been a good way to cause chaos and give the person or people the cover they needed to capture my hunters. I walked a little further sending spikes at monsters that tried to sneak up on me, and the scents joined to another's which was also effected by a sleeping drug, but stronger. It was Artemis, they had captured my Artemis, and I was pissed now.
I roared in an anger so strong and fierce that everything near me in a mile radius was blasted away and an earthquake shook the ground so hard that the outskirts of the blast was effected too, and a wave of Void fire and water send destruction to a couple more miles of the forest. Then I smelled it and I knew that he wanted me to he wanted me to find the burned carcass of a cursed deer at the outskirts of my destruction.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU TARTARUS!" I yelled and the ground was covered in ice as I let all of my anger out into the wild, and then I went to follow the scents.
Thanks for reading and I'll have the next chapter out soon, but I have to leave it at a cliffhanger for a short while until I write, and publish the next chapter.