ʟᴏsᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ - ᴘᴇʀᴄʏ ᴊᴀᴄᴋsᴏɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

- ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғᴏᴜʀᴛᴇᴇɴ -

(Percy)

It's been a few days since (Y/N) and I had come to camp. In those days, we'd spent hours taking lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and centaurs. (Y/N) seemed grumpy whenever it was time for my daily Greek lessons with Annabeth, but she's been spending more and more time with Luke than she was with me. 

Luke's scar was off putting to me. It was unsettling, but he seemed like an okay person. 

None of my lessons seemed to be my forte. The only one I was remotely good at was canoeing. And I fail to see how that would help me. Would I beat the monster to death with my paddle? Paddle my way far away from the beast until help could come? Sounds real heroic for someone who killed the Minotaur. 

Every night, I'd sit with cabin eleven, next to (Y/N), and Luke who she insisted we sit with. And every night, we'd dump our food into the campfire together. She said it was wasteful, but Luke convinced her that if she offered food to the gods, her mother might claim her sooner.

Thursday rolled around, and so did sword-fighting. Luke would be our teacher. Hopefully he goes easy on us. I picked up a sword, but none felt evenly balanced to me. My focus wavered when I saw (Y/N) pairing with Luke. Their fight seemed pretty one sided. Like Luke was letting (Y/N) win. Like he's going easy on her. 

Then it was my turn and I was absolutely annihilated by him. 

After sword-fighting, the time flew by. Friday came and I found myself sitting at the lake with Grover while Luke spotted (Y/N) on the climbing wall. I'd just finished climbing the same wall and my clothes were singed from the lava that had rained down on me. Still watching (Y/N), I ask Grover about the different cabins and my attention gradually shifted from her to the conversation at hand.

Eventually, dinnertime came. Everyone was excited, at least more excited than usual. Apparently tonight was the night we capture the flag. 

Once everyone had dumped their food into the fire, a conch horn sounded from somewhere and everyone cheered. Annabeth came from one side of the pavilion carrying a banner that was the same beautiful gray as her eyes. On it was an owl and an olive tree. 

Clarisse ran in from the other side, screaming bloody murder, waving a banner that was the same ugly red as their cabin over her head. Decorating her banner was a bloodstained spear and a boar's head. 

The teams were announced, and I felt like I was in gym class all over again. But this time, I was the first to be called. By Annabeth. I stood next to her as everyone either trash talked the other side or prayed for their lives while Chiron stamped his hooves to catch the campers' attention.

"Heroes! 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 not be bound and gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

As soon as Chiron finished speaking, the tables were covered with swords, shields, armor, the likes. I'd grabbed a shield, which was gigantic, and a helmet with a blue plume. 

"So what's the plan?" I ask Annabeth.

"Just watch Clarisse's spear. You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares."

Great. Luke had told me to do border patrol. So I started walking towards the creek where I'd be stuck while all the action happened somewhere else. 

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse shouts from somewhere behind me. 

Turning, I see the Ares cabin running across the river and I weighed my options. Run or fight. Run? Fight? Run... Fight...

Of course I didn't run. You had to have common sense to run from a group of angry Ares kids. I had none. So instead, I managed to find that I'd inevitably chosen option three. Land on your ass on the ground, surrounded by enraged warriors. 

"Give him a haircut," said Clarisse. I was not looking for a new style, so I got to my feet and raised my sword, only to have it knocked aside by Clarisse's spear. 

"The flag is that way," I seethed. I was real eager to have these guys leave me alone.

"Yeah, but see, we don't care about the flag," one said. "We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid."

Scoffing, I say the first thing that comes to mind. "You do that without my help."

I'd hit a nerve. Two kids came charging while Clarisse jabbed her spear at my breastplate, sending a shock down my spine. One of the two kids who'd charged at me slashed at me with his sword, leaving a fair sized cut on my arm. Someone shoved me and I fall backwards into the creek. I was sure they'd leave me here to die.

Instead of the cold stinging of the water I had expected, the cool water rushed me with a sense of clarity. Like my senses had grown stronger. I could hear footsteps all around us. My muscles loosened. My sword didn't feel so awkward in my hand. And from somewhere, I found the strength to stand. Hitting one kid with the flat of my blade, I knock off his helmet and send him flying into the creek. I wasn't even able to parry with Luke, but right now, I felt like I could take on the world.

I was eager to see what I could do with Clarisse, but a bit of red caught my eye. I saw their flag between the trees. It was within my range. A few feet and I could grab it. Hitting Clarisse with the butt of my sword, I send her stumbling back. Felling a few more of Ares' kids, I start running for the flag. I reached for the silk banner, but a group of people shouting and swords clanging led my attention elsewhere and someone else had pulled it from the ground and run off with it. I was hit with a tinge of annoyance and I tried to see who had taken the flag. 

All I could make out was the (h/c) hair amidst the crowd of newcomers as (Y/N) raised the flag above her head and ran off with it, in the center of that crowd. 

𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

ᴀ/ɴ - ᴀ sʜᴏʀᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴍᴏsᴛʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪᴛ's ᴀɴ ᴇᴅɪᴛ ᴏғ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴘᴏsᴛᴇᴅ (ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ғɪʟʟᴇʀ).

ʏᴏᴜʀs, ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ,
~ ғᴏxғɪʀᴇғɪᴇɴᴅ