Born to Burn

005

AT LAST it was time for capture the flag.

Once all the plates were cleared each cabin stood at their respective tables. The teams were announced. Athena had allied with Hermes and Apollo, the two biggest cabins and Hades. Privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, best slots for activities- in order to win support.

Penny was happy to be allied with Athena. She just wanted to be in whatever team didn't have Clarisse and the rest of the Ares group. Ares allied themselves with everyone else; Demeter, Dionysus, Aphrodite and Hephaestus.

No one ever wanted the daughter of Hades on their team but they also never wanted to be against her either. Penny would only give you third degree burns if you deserved it.

Chiron banged his hoof off the marble to get everyone's 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 may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He then waved his hand above the tables and a plethora of weapons and armour appeared. Penelope quickly braided her hair and then grabbed a sword and a chest plate from the table. She could hear the fascinated voice of Percy question Luke about absolutely everything. It's cute how clueless he is, Penny thought before she snapped out of it. Cute was not the right word.

Once she was ready she walked over to Annabeth. "Where shall I be stationed ma'am?" She mimicked a funny accent she heard on tv. Annabeth scoffed at the accent. "I actually need you to keep an eye on Percy. Let him fight his battles but step in if things get messy. Don't let Clarisse kill him either."

Penelope mock saluted and walked over to the dark haired boy. "Got your assignment yet?" She asked.

"Luke said I'm in border control, whatever that means." He struggled to tie his armour. Penny could tell he was getting frustrated with the straps. She placed her sword on the ground and reached over to start fixing the buckles in his shoulder. The boy stopped flinching and fell silent.

The blonde could feel his green eyes in her face but she chose to ignore his staring. "I'm on border control too." She moved onto the buckles by his waist. "I'll be your backup."

"From what I've heard you could take on all of camp yourself." Percy says, eyes busy studying Penny's face.

"And that doesn't scare you?" There was a bit of hesitancy in her voice. She had to admit although Percy was annoying as fuck, he's probably the most company she's had since she got to camp half blood.

"No offence Griffen, you're probably the least scary thing to walk the planet"

Penny couldn't help but smile. That's a first. She picked up a helmet and placed it on the boys head.

"We'll see about that"

"Blue team, let's head out!" Annabeths voice roared over the camp.

Penny stationed herself a bit away from Percy but close enough so that she could help him if he was in trouble. When the second conch blew the game was on. For the first 15 or so minutes Penny did absolutely nothing, She actually found herself sitting at a stream running her hand through the water. The water always felt weird on her skin. She knew it should be her enemy, that it should destroy her but something about it made her feel grounded, like she could be surrounded in a raging storm and it would keep her save. It was when she felt like she could burst into flames but the water could stop her, it was her anchor.