𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒, apollo

𝐱𝐯. capturing flags and tridents

CAPTURE THE FLAG, WAS not something I looked forward to like most of the camp.

I sipped my purple Red Bull as I watched what was happening in front of me. Campers yelled and cheered as Asher accompanied by Annabeth and another one of their 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 oppositeside of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner of identical size, but bloody red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Percy beside me, turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?" I also asked, raising my voice too as more shouts started to be heard over the chaos. "Not always," He answered. "But often."

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do— repaint the flag?" Luke grinned at Cy's question, "You'll see. First, we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?" He gave us a sly look, as if he knew something we didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost devious in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you two are going to help."

I knitted my brows and stretched out my hands, "Hold up- no! I told you I want no part in this."

Luke looked at me knowingly, "Asher specifically said that you need to attend this." I bit my lip as I turned away, rolling my eyes. What he said was true, about Ash urging me to participate. He said that the only way to know for sure how much progress I made, was if I was actually fighting for my life.

Because yeah, apparently, pretty much anything is allowed except for purposely trying to kill someone and I have a tinkling feeling that some, I don't want to point fingers, but I will, like Ares kids wouldn't mind losing their dessert privileges for a meal or two.

I focus back to the ceremony where the teams are being announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Privileges had been traded. Which I now realise are a big part of why people even participate in these silly games. You can get longer shower times, easier chore schedules, and the best slots for activities — all in order to win more support.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them.

Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff, but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters Percy wasn't too worried about, but I had seen Silena Beauregard angry and let me tell you, she can be a bit terrifying.

But about the rest of her cabin, they didn't seem too troublesome. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake, or did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and bulky from working in the metal shop all day. Cy and I both agreed that we did not want to get in their way during the game, or just camp in general, they seemed scary.

And of course, Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet. Okay, not all of them were ugly and by that, I meant like almost all of them. Truth be told, I could easily mistake some of them for Aphrodite's kids.

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 referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"