Let the rain be blood! ( War Game )

Oh, Cool. Just What I Needed.

War games? 

Sounds fun, I thought. 

And by "fun," I mean, are you freaking serious right now?!

It all started with Chiron rolling up with that annoying "wise centaur" smile, the one that usually means bad news. You know the one. If you've been at Camp Half-Blood for more than five minutes, you learn to run in the opposite direction when Chiron's smiling like that. It's the kind of smile that says, Today's the day you're going to question all your life choices. But me, being me, I just had to stick around. Curiosity, or stupidity, it's really hard to tell at this point.

So, there I was, sitting in the amphitheater, when Chiron clopped up to the front with the energy of someone about to drop a bombshell.

Chiron: "Campers! The annual House Games are upon us!"

The crowd? Totally psyched. The older campers fist-bumped, Clarisse was practically foaming at the mouth, and the Hermes kids exchanged glances that screamed, We're about to cause some major chaos. Meanwhile, I was just... confused.

House Games? 

Since when did we do House Games? 

Was there a sign-up sheet? 

Did I accidentally miss a memo while I was off saving the world or something?

Before I could even process what was happening, Chiron continued.

Chiron: "For those of you who are new, the House Games are our annual war game. Each cabin will compete against one another. No killing, of course."

Oh, cool.

Glad we're keeping things civilized. 

No murder. 

Just a casual little war among friends. 

Totally normal.

Chiron wasn't done yet.

Chiron: "Every camper will be issued a bracelet." He held up a thin, shiny band. It didn't look like much—just a simple strip of metal with a faint glow. "If your bracelet turns red, you are out of the game. Consider yourself... 'dead.'"

So it's like dodgeball, but with more violence. 

Awesome. 

Can't wait.

Chiron: "The entire camp becomes a battlefield. Each cabin will strategize, defend, and attack until only one remains standing. The victorious cabin will win the coveted House Trophy."

The crowd went wild. I swear I saw some campers flexing like they were about to walk into a WWE ring. Clarisse was already cracking her knuckles, probably imagining how many faces she was going to smash into the dirt. The Hermes kids were whispering amongst themselves, plotting all sorts of underhanded moves, no doubt. And me? I just sat there, trying to figure out how I could avoid getting flattened within the first five minutes.

Now, let me just say, I'm used to danger. I've fought monsters, faced off with gods, and been part of quests that would make most people wet their pants. But this? This was a different kind of nightmare. Because here's the thing: I didn't have a cabin full of siblings to back me up. I was flying solo.

Great. 

Just great. 

While everyone else has a full army, I'm stuck being the one-man team.