Let the rain be blood! ( War Game )

Morning, Wounds, and Ambushes-Oh My!

Well, I'll be darned. 

I actually slept like a log. 

A log in a tree.

When I opened my eyes, the sun was peeking through the leaves above me, casting little golden beams down onto my face. For a second, I forgot where I was—thought I might've been back home, waking up to the sound of waves. Then I remembered: war games, injuries, hiding in a tree.

Oh, right. 

I'm currently living my best "squirrel" life.

I stretched as much as I could without falling off the branch and took a minute to assess my current situation. First things first: my arm. It had been throbbing all night, but I wasn't feeling the sharp, stinging pain anymore. Carefully, I peeled back the bandage to check the cut.

Good news: it looked worse than it actually was. The bleeding had stopped, and the wound had mostly scabbed over. Sure, it still stung like a jellyfish to the face, but hey, I wasn't going to bleed out.

See, Mom? 

I'm fine. 

Totally handling this.

I readjusted the heart-shaped bandages from the Aphrodite cabin and mentally prepared myself for the day ahead. I'd survived the night in a tree. Now I just had to survive the rest of this insane game.

After a few deep breaths, I grabbed my daggers and carefully started making my way down the tree. Slow and steady. Last thing I needed was to fall face-first into the dirt. That'd be a real heroic way to go out.

"Here lies Percy Jackson. He fell out of a tree and broke his face." Yeah, no thanks.

As I descended, something stopped me in my tracks. Voices. And not just any voices—these were sharp, analytical, and way too calm for my liking.

Athena cabin. Two of them.

I froze on the branch, listening in, trying to figure out what they were doing. They sounded close—too close for comfort. And judging by the fact that they weren't being quiet, they hadn't spotted me yet. Rookie mistake.

Alright, Percy. 

Time to do something smart. 

No, not run away this time. 

Let's turn the tables.

I gripped my daggers, my mind already spinning with a plan. The Athena kids were smart, no doubt about that. But they relied on strategy, logic, and carefully laid-out plans. What they didn't expect? Someone ambushing them from above, like some kind of stealth ninja demigod.

Here goes nothing.

I moved down a bit lower, keeping as quiet as possible, my heart pounding in my chest. The voices were louder now—one of them was talking about regrouping with others, while the other was agreeing in that annoyingly logical way they always do.

I crouched on the branch, waiting for the perfect moment. They passed right beneath me, completely unaware of my presence.

Perfect.

Without a second thought, I launched myself from the tree, landing right between them. For a split second, they were too stunned to react—then the first one moved, hand going for her weapon. But I was faster.

I swiped with my dagger, knocking her hand away and kicking her legs out from under her. She hit the ground with a thud, and her bracelet immediately flashed red. One down.

The second Athena kid was quicker, already pulling out a sword and swinging it toward me. I blocked with my other dagger, sparks flying as our weapons clashed. He was strong, but I wasn't giving him the satisfaction of seeing me struggle. I twisted, using the momentum to throw him off balance. He stumbled back, and that was all I needed. I surged forward, disarming him with a quick flick of my wrist. His sword hit the ground, and he raised his hands in surrender.

Two down.

He didn't even try to reach for his bracelet—he knew I could take him out faster than he could blink. I kept my daggers poised, watching him carefully.

"Alright, alright," he muttered, glancing down at his bracelet. With a resigned sigh, he tapped it, and the green turned to red.

Now that's what I call a win.

"Smart choice," I said, flashing him a smirk as I backed away, keeping my eyes on both of them.

The first Athena kid was still glaring at me from the ground, rubbing her elbow where she'd hit it on the fall. She muttered something under her breath about "brutish tactics" or whatever, but I ignored her.

I kept my guard up until I was a safe distance away, then turned and made my escape into the trees again. The morning was just getting started, and already I had two eliminations under my belt.

Not bad for a guy who slept in a tree.

As I moved deeper into the camp, I mentally tallied up how many campers were left. Athena's group had definitely been whittled down, and Aphrodite was completely out. Ares still had plenty, and so did Hephaestus. Hermes... well, who knew with them? They were probably running around causing chaos somewhere.

Six cabins. 

Two eliminations in one go. 

Let's see how long I can keep this streak going.

But as I continued moving, one thing became very clear: I needed to be even more careful now. Athena's campers weren't pushovers, and I couldn't rely on surprise attacks forever. My arm was feeling better, but I still wasn't at 100%.

Still, I felt good. Like, really good. I'd ambushed two of the smartest campers in the whole camp, and I hadn't even broken a sweat. Maybe I wasn't as doomed as I thought.

Let's just hope the rest of the day goes as smoothly.

With that, I kept moving, ears sharp for any other signs of campers. I wasn't about to get cocky, but for the first time since the games started, I actually felt like I had a chance at surviving this thing.