Beyond the Storm: A Percabeth Collection

The Art of War (and Flirting)

Percy's POV

It was a perfect night for Capture the Flag at Camp Half-Blood. The sky was clear, the stars twinkling like they were in on some inside joke. The forest loomed dark and mysterious, the perfect battleground for the ultimate competition. And, of course, Annabeth and I were on opposite teams.

"Remember, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, smirking as she adjusted her armor. "When I win, I don't want to hear any excuses about how the 'moonlight wasn't good enough for fighting' or 'you tripped over a tree root.'"

She stepped closer, her face inches from mine. I could feel the warmth of her breath and the faint scent of her shampoo—lemons and something woodsy. I would've kissed her right then and there, but someone on her team yelled, "Let's go, Annabeth! Game time!"

With one last smirk, she turned and jogged away, leaving me standing there like a lovesick idiot.

"Dude," Connor Stoll said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. "You're drooling."

"I'm not drooling," I snapped, shoving him off. But my face was burning, and I knew I'd never hear the end of it.

The horn sounded, signaling the start of the game. Annabeth's team—the Athena cabin, Apollo cabin, and Hephaestus cabin—had taken the blue flag and stationed it somewhere deep in the forest. My team—Poseidon, Ares, and Hermes cabins—was rocking the red flag.

"Okay," I said, addressing my team as we gathered around the map. "The Athena kids are going to have a fortress around their flag. We need to split their focus. Clarisse, you and the Ares kids push from the west. Connor, Travis, you guys take the north and set up traps along the way. I'll go straight up the middle."

"Alone?" Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "What, you think you're invincible?"

"No," I said. "But Annabeth's going to expect me to pull some reckless stunt. She'll come after me herself, which leaves the rest of you free to flank."

Connor grinned. "Classic distraction. I like it."

"Just don't mess it up," Clarisse growled. "I don't feel like losing tonight."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered.

With the plan in place, we split up and dove into the forest.

As expected, Annabeth found me within minutes.

I was creeping through the underbrush when she appeared out of nowhere, stepping in front of me with her dagger drawn. Her blonde curls caught the faint glow of moonlight, and I had to remind myself that this wasn't the time to admire how beautiful she looked.

"Going somewhere?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Depends," I said, grinning. "Are you going to try and stop me?"

"Of course."

I didn't even see her move. One second, she was standing there, and the next, she lunged, her dagger aimed for my shoulder. I barely managed to block with my sword, the clash of celestial bronze ringing out in the night.

"You've gotten faster," I said, stepping back to regroup.

"And you're still predictable," she shot back, feinting left before slashing right.

I dodged, but just barely. She was toying with me, I could tell. Annabeth always fought smarter, not harder, and I knew she had some plan up her sleeve.

"Come on, Wise Girl," I said, trying to bait her. "You really think you can take me down?"

She smirked. "I don't need to take you down. I just need to keep you busy."

Before I could respond, two Apollo kids dropped from the trees above me, their bows drawn and arrows aimed.

"Seriously?" I groaned. "An ambush?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Like I said, predictable."

I had no choice but to fight my way out. I disarmed one of the Apollo kids with a quick strike to his bowstring, but the other managed to graze my arm with a blunt-tipped arrow. Annabeth watched the whole time, smirking like a cat who'd caught a mouse.

By the time I managed to fend off the Apollo kids, Annabeth was gone.

I spent the next ten minutes stumbling through the forest, trying to figure out where she'd gone. Every so often, I'd find one of her team's traps—tripwires, nets, and even a pit filled with sticky tar that I almost fell into.

"You're really going all out, huh?" I muttered under my breath.

Eventually, I reached a clearing and spotted the blue flag fluttering high in a tree. My heart leaped. I was so close. But as I stepped forward, I felt a rope tighten around my ankle, and suddenly I was dangling upside down.

"Ugh!" I groaned, swinging helplessly. "Annabeth!"

She stepped out of the shadows, arms crossed and a triumphant smile on her face. "I told you I'd win."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, trying to reach for my sword. It had fallen out of my hand when I'd been yanked into the air.

Annabeth leaned closer, her face inches from mine. "You're lucky I like you, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh, I'm very lucky," I said, grinning despite my predicament.

She rolled her eyes, but I could see the faintest blush on her cheeks. "Now, stay here and think about your life choices. I have a flag to defend."

Before she could walk away, I called out, "Annabeth, wait."

She paused, turning back to me. "What?"

I smirked. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Her blush deepened, and for a moment, she looked like she wasn't sure whether to laugh or punch me.

"Goodbye, Percy," she said, shaking her head as she walked away.

Eventually, I managed to cut myself loose (thank the gods for Riptide's retractable feature). By the time I reached my team's base, the game was over.

Annabeth's team had won.

"You let her beat you?" Clarisse demanded, shoving me in the shoulder.

"I didn't let her do anything," I said defensively. "She's just... really good at strategy."

Connor and Travis exchanged knowing looks, both of them smirking. "Sure," Connor said. "Strategy. That's what we're calling it."

"Shut up," I muttered, my face heating up.

Across the field, Annabeth was celebrating with her team, but when she caught my eye, she broke away and walked over to me.

"Good game, Seaweed Brain," she said, smirking.

"You got lucky," I said, though I couldn't help but smile.

"Luck had nothing to do with it," she replied. Then, to my surprise, she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

My brain short-circuited.

"You're cute when you lose," she said, grinning as she walked away.

Connor and Travis immediately started howling with laughter, and even Clarisse cracked a smile.

"Totally worth it," I muttered, watching Annabeth rejoin her team.

And that's how I lost Capture the Flag. Annabeth got her victory, and I got a kiss, so honestly, I'd call it a win-win.