The Blade ~Book One~

Chapter Twelve: The Game

Sweat trickled down my face. My feet ached. But I wasn't going to stop running.

"Can't keep up?" I called back with a smile spread across my face.

"I'm watching the back!" Bridger shouted to me.

"Me too!" Mason added.

"Yeah, alright." I laughed.

"Where's Lia?" Mason wondered.

"She ran up ahead!" I told him.

Although the boys couldn't keep up with me, I could never keep up with Lia.

In the distance, I could see the bounce of red hair flying around.

I gripped my sword tighter, surprised that we hadn't ran into anyone yet. I looked into the sky, searching for a flying Chandler. Zeus was on our side this time around.

When I looked back in front of me, I crashed into Lia, who had stopped abruptly.

"Hey!" I fell to the ground.

"Be quiet!" She hissed.

Bridger and Mason had finally caught up and took a knee on the other side of Lia. 

"See that?" Lia pointed.

I followed her finger, but couldn't see what she had noticed.

"Uh... no?" I replied, still breathing heavily.

"Right there." She pointed once more.

"I see it." Bridger nodded.

I rolled my eyes, thinking that this was some joke, but then I saw it. High up a tree, a blue flag was wrapped around a branch. We were a good distance from it, but there weren't any guards around. At least, none that I could see.

"What's the plan?" Bridger asked.

Lia responded, " I'm fast, but I can't climb." She looked towards me.

"I can fight, but I can't climb." I flipped my sword around.

Then, we both looked between Mason and Bridger.

Bridger sighed, "Fine. I'll do it, but you three have to fend them off."

"Let's do it." Mason stood up, revealing himself to anyone watching.

"Now!" An unfamiliar camper yelled as a dozen of defenders jumped out of their positions.

"Hurry." I told Bridger before running towards a girl, who was unmistakably an Aphrodite kid.

It was almost too easy to disarm her, but a couple more opponents were there to take her place.

They surrounded me. One, with a weird looking mustache, swung his sword at me. I deflected it, but the impact sent me towards the ground.

The other raised his hilt ready to knock me out when someone jumped in between him and me.

"Thought you might need some help, Princess!" Thomas Greene called as he fought the demigod.

Who was spreading this nickname around camp? I will end them.

"Not from you!" I turned and knocked the first guy who had attacked me off of his feet.

I looked up at the tree, but noticed that Bridger wasn't there. He was actually on the opposite side of the area fighting at least four enemies.

"Go help Bridger!" I told Thomas, who nodded at my request.

I braced myself for what I was about to do. I don't like climbing. I don't have many good experiences with it, but right now there was a clear path towards the tree, so I took the opportunity. Sword raised, I sprinted towards the timber.