The Traitor (A Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Never Trust a Squirrel

I was so excited for Capture the Flag. It was my first real game at camp. It was kind of like initiation. No one is really a camper until they go through their first game of Capture the Flag. I had been hoping that we'd get claimed, but come Friday, Cath and I were still in the Hermes cabin. That was okay and all, I just really wanted to get claimed. I felt like everyone else knew who they were and I was still in the dark. My foster family never told me about my real family, so I didn't even know if my parent was a god or a goddess. I would be happy whoever my parent was. I just wanted to know.

I went into the Hermes cabin, looking to wake up Cath for the game. Her stomach had been hurting earlier, but I figured that she'd be better than now. It was probably just nerves. I could feel butterflies fluttering around in my own stomach. I really hoped that I wouldn't be taken out in the first five minutes of the game. I wanted to prove myself and that would be really embarrassing. While approaching Cath, I saw a note stuck to the wall, next to my bed. I pulled it off the wall and opened it. It said,

"Rose,

Follow me after the game starts. I want you to help me set up a trap with the flag. I'll be in the form of a squirrel, heading east."

-Frank"

I briefly wondered why Frank would choose me to help set up a trap, rather than the Hephaestus kids, who were on our team. Maybe he needs someone small, I reasoned. Whatever. He was our team captain. If he needed me to do a special job, I'd be there. I tucked the note on my pocket.

I decided not to tell Cath about meeting Frank. If she hadn't been told by Frank, I wasn't going to be the one to tell her and potentially ruin the team's strategy. Maybe it was important that no one else on the team could know about it, so they wouldn't accidentally give it away.

I shook Cath by the shoulders. "Wake up! The game is about to start!" I yelled. Cath rolled over and opened her eyes, looking groggy. Slowly, she pulled herself out of bed and we reached the edge of the forest. Most of the other campers were already gathered there. Our team was gathered on the right side and the opponent was grouped on the left. Cath and I wandered over to the right side. We didn't talk while we waited. I was too nervous and Cath still looked tired.

"Ready! Set! GO!" Mr D. screamed. I ran straight into the forest, trying to beat the crowd. I fell as my feet became entangled with some vines. I put my hands over my head, trying not to get trampled and trying not to be noticed and unarmed by the other side at the same time. When the rush ended, I sprang up, unharmed. I had to look for a squirrel. I ran east, keeping my eyes to the ground searching. Suddenly, I saw the fluffy end of a squirrel's tail. The squirrel had a flag in their math. That must be him.

I ran after him while he scurried through the forest. He led us east, staying on the edge of the forest. Then, he switched directions, heading north. I followed him until we were deep into the woods. "Hey Frank," I panted. "Are we almost there?" He stopped. I saw him starting to morph, so I bent over, trying to catch my breath. That's why I was taken by surprise when a lion pounced on me.

I was completely pinned down on the forest floor. Frank would never do this, I thought, panicked. I knew that he wouldn't He was one of the seven. A hero. Why would he pin me down? Then it dawned on me. What if it wasn't Frank?

The lion slashed my face with its claws. Red hot pain erupted on the whole left side of my face. I feebly kicked the lion, feeling light-headed. This is it for me, I thought. I went slack in defeat as the lion raised its claw and prepared to plunge its claws into me. I was about to die.

Suddenly, a deer appeared and threw the lion off of me. The two animals started fighting. I was afraid for the deer because a lion could tear them apart, but the deer was holding its own. More than holding its own actually. The deer was winning. The lion retreated and the deer sprang after it.

The sound of the horn brought me back to reality. Oh no. That meant that a team had won. And that meant that the campers would all leave the forest. And I was injured, alone, and lost. I had to get back. Feeling weak, I pushed myself to my feet and started running, as best as I could, to where I thought the edge of the forest was. I didn't have the energy to think of anything other than making it back to camp. At one point, I stumbled and fell. It was just weeds and bushes there, I should have been able to run through it. Picking myself up, I thought Weird. Must've been a rock or something. I kept running.

Finally, I made it to the edge of the forest. The opponent was celebrating, but winning the game didn't seem as important as it did an hour ago. I stumbled into the clearing of campers, stumbling again, this time over my own feet, and collapsing. I distantly remember being carried to the Apollo cabin by none other than Frank before I lost consciousness.

I woke up, only a few minutes later, feeling much better. Cath was sitting right next to the bed that I was lying in. As soon as she saw that I was awake, she started talking. "We have a big problem, Rose. Grace is missing. She never turned up after Capture the Flag."

I cleared my throat. "Oh no! What if she got tricked like I did?" I said, worriedly.

"No one knows where she is. They're sending out a search party in a few minutes. I got to go and help look for her. I just wanted to tell you first, if I could," Cath informed me.

I struggled to sit up. I felt very dizzy when I moved, but I was determined. "Let me come. I'll help look."

"Woah, woah, woah." An Apollo kid rushed over and gently lowered me back down. "That was one nasty piece of work you got there. You're going to have to tell me how you got it later. But for now, you should only be resting. With luck, you'll be back on your feet tomorrow."

"It was just a cut, I'm fine," I assured him.

He said, "Yeah, but whatever cut you had poison in it. We've gotten as much as possible out of your system, but straining yourself may give it an opportunity to come back. You already exhausted yourself enough by running through the forest. You're officially on bed rest." I wanted to protest, but my head was starting to swim again. I slipped back into sleep.

I awoke to lots of noise. Panicked voices flooded the room. I slowly opened my eyes, stretching. What was happening? I tried to focus on what was happening. Lots of Apollo campers were crowded around another camper. It looked like a girl. I slowly put the pieces together. They found Grace. A glimpse of her confirmed my suspicion. Just, what was wrong with her?

Cath rushed up to my bed. "Rose! We found Grace, but she's in some kind of unconscious state. The Apollo kids think it was done by some kind of magic."

"I hope they can fix her," I murmured. The Apollo kids ushered out all of the campers that were peeking in, meaning Cath had to leave. I got to stay since I was a patient.

A small Apollo camper was standing next to my bed, looking anxious. They looked like they could only be 8 at the oldest, which was probably why they weren't helping the other Apollo campers. "Who found Grace?" I asked her.

She looked surprised to see me talking to her, but she answered me nonetheless. "Cath did. She was on the forest floor, under some plants or something." I nodded, thinking. Cath didn't tell me that she was the one to find Grace. She was probably just being humble.

I saw a visible sigh of relief from the Apollo kids gathered around Grace's bed. Grace must've woken up. No longer preoccupied, the same Apollo kid that had told me to rest earlier came over.

"You have to eat something, Rose." He urged.

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

He sighed. "At least drink this." He handed me a cup full of some type of purple liquid. Bracing myself, I swallowed it in one gulp. It tasted horrible and I started gagging. Before I threw up, I started feeling extremely sleepy. It must've been some kind of sleep medicine that I had taken. I'm never drinking anything purple ever again, was what I thought before I fell asleep for the third time that day.

SO SORRY THAT IT'S LATE, I THOUGHT IT POSTED MONDAY : ( HOWEVER, THAT MEANS DOUBLE POSTS IN ONE DAY!