Percy Jackson, Son of Chaos - Edit

Chap 5 - Friendly Game of Capture The Flag and A Stupid Quest

REMINDER OF THE TEAM 'RANKS': 
ARCHERS: WILL SOLACE, LEE FLETCHER, AND MICHAEL YEW
OFFENCE: CLARISSE LA RUE, CHRIS RODRIGUEZ, ETHAN NAKAMURA
TRAPS: CHARLES BECKENDORF, CONNOR STOLL, TRAVIS STOLL, CASTOR
FLAG DEFENCE: LUKE CASTELLAN
TO RETRIEVE THE OTHER TEAMS FLAG: PERCY JACKSON

~BEFORE CAPTURE THE FLAG~

We sat, lounging comfortably, waiting for the campers to grace us with their presence. Finally, they decided to do so. They trudged in, wearing heavy full body armor. I wonder, how do they move in all of that? The Chaos soldiers weren't wearing armor, we didn't need the extra protection. 

"No armor? Why don't you also wear white flags of surrender as capes?" One Ares camper yelled, arrogantly, upon seeing us.

I laughed, "We don't need it, not with our flawless plan...and leader." I added the last bit as an afterthought, at which point Clarisse hit me in the arm. 

Chiron cleared his throat, drawing attention away from us. "You are not allowed to kill, only maim and disarm. The creek shall be boundary. Let the game begin!" Loud cheering filled the air as people scrambled into the woods to get into position. The Chaos cabin marched to Zeus' Fist, whilst the campers ran to the creek. We rushed to set up our flag, making sure not to forget the defences.

"I think this is good, gu-" I was cut off as the horn sounded. 

I smiled at my team, "To your positions!" I hid in a nearby tree, as to get the best view of the show. Right as I got settled, a group of campers burst through a bush below me, and charged strait at our offence. The campers gave their best, but were quickly outmatched by the three soldiers. Castor was doing well, tripping campers with his grape vines. The traps also went well, though you could see a distinct difference in style between the Stolls, with their mud traps, and Beckendorf, with his sensor activated ropes. 

The archers were doing well, picking off the campers one by one from the trees. Luke was fending off several campers at once, and I now realize why he was known for being the best swordsman. Looks like he'll have to settle for second once I make my reputation. I grinned at the mayhem, and leapt down from my tree. Knowing they had the situation under control, I started towards the creek. 

"I can't believe they let you guard the flag." I kept up an emotionless mask as I approached Nick. He was clearly surprised, but scrambled to look intimidating. I drew my sword, and he copied my movements. 

Without warning, he charged. He plundered forward sloppily. I simply sidestepped, and stuck out my foot. He tumbled into the dirt, with a not-so-heroic yelping noise. He quickly recovered and stumbled into a standing position, then swung his sword in another sloppy movement. I was quickly getting bored, only dodging one poor attack after another. He soon stopped, however, and began to pant like a tired and out of breath dog. That was a mistake. I took my chance, and moved forwards to swipe at his legs. Once he fell over, I kicked him in the shoulder, sending sprawling into the creek. This is when the campers decided to make an appearance. Showtime.

 I had not failed to notice the creeks' water healing Nick's cuts and bruises, nor had I ignored the glowing trident above his head. Now, Nick raised his arms, and the water followed his movements. If he wanted to win this fight, he would have to move quickly. If his quivering arms were anything to go by, taking control of the creek was exhausting him. He thrust his hands forwards, sending the creek at me with full force. Not intimidated in the slightest, I simply raised my right hand, and the water halted.

"Is that all? Why don't I show you true control of water." I grinned, and flicked my wrist, causing the water to return to sender at full speed. Nick fell over from impact, sputtering in the creeks' water, that had fallen with him. 

Then, I heard it. So faint, even Chiron's horse ears missed it. The sound of a hellhound growl. It tore through the trees, lunging at Nick. Chiron managed to fire an arrow to kill it, and not a moment to soon. The hellhound had ripped through Nick's skin and shirt, staining the water of the creek red with blood. Chiron yelled for healers, though I barely heard him. 

I wonder, who summoned the hellhound, if not Luke? Who was Kronos' spy? Perhaps it was the kid I had seen hanging around Nick, or someone completely different. I'll need to look into it. 

I voiced my thoughts to my friends as we trudged back to the Chaos cabin.

~THE NEXT MORNING~

I awoke early, wanting to have a walk around camp. I did my best to enjoy the serene environment, as today's the day Nick is supposed to get the prophecy, and by extension, quest. I was supposed to babysit the quest, and to cause trouble, in order to create tension on Olympus. 

As I walked back to the cabin to pack, I couldn't help but to think of all of the tiny things that might go wrong. I shook my head to clear my mind, and began to pack my things. And that, is when my oh-so-amazing father decided to make an appearance. 

The air in front of my rippled like a pool of water, then began to form an image. "Goodmorning, Son." My father's cheery face said within the strange message. 

"Goodmorning." I replied wearily, fearful of what he might say.

"There has been a change of plans, Perseus. I want you to wait until after the battle with Kronos to challenge the gods."

I replied, confused, "What, why?"

"That's when they shall be their weakest, making it the optimal moment to strike." 

I sighed, "Alright, but if they annoy me on a quest, I won't hesitate to make them fade."

Chaos nodded, "Alright, then. Goodbye, Perseus."

"Goodbye, Dad." I said a certain calmness to my voice as the image disappeared. Lost in thought, I went on auto pilot as I packed the rest of my things.

A knock at the door brought me back to reality. Upon opening it, I discovered Chiron on the other side. 

He smiled, "Perseus. Nick has gone to consult the oracle, and I have a strange feeling that you shall be involved."

I nodded, and followed him back to the big house.