Percy of the Huntsmen

Capture the Flag

Woods
Camp Half-Blood

After dinner, it was time for the customary game of Capture the Flag. The hunters didn't look as happy as they usually did, probably because of Artemis' absence. All the better from Percy's point of view, he really didn't like them. The Huntsmen and hunters had a rivalry dating back thousands of years, and even though he couldn't act on his deep-seated hatred of the girls, it still burned in his heart. Grover had told him that Zoë had a nightmare the previous night, which hopefully meant that she was out of it today. All the better for Capture the Flag.

On the demigod team we had three Hephaestus guys, a few Ares guys, the Apollo cabin, Nico and the Stoll brothers, and even a few Aphrodite campers. Naturally, Brayden and his friends Chris and Justin didn't show up. Annabeth beckoned over Percy to her and Malcolm.

"We need a strategy for this. The demigods haven't beaten the hunters in a very long time, and from what I saw of you last night against Thorn, you know more about fighting than you're letting on. I'm thinking you could watch the forest, but-"

"No." Percy cut her off. "I can lead the Apollo cabin in from the wooded side. Have the Ares campers mount a frontal assault. Put the Hephaestus, Aphrodite and Hermes campers on defense. Annabeth, you and Malcolm sit in a crevice in Zeus' fist above the flag. Holler bogus instructions out to throw off the hunters. I'll strike wherever I feel I can take the flag and escape. Sound like a plan?"

Annabeth looked skeptical, but Malcolm nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Sure couldn't hurt anything, at the very least."

Percy walked over to the campers and told them the plan. At the end, he singled out one of the Apollo campers. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Will Solace," the Apollo kid answered.

"Will, I want you to hide in the trees about halfway between the river and the flag. Stay hidden, don't fire any arrows at anyone. Only shoot a tethering arrow at the legs of a hunter if one gets the flag. Until that happens and she's running down the open stretch, keep your cover. This is an extreme backup plan, but don't underestimate it's importance if we need it." Will nodded.

"Well then, move out!" Everyone started walking over to their posts. Percy checked his gear one last time. He was wearing minimal armor, just plates on his shoulders, forearms, and upper chest over his usual black shirt, but with sleeves. A Stygnian Iron sword he found in the armory for Hades kids was strapped over his shoulder, and over his other shoulder was his bow and quiver. The black might not have been the best camouflage in the snow, but among the trees he'd blend in well enough. He was good to go.

Chiron stood up on a hill overlooking the woods. "You all know the rules. No maiming or killing. First team to carry their opponent's flag over the river wins. Let the game begin!" The sound of a horn rolled over the forest.
Immediately, the Apollo kids began their quiet march up the right side. Of course, some hunters heard them, and started to shift over to cut off their advance. It didn't matter, though. They were close enough. Percy let out a long, drawn out whistle. Any defender worth anything could tell that was an obviously signal, so Percy decided to change it up before the game started. He had told the Ares campers to count out forty seconds before attacking. That way, the hunters wouldn't be as on edge when they saw that nothing had happened. Percy counted to thirty-five.

"Arrows ready," he whispered to the Apollo kids. "Pick your target." The scratch of arrow shaft on bow seemed horribly loud to Percy, but apparently the hunters couldn't hear it. On forty, a resounding shout came from the long grass near the river, and a dozen Ares campers rose and charged the hunters.
Now that their attention was diverted,
Percy told the Apollo campers to fire. A hail of arrows knocked out six hunters, more than half of the defenders.