Camp Half-Blood/Camp Jupiter

Deadly Capture the Flag

    A horn blows, and all of the campers flood to the forest entrance. They're all wearing armor and carrying shields, ready for battle (well, it's not really a battle, but whatever). I double check that I have my sword. I do. It's in its sheath at my side. Perfect. I check my armor, making sure it's on right. I don't have a shield (I didn't get to them fast enough, and the Ares kids decided to steal half of them). Well, I guess I'll just have to rely on my armor and sword-play skills. I almost laugh at the thought. This isn't going to end well.
    I can barely breathe in this hot weather, and it's even worse with a bunch of kids grouped together (plus the armor). Oh gods, I'm going to pass out before I even get to play. I fan myself with my hands, but it doesn't help much. I'm already sweating, and the game hasn't started.
    The other campers are suffering just as much as I am, so at least I'm not the only one. We're all dying in this excruciating heat. Everyone chats excitedly, complaining about the weather, coming up with battle strategies, you know, the normal stuff. Individual voices are difficult to pick out in this chaos.
    Nico and Will stand at the center of the crowd with a list (the teams, I'm assuming). Their faces are both set with determination. Nico's arms are crossed over his chest as he looks into Will's eyes. They talk back and forth, most likely talking about the upcoming game.
    I still haven't been claimed, so I guess I have to stick with the Hermes cabin, like Chiron said. They don't seem too bad, but I don't feel like I belong with them. I'm just there because I don't know where I'm supposed to be (thanks a lot, Dad). But, I can't focus on that. I'll figure out all of that later, hopefully. Until then, I'll do my best. I'll do everything I can for my team.
Will's voice carries so that everyone can here, and the campers begin to quiet down. Their voices peter out, and soon enough, it is silent. I can hear the wind whistling through the leaves on the trees like a warning: The game is beginning. The forest is huge. I wonder if that will make this easier or more difficult. Probably both.
"Is everyone ready?" he shouts. The campers cheer, and Will waits for them to be quiet. "Nico's going to read the teams." He turns to Nico. "Take it away."
Nico holds the list, his eyes rolling over it. "These are the cabins on the Red Team, led by Will: Ares, Apollo, Aphrodite, Athena..." He keeps listing off cabins until he's read off the Red Team list. "My team, the Blue Team, will be: Hephaestus, Demeter, Hermes, Dionysus..." He lists more cabins, some of them I've never heard of. Eventually, he reaches the end. He folds the sheet of paper, and sticks it in his pocket.
The campers clear a path for Chiron and a man with black hair and purple eyes so they can walk past. Someone tells me that he's Mr. D, or Dionysus. So, a god works at this camp. That's definitely unexpected. I'm in the presence of a god, yet I don't feel any different. I don't feel the need to bow before Dionysus and tell him how amazing he is. No, I wouldn't kneel for this guy even if he asked me to. He's not that impressive.
Chiron waits for silence. "Hello everyone," he says. "It's Friday, and that means we will be playing our weekly game of Capture the Flag. Most of you already know the rules, but I'm going to remind you of them: The entire forest is fair game, and the creek is the boundary line between the two teams. All magic items are allowed." I listen closely as he recites the rules that every camper knows. So far, they seem pretty reasonable.
"You must place your flag somewhere visible with no more than two guards. No one is allowed to kill or maim another player, or you will lose dessert for a week. Players may be disarmed, but you cannot bound or gag them. The last rule is that guards cannot stand within ten yards of the flag." Chiron smiles. "If there are no further questions, then find your teams and you have ten minutes to hide your flag. When you hear the horn blow, the game has begun."
"Red Team, over here!" Will shouts.
"Blue Team, follow me!"
I push through the crowd to find Nico and the rest of the Blue Team. He holds the blue flag, waiting patiently for everyone to arrive. We huddle around him, a few yards away from the enemy team. Nico looks each of us up and down, gauging how useful we'll be. The team starts talking again as Nico does this, turning to their friends. I just sit in silence, not sure who to talk to. Everyone already knows each other, and I'm the new girl. I didn't sign up for this.
Someone taps my shoulder, and I reach for my sword.
"Woah, it's just me!"
I turn to face them, and realize that it's just Leo. I sigh, taking my hand away from the hilt of my sword. "Sorry Leo," I mutter.
He shrugs. "Are you ready for the game?" he asks. "Any questions?"
I have a million questions, but I can't think of them all. Only some of them are about the game, anyway, and I'll probably be able to figure them out on my own. I'll most likely fail this game, but that's okay. We play every Friday, so I'll get many more chances.
I shake my head. "The rules were pretty straight-forward."
     "Yeah." He smiles. "This is going to be great."
Sure. It'll be great to watch me fail at an easy game. I don't know how to use a sword, and that's not even the worst of it. All magical items are allowed. What kind of magical items do people have that they can surprise me with? I'm really at the disadvantage. I need to find a way to reach the top. Sounds easy enough.
Nico raises his hand, and the team quiets down. He hands the flag to a red-haired girl with green eyes. She examines it, and then her eyes flick to the forest. I can almost hear the gears turning in her head as she considers the best hiding spots.
"I'll put it up in the tree next to the big rock at the creek," she says. She nods to herself and heads off into the woods with her spear. I watch her go until she disappears from my view.
"Okay," Nico says. "Kiara is hiding our flag. I need the Hephaestus kids," he turns to them, "to set some traps around the flag, something the other team won't expect."
Leo nods, smiling mischievously. "Who's ready to win?" The Hephaestus kids cheer, and head off after the girl from earlier. They whoop and holler as they enter the woods. I'm glad to have the Hephaestus kids on my team. If they weren't, I'm sure they would be a tricky opponent. I'd almost certainly get stuck in one of their traps. Well, I don't have to worry about that. I have to worry about literally everything else. No problem.
"Hermes kids, I need you to locate the other team's flag. Split up and be ready to use one of your pranks."
The Hermes kids nod excitedly, and start talking about what pranks they could pull on the other team. I guess I'm one of those kids for now, but I have no idea what to do. I've never been into prancing people. I don't think this is the right job for me.
Nico turns to me. "Celine, you'll be guarding the flag," he says.
I want to argue, but I don't. This whole game is dangerous, but being the guard must be the worst. Once the other team finds our flag, I'm doomed. They'll probably trample me, and take the flag. No. I'm better than this. I won't let them get the flag without a fight. I might not be able to use my sword, but I'll find another way to defend myself.
I nod, and Nico turns to the rest of the campers. "Demeter kids will hide in the trees by the other team's flag once it's located. You'll stay there and buy some time for the runner. The runner will be one of the Hermes kids. I'll be helping whoever I can. Does everyone know what they're doing?"
A chorus of yeses goes up from the team (at least, whoever's here from our team).
He gives us a nod of approval. "You'll do well. Now, get to your places."
The Blue Team cheers, and then disperses, all of us going in separate directions once we reach the woods. I walk towards the creek, searching for a big rock. The flag should be in a tree near that rock. I wander around for a few minutes until I finally see it dangling from the tree. Kiara stands near it, looking at it with pride. Once she sees me, she walks over.
    "Are you the guard?" she asks. I nod, and she smiles. "Good luck."
    At that, she takes off into the woods to who knows where. Great. I guess I'm alone now. I make sure that I'm ten yards away from the flag, and wait for the horn to blow.
    After a few minutes, the horn blows, and fear sets in. I don't know how long it'll take for the other team to find the flag, and once they do, I'm doomed. Sure, I have a sword, but I don't have any magical items or anything. I have absolutely no idea why Nico gave me—the most unexperienced demigod at Camp Half-Blood—this position. Does he want to lose? From what it seems, he doesn't.
    I keep my eye on the flag, making sure that no one has the chance to surprise me with an attack. So far, no one's found me. Maybe they won't, but I doubt it. There's only so many places the other team can look, and they'll eventually run into me. I can't avoid it.
The forest is eerily quiet. Shouldn't there at least be some noise? Then, I hear swords clash somewhere on the other side of the creek. I don't know what's going on, and I can't find out. I have to stay here, away from all of the action. I have to defend the flag from whoever decides to steal it.
The clashing continues, and I tap my foot, keeping one hand on the hilt of my sword. So far, still no one has come, and I'm starting to grow impatient. I just want to get this over with instead of sitting here. They'll take the flag and it'll be done.
    There's a flicker of movement in the trees. I wouldn't have noticed it if I weren't watching so closely. Oh gods. They're here.
    Someone sprints towards the flag, looking down at his feet as he goes. He avoids every trap the Hephaestus kids set. My feet start moving before my brain tells them to, and I pull my sword out of its sheath. I don't know what to do, but I need to stop this camper from taking my team's flag. He has short brown hair, and fascinating golden eyes. I've never seen him before, but that doesn't matter. I haven't seen anyone at this camp before, really. That doesn't change the fact that I have to fight this guy.
    The boy looks down at my sword with a frown. "Do we have to do this?"
    Something tells me to put my sword down. I start to lower it, and he smirks. That's it. I swing my sword at him, and he blocks it with his. We push against each other, waiting to see who will give in. I refuse to let him win. I duck out of the way, and he stumbles forward. I take that chance to kick him in the knees, forcing him to topple over. That felt good. It felt better than it should've, and I feel myself smiling.
    "Are there others coming?" I ask. The boy doesn't answer. I kick his side, and he groans. "Is someone else coming?"
    The boy looks up at me, a pained look on his face. He sighs. "Nice to meet you, too. I'm Brady."
    "Answer my question."
    He sighs. "Probably, but I doubt I'll need their assistance."
    What does he mean? I have him on the ground, and he thinks that he can beat me? I want to laugh, but I know that I shouldn't underestimate anyone. He could have a magical object hidden or something.
    "Empty your pockets," I order.
    Brady holds up his hands, and then reaches into his pockets. He takes out a few golden coins and a mirror. I pick them up, and carry them far enough away so that he can't use them (hopefully). I don't really know how these things work. They could just be ordinary objects, but how am I supposed to know?
    I'm still uneasy after I return to him. He looks too sure of himself, like he knows something that I don't. He probably does, which scares me. I scan the area, checking for other campers. No one. We're alone, yet he seems so confident. He said that he wouldn't need backup. Well, if that's true, then I'm about to find out why.
    I search his golden eyes for a hint of what his plan is. Most people would think they've won once they have their enemy disarmed, but I know that that's not how this is. If I let my guard down after winning, he'll destroy me. I'm the prey, not the predator. He's on the ground, helpless, but I know that will change within seconds.
    "You're stressed," Brady says.
    I want to punch him, but I hold myself back. "You should be stressed," I point out. "You're on the ground."
    Brady shrugs, and a sense of dread washes over me. I have no idea what his plan is, but I need to be ready for anything. I don't know, he could start flying and get away with the flag. I can't let that happen. I can't let my team down. They don't know me, but if I fail, they'll probably hate me. Nico will be disappointed, and realize that he shouldn't have trusted me to guard the flag.
"It would be so much easier if you just let me take the flag," he says, his voice honey-sweet.
He's not exactly wrong. I mean, I could just let him get away and I wouldn't have to worry about this anymore. I take a step back. He smiles. What am I doing? I can't let him go that easily!
I glare at him. "I think it'll be a little harder than that," I say, forcing confidence into my voice. I hope he doesn't see through me, or he'll know that I'm scared. Couldn't Will's team have sent anyone else? This guy makes me doubt myself, and it's like he knows exactly what I'm thinking.
He watches me, as if sizing me up. I'm sure I don't look very threatening. His eyes are filled with determination, and I hate it. I hate him, even though I barely know him. I just know that I do.
I crouch down next to him. "I'm not scared of you." The words aren't true. Not at all, but he doesn't know that. At least, I hope he doesn't.
He laughs. "You should be."
"Well, that's too bad."
"You hate me, right?" he asks.
"Is it that obvious?"
I wasn't really trying to hide the fact that I don't like him, but it's unsettling that he can read me that easily. We've only been talking for a few minutes, and I feel like he knows me better than anyone at this camp.
I wonder how my team is doing. They've probably found the red flag. I hope they have, at least. If not, we're behind. Maybe the runner is finding the best way to get the flag. We had a decent plan, and Nico seemed confident in it, but none of us know what the Red Team has planned. Will seemed just as determined as Nico. I guess I'll find out the winner soon enough.
"Hate is closely related to love," he says, smirking.
If this kid thinks I love him, he must be crazy. I feel nothing but hatred for him, and that will never change. I know that for sure. "What are you getting at?"
He looks at me like he's already won. But, he hasn't. He's not even close.
"I'm saying—" He pauses, and I want to yell at him to finish his sentence. Why can't he just tell me? He smiles. "Give me the flag."
His words sink in, and I look over at the blue flag. I feel the need to give it to him, but I know that I shouldn't. Still, my feet move without me telling them to. I take the flag down from the tree. Then, I realize what I'm doing. I hang the flag back up and head over to him.
I shove him backwards, and he falls over. I want to wipe that stupid smirk off of his face. "What did you do?" I ask.
Before he answers my question, a shout goes up from the creek. Then, cheering. Brady's smile vanishes, and I feel a wave of satisfaction. Ha. My team must've won.
We both sprint over to the others. I try to stay ahead of him, but he easily keeps up. It's like I can never escape him, no matter how hard I try. He gives me a sweet smile before heading over to his team. I want to punch him, but again, I hold myself back.
Members of the Blue Team are gathered around one of the Hermes kids, who holds the flag up above her head. I join in on the cheering, trying my best to forget about what just happened. I still feel sick, but at least we won. I didn't completely fail at this game. I still managed to keep the Red Team from taking our flag, and that was my job.
Nico steps into the center of the circle, and the Hermes girl disappears into the crowd. He's fighting back a smile as he says, "Good job, Blue Team. We beat Solace and the Red Team."
He turns to look at Will, who glares at him, and then walks over to join us. "Decent win, di Angelo," Will says, punching Nico's arm, playfully.
    Nico smirks. "Unsatisfactory loss, Solace."
    Will growls, but anyone could tell that they're just joking around. It's adorable.
Brady comes back over, and I wish that I could disappear. "I never caught your name," he says, giving me one of those awful smiles.
"Celine," I say. "Now, tell me what you did."
Brady laughs. "You're still upset about that?"
How could I not be? I almost gave him the flag! "Yes!" I shout, immediately realizing how loud I was. Some campers turn their attention to me, including Nico and Will. I pretend not to notice. "You almost took the flag!" I make sure to be more quiet this time.
    "I'm pretty sure you were giving me the flag," he says.
    I shake my head. "I didn't want to. Did you mind-control me?" I know it sounds foolish, but honestly, I'm wondering if he did. Why else would I have done that? I never would've if there wasn't some kind of mind-control involved. That's it. That's my theory. I might never be able to prove it, which I hate. I guess I really need Brady to tell me.
Brady shrugs, and I imagine myself punching him square in the jaw. That would feel amazing. "Charmspeak."
I tilt my head to the side. "What's that?"
"Some children of Aphrodite can use it," he explains. "It helps me persuade people."
"And you used that on me?"
He nods, and my fist connects with his face. He stares at me in shock, gingerly touching the side of his face that I hit with my hand. That felt so much better than I thought it would. My mind is buzzing, and I can't help but smile. I've seen people get punched in movies, but I never knew what it was like. Now, I do.
Unfortunately, my moment is ended by someone roughly grabbing my shoulders and pulling me away from Brady. I whip around to face Leo Valdez. Of course he had to stop me. No one knows what Brady did. I struggle against Leo's grip, but he doesn't let me go.
"Woah," he says. "Take a deep breath."
I fight against him again, but eventually give in. There's no point in fighting right now. It's a waste of my energy. I breathe in, and then out. Leo gives me a small smile, but I know that he's just trying to be kind.
"You can let go of me now," I say.
Leo hesitates and then releases me. Once he's sure that I'm not going to hurt someone, he relaxes a little. "What was that about?"
"Nothing. I just wanted to punch him."
He raises an eyebrow, but doesn't push it. I'm thankful for that. I don't know what I would say. I'm sure he'd believe me, but I don't want to talk about what happened. It's terrible enough to think about it, and I can't get it out of my head. He used Charmspeak on me, and I almost did what he said. It's terrifying to know that he can do that. What's stopping him from doing it again?
"I'm going to go back to the Hermes Cabin," I say.
Leo nods, and I push through the crowd, avoiding eye-contact with anybody. I hear whispers, and I know that they're about me. I just punched Brady. They don't know why, but that doesn't matter. All these campers need is one small thing to happen, and they'll spread that information around camp. Great.
I sit down on my temporary cot, and look around at the Hermes Cabin. It doesn't feel like I belong here. I'm not a prankster. I don't know where I belong yet, and it's torturing me. The least my father can do is claim me. I glare at the ceiling (which is as close to the sky as I can get in this cabin).
"Just claim me, you coward," I whisper. "And, I mean soon. Not in a thousand years."
Nothing happens. I guess I expected that, but I can't help but be a bit disappointed. Most people at this camp know their godly parents, and I don't. Sure, I can sort of fight, but I'm sure I'm not very good at it. I just did what felt right in the moment. That doesn't mean I'm a good fighter.
I look up again, hoping that my father will hear me. "You couldn't have helped me out during Capture the Flag?"
No answer.
"Thanks a lot," I say. "You're an amazing dad."
Again, there's no answer. That's okay. I don't need my dad. He's never been there for me, so why would I need him now? I don't. My mom and I have been perfectly fine without him. She's the only family I need, and maybe I'll find where I belong here. I hope.