God of night

Chapter 11

Malcolm's plan was simple. It lacked the strategy complexity that people usually expecting of the children of Athena. It seemed the Hunters knew that the Athena campers would be coming alone to claim the flag in their sister's honor.

The Plan: They would draw the hunters away from the flag, since they were the only one's after the flag the hunters would switch to playing man-on-man (or as the hunters would prefer hunter vs. camper match up (the word 'on' had a too suggestive possibility for them).

Malcolm fought alongside Thalia and Bianca, who naturally the opponent had marked out as the primary threat, as five hunters pushed them down the snow covered hill where the hunters had posted their flag. The flag was now unguarded at the peak of the hill which was about 90 yards from the little creek. When they were 60 yards from the creek the hunter, Atalanta, slashed at Bianca only to stumble forwarded as the Daughter of Hades vanished into a shadow.

"Hey Girls!" Bianca sang for the top of the hill were she had appeared, taking the flag in her hand. The hunters turned away from Malcolm and Thalia leaving them behind as they ran back up the hill towards Bianca spreading out to intercept the daughter of Hades. Malcolm and Thalia however ran in the other direction back down to the creek. When they were 30 yards from the creek and the hunter were the same distance from her, Bianca disappeared in a shadow again this time reappearing near her two teammates, running if perfect stride with them.

"Oh, yeah, they fell for it perfectly!" Malcolm said grinning. "Kay, so let me see the flag now."

Instead of answering, Bianca sped up, leaving Thalia and the son of Athena to trail behind her in disbelief as they as they ran pass Artemis who looked up with wide eyes from where she had a laughing Perseus pinned to the ground.

- Line Break -

Zoe and her five sisters had taken the flag without difficulty, which had been expected. They and been slowed down on the return trip however by the campers superior numbers. The campers had got behind them as they grabbed the flag, so they had been forced to fight through their defenses on the way back towards the creek as well. Zoe fought Perseus' champion Nico and seven children of Apollo, including the son of Apollo who had been present in Maine, as she held the flag. Nico alone was a challenge with his parentage combined with Perseus' blessing.

Sophie, who was a young daughter of Poseidon fought beside her. The girl was dropped off outside the hunter's campsite one night by a young man who had claimed to be a messenger of her father when she was five so she would not have to be the prophecy because of his choices (at the time Thalia had just turned into a tree). She had not taken her full vow to swear off men yet so she could mature to an age that she decided to be frozen for eternity. She was now almost thirteen.

Meanwhile Phoebe's was taking on Clarisse and the rest of her siblings, though they mainly hung back as they fought. Vicky and Diana were fighting the rest of the Apollo's cabin with the help of Chloe, a 14-year-old daughter of Athena who'd also been one of the hunters' youngest recruits when she first joined at age seven. She like Sophie had yet to make her vow, and had also been brought to the hunt by a messenger of her godly parent.

They little creek came in view and she saw Bianca about to cross the creek with Thalia and Malcolm trailing behind her. The son of Athena had a furious look on his face. Artemis and Perseus were getting up off the ground fifteen feet into the hunters side, Artemis' face covered in a scowl while Percy's was beaming with pride. Zoe and her sisters skidded to a stop, knowing the game was over and waited for the flag to turn from silver with a bow and arrow emblem in the middle to the black banner with the helm in the center. At the last second however the Daughter of Hades tossed the flag to her left; but the flag didn't fall to the forest floor. Instead it continued to move forward, crossing the border as if on its own accord. The silver turned to grey and an owl replaced the bow and arrow. Bianca, Thalia and Malcolm skidded to a halt breathing hard. The flag appeared to float by itself for a moment before the pale form of a ghost solidified into view.