A/N: Hi folks. This is my first publishing story and I am posting this to check out the formatting/chapters/what the answer is to life/everything/etc. Many of you will recognize this story (especially this first part) but I promise there is no plagiarizing! Everything italicized in this first part is taken directly from the book and not changed in the slightest. There will be some recognizable dialogue and paragraphs that I borrowed from the book as well but it is intermingling with my writing. I also borrowed the title of this from the chapter name. I am a hurt/comfort sucker and sometimes want a little more (read: a lot more!) hurt and will take scenes like this and embellish them just a little. I do try to keep true to the story.
Disclaimer: I do not, nor sadly will I ever own any part, stock, or parcel to the Percy Jackson series. That honor goes solely to the fabulous Rick Riordan and his crew.
And now, for your reading pleasure, I nervously/proudly present...
We Capture A Flag
Chapter 1: I'm doomed...
Percy POV
There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?
Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.
Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual.
Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by.
I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me.
Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating.
On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark.
"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed.
Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords – not that that made me feel any better.
They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin.
I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid as the Minotaur. They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned.
Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. I fell back.
Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt.
They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing.
"Give him a haircut," Clarisse said. "Grab his hair."
I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb.
"Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."
"The flag is that way," I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way.
"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid."
"You do that without my help," I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.
Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, I would've been shish-ke-babbed. As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good-size cut.
Seeing my own blood made me dizzy – warm and cold at the same time.
"No maiming," I managed to say.
"Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege."
He pushed me away from the creek and I fell with a crash into the ground. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. I heard a voice, just a whisper saying something about moving closer, but it was gone as quickly as it came. And suddenly, I had a second wind.
