A/N
This is a non-content based chapter of my current fanfiction: The Bane of Poseidon. If you haven't read any of that fic, don't worry, because you'll still understand what's going on.
Summary: Thalia and the Hunters of Artemis return to Camp Half-Blood to help assist with the reconstruction of the camp after the battle with Gaea. While they're there, they have a 'friendly' match of Capture the Flag with the campers.
Note: Because there are now so many cabins at CHB, I decided to make it so that not all of them are included in the game. It wouldn't make sense to have so many campers versus less than twenty Hunters. So if the cabin isn't mentioned, then they aren't part of the game. (Of course the 7 of the prophecy are going to be included regardless)
Disclaimer: I don't own the PJ series. Special thx tho to the Rick Riordan wiki :D
Thalia's POV | The South Woods
Thalia surveyed her newest recruits.
There were sixteen hunters total; seven veterans from before Thalia had joined, eight new (if rather nervous) members and Thalia herself. They stood in a small clearing within the southern half of the woods, forming a loose half-circle around their lieutenant.
"Hunters!" Thalia called loudly. All heads turned to her, eyes sparkling with excitement. "As of today, the Maidens of Artemis have a 56 win-streak against Camp Half-Blood." Thalia paused, looking from face to eager face. "I would like to make that 57."
The Hunters were silent, but the tension in the air was palpable. They shifted from foot to foot, testing the tautness of their bows and waiting for Thalia to go on.
"It will not be easy," Thalia continued grimly. "The seven of the Great Prophecy will be joining the opposing team today. I am sure you all have heard of their powers."
A few Hunters chuckled darkly at this. Thalia allowed them their moment before continuing to speak.
"But we have the advantage of the unknown," she said fiercely. "We know their strengths. They, however, have no idea of ours." The silver aurora around Thalia seemed to grow brighter as she spoke, casting shadows around the clearing. "Our flag," Thalia gestured to the shimmering silver cloth, embroidered simply with a white doe. "Can only be guarded by two people. Tori and Alice will take those positions."
The two girls in question, one with black hair and eyes; the other a brunette with forest-green eyes, stood a little straighter, gripping their bows firmly.
"The flag must also be clearly visible." Thalia continued. "We will be placing it at the top of that tree." She pointed to an old apple tree, standing tall with gnarled bark and thick interlacing branches.
Understanding flashed across Alice's eyes and Thalia nodded at her, pleased.
"I assume you know why?"
Alice grinned.
"I can think of a few reasons."
"Perfect." Thalia turned to the remaining Hunters. "We'll be attacking in full force; one main group."
At this a couple girls shifted from foot to foot uneasily, a few even opening their mouths to speak. Thalia forestalled them, raising a hand.
"They will expect a two pronged attack; it's been used a hundred times before. For this reason, I'll lead half of our attacking force along the right. They'll think we'll also be sending another group from the left, but when reinforcements arrive, it'll be to back up my group."
"Won't this leave our left side extremely vulnerable?" A lithe girl with light brown hair and dark eyes had stepped forward.
Thalia turned to her. This was one of the veterans; a daughter of Bellona by the name of Sabrina.
"It will," she said, nodding. "Which is why we'll need a strong border patrol. I'd like you to lead that."
Sabrina stepped back, satisfied, and Thalia turned her gaze to a girl with crimson hair and dark brown eyes.
"Amber will lead the second attack force. Hopefully the enemy will be distracted enough by my group to not notice her until it's too late. You five-" Thalia gestured to a group of the Hunters. "-will come with me. Natasha and Thalia-" she pointed at the two girls, both former nymphs, "-will be with Sabrina. The remaining four will go with Amber."
The Hunters moved to their respected places.
"Does everybody understand the plan?" Thalia asked.
There was a general cry of assent.
"Excellent," Thalia clapped her hands together, causing sparks of electricity to fly off them. "Tori- a quick word? I've got something special in mind for you…"
Percy's POV | The North Woods
Percy stood by Annabeth, facing the rest of the campers. The two had been, unanimously, elected as co-leaders for this game of Capture the Flag.
"Campers-" Annabeth began, but they didn't hear her, instead jostling amongst themselves, rearranging their armor and talking noisily.
Leo stepped forward.
"LISTEN UP PIPSQUEAKS!" He shrieked. The campers started and fell silent, turning to him. Leo took a step back, grinning, and made an exaggerated sweeping gesture with his hand. "The floor is all yours Annie," he smirked.
Annabeth cleared her throat loudly.
"Uh- thanks, Leo," she said awkwardly. "Anyway, as you guys all know, Camp Half-Blood has yet to beat the Hunters of Artemis in Capture the Flag."
There were several grumbles at this and a couple members of the Ares Cabin flexed their muscles threateningly. Annabeth continued, ignoring them.
"I was, shall I say, missing in action during the last match between Hunters and Campers-"
"Where was she?" Jason mumbled quietly to Percy.
"Just holding up the sky." Percy replied, grinning.
"What?!"
"However," Annabeth said loudly, talking over Jason. "I was informed that our loss a few years ago was due not to a lack of skill, but to a lack of speed." She surveyed the campers grimly. "The Hunters crossed over the creek with the flag a few seconds before we did."
A couple of the older campers glared pointedly at Percy. Percy dug the toe of his shoe into the ground, avoiding their gazes. It wasn't his fault Thalia decided to take five years to get to the flag.
"So we'll need to be swift with our offense," Annabeth continued. "Percy will go along the left side as bait—"
"Why am I always bait?!" Percy exclaimed hotly.
"-with the Ares and Apollo Cabins," Annabeth continued loudly. "That way it'll seem like that's our main attacking force."
Great… Not only was Percy bait, but he'd also have to deal with Clarisse and her gooneys. Frank smiled sympathetically at him, though Percy could see the relief in his eyes.
"That includes Frank."
Frank's smile was quickly wiped clean off of his face. Percy hid a smirk as Annabeth went on.
"I'll lead the Athena and Hermes Cabins as a flank on the right side. Thalia will probably expect a pronged attack, but what she won't know is that Nico will be shadow traveling into the woods behind them to collect the flag while they're distracted with us. Nico will be in there alone, so Percy and I need to keep the Hunters distracted for as long as possible. If he falls—"
Nico grumbled something, fingers drumming on the hilt of his sword.
"—then Percy will pull a false-retreat and I'll lead my group in. That understood?"
The campers yelled their approval, banging their weapons against their shields nosily. Once they had quieted, Percy stepped forward.
"The Hephaestus Cabin will be on defense," he said, nodding at the burly members of Cabin 9. "Rig this forest with as many traps as you can; just make sure the campers know where they are."
Harley grinned wickedly.
"Just- uh, no maiming, alright?" Percy added hastily. Some of the mischief left Harley's eyes and Leo patted him on the shoulder consolingly.
"I've already talked to Hazel," Annabeth said, nodding at her. "She'll be doing border patrol by herself."
Hazel nodded grimly, her hand going underneath her jacket to clutch something. Frank's firewood?
"And us?" Asked Piper, gesturing to herself and Jason.
"Superman—"
"Hey!" Jason yelped indignantly.
"—will be flying you from tree to tree." Annabeth continued, ignoring him. "Charmspeak the Hunters into sleeping or fighting amongst themselves. I want it to be chaos over there." She turned to Jason. "Zap a couple of their bowstrings if you can get away with it, but try to stay unnoticed."
"What about the flag?" Kayla piped up.
"Zeus's Fist?" Malcolm suggested, looking questioningly at Annabeth.
"That's what I was thinking," she said thoughtfully. "But it's been used so many times before… They're bound to expect it."
"You mean that giant pile of golden droppings?" Leo asked, stepping forward.
"That's the one." Percy grinned.
Hazel closed her eyes, obviously sensing for it.
"It's hollow!" She said finally, opening her eyes in surprise.
Travis laughed.
"Some present for Zeus!" He chuckled. "I can't believe he never noticed that."
"We could hide the flag inside of it?" Piper suggested.
Annabeth shook her head.
"It has to be in full view. Can't be somewhere they—"
"Annabeth."
All heads turned in surprise to Leo. Few had ever heard him call Annabeth by her actual name.
"What's the melting point of gold?" He asked, ignoring them.
"1,948 degrees Fahrenheit." Annabeth said immediately. "But that's pure gold, which is super soft for a metal. Zeus's Fist is probably 22 Karat, meaning it's eight and a third percent of silver or some sort of metal alloy—"
"It's silver." Hazel said, interrupting her.
Leo turned back to Annabeth.
"So it's melting point?" He asked.
"Probably around nineteen hundred," Annabeth replied. "But it'll start getting soft closer to 1.8k. Why?"
Leo ignored the question.
"I'll protect the flag." He smirked. "I'll need Frank and one other person though."
"But we can only have two—" Percy began, but Leo waved him off.
"I'll only need Frank for a couple minutes. He won't be actually guarding the flag. You'll have him back before the game starts."
Annabeth still looked skeptical. After a few moments of scrutinizing Leo, she sighed.
"Fine, who do you need?"
Leo grinned wickedly, flames beginning to dance across the crown of his head.
"Nyssa will do."
Piper's POV | Up in a Tree
"Shhh!" Piper hushed Jason for the hundredth time is he shifted his position, snapping a twig. "The game's about to start!"
"I'm trying!" He grumbled. "It's a little squished up here!"
Piper looked up. Jason was crouched on a branch, desperately hugging the trunk of the tree they were currently in. Bits of bracken and leafs dotted his normally blonde hair.
"Brown hair so doesn't suit you," Piper smirked.
Jason glared, opening his mouth to retort, when they heard three short blasts of a distant horn.
Piper raised her eyebrows.
"And so it begins," she murmured softly.
The Ares and Apollo Cabins, led by a whooping Percy, ran underneath their tree and hopped the stream, disappearing into the Hunter's woods. Shortly thereafter Piper heard a strangled war cry from Percy and the clangs of weapon against weapon.
"Time to go." Jason whispered.
Piper nodded and let go of the tree, letting Jason use the winds to float her up beside him. He then wrapped one arm around her waist and they shot into the sky.
Wind whipped Piper's hair around her face as they rose, twenty, thirty, forty feet. Jason brought them to a stop and Piper opened her eyes.
She could see Annabeth, as small as an ant, leading her group along the right side of the forest. Three Hunters patrolled the creek, pacing back and forth with arrows drawn. It was dusk, so if they looked up Piper and Jason would appear to be merely bats.
"Where's Hazel?" She shouted to Jason over the wind. "She was supposed to guard the stream!"
"I dunno!" Jason yelled back, face screwed up in concentration. "But we'd better go! The winds are more rowdy up here!"
Piper nodded her assent and they dropped like a boulder, falling swiftly into the Hunter's side of the forest. Jason slowed their descent and they landed in the upmost branches of an oak tree. He rested his forehead against the trunk, eyes closed.
"Do you see anyone?" He panted.
Piper surveyed the forest floor.
"There!" She hissed, pointing at a group of about five Hunters. They stood, tense, almost as if they were waiting for something.
Jason opened his eyes and peered in the direction Piper had pointed.
"You think that's where they're hiding the flag?" He murmured quietly.
"Can't be," Piper whispered. "They're only allowed two guards, remember?"
"Oh yeah," Jason muttered. "I forgot. Do you need to get any closer?"
Piper shook her head.
"This should do." She took a deep breath, leaning forward on her branch. "Hey you guys!" She shouted. The Hunters started, cocking arrows into their bows. "Feeling a bit tired?"
A girl with dark crimson hair spun around, looking for the source of Piper's voice.
"It's about time for a nap…" Piper called loudly. She yawned luxuriously. "In fact, I'm feeling a little drowsy myself…"
The Hunters began to sway slightly, grips loosening on their bows.
"It's quite late really," Piper continued. "Far past your bedtime. You should really be asleep right now."
She leaned forward on the branch, trying to get closer to the Hunters…
CRACK!
The branch broke. Jason grabbed Piper's arm, stopping her from falling, but it was too late. The spell on the Hunters had been broken.
"There!" The redhead cried, pointing at Jason and Piper's tree.
Jason hoisted Piper onto his branch, grunting with the effort. Several arrows flew towards the tree and he summoned the winds, causing them to go astray.
"Stop!" Piper cried desperately at the Hunters. They faltered, looking confused.
"Don't listen to her!" The girl with crimson hair shouted. "She's using charmspeak!" The girl stuffed something into her ears. "Earplugs in!" She commanded.
The Hunters followed suit, pulling wads of wax from pouches around their necks and cramming them into their ears.
"Wait!" Piper cried. "Don't—" But it was too late.
"Come on, Pipes." Jason muttered. "We'd better get out of here."
He put an arm around her waist and summoned the winds. They shot into the air, but the Hunters let loose a volley of arrows.
Piper cried out as one struck her calf. It didn't pierce her, however, instead extending into a cord wrapped tightly around her leg. The cord pulled tight, connected to something on the ground, and Jason grunted as their ascent was halted.
"Your knife!" He shouted, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he tried to keep them aloft.
Piper fumbled at her sleeve. After a few moments she pulled out Katoptris, hastily going to cut the cord. Another arrow came whistling out the trees and struck the back of her hand. Piper yelped in pain and dropped the knife, which spiraled into the forest below.
"Let go of me Jason!" She cried.
"Are you crazy?!" Jason shouted, hugging her more tightly to his chest. "Try and reach Ivlivs, it's in my pocket—"
Piper shook her head.
"No time." She grunted as she slipped a few more inches towards the ground. "It's better if one of us gets out. Go back and help Annabeth."
"No way!" Jason yelled, but they were slowly sinking further and further towards the trees.
"Let go!" Piper shouted, letting charmspeak creep into her voice.
Jason loosened his grip, blue eyes wild as he realized what he had done.
Piper fell. She crashed through the trees and landed at the feet of the Hunters, a soft breeze cushioning her fall; Jason's parting gift.
She rose, wobbling, to her feet. The redhead surveyed her appraisingly.
"You've got spunk, kid." She smirked. "You sure you're not a Hunter?"
Piper raised her fists threateningly.
"In your dreams."
The girl smiled, cupping her ear mockingly.
"Sorry, didn't catch that."
"No matter." Piper said, also smiling, and attacked.
It took, much to the Hunters' embarrassment (considering there were five of them, all heavily armed), a good few minutes to take Piper down. Piper was then sent the Hunter's jail, where she would remain for the rest of the game.
Percy's POV | The South Woods
Percy couldn't help but whoop as he leaped the stream marking the boundary between Hunter and Camper territory. It had been so long since he'd been able to take part in a friendly fight without having to worry for his life.
The group slowed to a trot as they entered the forest. Percy uncapped Riptide and held it aloft. Its bronze blade glowed slightly, helping to illuminate the dark trees.
"Wish I had my spear…" Clarisse grumbled for the hundredth time.
"Oh get over it already." Will snapped. "That was years ago!"
"Yeah!" Sherman piped up. "Dad even replaced it with Lamer—"
"Maimer!" Clarisse growled. "And it's not the same…less voltage…" She glared pointedly at Percy.
"Not my fault you attacked me." He smirked. "That was my first year too, wasn't it? Kinda embarrassing to get beaten—"
"Children, children." Kayla chided, cutting him off. "You'd better keep it down, or they'll know we're coming."
"Too late." A voice called.
Percy whipped around. Thalia appeared from the trees followed by five other Hunters, all with their bows drawn, pointed at the campers.
"You know I've got a pretty good spear myself," Thalia said, hefting it. "Plenty of voltage." She turned to Clarisse. "Maybe we can trade."
Clarisse narrowed her eyes, mouth twisting in a snarl.
"No?" Thalia sighed. "Very well." She flicked a hand and the Hunters released their arrows. Percy ducked, raising Riptide to protect himself, but the Apollo Cabin stepped forward.
Their arrows intercepted the Hunters', splitting them cleanly in half. Thalia's eyes sparked dangerously.
"So that's how it is." She stepped forward, tapping a silver charm bracelet, which expanded into a shield emblazoned with the head of Medusa.
Percy winced. He pulled his own shield, a bronze one from the camp armory, from his back and onto his free arm. Thalia smirked upon seeing this. Percy couldn't blame her. All shields paled in comparison to Aegis, but he wished that he had the collapsible one that Tyson had made for him, if only as a comfort.
Percy raised Riptide, letting out a war cry as he charged Thalia.
She dodged his first swipe, bringing her spear up to parry. Percy deflected the spear with Riptide and electricity surged through the blade and into his arm, giving him the feeling that he had just hit his funny bone.
He staggered backwards, clutching at his arm.
"Not fair!"
Thalia grinned, raising her spear high into the air as she advanced.
"If you think that's unfair, you're gonna love this."
Percy felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Not a moment too soon he dove to the left, a bolt of lightning striking the earth where he was standing moments before. It singed the grass, not powerful enough to have killed him, but certainly strong enough to cause paralysis.
Percy got to his feet, panting. The campers seemed to be winning the overall fight against the Hunters. Sherman had managed to disarm a Hunter of her bow and they were now locked in a deadly fight of sword against knife. Austin and Kayla were advancing on a lone Hunter, dodging and deflecting her arrows as quickly as she released them. Clarisse and her siblings were causing chaos, weaving in and out of the Hunters, spears and swords flashing dangerously.
Only Will seemed to be avoiding the brunt of the battle. He had pulled a bottle from a satchel around his neck, waving it underneath the dazed Hunters' noses. A few of them stumbled, one sinking to the floor, fast asleep.
Thalia jabbed at Percy with her spear again. He dodged this time, weaving behind her and striking her back with the flat of his blade. Thalia stumbled forward but stayed standing. She whipped around, shoving Aegis against Percy's chest before he could raise Riptide to defend himself. The shield sparked as it connected and he sat down, hard.
"No water to help you here." Thalia taunted, advancing with her shield raised.
"Maybe not," Percy said as he got to his feet for the second time. "But you're forgetting something."
"What's that?" Thalia asked warily.
Percy charged and she stumbled backwards, surprised. He didn't attack her, however, instead raising his sword high, point down.
"I'm also the son of the Earthshaker." Percy thrust the blade into the ground.
A wave of dirt and rock spread outwards from the contact point, connecting with Thalia's knees and forcing her to the ground. With a cry she let go of her spear, which flew several feet behind her. Percy pulled Riptide from the ground and advanced, grinning.
"Looks like ground beats lightning." He smirked. "Care to surrender now?"
Thalia spat at him, pulling a hunting horn from her belt.
"What are you gonna do with that?" Percy laughed. "Blow on me?"
Looking back, it might not have been the best decision to not have immediately taken the horn from Thalia. She raised the horn to her lips and blew, its sound echoing balefully around the dark forest.
Percy whipped around as barrage of arrows came flying out of the undergrowth. He raised his shield, deflecting the majority, but was nonetheless struck by a blunt tip on his thigh.
"For Hades' sake…" Percy muttered, bending over to access the damage.
That was his second mistake. Unbeknownst to Percy, Thalia had gotten to her feet and stealthily approached from behind while he was distracted. She raised Aegis as Percy straightened up, sensing something amiss.
"Sweet dreams." She murmured, and Percy saw stars as the shield connected with the back of his head.
Leo's POV | Zeus's Golden Pile of Poop
"How's the temp looking, Nyssa?" Leo called, poking his head back inside Zeus's glorified golden 'fist'.
Frank, under Leo's supervision, had transformed into a badger and tunneled into the ground surrounding Zeus's Fist, coming up within the hollow of the fist itself. With a pathway inside the fist clear, the Hermes Cabin had helped to carry piles and piles of branches and wood collected from the forest into the fist, which Leo had then promptly set on fire.
Normally, a campfire burns at about a thousand degrees Fahrenheit. With Leo's help, it had reached temperatures of…
"1,763 degrees." Nyssa said, pointing a modified celestial bronze pyrometer at the fire.
Leo frowned.
"I reckon we can crank it a bit higher." He chuckled, striding forward with hands ablaze.
"I don't know if that's a good idea…" Nyssa said worriedly. "Annabeth said that the gold would soften at eighteen hundred…"
Leo waved a hand dismissively.
"That's the fist itself. Right now it's nowhere near that." He strode forward and thrust a hand into the fire. "Even though the core of the fire is super hot, the gold isn't anywhere near melting yet."
"If you say so." Nyssa shrugged. "But I'm gonna have to leave and wait outside." She raised an arm, wiping sweat from her forehead. "It's getting too hot in here for me."
"That's cool." Leo withdrew his hand from the fire and picked up the pyrometer, pointing it at the center of the flames. "Just holler if you need any help from the Bad Boy Supreme."
Nyssa rolled her eyes and ducked into the tunnel leading out of the fist. Humming merrily to himself, Leo shot a couple blue flames from his fingers and into the fire. Once he was done, it wouldn't matter that hiding their flag atop Zeus's pile of poop was super obvious. The gold metal would be so hot, the Hunters wouldn't be able to get within five feet of it; much less climb to the top and retrieve the flag. He just had to be careful not to melt it, or Zeus would literally smite the pants off of him; hollow fist or not.
"Leo!" Nyssa cried from somewhere outside.
"Great…" Leo muttered.
They were already here? He tossed a few more blue flames at the fire before pulling a mallet from his tool belt and ducking into tunnel. When he arrived outside however, Leo saw Jason, and not the Hunters of Artemis, standing next to Nyssa.
"Where's Piper?" Leo asked, tucking the mallet back into his belt.
"Probably in jail." Jason said grimly. "The Hunters were ready. They pulled out earplugs as soon as she started talking. We tried to get out, but an arrow got her in the leg and expanded into some sort of rope." Jason shuddered. "Piper made me let go and fly off by myself…"
"And you listened to her?!" Leo exclaimed incredulously.
Jason turned to him, desperation in his eyes.
"I didn't want to! She charmspoke- I wouldn't have let—"
"Woah, woah. Cool it." Leo said, throwing up his hands defensively. "I was just messing with you. It's just a game after all. Pipes is probably off in jail having a laugh about the whole thing- she's not going to be hurt or anything."
Jason nodded, taking a deep breath.
"I know… It just seemed so real at the time."
Just then, Nico materialized out of the shadows. Leo leaped back, letting out a very non-Bad-Boy-Supreme shriek.
"Holy Hephaestus!" He yelped. "You've gotta stop doing—"
"What's wrong Nico?" Jason said worriedly, cutting him off.
Nico was bent over his knees, gasping for breath. He looked up and Leo could see that he was sporting a bloody lip.
"They knew I was coming," he panted. "There was this girl- a daughter of Nyx something… She was controlling the shadows. Had them held back in a 20-foot ring around this old apple tree. I couldn't get anywhere near them…"
Nyssa frowned, crossing her arms.
"Jason said that they were expecting Piper as well." She said grimly. "Did they spot you?"
"At first, no." Nico growled, straightening up. "I was sneaking around the outside of the ring- trying to spot their flag, when the other guard sensed me or something…" He kicked the ground in frustration. "I was completely out of sight, behind this peach tree, and she started shouting and pointing in my direction. Then the shadow chick came in and lit me up like a beacon. It was all I could do to get out before they hit me with one of their trap arrows."
"Shoot." Jason muttered. "We'd better let Annabeth know."
Nico nodded.
"Definitely. I just came here because it was the first thing that popped into my head." He paused, sniffing the air. "What's burning?"
"Zeus's Fist." Leo grinned proudly.
"What?!"
"He means the inside." Nyssa said, rolling her eyes. "We've got a fire set up. It's to prevent the Hunters from being able to climb it."
"Oh. Makes sense." Nico coughed. "We'd better go find Annabeth." He said, turning to Jason. "There's only supposed to be two guards."
"Yeah," Jason stood. "Do you need a ride…or…?" He said rather awkwardly.
Nico raised an eyebrow.
"Right..." Jason mumbled. "Meet you there?"
Nico didn't answer, instead turning and fading into the shadows with a wave over his shoulder.
"Creepy guy…" Leo said, shuddering.
Jason shrugged.
"You get used to him." He turned to Nyssa. "Do you need anything before I go?"
"We're good." She pulled a crossbow from her back and loaded it with a blunt tipped bolt. "Give 'em hell from us, will ya?"
"Will do." Jason saluted and summoned the winds, taking to the sky.
Once he had disappeared Leo returned inside the fist, chuckling as he tossed more blue-white flames onto to the already roaring fire.
Annabeth's POV | Zephyros Creek
"There!" Julia hissed, pointing at the creek.
Annabeth peered around a tree in the direction Julia had pointed. Three Hunters were pacing back and forth along the bank, bows drawn and pointed into the camper side of the forest.
Annabeth withdrew behind the tree, turning to face the campers behind her.
"Okay," she whispered. "They let Percy and the others across, which means they've almost certainly got another group lined up to flank us along the left. It has to be a fairly large group- probably led by Thalia, or they wouldn't have been so lax—"
"What does that mean for us?" Travis hissed, cutting her off.
Malcom rolled his eyes.
"It means that once we get past those three," he jabbed a finger in the direction of the Hunters. "We should be in the clear."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Connor growled, hefting his sword. "Let's go!"
It was Annabeth's turn to roll her eyes.
"We can't just barge in there." She whispered exasperatedly. "We need a plan of attack."
"We do have a plan!" Travis said indignantly. "Atta-"
Julia stepped forward, cupping a hand over her half-brother's mouth.
"So what's the plan?" She asked, turning to Annabeth.
"We have to take both of them out." Annabeth frowned. "Preferably stealthily."
"I think I might be able to help there." Chris said, stepping forward. He held up a blow-gun, loaded with several blueish-purple darts. "Will gave this to me. The darts are laced with narcotics he got off Clovis."
Annabeth nodded appreciatively.
"That'll be perfect. Do you know how to use it?"
"Kinda?" Chris grimaced. "I did a couple practice shots earlier, but I'm not that great."
"It'll have to do." Malcom said grimly. "We'll cover you."
Chris nodded and got to his knees, pointing the gun through the leaves towards the Hunters.
"Not yet!" Annabeth hissed as the Hunters turned to face them. After several paces back and forth, one turned to another, mumbling an inaudible question. "Now!"
The dart flew from the gun, whistling through the air and hitting the Hunter directly below the ear. Her hand flew up and the other Hunters converged on her, trying to see what was the matter.
Chris grinned.
"Not the one I was aiming for," he chuckled. "But I guess that works."
"Be careful not to hit-" Annabeth cautioned.
"I know, I know." Chris cut her off, raising the blow-gun to his lips again.
The next dart flew over the shoulder of the tall girl with light brown hair. Chris cursed as the girl whipped around, shouting and pointing to the grove of trees in which the campers were hiding.
"I got this." Travis said, making to crawl from out behind his tree.
"Wait!" Annabeth hissed.
The first Hunter had collapsed and the tall girl turned around, distracted. Chris raised the gun to his lips and blew. The dart hit her squarely in the neck. She turned around, raising her bow, but the tranquilizers seemed to be working much more quickly. The girl made a few feeble steps towards the woods before also collapsing, leaving her comrade alone.
"NOW!" Annabeth shouted.
The campers leapt from their hiding spaces, charging at the lone Hunter. She raised her bow, stumbling backward, and fired at Annabeth. The arrow flew over Annabeth's shoulder, instead hitting Julia in the chest. With a cry she tripped and fell, entangled in a silver net.
It was no matter though, for Annabeth and the other campers had already reached the Hunter. They dispatched her in a matter of seconds, Chris pricking her on the neck with a final dart.
Annabeth returned to Julia, quickly cutting her from the net.
"Thanks," she muttered as Annabeth pulled her to her feet.
"No problem." Annabeth said. She turned the other campers, pointing at the unconscious forms of the three Hunters. "We've gotta get those out of sight, or Thalia is gonna know something's up."
"On it." Connor said, grabbing the feet of one of the Hunters and beginning to drag her towards the forest. He turned, calling over his shoulder. "Brings back old memories, eh Travis?"
Travis laughed and stooped, throwing the other two over his shoulders and jogging to catch up. Annabeth shook her head. Even for Hermes standards, those kids were weird.
After the bodies had been hidden (gods that sounds awful), Annabeth led the campers into the forest.
"We'd better hurry." She whispered, calling over her shoulder. "That took much longer than I would've liked."
They walked quickly through the forest, keeping an eye out for Hunters, but it was oddly quiet.
"It's almost like they're waiting for us…" Malcom murmured, falling into step beside Annabeth.
"I know…" She said softly. "Do you think—"
Nico materialized in front of her. She shrieked, jumping back several steps and knocking into Connor. Nico looked at her, a bemused expression on his face.
"Sorry." Annabeth muttered, embarrassed. "You scared me, that's all."
Travis pushed forward.
"Where's the flag?" He said angrily.
"Shut up!" Nico hissed, looking behind him warily. "We're close." He turned to face Annabeth. "It's a no-go on the shadow traveling. A Hunter's controlling them. And the other guard's got some sort of telekinesis powers or something… She knew where I was when she couldn't even see me."
"Telekinesis?" Malcom muttered, scratching his head. "That'd be Hecate, right?"
Nico shrugged.
"Maybe."
Just then, Jason dropped out of the sky, landing next to Nico.
"Where's Piper?" Annabeth said immediately.
Jason grimaced.
"We got caught. Only I got out."
"Styx…" Annabeth cursed. "Well you two better stick with us. Looks like we're the only ones left to get the flag." She motioned for the campers to follow her and they continued their walk through the forest.
After about a minute, Nico spoke.
"We're here." He whispered, pointing to a ring of shadows surrounding an old apple tree. Next to the tree stood two Hunters. One of the girls was muttering something as she spread her hands wide, holding the shadows away from the tree.
"She must be a daughter of Erebus." Malcom said softly.
Annabeth nodded, peering around a tree to get a better view of the flag. It hung in the lower branches of the tree, rippling slightly in the night breeze. Directly below it stood the other Hunter. She had one hand on the tree, surveying the outer edges of the shadows.
"Is that the one that sensed you?" Annabeth asked Nico, nodding at the girl.
"Yeah, that's her." He replied quietly. "But I don't think she will right now. She only noticed me when I was over by that tree." He pointed to the peach tree in question.
"Why don't we attack?" Connor whispered impatiently. "There's only two of them!"
Malcom whipped around.
"Because," he hissed through gritted teeth, as though he was talking to a child. "We don't yet know the situation."
"Maybe Chris could try and take the shadow lady out with his blow-gun?" Julia suggested, stepping forward.
"Whoa!" Jason exclaimed. "You have a blow-gun?!"
"SHHH!" Annabeth and Nico growled in unison.
"Sorry…." Jason mumbled.
Malcom frowned.
"That might be an idea…" He said, turning to Annabeth. "Using blow-darts."
Annabeth nodded.
"But aim for the one that sensed Nico." She said to Chris. "Jason, can you make sure the wind doesn't mess up his shot?"
"Of course."
Chris pulled out his blow-gun and positioned it in the nook of a bush, pointed at the Hunter with her hand on the tree.
"I've got a shot." He whispered.
"Take it." Annabeth said immediately.
With a soft pop, the dart flew from the gun, sailing directly at the Hunter. A few feet away from her, however, it was knocked from the air by branch that had swung down from the apple tree.
"What the-"
"THERE!" The Hunter shouted, pointing to where the campers were hiding.
"Scatter!" Annabeth yelled.
The campers leapt to the side as a volley of arrows came pelting towards them. Narrowly avoiding them, Annabeth ducked to the side, rolling behind a bush.
Panting, she looked back at where they had been hiding. Both Jason and Chris had been caught in nets.
"You can run…" The Hunter called gleefully, pulling back another two arrows into her bow. "But you can't hide…" She released the arrows with a twang and they sped through the air, colliding with Julia, who had been hiding behind an orange tree, and encasing her in a silver net.
Annabeth's mind was whirling. Apple, peach, orange tree… Gods she was stupid.
"Don't go near the fruit trees!" She yelled. The Hunter whipped around, shooting an arrow towards the sound of Annabeth's voice, but she had already moved, ducking behind a cedar tree. "She's the daughter of Pomona!"
"Well aren't we clever!" The Hunter cackled. "Too bad you don't have any special powers!"
Annabeth risked another glance at the apple tree. Nico was crouching at the other side of the shadow ring. He unsheathed his sword, making to go out from behind a bush, but Annabeth shook her head.
"Not yet." she mouthed.
Right now, the campers had the advantage. Although the daughter of Erebus had prevented Nico from being able to shadow travel to the flag, she had also made it nearly impossible for the other Hunter to see. With the clearing by the apple tree being so lit up, the rest of the forest would look pitch black from where the Hunters were standing.
If they only could sneak up behind the fruit girl with some sort of distraction or….
"Annabeth!" A voice hissed.
Annabeth looked up. Connor was crouched on a branch of the cedar tree she had hidden behind.
"What?" she whispered.
"Here!" He tossed down a yellow colored arrow, which Annabeth caught, confused. "Fart arrow." He whispered. "Stole it off the Hunter we took down at the creek. I was gonna save it for later but—"
"This is perfect!" Annabeth whispered gleefully. She examined the arrow, turning it over in her hands. "How does it work?"
"Just chuck at them." Connor shrugged. "As soon as something hits the tip it'll explode. Brace yourself though, cuz those things stink."
Annabeth nodded, ripping a piece of cloth from shirt. She tied it around her mouth, forming a temporary bandana.
Connor grinned and gave her the a-okay symbol with his fingers. Ignoring him, Annabeth peered around the tree again and locked eyes with Nico.
"Fart arrow." She mouthed, holding it up. Nico's eyes widened.
"I didn't know those existed." He mouthed back.
Annabeth rolled her eyes, holding up three fingers.
"Ready?" She mouthed. Nico nodded. "Three, two…" Annabeth put down her fingers as she mouthed the numbers. "One…" She darted out from behind the tree. The Hunter whipped around, raising her bow, but Annabeth threw the arrow. It landed at the Hunter's feet and exploded in a cloud of yellow smoke. The Hunter coughed as the smell hit her and her arrow went astray, sailing far over Annabeth's head.
The other Hunter dropped her hands, reaching for her bow, and the shadows came hurtling towards them. Annabeth ducked as a branch of the apple tree whipped by her. She crashed into the daughter of Pomona, blinded by the sudden darkness, and knocked her over. At this the apple tree thrashed even more wildly, creaking as its branches sailed violently through the air.
Nico had summoned two skeletons. They advanced on the standing Hunter, ignoring the arrows that flew harmlessly through their ribcages, and grabbed her by the arms, forcing her bow from her hands. The girl dropped to her knees and Chris ran forward with a dart, pricking her on the neck.
Travis and Connor came stumbling through the fog, coughing. Travis knelt beside the remaining Hunter and held up another fart arrow.
"Make the tree stop moving, or I'll detonate this in your mouth." He threatened. The girl's eyes widened and the apple tree froze. "Now that wasn't that hard, was it?" He chuckled pleasantly.
"Get the flag, Nico!" Annabeth yelled, eyes streaming from the sulfur of the gas.
Nico ran forward. He grabbed the flag and, sheathing his sword, disappeared into the shadows.
Leo's POV | Zeus's Fist
An arrow came whizzing through the tunnel Frank had dug. Leo leapt to the side, barely avoiding it, and it expanded into a net where he had been standing moments before.
"You could always knock!" He shouted through the hole.
Another two arrows shot from the opening, but he zapped them with two shots of flames, melting them instantly.
Lighting one hand on fire and pulling a mallet from his tool belt with the other, Leo stepped cautiously towards the tunnel. After a few minutes of silence, he ducked into the passage, appearing quickly at the surface.
There was nobody there.
"Nyssa?" He called loudly. His voice reverberated back at him, bouncing eerily off the dark trees.
Suddenly, a Hunter with flaming red hair appeared from behind one of the trees. Leo yelped, shooting a couple sparks from his hand in surprise. One landed on the Hunter and she collapsed instantly.
Leo dropped his hand, taking a few wary steps forward.
"Are you okay?" He called anxiously.
The Hunter burst into flames. Leo ran forward, horror struck, but tripped and fell flat on his face.
"What the-?" A silvery cord was stretched tightly between two trees; a trip wire.
"Sorry hun." The Hunter said, sitting up. The flames lapped at her arms as she pulled out her bow, firing a net neatly at Leo.
Leo stared awestruck as she strode by him and began to climb the fist, indifferent to the steaming hot metal. More Hunters began to emerge from behind trees. They ignored Leo, stepping over or around him to walk to the base of the fist. He spotted Nyssa, held by a burly looking Hunter with her hands behind her back. She threw him a helpless look as the Hunter forced her forward.
"How?" Leo said finally, still entangled in the net.
The redhead had now reached the top of the fist. She grabbed the flag, grinning down at Leo.
"Daughter of Caca!" She called down.
"Caca?" Leo laughed. "Like poop?"
"Oh no…" Thalia mumbled.
The girl took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm herself.
"No, you boy." she said, as though 'boy' was an insult. "Caca is a fire goddess, daughter of Vulcan—"
"So then why do you have the gift?" Leo interrupted.
"Wha-?"
"Only sons and daughters of Hephaestus, Vulcan or whatever, get the gift. And even then, it's super rare."
"What gift?"
Leo tried to sit up, failed, and collapsed back in a heap under the net.
"Light stuff on fire, able to breathe smoke, immune to heat…ring a bell?"
The girl slid down the fist and landed neatly on her feet.
"All of Caca's children are able to manipulate fire once they have it." She said haughtily, looking down at him. "Once you sent a spark my way, I could handle it however I liked."
"Amber, let's go." Thalia ordered.
"So you can't do this?" Leo asked.
The girl, Amber, whipped around, a sneer curling her lip. Leo promptly burst into flames, melting away the net that encased him. Several Hunters took a couple anxious steps backwards as he stood, stretching.
Thalia raised her bow, signaling at the other Hunters to do so as well.
"Don't make this any harder than it has to be." She called as Leo advanced, still engulfed in flames.
Leo grinned.
"Oh I plan on it."
Gods he was glad he wore the fireproof underwear Calypso had made him. This would be a lot less epic if he were naked.
"But first," he said, turning to Amber. "I'm gonna need that flag back."
Her mouth curled in a snarl, but it was more uncertain now. Leo saw her glance over her shoulder, in the direction of the Hunter side of the forest.
"Don't-" he began, but it was too late.
Amber turned, leaping over a fallen log and racing towards the creek.
"Styx…" Leo muttered. He raced a hand, ready to fire flames at her, but the other Hunters converged, blocking his shot. They would actually die if he hit them with a bolt of blue flames. "Do you have a death wish?!" He shouted, trying to dodge past them.
He finally managed it, skirting around the outside of the group. He pelted after Amber, slowly gaining, but she was miles ahead.
"Wait!" Leo shouted desperately.
Amber turned, looking pitilessly at him, before leaping the creek and raising the flag high in triumph.
Cheers erupted from the forest behind Leo as the Hunters emerged. They raced past Leo, a few even banging into him, before joining Amber in her celebration.
Nico materialized next to Leo, carrying the silver flag of the Hunters. It faded quickly from grey to orange and the pegasus logo appeared, emblazoned in the center.
"Too late, dude." Leo groaned, staring helplessly at the Hunters.
"Maybe not…" Nico smiled slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Nico shrugged. Just then, Annabeth appeared from the Hunters' side of the woods. She looked beat up and reeked of sulfur, but when she saw the flag Nico was holding, her face split into a huge smile.
"We did it!" She shouted gleefully, running forward.
Amber coughed slightly and stepped forward, blocking Annabeth's path.
"Hate to break it to you hun," she said, not sounding sorry at all. "But I crossed over first. Hunters win."
"Then why hasn't your flag changed color?" Annabeth asked delicately.
Thalia stepped forward.
"You're seriously not going to claim that you won just because the charm on the flag glitched out?" She scoffed. "Amber crossed first. We win."
"Oh I don't think the charm's broken." Annabeth said, still smiling. "I just think you haven't crossed the border yet."
Thalia laughed.
"You're serious? It's fairly obvious where the border is, Annabeth. Kinda hard to miss a creek."
"Right. About that…"
"Stop being a sore loser!" Amber growled. "I see now why the Hunters and campers don't get along."
Annabeth glared at her.
"Hazel!" She called, not taking her eyes off of Amber. "You can come out now."
Leo yelped as Hazel materialized from thin air beside him, pulling a Yankee's baseball cap off of her head. She grinned at him.
"Nice clothes."
Leo made a face at her, covering his bare torso slightly with his arms.
Ignoring this, Hazel raised a hand. Mist appeared all around them, as though someone had just switched on a light. It wafted up from them ground and was sucked into Hazel's open palm. The surroundings grew blurry, melding together into a greyish landscape. Disconcerted, Leo swayed back and forth, and almost fell over. A flash of bright purple light later, and he had regained bodily control, although something was off.
The creek which marked the border was now several yards closer to the Hunters' edge of the forest. In fact, it seemed as if the entire landscape had been shifted to the south. Amber's mouth had fallen open as she realized she was indeed on the wrong side of the creek.
"Holy Hera…" Thalia mumbled, awestruck. "Was that—?"
"The Mist." Annabeth said smugly.
Chiron came trotting up, obviously trying to conceal a smile. Flung over his back were several snoring Hunters and an unconscious Percy.
"The Campers win!" He announced happily.
"Finally…." A voice grumbled. Clarisse had appeared from the woods behind Annabeth, followed by several other battered Apollo and Ares campers. Behind them came Connor and Travis, both wearing disgruntled looks.
"Yeah, yeah…" Connor muttered. "We know. No need to rub it in."
"Waste of fart arrows…" Travis mumbled, kicking at the grass with the toe of his boot.
"Guys," Annabeth laughed. "We won."
"Yeah I know-" Connor began, but he stopped abruptly, having just realized who had spoken.
"Wait." Travis said slowly. "We?"
"As in us?" Connor uttered incredulously.
"As in campers?" They finished together.
Annabeth laughed again.
"Yep. Unless there's some other—"
"YES!" They shouted in unison, high-fiving.
Thalia looked murderous. Leo took a couple nervous steps backwards as the air around her crackled with electricity.
"Where's Frank?" Hazel asked, oblivious.
"Ah, yes, about that…" Chiron coughed. He reached onto his back and picked up a small white form Leo hadn't noticed before.
"Is that—?" Hazel began.
"I'm afraid so," Chiron said, hiding a smile as he held up the unconscious form of a mouse. "It seems that Mr. Jackson and Zhang had the idea to disguise Frank as rodent, who would later reveal himself and seize the flag from the unsuspecting Hunters."
Thalia snorted.
"As you can see," Chiron continued. "The plan didn't work out quite as well as they had hoped."
Leo burst out laughing.
"You think?" He said, gasping for breath.
Hazel ignored him and took the mouse from Chiron, placing it delicately in her pocket. She then held out the Yankee's cap to Annabeth.
"Thanks for letting me borrow it." She said as Annabeth took the hat.
"No problem." Annabeth grinned. She turned to the rest of the campers. "Who wants to help me prank Seaweed Brain while he's asleep?"
The campers cheered.
A/N
Soooooooooooo...
This ended up being way longer than I planned. Like way longer. Sorry if the ending was super abrupt, because I just honestly needed to get it done at that point. I also didn't have any time to go through and double check everything, so if there are typos feel free to let me know in a DM or review and I'll fix them as soon as I can.
Please check out my other fanfic: The Bane of Poseidon. It's a crossover between HP and PJ :D. Sorry to all the ppl from BoP, this took much longer than I expected, so I won't be able to get another chapter up before I leave on Friday. Forgive me...
Review! You don't know how much it means to me to read them. You don't even have to have an account to do it!
Love from,
AdamantlyAmiable