Sticky sweat was pouring down my body, dripping from my chin, sticking my shirt to my chest, making my grip on my baseball bat treacherous.

Malcolm wasn't kidding when he said was rubbish with a club. His reflexes were too slow, and having to raise his shield to protect himself and strike at the same time was too difficult.

Of course, he had been able to get a few shots on me, ones that my shield hadn't been able to block. I was currently sporting a bruise on my side and a few nicks at my shins, since he had gone for a few cheap shots out of desperation alone. Malcolm, I was pleased to say, fared far worse than I.

I had grazed the side of his head and knocked a nice bump on it, as well as hurting his shoulder and hitting his knee, which only made him even more vulnerable.

I ducked a high swing and charged him, shoving him back, following through with the end of my bat to his neck when he lay sprawled on the dirt. "You're dead," I said, then holding out a hand. Malcolm glared at it before grabbing it and accepting the help up. "Don't be too bummed," I continued. "I've had eight years of practice, plus some baseball experience. What's your weapon of choice?"

"It's a sword," Malcolm answered.

"That explains it. It takes a few different muscles to wield a club. Strengthen those up and your reflexes should be as good as your sword ones."

Malcolm and I retreated from the middle of the training grounds over to the shade of a tall thick pine, under which a cooler filled with ice cold water bottles sat waiting. We both took a bottle, and I took a sip before dumping the rest on my head, relishing the feeling of the icy liquid sliding across my hot skin.

"You wanna go again?" I asked.

"How about I show you a few moves with a blade?"

I grinned. "That sounds good."

The tables were now turned. I had little experience wielding something like a dagger, even with the training Taylor had tried to give me during our lifelong trek to camp, and Malcolm was a master of the blade. He twirled his knife expertly while my own hand fumbled with the handle. Malcolm could lunge towards me, slice across my skin, and hop back before I could get a hit in.

After ten minutes, I was wiped out. It wasn't that my body couldn't keep going. I was just afraid that he'd screw up a blow and stab me for real. "I'm terrible at this," I mumbled as Malcolm stepped back and sheathed his weapon.

"We're opposites, that's okay. I can train with you more, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that Malcolm."

Malcolm stepped closer and wrapped me in his arms, squeezing hard. "Brotherly love!"

I shoved him away as quick as I could, but the rank smell of BO wouldn't leave my nose. "Ugh, man, that's disgusting," I hissed, crinkling my nose in disgust.

"Get used to it, bro," Malcolm laughed.

We sat around for another break, draining two more water bottles in the process. Malcolm hurled one to me and I smacked it away with my bat, the plastic disappearing through the trees. "You ever play?" I asked him. "You know, smack a few balls around, run around the bases?"

"Nah, we don't have a diamond here."

My jaw dropped. "Are you kidding? You have an armory, an arena, and a chariot race track. You're telling me there's no diamond at all?"

Malcolm shrugged. "Never seemed like anyone would use it."

I sighed. I was about to say something in return, but an angry snarl followed by snapping branches cut me off. Was it a monster? Malcolm looked equally as worried.

My grip tightened on my bat, feet bouncing as I got ready to run. My heart beat faster and faster, sweat dripping down my face, as the snapping drew closer and closer.

The moment the bushes rustled, I was starting to bolt, until I realized what had popped out.

"Strawberry blonde girl," I whispered, staring at the beautiful camper who had stormed over, our empty bottle in hand.

Malcolm cursed under his breath. "It was him," he smirked, pointing at me. "It was Alex!" Malcolm took off running, and although I didn't know why, it seemed like a good idea. However, before I could even take a step, a vine erupted around my foot and tripped me.

"You!" Strawberry Blonde Girl came marching over, a fire in her eyes, a frown on her face. "What kind of idiot would throw a plastic bottle into the woods when it could be recycled?"

"I'm not an idiot," I protested.

"Oh yeah, newbie. I'm sure you aren't."

"I was going to go get it." As the girl took a step forward, I took a step back, ending up tripping on the stupid vine and hitting the ground hard.

"That's what they all say," she said.

"I'm serious!" I tried to stand back up, but another vine burst from the ground and entangled itself around my wrist. "Come on, just let me up."

"Why, so you could just run away? Just because I'm a daughter of Demeter doesn't mean I'm weak. I could come after you."

"Yeah, that's great. Let me up, would ya?"

The girl eyed me warily for a moment. "Fine."

"Thank you." With a snap of her fingers the vines disappeared back into the earth, and I rose to my feet, towering over here. I reached for the water bottle and pried it from her hand. "I'll take that back. See? I'm a nice guy. I recycle." I extended my hand. "I'm Alex."

"I know." She didn't shake my hand, instead choosing to cross her arms. "I hear you're the big shot know-it-all. What's my name?"

I thought for a bit. She had a flower clip in her hair, so I thought it could've been a flowery type name, but I wasn't sure. For once, I didn't know this right away.

"I don't know," I said at last. "Athena doesn't know you, I guess. Whenever she knows something, I usually get clued in on it."

The girl smirked. "I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted."

"I'd pick flattered. I don't want you to choke me with a plant or something."

Strawberry Blonde Girl tilted back her head and laughed. "Oh really? Am I that scary?"

"Malcolm seemed to think so."

"Yeah, well, Malcolm left a bunch of energy bar wrappers out here one day, and my siblings and I got him for it. He deserves to feel scared."

My eyes widened. "Okay, I mean, I know I just left a water bottle out, but come on. I don't feel like getting weeds shoved down my pants or whatever it is you guys do."

"Don't worry. I won't try anything." She extended her hand now, finally. "I'm Thyme."

"Like, herb thyme or clock time?"

"Herb thyme."

I nodded. "Makes sense. So, Herb, can I safely say that you won't try to trip me up with your plant magic or is that still on the table?"

Thyme scowled. "I'm Thyme, not Herb, and maybe just this one time I'll let you go."

I gave her a brilliant smile. "Alright, thanks Herb. See you around."

"I'm not Herb!"

I ran off before she could change her mind.

The dining pavilion was crowded. I was sitting at the Athena table, in my seat, fighting for elbow room. The Hermes cabin was directly behind us, and I kept getting bombarded by fruit cubes that Travis and his brother would throw at me.

Taylor had made an appearance, living it up at the far away Heracles table. We locked eyes at one point, and Taylor gave me a thumbs up and mouthed Dude, Aphrodite babes.

I gave him an awkward wave back.

"So, Alex," Aidan said, leaning across the table. "You get murdered by that Demeter girl today?"

"Malcolm told you?" He nodded. "Actually, no. I got out of it. I told her I'd recycle it and she let me off the hook."

"Aw, are you kidding?" Malcolm slammed his spork on the table. "That's ridiculous! When I did that, they jumped me. I got a mouthful of leaves and a butt loaded with tiny thorns."

"Oh yeah!" Aidan chuckled. "Those took forever to get out."

"Just be nice next time," I said. "I was nice to Thyme."

"Oh, Thyme?"

My face blushed and I stared down at my cheesy macaroni. "She's nice," I said.

Before Aidan could respond, a half-sister I had yet to meet sat down on Malcolm's opposite side. Her eyes were grey and serious, her hair a mess of blonde curls that were pulled tight into a pony tail. "Capture the Flag's tonight, and we need to make sure we have our plan down tight."

"Capture the Flag?" I asked.

The table went silent. The girl peered behind Malcolm, narrowing her eyes. "You're the new kid. Alex, right?"

"You got it."

"Annabeth. You can fight?"

"Yeah."

"Are you good?"

"He's great," Malcolm interrupted. "One of your top dogs I'd say, Annabeth. I'd put him in offense if I were you. Maybe not a flag grabber, but I haven't seen how fast he can run."

"Weapon of choice?"

"Club."

"Accuracy?"

"Perfect."

"Versatility?"
"So-so."

"Obedience?"

"Can take orders, but thinks on his feet."

Annabeth eyed me again, raking her gaze up and down my body as she analyzed my structure. "Alright. Alex, you'll be in group B with the head counselor of Apollo cabin. You'll cover him as he goes in to secure the flag, got it?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I mumbled.

Annabeth nodded in confirmation before addressing the rest of our cabin. "We've teamed up with the Apollo, Dionysus, and Hermes cabin. The red team is led by Ares and followed by Demeter, Heracles, Hekate, Hephaestus, and Poseidon cabins."

"There's a Big Three kid?" I gasped. "What? Since when?"

"Since ever," Malcolm whispered.

"Don't worry about him," Annabeth assured me with a smile. "I'll take care of Seaweed Brain."

Dinner ended after we all burnt an offering of food to the gods. I didn't acknowledge my mother. Sure, I got to the camp, but yeah, my father died in front of me and she hadn't done anything to stop it.

"Isn't this a little dangerous?" I asked Aidan after Chiron had made a grand speech about Capture the Flag and the current Ares victors. "I mean, hasn't anyone gotten killed doing this? What if I get stabbed or something?"

"Don't sweat," he replied as we walked to the armory to pick out a few pieces of armor for me. "You've got protection, and if Annabeth's letting you ride with Will, she thinks you can handle yourself. That's awesome." Aidan scrounged around the large shed for an appropriate breastplate before tossing it to me. Next, he handed over a helmet complete with a blue horsehair plume. I felt like a moron wearing it. "And besides, no one's gotten killed in years."

We began walking back to the cabin, getting ready to listen to the last minute additions to our plan. "Just, you know, out of curiosity… how did the last person die?"
"That kid? Yeah, he was a good fighter and all. Just got too cocky… and he pissed off a Demeter kid."

My heart stopped. "Nice try," I said, though my voice may have been shaking.

"No, I'm dead serious." When I stared at my brother, I tried to find any sign of a lie, finding none. It was too dark to see his eyes well enough.

"Dude, come on," I said. "That's gotta be a lie, right?"

Aidan shrugged. "Best not to tell ya. Don't worry about it. We've gotta battle to win!"

"Dude!"

Kidding or not kidding? ;)

Thanks for reading, hoped you liked it!