Hey guys,

Just a quick note to apologise for the last chapter, I was just so excited for this chapter and wanted to start working on it right away. There are probably some mistakes but I couldn't wait for all you to read it!

Let me me know what you think and any idea you may have that you want me to include!

Enjoy.

They all met on the field outside the woods around 7PM and the sun was starting to set creating a beautiful pinky/yellow sky which showed the shadows of the trees and branches from the woods onto the field. Everyone was already changed into their laser tag uniform as it had been delivered to each room after dinner, they all wore an army type jumpsuit with a black vest over the top and coloured shoulder pads so you could identify members of different teams. The target areas were on the stomach and the back, just above these spaces were a digital device showing the amount of lives. There was a clear separation between the teams, the blacks, greens and reds all stood away from one another. Some of the older students were helping the youngest ones put on their vest and showing them how the gun worked. Piper had shown Annabeth how to use the gun on the way over, they were slightly different to the ones she was used to but she acted dumb and pretended she had never played before.

They walked over to their team and exchanged quick hello's before Mr Chiron stood in the centre and cleared his throat very loudly, "To those of you who are new, this is an old tradition that we like to play. As you can see we have 3 teams, each team has a different base within the woods which you will go to in a moment. Each team has an object they have to protect which your leaders will show once you reach the base. The way to claim victory is by containing all 3 objects" he scanned the students around him "The only rule is that once you have lost your 3 lives you must return here so you can check out. This way we can determine how many are still playing." He paused, "Remember that this game will have surprises along the way" he produced a cunning smile. "Leaders, lead your team to your base and wait for the cannon". Annabeth scanned her team, she saw Rachel with Leo and Hazel, where were the 3 boys who were supposed to be joining them? And who was their leader? Hazel stepped forward, "Come on blacks follow me" she started jogging to the left and into the woods, well that's one question answered Annabeh thought, the team swiftly followed with Annabeth and Piper running alongside one another. Annabeth didn't get a chance to see what direction the other teams went, she was too busy focusing on keeping up with her team. As they ran, her gun was swaying in her arms, no one spoke, you could only hear the footsteps being slammed onto the mud and the heavy breathes. After roughly 2 miles of running, Annabeth could confirm they were deep into the woods. They reached some stone steps which forced them to slow down, as Annabeth glanced up she saw that they were at the side entrance of a base shelter, the windows had completely gone and the whole place looked abandoned, the shelter was hidden with trees and bushes so unless you knew its location it was hard to find.

Everyone crammed into the base and sat down to regain some energy. Hazel got out a rounded object from her bag, it glowed a bright blue. "This is our item that we have to protect" she knelt down onto one knee so that everyone could see and pulled out a brick from the bottom of the wall, the brick was missing a section in the middle and she slotted the object into it and put it back in the wall. Annabeth stared at the wall trying to figure out which one she had just removed, it wasn't noticeable that there was a loose brick. "And this is where it will be kept" everyone nodded in agreement and Hazel continued speaking, she was announcing her plan, "Most of you will stay in the base whilst the rest make a perimeter around it."

Annabeth couldn't help herself, "Are you not sending people out to the other bases to try and capture their object?" Annabeth questioned,

Hazel's plan seemed solid but it was all defence and no offence. Hazel sat back, leaning against the white crumbled wall and looked at her curiously,"Was that you volunteering?" She raised an eyebrow,

"Err no but if that's what you want me to do then I'll do it"

Annabeth could see Hazel's brain hatching a plan, Annabeth already had a plan in mind but she didn't want to overstep, she wasn't the leader, Hazel was, and she already felt like she was on thin ice for questioning Hazel's original plan. After thinking it over Hazel finally spoke "Fine lets do it, I'll assemble a small group"

Hazel scanned the room, she pointed at a few people that Annabeth didn't recognise, Leo, a boy that was sat next to him and a well built girl was also pointed at, "What you have to point at me for?" She moaned,

"Oh get over it Clarisse, I thought you'd appreciate going out and shooting some first years" Clarisse grunted and then mumbled but Annabeth couldn't quite work out what was said, "Right I want you to pair up and don't leave each other's sides" Hazel said quite sternly

"I've got Annabeth" shouted Leo, Hazel smacked him round the head "Ow" he exclaimed, he went and sat next to Annabeth, Clarisse and the boy who was sat next to Leo paired up "Have fun Chris" Leo sniggered, this time Annabeth hit him round the head.

"What is with all the head hitting?" Leo asked whilst rubbing the back of his head,

Before anyone could reply the canon went off and Hazel was ushering them to get out, Clarisse and Chris went off towards the left whilst Annabeth and Leo turned right. The other pairs stuck together as a bigger group and went straight, idiots, she thought, they were going to attract more attention as a big group.

Annabeth and Leo kept running for a bit longer until they arrived at a clearing, "You know where the other bases are right Leo?"

"Sure, sure, we've errr just got to go a bit further ahead, take a left, venture on a bit further, take a right-"

"-You have no idea do you?"

"Nope"

*snap*

"What the-"

"Shh Leo"

It was silent, Annabeth scanned the forest, it was getting darker now and she couldn't see as clearly as she could earlier. Annabeth thought she saw a shadow against one of the trees, she squinted and could make an outline of a gun. She turned and grabbed Leo and they jumped over a long log and put their backs up against it. Annabeth turned her head so that her eyes were just over the top of the log, she was about to suggest they moved when all of a sudden dozen of students emerged from the forest and all of them had green shoulders. She put her head back down and looked at Leo, "Bollocks, we're outnumbered "

"It's ok, we've got this" he said in a calming tone, "you take that end of the log and I'll take this side"

They slowly crawled to either end of the log and gave each the nod, they turned onto their knees and started firing at those approaching. They got some good hits and got a lot of players out, Annabeth didn't want to brag and Leo would never admit to the truth but she got most of the players out, she had a good aim and a rapid fire. The older students grabbed their younger buddies who also got shot out and took them back to school. "Have you done this before?" Leo questioned, impressed with Annabeth's shooting, "Now is not the time to have this discussion". The green's were clever and started to go round the edge to surround them, Annabeth ran over to a tree opposite the log so that she could get better positioning but Leo left it to late and got fired at from all directions. He lost all his lives instantly. He met her eye and gave a quick wink but instantly looked back at the opponents, he didn't want to give her positioning away. Annabeth stood still unsure of what to do when Leo started making loads of noise and swearing and complaining about how he didn't even want to play, Annabeth understood what he was doing, creating a distraction for her. Without looking back she ran, as fast and as far away as she could.

She felt like she had been running for ages so she slowed down and started to walk, she looked up to he sky where night was starting to take over. She climbed over a fallen tree when she heard shouting, Annabeth's head was telling her to run in the other direction, in fact any direction other than towards the noise but her gut was telling her to go towards the sounds. Yet again, Annabeth Chase listened to her gut and followed the noise.

She could see the outlines of people, possibly 3 guys were surrounding this one person, she hid behind a tree but peered her head round so that she could see what was happening. She couldn't work out their colours, were any of them on her team? She decided to circle round and get a closer look, she slowly made her way to the tree closest to the action but still provided her with cover and hid by it. She didn't get a chance to see if the group were a part of hers because in one smooth move they all started shooting, moving and shouting. The loner tucked and rolled over to the guy opposite and shot him so all his lives were gone and then decided to use him as a shield. A bit of moonlight shone onto the single guy's shoulder pads and Annabeth could see the colour blue, blue isn't a team she thought, she watched on, unsure of what to do. One of the guy's gun's stopped working which gave his opponent the advantage, whilst his team mate was shooting from the right hand side of the guy in blue, the guy in blue pushed his human shield towards the incoming shots and started charging at the one whose gun wasn't working. He rugby tackled him onto the floor and got his gun out and fired 3 quick shots into his vest and the guy was out of the game. The last guy was now hovering over the guy in blue who had lifted his hands in the air to signal surrender, the guy mumbled something about how he was glad he got to do the honours and was about to pull the trigger when Annabeth impulsively shot him and hid back behind the tree. "Shit" she muttered under her breath, why did she just do that? He could have been on her team.

"No fair" he wailed as he just lost his last life, the guys got up from the floor and headed back to the school.

The guy in blue looked stumped, he couldn't figure out where the shot had come from. Annabeth popped her head round the tree, he was stood up now and was facing the opposite way, she could sneak up on him and take him out. "I had it covered" he shouted, "I had a plan". Oh yeah, she was definitely taking this guy out. She quietly crept out of her hiding place and silently approached him, he was still looking the opposite way. She was less than 2 steps away now and she could see more of his features, well his behind features anyway, he had an athletic build and raven black hair and she was right, he did have blue shoulder pads. She held her gun at his lower back on his vest and shot him. He jumped when his vest made a noise letting him know he had lost a life, he was clearly scared and not as alert as he seemed, he turned around to face her and Annabeth felt her stomach flip. This guy had amazing sea green eyes.

"You shot me?" He said, full of shock

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"Well no but I'm going to have to get rid of all your lives now"

"Is that how you treat a lady?" She raised one eyebrow

He smirked, "No but this is" he stepped forward and leaned in for a kiss and for a moment Annabeth nearly believed him and almost leaned in aswell but she saw his arms reaching for her gun and she stepped back.

"I don't think so Mr" so she shot him, again, this time in the stomach. He had one life remaining now whilst she still had all 3.

"Oh come on" he walked away with raised arms but then let them fall back down to his side, Annabeth still had her gun focused on him.

"Why do you have blue shoulder pads?" She questioned

He turned around to face her "Because I'm on my own team"

"Why do you get your own team?"

He spoke slowly "Because I'm the best"

"Clearly not if you were saved and then shot, twice I might add, by a newbie"

"That's all part of the plan" he gave Annabeth a cheeky smile and before she could react he dived to the side, aimed his gun and shot Annabeth. She stood there, she hadn't moved when he shot her, she wanted to move but she couldn't, her feet were glued to the spot and her eyes were stuck on him. He looked up at her and was puzzled "Why haven't you moved?" he stood up,

"I'm not sure" she responded

"You better not be pulling any mind games on me missy"

She cleared her head, she knew how to get under this guys skin and she was going to do it "I just thought you were only good with still targets, moving targets would be too hard for you"

"Oh really?" he said and pointed his gun at her, she looked straight in to his sea green eyes, this time knowingly refusing to move and he shot her again. They both had one life remaining now. She saw through his plan, they had to chose who would walk away whilst the other one returned to school. They were going to battle it out and she was ready to fight.

He walked towards her and she could feel her hands getting clammy, her mind was racing, her heart was beating faster but she put that down to adrenaline, not because of how handsome he was. He stopped just in front of her, they were so close that they were almost nose to nose, she felt that tugging in her gut, the one she felt when she was deciding what school to attend. She wasn't going to let him get to her, she was not going to lose because of some boy but then he put his mouth by her ear and suddenly she was aware of everything, the direction the wind was blowing, the location of the moon, the type of animal noises. She wanted nothing more than for him to bury his head in her neck and slowly kiss it but instead he whispered in her ear, "Now we're even" and he ran off behind her. The lust she had for him stopped her from chasing after him, she continued looking blankly ahead, it was only the sound of Clarisse and Chris calling out to her that brought her back to reality.