Friday's daylight passed quickly.
All the campers had gone through their daily activities as usual. Once sunset came, it was time for Capture the Flag.
Madeline was more at ease than last week. Of course, she wasn't calm, but at least now she knew what to expect, somewhat, as she trudged into the mysterious forest with her fellow, armor-clad teammates.
She was on the Blue Team this week, her temporary allies being the Hephaestus, Apollo, and Poseidon cabins. The enemy Red Team consisted of the Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, and Hermes cabin.
The battle plan was set and Madeline was put on defense for the Blue flag, having earned a reputation for being a good guard after her last game of Capture the Flag.
Quite frankly though, Madeline doubted her powers. She used them daily, making flowers dance and bloom beautifully, but she hadn't tried training them for battle yet. She didn't tell her teammates that though.
The warriors dispersed into the trees, the battle beginning.
Madeline sat in a tree, far above the Blue flag, and had an archer boy from Apollo, Kevin, as a partner.
Things were quiet at first, but then they heard approaching enemies heading towards the flag.
Though they couldn't be seen from the ground, Madeline and Kevin had a clear view of each other, making silent communication easier.
They saw that the approaching Red Teamers were the Stoll brothers flanked by a variety of their teammates.
They charged forward and about half were shot down by Kevin in a flash, making Madeline very grateful to have him as a partner. Madeline, catching the survivors of Kevin's shower of his arrows, willed a strong, yet inconspicuous, string of roots to weave itself a few inches above the ground. It stretched across the length of the attacking group and made almost all of them crash into the dirt, except for the Stolls.
Madeline cursed them and now saw it as a game between her and her friends; now it was personal.
They had each other's back and deflected Kevin's magical arrows, reaching the flag and pulling it from its spot in the ground.
As Travis and Connor turned to leave, most of their teammates recollecting themselves, Madeline got a spark of energy. She smiled as she saw the grins on their faces.
'They think they've won,' Madeline thought amused to herself. Kevin was still taking down a lot of the enemies, but the two with the flag were getting away.
They were well ahead of their teammates, leaving with the Blue flag.
Madeline focused on the strongest plants she could feel near them and brought them into the action.
The vines agreed with the daughter of Demeter and played along, shooting out from their dormancy and wrapping around Travis and Connor's ankles.
Madeline looked back and saw that Kevin was now on the ground, sword fighting the few that were still conscious. She followed his example and leaped from the tree where she was perched, landing safely on the ground. Even though she was very high in the tree, the impact was near nothing as she hit the dirt.
The two brothers fell to the ground with a thud, the vines that had tripped them now whacking their armor all over, beating them and keeping them occupied as Madeline stole the Blue flag back, laughing in victory.
"Sorry boys," she called mockingly as she sprinted away, Kevin following behind her as they relocated.
The Red team didn't attack again after their first failed attempt. The game ended as a horn was blow, signaling the Blue team had acquired the Red Team's flag. Another victory for Madeline and her team.
Madeline and Kevin bumped fists in victory, returning to Camp to celebrate with their teammates. They made their way back and joined in on the cheering as Madeline pumped their Blue flag, along with the newly captured Red flag, in victory. The Blue Team used their earned bragging rights the rest of the night.
All the armor and weaponry was put away as the campers gathered around the Campfire.
Madeline whooped as she saw Katie, since she hadn't had a chance to celebrate with her earlier in the post-game frenzy.
"Nice job with the flag!" she congratulated Madeline.
"Thanks," Madeline said, still buzzing with pride.
The usual cheer was in the air as the camp fire songs were sung.
Connor and Travis sat down with Katie and Madeline some time during the campfire.
"Nice trick," Travis offered Madeline, holding out his hand to her. She graciously shook it and smiled at them.
"The pleasure was mine," she joked.
As the campfire died down into bright embers and the younger campers left for their cabins, all the older campers stayed behind to talk about tomorrow. There was a lot of buzz, and a different kind of excitement than from Capture the Flag. It was like a normal-teenager kind of excitement instead of a demigod warrior excitement, and Madeline was happy for all of them. She realized this was all some of them knew, not being able to go back to what was once their home. It would be good for them.
Connor walked Madeline back to the Demeter cabin for the night.
"I can't wait for tomorrow," Connor beamed, nearly jumping with joy.
Madeline chuckled and said, "I can see that."
"I'll see you tomorrow then," he said as they approached her cabin.
"Yeah. And sorry for making you face plant in the dirt, nothing personal," she joked. "Strictly business."
"We'll settle the score next time."
"Whatever you say, kid. Goodnight, Connor," she said with a grin.
"Goodnight," he said back, watching her as walked up the steps. "Don't let the Harpies bite!"
He heard her laugh behind the door and imagined her smiling and shaking her head. He couldn't contain his grin as he made his way to his own cabin, not that he wanted to.