Demigod Diaries - Lily XX

It was on Sunday that we played Capture-The-Flag.

The cabins teamed up and Percy and I maneuvered the Poseidon cabin into an alliance with cabin six, the Athena cabin. Annabeth gave everyone their positions slowly.

I should explain about Capture-The-Flag. There are two teams, the blue team and the red team. Each team has their own 'territory' which are separated by the border (a.k.a the little river) and they have to place their flag somewhere visible to where the referee is standing (Most, if on the the right side, would choose to put it at the top of Zeus Fist, the hill shaped like a poo). To win, one team needs to ran the other team's flag and cross the border into their own territory, where the flag will glow silver to symbolize victory. Also, it's better if that team's flag hasn't been stolen. The person who gets the flag over the border gets most of the credit, and is awarded with golden laurels. Then everyone goes for a campfire to either celebrate or moan.

We were, naturally, the blue team. Our flag was blue, the other team's was red.

At one point, when everyone was dispersing, I saw Annabeth jump slightly. Only then did I notice Nico standing beside her and saying something. Annabeth pursed her lips and shook her head at Nico but he seemed determined to get his way.

I supposed that meant Nico was on our team, after all, why else would he be hanging around our side?

I was supposed to have border patrol, but I felt bored doing that. Nevertheless, it felt good to just be ordinary for once and play Capture-The-Flag like a typical demigod training day.

There's no fun at border patrol. Especially if your team is a lot better than the other.

While Percy was guarding our flag and Annabeth was charging the enemy, I was stuck where there would be no fun at all.

Chiron blew his whistle. The shrill sound thrummed through the battlefield but was quickly tuned out by the roar of determined battle cries.

Even from afar, I recognized the Athenians, running straight into the enemy territory. Annabeth was weaving her way through the trees with the mob serving as a distraction.

Great. I was gonna miss all the fun, as usual.

Arrows flew. I noted that the Apollo cabin didn't seem to have spotted Annabeth. The arrows slowed the Athena campers down from afar and the close-ranged archers pinned them down by their clothes while Annabeth sneaked by.

So far so good. We might actually win for once.

Boring.

Up at our flag, Percy Jackson was talking to some other campers. I felt a twinge of jealousy that I didn't get to hang out with him the same way. Sure, there was that five-year age difference, but doesn't being half-siblings count for anything?

I probably shouldn't complain, I mean, he still helped me and let me follow him to do some stuff, but it seemed like just mutual respect. He was only doing as much as a senior counselor or a big brother, not so much as a friend.

I turned my attention back to the battlefield. Most of the Athena girls had been pinned down. Several Hephaestus kids were trying to hold the other team back, but they were only good at building things not fighting.

Annabeth had more or less given up on stealth by now and was sparring with someone from the Ares cabin. We still had the upper hand and the other team's defences were weak, but we no longer had a good opening to take the flag.

Great. Now I'm gonna be bored AND we're gonna lose.

It was around that point that I started to wonder where Nico was. He had to be somewhere on the battlefield.

I scanned the crowd for him. I had recently discovered that it's extremely hard to spot Nico Di Angelo, especially in a large crowd as he practically dematerializes when he's not talking. Or at least it seems like that. It probably isn't literally.

I was about to give up when I saw him at the top of Zeus Fist next to the other team's flag, suddenly appearing put of nowhere.

He snapped his fingers. Instantly, all ten of the guards fell to the ground without having time to even acknowledge him. The kids fighting further down didn't seem to notice.

Nico put both hands around the pole of the large red flag. It was hard to see his expression from afar, but I could almost see him straining to pull the flag from the ground. As he lifted it up and set it lightly on the ground, he looked it up and down as if it was a rather expensive shirt he was deciding whether or not to buy. Then he lifted his arms and disappeared. With the flag.

Someone in the battlefield pointed and got everyone's attention. I could make out him saying "The flag's gone!" Everyone went into a frenzy, trying to figure out who had the flag. Annabeth was saying something, but I couldn't hear her.

Stupid border patrol.

Campers were no longer fighting. The other team seemed to have given up trying to capture our flag and instead madly searched for their own. So no one needed to cross the border.

Sucks.

"Hey."

I must have jumped a foot in the air. I swung round and almost hit Nico on the nose.

He was standing so close. I could feel his breathing on my neck. How he'd managed to get so close so suddenly I had no idea. I quickly took a few steps back.

"Nico! You startled me!" I said. Still blinking hard from shock.

Nico looked uncomfortable about that. "Oh. Sorry." he said.

He looked tired. He kept rubbing his eyes with his one free hand and looked as if he was trying to wriggle a yawn. I noticed that the other held the red flag, which he had somehow brought with him.

"You got the flag." I noted.

Nico nodded stiffly.

"Well then why don't you cross the border to our side?" I asked. "Then you'll win. We'll win."

Nico looked particularly uncomfortable about this, but he just shrugged and held the flag out towards me.

"Why don't you do it?" he said. I was surprised.

"Me? I didn't do anything! You stole the flag. You should do it."

He shook his head. "I don't want to. It's just a game. I don't need the glory. I don't want it. But you do. I can tell. Do it." he pressed the pole firmly into my hands.

I stared at the flapping red banner. It seemed like so long ago I had held it in my hand and run across the border. I'd never thought that I'll ever do it again.

I looked at Nico to confirm that he wasn't messing with me. That he really did want me to take the banner and win the glory. Of course he did, he rarely seemed to kid about anything. But it seemed unreal. Probably I wouldn't even have done that.

His expression was firm. "Go." it said. "Do it." He looked a little sad, but then again, he almost always did.

I hefted the flag and nodded my head. Turning, I ran across the river, willing the water to part for me. As I got to the other side, the banner glowed silver. For a moment, the whole world seemed to stay silent with an aura of confusion. Then a huge cheer rose from the blue team, echoed by the groans of the red team.

Chiron awarded me the golden laurels, and I thought I'd never felt happier in my life. In all my happiness, I didn't really pay attention to Nico as he stood at the back of the crowd then melted into the shadows.

Chiron nodded and said "Today's game was great, and I am proud of all of you for showing great skill," he gave me a meaningful look, "and teamwork."

I had a feeling Chiron knew that it hadn't been me that captured the flag. It struck me that I should actually say thank you to Nico, after all, he probably wore himself out getting the flag, yet he let me take all the credit. But I couldn't see him.

That night was another campfire night. It should have been hard to find him again, but I immediately spotted that circle of dry grass with him in the middle.

I grabbed two marshmallows, just in case he wanted one, and headed towards him.

"Hi." I said, sitting down next to him. The withered grass made a slight rustle as I moved but I ignored it.

"Hi." he said.

He hurriedly closed up he little blue book that he appeared to have been writing in.

I passed him a marshmallow, which he seemed to actually eat as opposed to what we usually get served.

"I wanna ask," I said "why did you let me take the flag?"

Nico stuffed the book back in his jacket pocket. "I told you. I don't need the glory. I wanted you to have it."

He was lying. His expression was slightly pained. He wanted the glory. He wanted people to know he had caught that flag and given them victory.

But he also wanted me to have that.

We sat in silence as we stared at the sky all through the night.