Author's note: I didn't say which characters would be in the fanfic since I'm making it up as I go.

Capture the Flag

'Mark! Choose a weapon already and let's go!'

'Sorry, Ethan, there's too many cool choices!'

Mark grabbed a black sword and ran out.

Ethan looked at the sword. 'Ooh, Stygian Iron. So anyways, here are the rules. We play in the woods. Creek is the boundary. Get the flags, win, that's all. No killing anyone.'

'Wait wait wait! What-'

'Here we are!'

Mr. D was there with Chiron.

'You all know the rules, nice. The running champion is the Poseidon cabin.'

The kids from the Ares cabin looked at the Poseidon kids and scowled, cracking their knuckles. The Poseidon girls stuck their tongues out and the boys aimed punches.

'Do you all have you flags?'

'Yes!'

'OK, start, blah, blah, blah.'

'Here we go,' said Ethan, hefting his sword.

Mark was in heaven.

In a matter of 15 minutes he had captured half of the flags. He didn't even get hurt. A few scratches from tree branches, but otherwise he was fine.

He was jogging along, triumphant, when he felt someone behind him. He slowed to a walk.

He suddenly whirled around. Someone swept his legs from under him and he found himself sprawling on the ground.

'Owwwwww…' he groaned. He looked up at the girl who had tripped him. She said 'Hey Mark,' and grinned down at him. A girl with black hair and bright blue eyes.

Emily was standing over him.

She moved quickly, flicking his sword out of his hands. It landed a few feet away.

'Sorry, but when you gotta win, you gotta win.' She ran off after summoning some water to drench him.

Mark frowned. He thought, Oh boy, the Zeus cabin won't be too happy. He blow-dried himself with his awesome powers.

When he got closer to the game, he thought his ears would fall off. There was lots of cheering and hooting. The Poseidon cabin had won. Again.

Turned out, when he had run off to capture more flags, they had grabbed all of his.

Ethan frowned at him. 'I thought you were good at capture the flag?'

'I am.'

'Then?'

'But Emily is better.'

Ethan huffed. 'Oh well. You get used to it.'

'Sorry.'

'It's not your fault. Ever since new kids joined, the Poseidon cabin has been a very strong side put together. Even the Ares kids lose to them.'

'Am I supposed to say something about that?'

'Ares is the war god, silly! They are natural fighters. No one used to lose to them. But ever since that Jackson boy, that Almeida girl, and some other kids came… well…'

'Oh.'

'And the Hermes kids… well, they used to win sometimes, with some excellent pranks. But Poseidon girls seem to foresee them. It's weird.'

'Huh.'

'Ah, well, come on. It's time for, drumroll please, combat training. Let's go.'

'Please say I can use a sword.'

'Yeah.'

'Great! Let's go.'