I Try to Out-Think the Thinker

Percy POV

Three days later and I'm still recovering from Annabeth's stunt in my cabin. She's frickin' crazy. Like honestly, who does something like that? If it'd went on any longer I'd be sprinting to the Hermes cabin about getting some counterfeit condoms from the Stoll brothers.

Thankfully, I'd barely had to see Annabeth in the past few days as we were both so busy trying to get cabins on our side. Although if I'm to be honest, it was a blessing and a curse. As crazy as my girlfriend could be, I missed her.

In any case, it would be over after tonight. Capture-the-flag had finally arrived, and I was confident we'd win. On my team, I had Hecate, Ares, Apollo, Hades, Aphrodite, and Iris. It was a really powerful squad, particularly for the plan I had in mind. Annabeth's team, while a bit bigger, consisted mainly of the Athena, Hephaestus, Demeter, and Hermes cabins. She also had Zeus, Dionysus, Hypnos, Nemesis, Nike, Hebe, and Tyche on her alliance, but they didn't have many campers in them - nothing we couldn't handle if all went to plan.

After dinner, Chiron waved his hands, and the usual assortment of Greek weaponry appeared on the tables. I peered across the pavilion, and was pleased to see Annabeth gearing up with my birthday gifts, along with her drakon-bone sword. She looked absolutely stunning. Stunningly terrifying, but still.

She caught me staring at her, and walked over to where I was putting on my armour. "Ready to get your ass kicked, Seaweed Brain?"

I couldn't believe her. So obnoxious. "Oh always, Wise Girl," I responded. "I've literally had the shit kicked out of me for the past five years by just about every magical entity, so you really don't scare me. You can't even keep that ego of yours under control." I chuckled as I said, "This is the first time we're going to be on different teams. Should be interesting."

"Bro, same!" I turn to see Jason, his arm around Piper, both of them fully equipped. I still couldn't believe I'd managed to get Piper on my team. I think it had more to do with a certain joke Jason made about the usefulness of perfumein a fight.

"You know, the last time I played in one of these games with a child of Zeus... things got pretty shocking. But I'm amped for another chance. I just hope losing doesn't hertz-"

"Ok, stop," Piper says, laughing. "Your puns are re-volt-ing." Now we're both doubled over, but Jason interrupts.

"Yea, I heard the story. I'm currently pretty scared you're gonna throw the entire creek at me tonight."

Me and Piper both stop laughing and stare at him. "No, you ruined it," Piper says.

"Leave it to a Grace, to mess up a perfectly good string of puns," I sigh.

Jason starts to protest, but is cut off by Annabeth's orders. "Enough fraternizing with the enemy, Grace! Red team! Fall in!" She looks at me with an expression of pure confidence, and winks as she jogs off with her teammates.

LINE BREAK -

Annabeth POV

I crouch next to Malcolm and Jason as we hide, just before the creekbed, to scout the enemy defences. It's the Ares cabin, led by Percy and Nico - all of their best soldiers lumped together in one place. The Apollo, Aphrodite, Hecate and Iris cabins are unaccounted for, but they're not exactly the main threat to our success in this game.

"What are you thinking?" Malcolm whispers to me.

"I'm thinking," I say with a satisfied smile, "that my boyfriend is much smarter than I give him credit for. Rather than try some trick, he's put his best on the defence, ready for us. He's even there himself. I bet he thinks he can repel our attack, then worry about getting the flag, or perhaps a flank with the Aphrodite kids. In summary, he's too scared that I have some strategic trick to go on the offensive."

"So...what do we do?" Jason asks.

I smile. "We oblige him. If he wants a fight, we'll give him one. Athena and Hephaestus together should be able to beat this group, with some help from the minor cabins. Then we leave Hermes and Demeter on defence at the First. They should be more than enough to hold off anything Percy throws at our back lines. Right?" I look at Malcolm. I always get the opinion of a lieutenant, just in case I miss anything. But this is a good plan, and he knows it, so I receive a nod in response. "Then let's do it," I say with determination.

LINE BREAK -

Percy POV

"Ok, so everyone knows the plan, right?" I look around at the campers grouped in front of me, and they look almost bored, which really doesn't help my nerves.

"Yes," Nico replies with a sigh and a roll of his eyes. "Your incredible plan will work, we get it. We've only been over it about a million times."

"And it means I get to keep an eye on grump-a-lump here," Will Solace chimes in. "That's a huge plus for me." Nico simply rolls his eyes once again, after which Will puts him in a headlock and ruffles his hair.

"Well...in that case, Lou?" I motion to the Hecate cabin, who begin to quite literally work their magic. Soon, I'm faced with a second group of demigods that look exactly like the other half. As I look at where Piper was standing, I see myself looking back, armour and all. The magic would work even better on Annabeth, as I had explained to Lou Ellen. She would never doubt the illusions, because it is exactly what she expected to see. In her pride, she would think I was playing on the defensive, too scared of her skills in strategy to try anything. But she wasn't the only one who could play head games.

"Ok, Nico, you're in charge at the creekbed. Like I said, hold them off here as long as you can. Will, the Apollo cabin has those special arrows we talked about? The ones with the nets?"

"Heck yea boy!" I get in response. "We'll be able to pin 'em down here so you guys can run rampant back there." I can't help but smile, thinking about how this little ball of energy was a perfect match for Nico.

So that was my plan. Draw Annabeth in, and then trap her best troops on this side of the creek, buying time for me and the Ares cabin to get around the flanks and grab the flag. Not exactly like Cannae, but close enough- playing on what your enemy wants to see.

LINE BREAK -

Annabeth POV

As I readied everyone for the attack, I paused to study the Ares campers one last time. Nico, Percy, and Will Solace were talking while they waited. But Percy was acting really weird. He kept fiddling with his armour, as if he wasn't used to wearing it. From time to time, he would swing Riptide in the air, as if he were trying to get accustomed to it. He'd told me a million times how comfortable the blade felt in his hands.

I stared at his gift, the arm bracer. The whole set was incredible. It fit me perfectly, and was designed so that I could easily take it on quests with me. I'd just recently figured the thing out. After the meeting with Lou Ellen the other day, I'd been thinking about when Percy and I fell into Tartarus this summer. I had looked up at him and said "as long as we're together," after he insisted on following me into the pit.

I just thought that it was pretty ironic, that phrase, considering our current contest. Staring at the gift, I'd muttered something like "together...yea, right" with a chuckle. But as soon as I said the first word, the trident had popped up from the armour. It sort of looked like an old rooftop antenna, atop a tiny compass inside. It was pointing in a very peculiar angle, but after investigating further, I realized the trident would move in a circle, so that it was always pointing to the same location. Initially, I thought it might be north, but when I went outside I realized the trident's point lined up exactly with the Hecate cabin.

As I watched, Percy strode out of the cabin. The trident followed him, ever so slightly. A small digital readout displayed "56," which seemed absurdly random to me, until the number increased as Percy walked further and further away. If I had to estimate...about 60 feet from me. It seemed that this way, I'd always be able to find him. My inner girly side wanted to scream. It was so sweet of him, especially in combination with the other gifts. I had decided to wait for him in his cabin, but he came back all flustered so I decided to drop it.

Sitting in the woods, I smiled down at my armour, remembering Percy's words. "We're staying together. You're not getting away from me. Never again." I guess he'd solved that problem, so long as I kept my bracelet on.

As I looked at him across the creek, I couldn't help the feeling that something weird was happening with him. I looked down at the trident and whispered "together."

LINE BREAK -

Percy POV

I walked through the woods, trying my best to stay in stealth mode, but it was pretty tough in the darkness. I must have tripped over at least a dozen tree roots, but I didn't feel so bad. The Ares cabin wasn't doing all that better, particularly Clarisse. With every misstep, she seemed to grow angrier, until she crept through the woods uttering curses in Ancient Greek.

While we weren't sure where the enemy team hid the flag, Zeus' Fist seemed a good place to start, as it was the most defensible place on this side of the woods. I took the Ares campers on a wide hike around, so that we could attack from behind and hopefully remain undetected. The trip took almost twenty minutes, and I had yet to hear any fighting. It didn't worry me all that much, probably just Annabeth taking her sweet time planning.

When me and the Ares kids reached the clearing, I was happy to see only the Hermes and Demeter cabins guarding the flag, positioned atop the Fist. We waited in silence for a few minutes, as I hope that Annabeth will take the bait and attack our fake Ares defenders.

Finally, I hear yelling and the clash of metal against metal. But there's something wrong. The Hermes and Demeter campers are all on the alert, with weapons drawn, facing outward. They're expecting an attack when they shouldn't be. At least, not anything that should give them such nervous expressions.

"Jackson!" Clarisse's hiss from a few feet away draws me back to reality. "Why aren't we attacking? This is the plan!" I can tell after the wood trek that she's itching for a fight. She's angry, and so she's restless.

"Just wait, Clarisse!" I whisper back urgently. "There's something about this I don't like. We should wait until-"

"Wait?" she cuts in. "We only have a couple minutes. Aphrodite and Hecate won't last long in a fight, even with Apollo's help! You know that!"

"Clarisse, we can't just-"

"We can and we will," she replies in a low voice. "Fortune favours the bold. Ares cabin, with me!" With that, they break cover and charge Zeus' Fist. I want to stop them, but I realize there's no point. They trust Clarisse to lead them, and our cover is already blown.

LINE BREAK -

Annabeth POV

I watch as the group of Ares warriors explodes out of the treeline. After a moment, Percy joins them, and I give the order to move. I'd told the Hephaestus cabin to make as much noise as they could at the creek, hoping for exactly this outcome. Clarisse had just thrown the game. Together, the Athena and minor cabins surround the Ares campers.

The Hermes cabin is still sitting atop the Fist, but I motion to them. "Travis! Connor! Go!" They and their siblings run towards the creek. It won't be long before they overwhelm the defences Percy's stationed there.

The Ares kids are fighting well, but the children of Athena provide a fit match for them. Percy's presence would have been able to swing the battle back in his favour, but that's why I brought Sparky. I watched as Percy and Jason duelled fiercely, the son of Zeus doing everything in his power to keep my boyfriend distracted from the rest of the fight. Slowly, we manage to wrestle each one of the Ares group to the ground, and bind their hands behind their back.

I fight Clarisse one-on-one, and she's definitely a worthy opponent. She's big, much larger than I am, but I've become much better at fighting over the years. I suppose that comes with the excessive amount of practice. Eventually, I'm joined by two of my sisters, and then two guys from the Demeter cabin. We manage to disarm Clarisse, but she tries to punch her way out of the situation. In the end, three of us simply sit on her; one on both arms, and another on her back.

The fight is dying down, but Percy is still putting up a fierce fight. By now, Malcolm is helping Jason, as well as Katie Gardner and one of her sisters. I know he could likely beat them relatively easily, but he'd have to hurt them to do so. He'd never do that to a fellow camper…

An evil thought pops into my mind. I'm not going to win this game - Percy is going to win it for me.

LINE BREAK -

Percy POV

This whole not being able to fatally wound people is a real bitch in the middle of a fight at camp. I probably could have mopped up this entire fight by now, but nooooo. Sigh. Clarisse ruins everything.

As I defend myself, I notice something change in the attackers patterns. They're going all out against me, completely ignoring any defence. I'm about to take advantage of their sloppiness when I hear another set of footsteps behind me. I spin quickly to face the new attacker, raising the pommel of my sword as I do so. Hopefully I can smack this kid in the face.

Everything happens quickly, yet just slow enough for me to understand what is happening as it occurs. This challenger is sprinting towards me, head down, but when they raise it to look at me I see a pair of grey eyes, blond hair, and a mischievous grin. I can't very well break my girlfriend's nose, but my sword arm is already high in the air. I won't have time to bring it back down and defend myself. I try to twist, to move out of the way, but I know I won't be able to in time.

Annabeth sprints into me, tackling me into the dirt with her arms wrapped around me. It gives her siblings just enough time to bind my wrists. I'm fuming and glaring at Annabeth, as she's sitting on top of me, to add insult to injury.

"That's such BULLSHIT!" I yell at her. "I can't believe you'd take advantage of...that's basically cheating! Ugh! You drive me-"

She covers my mouth with her free hand and straddles me as I struggle to get up off the ground. I can still see that stupid grin plastered onto her face. She takes her hand off my mouth, and before I can continue my rant, she quickly kisses me.

"Thanks for the win, Seaweed Brain," she says.