Hi guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it :)

Days whirled past in a summer haze. It was already Friday once again, and that meant one thing: Capture the Flag. Percy and me were playing with the Athena and Hermes cabin. Well, Aphrodite's cabin too, but they didn't do anything but gossip and check their reflections. Except Silena.

Silena was one of my closest friends here. She was not a regular Aphrodite kid: she was real. Sure, she liked makeup and gossip, but she liked pegasi and was super nice. She tried to give me a makeover, but don't do glitter. Just no.

So here I was, hanging with the Stoll brothers and Silena. The Stolls were busy whipping up some new theme, and Silena was talking about how Taylor Swift (who was actually a demigod) had to break up with every mortal she's dated because they were close to finding out her demigodness. I, however, was thinking of battle strategies. And trying to remember where the Ares cabin would most likely hang their flag. I was hanging out way too much with Annabeth, I thought wryly to myself.

As soon as Chiron declared that Capture the Flag officially began, I flitted across the stream. Hiding in the darkness, I went to the very first place I could think of where the flag might be: a small clearing with a small pile of rocks. I frowned in frustration: there was nobody there. I felt a woosh of an arrow flying past my head. I turned around, sword at the ready, and found Conor smirking at me.

"Well, I guess I found you," he said mischeaviously. He walked over to me.

"yeah, I guess you did," I replied. I pointed my sword at his throat.

"Whoa, whoa whoa," he held his hands over his head. "I don't want to fight. Just a one minute conversation, I swear. Then capture the flag."

"You put down your weapons," I said. He dropped his bow and quiver. I kept my sword firmly in my hand.

"So, what is it?" I asked. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"This would be so much more comfortable if you didn't have your sword about a quarter inch away from my neck," he said. I kept my sword in the same position. "Okay then, at least I tried. Um, so, I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but I was just scared you'd say no and yeah." I was waiting for him to get to the point. "I, uh, was wondering if you'd like to come with me to the fireworks?" He asked like a question. I smiled hugely, then dropped my sword and grabbed him in a big hug.

"Yeah, I'd love to!" I said happily. I looked him in the eye and I felt him lean in and touch my lips. I immediately responded, sinking in deeper. We stopped after a couple of seconds.

Finally, I thought to myself giddily. Then I remembered. We were in the middle of a capture the flag game. I was in enemy territory. In an open field. Not smart. I flashed him a smile and ran to the forest, ignoring his sound of indignation.

"See you at the fireworks!" I said, and sank into the shadows again. I was about to attempt to compose myself and begin looking for the flag again when a squeal from the side gave me a heart attack. I peered into the shadows, ready to attack. But then Silena jumped out of the darkness.

"Ohmigods, that was so cute!" She practically screamed. I covered her mouth with my hand.

"Silena, what in tartarus are you doing here?" I hissed.

"I videotaped everything!" She whispered. "It was just so sweet!" I sighed. I was about to face palm myself: of course.

"Why am I not surprised?" I asked myself. I shook my head, attempting to think clearly once more. "Okay, just go back to the other side and I'll be there soon, okay?" She nodded, and then flitted back into the forest. Sighing, I tried once more to get into my battle mode.

Finally, after a couple of close encounters with the Hephaestus cabin, I found the flag. It stood there, protected by the whole Ares cabin. And I wasn't sure I could defeat all of these people: namely those two burly 17 year olds who were flexing their muscles in anticipation of a battle.

So I, being me, choose the stupidest option that I had. I morphed the bracelet into my sword and ran right towards them.

Halfway into the battle with the Ares cabin, I got company. Percy and Annabeth (who was invisible) began fighting alongside me. I quickly got an opening. I grabbed the flag and, screaming, "RUN!" To Percy and Annabeth, we sprinted to the stream. "Take a piece," I said, panting. They both grabbed on to the banner and the three of us ran through the woods. I heard cries of outrage as we ran past the other team, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Conor laughing at me, not even trying to get the banner from us. I blew a kiss at him and the three of us crossed the stream victoriously.

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