Daphne
Daphne had seen some intense plays during the 23 games of Capture the Flag she had played in. Once the campers had actually lit the forest of fire just to distract the hunters. The campers still lost, but that strategy had almost worked.
Now she was looking at a boy with shaggy brown hair, a Greek fire-bomb strapped to his chest, and an insane look in his eyes that said "Screw safety, gimme that flag!" It was all Daphne could do to keep from screaming in terror.
"Now look," she said as calmly as she could, "just unstrap the bomb, put the trigger away, and let's talk this out."
"How do I know that once I take it off you won't signal for help?" This kid had definitely covered all the bases.
"Fine," Daphne compromised, "leave it on and let's talk this out."
"I don't do talking." The boy said, moving his thumb closer to the trigger button. "Just give me the flag and I won't blow up the camp."
Daphne knew all about the strength of Greek Fire. One jar of it had the power to wipe out at least a quarter of a large cruise ship. But a bomb containing what Daphne counted was 6 jars of the stuff with tubes filled with what appeared to be gasoline leading into them could probably wipe out about three fourths of Atlanta.
It would easily wipe Camp Half-blood off the face of the earth, taking a good sized chunk of Long Island with it! Daphne knew she had no other coice.
Unless...
Unless she could stall this kid long enough for the hunters to win! He wouldn't blow up the camp without being able to get something out of it! At least, Daphne was pretty sure he wouldn't. This kid did seem crazier than most of the other campers, except for maybe the Ares kids.
"You wouldn't blow up the camp," Daphne taunted, "you don't have the guts. All your family is here!" Hopefully that would strike him where it hurt.
"I have no family." The boy snarled, moving his thumb even closer to the trigger. "Now hand over the stupid flag!"
But Daphne kept going. "I don't believe you. I think that deep down you always wanted a family, but never had one, at least not a good one. I don't think you would want to die, killing all your siblings along with you."
The boys thumb was now resting right on top of the button. Any amount of pressure now would blow the bomb, and the camp, straight to Hades. "Hand. It. Over."
Daphne had no other choice. She walked over to the hunters' silver colored flag, ripped it off the pole, and laid it down in front of the psycho.
He picked it up and started backing away. "Pleasure doing business with you." He said with an evil smirk. " Buh-bye." And he threw the trigger into the air.
Daphne dived for the trigger as time seemed to slow down with the intensity of the moment. Her hand reached for the trigger, but the tip of her finger bumped it sending the trigger, button down, falling to the ground.
Daphne covered her head, waiting for the huge explosion to follow. Don't let it this way, she prayed to every Greek god she could think of. The button pressed against the ground...
Nothing.
Nothing happened.
Daphne looked up to see the trigger, the button pressed down, with a small flag coming out the bottom reading "Bang!" She had been duped.
Daphne raced after the boy who had tricked her. He was a good twenty feet away and would definitely reach the river boundary first with no opposition since the rest of the hunters were either unconscious on the ground or trying to grab the campers' flag.
Daphne needed a way to slow him down. She willed roots to grow out of the ground and entangle the boy's feet, but he saw them pop out of the earth. The boy vaulted into the air in a front-flip, and as his body twisted to face her in midair, upside down, he shot an arrow at Daphne.
It hit her square in the stomach, and when it made contact metal cords burst from the ball at the end of the arrow and entangled Daphne's arms and legs. She fell to the earth with a thud.
The boy casually walked up to her and said "Daedalus arrow. Gotta love 'em." He then took off running towards the river, laughing as he did. Daphne let a bird call escape her mouth just as the cords bound it shut.
A warning call to the other hunters. They would be swarming the boy before he made it another 10 feet.
The game would be won by the hunters of Artemis for the 63rd time in a row.