The Champion of Artemis
Chapter Four: Capture the Flag
Percy Jackson
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful.
I was constantly being stared at by all the campers after the incident. But, other than that, it was a pretty normal week.
Zoe, Phoebe, and Chelsea thought it would be fun to show me what life was like as a demigod at camp. This meant that we participated in all the daily activities that they had to offer. The reason this was so fun was because, being Hunters, we were already pretty advanced with most of this stuff. Zoe, Phoebe, and Chelsea showed off their abilities at the archery range while I proved to be the worst bowman to ever be associated with the Hunters of Artemis. We smoked everyone in foot racing, having superior speed from being in the hunt and even showed off our understanding of Ancient Greek. The thing that I enjoyed most was sword fighting.
Luke Castellan, a pretty cool son of Hermes, gave me a few lessons. We figured out pretty quickly that I was a natural with a sword in my hand. He joked that I might as well ditch the bow and be the only Hunter to use a sword. The only problem was that none of the swords felt truly balanced in my hand.
Throughout all of this, I could tell that everyone was trying to figure out who my real godly parent was. I'd always tell them it was Artemis but they'd dismiss this and continue analyzing me. Truthfully, none of us were sure who my godly parent was. The only difference was that I was the only one who didn't care.
Eventually, Friday night came around and we all met in the dining pavilion to prepare for Capture the Flag. We went through the formalities of sacrificing food to Artemis and glaring at the campers who had a dislike for the hunt. Chelsea and I also enjoyed annoying Zoe with our blue colored beverages and food.
Finally, Annabeth and some other kids came running in with the gray flag of Athena while Clarisse strolled in with her blood red banner of Ares. Zoe, Phoebe, Chelsea and I huddled together at our table.
"So, we're aligning ourselves with Annabeth, right?" Chelsea asked from my side. Zoe nodded from across the table.
"She's one of the few people here I can actually tolerate." She stated.
"Aww, I hope she joins the hunt. I like her." Chelsea was a daughter of Aphrodite and, despite being a hunter, that shown through on occasion.
"I more just don't want to be on Clarisse's team." I added. Zoe rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, right, Percy." Annabeth made her way to our table with the flag in her hand.
"You guys are with me, right?" She asked. We all stated that we were which made her smile. "Good, because I have a really good plan." She looked at me. "You can't hear it though." I opened my mouth while the girls laughed at me.
"Sorry, Perce." Zoe said. "Why don't you go catch up with the rest of the team while we go over strategy." It was at this point that I noticed most of the campers on our team had already suited up for battle and were waiting for us. Everyone was wearing a blue plume on their helmet as a symbol for our team. The red team began throwing taunts as Clarisse lead them out of the pavilion and into the forest. I flashed my sisters a cocky smile and grabbed the flag from Annabeth's side before she could stop me. I held it above my head with both arms and rallied the team.
"Blue team!" I exclaimed. "Fall in!" They looked confused at first but then cheered as I lead them out of the pavilion. I risked a quick glance at Clarisse who was glaring at me and then at Annabeth who looked annoyed that I had stolen her thunder.
A few minutes later, we were all eager to begin. Annabeth, I guess as punishment for my stunt, made me stand guard by a creek. She claimed I was on "border patrol" and then laughed as she disappeared with my sisters.
A few minutes beyond that and I could hear the distant sounds of fighting in the woods. I was missing out on all of the fun. I was a little mad at Annabeth for making me just stand there and not including me in the plan. I mean what did the others bring to the table that I didn't. And, that's when I realized something. I was part of the plan. Me being here, guarding the creek, was all part of Annabeth's plan. And, not because she just needed someone guarding the border. My train of thought was interrupted when Clarisse and four other children of Ares appeared from the woods.
"Hi there, Prissy." She taunted and jammed her spear into the ground. It crackled with electricity, not something I wanted to see. The others twirled their bronze swords menacingly. I pulled out my silver hunting knives and held them in a defensive position.
"Clarisse." I stated coolly. The group surrounded me as if circling their prey. I decided that my best plan of attack was to try and catch them off guard. I threw both hunting knives at two of Clarisse's minions, knocking them both back momentarily. It bought me just enough time to send a quick kick to Minion One's head. He collapsed in a heap and I quickly grabbed his unbalanced sword. I wasted no time smacking the flat of the blade into Minion Two's face. He dropped as well, but I think I might have broken his nose. Oh well. Minion Three and Four had recovered from the hunting knives I threw and charged me simultaneously. I dropped the sword and grabbed them both by the back of their helmets. In a quick move, I slammed their heads together and the pair joined their siblings on the ground. Now, it was just me and Clarisse. She looked nervous but tried not to show it and continued to point her electric spear at me.
Before anything else could happen, cheering erupted from the forest. Clarisse and I watched as Luke Castellan raced toward the creek with the red team's flag. He was flanked on either side by Zoe and Phoebe. As he crossed the creek, the blue team exploded with cheers and hoisted Luke upon their shoulders. Zoe and Phoebe quickly moved away from the pack and Zoe even smacked a boy's hand who tried to raise her up.
"No way!" Clarisse exclaimed dumbfoundedly. I saw the light behind Clarisse begin to shimmer and Annabeth materialized out of thin air.
"Way." She stated coolly and knocked Clarisse out cold with the butt of her knife. By now everyone had gathered by the creek as the game concluded. I stared at Annabeth in amusement and surprise that she could apparently turn invisible.
"You totally used me as bait." I said. She shrugged and played with the brim of her hat.
"It was a good plan." I laughed as Zoe came to join us.
"Sorry, Perce." She said. "It was just too easy." I rolled my eyes. Then, something strange caught my attention. Like a low, fearsome growling that made my hair stand on end. No one else seemed to notice it. I looked around and saw a monstrous hellhound bounding toward Zoe. There was no time to react. My instincts took over and I shoved Zoe out of the way. The hound tackled me into the water and began slashing at my chest. I could feel my skin being torn to ribbons and my chest became extremely warm. I screamed in pain as Chiron, the Apollo children, and the Hunters launched a volley of arrows into the beast's side. The hellhound dissolved into dust.
The first sign that told me my chest was really messed up was when I saw Annabeth cover her mouth with her hands. The gasps that followed were another good indication. But, as quickly as it came, the pain began to subside. I could feel the strength returning to my body and my skin begin to close up. After a few seconds, I felt incredible and jumped to my feet with only a few scratches underneath my tattered clothes. No one said anything. There was complete silence. In fact, they were all staring open mouthed at something above my head.
I looked up and saw a sea green trident begin to fade above me. It seemed to buzz with energy and gave off a radiant glow. The campers dropped to their knees and everyone looked absolutely shocked.
"All hail, Perseus Jackson…" Chiron began before being cut off by Zoe.
"…son of Poseidon."