Chiron banged his hoof against the stone floor. The noise loud and clear despite the volume of the dinner time ravings of several hundred campers. Upon hearing the noise, the campers settled down to hear the old, wizened, mentor speak. "Campers, now we shall begin tonight's game of Capture the Flag," his voice carried over the large pavilion. "A reminder, there will be no killing nor maiming. Now those of you that have gear proceed to the woods. For those that don't the Hephaestus cabin has provided a host of gear for your use." As he finished, several burly members of the Forge cabin laid out blankets on an empty table, rolling them out revealing a multitude of swords, shields, and armor. "As always, Blue Team will be on the north side of the creek and Red Team shall be on the south side. Winner is the team that takes the other team's flag and crosses the creek. May the best team win." At the conclusion of his speech, the campers scrambled from their seats. A large group ran to the table of gear, picking that which fitted them the best.

Already armored, Zoe left the pavilion heading for her flag marker to the north. Choosing speed and flexibility over protection, Zoe wore only her helmet and breastplate. Her helmet was in the Corinthian style with a purple plum planted on top and the eye holes and vertical slip narrowed to prevent arrows from slipping through. Apparently her father had gotten Hecate to enchant it to give her complete visual ability despite the poor visibility the slits provided. Her armor, gifted to her by her guardian, was an adjustable bronze lorica segmenata. Forged by the children of Vulcan with Celestial Bronze provided by her father, the bronze strips bent and flexed with her movements allowing greater mobility than typical legionnaire armor, while still protecting just as well. Underneath her armor she wore her orange camp t-shirt and blue jeans, with her hair in a low ponytail to stay out of her way. Zoe was joined by her teammates, all in various states of arms and armor. Many of the demigods wore similar armor combinations as her. Some went with no breastplates and simply greaves and bracers. There were even those that decided to go all in and wear full sets of armor. Well, at least they wouldn't lack for options.

Upon reaching their "base," a small clearing with a raised section of grass like a tiny hill with a blue flag planted on the top, the counselors of each cabin climbed the small hill to discuss their plan. Zoe stood with Liam and Malik beside her, facing a dozen older campers. Keira pulled out a map of the forest, placing it on the ground in front of them, crouching and tying her dirty blonde hair in a bun. "Alright guys here's the plan. Liam takes the Hermes cabin around the east side, make as much noise as possible. They will know you are a distraction but they won't really have a choice but to deal with you. I will take the Athena, Nemesis, and Iris cabins around the west," she paused, grey eyes sweeping those present. "Zoe, you'll take the Hephaestus cabin up the middle. I heard you fought some Ares campers yesterday, they will be gunning for you. The Hecate cabin will lead the rest of the cabins in the defense of our flag. Liam," said boy locked eyes with her, "regardless of which of us reaches the flag first, run for Zoe. She will clear a path. The rest will stay here to defend our flag," she stood, scratching behind her ear. "Any questions?"

Zoe raised her hand. "This seems like a pretty standard plan. Why don't we have a small team as well? Karina has gotten quite good at manipulating the Mist. She could hide a small team that will slip past their scouts, grab the flag and slip back without them noticing."

Keira looked at the map thoughtfully. "That would work. But you can not be a part of that group. Like I said, the Ares campers will be looking for you. If they don't find you they will know something is up. This will also shorten the fighting and limit injury. Who will go?"

"Take the seconds from both the Hermes, Hephaestus, and Athena cabins," Liam spoke up. "The odds that their absence will be noticed is slim, but also gives them a variety of abilities to handle whatever comes at them."

"I agree," Malik said before turning towards Zoe. "So, think you could conjure some actual mist?" Zoe turned to the man, confusion evident on her face. "Well, it could help hide our movements and could obscure the true numbers of our groups to their scouts."

Zoe gave him an incredulous look. "My father isn't the god of all weather phenomena. Maybe he could manipulate the environment and create a mist but I am not advanced enough to be able to do so."

"Ah, Amir'te Asaheera." Malik said slipping into cultural tongue. "I meant no offense."

Zoe fought hard to keep her blush down looking up at him before crossing her arms. "You know I don't know Arabic, Malik." She shifted her feet and looked down, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Anyways." Keira interrupted. "What about you Liam?" She shrugging at others curious stare. "It's actually not a bad idea."

Liam rubbed the back of his head. "I can give it a go." Turning around to face the south.

"Please don't start another tornado, Liam," Zoe said. "Dad isn't here to wave it away."

The boy looked at his friend with mock hurt. "You wound me Amer Ashera." If looks could kill, Zoe would have sent him straight to Elysium with her glare.

Malik coughed into his fist. "It's, uh, Amir'te Asaheera."

Liam gave the young man a thumbs up. "My bad bro. Anyways let's do this." He then held his arms out in front of him, fingers extended. He shut his eyes and began taking deep breaths. Many heartbeats went by before Liam's arms dropped, breath heavy, and his forehead lined with sweat. "Nope." Zoe pulled a small cube of ambrosia from her pocket, giving it to Liam. The boy took the godly food with a nod, downing the cube in a couple bites. Liam straightened up, his breathing leveling out. Turning back towards the group, Liam shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry guys, I'm a dud tonight."

"It's fine," replied Keira, waiving the other counselors back to their cabins. "We have a plan, it'll work. I'll let Karina and the others know their assignment." The horn sounded the beginning of the game. She appraised Liam. "You good to lead?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." Keira left without a word while he straightened his cuirass, turning to Zoe. "See you in the flip side, Princess."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Don't get beat up, Zappy. That's my job."

The young teen drew his bronze kopis, jogging to the Hermes cabin. "Hermes! Stèmahi!" The Hermes campers echoed his cry, drawing their weapons, and following Liam to the east.

Keira drew her xiphos. "Athena, Nemesis, Iris!" She raised her sword above her head. "Yati Voksa!" The gathered cabins following her into the forest to the west.

Zoe had joined Malik with the Hephaestus cabin. The large teen gave the younger girl a bright smile, a large two handed hammer on his shoulder. "Shall we Amir'te Asahera?"

Zoe smiled at the man, letting her blush come in. "Absolutely." She then turned to the dozen forge campers. "Let's do this for my dad. Let's make him proud." Turning back to the forest, and began her jog forward. "For Perseus!" Thunder rumbled in the east.

Two minutes. That's how long it took for them to reach the creek where they were met by the Ares campers, all in full armor. Another five minutes of fighting forced the two groups into a stalemate. As expected. Zoe locked blades with the Ares Counselor, a big teen a few years her senior. Lightning struck to the east, strength suddenly surged through her system. Zoe used her strength to shove the camper off of her. "What's up David?"

The older camper grunted. "Less talking more fighting." Swinging his broad sword to take her head off.

Zoe leaned back, barely avoiding the edge of the blade. She counterattacked with a thrust towards her opponent's chest, which David knocked aside with the extended hilt of his sword. The two took a step back from each other. "Oh come on, not every enemy is going to abide by your 'no talking while fighting' rule."

David's red eyes narrowed. "If they're to busy talking, then I'll just run them through." He lunged forward, swiping his sword up in a diagonal arc. Zoe stepped towards him, slapping his attack away with the flat of her blade. She stood straight and head-butted the camper. "Gah," David yelled, stumbling backwards.

"How's that working for you big guy?" Zoe asked. Lightning again arced to the ground to the east. Thunder shook the air around them. Zoe felt bad for the camper on the receiving end of that attack. David glanced at the attack and Zoe thrusted her hand forward. The creek surged forward like a small flood, knocking the counselor back and smacking him into a tree.

Satisfied it would take him time to recover, Zoe turned to help her teammates. She could feel the power running through her as the lightning continued attacking to the east, maybe Liam was doing it on purpose. Two Ares campers ran towards her, one of which was Cheryl on the left. Grinning at the opportunity, Zoe planted her feet, sword at the ready. The demigod on the right thrusted his spear at Zoe's chest, while Cheryl swiped her sword at Zoe's legs. The daughter of Perseus slapped the spear away with her sword, jumping to avoid the sword, and kicking Cheryl in the chest sending her stumbling. Landing on her feet, Zoe received the blunt end of a spear smacking her across the chest. Zoe crashed into the ground, her armor taking the brunt of both impacts and the wind knocked out of her. Planting her hands behind her head, Zoe rocked back and launched herself to her feet.

"Will you just stay down?" The boy that hit her asked, pointing his spear at her. Cheryl managed to catch back up to them, xiphos at the ready.

Zoe smirked, wiping the spittle from her lips. "You're going to have to try harder than that if you want me to stay down boy. I am the daughter of Perseus." The two snarled at her and lightning struck again. Zoe surged forward, slipping between the two. Swinging her sword upwards, Riptide cleaved through the boy's spear leaving him with a small club. Dropping her sword, Zoe grabbed the back of Cheryl's cuirass. Twisting and dropping her hips, Zoe used her momentum and increased strength to throw the girl across the creek. Cheryl crashed into the beach of the creek, trying and failing to get up.

As Zoe stood up, she was struck in her ribs by a club. A gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled. Turning around, she found the same boy that she still hasn't remembered his name standing with the remains of his spear wielded in his hand. A maniacal grin across his face as he stalked towards her. Lightning struck again. Once in range, the boy swung the club in an overhead strike. Zoe sidestepped the attack, planting her leg behind his and throwing him to the ground. Finishing him off with a quick jab to his temple, Zoe drew Riptide again and examined her surroundings. The Hephaestus campers were trying their best but the numbers of the Ares campers made them quickly lose ground. There was no telling how close the other two groups were to the flag and if the Ares cabin managed to get past them, they would run roughshod over the Hecate and supporting cabins.

"ZOE!" A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Zoe turned to the south to find Karina carrying a red flag, running for dear life. Behind her was Anders, the Athena cabin's second, and Alex, the Hermes cabin's second. Behind them, was a dozen campers chasing them, hurling insults at them. Normally she wouldn't be worried, they could make it, but she recognized half of the group as children of Nike. They were gaining fast. Recapping Riptide and putting it back in her pocket. Zoe reached down and placed her hands on the creek bed. Taking a deep breath, Zoe tuned out the battle around her.

Zoe was tackled to the ground in the creek by a much larger form. Standing up, she found David, having recovered from her surprise attack, looking at her with fury. "I really don't have time to play with you right now David," Zoe retorted. The young man growled, drawing his sword and began closing the gap.

When suddenly he was bulldozed by an even bigger man. Malik, standing where the previous counselor stood, examined the Ares camper with a critical eye. "That is no way to treat a lady my friend." He brought his large hammer to bear, facing an irate Ares counselor.

Zoe, trusting her friend, turned back towards her fleeing comrades. Once again placing her hands on the creek bed, Zoe searched for her energy before feeling a tug in her gut. The campers chasing her friends suddenly stumbled as the earth around them began to quake. The trio reached the creek without any further issues. Karina crossed the creek while her two companions intercepted several Ares campers, turning her flag from a blood red with a boar in the middle to light green with two crossed torches.

A horn sounded in the distance, signaling the end of the game. All of the campers in the creek disengaged from each other and began helping their fellow campers. Zoe crawled to the beach of the creek on her team's side before collapsing on her back, breathing heavily. Karina approached her friend having propped the flag on a tree. "You good?" She asked the worn out teen.

"Yeah," Zoe replied, staring at the night sky. The clouds cleared shortly after the conclusion of the game. "Just took a lot out of me. Good thing Liam thought ahead and caused as much damage as he could. I don't think I could have caused that earthquake any other way." Sitting up, she examined those around them. "Where is Fred? Didn't he go with you guys?"

"Yeah," Karina looked to the south. "He tried to hold them off so we could escape. Got overwhelmed pretty quick though. Don't tell him that I said that though. Don't know how many hits his ego can take you know?" Zoe nodded, seeing Chiron approaching from their left. Pulling herself to her feet, Zoe winced and held her ribs. "You sure you're okay?"

Zoe gave her friend a smile. "I'm fine, just took a few hits the ribs. Probably just need some ambrosia and will be fine." She noticed Will jump off Chiron's back and made his way to her.

As he approached, Zoe removed her hand and stood straight. Reaching the girl, Will placed his hand just above where she was holding, light passing between the two. Zoe have a soft gasp, relief evident on her face. Satisfied, Will then dropped his hand. "You're good, armor took the brunt of the damage. Might be a little sore but a goodnight sleep should help out." He looked around the creek, assessing the severity of any injuries present. "Nice job. And you even limited injuries this time. Now if you'll excuse me, I think you gave Cheryl a concussion." He gave the two a small smile before departing.

"And that concludes tonight's game, with Blue Team the victor," shouted Chiron across the creek. "Again. Let us care for the injured, get everyone cleaned up, and ready for curfew."

Zoe spotted Malik helping one of his brothers up, walking to the man. "Thanks for the save Mal. I don't think I would have beaten him that time."

Malik gave the girl a wide smile. "You would have been fine Zo. I was more worried about our young friend here." He gestured towards Karina. "You know how Nike kids are. Viscous little monsters in a competition." Malik then gathered his cabin mates and together they made their way back to camp.

The group made their way down the creek back to camp. Zoe looked back up to the sky, spotting the constellation of her namesake, The Huntress. Exiting the forest, they found most of their teammates already out of the forest, congregating near the cabins. As they approached, Zoe could make out conversations of the game. Who won which fights, who was injured, what they planned to do with their free time tomorrow. She spotted Liam talking to Fred, both tired and covered in various debris. In Fred's case, he was covered in bruises, dirt, and twigs. Like he had gotten in a fight with several tree nymphs and lost badly. Liam look worse off in her view. He seemed exhausted, ready to collapse at a moments notice, worse though was what covered his body. His legs were caked in mud but his torso was covered in what looked like pink powder and he appeared to have been smacked in the face with a makeup tray.

"Met the Aphrodite cabin did you?" Zoe asked. Malik biting back a laugh while Karina laughed openly.

Liam gave them a tired smile. "Apparently they did not appreciate us not taking them on our team." He ran a hand through his hair, pink dust scattered around him. "I'd rather not talk about it. How was your fight, I tried to cause as much destruction as possible without upsetting the dryads."

Zoe gave him a bright smile. "Yes it was a great help. I don't think I could have pulled off that earthquake without the energy boost."

"Good." Shoulders slumping. "Cause that took a lot out of me."

Zoe took his arm over her shoulder, letting him lean on her. She turned her head to the others. "Goodnight guys. Great work. I'll see y'all tomorrow." Malik and Karina says their goodbyes, joining their cabin mates for the evening. "Dad always said you need to work on your endurance. He also said you need to stop exerting yourself so much." She lead him away from the group, towards the cabins.

Zoe dropped Liam off at his cabin, where he claimed he was going to get some nectar and would be good to go get a shower. She walked to the edge of the cabins where her's stood. On the way she passed a massive hearth being tended to by a small girl who waved at her, which Zoe returned. Reaching her cabin, a simple log cabin with a slanted roof reminiscent of Percy's cabin in Montauk, Zoe made her way to the only bunk in the cabin, hers'. Next to her bed she had a small dresser and a nightstand, both loaded with a pictures of her with her friends, Reyna, and her dad. She picked up the picture in her nightstand, examine it closely. It was a picture of Reyna, Percy, and herself at the cabin in Montauk from several years ago. Her father had bought the property over a century ago, and they used it as a vacation spot before the summer. She had been looking forward to going this year, then her father disappeared.

Placing the picture back Zoe gathered some clean clothes before leaving. Ready to get her shower over with and get some sleep.