Capture the flag was a real crowd favorite apparently. The entire camp was restless during dinner. Anxious whispers filled the pavilion as campers tried to guess what cabins would be on what team. 

 Call me crazy, but dueling against angsty, hormonal teenagers with sharp, pointy objects was not my idea of fun.

 I nervously followed Percy to a spacious field that felt vaguely familiar. It was right next to the entrance of the forest where Danny and I had first arrived.

 Percy began to explain the basics of the game. All twelve cabins were to be divided into two teams, red and blue. The objective of the game was to simply capture the opposing team's flag and bring it to base camp. Armor and basic weapons would be provided, and I was highly encouraged to take advantage of what they had to offer. 

"Why would I even need battle armor in capture the flag?" I tugged at the uncomfortable protective layer of metal covering my entire upper body. The stuff weighed about as much as I did and I could feel it dragging me down with each step I took.

"There's this old saying at camp that goes: 'It's much better to be safe than maimed and sorry'."

I assumed he was joking as I made my way through the crowd with him.

"Heroes, heroes," Chiron stomped his foot, or rather, hoof on the dirt floor. "Gather around." The sound of his booming voice resonated loud and clear, capturing everyone's attention at once. He wasted no time and began to thoroughly explain the rules of the game for newcomers. A.K.A: me.

Chiron went into specifics of the game for newcomers. All magical items and abilities were allowed, the entire forest was fair game, and the creek would act as a barrier between teams.

Like Percy mentioned, the camp was usually divided into two teams, with the exception of when the Hunters of Artemis visited - then the whole camp would play against Artemis' huntresses, but according to Percy, we had never won a single game against them.

Today's division would be the blue team, which included the Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes and Dionysus cabins versus the red team; the Ares, Athena, Hades, Demeter, and Hephaestus cabins, plus the other children of minor gods that resided on camp grounds. Percy broke down Apollo's alliance with the Hermes cabin. Combined, their large numbers gave us a tremendous advantage over the opposing team.

"Occasionally, Athena makes an alliance with the Ares cabin. They can be pretty deadly put together. Don't worry too much about the Hephaestus or Demeter cabins. They're not too aggressive."

Chiron would serve as a battlefield medic and co-"referee" along with Mr. D, but Percy said he usually just slept through the games and only served to officially coronate the champions.

"Hey!" Travis and Connor Stoll protested in unison against the division arrangements Chiron had posted outside the forest entry. 

"No fair! The red team gets two war cabins?" Travis grimaced, looking at the list in annoyance.

"Yeah, but you have two children of the big three on your side, doofus." A blonde girl I'd never seen before shoved one of the Twins' heads playfully as she walked into the forest.

"Don't sweat it," Percy's voice interrupted my thoughts as we made our way inside the winding mess of unfamiliar trees, rocks, and rolling hills. "We've got this."

"So, why exactly do we want to win this thing?" I fidgeted with the blue fur coming out of my traditional Greek helmet before slipping it over my head. It was three sizes too big and I could hardly even see out of the thing. Percy nearly doubled over in laughter as I tried to align the slits of the helmet with my eyes. 

He had a nice laugh. 

'What? He has a nice laugh? Ugh.' My voice scolded me for getting distracted. And it was right. What was I thinking?

"Losers have cabin cleaning duty for a week. Or mess hall duty. Or stable cleaning duty. We like to switch it up."

"Fair enough. And winners get what?"

Someone cut Percy off before he could even open his mouth to respond.

"First dibs at the pavilion for all meals, plus first seating anywhere. Do you know how hard it is to get a decent seat in the arena during a chariot race on a weekend?" A familiar female voice crept its way right next to me. It was the same voice I heard talking to the Stoll twins.

Her face was covered by a metal helmet, like mine, but with red feathers instead of blue. She was on one of the opposing teams.

"And you are...?" I asked. The strange girl hadn't even introduced herself and was already talking to me like we were best friends or something.

Her eyes became slits behind her helmet and then she let out a light, airy laugh as she realized I couldn't see her face.

"Di immortales, I'm sorry!" The girl slipped her bronze helmet off in a swift motion, revealing a wave of helmet tousled hair that stopped just above where her belly button would be. Beneath the periwinkle sky, it flickered between dark brown and strawberry blonde.

"Whoa," Percy managed to whisper before I elbowed his stomach and sent a wave of electricity through his metal armor. "OW! Watch it, Bolt Face."

"I'm Paris Cantor, daughter of Athena." She had sparkling storm colored eyes that looked gorgeous contrasted to her tan, dewy skin. Her naturally pouted lips curved into a big blushed smirk that made her almost look like a supermodel. But I could tell she was way more than just looks. The girl stood tall and proud, like she was the most confident person in the world, only adding to her supermodel aura. She practically oozed power and prestige. The girl stuck her hand out for me to shake, ignoring Percy's obvious drool and heart eyes.

"Orion C-" I began to call myself by John's last name, but I quickly corrected my error. "I'm Orion Vera, daughter of -"

"Zeus. I saw yesterday's stunt at lunch. Don't worry about it, though. Stacy had it coming to her."

I cocked an eyebrow. "You know her too?"

"Oh yeah. We shared a bunk in the Hermes cabin my first year. She snores like a bear."

"So, you're sure you're not a daughter of Aphrodite?" Percy attempted to compliment Paris but she just rolled her eyes and popped a piece of what looked like rolled up yellow taffy in her mouth and began to chew. I liked this girl already.

"Whats that?" I asked.

"Ambrosia gum. It's supposed to mimic the food of the gods. All of the power, none of the bursting into flames. Want some?" Paris smiled at me with her perfect white teeth.

"Okay," I shrugged and popped the gym into my mouth. It was incredible; like the nectar I had the other day but it didn't run out, the flavor just kept on going. Instantly, the hairs on my arm stood pin straight, and a wave of newfound energy surged through my body. 

"Hey, I want some." Percy tried his best to sound smooth and charming, but I guess Paris knew better than to fall for Percy's awful attempts at flirting.

"You know, I'm all out. Sorry, Perry...is it?" She shrugged and slipped her helmet back on over her head and waved. "I'll see you on the battle field, Orion! Nice to meet you!" I smiled and waved off my new potential friend. The first girl friend I would ever have.

"Man," Percy sighed, slipping his blue feathered helmet on, "what I'd give to go on one date with Paris Cantor."

"She was nice," I smacked my gum inside of my helmet and waited for the rest of our team to show up while Percy blubbered on about his schoolboy crush.

Our battle strategy was broken down by the Apollo cabin. The blue team's captain was none other than Will Solace, the Apollo cabin's head counselor. He seemed to be around my age, with shaggy blonde hair and radiant blue eyes to match his charismatic personality.

Home base would be Zeus' fist, on the northern side of the forest. Our team's flag would be at the top of the boulder, seemingly unguarded, while the Dionysus cabin (which consisted of a five foot two pudgy kid named Pollux, who looked exactly like Mr.D and a fourteen year old girl named Violet) waited in the tree that loomed over the top of the boulder. Pollux and Violet would be able to see the forest from an elevated level, giving us an advantage over our rival.

The Aphrodite and Hermes cabins would keep a close proximity to the rock, in case anyone would try to attack from the ground up - which was more than likely. Those three cabins would play defense, while the Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo cabins would play offense.

Percy would stay in close proximity to the creek so he could easily utilize his powers. I would follow the Apollo cabin and try not to accidentally die. We had to think, fight, and all around try harder than the red team to make up for two war god cabins and a son of Hades on their team.

Personally, I thought this was going to be a piece of cake, but as usual, I was wrong.

Going into this, I knew capture the flag was bound to be competitive. Hell, even intense. But it wasn't your average capture the flag football game; there were bloodthirsty teenagers, who took the game very seriously, everywhere. Not to mention the usage of spears, swords and magical weapons. Some kid from the Athena cabin would've decapitated me with his flaming sword if it wasn't for my ADHD fighting skills kicking in at rapid speed. I dodged his attack before hitting his helmet with the butt of my sword, sending a ripple of electric currents through the metal. Hopefully his brain wasn't barbecued.

I tried to keep up with Percy and the Apollo cabin as best I could, but it was hard when I had a fifteen pound helmet and armor weighing me down. I kept ducking behind a tree every two minutes to avoid actually coming in contact with the other campers. 

Yeah, okay I'll admit it. I was scared.

Occasionally there would be a camper or two who'd try to pull a fast one on Percy, but he'd merely flick his wrist, leaving them sputtering and coughing in a wave of creek water ten feet away from their original target. Percy didn't just hide behind his powers, though. The guy was a maniac with his sword, Riptide. With just two swift movements of his blade he had quickly wiped out four kids from the Ares cabin.

I was missing out on all the real action by hiding behind trees every five seconds. I wasn't aware of where I was going. All I cared about was staying in one piece.

Somehow I had already managed to lose both Percy and the entire Apollo cabin. I was now alone in the giant half-blood forest once again. The only sound I could clearly hear was the constant smack, smack, smack of my gum. The air was warm and humid, making my hair stick to my face. I felt beads of sweat trickling down my face and neck. The helmet I was wearing seemed to be cooking my head from the inside out so I took it off to get some fresh air, leaning against the nearest pine tree in sight. 

I was slumped on the ground, fiddling with the straps on the sides of the helmet when I spotted a blood red flag out of the corner of my eye.

No way. That easy?

My jaw chewed the ambrosia gum faster and faster in anticipation, contrasting the slow and delicate movement of my feet as they stalked their prey. I was inching closer and closer to the flag, nearing my second victory of the day when I tripped. A wave of pain shot up through my ankle and knocked my body onto the forest ground below.

"Pathetic," a boy's voice spat at me. I couldn't recognize his voice, but the second my eyes came in contact with his, I knew he had to be someone powerful. Maybe even more than I was. His black hair was mangled and tousled in all directions. He had dark, chocolate colored eyes but they weren't tame or friendly; they were cold and empty, showing absolutely no mercy or regard for anything or anyone. Even in the fading sunlight, I could see a sprinkle of freckles lining his pale face. "You thought you could get away with what you did to my father without facing the consequences? You're wrong. I don't believe your stupid act for a second."

To tell you the truth, I wasn't taking this kid seriously at all. He looked around my age, but I was definitely an inch or two taller. He was petite and quite lanky. 

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest as I saw the boy unsheathe a sword from the pocket of his jet black colored aviator jacket. It was a three feet long pitch black battle sword.

There was no way he'd actually hurt me. Chiron said no maiming. I raised my hand in protest and defense. "W-what are you talking about? Look, man I'm just trying to get to the flag! I don't even know who you are-"

The boy didn't care for my excuses. He cut me off, slashing his sword against my hand. I instantly winced in pain. The cut wasn't even that bad, maybe an inch long at best. 

Two seconds after the boy had cut my hand, everything became dark and cold; my lungs were shrinking and my throat was tightening with each failed attempt to catch my breath. I could hear the roar of a ruthless ocean fighting against mammoth winds raging on through agonized screams in the distance. Fear was consuming every inch of my body.

"Make it stop! Please," I begged the boy with tears brimming in my eyes, but it was no use. My worst nightmare was consuming me with every second that passed by.

"You're all the same," He seethed, running a finger up and down his sword's pointed blade. The more I looked at it, the more it seemed to look like a shimmering shadow. "You all pretend to be my friends, you'll pretend to care about me but then take what doesn't belong to you. You'll break my trust because I'm not like you. But I'm more powerful than you'll ever know, I'm the son of Hades. I'm the prince of ghosts. I'm-"

"NICO DI ANGELO," I could barely make out Percy's voice through the roaring in my ears. In a flash, my friend tackled the young boy to the ground. The two wrestled aggressively, but Nico wasn't trying to kill Percy, he was trying to break free of Percy's iron grip. Then something caught my eye. It was the hilt of Nico's dark sword only inches from where I was lying. I commanded every muscle in my body to move, but I couldn't. I was paralyzed.

This wasn't just paralyzation from fear. Sure I was scared of the lunatic kid trying to behead me, but my muscles were actually frozen in place. No matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn't comply with my brain. The only movement in my body was the panicked rising and falling of my chest.

Nico eventually broke free from Percy's grip and made a quick left hook for my friend's jaw. The hit was strong enough to knock Percy to the forest ground below, gripping his jaw in pain.

"Stay out of this, Percy! You don't understand! None of you understand!" The boy frantically shrieked and came straight for me once again.

"Orion, MOVE! Snap out of it and move!" Percy screamed, trying his best to run after the boy who was trying to kill me as if his life depended on it.

I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. The roaring in my ears stopped. Everything went silent. I felt vitality and strength slowly returning to my limbs, starting with my arms. 

Everything passed by in slow motion. My body rolled over so my stomach was touching the floor of the forest; I curled my hand around the hilt of Nico's weapon, throwing it behind me in one swift motion. I was hoping I could scare him the way he scared me, but I got the feeling this guy wasn't scared of anything. He was persistent, and he wasn't going to stop until I was dead.

The boy fell behind me, clutching his arm, now red and gushing crimson. Had I done that?

"You're a dirty thief. Give my father back his spear or you'll regret it for the rest of your miserable life!" I had never heard so much poison and darkness in one person's voice before. This kid was seriously pissed off, but I wasn't the one responsible.

Suddenly the entire forest lit up in a cloud of blue smoke and light. Confused and disoriented, I glanced behind Percy only to see Will Solace waving the red team's flag on our side of the creek.

"This isn't over."

I turned my attention back towards Nico's voice, but all that was left was a pile of smoking ashes. The strange boy who had tried to kill me was loose and on the run amidst the other campers.

"Orion!" Percy called out to me and rushed to my side. I tried to respond, but my throat was still tight and hoarse from the paralyzation I was under.

"Oh man, you're hurt," Percy knelt at my side and gestured towards the blood seeping through the fabric of my jeans. He pulled the cuff of the pants up to reveal a gash near where my ankle was. "You must have tripped on a trap wire...and that cut in your hand is pretty deep. Come on, I'll get you to the creek."

My eyes went wide with fear. "N-no! I can't go in water I'll drown!"

"Relax, I've got you. You can trust me."

Maybe I was still delusional from being paralyzed, or exhausted from the heat but for some reason, I decided to not argue and just trust him; it was almost like a gut instinct I had. Although I had only gotten to camp three days ago, Percy was the one person I felt that I could truly count on to have my back. He was loyal and kind, but radiated leadership and dominance. The guy was a natural leader and I envied him. He was the kind of person I wanted to be, deep down.

Percy hoisted me into his arms, being extra careful as to not touch my wounded ankle. He began to wade into the creek slowly and permitted the water to seep into his clothing. I felt the cold rush of creek water come in contact with my skin and I began to shudder, partially in fear.

In a matter of seconds, the pain in my ankle began to fade. I propped myself up to look at the wound and watched it disappear before my eyes. The blood began to evaporate under the creek's current, along with the wound itself. The cut slowly began to close and heal itself until it looked like nothing more than a mere scratch.

"Give me your hand," Percy commanded softly. I placed my hand in his and watched the water gently gravitate towards the cut, healing it like it had my ankle.

"How did you do that?" I looked at Percy in bewilderment, his sea green eyes meeting mine. They were full of sincerity.

"The gods give us powers for a reason, Orion. They're to help others."

I didn't have time to process Percy's words. The blue team came running for the creek, splashing in it like a bunch of maniacs. All I heard were shrill screams and chants and cheers. The red team's flag was tied around Will Solace's shoulders as his cabin lifted him into the air. They were all eager to celebrate their victory. This was the embodiment of Camp Half-Blood. 

Sure, we had won our game of capture the flag, but I was in no mood to celebrate.

I felt like my own battle had only just begun.