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Chapter Text

-I-

It hurt, being blasted by that Gods damned green fire. It would do that to any Demi-god. But it didn’t compare to the pain he feels from the failure. Wild clutches a hand to his side where his skin was burning, his shirt and light armour burnt away from the numerous blasts. His hand travels along the rough and sharp rocky wall as he continues to walk through the maze. The jagged mineral digs into his hand, cutting it up even further, the blood now trickling slowly down his wrist, mixing with the drying blood from his other injuries. His head whirls and his breathing becomes more laboured as he keeps pushing onwards through the winding paths. He is desperate to lose the horrors following him.

How did it all go wrong? He had trained for years, worked for this quest, waited for this day and he failed. He let Camp Jupiter down, he let his father down but most importantly he let his questmates down. And now, they’re dead, their bodies lost the frightful Labyrinth forever. His mind pounds with pain as it drifts to each of them and their collective fate.

Mipha, a sweet daughter of Neptune, who preferred to help over harm. Wielding her mastery of water to protect and mend those around her.

Revali, an arrogant son of Apollo, unmatched in his skill with the bow and arrow. A terror from above when paired with his Pegasus Medoh.

Daruk, the large and joyous son of Vulcan. While he may not have inherited any of his father’s skill in fire or smithing, he made up for in pure strength and a desire to protect of others.

Urbosa, Queen of the Amazons and a daughter of Jupiter, furious in her passion and elegant in her fighting. Her drive against the forces of darkness was always a beacon of true light.

And now all of them, dead at the hand of the robotic beasts of the Labyrinth, the Automatons. The very machines they were sent to retrieve and tame. To use in the endless Demi-god fight against the vicious world of gods and monsters. But their efforts only turned the mechanical monstrosities against them, the creations fully unwilling to go against their creator.

He would probably die soon, Wild assumes. With the numerous fatal injuries coating his body his demise would be inevitable. At least he wouldn’t have to face the price of failure back at Camp Jupiter. Maybe he would even get to see his mum in the Fields of Elysium. That was a nice thought, he feels himself smile sadly as he pushes further on through the maze.

Perhaps it could have gone different, Wild thinks, if maybe his father Somnus had passed him on some kind of godly ability or powers. Some of his siblings could weave the dreams of others, some could force others to sleep and younger half-sister, his favourite, could even travel into the dream of others. Wild closes his eyes and a sad smile comes across his face as he remembers his sister joining him in his head, spinning the dreams and landscapes inside his mind. Allowing him to laugh when all the training and preparation during the daytime only brought a frown to his face. But with Wild, he got nothing.

He feels his eyes droop, the head becoming lighter and lighter as he passes around another corner. But there at the end, a door marked with the Delta Symbol, Deladeus's symbol. An exit. Gritting his teeth, he pushes onwards, desperate to get out and prevent any of the automatons escaping and cause further destruction.

His foot slips as he picked up his speed and Wild hears a large crack as a shock of pain ran up his leg. Yep, he hisses, there goes his ankle. Bracing harder on the wall he steps on his non-broken ankle and semi-hops closer towards the door. Once reaching the large wooden structure he pushes with all his might. The blood and grime across his forehead mix with the sweat forming at the further exertion.

Behind him, he can hear the sound of mechanical gears and whirring. Frantically he starts jostling the door desperate for it to open. “Please, please.” He mutters as he starts to bang on the door with the hand not clutching the bleeding wounds on his left side. "Let me out!" He yells hoarsely trying to find some way to open the possible exit before those beasts reach him and finish him off for good. Wild slams his fist on the triangular symbol carving in the centre of the door and the sound of latches turning clunk out as the door swings open.

He slips through the gap once it is wide enough, and then pulls on the handle to close it behind him. The son of Somnus feels himself drop.

He loses track of how much time passes, and exhaustion washes over his whole body as the adrenaline starts to fade. Suddenly he slams into the ground on his stomach with a grunt. Wild takes a deep breath of fresh air into his lungs under his broken ribs he feels the grass on his fingers. The sounds of a forest and warriors fighting with metallic weapons surround him. So, this is how he dies, lying on the floor of a grove of trees and warriors surrounding him. "CHIRON!" He hears a young male voice scream out. A tear drips out of his eye as his the orbs blur and eyelids fall shut. The pain all over his broken, bleeding body reaching an indefinable level before it numbs. The sound of rushing footsteps and cloven feet ring softly in his ears.

His feels his father luring him into his domain.

He sleeps.

Chapter Text

-II-

“I call this session of the New Rome Senate over.” An elegant and clear voice rings over the Senate House of New Rome.The sound of rustling robes accompanies the end of the session as members of the Senate stand up and stretch their limbs after a long day of debates. The blonde female Praetor rests her hands on the dais in front of her as she looks up at the semi-circle of tiered seats and their occupants starting to disperse. She takes a deep breath and looks over to her male counterpart who is fiddling with the deep purple robes adorning him. She sighs well naturedly as he quickly adjusts the fabric from its robed styling to more of a caped scarf.

“You ran a good session, today Praetor.” A calm and collected voice calls her out of watching her counterpart struggling with the large piece of fabric. She looks to her left and sees the Centurion of the First Cohort, a tall and pale-skinned woman with long dark brown hair. A daughter of Bellona and Great Grand-daughter of Trivia and also her predecessor as Praetor. "Some wonderful discussions and I am personally pleased we were able to approve the quest."

The current Praetor gives her a quick bow “Thank you Centurion Dusk. It’s an honour to hear that from you. I can only hope I can live up to your tenure as Praetor.” She rises from her bow as she senses her fellow Praetor behind her follow her action.

“And I am sure you will.” The Centurion smiles before one of her eyebrows raises. Her smile turns down to a more neutral expression as she looks over the Praetor’s shoulder. She sees the son of Mars currently stuck with his hand somewhere among the yards of fabric unable to move. Her gaze turns back to her successor. “Come, walk with me. I have private matters to discuss with you.” She motions to the exit of the Senate House where a few of her fellow Centurions are currently leaving.

“Of course, one moment please.” The daughter of Venus turns around and helps untangle her fellow Praetor who thanks her with a wink before gathering his paper and calling out to the male Centurion of Cohort 3, the son of Lupercus. She turns back to the taller woman and straightens up her purple toga with a brush of her hand. “I am very sorry for him. He has a very strong hatred for his toga. It seems he still cannot undo it correctly.”

Dusk’s lips quirk up as she starts to walk towards the exit with the Praetor following behind before she catches up. “Despite his known flirting and brash attitude, you picked a good co-Praetor Artemis.”

“Ah, thank you Dusk. It means a lot coming from you.” Artemis smiles, “I admit it was a difficult decision considering the circumstances but I believe it was the right choice.” She says firmly.

“Indeed, war is never a good time to have to elect someone to a position of power. You were only months off the heels of my resignation as Praetor. Having the man, I entrusted to help guide you through your new position to die so suddenly was a shock to us all. He was a good Praetor, I enjoyed my years of service with him." Artemis recalls that day with sadness, but pride. Death through battle is the noblest death any Roman Demi-God can have. He was a headstrong son of Mercury, choosing to fight the first wave on the front line. It was devastating, the shock she felt when the news came back through to her that her fellow Praetor was dead was undeniable. Then there was the pressure that she was to elect a new one as quickly as possible. "But his role has been filled, by might I add, someone who has done a grand job.” Dusk speaks, her eyes looking over the different groups in New Rome. A group of young legacies giggle as they run past the two women and up towards the fork in the path and head towards Temple Hill. Their little hands waving around wooden weapons.

Artemis feels a wash of pride run through her. She and her fellow Praetor had indeed proven themselves, for the harshest challenge and critic of them all is war.

The Praetor speaks up as they pass by the University of New Rome. “From what I recollect you advocated for the Centurion of Cohort 3 for the position.” She remembers the day her predecessor brought forward the son of Lupercus. His eyes held this sharp and animalistic quality that is still etched into her brain to this day. The Champion of Lupa was a force on the field of war, she had heard rumours of him ripping out an enemy’s throat with his teeth once.

“I did. I still believe he has great potential for leadership. But he does not believe that himself. I have even tried promoting him to my co-Centurion of Cohort 1, but he is happier down in Cohort 3.” The daughter of Bellona states a smile gracing her sharp and elegant features. She then shakes her head as if to clear it. “Nevermind that, this is not the matter I wished to speak with you about.”

“Oh yes, I’m sorry. What is that you wish to discuss?” Artemis looks to Dusk who slows to a stop and takes a breath, closing her dark brown eyes before meeting Artemis’s stormy grey.

“As you know, my compulsory 10 years of service is nearly complete. I am formally handing in my resignation as a member of the 12th Legion and Centurion of Cohort 1. Pending the first of March.” The Centurion states firmly, voice unwavering.

Artemis stops, her eyes widening. “This is unexpected.” She says softly, as one of her hands raises to her mouth in a slight gasp. She knew this day was coming, she just had not expected so soon. “Might I inquire why? I was sure you would have a few more years of service within you.”

“I have seen many things, but yet there are still many more things for me to learn. I have enjoyed my years of service, I have not regretted the quests or the friends I have made along the way, but, I must move on. You have learnt all I can pass on, the rest can only be taught through experience, both negative and positive.” Dusk walks towards Artemis and places a hand on her shoulder and bends down slightly to her eye level. “You have proven yourself time and time again you are worthy of your role.”

Artemis breaks eye contact with the daughter of Bellona and looks down towards the ground, eyes gazing at at the tips of her toes poking out from underneath the deep purple fabric of her Praetor toga. “I know, but many older members of Senate think I’m just another pretty daughter of Venus and with you gone from the Senate their mouths might start to run wild. Many of the representatives of the Gods already distrust me for my first name alone and. And.” Artemis’s right fist grabs her toga, gripping the purple flowy fabric between her fingers. “And what if they find out?”

The Centurion crosses her arms. “About your Grandmother? How can you be sure your father wasn’t lying about his mother?” Dusk raises her eyebrow as she looks at a few of the citizens of New Rome turning their heads towards them. She slowly starts to push the Praetor backwards and down one of the alleyways along the street, away from the crowds. "We have discussed this before, people can state strange things upon their death. Are you positive that this is the truth?"

“He sounded so sure before that giant spider ripped him to shreds. I mean it makes so much sense, Lady Minerva’s rival was Arachne, the Goddess of Spiders, of course, a giant monster spider would kill him. But, but. Lady Minerva swore to never have children! It is impossible. I can’t be her granddaughter.” Artemis raises her clenched fists to her eyes and presses hard. She feels the hot confusing tears bursting at her ducts ready to release.

“They would hate you, that is true, but you are smart, so wise, but they would hate you for a different reason.” Dusk reaches forward and wraps an arm around Artemis’s head and one arm around her back and pulls her forward into a hug. “I never told anyone this. But if anyone deserves to know the truth it’s you. I have kept this information from you from too long.” She leans back slightly and looks down at the Praetor and gives a sigh before speaking. “2 years ago I was on a quest where I encountered the Hunters of Diana.”

“I remember you telling the senate that in your report.”

“Indeed, what I never told the Senate was that I travelled with one of the Hunters for a short while, she became one of my closest friends, her name was Midna and she revealed to me many secrets. She revealed that the true name of the Hunters was the Hunter of Artemis.” Dusk says softly, her eyes distancing slightly as if escaping to an old memory.

“Artemis, like Lady Diana’s ancient Greek name?”

“Think hard, you are wise, you can work it out.” Dusk narrows her eyes and raises a hand and pokes a finger against Artemis’s forehead.

“Wait, oh..OH! oh…..Wait! WHAT?” Artemis’s face runs through a range of emotions as she works out the meaning behind Dusk’s words before settling on shock. “Greeks?” She couldn’t believe it. Her brain was running a marathon a minute, trying to work out the logistics of the situation, but her mind was pure static. Both a scream of silence and bursting crackles.

“And many others, but the Greeks and Romans are special, our Gods are one and the same. They just have, let’s say a weird form of multiple personality disorder. Entirely different from Epithets. But some are unique to each. Like my Mother. You are correct in that your Grandmother was Minerva, but you are something even more terrifying, a Granddaughter of Athena and a Daughter of Venus. A Greek and a Roman.” Dusk places her hand under the blondes chin and lifts it forcing eye contact between the two.

“But that can’t be possible, Lady Minerva swore to never have children!” Artemis grips at her hair with her left hand while her right swings around in a nonsense pattern. She couldn’t understand, bet yet it made so much sense.

“That is true, but she is capable of reproducing through the joining of the minds, like how she was born from the skull of Lord Jupiter. Lady Minerva has always had a strong dislike near hatred for the Romans and far preferred her Greek worshipers and Greek form over her Roman.” Dusk tells her as she lifts a hand to pry Artemis’s clenching fist in her blonde hair. “To be truthful, I am surprised your father lived for as long as he did after having you with Lady Venus. The two never really saw eye to eye and not to mention the Greek and Roman situation.” She starts to mutter as Artemis looks up at her desperate for answers. She looks down with a frown as she finally understands the meaning behind her father's demise.

“But what does this mean?”

“To everyone else, nothing. The Senate does not need to know. The Greeks are unknown to all of them and if the knowledge of their existence is revealed and they find out you’re a legacy of one of them….war between the two groups would be inevitable once again.”

Artemis’s grey eyes widen, her left one starts to itch slightly and she raises a hand to rub it. Her eye, she thinks, her eyes! She touches the skin under her grey eyes. Lady Minerva was always described with storm grey eyes, the same ones she inherited from her father, ones that he inherited from Lady Min-. No. Lady Athena. No Daughter of Venus had ever been born with eyes like her. Wait! The conversation with Dusk, she remembers and Artemis gives a slight shake as suddenly the full weight of the situation hits her like a horse-drawn chariot. “Wait. War? No, we can’t let that happen!”

“Of course, you must not let that happen. You must continue as if none of this ever happened, that you know nothing, that you suspect nothing.” Dusk raises a finger, pointing it upwards and pushing it forward slightly. “They will buy it, they all think as you say, just a pretty daughter of Venus. But both you and I know that behind that pretty exterior is a mind of wisdom, a mind of war, the mind of a Goddess.” The Centurion moves her hands back to the Praetor’s shoulders, her thumbs digging into her shoulders slightly. “You are a Daughter of Venus, mother of Rome and a Granddaughter of Athena, mother of Athens. Daughter of two of the greatest civilisation in history. You are destined for this position. And maybe one day, our two worlds can join together again without war and be led by you Praetor.”

Artemis’s mind goes quiet for the first time in since the conversation started and she can feel herself take a deep breath. A soft but sharp chuckle from an unknown voice runs through her head. In her head, she thanks her Grandmother. “Prove to me child” She hears the voice ring louder in her head. “Show me what a legacy of mine can do to those Romans. Fool them all.” She opens her eyes and looks straight up at Dusk, her eyes narrowing in determination. She could do this, she can do this. She’s fought in battles, lead armies, won wars.

She is Artemis, the Praetor of New Rome, Daughter of Venus, Granddaughter of Athena. A woman of love, wisdom and war and she will bring glory to both Romans and Greeks.

Chapter Text

-III-

Fable mutters as she closed the heavy steel apartment door behind her, the lock giving a generous clunking sound as the latch falls back into place. She breathes a sigh of relief as she rests her head on the cool metal. The backpack on her shoulder slips off and drops to the ground with a small thunk. “Made it.” Fable whispers as a small smile graces her face, her hand slipping gently down the door.

“Door interesting or somthin?” A voice greets out behind her accompanied by a soft crunching sound. Instinctively she pulls a dagger out of the sheath on her chest and flings the weapon straight at the voice. It sails through the air and lodges a few inches deep into the wooden wall right beside the figure of her brother. Legend stands there, letting the dagger graze his ear as he lifts the bowl of cereal in his hand and scoops out a large spoonful of the flakes and shoves it into his mouth.
“Twitchy.” He says, muffled by the food in his mouth. Gross, at least chew with your mouth closed, Fable thinks.

Fable lets out an exhale as Legend raises a single eyebrow. “Yeah, yeah I get it. Gods you have so much shit.” She stomps over to retrieve her dagger, stepping over numerous piles of different objects, mortal and divine. Even kicking several out of the way.

“Hey, don’t kick that!” Legend states, some milk dribbling down his chin as he points with his spoon to a pile of spears that she had just given a strong punt to. She smirks as they hold eye contact she winds up her right leg and sends a pot flying across the room. It revolves in the air a couple of times before smashing against a wall, pieces of terracotta falling to the ground.

“Clean up then.” She finally reaches him and extracts the dagger out of the woodgrain and points it straight at Legend’s face. “This is meant to be our place, aka 50% of this space is mine.” She waves the dagger over the cluttered lounge room of the old and slightly worn down apartment. “Like where even is the couch?” Fable huffs, as she blows her bangs out of her eyes.

“Yeah well, maybe if you showed up in the last 2 times it would have been a little different.” Legends states gazing at the back of his twin. Fable feels a wave of guilt wash over her as her shoulders droop somewhat.

She inhales a deep breath and turns around to face Legend. “I know and I’m sorry, there was this war against these monsters who nearly took down New Rome and they promoted me to Centurion and I couldn’t leave. You can’t blame me for that.”

“I thought you might have died when you didn’t show up last year.” Legend softly speaks, breaking eye contact with her.Fable watches her brother's knuckles turn white around the bowl of cereal. She takes careful steps over a pile of scrolls and slowly pries the bowl out of his grip and places it on the messy counter to her right. The Demi-god wraps her arms around her brother and she feels his hands hesitate before hugging her back. She feels her brother's fingers dig into her purple shirt.

“I’m sorry.” Fable whispers into his shoulder. They continue holding onto each other for a few more seconds before withdrawing and grip each other by the elbows. “It never should have to be like this.” She feels her brother gaze drop down to the at the SPQR tattoo on her left forearm, now baring 2 more black branding lines than the last time she saw him. “If I could have been Greek or you Roman then we wouldn’t have to keep so far apart.”

“The Gods don’t care enough. They never did. We do all this shit for them and for what? A world that continues being fucked. How hard would it have been to have twins and somehow still fucking up Dad.” A boom of thunder shakes the air outside and rattles the grimy windows of the apartment. A faint scent of ozone permeates through the cracks in the wall. Fable pulls away from her brother, dropping her arms to her side.

“What? I’ve never heard you say something so against the Gods before.”

“Yeah well…” Legend trails off crossing his arms as he glares at the lingering source of the sound of thunder outside the window. The daughter of Mercury’s eyebrows furrow as she feels a few gears in her brain start to turn. Legend was one of the most stubborn people she knew, he wasn't going to elaborate any further, no matter how much she pushed, it was better just to drop the conversation.

Something flashes through her mind as she thinks back, her brother only said he was worried about her lack of appearance last year, not the year before. She hums. “What about two years ago? You weren’t worried about me then?” She can see his muscles stiffen as he still refuses to make eye contact with her, she can see a small blush of embarrassment cross over his cheeks. “Wait….You didn’t even show up! You can’t get at me for not being here if you weren’t yourself you ass!” She feels her voice raise as she jabs her fingers between two of his ribs.

Fable smirks as her brother rubs his side and glare at her, she knows it’s going to bruise but the hypocritical asshole deserves it. “So, what happened to you then? War? Another Quest? OOO! Was is a girl~?” She chimes out the last part as a jest but she sees Legend freeze, his eyes looking down with anger and the blush crossing his cheeks bloom brighter. “Oh.” She takes a step forward as her brother slowly lowers himself to the ground and spreads out to lie fully starfish on the floor and he gazes up towards the ceiling.

Fable feels the smirk drop of her face as she follows him down and brushes the pile of scrolls away as she joins her brother on the dusty ground. She places her hands on her chest, lacing her fingers together as she and her brother face in the opposite direction. Their heads lie next to each other as they gaze silently up at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, it was a joke.”

“She wasn’t.”

“Tell me about her.” She glances over to her brother and sees he has his hands placed under his head, his teal beanie close to slipping off the back of his head.

“Her name is Marin, she has this fiery red hair and the most beautiful singing voice. Kind, stubborn, too good for what she has gone through. Even though I’ve met goddesses before, she was the one who looked like what I always envisioned a Goddess to be. I-I was on a Quest and I washed up on her Island. And- and she was amazing.” He breathes out softly. “I lost track of how much time I spent there, it felt like a dream…. But, one day she told me it was time for me to go. She was crying.”

“She didn’t go with you?” Fable asks as she feels something tapping in the back of the head, it makes her feel like she has heard something similar before.

“No, she told me she couldn’t leave and I refused to leave her behind. That night when I fell asleep she must have done something ‘cause I woke up on a tiny wooden raft in the middle of the ocean. After a day of drifting, I ended up at Camp Half-Blood.”

Fable’s blue eyes widen as she shoots up and cranes her neck to stare straight at her twin. “Legend, that sounds awfully like-“

“Calypso, I know.” His eyes pinch shut as one of his hands move out from under his head to cover his eyes. “I came the conclusion a couple of days after I washed up. I never asked her directly, but I think mentioning or ask would only make her sad and I didn’t want to make her unhappy.”

She smiles softly as slowly falls back onto the floor. “That sweet. Who knew you were capable of not being invasive?”

“Shut up.”

She can feel the glare unable to reach her as she giggles softly and gazes on the ceiling, her eyes tracing the wood dusty woodgrain. She exhales softly, blinking a couple of times, “You fell in love with her, right?” She listens out for a reply but none comes and it confirms her suspicion as she starts to finger the handle of her dagger strapped to her chest. Her brother was hurting and in turn, it hurt her too. “You’re trying to find a way back.”

“How do you always know what I’m doing.” He groans out, slightly annoyed but Fable can hear the grateful tone in his voice. That someone isn’t telling him it isn’t impossible.

“I’m your older sister, it’s my job.” She sits up and twists around to look down at him and smirk.

“By only 25 minutes!”

“Eh Potato, Patato. What matters is I’m older and as the older sibling I’ll always be there for my sweet baby brother who misses his magical island goddess girlfriend very much.” Her voice gains a teasing tone as she reaches her hands down and squishes her brother’s cheeks between her palms. Cooing as Legend flails his arms to move her hands off his face. “I do have to say though, it sounds remarkably romantic.” She sighs wistfully as the son of Hermes swipes her hands off his face.

She gazes down at her brother with a soft smile, she is happy for him. He looks embarrassed but sad. Her heart aches, she wishes nothing for the best for her brother but she doesn’t want to see him hurt even more. Fable believes that her brother deserves love more than anyone else she has met in her life and he has found it and it fills her with indescribable warmth.

“Can we stop talking about this?” Legend says firmly but she senses a hint of embarrassed agitation. Yeah, time to drop the subject. She thinks with a giggle.

“Of course, but remember if you need to talk to someone or help I’ll always be here for you bro.”She feels her smile widen as her brother huffs and a small grateful smile crosses his face.

“Thank you.”

Fable softly pats Legends cheek a couple of times and she sighs happily as she barely remembers the weight on her shoulders that was present when she arrived in the apartment. Seeing her still alive brother after two whole years does make a Demi-God feel better. “OH!” She shoots up, dusting off her knees as she leaps over to the bag she dropped on the floor when she first entered.

“Please be okay!” Fable mutters as she digs through the backpack and AHA! There it is!
She pulls out a white box as she feels her brother placing a questioning gaze on her. Fable walks over to her brother and kneels in front of him. She reaches a hand into the pocket of capris and pulls out a lighter. Flicking the ignition, she lights the two candles before taking a slightly smushed pink frosted cupcake in each hand. She holds one closer to herself then holds out the other one towards Legend with a serene smile.

Legend reaches his hands forward, his hand shaking slightly as he takes the cupcake. The flame flickers on the tip of the red candle, his eyes are drawn to it before looking back and locking eyes with his sister. Fable holds her cupcake up slightly as if to make a toast. “Happy Birthday to us!”

“Happy Birthday Sis.” They smash their cupcakes together, the cake and icing falling apart even more. Legend and Fable both laugh as they blow out their candles.

Chapter Text

-IV-

"Okay Campers. Gather round. Don't groan at me Legend, you know I have to say the rules each time because some of you don't seem to understand them even though I repeat them every year." Chiron calls out to the sea of Greek Demi-God children and teenagers. They are separated into two groups, with a sizeable colored flag in the center of each crowd. His front right hoof is making a loud clopping noise against the rock he is standing on, drawing the Half-bloods attention to the centaur. "For the first Capture the Flag of the Summer Season of 2014, we have the Blue Team, led by the Apollo Cabin."

A group of Demi-gods, most with bows and arrows, stand in front of a large blue banner attached to a dark wooden stand and pole. Sun raises her fist weakly up into the air, the rest of her cabin gives a loud cheer.

"They have allied with the Zeus Cabin." Sky grins, standing next to the group of Apollo kids. He places a hand on the shoulder of his girlfriend, she smiles at him awkwardly, looking slightly uncomfortable. Sun had never enjoyed combat or conflict, but hopefully, she would be able to pull through today. Her cabin is depending on her as their team leader.

"BOO!!" Wind calls out, cupping his hands around his mouth. He is standing amongst the other group of Demi-Gods from Sky and Sun.

Sky looks over to his cousin, and sighs, "You know they won't let us be on the same team Wind, you can ease up on it."

"No, we fucking ain't!" Tetra calls out from the Blue Team, as she sticks her tongue out at Wind.

"Language Tetra, or do I need to add another week of dishwashing duty with the Harpies to your extensive list of chores?" Chiron looks down at the daughter of Brizo, who throws her head back dramatically and groans loudly. Legend is standing next to her, trying to stifle his laughter, Wind does the same over by the red flag. "May I continue?" The centaur's gaze scans the young Demi-gods. "Good."

"As I was saying, they are allied with the Zeus Cabin. The Demeter Cabin." Another cheer rings out, as Dot and her siblings clap and whoop loudly.

"The Ares Cabin." A group of large, scarred Demi-gods bangs their weapons against their armor and shields. It mixes with the continuing cheers of the Demeter Cabin. "The Tyche Cabin, The Nike Cabin, and the Aphrodite Cabin will also be joining the Blue Team."

As each cabin is called out, a loud cheer goes around as the excitement hums and builds. "Also joining them will be the Hermes Cabin, the reigning Champions from last year's Capture the Flag."

"Fuck yeah!"

"Language Tetra. That is three more days of dishwashing duty." Chiron crosses his arms. Legend lightly shoves Tetra's shoulder, and the Daughter of Brizo winks to her cabin leader in response. Dawn stands behind her two fellow cabin-mates, looking around nervously. It was the first game of Capture the Flag of the year, and Dawn didn't know what to expect from the several newcomers or the older the campers. The Daughter of the Muse of History, had only been at camp for a week before the last summer ended. Shortly after, she had to return to her boarding school across the country. Her combat skills were still at a beginner level.

Legend and Hyrule had told her about the Camp activity. It was hard to believe that the teams were preparing this much for a simple game. She rubs the leather strap on her shoulder, the bronze chest plate armor she currently had on was quite uncomfortable and dug into her skin.

"Eh? Dawn, don't look so worried." Tetra slides up next to Dawn. The Daughter of Brizo has to crane her neck back to look up to meet Dawn's face. "We're going to win, no way I'm letting that stupid water boy win." Tetra slides her eyes over to Wind on the other side of the clearing, her voice getting progressively louder with each word.

Dawn laughs awkwardly as she sees the Son of Posidon's grip twitch around his sword. Tetra smirks. She knows he won't be able to resist the baiting forever.

"As for the Red team. This week, they will be led by the Hephaestus Cabin." Chiron calls out. The small grouping of the Hephaestus cabin cheers as they stand in front of their team's red banner. Four is at the front, eyes laser-focused on the enemy team, a soft smirk gracing his lips. Dot makes eye contact with him from amongst the Blue Team. She lifts her hand to her eyes and points two fingers at her eyes then points them towards Four. Four just shrugs, giving a soft chuckle, which is echoed by Dot.

"They have allied with the Hecate Cabin, the Hypnos Cabin, the Hebe Cabin." Cheers from the Red Team echo around the forest as members of the Blue Team throw insults and boos.

Aurora rolls her eyes as she stands next to Hyrule. He has his head down and is turned slightly to the left and head down to whisper with Wild. Both boys' eyes are bright as they speak in hushed and frantic whispers. Well, Aurora thinks, can't wait to see what those two get up to. She knows that they have been planning for this event for nearly a month.

"Also joining them is the Athena Cabin, the Iris Cabin, the Nemesis Cabin, the Dionysis Cabin, and the Posideon Cabin."

"GO BLUE TEAM!"

"FUCK THE BLUE TEAM!"

"FUCK YOU!"

"Language! Tetra, that's another two days of dishwashing duty for you. And Wind, that's three days for you." Chiron's tail flicks in agitation. The centaur feels a headache start as he sees Legend slipping a drachma into Tetra's hand. Legend's eyes widen, realising he was caught, and he holds his hands up, palms open in mock surrender.

"As I was saying, you should all know the rules. For our newcomers and for those who don't understand the concept of rules, I pray to the Gods you do someday." Chiron mutters the last part under his breath. "The creek is the boundary line, Red Team, you have the South side of the creek, Blue, the North is yours. This means that the whole forest is fair game, team leaders, you can place your flags anywhere within that area. No more than 2 guards at the flag and jail, they must stand at least 10 feet away from your flags and prisoners. All weapons, powers, and magic items are allowed. And please, please, no maiming, grievous bodily harm or killing allowed. May I remind you that breaking any of the rules will result in lost dessert?"

Wind looks horrified at the thought as Wild echoes him with the same expression. The two quickly shake their heads, causing a few of their fellow team-member to chuckle. "Good, now children, I shall blow the horn twice, the first, for you to find your starting position, and on the second horn, the game will start." Chiron holds up an airhorn, finger poised over the button. The Demi-gods below him shift slightly, hands shifting to their weapons, feet digging into the dirt ready to sprint off and competitive glares and smirks being thrown at their opposition.

Chiron's finger lowers onto the button and a loud artificial sound echoes throughout the forest. The Demi-gods scatter with accompanying shrieks and shouts. The Red Team heads to the South with Sun and Dot racing off with the flag. The Blue Team races towards the North, the flag in the possession of Aurora and Flora.

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Wind grins, resting his hand lightly on the hilt of his sword. Water splashes up the low sloping edge of the creek to settle around his feet in a small puddle. Across the 5-foot wide and foot deep body of murky water stand his older cousin. Sky glances at the Son of Poseidon and sighs exasperatedly. "You know we don't have to do this every time?"

"Yeah, well, if we were on the same team, then it wouldn't happen!" Wind calls out, a breeze starts to ruffle the leaves of the trees. "I've never been on the same Capture the Flag team as you! We would totally win!" The smell of saltwater begins to permeate through the air as Wind excitement grows.

A few giggles flow through the woods as the nymphs and dryads scatter to safer areas in the forest. Not many beings want to be caught in the crossfire between two children of the Big Three.

Sky sighs. "That would be a little unfair. But if we must." A soft smile begins to cross Sky's face. "You ready little cousin?" The wind picks up as the Son of Zeus's hand rests around the hilt his own sword. The divine blade is strapped to his back and hums softly as his grip rests upon it. The scent of ozone joins the salty tang in the air.

The two keep their gazes locked on each other as their secret backup hide in the trees above them, the other party blissfully unaware.

The second horn sounds through the air, and warcries echo in response as a few Demi-Gods start to clash a couple of hundred feet down the creek.

The wind howls as the water of the stream turns turbulent. Sky makes the first move, jumping forward, whipping his sword out of its scabbard.

Wind barely manages to pull his sword out of his hilt in time to block the first attack. It requires Wind's two hands to stop the blow. Sky smiles at Wind, pressing his weight down on the smaller male. The Son of Posideon eyes narrow as he focuses his power. The energy flares up inside him, and he twists his hands around the grip of his sword. Sky yelps as a tendril of water shoots out of the creek and wraps around his leg, pulling him into the shallow water of the stream.

Now with the slight upper hand, Wind leaps up into the air with a warcry, preparing to bring his sword down on Sky.

Eyes widening, Sky flies out of the water with a blast of air. The wind wraps around him as he floats up into the air, he hovers 20 feet above the clearing. Wind now stands in the creek, water lapping laps around his knees. Sky registers a small sting and looks down and sees a little slice through his pants, along with a small stain of red being absorbed into the torn fabric.

The younger Demi-god cheers. It had been a while since Wind had gotten anything more than a simple scratch on his cousin. Sky was the best swordfighter in camp, so any kind of damage, no matter how small, was a win.

Wind sobers himself quickly, then shoots one hand up into the air, palm flat open. In response, several streams of water shoot out of the creek towards Sky.

Sky twists and turns, air flowing around him as he slips through the streams of slightly muddy creek water. Flying through the barrage of attacks, he slices through one of the water ropes with his sword as it gets a little too close. The wind whips around him as corkscrews and lands on the ground behind Wind and swings his sword high.

Wind ducks and slides underneath the blade, the water assisting him, rising up, he swipes at Sky's legs with his bronze xiphos. A swirl of air surrounds Sky's feet to boost him up and over the blade as he jumps. The Son of Zeus shoves his body forward, tackling Wind, and pushing him out of the water and out of his element. Now both on dry land, the two continue to trade attacks.

"You're getting better." Sky remarks as Wind uses his size and speed to continuously dodge the Son of Zeus's attacks.

"Well, you have been teaching me." Wind grins as their blades lock once again, the metal screeching slightly as the edges grind against each other.

Sky laughs. Sky's hair starts to rise, charged with static electricity, as the smell of ozone permeates Wind's senses, Sky's sword lights up with a flash. Lightning surrounds his hands as the electricity starts to wrap the silver blade of his sword. Sky gasps and just as quickly quenches the lightning from around his hands and sword.

Wind reacts with a duck and moves into a roll along the ground as Sky pulls the crackling sword back for a swing. Missing the smaller Demi-God, Wind takes the opportunity to sprint back to the water. Stretching his left hand out, he focuses his power into his palm. The murky creek-water begins to rise, forming a slope. Concentrating, he hardens the water, and he sprints up the surface, moving higher.

Wind gazes behind up as he jumps off the end of the makeshift slope into the tree cover and sees Sky shooting off the ground with an eruption of air around his feet.

Wind slips his sword back into his hilt as silently as he can. Then he bounds through the treetops, from one tree to the next, the wind starts to howl. "Come out, little cousin." Sky calls out.

Wind jumps through the fork of another branch and reaches Four. The Son of Heaphstus is squatting up high in one of the taller pine trees. Four catches Wind's nod as the younger Demi-god dashes past him. The Son of Hephaestus pulls a small metal cube out of his pocket and throws it into the clearing. Sky's eyes quickly snap to the object, and he tries to determine where it came from. He sticks an arm out, and a blast of wind shoots forward and piercing through the trees. The cube rolls down the bank of the creek, falling into the water with a soft plop.

Four covers his eyes with his arm, protecting them from the windblast and kicked up dust. He stands up and runs along a branch stripped of its leaves and smaller sticks. He leaps off the end and tackles Sky out of the air.

Wind jumps out of a tree on the other side of the clearing, landing on the ground with the tip of his sword piercing the soil. Cracking sounds rise as the earth splits open from his blade. Cracks pierce through the river, diverting its path and stopping its gentle flow, leaving behind a small but sizable pool of water.

Sky lands on the ground with a grunt as Four rolls off him and brings his sword up to block a reciprocating blow from Sky. The ozone smell returns as Sky's eyes flash, his silver sword ignites with crackling electrical energy. His whole body tightens as he growls softly, eyes turning white with power. Four gulps, dodging the electric-powered swing from Sky's sword. "You okay?" Four calls out, but Sky ignores him, swinging his sword harder. "Shit."

After feinting, Four shoots out a hand towards the pool of water, the cube hisses as it opens a hatch. The water in the pool starts to bubble for a few seconds, then the bubbles fade away. "NOW!" Four barks, Wind grunts as he focuses his powers, and thrusts his right arm forward. Water from the pool shoots forward and envelops around Sky's right shoulder and hand. Sky's blade, mid-swing, slices through the leather of Four's bracer like butter, creating a short but deep cut into his skin. Four lets out a hiss as blood starts to rise to the surface of the slice.

Wind pulls his arm back closer to his body, the arm and its sword are yanked back. Sky shakes his head, his eyes losing their glow. He looks down at Four with guilt, eyes wide, and suddenly another tendril of water whips forward wraps around Sky's right leg.

Four begins to back up as Sky is pulled down to his knees. The Son of Zeus closes his eyes, lighting begins to crackle down his left arm, it hits the water, and, nothing happens.

Another blast of water wraps around his right hand as Sky focuses the lightning towards his hand, attempting to shoot the electricity down the streams of water. The electricity just dissipates.

Was something wrong with his lightning powers again?

The wind picks up as Wind shoots out a final stream of clear, sparkling water towards Sky, it wraps around his left leg, pinning the limb to the ground. Wind feels the air attempting to sweep him off his feet, he twists his feet into the pool of water, and the liquid hardens around his legs.

With Wind locked into place, not budging in the slightest, Sky focuses his attention towards Four. He the air blast forward towards the weaponsmith, it knocks Four off his feet and hurls him into the trunk of a tree. Four groans from the impact, but recovers quickly, picking up his dropped sword. He ducks and rolls under another blast of air, then he thrusts his sword forward, stopping the edge of the blade inches from Sky's neck.

"Do you yield?"

Sky thrashes against the watery bonds before stilling, looking up at Four, he grins and yells. "NOW!"

A fierce cry sounds as the water holding Sky releases, falling to the ground with a splash. The Son of Zeus jets forward and tackles Four into the same tree trunk he was blasted into before.

Four grips Sky's wrists, trying to keep the sword away from him. He strains to look behind the older Demi-god, Four sees Wind with his face pushed into the dirt. Tetra is sitting on his back with her dagger resting against his jugular.

"Turns out, you weren't the only ones with a backup plan." Sky rolls off Four, before the Son of Heaphstus can make a move, a sword tip is pointing straight at him. "Do you yield?"

Four sighs, giving a small nod, raising his hands into the air. Sky offers an open hand to Four, taking the offered hand Four hoists himself up. Wincing, Four feels the bleeding cut on his forearm sting from the action. Blood has started to smear across his arm, drying and cracking in some places.

Sky looks down, his eyes widening. "Oh my Gods, I am so sorry! Um, we should take you to Chiron!"

"I'll be fine." He looks up at smiles at the Son of Zeus. "The better question is, what are those two up to?" Four motions with a nod towards Tetra and Wind, who have now started to wrestle on the ground. Dust kicks up around the two as Tetra pulls out a strip of ripped fabric from a pocket on her shorts.

"Wait! Tetra!" Sky yells out, jogging over to the two. Tetra catches the edge of Wind's orange shirt and pins it to the ground with her dagger. Slamming the blade into the dirt, preventing him from moving. "Chiron said no gagging or binding prisoners."

"Not this time." She grins as she brings the cloth down to Wind gnashes his teeth at her. "Said shit 'bout maiming, but." The gleam in her eyes only brightens.

"Yeah, he might have forgotten to say it this time, but that doesn't mean it's still not there." Sky shakes his head as Wind glares up at the Daughter of Brizo on his back. Four moves over to the three, picking up his dropped sword along the way, slipping it back onto the belt around his waist.

"Do it! I fucking dare you!" Wind wiggles on the ground, dirtying up his clothes further. But his eyes mirror the same amusing gleam found in Tetra's.

"Language Wind!" Sky admonishes, Tetra wrestles the cloth around Wind's mouth and ties a knot at the back of the blonde's head. At least it was known that the two of them had quite a friendly rivalry. If, friendly rivalry meant hogtying your enemy. No one could stop their antics anyway, so why bother trying.

More swears, now muffled, sound from behind Wind's bound mouth. Tetra wraps another strip of cloth around his wrists before hopping off his back, standing up and dusting her hands on her vest.

Wind stands up as Tetra strolls over to Wind's discarded sword and picks the weapon, pointing it at its owner's back. With her other hand, she grabs his bound wrists and shoves him towards the northern forest, towards her teams jail.

"You're charged with one count of bad spacial awareness and three counts of being stupid! It's off to jail with you!" Tetra calls out, her voice ringing through the forest, Sky and Four follow up behind them at a leisurely pace.

"You'll never take me alive!" Wind spits the cloth out of his mouth to scream out as Tetra laughs loudly, giving a soft snort before bringing Wind's sword up to his neck.

"Death it is then."

"No killing each other, please." Sky calls out to the two as they bicker. The Son of Zeus turns to Four, he has his hand gripped around the bleeding wound on his right forearm. Four sighs and rolls his eyes, seeing the apologetic look in Sky's eyes.

"You don't need to apologize. I'll be fine. Now stop giving me that look."

Sky grumbles half-heartedly as Tetra directs the group around a maze of trees and boulders.

"I have to ask, why couldn't I use my lightning powers on the water? Wait, is something wrong? I don't use those powers a lot!" Sky mumbles to himself, holding his hand out in front of him and flexing his fingers. "I don't really like to use them."

"No, no!" Four walks around in front of him and quickly waving his hands, "It was my cube. It purified the water. Purified water can't conduct electricity." Four states as he paces backward, glancing over his own shoulder momentary to make sure they are still accompanying Tetra and Wind.

"Oh. OH! That's really smart!" Sky claps his hands together, smile brought back, and Four breathes out a sigh of relief. No one liked seeing the Son of Zeus sad. Along having him questioning his lightning powers is something no one wanted to retread. No need to mention the slight loss of control before either.

The group enters a small clearing with a large pine tree in the center.

"Get in your cell!"

Tetra shoves Wind towards the tree the Blue Team had designated as their jail. Wind sits down next to a daughter of Iris, Son of Athena, and a child of Dionysus. "Dude, are your hands bound?" The child of Dionysus asks as Wind complains at Tetra.

"This is horrible! You can't keep prisoners in these conditions!" Wind complains. The daughter of Iris joins in, and the two start screaming mutiny.

"I don't give a fuck. DAWN!" Tetra cries out to the Daughter of Clio, who was wandering on the other side of the clearing. The tall Demi-god swirls around and jogs over to the group. "Also, this situation doesn't constitute mutiny." She whirls back to Wind, who sticks his tongue out at her.

"Sorry, just checking the perimeter," Dawn states, breath slightly short. The bronze breastplate was not helping her what so ever. Four slides down next to Wind nodding at the other Demi-Gods. "Wow! You caught their team leader and.....um, why did you bind his hands?"

"I gagged him as well, but even that couldn't shut him the FUCK UP!"

"THESE ARE UNACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS! And also, I demand a rematch! MUTINY!"

"Maybe some other day, 'kay? Also, please quiet down Wind." Sky sighs as he walks over to Tetra and holds out his hand. The Daughter of Brizo grumbles before shoving Wind's sword into his hands. "Thank you, Tetra." He advances over to the 'jail' and bends down and places Wind's Xiphos next to him on the ground. "What's the current status Dawn?"

"Nothing so far, just some prisoners being dropped off but no attempt to rescue them. Me and Melony have it handled here, you guys should head off. You're not allowed to stick around for long at the jail." Dawn reports, raising a hand to the back of her neck and rubbing it. Melony, a Daughter of Ares, gives a thumbs-up as she continues with her patrol around the jail.

"Okay, thanks so much Dawn, we will be heading off. Tetra! let's go!" Sky starts to head back towards the creek but halts when he realizes when the Daughter of Brizo isn't accompanying him.

"I'll be good. See ya!" Tetra gives a two-fingered salute to Sky before spinning on her heel, heading into the trees, away from the creek. "Bye-bye, loser!" She calls out to Wind as she passes the jail tree. The Son of Posideon manages to throw up a middle finger despite his restrained hands. Tetra returns the action and sticks out her tongue before breaking out into a sprint and vanishing into the woods.

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Wild slips along the eastern treeline, focusing to not tread on any of the twigs littering the ground. Hyrule follows up behind him, swiping his sword off the ground, leaving the two Demi-gods the pair just fought knocked out on the floor. "Any backup?" Hyrule whispers to Wild, who has scurried up a tree to scout the area.

Wild shakes his head. Hyrule bends down and wraps his arms underneath a Son of Apollo's armpit, pulling his limp body closer towards a larger tree, then resting his body against it. Catching a few gulps of air, Hryule vows to work on his physical strength during his next training session as he moves onto the Daughter of Nemesis.

Hyrule yelps in surprise as Wild suddenly drops out of the tree, landing right in front of him. Wild holds a finger to his lips and makes a shushing sound before grabbing Hyrule by the elbow and pulling him into some thick bushes.

The twigs and leaves jab into Hyrule and Wild's skin as they lower themselves closer to the ground as a sound of footsteps appears. Peaking out of a gap in the leaves, Hyrule sees three sets of shoes. He begins to back up, shuffling on his elbows and knees as Wild copies him.

The two shift themselves through the underbrush until they are a couple of dozen feet away from the three enemy Demi-Gods before breaking out into a sprint. Wild halts suddenly and pulls Hyrule behind a large tree. Two female voices ring out. The two voices seem to be having a casual and enjoyable conversation.

Wild swings himself up into a large tree. He then thrusts a hand down Hyrule, the Son of Hecate takes the offered hand with a quiet thanks and hauls himself up into the treetop, joining Wild.

Hyrule swings his legs over a thick branch and sits on the rough surface as Wild unslings the bow off his back. Hyrule pulls one of the glass bottles off his belt, the clear liquid sloshing around inside. Closing his eyes, he focuses his energy into the bottle. A thin smoke starts to flow from his hand as he pulls on the magic deep within himself. The foggy mist swirls around his hands and the small bottle, and the liquid inside the glass bottle turns a pale, smoky grey.

Unclenching his grip around the bottle, he reaches up a hand towards Wild, and the Son of Hypnos drops an arrow into his open grip. Taking the leather cord that attached the bottle to his belt, he wraps it around the shaft of the arrow and ties the bottle to it.

The modified arrow is passed back up to Wild, who takes it with a nod and a smile. The Son of Hypnos retrieves another arrow out of his quiver. He draws it along with the modified arrow, knocking both against the drawstring. Wild shuffles forward slightly to gain a glimpse of the two female Demi-Gods below.

Sun and Dot stand alert in front of a giant blue banner in the center of a clearing below. Sun has a bow grasped loosely in her left hand, she has a couple of arrows in her quiver, which is strapped to her back. She had forgotten to refill her quiver yesterday after the training session, and Wild laughs lightly. Her signature lyre is strapped onto her belt next to her med-pack.

Dot twirls a 6-foot long bronze spear in her left hand while her right is loosely holding a round bronze shield. The two girls are chatting to each other in soft tones while their eyes peel the forest around them. But the conversation is clearing taking up more of their attention.

Shuffling as far forward as he can, Wild draws back the string of his bow and fires the modified arrow first. It sails through the air and lodges itself into the ground in front of Dot, the glass bottle remaining in one piece, without any cracks.

The Daughter of Demeter jumps back in surprise and pulls her shield and spear up. "Sun!" Dawn cries out, and the blonde's head whips up, arrow knocked in her bow in milliseconds. The two start backing up, moving closer to each other as they point the tips of their weapons at the trees around them.

Sun glances over to the arrow lodged in the ground, funny how the glass hadn't shattered, she thinks. She takes a step closer, wanting to investigate the mysterious arrow.

Immediately another arrow flys past her ear. She whips around and looses her own arrow high into the trees towards where she believes the two mysterious arrows came from. The Daughter of Apollo hears a shattering sound as the glass bottle is shattered by the second arrow. An explosion of heavy smoke bursts out of the bottle and fills the clearing, obstructing her and Dot's view of the flag and surrounding trees.

The smoke stings her eyes as Dot grabs her wrist, finding her partner in the smoke, and the two stand back to back. Suddenly, an arrow flies into the smoke towards the two girls. Whirling around, Dot brings her heavy bronze shield up and blocks the projectile. Crouching slightly, Dot allows Sun to fire a retaliating arrow back into the fog over her shoulder.

"Use your powers!" Dot coughs as she brings her shield up again to block another volley of arrows.

"I can't! The smoke is obstructing the sun!"

Dot sighs before yelping as a figure rushes out of the smoke and swings a bronze sword into her shield. Sun presses up against Dot's back. Dot sends her a quick mental thanks as she shoves her feet into the ground. Together, they push the unknown Demi-god back. Sun whirls around and discharges her last few arrows at the human form in the fog.

She winces when she hears the sound of a yelp, indicating she had hit someone. "Sorry!" she calls out, hand cupping her mouth in embarrassment as Dot gives a small laugh with a shake of her head.

"Cover me." Dot whispers, passing her shield off to Sun. The Daughter of Apollo quickly sheaths her bow and takes the heavy bronze shield, wheezing slightly with the weight. She circles Dot as the red-head places both her palms to the ground. "Trees, hear my request." Dot focuses her power into the ground, mind touching the dozens of ancient roots snaking through the ground below them. "Blow!" The Daughter of Demeter yells as the trees erupt around the clearing.

The branches and leaves shake, swirling the thick smoke around. Wild yelps, falling from his perch high in the trees, he lands, rolling along the ground. His arrows slip out of his quiver as he looks up and makes eye contact with Dot. Instantly he backflips as Dot grunts, picking her spear off the ground and hurling it straight at Wild. It cuts through the air, he barely manages to flip out of the way in time.

Subsequently dodging the spear, he bends down and scoops up some of his fallen arrows. He hisses as he does so and Wild looks down, a nasty gash, oozing blood, now decorated the back of his calf. Dot's spear must have just barely hit his leg at the end of his flip. Ignoring the pain, he spins around and quickly looses three arrows in her direction.

Dot yanks her shield out of Sun's hold and blocks the incoming arrow fire. Sun gasps as she sees Hyrule break into a sprint, coming out from behind a tree. He dashes past the two unarmed female Demi-gods and rips the flag and its pole off its stand.

Wild rises from his crouch and turns around, tearing Dot's spear out of the trunk of the tree it was stuck in. Wild charges forward with a grin and readies to hurl the weapon and yells, "Run!"

Hyrule disappears into the trees, the bright blue flag whipping in the breeze behind him. Wild winds back the spear, waiting to throw. Sun raises one of her hands high up into the air, pointed directly at the midday sun, and points the other straight towards Wild. A bright flash of light bursts out of Sun's hand, the Son of Hypnos drops the spear as the light blasts into his eyes, momentarily blinding him.

Dot charges straight at him and rams into Wild with her shield, pinning him to the ground. "Go! Get the flag!" Dot cries out as she picks up her spear and slams it into the ground next to Wild's head. Sun dashes past the two and swipes Wild's once again spilled arrows, shoving a few of them into her own quiver.

Sun sprints after the Son of Hectate. They both weren't the fastest runners, so that was a bonus for her. But he was clearly the more agile of the two, traversing the terrain better than herself, Sun was starting to fall behind. She knew they were coming up to the creek soon, only a couple hundred feet more as they run by a group of Demi-gods engaged in combat. They don't even notice the two racing for the creek and Sun's brows furrow. Why did they have to be in a thick and dense forest, there was no light passing through the trees.

Her eyes scan quickly around her, searching for any beam of sunlight passing through the trees. There! To her left! She banks to the left, whipping her bow off her back, pulling out one of Wild's arrows from her quiver. She knew she only had one shot. She chose to ignore the chase for this one chance.

In only a few steps, she reaches the beam of sunlight. Stepping into the light, Sun inhales, she then draws the string of her bow back. Light trails around her fingers, she pulls her bow up and aims at the shrinking figure of Hyrule. With the string taught, she sends a quick prayer to her father and an apology to Hyrule. Energy condenses around her fingers, it flows down the shaft, and a sparkling light focuses around the tip of the arrow. It flashes with bright burning energy. Mind blank, she lets go of the string, and the glowing arrow discharges straight towards Hyrule.

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"Come on out, I know you're there!" Aurora calls out, her hand moving to the bronze infused leather whip on her waist. Aurora knew that he was here, but where? She took a step back closer to the red banner that was placed on top of a large rock formation, being mindful of the 10-foot radius.

"Maybe we shouldn't yell? The Blue Team could find us." Flora speaks in a harsh whisper, her British accent coming out strong. She stands up from her crouch and dusts her hands on her black jeans. The Daughter of Athena's eyes examine the treeline, a dark blur catches her attention from the corner of her eye. Shifting her hands to her belt, she unsheathes her bronze dagger and shortsword.

The sound of light footsteps tickles her ear. Flora gasps and shuts her eyes as her long blonde hair whips in the sharp breeze. Damn, she really should cut her hair, it keeps getting in the way. Vision slightly blocked, she tries to push her hair out of the way. It takes a few seconds longer than expected due to the weapons currently held in her hands.

The source of the breeze appears, standing tall, hand wrapped around the pole of the flag. Legend has a cocky grin on as he taps the tip and heel of his shoes on the rock continuously. What? Chiron said they could use magic items. His Dad's magic shoes totally counted.

"I thought you would have been here 5 minutes ago." Aurora unclips her whip from her belt and grips the handle tight in her hand. "Ditch your 'assigned' partner again?"

Legend shrugs as Flora finally gets her hair under control, tucking the final strands behind her ear.

"I'll just be heading off now, thanks for the flag. Bye!" He gives a short salute with two fingers. With his shoes all charged up, he stops tapping. Legend breaks into a sprint, heading south, straight towards the creek. Crossing the small clearing and he just reaches the treeline when his whole body jerks, he falls to the ground, faceplanting straight into the dirt.

Rolling over, he sees a leather whip wrapping around his left ankle. Aurora smirks and grips the rope with both her hands and gives it a large pull. He splutters, dust kicking up as he is dragged along the ground, towards the Daughter of Hebe. "Not so fast, are you now?" Her words strain slightly from the effort of pulling Legend closer to herself. "You're becoming predictable. The last 3 Capture the Flags, you've done the exact same thing."

He sits up slightly, making eye contact while ignoring the jab at the predictability of his actions. Reaching a hand to his belt, he unsheaths his bronze sword. He pulls the blade up, ready to strike. The almost orange-colored blade slices through the air, and it harmlessly bounces off the whip. "Shit." Yep, he forgot about the near-indestructible quality Aurora's whip had. Pulling the xiphos back quickly, he stabs it into the ground next to him, hoping to slow his retrieval. The Daughter of Hebe grunts at the sudden extra resistance.

"A little assistance Flora?"

"Oh, yes!" She runs towards Legend, weapons ready to force his surrender. Legend slashes his sword at Flora, knocking her shortsword straight out of her grip and across the clearing. She yelps at her sudden disarmament and backs off slightly.

Legend takes the opportunity and slams his sword back into the ground as an anchor. He reaches his other hand down to remove the whip from his leg. But, his whole body lurches as Aurora gives another nice big pull on the rope.

Come on, almost there. Legend attempts to untangle the tight binding on his leg as Flora retrieves her shortsword. AHA! Legend rips the whip off his leg. He flips himself over and onto his feet, sprinting for the fallen flag.

Legend stops suddenly, his father's shoes skidding along the ground as his path is blocked by Flora. She has both her weapons drawn, bringing both to her left side, she swings at him. Pulling his own blade up, he stops the Daughter of Athena's dual weapons.

The two trade a few blows. Legend's form was tight and practiced, while Flora was running off pure adrenaline. She was clearly outmatched. A sloppy feint allows Legend to slice her shoulder. Flora cries out, dropping both her weapons to the ground. Her hand moves to her shoulder to cover the bleeding wound.

Legend sends her a quick apologetic look before it changes back into his default displeased and annoyed expression. He hears the sound of Auroura winding up behind him as he yells out in shock as the whip strikes right past his face, only inches from the tip.

"SHIT!" He jumps and rolls out of the way of another strike as Aurora draws back her arm and lashes the rope straight at him. Now on the defense, Legend keeps his eyes focused on the Daughter of Hebe. "You're getting better." He calls out as the tip of the whip cracks past his left arm.

"Why, thank you." A smirk crosses her face, adjusting her footing she lashes out another attack at Legend. He barely has time to bring up his sword to block the attack headed straight for his stomach. Perfect. The tip of the rope wraps around his sword, instantly she moves her other hand to the handle of her whip. Pulling hard, she rips the blade out of his grip. It flys to the ground, skidding along the rocky surface. "Sky has been teaching me personally." Aroura places a hand on her hip and gives Legend a cocky smirk.

"Hmmm, wonder why?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She cries out, knuckles whitening around the grip of her whip. Flora moves to a large pile of stones, sitting down, she attempts to construct a makeshift bandage out of a torn strip of cloth from her camp shirt.

Legend's sword lies an equal distance between the two Demi-Gods. They both look down at the blade, then make eye contact. Aurora quickly flicks her whip back next to her. Neither move.

A minute passes, and suddenly, both sprint. Aurora and Legend both run for the sword. Aurora makes it there first, scooping up the bronze weapon into her left hand, and she gives a little cheer of triumph. Looking up to gloat at her enemy, she growls. Legend has abandoned his weapon and is heading straight for the flag.

He skids next to the banner and swipes it up. Slinging the pole over his shoulder, he starts running, building his speed slowly. Damn these shoes, Legend curses to his Dad, why did he take a faulty pair. "See you later 'Rora! Too bad you moved out of the Hermes Cabin, you could have won today if you just stuck with us!" He calls out, sending her a quick wave.

"SHIT!" His body jerks, stupid long-ranged whip. Digging his feet into the ground, he spins around as Auroura's whip latches around the pole of the flag.

A tug of war ensues between the two, each pulling with all their might, Legend pulls on the pole and Aurora tugs her whip. Aurora slowly begins to gain the upper hand, her strength overpowering Legend's.

Legend accesses the situation. He frowns as Flora runs over to Aurora, now finished with bandaging her bleeding shoulder. The Daughter of Athena's hands joins Aurora's around the whip's handle, helping her fellow teammate in pulling the flag from him. An idea comes to mind, but he only has one shot. Here goes nothing, he thinks.

He gives a tug with all his strength, leaning as far back as he could. He feels the Daughters of Hebe and Athena return the force against the whip. Taking a deep breath, he lets go of the pole.

The banner flies straight towards the two girls. Yelping, the two girls fall backward onto the ground from the release in pressure on the rope. Legend immediately reaches his hand out, gripping the flag he rips the red fabric off the pole. He hopes that this will do and turns on his heel. Focusing, he sprints as hard as he can, straight for the borderline.

"GET BACK HERE!" The Daughter of Hebe screams, scrambling off the ground and runs to catch up with Legend. Flora sighs, raising a hand to her injured shoulder, stands up, and follows her teammate towards the creek.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Move!"

"Sorry! 'Scuse me!"

Two voices yell as they run for the creek. Weapons are lowered as fights end. Eyes are drawn to Hyrule, he is holding a flag pole, weaving in and out of tree roots and rocks. He is a hundred or so feet away from the creek.

Legend is further away, but closing in. Clearly faster than Hyrule, the red flag, sans its pole, is gripped in his hand. He shoulders past a teammate and sidesteps a Demi-God from the enemy team. Keeping his gaze forward and focus, something catches the corner of his eye.

Legend smirks, he is looking forward to this final race. Even better, it's against Hyrule, he did always liked that kid. He missed him around the Hermes Cabin after he joined the Hectate Cabin. The Son of Hermes may not have many powers as the kid or his twin sister, but he was fast.

Hyrule was going to need to pull out something big to win. Straining, he pulls up his hand, a smoky mist starts to swirl around his fingers. Hyrule's magic was unpredictable, especially while he was strained, so he sends a quick prayer to his mother. Something to tangle up Legend, he thinks, and the mist swirls thicker around his open palm, responding to his thoughts.

He readies to shoot the blast of misty magic when suddenly, searing heat passes over his shoulder. It burns both his skin and eyes as an arrow of glowing light blasts past him. The other Demi-gods scream and run away, fearful of the glowing arrow as Hyrule continues running for the creek. Only 50 feet left. He dissipates the magic and grips harder around the flag pole and pushes himself harder.

"GET BACK!" Legend hears Sky yell out, and the Son of Hermes looks to his right. The bright, blazing arrow is heading straight towards him.

"Oh shit." He skids to a stop, only feet from the creek. The arrow curves down and lands straight in the water, giving a soft hissing sound like the sound of an extinguishing fire. A second passes, then suddenly, a loud and bright explosion triggers, blasting water and light high into the air. The air cracks with divine energy as Demi-gods around him scream, ducking behind shields, trees, and boulders. Legend grunts as he is knocked back, someone tackles him to the ground, out of the way of the blast.

His back hits the ground, as the explosion of light and firey energy swirls above him and his savior. His skin burns from the explosion, but droplets of water rain down, providing some respite from the minor burns.

Once the blast of wind, light, and water from the explosion disappears, Legend opens his eyes. He blinks a few times, vision blurred and ears ringing. Laying on top of him is Hyrule, a wooden pole with a singed blue flag is gripped in his left hand.

The sound of hooves appears as Chiron gallops over to the two young Demi-gods. "Are you two alright?"

"Who won?" Tetra yells as she runs up to Legend, grabbing his arm and tugging on the limb. Chiron chides the Daughter of Brizo, she rolls her eyes, not caring in the slightest, her attention entirely focused on the result.

Legend nods towards Hyrule, and the brunette looks down to the banner clutched in his left hand. The Son of Hecate eyes widen as he looks behind him, seeing the creek. He is silent, but a wide grin slowly grows across his face. He did it! He won!

A burst of energy runs through him, and he thrusts the flag high up into the air. Members of the Red Team rush towards Hyrule, screaming and cheering. Chiron stands among them, trying to get to Hyrule to tend to his injuries, but the mob only grows. The centaur sighs as Hyrule is hoisted up onto the shoulders of two large Hephaestus kids. The flag is passed down to Four, their team leader, who waves it high in the air. Wild picks up the small Son of Hephaestus and places him on his shoulders. He joins Hyrule, high above the crowd, cheering with the rest of his team.

"Congratulations to the Red Team. Your Victors!" Chiron calls out, attempting to calm the situation down, but it only increases the revelry even further. "Now, please, may I check on young Hyrule?" Chiron's request goes unheard as Hyrule is jostled around, battered and bruised from the blast, but glowing with happiness.

Legend turns away from the cheering crowd of the Red Team. Walking towards his own team, who are congregating on the other side of the creek. Tetra follows him groaning as Wind revels in his victory, calling out teases from among his celebrating teammates.

"Good game." Legend says, masking his disappointment into his usual apathetic look. A few members of his team give him disappointed or pissed off looks, which he ignores.

"Are you okay?!" Sun bursts through the crowd, bow slung across her back, and tears forming in the corners of her eyes. One of her half-brothers follows her over, pulling out a medical kit and starts swabbing the burns and scrapes on Legend's arm. "I am so sorry we didn't win, I know this means a lot to you."

He huffs, blowing his bangs out of his eyes, before looking down at Sun. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sky walks over and places a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder, gazing at Legend with a look of pity. The disappointment from the loss of the game leaves Legend, being replaced by a growing feeling of rage, fueled by seeing Sky and Sun together. Why did he even care about this stupid game? In the grand scheme of things, it meant nothing. Legend scoffs, ripping his arm out of the Son of Apollo's grip.

"I don't need your pity, either of yours." He heads towards the other side of the creek, calling out to his teammates. "It's just a game. Why does it even matter."

"Legend." Tetra raises a hand out towards the Son of Hermes, "Are you okay, dude?" her expression uncharacteristically worried. Legend ignores her and walks over to Aurora, who is celebrating with the rest of the victorious Red Team. Holding out his hand towards her, the Daughter of Hebe raises an eyebrow but wordlessly hands him his bronze sword.

He turns away and heads out of the forest towards the Cabins, alone.