Percy Jackson - Christmas 10

Percy's POV

– Heroes! – Chiron said when we were all gathered on the edge of the woods. – Everyone knows the rules. The stream is the frontier and the whole forest can be used. All magic items are allowed. The flag must be displayed in a visible way and it can't have more than two keepers; remembering the keepers have to be thirty-three feet away from it. Prisoners can be disarmed, but not tied or gagged. It's not allowed to kill nor maim. I'll be judge and doctor on the battle field. Good luck to you all!
    We shouted and clapped while each team went to its side of the woods; the Hunters following Thalia and the campers following me, Annabeth and Jason. Our team hadn't exactly a captain. We all agreed Jason and I should lead, but I wouldn't get anything without Annabeth's plans, this is why she was leading as well.
    I was going to suggest putting the flag on Zeus's Fist, as usual, but then I remembered the Hunters got that side of the forest. Different from me, Annabeth seemed to know where to put the flag: in a twisted tree. This tree was, like, huge, so there wasn't any other about ten feet around it, what made the flag's position very visible. But of course we wouldn't put it near the floor. Annabeth handed it to Jason and ask him to put it seventeen feet tall. One thing I'm jealous of him: he could fly.
    – Very well – Annabeth said when Jason backed to the ground –, we're almost sure where their flag is. It's kinda hard to get there, but I don't believe that's our greatest problem. The Hunters are fast, so our best chance is to block their way to our flag. Leo, Piper, each one of you take three campers and guard the sides of the stream. Will, take four to the middle of the woods and separate a bit. I think Thalia would prefer to charge the sides, and hope we do the same, so Percy, Jason, Nico and... you – she pointed to one of the Romans sons of Mars – will sneak through the middle and keep them busy. Miranda and Lou, you two keep the flag. Make bushes and magic plants grow; anything that keep them far from the tree.
    Miranda and Lou smiled to each other. Annabeth had chosen well the keepers: a children of Demeter and one of Hecate. If it was up to them, no one would get near the flag.
    – And you? – I asked.
    – Me? – she turned to me with her Yankees hat on hands. – I'm gonna capture the flag, Seaweed Brain.
    I smiled. Her plan was so perfect, I could never come out with something like that.
    In that moment, we heard a horn sounding and separated quickly. Jason, Nico, that Roman, Annabeth and I went through the middle of the woods and stopped in the stream. Well, actually only I stopped in the stream, the others stayed by the margin. Annabeth turned to us and said:
    – Do everything possible to keep them distracted and separated. They must not hear me when I get close to capture the flag, neither when I come back to our camp, so you have to distract the keepers as well.
    – No problem, Annie – Nico said with an evil smile; but not evil like Thalia's or Jason's of I'm-gonna-explode-you-to-a-million-of-pieces-in-a-painful-way, but one of I'm-gonna-make-the-ground-swallow-you-and-send-you-to-the-Underworld-in-a-painful-way.
    Nico disappeared and then Annabeth said:
    – Well, I only hope he doesn't get to kill them of shock.
    – Literally – I added.
    – Anyway, good luck to you guys.
    – Have I already said you look beautiful in armor?
    Annabeth looked at me and rolled her eyes.
    – Only every time I put one.
    – So I couldn't screw up the tradition, huh? Be careful.
    She smiled at me.
   – I'll be invisible. You need to be careful, Seaweed Brain.
   After that, she put the hat and vanished.

Jason's POV


    She put a blue cap in her head and vanished, too. Wow, one cap like that would have been very useful when we fought the giants. Well, this explains why sometimes she disappeared.
    – Okay guys – Percy said –, I have no idea of what Nico is gonna do, but...
    I heard a noise like someone leaning on a tree. We were being watched.
    – Sh! – I interrupted him while looking around.
    – What is it? – he whispered.
    I kept looking around, but it would have been impossible to find someone in such darkness. But I still knew somebody was spying us, I could feel a presence. I said:
    – Matthew, stay around the middle and hit any Hunter who's trying to infiltrate. I'll distract the keepers.
    – Fine, and what do I do? – Percy asked moody. I think he didn't like I interrupted him and then didn't answer his question.
    – There's someone in here, I think you better stay here.
    I thought he was going to protest, but I heard a piece of kindling breaking ten feet in front of me. Apparently, the others also heard it and turned to the noise.
    – Get out of here, quickly – Percy said without even turning to us.
    Matthew and I went to the darkness. We walked about thirty two feet without seeing a thing and heard an explosion behind us; a water explosion. I wanted to come back and see what had happened, but I had to distract the keepers so Annabeth could capture the flag. Win this time was probably important for the Greeks, seen they had lost fifty-six consecutive times – or they were really bad, which I doubt, or they didn't really want to win, because the Hunters didn't seem to be very difficult to defeat on a stupid capture the flag game. I wanted to see them on our "little games" back there at our camp.
    – Boys – a female voice said next to me and I almost jumped. Annabeth took the hat out of her head and appeared in front of us. – Their flag is there – she pointed to the opposite side we were going.
    – But we came from there – I said.
    – Ah... not exactly. You're kinda walking in circles.
    – We can't be walking in circles. We haven't turned anytime.
    – Don't worry – she smiled as she was having fun with it –, just follow me.
    We followed Annabeth through what seemed to be the same way we had come from, but I couldn't be sure because everything was the same for me – darkness, snow and trees – until our way was stopped by something like eight Hunters.
    – Well, well, well – Thalia said going to the front. – This will be fun.