──── chapter five

{ 🔮 }  · capture the flag is fun! . ݁ ٬٬ ࣪

DEMIGOD DREAMS were terrible as it is; add to that that Endora sometimes dreams about other people's dreams and nightmares. How is that possible? She has no idea. Sometimes she doesn't mind. Call her a gossiper, but she likes to hear what is going on. But now? She wanted to wake the fuck up from this nightmare.

Annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog. It almost seemed like the Underworld, because Endora immediately felt claustrophobic and she couldn't see the sky above ─ just a close, heavy darkness, as if she was in a cave. Annabeth struggled up the hill. Old broken Greek columns of black marble were scattered around, as though something had blasted a huge building to rums.

"Thorn!" Annabeth cried. "Where are you? Why did you bring me here?"

She scrambled over a section of broken wall and came to the crest of the hill. She gasped. There was Luke. And he was in pain. He was crumpled on the rocky ground, trying to rise. The blackness seemed to be thicker around him, fog swirling hungrily. His clothes were in tatters and his face was scratched and drenched with sweat.

"Annabeth!" he called. "Help me! Please!"

She ran forward. Endora wished she could yell and scream in her dreams for the girl to hear her, but she knew it was pointless.

Annabeth had tears in her eyes. She reached down like she wanted to touch Luke's face, but at the last second she hesitated.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They left me here," Luke groaned. "Please. It's killing me."

Endora couldn't see what was wrong with him. He seemed to be struggling against some invisible curse, as though the fog were squeezing him to death.

"Why should I trust you?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was filled with hurt.

You shouldn't. Endora wanted to scream, Let him die!

"You shouldn't," Luke said. "I've been terrible to you. But if you don't help me, I'll die." 

Then the darkness above Luke began to crumble, like a cavern roof in an earthquake. Huge chunks of black rock began falling. Annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared, and the whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehow ─ tons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her and Luke just with her own strength. It was impossible. She shouldn't have been able to do that. 

Luke rolled free, gasping. "Thanks," he managed.

"Help me hold it," Annabeth groaned.

Luke caught his breath. His face was covered in grime and sweat. He rose unsteadily. "I knew I could count on you." he began to walk away as the trembling blackness threatened to crush Annabeth.

"HELP ME!" she pleaded,

"Oh, don't worry," Luke said. "Your help is on the way. It's all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die."

The ceiling of darkness began to crumble again, pushing Annabeth against the ground.

Endora woke up clawing at the sheets at Cabin eleven. Her breathing was uneven and her heart rate going miles per hour. The clock on the wall of the Cabin read just after midnight. It was only a dream, and no matter if the two girls weren't really close friends, Endora was sure of two things:

Annabeth was in terrible danger.

And Lukewas responsible.  

Endora doesn't like to eavesdrop ( that's a fucking lie ), but when she heard Percy Jackson explaining the same events that happened in her dream, of course she had to step in. No one, and she means no one, ever got the same dream. She was confused, yet at the same time totally not freaked out like Percy and Grover were.

The two boys sat in the meadow watching the satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Usually the nymph would let the satyr get up a full head of steam, then she'd turn into a snow-covered tree and the poor satyr would slam into it head first and get a pile of snow dumped on him.

"Looks like Morpheus had eventful night and decided to give us the same dream," Endora said from behind the two boys, making Percy flinch and Grover to let out a yelp.

"Don't scare us like that, Dora!" Grover said, putting a hand over his heart.

"Not my fault y'all are deaf," she shrugged and sat in between them. "Continue please," she turned to Percy who was already looking at her with mouth slightly agape and slightly widened eyes, "What? Am I that distracting?"

Percy looked away and cleared his throat, "No, um, I mean yes, um. . . yeah, where was I."

Percy continued the dream the two shared. When he ended the talking he turned to Endora.

"Everything same?"

"Yup," she said, "From A to Z."

"A cave ceiling collapsed on her?" Grover asked.

"Yeah. What the fuck does that mean?"

Grover shook his head. "I don't know. But after what Zoë dreamed ─ "

"Whoa, hold up, goat boy." Endora cut in, "What do you mean? Zoë had a dream like that?"

"I. . . I don't know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked."

"Wait, how do you know this?" Percy asked.

Grover blushed. "I was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin."

"What for?"

"Just to be, you know, near them."

"You're a stalker with hooves."

"I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn't let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene."

"What did she say?" Percy asked.

Grover grimaced. "Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout. . . I think that's a bad thing. And then he called her ─ "

"Whoa, wait. How could Artemis be in trouble?" 

"I. . . well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers and ─ "

"He wears curlers in his tail?" Percy asked.

Endora glared at him to shut up.

"Sorry," he said. "Go on."

"Well, Zoë said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoë that the Hunters were supposed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said. . ." Grover gulped. "She said 'How are we to get orders from Artemis ifArtemis is lost?'" 

"What do you mean lost? Like she needs directions?"

"No. I think she meant gone. Taken. Kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Endora said in surprise.

"How would you kidnap animmortal goddess?" Percy asked, "Is that even possible?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, it happened to Persephone."

"But she was like, the goddess of flowers."

Grover looked offended. "Springtime."

"Whatever. Artemis is a lot more powerful than that. Who could kidnap her? And why?"

Grover shook his head miserably. "I don't know. Kronos?"

"He can't be that powerful already. Can he?" Percy asked, his expression turning nervous.

From what she heard, Kronos was apparently still cut in pieces. Thousands of years ago, after the big Titan ─ God war, the gods had sliced him to bits with his own scythe and scattered his remains in Tartarus, which is like the gods' bottomless recycling bin for their enemies. 

"I don't know," Grover said. "I think somebody would know if Kronos had re-formed. The gods would be more nervous. But still, it's weird, you two are having a nightmare the same night as Zoë. It's almost like ─ "

"They're connected," Endora said. 

Over in the frozen meadow, a satyr skidded on his hooves as he chased after a redheaded tree nymph. She giggled and held out her arms as he ran toward her. Pop! She turned into a Scotch pine and he kissed the trunk at top speed.

"Ah, love," Grover said dreamily. 

Percy turned towards Endora, "We've got to talk to Zoë," 

"Um, before you do. . ." Grover took something out of his coat pocket. It was a threefold display like a travel brochure. "You remember what you said ─ about how it was weird the Hunters just happened to show up at Westover Hall? I think they might've been scouting us."

"Scouting us? What do you mean?" Percy asked.

"Well, Artemis did ask Dora to join her hunt," Grover pointed out and the girl winced at the memory, "And, um, I found this."

He gave the boy the brochure. Endora leaned to his side so she could see. It was about the Hunters of Artemis. The front read, A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! Inside were pictures of young maidens doing hunter stuff, chasing monsters, shooting bows. There were captions like: HEALTH BENEFITS: IMMORTALITY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU! and A BOY-FREE TOMORROW! 

"I found that in Annabeth's backpack," Grover said. 

Percy stared at him. "I don't understand."

"Well, it seems to me. . . maybe Annabeth was thinking about joining." 

That night after dinner, almost everyone was excited for the capture the flag against the Hunters. Endora participated in the game from time to time; it was fun, helping her either clear her head or just feed it more negative thoughts. But it was fun none the less. However, a game with immortal girls didn't sound fun in Endora's opinion. They were stronger thanks to that immortality and were just plain ─ intimidating.

It was going to be a small game: only thirteen Hunters, including Bianca di Angelo, and about the same number of campers. Zoë Nightshade looked pretty upset. She kept glancing resentfully at Chiron, like she couldn't believe he was making her do this. The other Hunters didn't look too happy, either. Unlike last night, they weren't laughing or joking around. They just huddled together in the dining pavilion, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armor. Some of them even looked like they'd been crying. Endora guessed Zoë had told them about her nightmare.

On their side, they had Beckendorf and two other Hephaestus guys, a few from the Ares cabin ( though it still seemed strange that Clarisse wasn't around ), Endora, Lou Elle, Basil, the Stoll brothers and Nico from Hermes cabin, small group of Apollo children including Madeline You, one boy from the Dionysus Cabin, Fredrick Jeon, and a few Aphrodite kids. Plus, Thalia and Percy, of course.

Everyone from the Hermes' cabin was helping each other put on their armor, adjusting the straps and handing weapons to those who didn't have them. To make everything fair, Chiron made the three witch siblings swear they wouldn't use their magic from this game. Which Endora felt was a little bit unfair because that was her weapon; she never really used her sword.

"It ain't our fault they don't posses magic like we do," Lou Ellen grumbled as she adjusted Basil's armor, "Those fucking immortal girls!"

"They're scary," Basil said, "More scary then Dora when there are no strawberry donuts left for breakfast."

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or no," Endora said, titling her head.

"I'll take the offense," Thalia volunteered, looking at Percy. "You take defense."

"Oh." Percy hesitated, "Don't you think with your shield and all, you'd be better defense?"

Thalia already had Aegis on her arm, and even their own teammates were giving her a wide berth, trying not to cower before the bronze head of Medusa.

"Well, I was thinking it would make better offense," Thalia said. "Besides, you've had more practice at defense." 

Endora winced at the sentence. She remembers when Percy first arrived at the Camp and Annabeth had put him defense, or, in words of Athena, out as a kind of bait, and the boy'd almost been gored to death with spears and killed by a hellhound.

"Yeah, no problem," Percy said with hesitation in his voice.

"Cool." Thalia turned to help some of the Aphrodite kids, who were having trouble suiting up their armor without breaking their nails.

"Oof!" Nico said as he bumped into Endora. He studied himself then looked excitedly at Percy "This is awesome!"

His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling in his eyes, and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. Endora felt bad that they didn't have anything in his size. She lifted her hand up and his breastplate and helmet shrinked in size, fitting the boy perfectly.

He looked down at himself before looking at Endora with awe, "So cool! Thanks, Dora!"

The girl laughed, "No problem, Nico."

Nico lifted his sword with effort. "Do we get to kill the other team?"

"Well. . . no." Percy said.

"But the Hunters are immortal, right?"

"That's only if they don't fall in battle. Besides ─ "

"It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we could keep fighting, and ─ "

"Nico, this is serious." Percy looked annoyed at the younger boy, "Real swords. These can hurt." 

"What Jackson means," a voice of Fredrick Jeon joined in. The son of Dionysus walked over towards them, his dagger in his hand, twirling it between his fingers, "We don't want to hurt the other team, just to catch their flag with our awesome magical weapons. But no hurting. We don't want Chiron to yell at us. Got it boy?"

Nico slowly nodded, before looking at Fredrick from head to toe, "Who's your godly parent?"

The blonde boy laughed, "Dionysus."

"Mr. D?"

"Yup, that one," Fredric said and turned to Endora, "Could you just shrink my breastplate a bit? It doesn't fit well anymore."

"Yeah, of course," the girl said and did the same thing she did with Nico's armor, "There ya go. Brand new."

"Thanks, Dora."

"How come you're here, Fred?" Lou Ellen asked, standing next to Endora, "You usually stay during the summer."

"Mom's away on a business trip in Toronto," Fredrick said, "So, I gotta stay here with dad. I ain't complaining though, I have the whole Cabin to myself as Pollux and Castor aren't here."

Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor. "Heroes!" he called. "You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team ─ Camp Half-Blood ─ shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis ─ red team ─ shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!"

"Blue team! Follow me!" Thalia yelled.

They cheered and followed. 

The campers set their flag at the top of Zeus's Fist. It's this cluster of boulders in the middle of the west woods that, if you look at it just the right way, looks like a huge fist sticking out of the ground. If you look at it from any other side, it looks like a pile of enormous deer droppings, but Chiron wouldn't let them call the place the Poop Pile, especially after it had been named for Zeus, who doesn't have much of a sense of humor. 

Still, it was a good place to set the flag. The top boulder was twenty feet tall and really hard to climb, so the flag was clearly visible, like the rules said it had to be, and it didn't matter that the guards weren't allowed to stand within ten yards of it. 

Percy set Nico on guard duty with Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers, figuring he'd be safely out of the way. Endora had to split with her siblings because, in Thalia's words, they were not a good combo. So, she was close to Nico, but now with Fredrick Jeon and Madeline You. Was it awkward? Hell yeah.

"We'll send out a decoy to the left," Thalia told the team. "Silena, you lead that."

"Got it!"

"Take Laurel and Michael. They're good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters, attract as many as you can. I'll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise." 

Everybody nodded. It sounded good, and Thalia said it with such confidence you couldn't help but believe it would work. Thalia looked at Percy. "Anything to add, Percy?"

"Um, yeah. Keep sharp on defense. We've got four guards, two scouts. That's not much for a big forest. I'll be roving. Yell if you need help."

"And don't leave your post!" Thalia said.

"Unless you see a golden opportunity," 

Thalia scowled. "Just don't leave your post."

"Right, unless ─ "

"Just, follow the rules. . . Now, is everybody clear?"

Everybody nodded. They broke into their smaller groups. The horn sounded, and the game began.

"Right, this awkward tension needs to go until we wait to loose."

"Wow, aren't you optimistic," Madeline You said as she sat on the ground, leaning her head on her hand that was propped on her knee.

"I'm just saying," Fredrick rolled his eyes, "This is the first time we're actually talking."

"I talked with Endora before," Madeline said.

"To see if you can change the music," Endora said, reading though her spellbook, "At least it was a start. Plus, I don't do people, so be quiet."

"Don't do people my ass," Fredrick said as he snatched Endora's spellbook from her grasp.

"Hey!" she got to his feet, "Give that back!"

"I always see you around with this," the blonde boy flipped though pages. Madeline stood up too, curious to see what was written.

"Yeah, no shit," the witch extended her hand up and the spellbook flew from the boy's hand and into her own, "It's my spellbook, a place where I write my spells and new ones appear, dumbass."

"Who are you calling dumbass."

"I think she meant you," the black haired girl said.

"Aren't you two nice."

"The nicest," the two girls said at the same time. They looked at each other before shrugging.

Son of Dionysus rolled his eyes and looked at Endora, "Where is our master planner? Annabeth wasn't there when you came back?" 

"Oh right," Madeline nodded, "She wasn't there. Is everything fine?"

Endora felt her throat closing up. She rubbed her arm up and down, "Um, well. . . Annabeth is ─ "

She thanks gods for whatever it was happening down at the creek.

The three were on alarm, seeing as the Stoll brothers and Nico ran towards the noise with Chrion not far behind.

"Let's go."

Was Endora surprised when the Hunters won? Not in the slightest. She didn't need to be the Oracle to see that one coming. She also didn't have to be one to see the fight that would eventually break out between Percy and Thalia.

Percy was two feet from the water when Zoë bolted across to her own side, slamming into the boy for good measure. The Hunters cheered as both sides converged on the creek. Chiron appeared out of the woods, looking grim. He had the Stoll brothers on his back, and it looked as if both of them had taken some nasty whacks to the head. Connor Stoll had two arrows sticking out of his helmet like antennae.

"The Hunters win!" Chiron announced without pleasure. Then he muttered, "For thefifty-sixth time in a row."

"Perseus Jackson!" Thalia yelled, storming toward the boy. She smelled like rotten eggs, and she was so mad that blue sparks flickered on her armor.

Everybody cringed and backed up because of Aegis.

"What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?" she bellowed. 

"I got the flag, Thalia!" Percy shook it in her face. "I saw a chance and I took it!"

"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" Thalia yelled. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would've won."

"You had too many on you!"

"Oh, so it's my fault?"

"I didn't say that."

"Argh!" Thalia pushed the boy, blowing him backward ten feet into the water. Some of the campers gasped. A couple of the Hunters stifled laughs.

"Sorry!" Thalia said, turning pale. "I didn't mean to ─ "

Endora could feel anger going though Percy. A wave erupted from the creek, blasting into Thalia's face and dousing her from head to toe. The boy stood up.

"Yeah," Percy growled. "I didn't mean to, either."

Thalia was breathing heavily.

"Enough!" Chiron ordered.

But Thalia held out her spear. "You want some, Fish boy?"

"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!" 

Percy raised Riptide, but before he could even defend himself, Thalia yelled, and a blast of lightning came down from the sky, hit her spear like a lightning rod, and slammed into the boy's chest. Percy sat down hard.

 "Thalia!" Chiron said. "That is enough!"  

Percy got to his feet and willed the entire creek to rise. It swirled up, hundreds of gallons of water in a massive icy funnel cloud.

"STOP!" Endora yelled as she approached the two, her voice caring over the crick and into the woods, making the tree branches move with the power of her voice. The birds flew from the trees and even some nymphs appeared to see that was happening. Everyone stopped and looked at the girl. She gave them a awkward smile, but inside, she felt amazing. She needed to get all emotions off her chest and this helped.

"You two are acting like children!" Endora said, "We lost, so what, and ─ Jackson, why are you looking at me like that."

He just pointed behind her. She turned to see what everyone was looking at. Someone. . . something was approaching. It was shrouded in a murky green mist, but as it got closer, the campers and Hunters gasped. The witch felt child running down her spine.

"This is impossible," Chiron said. The girl'd never heard him sound so nervous. "It. . . she has never left the attic. Never."

And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forward until she stood in the center of the group. Mist curled around their feet, turning the snow a sickly shade of green. None of them dared move. Then her voice hissed inside Endora's head. Apparently everyone could hear it, because several clutched their hands over the ears. Now you see what I have to deal with. She thought.

I am the sprit of Delphi, the voice said. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.

The Oracle regarded Percy with its cold, dead eyes. Then she turned unmistakably toward Zoë Nightshade. Approach, Seeker, and ask.

Zoë swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"

The Oracle's mouth opened, and green mist poured out. 

Endora saw the vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain.

The Oracle spoke:

Six shall go west to the goddess in chains,
One shall be lost in the land without rain,
And one shall hold the magical pain.
The bane of Olympus shows the trail,
Campers and Hunters combined prevail,
The Titan's curse must one withstand,
And one shall perish by a parent's hand.

Then, as they watched, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. The Oracle sat down on a rock and became as still as she'd been in the attic, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years. 

niki speaks!

and the action is starting!
you have know idea how much i love
her and her story, her relationship with
percy and everything about her.
she's my baby

but am i going to make her suffer?
of course, who do you think i am :)

anyway, happy stranger things week!
i might have idea for max fic cuz she needs
and lovely girlfriend
and i can't watch her suffer in this season.

have a nice day/night!
bye!