"Another trip?" Percy ran his fingers over his eyes as if trying to wipe away the sleepiness. "We just got back from one!"

"Two days ago," Annabeth said as she yanked off his blankets. "Come on, I think we're doing something fun."

"On whose standards? Because there's a difference between Four's kind of fun and Eric's kind of fun."

Reyna's eyes glinted. "Both."

"All I needed to hear was that Four was okay with it," Nico said with a sigh. He sluggishly popped on his shoes when a shadow fell over him. Freezing, he slowly looked up.

"Is there a problem with me being okay with it?" Eric asked, his mouth twisting into a smile. But it didn't reach his eyes, which were as cold and pitiless as a snake's.

"No problem at all, sir." Nico spat the title with contempt, watching in satisfaction at the flicker of hatred in Eric's eyes.

"Five minutes to get to the tracks," he yelled to the room. Then he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. Christina watched him with distaste, her long legs still bare.

"I hate him."

"The feeling's mutual," Thalia said. "Come on, I don't want to miss this."

"Is it mandatory?" Percy whined, flopping back on his bed fully clothed.

Thalia kicked him none to gently. "Yes. Get up."

It was dark on the roof, but not dark enough to miss the massive pile of--

"Paintballs?" Percy asked incredulously, his hand hovering over a small box. It was small enough to fit in his pocket.

"Everyone grab a gun!" Four yelled. When everyone had a gun, he took his own and slung it across his back.

A loud blaring noise indicated that the train was on it's way. Thalia backed up, the familiar thuds of her heart pounding in her throat, and leapt on the train. The gun clunked uncomfortably on her back, nearly catching on the door and pulling her back out.

"We will be dividing into two teams to play capture the flag. Each team will have an even mix of members, Dauntless-born initiates and transfers. One team will get off first and find a place to hide their flag, then the second team will get off and do the same."

"Capture the flag?" Percy asked, his face lighting up.

"Hunters always win." Thalia stuck her tongue out back.

"What do we get if we win?" An initiate shouted.

"Cookies!" Percy yelled hopefully. Four pinned him with a hard gaze.

"No, not cookies. You get to win, of course."

"What's the point if there are no cookies?" Percy whined to Annabeth, having enough sense to say it under his breath.

"Four and I will be your team captains," Eric said. He glanced at Four. "Let's divide up transfers first, shall we?"

Four tilted his head. "You go first."

Eric shrugged and pinned his snakelike gaze on them. Finally he spoke. "Percy."

Four leaned against the doorframe and watched as Percy reluctantly shuffled over. "I'll take Tris."

A faint undercurrent of laughter filled the car, and Annabeth squeezed Tris' hand sympathetically.

"Got something to prove?" Eric asked, smirking. "Or are you just picking the weak ones so that you'll have someone to blame the loss on?"

Four shrugged. "Something like that."

Now Tris's cheeks are really red.

"Your turn."

Eric surveyed them once more. "Peter."

"Christina."

"Molly."

"Nico."

"Al."

"Will."

"Reyna."

"Annabeth."

"Drew."

"Thalia."

Reyna studied her team. Of the transfers, she had Percy, Peter, Molly, Al, and Drew. The other team was Tris, Christina, Nico, Will, Annabeth, and Thalia. She already knew how this would go-- the other team had Annabeth, Nico, and Thalia. She had Percy with her, but Peter, Molly, and Drew kind of were a negative to the team. So they were basically screwed. Add Percy's incredible skill with a gun (note the sarcasm) and, well, needless

Reyna caught Annabeth's eye and the daughter of Athena gave her a grim smile. Reyna knew Annabeth figured out the outcome too.

But that didn't mean Reyna was going to give in.

"Your team can get off first," Eric said, biting into a lip piercing. "I know you'll lose no matter what."

The team left, Annabeth looking back at Percy with a smile on her lips.

Eric let out a laugh as they disappeared. "Him and his scrawny team," he scoffed, mostly to himself. "Okay, team. Let's think. Where should we hide the flag?"

Peter, Molly, and Drew jumped right into the conversation-- going on about how they should put it in the trees so that it's harder to find.

Reyna cleared her throat, shooting them a look. "I'm not a military strategist or anything--" Percy sniggered. "--but putting this somewhere hidden isn't going to work. The trees provide cover for others. It's night time. We Dauntless wear black. Is that really the scenario you want to put us in?"

Eric regarded Reyna through his cold eyes. "Finally one of you nitwits said it," he drawled. Like it was his idea all along. "The girl's right. We need to put it out on open ground, but keep it well defended." he laughed. "Not that they'll come for us. Four's team are all cowards, I should know. They're being led by one."

Peter laughed.

"He sounds like a cross between a walrus and a hyena," Percy grumbled to Reyna.

"How do you know what a walrus hyena sounds like?"

Percy shot her a look. "We just heard one."

Reyna smiled. "True."

"I still think we should put it in the trees," Molly said. "Peter's right. It's the smarter option."

One of the Dauntless born initiates began to speak up, but Molly shot him a glare. He rolled his eyes and sat back down. "It's the smarter option," she said more forcefully.

Reyna and Percy exchanged exasperated glances.

Eric continued to chew his ring. "Alright then. Trees it is." He cast a distasteful glance at Reyna as they walked over to the side opposite Four's team.

"He only chose Peter's idea because he hates us," Percy grumbled.

Reyna shrugged. "Either way, we weren't going to win."

"But we've got you," said Percy.

"We're using guns, not swords," Reyna reminded him.

"Fair point." Percy glanced back behind them. "Do you think we should go offense or defense?"

"I'm going offense," Reyna said immediately. "If we can't prevent them from getting to our flag, we're just going to have to go faster."

"Knowing Eric, he's going to put us on defense and make Peter and Molly and the other Dauntless go offense," Percy said. "Then we're going to lose because I'm on defense."

"You could be an oracle, Perce," Reyna commented, her eyes fixed on Eric as he sorted out the group.

"Reyna, Percy, you guys are on defense with Blaire," Eric shouts. "Everyone else, offense. Straight charge and they'll fall."

"Where are they, though?" Molly asked. "I think they're somewhere in the marsh."

"The marsh?" A dauntless laughed. "The marsh is basically just water with a little bit of mud. There's no way they're there. They'd drown."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"They're around the perimeter somewhere, probably hiding in the trees."

Reyna debated whether or not to point out that they too were hiding in the trees.

"Hold!" Eric suddenly put his hand up, eyes glittering. In the background, everyone could hear a massive groaning sound, like Festus was having a family reunion with the rest of his metal dragon pals.

"The Ferris Wheel," Peter said, eyes alight with eagerness. "How stupid."

"They might've put the flag on the wheel then turned it so that it's too high for us to reach," Percy warned them.

Reyna shook her head. "We'd see it," she reminded him. "It's glowing."

"But they're probably near there," Eric said. "Now we know. Offense follow me."

They barrelled straight towards the Ferris Wheel.

Blaire leaned against the tree the flag was hidden in. "Why'd you join Dauntless?"

Reyna shrugged. "Why not? Seemed cool. Better than Abnegation, at least. Why'd you stay at Dauntless?"

"It's the best one," Blaire said like it was obvious. "The only one with action, where you actually do something besides sit around all day. You get to train. You're strong."

"It takes a different kind of strength for all the factions," Percy defended. "It takes strength to tell the truth, and to always give to others instead of keeping it for yourself."

"And to always resolve peacefully," Reyna added. "Restraint is the greatest form of strength."

"Nothing about Erudite?" Blaire asked in amusement.

"It takes strength to be that obnoxious all the time," Percy grumbled. "Have you heard what they're saying about Abnegation?"

"How could you not?" Blaire cocked her gun suddenly, lifting it. Her eyes were suddenly alert, narrowing in concentration.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Three consecutive shots fired from the shelter of the trees, all narrowly missing them.

"Dammit!" A voice cursed softly. Reyna cocked her own gun and aimed it at the voice.

"You're losing your touch, Thalia," she said playfully before firing.

"Says you," Thalia retorted. "You just missed me and hit the tree."

"I'm shooting into the darkness," Reyna said, her eyes narrowing. "I'm out in the open and illuminated. You can't talk."

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG. Blaire let a series of paintballs fly from her gun, and another voice was heard.

"Ouch!"

Thalia laughed. "You got Nico in the face," she choked. Percy loaded his own gun. "You're out, Nico. Who else is there?"

"Aim ten feet to your right and you might hit one of us," Nico said mockingly.

BANG.

"Nope."

BANG.

"Nada."

BANG.

"No--"

"We're not firing, you idiot!" Reyna hissed, suddenly aware. She whirled around and fired--

Hitting a Dauntless initiate square in the chest. The force pushed him back a few feet, and he growled and lowered his own gun, pouting.

BANG. A paintball barely grazed Blaire's head, and she turned and let loose a rapid stream of paintballs. Percy did the same, letting them fly everywhere and hoping that it hit someone. Reyna crouched low and fired, closing in on Four's team.

"Got you, Percy!" Thalia's voice rang out from the trees. Percy wiped the blue paint from his shoulder.

Three more people from Four's team emerged from the side, backtracking quickly and firing at their pursuers. The air was filled with the sound of paintballs hissing and splatting as they found their targets.

Then Annabeth burst out, fired at Reyna, and dodged Blaire's paint. Annabeth's projectile hit Reyna square in the face, and she lowered her gun in defeat. "Nice shot, Chase."

Then Annabeth arched her back and whirled around, glaring. Her back was smeared with several different colors. "I'm on your team!" She yelled to someone.

"My bad," Will yelled back, grinning.

"Blaire--" Percy yelled suddenly. But it was too late. Tris and Christina, who had been very subtly sneaking around the other side, emerged from the trees, looking triumphant. Reaching up, Christina snatched the flag from the branch where it was snagged and let out a whoop of victory.

GREAT NEWS I FOUND IT AT THE LOCAL LIBRARY YAY I'll see if I can finish this book by the end of summer. I might update in quick breaks then not at all and thats because I had to return the book. Keep reminding me to update because I might forget... heh...