Clarisse was getting a spanking for this later. Still, for the time being, Percy nods his head.
"I'm game if everyone else is. And I mean everyone. We need to make sure both the Hunters and Campers are on board with this."
Its Annabeth who chuckles at that.
"That won't be a problem. There's precedent there. Whenever the Hunters visit, its actually sort of tradition for them to face off against us in some way. People will love the idea of changing things up with Capture the Flag. That is, if the Lieutenant here is also interested."
Zoe Nightshade stiffens up at Annabeth's challenging tone, her eyes narrowing as she crosses her arms over her chest.
"Tch. Very well, I accept the offer of trial by combat, as well as the terms. When the Hunters win, Percy Jackson will either admit what he's done… or swear by the River Styx he has nothing to do with the Goddess' disappearance, as well as swear to do everything in his power to help us find and recover Lady Artemis."
Everyone except for Percy bristles at that last part, all four female demigods glaring daggers at Zoe.
"Oi! That last bit was NOT part of the deal, bitch!"
Trust Thalia to not bother keeping a civil tongue. Before things can escalate further, Percy holds up his hand.
"It's fine. I accept those terms."
Honestly, he should have just sworn on the River Styx right then and there that he had nothing to do with Artemis' disappearance. At least knowingly anyways. But now his competitive side was starting to make itself known. Zoe was a beautiful woman, but it was obvious she saw him as little more than the scum of the earth. Percy kind of wanted to kick her and the other Hunters' asses.
At his words, Zoe pauses for a moment, clearly surprised that he would agree so easily. But then she just sneers, seemingly deciding that he was so confident in his victory that he didn't care about the consequences of defeat.
"Tch. Such arrogance. I suppose we'll see you all tomorrow then."
But before she leaves, Artemis' Lieutenant can't help sweep her gaze across the four women around him.
"Hmph. You four… each of you would have made an excellent addition to the Hunters of Artemis if you had not sullied yourselves chasing fleeting feelings of debauched pleasure."
Then, before any of them can respond, Zoe turns and walks away, clearly intent on having the last word. To be fair, everyone is struck speechless by her parting words anyways, to the point where it's a solid handful of seconds before Bianca finally lets out a huff of disbelief.
"The audacity of that bitch… please tell me we're going to kick their asses tomorrow."
Clarisse grins, smacking her fists together in front of her.
"Heh! Of course we are! We got this in the bag and-ow!"
Annabeth smacks her fellow blonde upside the head before rolling her eyes when Clarisse whirls on her and scowls.
"Love the confidence La Rue, but aren't you forgetting something? In all the centuries that the Hunters of Artemis have been stopping by to visit Camp Half-Blood… the Campers have never come out on top. Not even once. So don't count your chickens before they've hatched, because you definitely just backed us into a corner with that big mouth of yours. You especially backed Percy into a corner with that big mouth of yours! Honestly!
Clarisse blushes and looks at him before hanging her head when she sees the flat look he's giving her.
"A-Ah… right, sorry… I guess I just… got excited?"
"Hmph. If you're really sorry, I think you know how to apologize. How did Nightshade describe it? Debauched pleasure?"
Percy watches as Clarisse perks up at Annabeth's suggestion and without missing a beat, drops to her knees before him. As his cock is pulled out of his pants and put in the statuesque blonde's mouth, Percy sighs and just rubs the bridge of his nose as the sounds of Clarisse's enthusiastic sucking fill the air.
"Alright ladies… since we've established we're the underdogs here, maybe we can try to brainstorm some ideas for how to win tomorrow? You know, so that when we tell the others that they have to go up against the Hunters of Artemis, we can also tell them how we intend to BEAT the Hunters of Artemis?"
There's a brief pause… and then Bianca pipes up, shrugging as she smirks.
"I actually don't think the situation is as dire as you're all making it out to be. So what if Camp Half-Blood has never beaten the Hunters of Artemis before? They've faced different groups of demigods over the years, but they've never faced us. We have two things going for us that they really aren't prepared for."
Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia all look to Bianca curiously. Clarisse keeps sucking. Bianca's grin just grows wider and wider.
"Seriously? Do I have to spell it out for you guys? Because I will. Number One… we have Percy and his leadership. And Number Two… we have the shareable Blessing of the Goddess of Strategy and Warfare herself."
Oh. Ohhhhhh.
-x-X-x-
Zoe Nightshade looks around their impromptu fortifications with a snort. It wasn't exactly their best work, but for a temporary camp meant only for a game of Capture the Flag, it would do just fine. Her eyes linger on the flag itself at the center of the camp for a moment. It flicks back and forth in the wind
"Lieutenant, everyone has reported in. We're all ready for when things get started."
Looking to her fellow Hunter, Zoe nods sharply, before plastering a smile on her face and reaching out to grasp the other woman's shoulder.
"It's alright. We'll easily win here today, and then we'll be one step closer to finding our Mistress."
The Hunter nods hesitantly, bolstered by Zoe's confidence.
"Yes ma'am!"
As the other woman moves away, Zoe watches her go for a moment. She knows full well why the camp they'd made wasn't their best work and it wasn't just because this was a childish game. Everyone was worried. Lady Artemis' disappearance weighed heavily on all of their minds and Zoe had to admit… she really hoped Percy Jackson had done something to the Goddess of the Hunt, if only so they could be reunited with her sooner rather than later.
If he had nothing to do with it, then why would Lord Apollo have guided them here in the first place? What would be the point of sending them to Camp Half-Blood if there were no answers to be gained here? No… no, that man had definitely done something. Zoe was sure of it.
BWAOOOOOM!
The sound of the horn blowing and signaling the start of the Capture the Flag match pulls Zoe out of her thoughts. Gritting her teeth, she lifts her bow into the sky.
"Move!"
She doesn't have to give any other orders besides that. Assignments were handed out ahead of time, and their battle plan decided last night after it was confirmed at dinner that they would be taking part in today's festivities. Lady Hestia hadn't looked very happy about it, but Zoe and the other Hunters had followed the Goddess of the Hearth's rules to the letter so it wasn't like she had any room to complain.
Their numbers allowed for four squads. Squads A, B, and C would be moving out in a three-pronged pattern of advance while Squad D remained behind to guard the camp and more importantly, the flag.
Between all of them, Zoe had no doubt that they would defeat the demigods of Camp Half-Blood with ease, just like they had been for the past several hundred years. There HAD been one or two losses over a thousand years ago, but enough time has passed that nobody really remembers those anymore, thankfully.
Zoe was in command of Squad A, of course, and they had the most important job of all. While Squad B and C were moving to meet the enemy directly, Squad A's prong was going the long way around, utilizing the distraction provided by their fellow Hunters to sneak into the enemy camp from the back and make off with the flag.
While Zoe HAD been tempted to just have all three offensive squads go straight for the Campers and take them out of the game one by one until they could march right into the enemy camp and walk back out with the flag held high… she wasn't about to take chances with such a headstrong strategy, not when Lady Artemis' safety could be on the line.
Not only had Lady Artemis made it clear that Percy Jackson was a threat not to be taken lightly, but also there were all those 'monster hunts' he supposedly went on outside of Lady Hestia's purview. What was he really doing outside of the borders of Camp Half-Blood all that time?
No, they could not risk their only opportunity at getting answers on a foolish battleplan. That's why Zoe and the rest of Squad A couldn't allow themselves to be seen, nor could they allow themselves to be pulled into any fights. Even as she and the others hear the sounds of distant fighting, and even what might be the cries of their fellow Hunters, Zoe forces herself to keep her eyes on the prize, and the rest of Squad A follows suit.
Until finally, they come upon… well, to call it the 'enemy camp' would be an insult to camps everywhere. It has no fortifications. There's nothing but a single massive boulder acting as a hill. And on top of that hill is Camp Half-Blood's flag on a pole. And that pole… isn't even attached to the ground. Instead, it's held in the hand of one Percy Jackson as he stands there in solitary vigil.
… Seriously? Zoe looks around, expecting a trap. Her eyes are very, very good and she's been a Hunter for two thousand years, so there's no denying she knows how to read a forest. And yet… she doesn't see anyone hidden away. She doesn't even see the signs of anyone hiding away.
"L-Lieutenant… what do we do? Surely it can't be this easy…"
Zoe grimaces, but before she can open her mouth and respond, Percy's voice suddenly rings out through the clearing.
"You can come out, that's what you can do. Face me and fight me like women rather than cowards."
… Damn it, how did he hear them? It wasn't like the Hunter's voice had been particularly loud in volume. She still shrinks in horror and shame at being the reason they were caught, even as Zoe sighs and signals for them all to spread out and encircle the male demigod.
In the end, the others remain in the trees near the base of the boulder. Only Zoe actually steps out into the open, the Lieutenant drawing an arrow and notching it in her bowstring as she points it up at Percy.
"Surrender the flag or we will fill you with holes, Percy Jackson."
Percy just smiles.
"You sure you want to waste time negotiating with me? You could be losing your own flag right this moment, you know."
Zoe's eyes narrow at that and she scoffs.
"You Campers always think so highly of yourself. Generation after generation, it's all the same."
Raising an eyebrow, Percy leans forward curiously.
"Is it? I suppose you've seen a lot, what with being over two thousand years old. Probably faced a lot of Children of Poseidon in that time."
Frowning, Zoe rolls her shoulders.
"Certainly. What of it?"
Truthfully, she hadn't faced nearly as many as she might have liked before this battle. And the power of a demigod wasn't always tied to their divine lineage. Some demigods were weak regardless of who their parent was. Some demigods were unbelievably powerful. Still… Percy Jackson was dangerous. Zoe knew that.
Feeling a sudden premonition of doom flutter down her spine, she makes the call.
"TAKE HIM! Capture the flag!"
Immediately, arrows fly from every single member of Squad A, including herself. Not aiming to kill… merely aiming to disable, to incapacitate… and disarm, of course. Unfortunately, none of those arrows land because the next thing she knows, the rock that Percy is standing on explodes upwards like a damn geyser. No, not like a geyser… it IS a geyser. Water rushes out of the stone, forming a circular fortification around Percy. The speed of the rushing water causes their arrows to bounce off entirely.
Over the roaring sound, Percy laughs.
"Hah! Oh man and I was totally going to go into this whole spiel about how I bet you'd never faced a Child of Poseidon who could do this! Good instincts, Lieutenant!"
She hadn't. But that didn't mean they were done yet. Zoe doesn't even have to give the order. Every Hunter in Squad A is watching and waiting… and the moment that the explosive wall of water starts to abate, the moment the rush starts to slow down, they're all drawing more arrows and firing. Now that the water isn't moving so fast, the strength of their bow arms means they have a chance of hitting him even through his shield.
… Or so they'd thought. Zoe gnashes her teeth as the water, seemingly having a mind of its own but clearly under Percy's control, turns into an octopus of sorts, the multiple arms easily batting the second volley of arrows out of the air.
"Is that all? Really? I was expecting more of a challenge."
And worst of all, Percy is just standing there still in his stance, one hand holding the flag aloft like a proper flagbearer, the other on his hip like he's some big hero. Through the water, Zoe catches a flash of Percy Jackson's face… and he's grinning as he looks right at her. Fuck.
She's going to-!
BWAAAAOOOM! BWAAAAOOOOM!
Zoe jolts, her head turning in the direction of the sudden sound of two horn blasts.
"Ah. It looks like our game has come to an end. A double horn means a flag has been captured and since ours is right here…
What? No, that wasn't possible. They would have had to fight through Squads B and C and also take down D. That just… it didn't make any sense. Zoe's just clenches, her grip on her bow tightening as she considers her options. But just when she's wondering if trying to continue taking down Percy anyways so they can get answers out of him might be the best path forward…
"Oh and I suppose I'll just do this now. I swear upon the River Styx that I had nothing to do with Artemis' disappearance and currently have no knowledge of her whereabouts."
Thunder rumbles overhead as Zoe's jaw drops open in disbelief at the latest in a long string of insane things that have happened in the last couple minutes.
Well… shit.
(Author Cambrian. Find him on Scribblehub!)