I know I've said this like every chapter, but I really do appreciate the reviews. Here's the next chap. Hope you like it!

Annabeth's perspective:

Kitchen duty turned out to be... not so bad. I mean, sure, the water was burning hot, and crazy harpies were waddling around everywhere, but somehow Percy

managed to make it kind of fun. While we were washing the dishes, I focused on thinking up a strategy for the upcoming game. Hecate could be a good distraction

(since they're good with magic and all) while Apollo snuck around the sides... Oh, Percy could take the creek, and help get the flag. We would need some defense too,

so Hephaestus would be fine for that... Before I knew it, we were finished. Percy and I bolted from the kitchen and began to head back to the pavilion. Percy grabbed

my arm on the way there, pulling me back.

"Wait a sec, Annabeth," he had a mischievous grin on his face, "Don't I get a kiss for good luck? You want us to win, right?" My first reaction was to punch him. When

my hand flew up to his shoulder, though, he caught it just in time. He pulled me into a kiss, and intertwined his fingers with mine.

I couldn't resist. His hand caressed my cheek, and a shiver went down my spine. I kissed him back, and felt glad that it was too dark for him to see how red my face

was. I pulled away after about 20 seconds, before he became irresistible.

"Come on, we need to go," I whispered.

We were just in time for picking our equipment, though I already had a weapon. It was a dagger about the length of my hand. I remembered Luke once saying that

daggers were only for the quickest and smartest fighters. Thinking of him made me a little sad, but I wiped the feeling away. Luke was fine now, maybe even in the

Fields of Elysium. He had died a hero, and besides, I had Percy now. Everyone was waiting for us to hurry up, so I quickly picked out a shield and some armor. Percy,

Jake, Will, and I, the head of our cabins, led our team to the creek. We carried Athena's banner, which had a barn owl atop an olive tree. The Ares campers were

yelling insults at us, and I spotted Clarisse sneering at Percy. They had never gotten along, but Clarisse and I had sort of seen eye to eye, lately. Of course, that

wouldn't matter now, because we were on opposite teams. And...as always...I had a plan. Far away, the conch horn sounded. We raised our swords and charged,

slashing and cutting like no body's business. There was no real harm done though, after all, no maiming was aloud. I risked a glance behind me, and Percy was doing

some pretty amazing stuff. He was causing the creek water to rocket at least 20 feet in the air, and blast some of the trespassers. A group of Ares kids charged into

the creek, but were quickly overcome by a tidal wave knocking them back. It was incredible, and I wanted to sit there and watch, but a Hermes camper attacked me,

forcing me to avert my attention. I took him down quickly, and made for the darker and less traveled part of the woods. Will Solace, the leader of Apollo, caught up

with me.

"Annabeth," he whispered, "we need some help on the west boundary line. Do you think we could risk moving some Hephaestus kids over there?" I nodded.

"Sure... Oh, and on your way, tell Percy to come find me. I need some help searching for the flag."

He grinned and added,

"Fine, but no dilly-dallying or distractions." He was a smart kid, because he bolted away before I could punch him in the face. The forest was extremely dark, the

treetops blocking any light from the moon. It was a humid night, with saccades twittering obnoxiously, and fireflies blinking occasionally. I began to hear footsteps

behind me. As I concentrated on where they were located, I stopped paying attention to where I was going. I smacked my head against a low tree branch, and fell to

the ground. I groaned, even though who ever was behind me probably heard. My head was throbbing painfully, and I felt the unmistakable trickle of blood down my

cheek. A bright light shined on my face, making me flinch.

"Need a hand, Wise girl?" Percy! There was not another voice I would rather have heard. He grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet. I staggered, almost falling

on my face again, but he caught me by the waist.

"Whoa, you okay?" I nodded, and he steadied me. His face was only inches from mine, his breath hot on my face. I really really wanted to kiss him, but I restrained

myself.

We needed to focus on winning.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"Anytime." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Let's go, sea weed brain. We've got a game to win." I let him lead, since he had the flashlight, but I held onto his hand. It's only so I know where he is, I tried to

convince myself. It was no use though, because the sensible side of me knew the truth. We trudged through the woods for about 10 minutes, and it started to rain. I

was surprised that any precipitation could make it through such dense treetops. I shivered slightly, and Percy put his arm around me. I noticed that he seemed to

grow stronger from the rain, gaining energy with every drop. I guess it made sense, because he was the son of Poseidon and all. I began to hear voices, up ahead in a

small glade. They were harsh whispers, no doubt from the Ares cabin. We tiptoed closer, and crouched down behind a holly bush. When I peered into the clearing, I

felt a jolt of excitement. There it was, the red flag. Guarded by none other than Clarisse, and one of her burliest looking cabin members.