Eithne's patience was running thinner than one-ply toilet paper at a chili contest. She expected Capture the Flag to be thrilling among demigods who didn't even know the meaning of half-assed, but so far, nothing had happened. Silena and Thalia spirited their respective teams away to where all the action was happening. Now, Eithne was left to guard the flag with three jitterbug idiots, a stone-faced giant, and Nico.

Eithne sighed through her nose, trying her best not to pick up a rock and throw it at Percy's stupid head. He was perched at the top of Zeus' Fist, eyes glued to the forest on the opposite side of the boundary line. With the light breeze, you could barely hear the sounds of a fight in the distance, likely Silena's decoy doing their best to give the Hunters a taste of Tartarus. 

It made Eithne a little anxious too, but at least she wasn't itching like a junkie for an opportunity to disobey Thalia. Her piercings and bruise-colored wardrobe made the demigod look rough around the edges to say the least. Percy had to be about as sharp as a beach ball to want to go up against her.

The rest of the team was not doing too well either. Travis and Connor were busy tossing rocks in the bushes below, prodding Beckendorf for the finer details of their plan to welcome the Hunters of Artemis to camp. They were a bit hush-hush, but Eithne gathered it had something to do with squeaky toys and cocoa butter. 

And even though Nico was right next to her, she could have been playing beer pong with Dionysus for all he cared. He was too busy mooning after Percy, leaning on his sword to hold him up. Eithne half-expected Nico to bust out the glowsticks, and a banner with PERCY IS DEEP-SEA IMPRESSIVE! written in blue glitter.

Gods, Silena better be stringing those girls on a shish kebab.

Without warning, Nico thrust his sword into Eithne's hands. The added weight made her stumble, and she shot him an irritated glare once she regained her balance. But Nico didn't seem to notice.

"Be back," he muttered.

Not waiting for a response, Nico climbed up the boulders toward Percy. Pebbles tumbled down in his wake as he fumbled and slipped.

"What's happening," Nico shouted, his heart picking up a few beats at the tension in Percy's muscles.

Their co-captain remained creepily still and silent. Then, with an abruptness that startled Nico so much he lost his footing and tumbled back to the base, Percy whirled around to face them. Eithne reached over and hauled Nico up by his elbow, awkwardly balancing the two swords in her grip as she brushed the dirt and snow off his butt.

"Can you guys hold the fort," Percy questioned, gaze locked onto Charles Beckendorf.

Beckendorf stood like a sentinel, hands in his pockets, legs wide, and muscles bulging as if he were carved from the very stone beneath their feet. Eithne couldn't help but imagine his poor mother giving birth to a baby that big.

Beckendorf snorted, his amusement not quite reaching his stern expression. "Of course."

Percy nodded and leaped off Zeus' Fist to the solid ground below. He didn't waste a second, making a clear beeline for the boundary line. The Stoll brothers erupted into cheers, Connor draping an arm over Eithne's shoulder. He squeezed her against his side with a wide, excited smile. She pushed him off, still too embarrassed by the dining room incident to look either Stoll in the eye. The two were a package deal after all, and she had no doubt Travis told his brother everything.

She moved back to Nico, gently elbowing him with the sword he passed her. He fumbled with it, dropping it to the ground with a pout. 

The forest stretched around them, but an unsettling edge clung to the peace. Eithne could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. She turned, a quiet warning gnawing at her.

A cloud of yellow smoke exploded around them, choking the air with sulfur. It was like swallowing a blend of rotten eggs and burning rubber, the taste clawing at the back of their throats with every inhale. Nico yelped, and either Connor or Travis tripped and faceplanted with a groan. 

The chaos dragged Eithne right back to New York City and her battle against the Earthborn. Blood spraying as the monster tore off its own arms. The road crumbling beneath her feet as she scrambled to safety. Panic seized her as she pulled her shirt over her nose and mouth, taking deep, gasping breaths. It didn't help. The air felt thick and heavy, stinging her lungs with a swarm of fiery bees. 

Just like then. Just like when the Earthborn poofed into dust and Aksu laughed, and she choked back a sob, and breathed him in-

Through the haze, Eithne caught a dark shadow moving in the sickly yellow fog. Instinct took over. Eithne's shaking fingers clenched around the hilt of her sword and hurled it towards the shadow descending from a tree. In a blur of motion, Zoe Nightshade executed a flawless tuck and roll, narrowly evading the deadly strike.

Eithne froze, searching for anything to give away the Hunter's location, but her sight was blurred by tears and her team was too panicked to make anything out. She waited another second, but then decided to say fuck it. 

Unable to tell left from right anymore, she launched herself where she thought she last saw the flag. Her fingers closed around the corner of it, making Eithne gasp in surprise, but it was too late. The flag was ripped away from her at the last second, leaving Eithne clutching a small scrap of blue fabric. Eithne tumbled backward, landing hard on her ass.

"Eithne," Nico shouted. It was the first time this whole stupid game that he sounded panicked.

As the sulfur faded with the breeze, Eithne could finally make out Zoe Nightshade towering over her with the flag in hand. A silver circlet sat on Zoe's dark hair, and nothing had ever felt more like a crown to Eithne. The Hunters' leader demanded respect, even as dirty and out of breath as she was. Eithne dug her fingers into the rock, jaw set and eyes hooded. This was not the end. Not by a long shot.

From the cover of the trees, arrows surrounded Eithne in a semicircle to give Zoe an opening. She took it, dashing to the edge of Zeus' Fist and climbing with expert precision.

With a quick, angry knot, Eithne tied the scrap of the flag to her wrist.

"Don't let her escape," she screamed.

Connor and Travis Stoll jumped to the ground, ready for a fight. They tripped from the fall but immediately got up and lunged at Zoe. Connor managed to wrestle her bow away and throw it in the trees, but otherwise, she danced around them in a deadly waltz. Zoe dodged a blow from Travis' sword as her archer stuck two arrows in Connor's helmet like antennae. He stumbled and Zoe roughly kicked him in the chest. 

Her teeth were bared in a mean grin that reminded Eithne of wolves going for the kill. Connor fell to the floor and didn't get up. It sparked Eithne's rage as she carefully made her way down the pile of boulders, back pressed against the rock to keep an eye on her enemies.

Zoe was not nearly as harsh with her. Why? Because the Stolls knew how to fight together like they were one? Or was it that stupid boy thing all Hunters carried around with a chip on their shoulder? Or was Eithne just not even a thought on her mind - minor like Ak said? 

Eithne cursed as her foot wandered too close to the edge. She almost lost her balance, pebbles falling in the middle of the fight five feet below.

Travis threw himself at Zoe, her back turned to him, but was tackled by another Hunter. She was built like a wrestler, stance wide and confident, and her hair shaved on the sides into crisp, clean edges. The Hunter straddled Travis, too heavy to buck off, and repeatedly struck him in the chest with her bow. When he stopped struggling to catch his breath, she grabbed his head and slammed it on the frozen forest floor.

Focus, dammit. Focus!

Eithne shook her head and rushed the rest of the climb down, ignoring the way her stomach bubbled and twisted. When she was finally off that gods forsaken hunk of rock, Zoe decided to be a little twat and bolted toward the creek.

"Come on," Beckendorf called. He was already running after the Hunter, dragging Nico by the collar of his shirt.

Eithne hesitated by Connor's side, but Zoe was gaining ground and fast. If she made it across the water, the game would be over and they would have nothing to show for it.

She took a deep breath and channeled all those eight-minute miles and pacer tests gym forced her through. Her lungs burned as Eithne chased after Zoe, outstretched fingers just barely brushing Zoe's braid but not close enough to stop her.

Percy Jackson burst from the woods, a last-ditch effort to snatch back the flag, but Zoe barreled on. She slammed into him with all her force, and he went tumbling down like a row of dominoes. 

The Hunters erupted in cheers as both teams gathered around the creek. The flag rippled with magic as it mended the tear and turned red with a large, glowing moon in the center. They did it. The game was over.

Eithne kicked the snow, seething at how easily Zoe slipped through their grasp. She had been right there - right there! And, as always, she couldn't catch up to the other demigods.

"The Hunters win," Chiron announced, sweeping his arm toward the red team as they snarled and barked jokingly. "For the fifty-sixth time in a row."

Seriously? Fucking seriously? There was no chance that the campers would have ever won, and Chiron just left that detail oh-so-conveniently out. Typical!

Eithne tugged at the flag scrap still on her wrist until it was so tight that it turned the surrounding skin white. She wished she hadn't discarded her sword while scaling Zeus' Fist; she could've used it right about now.

Pushing through the crowd, Thalia stormed to Percy with smoke practically coming out of her ears. Blue sparks crackled off her armor, and everyone cringed and backed away. Even Percy looked like he wanted to disappear into the depths of the ocean.

Eithne tensed as she quickly looked for Nico, knowing that an explosion had been brewing between them since earlier. She found him standing next to Bianca and the other Hunters, and slightly relaxed when Bianca pulled him behind her.

"What in the name of the gods were you THINKING," Thalia thundered.

Percy clenched his fists. "I got the flag, Thalia," he snapped, waving the red team's flag in her face. Eithne hadn't even noticed it before then. "I saw a chance and I took it!"

"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" Thalia screamed back. "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!"

Thalia growled low in her throat, shoving Percy forcefully in the chest. Electricity crackled and surged through her hands, sending Percy flying ten feet into the icy water. Eithne and the other campers gasped, but the Hunters just laughed.

"Sorry," Thalia muttered, her face pale and blue eyes glowing. "I didn't mean to-"

A sudden wave erupted from the creek, drenching Thalia from head to toe. Percy pushed himself up from the water, his expression dark and dangerous.

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

Chiron's useless attempts to end the fight were drowned out by Percy and Thalia's continued shouting match. Eithne's heart tightened as the crowd pressed against each other, taking a few precautionary steps back. Percy raised his sword, Riptide, in a defensive stance while Thalia thrust her spear upward. Lightning crackled at its tip, and Thalia aimed it directly at Percy, knocking him onto his back.

Just as Percy was about to drown Thalia with a wave, something moving in the woods caught Eithne's eye. All at once, every emotion in her drained away until there was nothing left but a numbing fear that pierced her heart. Her hands shook and against her will, a garbled whine escaped her mouth. 

A few nearby campers turned to look and gasped, grabbing onto their friends and trying to push further into the crowd. The commotion soon caught everyone's attention. Percy's wave dissipated back into the creek, and even Thalia stopped sparking to see what was going on. Something was approaching, a murky green mist that clung to the trees like a shroud of death.

"This is impossible. It...She has never left the attic. Never," Chiron muttered, composure finally gone. It wasn't nearly as exciting as Eithne thought it would be.

A husk of a mummy walked slowly to the center of the group, its beaded necklaces clinking with each eerie step. Eithne couldn't help but hold her breath. It looked like the slightest sneeze would make the mummy crumble into something even smaller than dust.

Mist twisted coiled around the mummy's feet - curled and deformed - and the snow turned a sickly shade of green. A hissing voice slithered into everyone's mind, and many desperately covered their ears as they felt something ancient and heavy wrap around their brain.

"I am the spirit of Delphi. Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python."

Each word the mummy spoke added to the weight in Eithne's mind and before it even finished, Eithne fell to her knees. She shook as the snow seeped into her jeans, her legs wet and cold. 

The Oracle had no eyes - just black, empty sockets that felt deeper than their skull - but it's cold gaze fixed on Zoe Nightshade with heavy finality. 

"Approach, Seeker, and ask."

Zoe loudly swallowed, voice trembling. "What must I do to help my goddess?"

The Oracle's mummified mouth opened and a green mist so dark it was practically black poured forth. It hung in the air above their heads like a banner, twisting and molding into different shapes. 

Eithne could barely make out the vague image of a mountain and a small girl standing at its barren peak, wrapped in chains with glowing eyes. The girl's hands were raised in a desperate attempt to fend off an unseen attacker, hair falling out of a dirty ponytail.

Then, the Oracle spoke, and her words sent a chill through Eithne's entire being.

"Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

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."

The mist exploded into thin tendrils of smoke and slithered back into the mummy's mouth, leaving goosebumps as it brushed against Eithne's skin. 

Like it was a perfectly normal Tuesday, the Oracle sat on a nearby rock and moved no more. The heaviness that settled over the forest was gone in an instant, and the campers took large, gulping breaths.