"Ugh," I groaned as I made my way to the Dining Pavilion for dinner. I was exhausted. You would think that activities at a summer camp would be fun, even if it was for demigods. Boy was I wrong. I would rather have done suicides for two hours straight, with weights on me, than what I did today.

Don't get me wrong, Sword Skills was fun. But that was about it.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked me.

I turned around to see Skylar with her food already in her hand. I shook my head, "No. Today was super boring, hence my exhaustion. All we did in Ancient Greek was read textbooks, in Ancient Greek. I mean, even though my brain is 'hardwired' for it, it doesn't mean I'm automatically a pro at reading it. Then in Archery, I hit a tree behind me, when I was really aiming for the target. An-"

Skylar cut me off by doubling over with laughter. "You did what?"

I could feel the blood rushing to my face. "I know. I'm so good at archery."

Once she was done, which took about five minutes, I continued, "In Greek Mythology, we just learned about how most of the well-known myths had been changed by humans and how they actually went. And Cabin clean-up was a complete waste of my time. I mean, I just got here yesterday, what is there for me to clean up?"

Skylar nodded, "Look, just like school, there will be good days and bad days. But unlike school, everything you learn here can and will help save your life when the time comes. Whenever you go on your first quest, you're gonna need everything to be successful."

I smiled, "Thanks."

Skylar looked like she was about to sit down, but then stopped like she had forgotten something. It turns out I was right because she said, "I almost forgot, we're gonna be playing Capture the Flag after dinner."

"Capture the Flag?" I clarified, "Isn't that like a kids' game?"

Skylar shrugged, "Normally, yes. But we use weapons and all to capture the flag. Usually, there will be two teams, split up by cabins. But tonight, it's going to be a little different."

"How so?" I asked.

"It's going to be Camp Half-Blood vs. Camp Jupiter."

My eyes widened, "The Romans?"

"Yeah, it's something the camps have done a couple of times a year since the Second Giant War. These games are super fun and competitive. Especially now since we have a plate on our shoulders. They've won the past four times in a row. Anyways, you should start eating. The game will start in about an hour or so, and you don't want your stomach to ache in the middle of it."

I nodded.

Once dinner was over, Chiron walked toward the center of the hall and said, "The Romans shall be arriving soon. Please be in your armor and back here for their arrival in fifteen minutes."

Skylar and I rushed back to our cabins with the rest of the camp. As soon as my armor was on, I ran back to the Pavilion (which was kinda awkward since my set armor wasn't designed to be very mobile).

When I got there, a group of campers had already gathered in front of a giant portal. I couldn't see anything from the back, so I made my way through the crowd until I was right behind Chiron.

Luckily, I was just in time to see the Romans arrive. Two people came out first, one guy and one girl. That's all I could make out about them since they were both wearing Roman helmets.

Immediately, I noticed that they were the leaders, or Praetors if my memory from History class serves me right. They had long flowing purple capes, the color of Camp Jupiter, as well as a special medal on their armor.

As soon as the rest of the Romans came out of the portal, in a battle formation, the taller of the Praetors faced them and in a commanding voice, said, "At ease, Romans."

The Praetors then walked over to Chiron and took off their helmets. "It's good to see you again, Chiron," they said.

They both seemed to be in their early twenties, but I wasn't fully sure. The male praetor was Asian with a baby face and a military-style buzz cut, while the girl had a dark complexion with gold eyes, similar to my own. 

As they talked with Chiron, the tall Asian looked around at the campers. It was just a glance, nothing special. But when his eyes landed on me, he continued to stare at me, before nudging his counterpart. When she saw me, she gasped, "Is that who I think it is?!"

I could feel the blood rising to my face as Chiron also looked over. He nodded, "Yes it is. Luke, would you mind coming over?"

Skylar, who was now standing behind me, whispered in my ear, "Good luck. You're gonna need it. Romans are not to be messed with."

Sheepishly, I made my way over to them. Chiron smiled, "Luke, I would like you to meet Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang, the Praetors of Camp Jupiter. They are two of your father's closest friends, as well as members of the Seven."

"Nice to meet you."

Hazel smiled at me and asked, "So Luke, when'd you get here? I'm assuming fairly recently by the looks of everything."

I nodded, "Yeah, I got here yesterday."

Frank suddenly turned to Chiron, "Are you sure he's ready for this game? These games get really competitive. And don't forget, he could get seriously hurt if he doesn't know how to properly defend himself."

Chiron nodded, "That's exactly why he should. I don't see a better time for him to participate in a battle than this. It's better here than out in the world where a monster could attack him at any second. Plus, I've heard he's inherited his father's skills with a blade."

Frank looked defeated. He looked at me and said, "Good luck, Luke."

With that, Frank and Hazel went back to the other Romans, and it was time for the game to begin.

As I walked with the other campers to our side of the forest, I heard Malcolm tell Skylar that she would be sent to the front lines, where the battle will be fiercest. From what I could see, Skylar was super excited.

Malcolm continued to make his way to everyone, giving them their assignments. When he got to me, he had a big smile on his face. He said, "I found a great spot for you. I think you're gonna like it."

Was he sending me to the front lines too? I thought. "What is it," I asked.

"You're gonna be defending the flag. And don't worry, with our defenses, they shouldn't be able to get through. You'll just be fighting the occasional straggler."

Just as quickly as he came, Malcolm then left.

I couldn't believe it! Chiron said I'm a great swordsman, like my dad, and I beat Clarisse in my first ever swordfight. She even said that she's rarely been beaten.

Just don't fuck up this, and you'll be on the front lines soon, my subconscious told me. I decided to listen to it since it's always been the rational side of me.

The border between the two sides was a little creek that flowed right through the center of the Northern Woods. It was fairly easy to cross through, but it could be a little bit of a challenge when other demigods are trying to stab you.

Now, I know you're expecting the flag to be surrounded by fire or something as an extra layer of protection in case the Romans get past me and the other defenders, but it was just a blue flag that was stabbed into the soil. You would think there would be a failsafe in case something happened since these games got "super competitive."

It would also be a good idea considering who was guarding the flag. I was expecting there to be someone else who was good with a weapon, just to provide one final solid defense, but boy was I wrong.

When I got to the flag, there were about seven or eight other campers that looked like they didn't even know how to hold a weapon. No offense to them, but even with my limited battle experience, I could tell they did not belong on a battlefield. 

Once the battle horn sounded, I knew that the game had begun.

Because we were in the back, we pretty much just stood around for the first five or so minutes.

While we stood there, one of the other campers said to the others, "Once they break through the front lines and get back here, just let them take it."

I'm not going to lie, when I heard him say that, I could feel myself getting a little mad. I'm a very competitive person. I wouldn't have won that final race at the Track Championships if I wasn't. I don't like losing. So with that being said, I made my way over to them and asked, "Do you not care at all? Like I get this is just a game and all, but where's your pride? They've beaten us that past couple of times and you aren't upset about that. I've only been here a couple of days and I still care more than you do. Plus, if you don't fight them now, in a game where there's no danger of death or anything like that, what's gonna save your asses when you're outside of camp and a monster attacks you?"

All of them basically coward away in fear when I asked them that question. However, one of them, the one that gave out that stupid order, tried to say, "The---"

"There's no answer to that, so don't waste your breath," I cut in. He was really starting to irritate me.

I was about to say something else when suddenly, I heard screaming coming from a couple of hundred feet away. I looked at him and said, "You got lucky."

As soon as I said that, I ran over to where the scream came from and came face to face with four Romans standing over a dozen or so unconscious campers.

One of them looked over to the others and sneered, "It looks like we have another graecus beat!"

What the fuck did I just get myself into? I thought as the Romans charged at me.

I quickly pulled out my wand and willed it into sword form. Luckily, it fully transformed just in time for me to deflect a Roman strike. I guess I caught him off guard because he left himself open for an attack way too long. Taking advantage of that, I jabbed Timewave's hilt into his face, knocking him out.

Three to go.

The next Roman attacked me with a couple of strikes. I could tell that he was really strong and that he put a lot of power into his attacks. However, he was pretty slow. The next time he tried to stab me, I dodged to the side and kicked him in the ribs, causing him to double over in pain. I kicked him in the same spot again, which caused him to pass out from the pain.

Two left.

The next Roman was the complete opposite of the previous guy I knocked out. He was all speed, no power. Nevertheless, he wasn't as fast as me. I blocked a few of his strikes before I realized he struck with a particular pattern. The very next time he went for a blow, I slashed at his hilt, just above his hand. The force was more than enough to disarm him. Before he even had the chance to retrieve his sword, I hit him in the back of the head.

One more.

The final Roman looked a little scared after I took out his friends. Within a couple of seconds, he was unconscious on the ground.

"I just took out four Romans singlehandedly," I said to myself in amazement.

Feeling a new wave of confidence rush over me, I began to push towards the Roman Flag.

As I got to the creek, I saw a mix of Roman and Greek campers laying unconscious. Suddenly, I felt all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up while I heard a groan behind me. I turned around and raised my sword just in time to block a sword from slicing my head in two.

Immediately, I countered with a slash to the Roman's head. He didn't have enough time to block my strike as the flat part of my blade hit him across the face, essentially slapping him with my sword.

While he was stunned, I punched him in the face, knocking him out cold. "Take that!" I said.

I should probably get to the flag now. If the Romans get within an eyeshot of the flag, they'll win. Our "defenders" sure won't do anything. I thought.

I willed Timewave back into wand form and began to run to the flag.

Remember, my subconscious advised me, the Roman guards won't be as... unskilled as the Greek ones. They'll put up a good fight before they let you take the flag.

When I got to the edge of the woods, the location of the Roman flag, I saw Skylar fighting a lone Roman. The first thing that caught my attention was how buff the guy was. Like, he was HUGE.

It was a good thing Skylar was fairly quick because it looked like one blow from that guy would be an instant K.O.

Using a sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other, Skylar seemed to dance around him. He was missing her badly with each strike, but it looked like Skylar couldn't keep dodging his attacks for much longer. Sadly, I was right; within a few seconds, the Roman got the advantage and was able to disarm her.

Just like I did with his fellow campers, the Roman demigod slammed the bottom of his hilt into her face. As she fell unconscious, I screamed, "No!"

I willed Timewave back into a sword and ran directly at the demigod. I jumped and slash downward at the guy, who easily blocked it. He then slashed at me from the side. If I hadn't ducked under it, he probably would've decapitated me.

He tried to bring his sword back at me, but the change of his momentum slowed his strike enough for me to deflect it with Timewave.

I was able to land a punch on his face before he recovered and tried to stab me. The good thing about stabs was that they were fairly easy to block if you were quick enough.

I sidestepped and was able to get behind him. I slashed at it, knowing that his armor would protect him from being severely damaged, but that the force would still stun him.

While he was stunned, I hit him in the back of the head with my hilt. Sadly, it didn't work as it had on the other Roman I used it on. Instead, he just turned around and was able to punch me in the gut.

As I fell to the ground, all I could think about was the feeling of the wind being knocked out of me. I gasped for air and was able to recover just in time to see the Roman try to knock me out by stomping on my face.

I rolled to the side and quickly got up just in time to deflect another of his attacks. He continued to attack me faster than he had before, launching strike after strike. I could feel my arms beginning to give out.

As he went for the disarming blow, I felt a surge of power rush through me. I could feel myself moving faster than anything else around me. Even the Roman was moving a lot slower. I was using my powers over Time.

Not knowing how long I could slow time, I took advantage of the situation and struck the Roman in the face repeatedly until I saw his knees begin to buckle. As the Roman fell to the ground, the surge of power left me and time began to speed back up.

I looked around and saw the flag, ripe for the picking. I willed Timewave back into a wand before putting it away and heading for the flag.

As I pulled it out of the ground, I felt a wave of joy. I just won the game for Camp Half-Blood, ending the Romans' four-game winning streak.

A whistle sounded, "The game is over. Camp Half-Blood wins!" Chiron announced.

The medics from the Apollo cabin ran out into the woods, waking up unconscious campers and tending to their wounds. Will Solace, the head counselor for the Apollo Cabin, as well as Head Medic, tended to me. While he cleaned my cuts, Chiron walked over to me with a big smile on his face. "Congratulations, Luke. You were a natural out on the battlefield."

"Thanks, Chiron," I said. "I just hope that this means that I don't get stuck guarding the flag next time."

Chiron nodded, "I think it would be foolish not to put you on the front lines next time. Taking down the number of demigods you did is no easy task. Especially Roman demigods. After all, Rome was known primarily for its military power."

"It sure was." A voice said from behind me.

I turned around to see Hazel and Frank who were badly trying to hide their smiles. Hazel said, "The last time I was that amazed with a camper was when your dad came to Camp Jupiter. He more or less took out the entire camp singlehandedly."

"Thank you."

Chiron smiled again, "Well, you should probably get back to your cabin. I'm sure you're tired after today."

I nodded.

As I walked back to my cabin, Skylar and I crossed paths. She said, "Great job, today. First, you beat Clarisse, then you win the game for us, that's amazing."

"Thanks," I said, trying my best not to blush.

"It kinda makes me wonder what the secret to you Jacksons' is," Skylar added.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," She said, "Your dad did all those things, defeating Kronos twice, helping stop Gaea, etcetera. Now you come along and do this. You gotta admit, that's pretty damn cool."

I smiled, "You wanna know what it is?"

"Blue cookies," I whispered to her.

Skylar laughed, "What?!"

"Blue cookies. The best food in the history of food," I answered.

Skylar replied, "I'll have to try some."

When we passed the Dining Pavilion, we heard some hushed voices. "The game was fun," I heard a voice that I recognized as Frank's. "It was a good distraction from everything that's been going on."

"I agree with you," I heard Chiron say. "I just hope that this situation resolves itself soon."

That was all Skylar and I were able to hear before we got too far away. I looked at Skylar and asked, "What did they mean 'everything going on?'"

Skylar looked down at the ground for a second before looking back up at me. "The Greek World isn't doing that well right now," she said. "The alliance we have with the Supernaturals is on the verge of collapse. Large groups of supernaturals are being wiped out and the gods don't know why. The Supernaturals are losing faith in Olympus, as a result. Your dad's been working for weeks to keep everything in order, as well as to find out what's happening."

I nodded, taking in everything she said. "What's he doing right now?" I asked.

Skylar shook her head, "I don't know. My dad hasn't heard anything from your dad in over a week."