From my low and hidden position in the tree, I could easily shadow Austin for oncoming enemies. I adjusted my uncomfortable helmet, spitting out hairs from the ridiculously long red plume that seemed to try to choke me every five minutes. The adrenaline in my body almost reached the same level as when I run, but there was definitely more excitement. This camp seriously needs to take a chill pill.

We were playing a game of capture the flag- the enhanced version: deadly weapons and rough, raw terrain are now thrown into the mix. Austin, my newly-discovered half-brother, and I guarded our red flag that was currently sitting in a small clearing in the woods. He was on ground level, since he could handle a sword better. Leo relaxed in a patch of sunlight, hands behind his head, cracking jokes at absolutely everything. I had to watch myself and make sure I didn't give my position away by laughing, but man is it hard. My usual Celestial Bronze bow and arrows had been replaced with a regular bow and arrows whose tips were darts covered in a mix of Epidural and some sleep-inducing concoction made by the Hypnos cabin. I wasn't allowed to use them on anyone under 40 feet from me. Easy. I had already gotten Annabeth out when she was sneaking up on Austin to jump him. She didn't even reach the clearing before I shot her in her unprotected arm and she dropped into a pile of leaves.

Immediately after she fell, I felt uneasy. I knew that it was nearly painless and just part of the game, but... I'd never shot a person before. I've never even shot animals, only the monsters that Quintenn wasn't able to get. She really looked dead too, which didn't help me at all. But occasionally she twisted in her sleep and muttered random things about "Mocha Frappe" and "Percy" and "Don't want to go to Mexico", and I got over it. Four other campers lay curled in peaceful sleep around the clearing- two Nike kids, one Ares, and one Hermes.

Earlier I noticed Milo sneaking up on me. He wasn't very subtle about it: apparently he thought the best way to get me was to try to grapple his way through the trees, from one to the next, until he reached mine. His tree-stealth-mode was almost louder than the sounds of the swordfights throughout the woods. Initially I decided to take him out, but then I thought how much not-fun that would be. A close-quarters fight would also hopefully teach me to get the hang of it.

Finally he made it to my tree. I let him shimmy his way (so, slowly) down until he was a branch or two above me. I was getting my bow ready to use the tips as knives, tensing for combat, when-

"AAAAAAH!" THUNK

I sniggered at Milo as he pushed himself up off the ground and glared up at me. "You missed," I said through quiet laughter. Leo's loud laugh rang through the trees, and Austin chuckled along with him. The tense and competitive atmosphere has disappeared for a moment.

Then while Milo is pouting and looking for a way to reach me, I see Leo take something out of his tool belt and chuck it inconspicuously across the clearing in our direction. Upon closer inspection, I am quite unsettled to see that it very much resembles a grenade. Now, looking back on it, of course it wasn't a grenade, but at the time I had no idea what stuff this crazy camp allowed. "Leo!" I yelled in surprise. I reach down to hold a hand out to Milo, thinking maybe we could climb our way out of this. My brain was panicked, OK?

Milo followed my gaze and his eyes widened. "What the heck-"

POOF. White cloudy smoke surrounded us and I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. One breath had me coughing uncontrollably for a few moments. The fog and drowning feeling reminded me of my dream, and I had to take deep, calming breaths to keep from freaking out. Focus on the game. Play the game. "What did that help?" Milo called out of the smoke somewhere- closer than I wanted.

"I don't know!" Leo yelled, his voice muffled from the clouds. "I thought maybe smoke cover was needed! Go get 'im, teammate!"

Pfft. Like that was gonna happen. I can't see anything. I couldn't even see the tree I was sitting in anymore.

"AH-" A hand grabbed my ankle and yanked me from my perch. My lungs emptied as I hit the ground hard, and I barely had time to recover before I felt strong hands reaching out to grab at my feet, my ankles, my legs, working their way up my body. I blindly kicked in the direction of the attack and winced when my foot hit flesh.

"Ow, my gods..." Milo swore from behind me as I crawled away.

I still gripped my bow tightly in one hand as I stood and peered through the haze for my blue-plumed attacker. "Don't touch my ankles, dude," I said in the direction of his voice. "I can't stand it when my Achilles tendons are touched." Just thinking about it makes them ache, and I don't know why.

My sense of hearing worked on overdrive to locate him, but we collided with each other before I was able to put it to use. He slashed out with one of his knives immediately, giving me no time to think. I ducked and whipped my bow around to hit him across the cheek, leaving a scratch. He returned one in no time with a low blow to my calf behind the shin guard. We were so focused on our battle that nothing else was relevant. Our eyes never disconnected: his blonde hair fell from behind his oversized helmet into his light brown eyes, glaring at me in concentration so that he wouldn't miss a fatal beat. It's all I can do to keep up with his offense, dodging and blocking with my bow.

Suddenly a crack a few inches wide split the ground beneath him in a jagged line. He stumbled backwards for a moment, long enough for me to grab at the chance to whip the bow around and hit him upside the head with a hard blow, knocking him out. Once he fell unconscious to the ground, he disappeared in the fog.

"Nico," I called, blindly searching for a way out back to the clearing. It was obvious who that crack came from. I just wasn't sure why. "You know he's on your team, right?"

"Oops." I followed the voice and seconds later I was out of the smoke. Nowhere near the clearing, though. Nico stood in front of me, all the shadows drawn towards him, dimming the light of the sun. His eyes and small smirk held a mischievous gleam that resembled Milo's. Luckily the sword in his hand was not made of his usual Stygian iron, but just plain metal. "I miscalculated. Honest mistake."

"Sure." He didn't look very convincing with that grin. I gripped my bow tightly in anticipation. The wound in my leg was aching more and more. It didn't help that the blood slid down into my shoe, creating a gooey, slippery mess that threw my balance off. "Well thanks, I guess."

"No problem." And then he swung the blade towards my arm. I sidestepped out of the way and mere inches from him, where I kicked him square in the chest. He fumbled backwards and nearly rolled down the hill we stood on. Unfortunately he managed to catch himself. Then he disappeared into a mess of shadows.

"Oh, that's mean," I muttered. Of course he's going to win with shadow travel.

"Yeah, it is." I didn't even need to turn around to know that he had his sword to my back. Man, it seemed like only five minutes since the game started, and now I'm out.

Seconds passed.

"...Are you gonna knock me out?"

"Um..." I heard the shuffling of leaves behind me. Well, as long as he isn't going to do it, I might as well take the chance to live. I turned around, bow ready to continue the fight. When he saw me make a move, he once again began to thin into darkness. Almost as a natural reflex, I reached out to quickly grab onto his jacket. That might have been a mistake.

The next few seconds felt like forever. My body was weightless, like my mind was separated from it, and the world existed only in black and white and nauseating grey. Every moment melded into a single experience, so that I was both energized and tired at once, confusion and surprise taking place at the same time. I couldn't see Nico, just glimpses of movement, like watching a scratched DVD. That weightless feeling of not existing, of not being, began the bubble of dread in my gut. I hated feeling this alone and... purpose-less.

Then I plop down onto the leaves drowning the forest floor with Nico beside me, panting heavily. Colours are so vibrant now. "Woah," he said between breaths, clutching his chest. "That was awesome! You like... I was going so fast! I feel even more energized! You gave me some sort of boost or something!" He looked at me incredulously while I tried to calm my furious heartbeat. "That was the first time that's happened. It..." He just shook his head, eyes wide with surprise. "It's just amazing."

"Yeah, well," I said after I had recovered from the shock. It felt like I had been in the bath too long- lightheaded and a little weak. "First for me too, I guess."

The single piercing note of a horn signified the end of the game. From the cheers heard close by, we had shadow-travelled further towards the center of the forest. "We should head back. Your leg needs looking at. I wonder who won." Nico muttered more to himself than to me as he helped me up and led us in the direction of the cheering.

I was still a little shaken at the travelling experience. "It better have been us after what I just went through," I said as I hobbled beside him back to camp. He laughed genuinely, which brought a small smirk to my face. That airy feeling that comes from an adrenaline high finally began to settle on me, and the sunlight only increased it. I didn't notice until later that my hand was wrapped in his, fingers entwined, like two halves of a broken mold.