The game starts as the campers scatter to their places, weapons in hand. It's been a while since they've all last played a game, it's been a while since they've done anything fun, actually. Percy talks to his team as they stand together in a huddle, nodding along with the son of Poseidon's plans.

Annabeth talks to her team, giving them all a pep talk, she knows that the Blue Team doesn't stand a chance, why? Because Athena always has a plan. She won the first game Percy and her played and she sure as hell isn't going to lose this one.

As Percy runs through the forest, he comes across the creek. The creek. The creek he got claimed in. The creek where all his troubles began. He reaches up to his arm, there's a small mark where Clarisse's spear had nicked him. A mark which reminds him of falling into the water, the gash healing and that stupid trident which showed up above his head.

Annabeth races past a clearing in the forest but she stops when she sees a tree. A tree which her brother and her carved two words into, two words which make a tear fall from her grey and stormy eyes. Family forever. She shakes her head and flutters her eyes open and close, now isn't the time to cry.

Nico passes by Zeus's Fist, his Stygian black sword in hand. He sighs and runs past it, he doesn't want to remember the Battle of the Labyrinth. He's moved on from that mess, so running a hand through his black hair, he turns back and sprints over to his boyfriend who seems to be unable to fight with a sword.

Clarisse runs through the forest, her spear bashing her opponents but all time slows down as she approaches a creek. The same creek our son of Poseidon despises. The creek where everything started. She still remembers the anger she felt when kneeling down in front of him as Chiron announced, 'Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.' Now that anger has been replaced with friendship.

As Kayla races past her teammate, heading for someone who's approaching her team's flag, she falters when she sees a hyacinth. A small field of hyacinths her older brother Michael and her had planted so many years ago. She wipes at her eyes which are brimming with tears and fires her arrow at an enemy, she'll come back to visit later.

The Stolls laugh and walk along, looking out to see a certain daughter of Demeter get caught in the net. 'STOLLS!!!' She yells but it doesn't faze the two brothers. The taller of the two simply reaches over to Katie and places a chaste kiss on her lips, 'Sorry my Katie-Kat.' Travis and Connor burst into laughter again as they run into the woods again, both happy once more. But the space between them which would've been filled with a blond boy remains empty.

Chiron stands in the middle of the large playing field, watching the demigods, his demigods... the children he'd seen grow up and face monsters, playing like the innocent kids they should be. Not the broken people who've seen death.

Whether it was Percy who was thrown into this world of Greek gods and monsters or Annabeth who had always been his trusted student, he feels horrible. They had to go through this mess, a war... A war which left them so broken.

* * *

Capture the Flag.

A game which reminds our heroes of where it all started, where all their troubles are rooted. But, also a game which reminds them that they are still playful children without a problem in the world.