Living beyond your years, acting out all their fears You feel it in your chest
Your hands protect the flames From the wild winds around you
Icarus is flying too close to the sun And Icarus' life, it has only just begun It's just begun...

Icarus - Bastille

DAHLIA HAD HER EYES FOCUSED ON
the tip of her arrow, which she guided to the shelf of the bow with the minimal pressure of her fingers, directly at the black hole of the target in front of her. Her eyes narrowed to a slit, the target firmly in her sights.

Dahlia adjusted Helen's stance, her own confidence radiating as she guided Helen's hands to properly hold the bow.

"Like this," she said, her voice calm but firm.

"You need to keep your elbow up, and your grip should be steady but not too tight."
The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the training grounds of Camp Half-Blood. The air was filled with the sounds of campers practicing their skills, the rustling of leaves, and the occasional shout of encouragement.
Dahlia, fresh from her triumphant quest, stood beside Helen, who was eager to learn archery.

Helen nodded eagerly.

"Did you use your archery skills on your quest?"
she asked.

"Nah, but I should have!" the blonde girl answered.

"I'm gonna use archery and kill the monsters. You think Demeter sees me when I'm good?" She asked, her voice tinged with a mixture of hope and innocence.
Dahlia smiled, pulling an arrow from the quiver and handing it to Helen.

"Of course she will, Helly." she replied. "But you shouldn't focus so much on archery, it's not just about being good at one thing. It's about proving yourself in many ways. That's how you get the glory."
Helen's eyes sparkled as she nocked the arrow, trying to emulate her sister's movements.

"I'm gonna go on a quest and succeed it, just like you Dahlia. I'm gonna get glory."
Dahlia watched her sister draw the bowstring back, her expression enthusiastic. She thought about all the people that congratulated her after her quest and couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of glory.

"A quest isn't all fun and games, Helen. It's dangerous and you need to be prepared for anything." She said and saw the sparkle in Helen's eyes slowly fading.

"But I know you have it in you." Dahlia then said.
Helen released the arrow, and it flew wildly off-target, landing in the grass a good distance from the target. She frowned, but her determination didn't waver.

"I'll get better," she said resolutely.

"I'll train every day until I'm as good as you!"
Dahlia patted Helen on the back, not thinking that Helen really meant what she said.

"I'll tell you something.." she then said and slightly bowed down to the girl.

"You'll be even better!" she said, her voice filled with encouragement.

"Just keep working hard and Demeter will notice. She always does."
Helen's face lit up at Dahlia's words.

"Really? You think so?"

"Absolutely. She's gonna give you a chance to prove yourself." Dahlia replied, handing Helen another arrow.
Helen took a deep breath, drawing the bowstring back again with more confidence this time.

"So, what kind of quest do you have in mind?" Dahlia asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Definitely no ghosts included." The brunette girl said, referring to Dahlias quest.
The blonde laughed.

"I get that!" She said as Helen took another shot, her determination only grew stronger. She was filled with dreams of glory and the hope of finally earning her mother's attention.

Meanwhile, Dahlia, caught up in her own sense of achievement, continued to fuel her sister's ambitions, unaware of what influence this would have on Helen.

With a final breath, she let go of the string and the arrow went through the bow window with a lightning-fast hiss and pierced the monster made of hay with the target near where the heart would be.

Then she heard an impressive whistle behind her.

"Not bad Lia." Luke said and the girl turned around smiling. She was the boy in his orange camp shirt and cargo pants as always, beside him Chris and a little boy. His blonde curls blown in the wind.

"Percy, meet Dahlia. Dahlia, this is Percy." Luke said introducing them to one another.

"That was perfect!" Percy said impressed.

"A good source of glory are feats and skill." Luke spoke up.

"So we gotta find out what you're good at. Dahlia is one of the best archers in camp. She'll show you." He said and gave his bow to Percy. The blonde boy took it and walked towards the Demeter girl.

"Alright. Stand here." She pointed at the spot where she was standing before and helped him adjusting his  stance.
Dahlia couldn't help but think about how she helped Helen with archery. She felt guilt gnawing at her.
Maybe it was her fault that Helen took this quest. She filled the girls head with all those thoughts about glory cause she was so filled with pride about her success.

"I wanna be very clear about this. I've never done anything like this before, and it looks super dangerous." He said and Dahlia chuckled behind him.

"And you never killed a Minotaur either.." Luke shrugged.

" 'til you did." He then said. Dahlia looked at Luke in shock and mouthed.

-This is the kid who killed the Minotaur?-

Luke nodded almost proudly and the blonde girl nodded impressed.
Dahlia felt how nervous Percy was when he looked around at the people watching him.

"Hold fast, Percy. Ignore them." She whispered and saw the boys blue eyes shooting towards her. She seemed to have struck a nerve with those words.
After staring at her for a moment, Percy drew and arrow and aimed at the target. The Demeter girl walked towards Luke, standing at his side.

"How old is he?" She asked.

"Twelve." Luke answered.

"He's twelve and killed a Minotaur?!" Dahlia whispered in shock.

"Annabeth is infatuated with him, she thinks he is the one, Chiron promised." Luke whispered back.
Percy pulled the string back and Dahlia saw his arms start to wobble.

"Oh no." She murmured, foreseeing what will happen.
Percy released the arrow and it shot over the heads of the other Apollo kids and Chris who threw themselves to the ground.
Percy himself was also lying on the ground watching where the arrow went.

"Should I.. try again?" He asked slowly.

"NO!!"

"Is there a Greek god of disappointment? Maybe someone should ask him if he's missing a
kid." Percy said, after trying almost every activity in camp and failing it.

"Oizys.. but she's a goddess and her whole thing isn't really disappointment, it's more like.. failure." Chris answered.

"How'd you know about her?.. feel related?" Dahlia asked and Chris grimaced before throwing a strawberry at her. The girl caught it.

"Hey I love strawberries! watch this." She said towards Percy and let the fruit grow in her hand to hype the boy up. Percy smiled.

"Why can't I grow food!" He then asked towards Luke.

"Skills take training Percy. And the more skills-.." Dahlia threw the big strawberry back to Chris.

"..the more glory you get. I didn't learn archery or plant growth over night. I trained everyday." She ended and saw Luke grinning at her.

"We're gonna find the thing that you're good at. I know it!" He then said encouraging the blonde boy beside Dahlia.
The girl smiled at Luke.
It was the way he treated the kids in his cabin, like his very true family, that amazed her.
Maybe because it was the family he never had. Dahlia could relate to that.
She felt just the same way about her cabin, especially Meg, Liam and Helen.

They then heard the bell ringing.

"Our turn." Luke said, which was Dahlias sign to get to her own table.

"Don't give up Percy. Hold fast." she said laying a hand on the shoulder of the boy as she got up and walked to her table.
Percy looked after her.

"I like her." he said, thinking about the words of his mother.

"Hold fast Perseus, brave the storm."

The morning of capture the flag, Dahlia woke up earlier, excited about playing her favorite game again.
She changed her clothes into her camp shirt and binding her shoes when she looked ahead towards Meg's bed that was near the entrance. Her head shot from one side of the bed, to the other as she squirmed.

Dahlia quietly got up from her bed and walked towards the girl. She bend down in front of her and saw sweat running down Meg's temple, her eyes pinched together. She slightly shook Meg's shoulder, to wake her up from her nightmare and the next moment, Meg jolted up and gasped for air.

"Hey." Dahlia whispered and Meg's eyes shot towards her.

"Hellen?" The blonde then asked raising her eyebrows and Meg nodded slightly.
Dahlia looked down towards the blue mattress of Meg, but still noticed the redheads movements when she wiped hair out of her face, trying to calm her nerves.

"Maybe we should tell Chiro-.." Dahlia wanted to say but Meg interrupted her.

"No, I'm fine." She said and got up. She started putting on her shoes.

"You don't seem fine, Meg. You don't sleep the nights and you barely eat. This is not healthy." Dahlia tried to talk some sense into the girl, her voice growing strict and concerned.

"I'm fine!" Meg said, stood up and walked out of the cabin. Dahlia sighed.

Dang it!

"The first team to retrieve the opposing flag and return it across the river, shall be the victor!" Chiron said loudly over the noise of 'Zephyros Greek'. Dahlia thought back at the time when she was 15 and won her first game of capture the flag.

"As always there will be no maiming and no killing! I trust these rules will be respected. Any magical items you may possess, are permitted as well." He declared the rules.

Dahlia turned her head to see Clarisse walking towards her, before the Ares girl stopped at her side.

"Change of plans, Meg is coming with me. Remember, no distractions." Clarisse whispered and the blonde gave her a critical look.

"Put Meg to the side, please. She's not in the right form." She then answered pleadingly.

"Every camper who is not injured has to play! Prisoners may be disarmed.." she heard Chirons voice, reading the rules out.

"There you have it." Clarisse said nodding towards Chiron.

"Let me come with you. And put her to Liam and the others!" Dahlia suggested, not wanting any more stress on her best friend.

"No." Clarisse said stubbornly.

"I need you at the flag, to distract your little loverboy." She said her final words, before Chiron yelled.

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!" and the teams erupted in a roar. Dahlia looked to the other side, where the blue team raised their spears. Her eyes locked with Luke's.

Dahlia noticed that she had gotten quite good at sword fight, due to her training with Luke and Liam. The soldiers of the opposing team were no problem for her and her teammates, a few other kids from the Ares and Demeter cabins.

It only got difficult when a certain Hermes boy showed up with his team and met Dahlias Team not far away from the flag.

The air buzzed with the clash of swords and the shouts of demigods locked in fierce battle. The towering trees formed a labyrinth of cover and obstacles. Amidst this chaotic backdrop, Luke and Dahlia squared off, their swords gleaming in the dappled sunlight.

Dahlia's eyes, a deep, captivating green, locked onto Luke's brown ones with a mix of determination and something unspoken. She moved with a fluid grace, her every step a dance, every swing of her sword a calculated move. Luke, taller and equally skilled, matched her blow for blow, his eyes never leaving hers. There was an intensity in his gaze, a flicker of something more than just determination.

"Changed teams huh? Red suits you, but I'd like you more in blue." Luke said and Dahlia laughed at him.

"Well I choose the winners." she teased, her voice light despite the effort it took to keep up with his attacks.

"Cheaters and rule breakers, you mean." Luke said, stepping forward and meeting her sword with his. Dahlia jumped back, blocking it.

"Rules are meant to be bent, Lukie. That's what warfare is.. knowing the rules.. so you can break them." She said between breaths and attacks.
Dahlia smirked, her breath coming in controlled bursts.

"Or you use them against your opponent!" He said.

"See, you're no better than me." Dahlia shot back, circling him warily.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" She then asked. Their swords clashed again, the force of their strikes sending reverberations up their arms. Around them, the sounds of battle continued, but it all seemed distant compared to the intensity of their duel.

"Handle you?" Luke retorted, flashing her a grin.

"I've been doing that for years."

Once again, they danced around each other and Dahlia had to admit she quite enjoyed the tension between them and the eye contact they held, while trying to defeat each other. She was also glad that all this was not real but a game.

She couldn't imagine ever fighting Luke under real circumstances.

"You know," Dahlia said between breaths,

"if you focused more on fighting and less on talking, you might actually stand a chance."
Luke's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"If I focused any more, you'd already be on the ground." He leaned in slightly, his expression growing serious.

Before she could respond further, Luke feinted left and then darted right, slipping past her guard. Dahlia spun to follow, but Luke was quicker. He knocked her sword from her hand with a deft twist of his wrist, sending it skidding across the forest floor.
In a fluid motion, he had her pinned against a tree, his body pressing against hers. For a moment, everything else faded away—the shouts, the clashing swords, the game itself. There was only the two of them, the intensity of their gazes locked together.

"Oh I stand a chance." He murmured smiling, before he released her and took off through the trees. Desperation clawed at Dahlia as she retrieved her sword and sprinted after him, but it was too late. She burst into the small clearing just in time to see Luke holding their flag, his victory assured.

"See you around, Dahlia," he called, a mix of triumph and something softer in his voice.

Dahlia stood there, catching her breath, watching as Luke disappeared back into the forest. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips, despite the loss.
Today, she had been outmaneuvered, but the game was far from over. And as she turned back to rejoin her teammates, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to their battles than just capture the flag.

The sound of the horn rang out as Luke and Chris ran out of the woods with their team, the campers around them cheering. Luke stuck the flag in the gravel, then turned around and joined the cheer. He joined in with Chris and smiled at Dahlia who nodded, granting him the victory.

"What is wrong with you?!"

Suddenly the campers went quiet, and Dahlia stepped forward to see Percy and Annabeth. Percy layed in the water his clothes drenched in water as he got up. The blonde boy then looked at his arms, where his wounds started to heal and shortly after that, Dahlia's breath caught in her throat when a specific sign appeared over his head.

A trident,
the sign of Poseidon.

Dahlia stepped between Luke and his brother, as she watched Percy.

"No way." She murmured.

"YOU'VE BEEN CLAIMED BY POSEIDON!" Chiron's voice rang out, just like it did when Dahlia got claimed 2 years ago.

"EARTH SHAKER, STORM BRINGER! Percy Jackson. SON of POSEIDON!"

Author's note:
Walkerrrr and Leahhh
What do you think of this chapter?

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