Dear Reader [1]

02 - Capture The Dumbass

'Whatever you do Sea Pup, we got your back...It's your choice'

Corey watched as campers swarmed the fields, picking out shields, weapons and going over battle strategy. Some things never change and Capture the Flag was one of them. Corey played with her necklace, her back frozen as she did. She was like that for a moment, frozen in place. She could feel everything around her, the wind blowing on her cheeks, the feeling of the grass on her ankles, even her hair moving on her neck.

'Be brave young hero...it is almost time' a gentle feminine voice whispered in one ear and out the other.

Percy had tapped her shoulder, breaking Corey out of her trance. "You okay Seashell?" He asked her, looking out at the view. Corey shook her head, taking a moment to clear her mind. "I'm fine Pup, just enjoying the calm before the storm" Corey smiled at him. Percy seemed uneasy, looking straight down at Annabeth. She was with a group of swords people, going over attack formations and defenses.

"She has it out for me" Percy kicked a rock. Corey laughed a little before giving him a nudge in the arm. "It's not funny, you heard her last night. She's stalking me, probably to make a fool of me during this" Percy assumed, crossing his arms. "You big baby" Corey mused with a silly smile. "What do you know about Athena?" Corey asked him, sitting down on the grass.

Percy copied her, "She's the goddess of wisdom. The one who cursed Medusa". Corey clicked her tongue, "Athena always has a plan. From the moment she sprung from Zeus' forehead. Athena is always a hundred steps ahead and her children are the same" Corey explained to Percy. "How'd you know so much?" Percy asked her, looking at Corey. That's when he saw it, that sadness in her eyes. Just like his mom.

Corey looked down at her right hand, a small silver ring glowed in the afternoon sun. Two gems sat next to each other, one was grey the other was a soft blue. "My cousin was a daughter of Athena. Min Jung, she was a firecracker. The girl knew what I was going to do three weeks before I did it" Corey didn't smile, she only looked out at the campers and Annabeth, fighting back the tears that were trying to escape her.

Percy felt awkward, he didn't know how to comfort anyone let alone a girl he's known for a day. But he felt obliged to, like there was this invisible force connecting them. "I...sorry I don't know what to say" Percy blurted out. Corey looked at him, seeing his confused face, a small smile gracing her lips. "You don't need to say anything Pup, just trust me when I say this, Annabeth has a plan and you apart of it, so follow her lead" Corey told him, ruffling his hair.

Percy clicked his tongue, "Will you be there?" He asked Corey as she stood up. "I plan on it" Corey told him.

~Ψ~

Corey never felt so grounded as she did when she placed on her armor marked in blue. Her helmet under her arm as she grabbed a shield from the armory. Her short hair was held back with a hair tie from an Aphrodite camper. She walked towards her company when she felt someone grab her arm. She looked around, but no one was there. She relaxed her body, closing her eyes as she let the breeze pass her. Without missing a beat, Corey's hand grabbed the fabric and pulled it up.

"Hey!"

Corey opened her eyes to see a furious Annabeth Chase. "That's mine" She stated bluntly, crossing her arms. Corey looked at the magical item, "What's this supposed to be?" She asked Annabeth who snatched the hat from Corey's fingers. "It's a hat" Annabeth rolled her eyes, stuffing in between the straps of her armour.

Corey looked at Annabeth concerned, "That's way too small to be a hat" She judged the dark blue hat. Annabeth huffed at Corey, grabbing her wrist "Just follow me" She pulled Corey to the front lines near Percy and Luke.