𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 | ᵖᵉʳᶜʸ ʲᵃᶜᵏˢᵒⁿ

𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰

Capture the flag has begun. Enid walked through the forest, her sword in hand which is a little too big for her. She dragged it and hit the tree trunks she passed in her path. The silence lulled her ears as the warm wind blew across her cheeks and through her hair. She stopped for a second when she recognized a blond boy in the distance, dancing the floss.

She approached him discreetly, a mocking smile on her face. Enid stabbed her sword into the ground, laughing. "Seriously, Goldilocks?"

Percy quickly turned towards the brunette, so quickly that he tripped on a rock and fell backwards. Enid desperately scratched her forehead as Percy stood up, trying to play it cool. He cleared his throat. "H-Hey. I didn't know you were t- How long have you been there ?"

"Enough to...see enough." Enid pressed her lips together in a smile. She ran her hand over her shoulder, trying to remove the bits of dirt that had stuck there since her fall. Percy didn't look away from her. Instead, he examined every corner of her face.

"There you go," she said stepping back, looking up at Percy. He returned her smile, grateful for her help.

"Thanks."

"Hey, Goldilocks. Remember, you're here to help Annabeth, so don't mess it up," Enid warned with a hint of threat in her voice.

"I could make an effort if i knew why she need my help," Percy replied, his tone dripping with mockery and irony. "And by the way, your girlfriend gives me the creeps."

Enid scoffed. "Can't blame you there. I know, Annabeth can be unsettling, but if you gave her a chance, you'd see she's actually pretty nice."

"Kind of like you, huh?" Percy teased, a playful smile dancing on his lips.

Enid raised an eyebrow and nudged him in the arm. "I'm not 'nice,' okay? I'm sarcastic and won't hesitate to poke fun at you."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Percy chuckled. He took a moment to appreciate the forest around them. "But I've also noticed how you are with Grover."

Enid crossed her arms, giving Percy a puzzled look. "Oh yeah? And what about it?"

"You're different with him. It's like you're protective of him," Percy observed, meeting Enid's gaze directly. "You don't act that way with just anyone."

Enid frowned, caught off guard by Percy's insight. She couldn't help but laugh at his audacity. "Don't act like you know me, Goldilocks."

"You're right, I don't know you that well. But you can't deny there's truth in what I said," Percy said confidently, a small grin playing on his lips.

Enid rolled her eyes and walked past Percy, purposefully shouldering him as she did. Percy turned to speak to her, but his attention was quickly diverted as he noticed campers from the opposing team approaching. Without hesitation, Enid instinctively brandished her sword, positioning herself in front of Percy as if to shield him.

One of the campers removed her helmet, revealing her curly hair. Percy's heart sank as he immediately recognized the girl who had bullied him since his arrival at the camp. It was Clarisse. Enid, noticing Percy's reaction, dropped her defensive stance slightly as she observed Clarisse removing her helmet.

"Flag's that way. It's not here," Percy said from behind Enid, pointing in the opposite direction. His voice was calm, but there was a hint of tension as he tried to divert attention away from the confrontation with Clarisse.