Rin Nakamura is more like her mother than she thinks. She enjoys tearing down the proud and powerful, and there is no one who deserves tearing down like the very goddess she descended from. They say that the children of Nemesis, even when unclaimed...
Capture the flag that Friday was held in the daytime, and just as the late afternoon sun moved to its position in the sky, the conch horn sounded, prompting everyone to stand at their respective tables, awaiting further instructions. Rin was accustomed to the cacophony that always accompanied the event, excitement thrumming in her blood as she watched Annabeth, and three other kids from Athena's cabin run into the commons yard, carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray,with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. On the opposite side, the Ares campers brought in their own banner, of identicalsize, but flamboyant red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.
Despite her young age, Annabeth was quite the force to be reckoned with. Her dark braids had been pulled back, giving her a focused look, and Rin was almost certain that she was behind whatever scheme her cabin had concocted for today's game.
"Whose side are we on?" she mumbled to Luke, who stood beside her.
The brunette boy only grinned, shooting her a knowing smirk, and she knew almost immediately. Privileges had been traded -shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support, and as head counsellor of the Hermes cabin, Luke always ensured that they were allied with the Athena cabin. Always the Athena cabin.
Chiron cleared his throat drawing attention, and the crowd fell silent.
"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundaryline. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The bannermust be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisonersmay be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming isallowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"
He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered withequipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.
The midday sun cast long shadows across the courtyard, and Rin's fingers idly traced the hilt of her sword. It was nothing special, an old Celestial bronze thing she'd she'd picked up when she first arrived at camp, and had grown used to after years of rigorous training. Her muscles still throbbed with the echoes of her morning training session, a gruelling regimen of swordplay that left her body feeling both exhausted and alive. She couldn't help but crack her knuckles in an attempt to ease the tension, a habit that never failed to draw a chuckle from Luke.
