Prompt #011 - Red

Prompt # 011 - Red

Loser

Time Frame: The Lightning Thief – Chapter 8: We Capture a Flag

Pairing: None

POV: Annabeth

P.S. I don’t have TLT with me right now, so I don’t know the exact details/dialogue

**

“You must never be satisfied with losing. You must get angry, terribly angry, about losing. But the mark of the good loser is that he takes his anger out on himself and not his victorious opponents or on his teammates.”

-Richard M. Nixon

**

I can see them running and I can’t believe it.

That complete idiot of a boy really did that.

I can see him—streaking through the trees, the giant red flag fluttering behind him as his too-big helmet slips down over his eyes as he runs. Who does this little unclaimed nobody think he is? Big three material?

I let out strangled, frustrated curse as I see the other team running towards our line. I call for reinforcements, but they’re all following the plan—like he was supposed to do!—and are over by where the Ares flag should have been.

Through the trees I can see him running and for a moment, a glimmer of hope spurs in my chest—maybe this lunatic, spontaneous, completely illogical move might work. Maybe we’ll win…..?!

And then I see the Ares kids stride across our line, flag in hand far down the boundary line. We’ve lost because of this stupid kid.

I throw down my spear and shield, ripping off my helmet in frustration as I stalk over to give this newbie, nobody a piece of my mind.

He may have killed a Minotaur, but he’s lost us Capture the Flag. And one is way more important than the other. He may have been cool for a while because of his initial rep, but now my cabin-mates and I are going to make his life a living hell.

My feet stomp against the forest ground, my armor clanking as I draw close to him, trying to shoot arrows from my eyes at him.

Who does this kid think he is?

It’s about time someone told him how things are done around here.

~fin~