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“Go, Edwin, go!” Charles was probably cheering too loud, but they had gotten the flag! Sure, they’d done it before a few times, but with Niko on their team now, it had been even easier. Charles couldn’t keep the grin off his face, even as he failed to keep up with Edwin at a full sprint. That was part of the point, that no one could keep up with Edwin once he started running.
At least that’s what he thought, until he almost ran full tilt into Edwin’s back. They were barely a hundred metres from home base, and Edwin had stopped in his tracks. Charles was just about to ask what was wrong when he looked up and felt all the blood drain from his face.
Niko was pinned to the ground, with her arm wrenched behind her back at what looked like a painful angle. Her helmet was gone, and Charles could already tell that her face would bruise badly in a few different places. He didn’t want to guess at how many other bruises he couldn’t see under her armour. As well as the camper pinning Niko with a knee in her back, she was surrounded by three others.
The worst part of all this was that all four were Charles’ siblings. Lorraine, Calvin, Fabien, and Carla
Lorraine looked up from where she was holding Niko down and her grin seemed half insane as she called out. “Give up the flag, boys!”
Charles and Edwin glanced at each other at the same time. Charles didn’t have to say or do anything. Edwin already knew what he was thinking when he turned his eyes back on Ares’ cabin, and tossed the Athena flag away from them. Calvin and Fabien didn’t even wait. They ran for the flag with matching smirks and ran off with it to their own base.
Carla turned her weapon from Niko and pointed it to the two of them, while Lorraine stood casually, pulling Niko up with her by the arm. Charles tried to hide a wince, because it looked so much worse now like this. He could see the cuts along with the bruises. Teaming up four to one on anyone during Capture the Flag was already bad form. Put on top of that that Niko was still new to camp, and this was alright vicious behaviour.
His sisters looked far too smug. “Catch!” Lorrane called, pushing Niko roughly towards them. Charles ran to catch her before she could trip and fall. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, as if that might stop the way she was shaking.
“Love the new strategy, boys!” Carla called as they backed away the same direction Calvin and Fabien had gone. “Thanks for doing all the work for us!” Charles glared them both down, and didn’t realise how tense he’d gotten until Niko let out a little squeak. He immediately loosened up, not wanting to hurt her any more, but he looked down and saw the tear tracks through the dirt on her face. Edwin joined him at his side, as the girls disappeared into the woods.
Once they were gone, Charles let Edwin guide him and Niko to the tree to sit. From there, both boys sat on either side of Niko, and just tried to offer her comfort though neither of them was particularly good at it. Charles rubbed a hand up and down her back, just repeating “There, there” while she cried into her knees. Edwin was talking about some book or another the two must have been reading together.
Even when the horn blared declaring the game was over, the trio stayed there. Eventually with a loud, disgusting sniffle Niko looked up at them, but she just looked like she wanted to cry all over again. “I’m sorry,” she said, though her voice was hoarse and squeaky.
Edwin only looked confused, unable to help asking, “Whatever for?”
“I lost us the game."
“You did not!” Edwin insisted
“They only won, because they’re bloody cheats!” Charles added.
“But, you had to give them the flag because of me. If I hadn’t been caught, then you would have won,” she said to her knees. She couldn’t look at either of them when she said it, but she felt it when both boys inched just that little bit closer to her on either side.
“Ambushed you mean. Those four ganged up on you,” Charles sounded angrier than Niko had ever heard him. He was always so happy, it was surprising he even knew how to be upset.
“They fought dishonourably. That’s fine and good when battling monsters in the real world, but in Camp War Games there’s a certain degree of a moral code that should be respected.” It wasn’t the angriest she’d ever heard Edwin, but there was something to the way both Charles and Edwin’s arguments layered on each other that made her feel like maybe they had a point.
“Still, I-” she didn’t know what she had planned to say next. Only that suddenly her throat was clogged again, and she couldn’t stop the tears streaming down her face. Edwin startled as Niko started crying again, but Charles just drew them all in together.
“Hey, none of that. We’d give up a hundred victories to keep you safe. You’re worth way more than any stupid game of Capture the Flag,” Charles whispered into their little huddle.
“We will always choose you first.” Edwin whispered, and snuck in a pinkie swear, just between them. Niko hooked her pinkie with his, even if she couldn’t speak quite yet.
The three of them sat there, holding each other close until Mick eventually came to bring them back to camp.