Author's notes: Written with the prompt Percy/Annabeth, captains on opposing capture the flag team. I decided to throw in a couple of the characters from the upcoming The Lost Hero release because it made the story flow a little better.

Warnings/Spoilers: Very minor spoilers for first two released chapters and speculation for The Lost Hero.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Outside View

"Whoever elected you captain is an idiot," Annabeth declares, glancing over her shoulder as she pulls her hair up into a ponytail. "Everyone knows you have the strategy skills of a brain dead Laistrygonian giant."

"We'll see if you're saying that after my team kicks your team's collective butt," Percy replies, clasping the last buckle on his chest plate closed and straightening it out so it covered him better. "I seem to recall everything working out in my team's favor last time."

Annabeth's cheeks flush this probably painful reminder and she snaps back, "You got lucky. I still have the better record than you, and the skills to back it up. And I haven't gotten myself kidnapped by a love sick nymph in the last month either, have I now?"

"I told you that was an accident!"

"And I'm sure that's what you'll be telling your teammates tonight when you lose too."

"Oh, you wish, Owl Face…"

"I thought they liked each other?" Jason asks, his brow scrunching as he watches Percy and Annabeth's argument continue to escalate from his spot on porch of the Hades cabin.

The two of them have been firing off insults and baiting each other ever since breakfast this morning, and they don't sound like they're going to stop any time soon. They also aren't acting like a couple so desperately in love, they'd die for each other, as Jason has been told countless of times that they almost already have.

After all the trouble Jason went through to get this kid back, Annabeth sure wasn't treating him like anything special. The daughter of Athena had made Jason's life at camp hell before he'd been sent on the quest to find Percy, and she had promised to make it even worse if he and the others didn't bring him back in one piece.

Jason couldn't see why she had been so concerned with Percy's physical well-being, considering she looked ready to tear him into itty bitty pieces at the moment.

"Oh, they do," Nico says reassuringly, propping his sunglasses up on his head. "But they've been made opposing captains in Capture the Flag today, and there's nothing they like more than beating the shit out of each other in a competition. They'll be back to sucking face by the end of the night, don't worry."

Jason watches as Annabeth sticks her leg out to trip Percy at the same time he tries shoves her away from him, and replies, "That's so stupid."

"Yup. That's love for ya."

Well then, Jason thinks. If love is supposed to be this crazy and confusing and, well, stupid, he doesn't want any part of it.

At least, he amends quickly when Piper smiles at him as she walks by with a bunch of her siblings, not for a little while anyway.