The summer breeze rippled through the air, offering relief to what had been a hot and muggy day. The sun was setting, marking an end to everyone getting relief from the heat in the lake, diving off the dock and playing around. The day had been full of laughter and smiles, all nearly innocent. Nothing could truly be innocent with a bunch of children of Hermes and Ares running around and looking for trouble.

But that innocence was gone, exchanged for faces ready for war. Small shorts and bathing suits had been replaced with armor, and hands full of sunscreen and sunglasses were now holding swords and shields. Chatter was everywhere, though it had changed from that of normal teenage summer camps. The stakes felt higher, the excitement greater, and the intentions to stab each other realized and accepted as "normal".

The two leaders stood proudly, stances that of warriors. They looked as though they were posing for a statue to commend their bravery. Their eyes were moving a mile a minute, busy with planning and strategy. Every time their eyes caught the other, they seemed to take in everything about the other, trying to find weakness. Their demeanor was that of generals about to march onto a battlefield, not teenagers getting ready for a game of capture the flag at summer camp. They were caught somewhere in the middle of the two worlds, innocent camp and bloody war.

They all were. Their innocence had been stripped of them, and it had been promised that it would happen from birth. They couldn't stay innocent, but they could maintain some of it, which was all anyone at Camp Half-Blood could hope for.

It was a time of peace, and that was their security. The fact that it could end at any time had already been accepted by them. They knew how to make the best out of the short life they were promised, and that meant finding the importance right here tonight, getting ready for capture the flag.

Everyone was trying to act their best and their strongest as they watched the two leaders, trying to catch their attention. Trying to seem like they were the best. They all wanted the proud honor of being first called, but one of those spots had already been taken.

"Aiden first," a voice called out in favor of the camp favorite.

Aiden, without his charm, would have been hated for his Roman ways. He was utterly serious with a soft, friendly grin on his face. His eyes were always assessing, always working, but they were a striking ocean blue. His guard was never let down, not in public at least. He wore the face of a warrior groomed for the Roman forces, and he was their crowning glory. Aiden could be uptight, overly serious, and worked you harder than any other trainer, especially his protege, a thirteen year old girl who had no idea what she was getting into when she accepted the deal.

But Aiden did have his charm. His good manners, mostly friendly disposition, and skill at politics mixed together to make him liked. Add in his golden god good looks, and he was instantly a camp favorite. The girls wanted to date him, and the boys wanted to be him.

Especially right now, when he was the captain of the red team for Capture the Flag. It wasn't just a normal game tonight. It was the fourth of July, and the victors tonight would be honored at the amazing fourth of July beach party. Everyone would love Aiden tonight if he won, and he always did.

People sometimes wondered if they just gave up to Aiden. If they just knew that he had to win and let him without even realizing it.

Charlie didn't think that. Of course, that may have had to do with the fact that he was her best friend, and she was in love with him. She was always working with him and was always on her team. Whenever others had chosen Aiden, one look from Aiden told them exactly who the next name called should be, Charlotte Jackson. Her last name put a lot on her shoulders. During the first test in the games, where everyone wanted to see if she deserved the family prestige, she hadn't failed but hadn't succeeded. A rock monster tried to kidnap her, and he would have if it hadn't been for Noah, her older brother. Charlie went to the Big House, discussing the prophecy that had been over her head for so long.

But that was about a month ago. Things were different now. The prophecy was the time where Charlie was supposed to prove herself. If anything, she was supposed to prove it to herself. But she didn't. She trusted the wrong person, and she wasn't as strong or prepared or brave as she had hoped to me. She wasn't the hero in the stories passed down for so many years like she had thought she would be. From that moment on, Charlie had lost the confidence she had in all of those years of training. She had lost faith in herself. Those fears that creep up on us all that we can't take care of ourselves took her over, making her question if she would ever be able to do it herself or if she would always need someone to come and help her. No one had tried to test her, they didn't dare.

There was something about Aiden when he looked at them. Sometimes, even when he wasn't around her. His eyes just carried this silent warning, that he would go to the grave protecting Charlie and anyone who got in his way would go with him. He had already almost died for her once, and he was willing to do it again.

Charlie was aching for a test, aching for more chances to prove herself. She needed to clear up her thinking, erase the worries that loomed at the end of the summer, when Aiden would be going back to California.

For the last month, he had been trying to erase it for her. He trained her harder than she had ever even thought of training. Her body, though tired and somewhat sore, was better. It was faster, stronger, and skilled. Her muscles, though they throbbed, knew how to move without her even thinking about it anymore. Every bead of sweat had been worth the creation of a warrior out of Charlie, or what he would make out of her.

Aiden, though he wanted her to be the most prepared she could be, still wanted to maintain what innocence Charlie had. He wanted to still have her as his escape of New Rome and the military, for her just to be Charlie.

Though he knew it was selfish, he left that bit of innocence there.

Aiden's ocean blue eyes scanned over the sea of campers as he searched for a flash of blonde hair and sea green eyes.

And there she stood.

Physically, she hadn't really changed. She was still almost five eight. Her hair was still blonde and curly, and her eyes were still her father's sea green. She hadn't lost any limbs or gotten any tattoos or new piercings.

Yet, when she got home from her prophecy, she looked different. She carried herself differently She had aged years in days. Charlie was physically thirteen, but her mind had aged years beyond her body.

As she looked at Aiden, her lips formed a smile, but he could see fear flicker through her green eyes beyond her enjoyment in the fact that everyone was fighting for a spot that would be hers

"Charlie Jackson," he grinned, leaning on his sword that he had stuck in the ground as a pearl white smile flashed, and he outstretched his hand for Charlie, his blue eyes looking at Charlie in the way that all of the girls at Camp Half-Blood hoped he would look at them.

Everyone muttered their jealous annoyance as Charlie weeded her way through the crowd, a smirk on her face as she took his hand, and he pulled her towards him, standing at his right side. The hand that had been holding hers reluctantly went back to the hilt of his sword, pulling it free of the earth.

Everyone began to name off different people until the teams had been decided, and they set off, preparing for the games.

"Defense work for you?" Aiden asked, putting his hand on Charlie's shoulder as they walked out. At 6'3, he was seven inches taller than her, making a lot of girls day that he should try to find a girl closer to his own height, but there was always that. Everyone could see how they felt about each other, and it made them jealous. Girls complained that she was two years younger than him. They complained that she wasn't serious enough for him or wasn't enough fun to be the relief of New Rome that he needed. Whatever Charlie was, they would say it was wrong for Aiden.

And, if it was, he didn't care.

He wanted Charlie, no matter what they would say.

"Sure," Charlie nodded, picking up a sword.

"I can't partner up with you or send Noah," Aiden said nervously, turning over a shield in his hands to avoid her eyes.

Noah and his girlfriend, Kate, were not at camp this weekend. As they sometimes did, they made up an excuse (this time it was that he had to do something for his professional soccer career) and left camp for a little while, saying they were busy when they were just spending a weekend at his apartment. He lived with Kate's brother, as they had been best friends since Noah was four, and his girlfriend, who happened to be Aiden's sister, had moved in with them. Swift hadn't been very into camp, so they stayed in New York so that Sam could show her around. This weekend happened to be one where they were in California, which Noah claimed to be just a coincidence.

"I wouldn't want you to anyway," she smiled softly, and he nodded, handing her a shield.

"Make me look good out there. I want people to think I am a good trainer," he smiled.

"The best," Charlie nudged him.

As they started walking off, Aiden motioned for her where to go, and she was walking away when he stopped her.

"Aiden, it is capture the flag. I will be fine," she rolled her eyes.

"But, if it isn't, call for help. Don't be too proud," he squeezed her hand.

Charlie considered it, knowing that he was right but that she probably couldn't do it. She was horrified enough at how much she relied on him. She didn't want to have more proof that she couldn't survive without him.

"You worry too much," Charlie shook her head, walking off as she pushed her hair behind her ear. Aiden wiped his soft grin off of his face and went back to lead his team to victory. Some people said he took this too seriously, and he did. But he won in the end, and that was really what mattered as long as no one died.

Before they knew it, the game was on.

Arrows were flying. Swords were clashing. Shields were being dented. People were fighting and shoving squares of ambrosia in their mouth when they got hurt.

Charlie held her own. She left a Hermes boy writhing on the forest floor. One swipe at an Aphrodite girl's hair, and she was running off, screaming that this game was not worth getting a surprise haircut and that she wasn't going to risk it.

After that, things were pretty peaceful for Charlie.

She walked along the creek, heard the screams of her teammate, and waited for the announcement that they had won or for a new foe to cross. She sat down, her sword still in hand just in case, and she picked up a pebble, running her hand over the smooth surface.

She began to wonder if this pebble was once that Rock Man trying to kidnap her that day. After Noah turned him into a heap of pebbles that buried Charlie's body until he dug her out, she had no idea what had happened to the pebbles.

Maybe someone had moved them here, she thought. Her hands instinctively moved to her ribs, that a month ago, had been broken by a rock man. She became more aware of the scars from her sword fight with Olympia, one on her leg and one on her arm returning to her memory. And she could feel the humiliation from the fact she trusted Chester. She had a crush on a guy who was plotting to kill her and start a war of the gods.

Charlie would have dwelled on this for the rest of the game if it hadn't been for something suddenly clawing at her back, leading her to fall face forward in the creek as she screamed.

Instinctively, she flipped herself over to see her attacker and gasped.

"Styx," she muttered, scrambling for her sword as the monster got closer.

It was a large monster that looked to be the ugly love child of a lion and a cyclops with a bit of toad added in. It stood at about eight feet tall, an orange mane surrounding its toad-like face with one ugly eye. Its skin was slimy and bumpy like a toad's, but it was the flesh color of human. Claws came out of its oversized hands, a roar escaping its mouth.

Charlie had absolutely no idea what this thing before her was, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to know.

"What are you?" she yelled, trying to get a good stance on the uneven pebble ground. Her sword was in her hand as she tried to tell a place on that ugly body of his that could truly injure him or preferably kill him.

It answered in a roar.

So much for distracting him with talking….

Another swipe. This time she hit him with her sword, cutting his hand.

It roared in pain and anger as one finger fell to the ground, goldenblood pouring out of where it once was.

"Now I've done it," she muttered, and it charged at her. She dodged, making it fall with a thud in the water. Charlie sliced at his back, and his golden blood began to mix with the creek water. He stood up, slowed down, but very, very angry.

The monster was slower, but it wasn't nearly as slow as Charlie had assumed. It swiped at her with the hand still with all five fingers. A low roar escaped its mouth, a warning of what was to come. As Charlie's sword was in the air, ready to cut off another finger or maybe even a hand this time. His claws caught her arm, making her scream from the sudden pain and stumble back.

She gripped onto the sword tighter, and her anger grew with every drop of blood leaving her body. She prepared her stance, her mind going into overdrive as she assessed her enemy.

"You're going to die," she hissed, "I loved this shirt."

A swift motion with her arm stabbed his shoulder, and she kicked him in what would have been his chest on a shorter monster but was his lower torso with his height as she pulled the blade out. The roar rippled through the camp, and it managed to get up, holding the wound with the hand missing a finger, and he glared at her as he began to try to claw her. She was already cutting his knee, bringing him back to the ground.

The monster swiped with his claw, but he just hit her golden armor. Before he try to hit her in a more vulnerable area, her hands were above her head, and she delivered a quick hit to his forehead with the hilt of her sword. He fell back to a pile of rocks, and she didn't waste time assessing her kill before she brought the blade up and stabbed his stomach with a grunt.

It was over…

Her adrenaline was still pounding, making the cut on her shoulder feel more like a scratch than the injury it was. Her breathing was heavy and loud as she slowly stood up, pulling out the blade and watching his blood spill out before he turned into shimmering dust.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Her head shot around to see Aiden, a proud and intrigued grin written across his lips as he looked down at her from the top of a hill. His eyes were filled with a mixture of relief and pride as he looked down at his student, best friend, and girl he happened to be in love with. If it had been at all possible, Charlie had just gone up even further in his mind.

"You did everything I taught you. Didn't even need me. Or water," he slowly walked down the hill, grinning.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, a little embarrassed as she walked towards him.

"Started running here after the scream. I came to help," he looked around, "But you sure as Hades didn't need it."

He was smiling at her, and, though she was covered in blood (not just her own) and dirt, she was grinning back at him.

"You didn't need me," he said the words carefully. He had liked being needed by her in a way. He liked making sure she was okay, and it was very rare for him to be allowed to "baby" her. But he wanted her to be independant. If anything, for her own sake. So she could be happy… "You don't need me."

They both wanted to make more out of this moment. Maybe skip out of the game, go talk the lake. Have a celebratory pizza from the pavillion. Or take just a few minutes to revel in it all. But they couldn't. And they didn't.

"The next sector needs you, Charlie. I have to get back. Victory shall be ours," he grinned, clapping her shoulder happily before starting to walk off, "Hey, before I go, wanna sit together at the firework show?" he asked somewhat nervously.

He could be a general. He could be a trainer. He could be a protector. He could be a camp favorite. But ask him to be a normal teenage boy, and he couldn't handle it.

Charlie knew what would happen. Everyone would stare at them all night, and girls would continue to make up reasons why they should never get together and probably wouldn't. By the end of the night, their friends would be surrounding them on one side and girls drooling over Aiden would be on the other.

But, for just a little while, she would have that moment. She would have Aiden beside her, all to herself, as they looked up and enjoyed the beauty of the firework show. It would be that little moment that she had dreamed off when she pictured camp with Aiden, when she pictured her future with Aiden.

"Yeah, of course," she nodded, smiling softly.

Aiden grinned a little wider, and they both began to walk off to finish out the game.

A few hours later:

Almost as soon as it had all started, the death wishes and preparation to kill one another was gone. Armor was traded for red, white, and blue, and the camp had suddenly reverted back into a summer camp for kids instead of a place to train for war.

Kids ran around in beachwear, playing volleyball and throwing beach balls through the crowd. People were dancing to the blaring music, some of which performed by children of Apollo. Lanterns were lit everywhere, casting some light on the group of teenagers. Couples were sitting in the sand, kissing and threatening to splash each other. People were diving off the docks, and you could slightly hear the children of Hephaestus yelling at each other over the loud music as they got ready for the fireworks.

Everyone was there even if they were just standing by the commotion. And, in the very center of the commotion was Aiden Cinna, victor of tonight's Capture the Flag. Everyone was bragging on him, congratulating him, and toasting to his name. And, standing by him for it all, was Charlie.

It had taken an hour for Charlie to get ready with the help of Emily-Rose, her best friend. As soon as she had gotten out of the shower and was going to her trunk to put on the jean shorts and tee shirt she had left out, Charlie had seen Emily-Rose sitting on her bed and shaking her head in disapproval. For the next thirty minutes while Charlie's hair dried back into her big blonde curls, Emily-Rose was digging through her stuff to find something. Emily-Rose, who knew that Charlie loved Aiden, was determined that she was going to outshine all of the girls there tonight.

For the two weeks, Emily-Rose had been dating the guy she had been dreaming over for years, Kia. Since then, she had taken it upon herself to make sure that Charlie got together with Aiden.

Charlie was wearing a white tank top with a blue blazer borrowed from Emily-Rose and a red skirt to round all of the colors together, and Emily-Rose had even made Charlie put on a bright red lipstick to match. It had taken convincing, but Charlie had managed to convince Emily-Rose to let her wear her converse, and she had looked pretty amazing when she left. She had even felt proud.

Especially the way Aiden smiled at her when he came by her cabin to pick her up.

But then she saw some of the other, older girls who were throwing themselves at Aiden.

Perfect hair. Perfect skin. Perfect faces. Perfect bodies. And all wanting him.

"Alright, air, you guys!" he laughed, pushing people away, and his hand wrapped around Charlie's as he began to pull her off, earning some glares.

"How does it feel to be worshipped here?" Charlie laughed softly, squeezing his hand as she followed him through the party, and he shrugged, laughing.

"I don't know. I didn't exactly plan on it. I'm not even Greek," he laughed, pulling her away from the masses wanting to tell him how great it was that he won.

"But you're Aiden. People just love their Aiden," she nudged him.

"Shut up," he nudged her back, stopping as they reached a part of the beach that was beyond even the adorable couples or the drunk party girls throwing up or guys getting in fights. There wasn't much light, only the moon, and this was the place where a collection of blankets ready for people to sit out on hadn't been set out for everyone.

"You look great, by the way," he said softly, smiling at her.

"Oh, thanks," she was suddenly glad for the little light so he couldn't see the blush on her cheeks, "Emily-Rose got me ready. She decided that jeans couldn't cut the biggest party of the year," Charlie laughed softly as they sat down, and she continued to hold his hand.

"Sounds like her," he laughed, nudging her, and she began to write her name in the sand, "But ignore her. You would have looked great in jeans, too," he nudged her again, and she smiled.

"You're in a complimenting mood today," Charlie smiled, turning herself to look at him better, "First during Capture the Flag and now. You're complimenting me all the time."

"I compliment you!" Aiden laughed, shaking his head, "It isn't like this is new."

"But these are direct compliments, not those weird ones guys give."

"Guys give weird compliments?" Aiden laughed, getting closer to her.

The two of them suddenly realized the short proximity between them. Aiden could smell her perfume, and Charlie could smell his cologne. They could feel the other's breath, and they could her their soft breathing over the gentle lap of the water and commotion far off.

These moments happened a lot, almost killing Charlie each time. She had made the decision that she wasn't going to tell him that she loved him. Not yet. Not when he was leaving this summer and would always be busy. No, she wanted to wait until a time where it would work out. She loved him too much to risk losing him because of a young, long-distance relationship.

Aiden knew his job was dangerous, and people would want to hurt him and the people he loved. Not telling her was keeping her safe, which is what really mattered no matter how much it hurt at times to do it.

There were times when they were both reminded why they had made this choice, and they were able to accept it. Btu then there were those moments.

Where it was so tempting just to kiss one another, to stop having to wait.

And here it was. In the distance, there was a party filing the night, but it might as well not have existed to them. The air smelled of campfires, lake air, and pine trees. The moon illuminated each other's faces, and a gentle breeze rippled through the air.

It was the perfect moment.

And they found themselves taking it. They were leaning in, closer and closer by the second.

Boom.

They jumped, Aiden reaching for his sword out of shock and finding it not there. He had left it in his cabin, trying to just have fun tonight. Their eyes shot around to see the source of the sudden and very loud noise.

And then they noticed the new colors on their faces, making them look up.

The fireworks.

They had started.

And they were…

Beautiful.

Charlie had been watching this for years. Her parents used to bring her here when she was a little girl. Her dad would hold her on his shoulders while her mother held up Noah. They had come just last year to watch it.

But it felt different this year. More amazing. Maybe it was a better show or someone different working on it. Maybe it was that she wasn't with her parents and that this was a sign of independence for her. Maybe it was just seeing beauty after watching a monster die before her today.

As Charlie watched the fireworks, it didn't feel like any of those reasons. It felt like the fact that it was her first fourth of July with Aiden, and everything seemed better then.

Boom. Boom. BOOOM.

The fireworks went off again and again. The almost deafening noise seemed to get louder as if demanding that everyone shut up, which they did. Not even Aphrodite girls wearing their matching string bikinis could steal the attention from the fireworks. Everyone was settling into blankets, watching in amazement as the show took form.

"You should come and see me next year," Aiden said softly, and, if she hadn't been listening for it, she wouldn't have heard him over the boom off the fireworks, "I think you'd like New Rome during fourth of July. I don't even work all day. Can you believe it?" he nudged her softly, and his arm instinctively moved to wrap around her waist. She leaned on him, laughing softly.

"Aiden not working. Oh my gods, that actually happens!" Charlie laughed, her head now resting on his shoulder.

"I'm pretty bad, huh?" he smiled softly.

"You're getting better. The fact you ditched New Rome for an entire summer is a very, very good sign," she nudged him, laughing softly.

"Maybe you'll fix me. I may not even work overtime," he teased, and she faked a gasp.

"Is that even possible?" she looked up at him, and he kissed her nose.

"Oh shush. Watch the fireworks."

She rolled her eyes, leaning her head back to his shoulder and doing just as he had asked. She watched the fireworks, smiling.

This is going to be a great summer, she decided happily as she took in the perfect moment.