Percy Jackson and Charles Beckendorf are on the same team for capture the flag. Beckendorf, a son of Hephaestus, has a somewhat awkward conversation about girls, and thinks Percy should ask Annabeth to the Fourth of July fireworks, the biggest dating event of the summer at Camp Half-Blood, that night. They set off into the woods and stumble on a huge anthill. Silena Beauregard and Annabeth capture Percy. Meanwhile, Charles Beckendorf charges straight ahead into the ant swarm as he tries to take back a huge bronze dragon's head, but immediately is pinched in the leg and has acid spit on his face. Percy, Annabeth and Silena try to find the rest of the body of the bronze dragon which was once one of the camp's defenses against monsters before Thalia's Pine Tree took its place so it can rescue Beckendorf from the ants. They finally get the monster started (a bronze dragon with no wings) and get it to help Beckendorf. It blasts open the ants' nest and all the ants attack the dragon. Meanwhile, Percy, Annabeth and Silena dart into the ant hill and get Beckendorf back out. When they come out and flee, the dragon spots them and goes berserk. Percy distracts the dragon so Beckendorf can jump on the dragon's back and unplug him. Silena is so relieved that Beckendorf is alive that when he asks her to the fireworks, she gladly accepts the invitation. Once they get back to camp, it turns out the capture the flag game has not ended yet, and Annabeth puts them in jail. Percy and Charles protest to no avail. Before Annabeth leaves to go back to the front line to fight for her team, she asks Percy out to the Fourth of July Fireworks, but she quickly leaves before Percy can answer.