The Demigod Games

To the Arena

LEO

I take a car to the lift-off center, and walk to the hovercraft. I sit down, and find that none of my friends are in this craft. Lovely. Just lovely. I sigh.

Most of the ride, I avoid eye-contact with the other Tributes.

A woman in a doctoral mask comes up to me. "Hold out your arm," she demands. I just stare at her. "Arm, now."

"What for?" I ask.

"I need to put your tracker in,"she explains, holding up a needle-like object.

"Do you need to? Or do you want to?"

"I have to put the tracker in because I need to do my job." She grabs my arm and sticks the needle in.

"Ow!" I yelp. She presses a button, and something lights up inside my arm. My tracker.

She just walks away without asking if I'm okay. Real nice lady.

The rest of the ride is completely silent.

When we reach the arena, we all walk single file down a flight of stairs, and go to the sections marked with our names. I walk in, and my stylist, Lollie Jets, is waiting for me. "Are you ready?" She asks.

"I don't know, to be honest," I answer. "You?"

"I'm not the one in the Games, silly goose." She takes something off of a rack. It's a wetsuit. "You'll need this at some point in the Hunger Games. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11."

"Huh?"

"You'll get it. Oh, and here's a watch." She hands me a fancy silver digital watch.

A voice comes on. "Attention Tributes, you need to be in your tubes in 30 seconds."

Lollie hugs me tightly. "I really hope you're gonna win. I have faith in you."

"Thank you," I whisper gratefully. I hug her back.

"Attention, Tributes, you need to be in your tubes in 20 seconds."

Lollie puts a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck, Leo. May the odd be ever in your favor." She walks out of the room, and the door shuts.

I'm not ready for this. I don't want to kill people. I pace the room nervously.

"Attention, Tributes, you need to be in your tubes in 10 seconds."

I look up. Time to go. I step into the tube, and the door shuts. There's no going back now.
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PERCY

"Percy, I wish you the best of luck," Cora, my stylist, tells me.

"Thanks, I guess. You've been... wonderful,"I respond, looking at her one last time. I spot something on her scarf. It's a pin. Of what, I don't know.

"Attention Tributes, you need to be in your tubes in 20 seconds," the speakers announce. I pat Cora's shoulder, and step into my tube, the door closing behind me.

Cora and I stare at each other for a few seconds.

All of a sudden the doors to my Launchroom open. 5 Peacekeepers come in, and surround Cora.

One snatches the pin off her scarf, and throws it in the trash can. Another one grabs her arms, and shoves her against the door to the tube.

2 out of the the 3 remaining Peacekeepers pull out long metal rods. The last one comes up to Cora, and punches her face.

My eyes widen in horror. What are they doing? What did Cora do?

The Peacekeeper punches her at least 10 times, and the first 2 let her drop to the floor, her face bloodied.

The second to last Peacekeepers take their rods, and hit her with them repeatedly, until she can barely move. "Anyone wearing anything related to the Mockingjay are to be kill immediately," the first one explains, looking directly at me.

The five Peacekeepers drag her body out of the room just as my plate begins to rise.