The Demigod Games

8

PERCY

I don't know where I'm going, but I do know this: I'm going down. Down, down, down, underneath the arena, headed toward either intimate death or total freedom.

The water whisking me away to wherever it's being whisked away to, a destination unbeknownst to me. Nothing I can do.

All the time I'm traveling, I manage to keep my head above the water which I can breathe under.

After nearly an hour of keeping afloat, and being in a somewhat narrow tunnel of water, I see what I think is sunlight. I get closer, and it is! It's sunlight. The water flows into a river!

I quickly swim to the surface, and I'm free! There must be underwater pipes or something that carries the water to the arena. Thank the gods.

But that's when the realization hits me:
I still have my tracker in. The Makers know I'm here. And they can kill me for it.
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ANNABETH

I finally finish wiping the blood off of my knife after killing that mutant monkey. "Leo, the time?" I ask.

"It's 2:58. Flood's about to start," he replies, while still fighting off the mutant candy bird.

I sigh. I grab my bow and arrow, and aim at the bird. "Move!" I yell. Leo dives to the side, and I shoot. The arrow finds a home in the bird's neck. "You're welcome."

"Thanks," Leo says. He stands back up. "I owe you one."

"Leo, you owe me like twenty-three!" I respond, annoyed. "What's the time now?"

"3:00."

But I already see the water coming down from the walls, pooling at our feet. "Everyone, to the Cornucopia. Flood time!" I say. Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank, and I, climb onto the Golden Horn of Plenty (Of Misery).

We just watch as water level rises. "Annabeth?" Jason asks.

"Yeah?" I say.

"There are only like 8 tributes left."

"So?"

"That means if the other 3 Tributes die, we'll have to kill each other."

I glance at Jason. "I know. But we won't."

He crawls over to me and whispers,"What about the deal?"

My eyes widen as remember that conversation on the train. "You--you're right. If we want to get out, we have to kill the others. No choice," I say.

"What're you guys talking about?" Frank asks.

Jason and I stare at him, and then I walk over. "Jason and I believe that in order to escape this...world...we have to wake up by doing something really horrible. Like when you're dreaming, you usually wake up when something scary happens," I explain.

Frank looks confused. "I don't understand."

Jason whispers to me,"Hazel's dead, right?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Send him to heaven."

I turn back to Frank. "Maybe this will help you understand. And by the way, Hazel says Hi." I pull out my knife and throw it.

BOOM!
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PIPER

I stare at Annabeth in complete horror. "What did you do?" I scream.

Realization creeps onto her face. She turns on Jason, and tackles him. Her face one inch apart from his, she hollers,"WHAT IN HADES? WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?!"

He replies,"Well, we have to wake up! Frank's safe now!"

"Where, in Hades' palace?" Annabeth screams.

I pull her off of my boyfriend. "Annabeth Chase! What are you two even talking about? Why did you kill Frank?" I ask.

She tells me about her and Jason's conversation on the train ride to the Capitol, and what he said to her right before the kill. I stare at Jason. "Did you seriously have that conversation? Do you really believe Hazel and Frank are back on that mountain with the Giants because they died?"

Jason slowly answers,"Yes. That was Annabeth's and mine's reasoning."

"Who are you? We don't kill our friends because we think it'll save them!" I yell, "We find other options! We figure out a solution! Isn't that what you were taught at Camp Jupiter? What about war strategy? What about planning and thinking? Huh? What about those things?"

"Look, I--I'm sorry, Pipes, but listen--"

"Don't call me Pipes! Either of you! You don't get that privilege!" I retort, furious.

I don't even notice the water pooling around my feet when I jump off the Cornucopia.

But I do notice when I'm suddenly surrounded by the liquid.

I also notice when a school of ten piranhas gather around me.

I kick my feet upward, and BOOM!