The Arena Once More: Sequel to The Demigod Games

The Fourth Hour

When the floor finally starts moving again, I'm relieved. After being in the dark so long, I've dying to see light again. I haven't actually been dying, but you know what I mean.

The floor finishes ascending to Ground Level, and I walk around to see the people I killed. A brunette boy, about fourteen years old. A blonde boy, about seventeen years old. A ginger girl, about sixteen years old. I shake my head. Self-defense. I bend down, and take the bow-and-arrows.

As I do, I hear a scream. The Ninth Ring has been activated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PIPER

We've been looking for Annabeth and Frank for an hour. They had somehow disappeared during the Second Hour. After the hour was over, we searched the entire ring. No trace...well, except some blood of a patch of spikes. And a bunch of books missing from the shelf by the blood.

We'd come to the conclusion that they'd escaped the Eleventh Ring, even with the force fields blocking all exits. When the hour was over, we went over to find Annabeth and Frank, but a force field was still at the entrance to Ten. So we took desperate measures.

We climbed onto the bookshelves, and tried to fetch their location. When we were able to peer into the Ten, the floor was completely gone, replaced with a huge pit. We'd refused them to be dead, so we carefully made our way to Nine.

Too late we figured out they weren't there, because as we were retracing our steps, the Third Hour ended. The Fourth was starting.

Books start changing. The back and front covers started developing long, sharp clamps. The bottoms smoothing out and wheels coming out. They all started falling to the floor, trying to clamp off our limbs.

I run away from one now. Jason's behind me, being pursued by three books. I know this sounds ridiculous, but you have to be here to see it.

I hear a scream. I look behind me, and let out a shriek. Jason's on the floor, holding his leg. That's right. Not foot. Leg. Because his foot is missing. The clamps! They got him!

But I shake it off, because I can't afford to waste more time. Jason's three pursuers leave him on the floor to bleed, footless, and start rolling after me. Great. Now I have four predators.

As I run, I realize: All the shelves next to me are empty because the books are on the floor. I jump onto the shelf, and scurry up to the top, nearly fifteen feet about the floor. I'm safe!

At least I think so. The books are coming up the shelves. Rolling up the shelves! Anti-gravity wheels. Of course. When I get out of this arena, I'm gonna slash every Gamemakers' throat. I mean, really. This is going too far.
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ANNABETH

I know that scream. It's Hazel's. Which means while Frank and I were gone, and after the Third Hour started, the gang started looking for us. Must've found out Ten was active, and went over to Nine. Then got caught there.

I start scaling the bookshelf, and jump off. I do a mid-air backflip, and land perfectly. I look around at the chaos. Books--now with gold metal clamps?--on wheels are rolling around the ring, chasing my friends. Now, I know books kill people with feels, but this is ridiculous.

A book rolls by me, and, as much as it pains me, I bring my foot down on the book. The wheels snap off immediately. I pick up the book by the spine with two hands, hold it in front of me, and boot the clamps off. I place the book back on the shelf, when a body crashes into me from above. It's Piper!

"Piper! Are you okay?" I ask, and help her up. "What's wrong?"

"Four books. After me," she pants. "Help!"

I spot the books chasing after my friend. "I got this, Pipes."

They're gonna reach us in 5...4...3...2..1! I jump on the first two books' clamps, thus breaking them, then spin, and land on the other two books behind.

"Nice!" Piper compliments me. "Oh, crap! We have to go help Jason!"

"Why, what happened?"

"His foot got clamped off! He's probably bleeding to death! C'mon!" I run after Piper. We don't stop until we hear the cannon.