The Arena Once More: Sequel to The Demigod Games

The Final Hour

The final hour is here. As soon as the quicksand went away, Percy and I fled to the First Ring. A bullet-proof dome was placed on the ring as soon as arrived, and we found 20 kids huddled in the mouth of the Cornucopia. We now stand in the center of the huddle. "Okay, everyone. The twelfth hour's arrived. The First Circle will blow within the hour. My guess is there will be seventy-three explosions, the center of each a Tribute Plate. The worst one will most likely come from the Cornucopia," I tell everyone as calmly as I can.

"Annabeth, the math? Remember?" Percy asks.

"Yeah. If I'm correct, there should be a one minute and two second break. Percy, how long until the first bomb goes off?" I inquire, looking at him.

He checks his watch, and then looks up, eyes wide. "Ten seconds."

I nod.  "Everyone, follow me! We have very little time!" Percy and I lead them to the far end of the ring. Just as the last Tribute makes it, we hear a huge BANG! My head snaps back. A huge pillar of smoke and fire are emanating from the plate directly across us on the other side of the ring. "Is everyone okay?" I ask, turning back to them.

"Why are you helping us?" a 12-year-old girl wonders.

"Because I don't want anyone to die who doesn't deserve it," I answer, smiling. "Alright! Second to next plate! Move, move, move!"

We all scoot over two plates to our right, and the next explosion happens. We see bits and pieces of said plate fly into the air, and witness the fire rise, along with the ashy smoke that follows. "Two over!" Percy instructs. We do as told, and wait. The one minute and two seconds pass quickly. We watch the third explosion take place.

We keep shifting two plates over after every explosion. Time flies by. Soon, we're at the tenth to last. Percy counts,"5...4...3...2...1!" The sixty-third bomb activates. Debris flies everywhere, and the fire is bigger this time, and I have a feeling the explosions will get bigger by the minute. "Shift!"

We do, and wait again. BANG!  The explosion rattles the arena. "Shift!" I scream. We run 5 plates over. BANG! We all fall backwards, landing on our butts. All of us crawl to the next four plates to the right. "Stay on the ground!" I order firmly.

The sixty-sixth bomb goes off, and I feel the entire arena shake below my butt. That's when a terrible realization hits me. I whisper to Percy,"Something big is gonna happen. When all the plates explode, this whole circle will plummet. The explosions are going to detach us from the rest of the arena. And when the circle plummets, the final explosion will finish everyone off."

He gasps as he figures out what I mean. "We have to get out of here. right before the last explosion strikes, we can crawl through the bottom shelf. The dome only prevents the explosions from going into other rings by air. We can escape."

"What about all the 12 to 14-year-olds here?" I ask him worriedly.

"The Capitol will kill us if their arena backfires. We have no choice, Annabeth!" he insists. BANG! The arena rocks harder than ever, the smoke panning out when it reaches the dome ceiling, the fire heating my face from across the room.

"Okay, fine. Before the last blast." I pause. "Actually, no. Not fine."

"What? Why?"

"We couldn't if we wanted to! The Gamemakers are probably listening to us right now! We have to stay here." Percy opens his mouth, but shush him before he can speak. BANG! The heat's more intense this time, the smoke filling up the dome by the second. Sweat beads my forehead. Sixty-seven. "Shift!" I cry. We crawl farther away.

"Yeah, I agree," agrees Percy, finally. He scoots toward me, and his nose is centimeters away from mine. "If we don't make it, I just wanna say: I love you so, so much. You're the best girlfriend a boy could ever ask for. You're smart, kind, beautiful, and dangerous. Thank you for staying with me."

"I love you, too, Percy. You're handsome, sweet, and annoying at times, but you're always there for me. You're the best boyfriend a girl could ask for." Our lips start moving toward each other, when BANG! Sixty-eight. Everyone screams as debris falls from the ceiling of the arena. "Shift!" Percy commands.

We do so. "Alright. Back to business?" I ask. "You know it," Percy replies. Our lips press together. We savor the moment. Time slows down. The only two people in the universe are Percy and I. Nothing else matters. I am very, very grateful for this boy.

BANG! Sixty-nine. More debris.

Our lips stay attached to each other.

BANG! Seventy. Part of the ceiling collapses. My face is a waterfall.

We still savor the moment.

BANG! Seventy-one. More of the ceiling caves. The screams behind us are faded.

Through the screams, there are only two people in the universe.

BANG! Seventy-two. The ceiling is gone. The floor below us starts shifting. The ring moves.

Nothing else matters.

BANG! Seventy-three. Fire wraps around us like a warm blanket. My skin burns. I feel my being being ripped apart. Debris and glass embed themselves in my body. But nothing. Else. Matters.