The Demigod Games

Chapter 9

I feel his warm lips touch mine. Though it is just a quick one, we seem to kiss for eternity, and I don't want this moment to end.

He pulls back, blushing even more. "Hazel, we'll live through this."

I nod. I am determined to make it out of the arena now, and find out what the whole game is about.

"Percy, run!" A sharp shriek pierces the silence of the night.

A blond girl runs into the clearing on the top of the mountain we are on, and another dark-haired boy dashes after her. I immediately shake Piper and Jason awake and we grab our weapons, ready to defend ourselves. But the pair running towards us seem to be escaping something, not trying to kill us. The girl runs behind Jason and picks up a small dagger we had left on the ground.

"Percy! Run faster!" the girl shouts again, as we watch the boy, Percy, dash towards us, a girl chasing him, just at his heels. Her eyes have a wild killer look, resembling those of a wild animal. She brandishes a meter-long golden sword in her hand, and she is gaining on Percy every second.

Percy is running away desperately, and I try to dash forward and fight the girl off, but it is impossible for me to even land a hit on her. She parried my sword, still running, and continued to chase Percy. The girl behind Jason throws the dagger in her hands, but it misses by a few centimeters.

Percy's foot catches on a rock in the snow. He lands face-first in the snow, and the attacker's sword pierces through his heart.

"Percy!" The girl behind Jason shrieks and falls to her knees. I rush up to the attacker and stab her in the back, but it just makes a deep gash. We fight for a while, as Jason joins in the battle, and finally, we force her to her knees and Frank sends an arrow through her heart. A cannon fires.
The girl is still kneeling in the snow, and she stands up to go to the boy, whose unconscious body is losing blood and staining the snow pink. Her body is racked with sobs as she looks at the boy. He is definitely dead. Then, as if to confirm my thoughts, a cannon fires.

"No! Percy! Don't die!" The girl is weeping and shaking his body hard, while the rest of us can only watch on in pity. After all, any reassurance would probably make her angry at us too.

After a few minutes, the girl composes herself and looks up at us. Her eyes are storm gray. Her face is streaked with mud and tears.

"Thank you for killing Clarisse," she says finally, eyeing the spare daggers in our bags. I nod in acknowledgement. "Can I have a dagger please? You can have Clarisse's sword. I'm better with short blades," she adds on.

Jason turns and looks at me for approval. I nod, and he hands one dagger to the girl. Then, she runs off into the night.