Gyration - A Crossover

Chapter 3: How Not to Train a Dragon

Status: Edited

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Holly’s POV

We walked to the Training Area, still clad in those ridiculous clothes.

I was more than a bit worried. Neither Artemis nor Foaly responded when I talked to them during breakfast. Artemis just sat there, as if in deep meditation, which he probably was, while Foaly said that he didn’t have a concrete plan. Meanwhile, Butler was very agitated and Mulch was busy being Mulch.

I hoped that the two geniuses could come with a plan to escape fast. But really, the Hunger Games? I was pretty sure that I wasn’t going to go hungry in some game.

The problem was that we were too noticeable. The mud people would surely target us first. But then again, not all of them were mud people. Some had special abilities, like we did. That wasn’t going to be good.

To be honest, I hadn’t felt as scared as this in a long time. That’s saying a lot. I didn’t realise that the world was bigger than I thought. Yes, I was a fairy – an elf to be exact – but I didn’t think that anything else apart from magic could exist. Now I knew better. And if Artemis was the boy who kidnapped me those years ago, he would probably be plotting how to harness everyone else’s magic or power to earn some gold. Or maybe to find out more about them…

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Artemis’s whisper jolted me out of my reverie. Still facing the door of the Training Area, I punched him lightly in the arm (hopefully). I couldn’t hide a grin, knowing that Artemis was probably scowling at me.

We were still waiting for those evil mud people, Peeta and Katniss to show up. Meanwhile, I asked Artemis, under my breath, if he had a plan.

I finally faced him. He looked around furtively like a criminal (or maybe an ex-criminal…) before answering me. “Yes, I do,” he replied, “but I don’t have the materials needed.”

I really wanted to sucker punch him in that pale face of his. Wait, that face wasn’t his, technically, but still. For so many times, everyone had depended on his genius plans to succeed, and now Artemis was actually saying that he couldn’t carry his genius plan out.

Someone groaned behind us. I turned. It was Butler, good old Butler, loyal to the core. Beside him was Foaly, and Foaly was shaking his head. Mulch, whom I had seen during breakfast, was nowhere in sight, probably right at the back of the clump of beings.

So, both geniuses were coming up negative. Great. And was it me, but Butler was… shrinking?

Nah, he was old, so he was probably ‘shrinking’, just like so many other ancient mud men before him. In my whole life, I had never seen an old person be tall.

“Welcome to the Training Area,” someone announced in a glum monotone. It was Katniss. Displeasure was clearly shown on her face. I had looked through some videos of the Hunger Games, and Katniss had been a tribute for one. At least, based on what I saw. Seeing that they were all mud people without magic, the Hunger Games that year was easy.

Peeta took over. “There are several stations pertaining to survival skills and weaponry. You’re free to explore the Training Area, provided that you don’t leave the area until break time, which is about an hour away. Break’s half an hour, when you can do whatever you want, such as forming alliances, after which will be followed by another hour of training.”

“This will go on for another five days. After the last session on the fifth day, you have to showcase your talent in your private session with the gamemakers…” Katniss looked to Peeta.