The Forgotten District [Percy Jackson and Hunger Games Crossover]

The Prep

        There was a pounding on my door as I sat up. "Andi!" Zeedee called. "Breakfast!" I groggily got out of bed, shuffled through my drawers, and changed into this. As I walked to the table, I thought about what Dad said last night. Great evil? Greater than even Gaea? How is that possible?! And the Gods will be ever in your favor? What does that MEAN?! Oh gods, my brain hurts. I slumped down in my chair as the thoughts swirled in my head. I looked around at the table, trying to stop my mind from imploding. Hedge was shoving his face with sausages and pancakes, Zeedee was just looking at him in disgust, and Leo was looking down at his food, avoiding eye contact. What a nice little team of misfits.
        "Well," Zeedee said, breaking the awkward silence. "Leo, Andi, as you probably know, tonight is the Opening Ceremonies." NOOOO! Today was a happy little day off! (Note the sarcasm) "When we pull into the station, you will be sent off with your own team of professionals to prepare." She got up and left, not before smacking Hedge on the side of the head. He lifted his head, sausages sticking out of his mouth and syrup dripping down his chin. It took all I had not to bust out laughing. He shoved his head back in his food and continued to wolf down his eggs. There was still a lot of tension in the air, Leo still playing with his food and me starting to feel guilty about snapping at him last night. I got sick of it and just walked back to my room.
(3 hours later)
        "OW!" I yelp again as Mirana (http://s3.favim.com/orig/45/alternative-beautiful-colored-hair-colorful-colorful-hair-Favim.com-404726.jpg) yanked yet another wax strip from my skin. "Girls do this WILLINGLY?!" I complained through gritted teeth. "Don't worry sweety! After this, you will be.... more manageable." she giggled. Her voice was way too high. Every time she spoke, I lost a little more of my hearing. "Alright, this is the last one. Ready?" I gripped the chair as she laid down the last strip on my arm. She yanked it off with a long, painful rip RIP! "Dear gods, why?!" I cried out. After hours of primping and perfecting every one of my flaws, I could literally feel nothing. She helped me out of the chair and into the middle of the room. "Drop." she told me. I untied the thin robe wrapped around me and threw it to the side. She backed up and looked me up and down. "Aggy, Cessy, could you come in here?" she piped through the door.
        Two girls came through the door, one happily skipping along while the other lagged behind. "Don't CALL me that! It's Cecelia!" the girl moaned. "Oh, lighten up, Cessy." Marina joked. The girl that skipped in was grinning ear to ear. "YAY! My first year and I get to work with the new district!" She skipped around some more as I gaped at yet another group of misfits for District 14.
        Mirana cleared her throat and said "As you can see, we're pretty new to this." "New? HA!" Cecelia (http://trendymods.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Cute-Girls-With-Different-Hair-Color.jpg) scoffed "You guys may be new, but I've been in the business for FIVE YEARS! Is that NEW to you?!" Cue eye roll. Mirana giggled "Cessy, don't lie. If you were really working with prep crews for THAT long, you would have been fired by now." Holy Hephaestus, what did I just get sucked into? "I. AM NOT. CESSY! IT'S CECELIA!!!!!!" she screamed. She punched Mirana in the face, then Hades let loose. Mirana tackled Cecelia to the ground and started yanking clumps of her hair while Cecelia tried to strangle her. Oh gods, this place is a nut house! They rolled around on the ground, screaming at each other, throwing punches, and just straight up brawling on the Remake Center floor.
  The other girl (https://gs1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/8019B6/data.tumblr.com/a89079e3c33ca1626cb90954d9a1071c/tumblr_met06xywAG1qeo244o1_500.jpg) had just come down to earth when she realized what was going on. She yelled "Guys! Cut it out! We have a job to do!" The girls didn't hear her and just kept fighting. "Guys!" she yelled again, running up to the two of them. She tried to pull them apart, screaming "Stop it! We need to work togeth-" She couldn't finish her sentence before a sickening CRACK! filled the room. I heard a sob escape one of their mouths as they stopped. The girl kneeled there with a bloody nose and tears streaming down here cheeks. "AGNUS!" Mirana cried. She pushed Cecelia off of her and crawled over to the girl. "Oh gods, I'm SO sorry!" She pulled her into a hug. Another sob left her lips. "Come on, let's get this over with." Cecelia muttered. "OOOOH NO! WE are not going to do this! I'm taking Agnus to the hospital wing. YOU stay and finish up with her."
         She huffed as Mirana walked out, telling Agnus "Ok, just breath. Atta girl. Everything will be all right." As soon as she was out of earshot, Cecelia spun around on her heel and said "Can you BELIEVE that girl?!" She picked up the tweezers and started plucking random bits of hair that were leftover from the wax. "You TRY to help-" "Ow." "But they just push you away-" "Ow." "And then they think-" "Ow." "That YOU'RE-" "Ow!" "The bad guy!" "OW!" I yelped. "Too hard!" "Do you THINK I care?!" she asked, exasperated. "Do you think I care about your petty little problems?!" I shot back. "You know what? FORGET THIS!" She grabbed her purse and said "I'm going for a smoke." She stormed out, leaving me alone in the Remake Center.
A/N: UR MA GURD! SOOO MUCH DRAMA!!........ Sorry, I just HAD to say it. Continue.
(30 minutes later)
       Gods, they STILL haven't come back? After 5 minutes of nothingness, I caved and tied my robe back on. Now I was just pacing. "Girls, are you done in there?" I heard someone call from the other side of the door. It opened, revealing a woman dressed in a long, plain white dress. Her eyes seemed to change color, from the natural blues, greens, and browns to obscure purples, reds, yellows, and any other color you could imagine. She looked around the room. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Those girls." she mumbled. "Well, you look decent enough, and since I have no idea where the girls are, we may as well begin." I untied my robe and took it off. "WOAH! Ok, no need for that." she told me. Huh? I picked it up and put it back on.
        "Walk with me." She opened the door and practically strutted out. I hesitantly follow her into the foyer. It was fairly empty, with just a table set up in the middle of the room and loveseats circling it. "Come come, sit sit." she told me as she took her own seat. I simply sat at the one straight across from her. She pushed a button on the table and it split in two. A smaller table rose out with a plate of tea and cookies. "Is this our lunch?" I questioned, looking at the dainty cookies. "Oh no! Of course not!" she said as she moved it out of the way. "THIS is your lunch."
        She tapped another button on the smaller table and again, it split open. This time, the table that came up had a sort of seafood platter, piled high with shrimp, scallops, calamari, catfish, crab, and a 3-prong fork sticking out the top. "And I was informed that your district is very religious, so...." She clicked yet another button and it split in half. How far does this thing go? Sitting in the middle of the last tier was a sort of fire pit. A small flame waved across the table, giving me slight homesickness. I shook the thought out of my head and turned back to my food.
        I hadn't realized that the last time I had eaten was back at camp. The first meal got goat-nabbed by Mister Can't-Get-My-Own-Food and breakfast was ruined for me because of last night. I gripped the fork and yanked it out of the tower of fish. I grabbed the biggest shrimp, a chunk of calamari, and a scallop and threw it into the flame. Then, I prayed Dad, next time we meet, don't be so cryptic. I looked back at my food and literally started shoving it into my mouth. The woman was not amused. "You know, you have a fork." she told me. I just ignored her.
        She tried to distract herself from my eating. "I'm sure that the girls have already told you that I'm Monique." "No. Not really." I was able to fit between scallops. She laughed. "Ah, those girls. So I'm assuming you know nothing about me?" "Absolutely not." She gave me a smile, flashing her pearly whites. I literally saw spots. "Well then, I think we should get to know each other. As you already know, my name in Monique, and this is my first year helping with the Hunger Games." She looked at me expectantly. When I realized I was supposed to say something now, I said "My name is Andi Jackson, and this is the first year for District 14 to be in the Hunger Games."
        She looked at me with a little gleam in her eye. "Would you happen to be Percy Jackson's sister?" Oh gods, here it comes. "Uh huh." I say simply, forgetting my food. She wistfully looked into the distance and said "Ah, yes. He was always one of my favorites." I looked at her, confused. "How do you know him anyway?" She looked at my face and said "You do look a lot like him." "You still haven't answered me." I told her, already feeling a little pestered. "Him and Annabeth make a good couple. Strong bond." she said absently, taking a sip of tea. "How do you know so much? Has the Capitol been watching us?" I say, getting antsy. What if they WERE watching us? Surely there will have been a Peacekeeper who could see through the mist.
        "Oh no, sweetheart, settle down." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. "I know because it's my own handy work." Another smile crept onto her face. It took me a moment to process what she said. "Wait, you're not-" I stopped mid-sentence, not believing myself. "The one and only." she said cheekily. "Aphrodite." I whispered, astonished. "And the others?" "All children of the gods." she said. "Agnus is, strangely enough, a child of Athena, Mirana is my own lovely daughter, and Cecelia is your sister. Well, half-sister." Of course SHE'S my sister. I thought to myself. "Why are you here? Now?" I ask her. "Why, to help you of course!" she told me as if it were obvious. There was an awkward pause as I tried to come up with the right words. What WOULD I say? But of course! She didn't seem like the type to joke around too much. Really? That just seems naive and stupid.
        Before I could come up with something to say, she just said "Well, we may want to get to work." We got up and walked back into our little studio, but not before I snatched a tea cookie. I nibbled at it as we walked through the doorway. Mirana and Agnus were standing in front of us, Agnus with her nose all patched up and Mirana looking REALLY guilty. "Mom, I can explain-" "No need." she said coldly. She looked me up and down and said "This isn't really working for me. Mirana, get the tweezers." She scurried off and picked up the tweezers Cecelia left behind. She walked up to me as I untied my robe and started circling me. At random times, she would swoop in and pluck another stray hair. After, like, 15 minutes of this, Aphrodite.... Monique...... whatever her name is, held up her hand and said "Stop." She looked me up and down, twisted her wrist, and snapped her fingers.
        I looked down and saw I was wearing a flowy floor length dress. No design, no flashy colors, just a midnight blue dress. "Ok, so what is your district product?" "I have no idea." I told her. "Really, we just divide the cabins to help with each of the districts." I couldn't count them off on the top of my head, but I knew that the Demeter cabin helped 11, the Ares cabin helped 2, Percy and me helped 4, and I think Jason helped 5. "Well, in that case....." She snapped her fingers and instantly my dress's design transformed from blank blue to ocean waves. "With every move you make, the pattern changes." I moved my right foot forward and the scene changed from water to a lightning storm. "Enchanted silk woven by Athena herself."
        I spun around in a circle, watching as the storm turned to vines that turned to coal that turned to gold that turned to a sort of patchwork that, finally, turned back to waves. "Why are there only 6?" "Well, Leo needs something to wear, now doesn't he?" she giggles. "Who's working with him, anyway?" A short pause came around before she said "His father." "Oh." I looked down at my feet. "What about shoes?" She snapped her fingers again and I was wearing 6 inch heels. Yes, HEELS, not wedges, like I'm used too. "Gods, are you trying to kill me?" Mirana giggled. I almost forgot she was there. "Don't worry. You're blessed with grace." Suddenly, a little pink heart bracelet appeared on my wrist. "Whoa! The Hades?" I looked back up, but she was gone. ZEUS! Why do gods have to be so vague?!
        Not much had changed by the time we were done. I had some light makeup, a little lip gloss and light green eyeshadow, and my hair was done up in ringlets. A single bluish green streak was added to "catch attention" apperantly. I'm not sure how that's going to work out, though. Look at that GORGEOUS dress from District 1! Oh my god, look at that girl! She has a green streak in her hair! SOOOO much better! My hair was pulled back with a simple black headband. "Stunning! Beautiful!" the girls gasped to themselves. "I'm back." I heard someone say. "Cessy, just go. We're done anyway." Mirana told her. I followed them out to the foyer.
        When Leo came out, I couldn't help but laugh. He was wearing a shirt that reached down to his knees, black dress pants, and a freakin' cape! What really cracked me up was his makeup. Yes, he had makeup. He had glittery gold eyeliner, charcoal eyeshadow, and I even saw a glint of lip gloss. His hair just topped the cake. His tips were dyed red, orange, and yellow, so his head looked like it's on fire. "Yeah, yeah. My dad thought it was funny too. He took pictures and sent 'em to Olympus." I just laughed harder.
        They led us to the floor level, which was basically a huge stable. The tributes were loaded onto their own chariots and brought out by 4 horses. Ours were dyed midnight blue and covered with body glitter. Is EVERYTHING in the Capitol dyed or glittered? Since our stylist had both disappeared, we had to set ourselves up. Without warning, the horses started trotting out of the stable. We stumbled a bit.... Oh, who am I kidding? I almost fell out the back, but I didn't, and that's what's important. "Gods, were the fake eyelashes really necessary?" Leo murmured. I giggled "But they make you look so pretty!" "Shut up." We had our signature awkward silence before I blurted "I'm sorry about last night." He looked at me and said "Don't worry. I'm over it."
        After 10 minutes of prepping the chariots, the opening music began and we finally started to leave. Districts 1, 2, and 3 clear the gates. The crowd goes crazy. 4, 5, and 6 make their way through. Gods, my hands are sweating. 7, 8, 9. I'm so nervous. This could make or break us in the Arena. 10, 11, 12. Before I realize what I'm doing, I reach out and grab his hand. He looks taken aback, but doesn't let go. 14. The horses pulled us into the open. The crowd was cheering "District 12! District 12!" I didn't notice what they were dressed in until now. They were on fire. Literally, they were wearing fire. Heads began to turn toward us. There were awestruck faces, there were people laughing at us, and there were the people who were still staring at District 12. I meekly waved at the crowd as Leo just pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look." I heard him say. I wasn't sure what he meant, but then I saw the screens.
        We looked pretty amazing. His makeup actually made him look good, more defined. The material trailed behind us, glittering as it changed scenes. I focused on my own face. I loved how the makeup made me look almost elegant. Even with the headband, my curls framed my face perfectly. The streak in my hair and my eyeshadow really made my eyes pop. Same thing with Leo. The childish gleam in his eye was even brighter under the lights. A few cheers rose from the crowd. Then a few more. Then another 100 joined in. It gave me hope. Maybe I COULD win. I mean, with all the cheers, there has to be at least a few people willing to give sponsor points, and with enough of those, I'm as good as gold.
        I started to loosen up a bit. I waved with more confidence, smiled bigger, and even blew a few kisses. A few people who brought flowers started throwing them at me. I was able to catch a carnation coming from my side of the crowd. I flashed another smile in that direction and blew another kiss. "Come on! You gotta ham it up!" I whispered to him through a smile. "Ugh! Fine." He let go of my hand and randomly started flexing. The crowd lost it. Girls screeched "Leo!" while everyone else just laughed, including me. I looked  back at the crowd and saw a little girl who couldn't have been more than 7 years old. She was holding up a little sign with sloppily written words saying 14 4 The Win! I chuckled, smiled, blew her a kiss, and threw her a rose.
        "Andi! Andi!" people yelled from all directions. Granted, most of them were teenage guys, but sponsors are sponsors. I blew more and more kisses into the crowd as we moved down the path. When we finally made it to the City Circle, I finally figured out the whole point of this. It was basically a chance to get more air time for the tributes before we died. Our images flashed over the screens once again as the anthem played in the background. Literally all we did was stand there and try not to get our costumes burned by District 12 (With Leo, it was going to happen one way or another, so I didn't care). Once the whole thing was over with, the horses brought us to our temporary housing. The Training Center.

A/N: Sorry it took so long to get out. I just got the Sims 3 and I've been watching too much Youtube.  Nuff said. Either way, I'm trying the best I can, and since standardized testing's started, I'm going to try (MAYBE) to get another out this weekend? I have no idea, but I promise you, this is getting most of my attention. As for the formatting, well, it's going trippy and I'm not sure if it's going to publish like that. Comment if you didn't like something, I'll try to change it, but the character personalities are set in stone at this point. Well, see ya! More action on the way.