The Demigod Games Book One: Knives of Blood

Chapter Seven: Scores

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or the Hunger Games

Chapter Seven: Scores

Piper strode towards the elevator, angrily flinging her knife to one side as she walked. When she reached her floor, she barely made it to her room before she burst into tears. She could hear Effie knocking on her door, but she ignored her and threw herself onto her bed, sobbing.

Piper wasn't scared by what the Gamemakers would do to her- she was more scared about what they would do to her family as a punishment. She mentally scolded herself for not thinking about Lacy when she threw that knife. What she did in the Capitol affected Lacy and her father too.

After a few minutes Effie left and someone else was knocking on her door.

"Go away!" She shouted.

The knocking stopped, but Piper didn't hear anyone walk away.

"Hey," a deep voice said after a moment. "It's Jason. We're having dinner now, so I thought I'd tell you." He paused. After a moment he said, "I'm here if you want to talk, but if you don't want to you don't have to." He started to walk away.

"Wait!" Piper cried. She scrambled to get up and quickly tried to dab at her red, puffy eyes, quickly realizing that it was hopeless. She walked over to the door and pulled it open.

Jason took one look at her- tear stained face, rumpled clothes, and tangled hair- before he wrapped his arms around her. Piper's body shook with sobs as she struggled to talk.

"The- the Gamemakers! They're going to k-kill L-Lacy and it's all my f-fault!" she said, crying.

"Shh. Shh." Jason stroked her hair soothingly. "I'm sure whatever you did wasn't that bad."

Piper shook her head despairingly. "It was worse than bad."

"Wait," Jason stepped back and looked Piper in the eyes. "What exactly did you do?"

By the time Piper finished rehashing the story, she had run out of tears. Jason had coaxed her out to the lounge, where Haymitch, Effie, Cinna, and Portia sat nearby, listening quietly.

When Piper was finished, everyone stared at her in disbelief and horror. Except for Haymitch, who began to laugh.

"Wow, girlie. I didn't know you had that in you." he said, chuckling.

Piper stared at him. "But they'll kill my family!"

Haymitch snorted. "Unlikely. They'd have to reveal what happened. But they can't, so it'd be a waste of effort." he refilled his glass with something dark and murky, and Effie wrinkled her nose. "It's more likely they'll torture you in the Games."

Piper allowed herself a small smile. If her family was safe, then no harm had been done. Besides ruining her chance in the games with the horrible score she was sure she would get.

After dinner was over, they headed over to the sitting room to watch the scores announced on television. The first person, a boy named Octavian Legacy, got an eight. The other District One Tribute, a girl named Drew Tanaka, got a six.

Haymitch shook his head. "Usually District One does better than this," he said, miffed.

Both Careers from District Two, Luke Castellan and Clarisse La Rue, got a ten, which surprised no one. Leo Valdez, from District Three, someone also managed a ten. His partner, Annabeth Chase, only got a six.

Percy Jackson from District Four got a nine, and his partner, Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, got a ten.

"Average scores for Careers," Haymitch commented.

Piper shrugged. She wasn't entirely sure that Percy was a Career- he never ate with them, never trained with- he spent most of his time with Annabeth and Grover. And he actually seemed pretty nice, which was definitely not a trait any Career could ever have. Secretly, she hoped that if anyone won the Games other than her or Jason, that it would be him.

Nancy Bobofit and Nick di Angelo from District Five both got fours. Will Solace and Calypso Moonlace from District Six got a two and a three, respectively. Not very good, but still better than what Piper assumed she would get. Was it possible to get a zero? Probably, she thought bitterly. She'd get no sponsors, no help- but Lacy was safe, and that was all that mattered in the end.

Grover Underwood from District Seven got a four. His partner, Juniper Dryad, got a three. Chris Rodriguez and Lou Ellen from District Eight both got a five. Rachael Dare from District Nine somehow got a six. Her partner, Castor Vine, got a four.

Surprisingly, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang from District Ten both got eights. Katie Gardner from District Eleven somehow managed to get a seven. Her partner, Travis Stoll, only got a one.

Jason laughed. "Travis showed me what he was doing right before he went in," he said. "He stole watches, wallets, rings, and a bunch of other stuff from the Gamemakers and a few others."

Haymitch guffawed. "The nerve of that boy," he said. "Of course, he knows they can't actually do anything to him- but he'll pay for it in the Games."

And then Jason's score was flashing on the screen. An eight!

Everyone whooped and clapped Jason on the back. Piper congratulated him, but was too nervous about her own score to really pay attention. And there it was, flashing on the screen.

An eleven.

An eleven!

Piper double checked and triple checked, but there it was, right on the screen, impossible to miss. Everyone around her was cheering and congratulating her, but Piper's eyes stayed glued to the screen until the number was replaced by the Capitol's seal.

"Guess they liked your temper," Haymitch said. "They need players with some heat."

"Piper, the girl who was on fire," Cinna said dreamily.

Jason gave her a hug. "See?" He said, "it all worked out."

"I guess," Piper shrugged.

Jason smiled at her. "You're gonna do great, Pipes. You always do."

In that moment, Piper made a decision.

She would not kill Jason Grace.