PJO Hunger Games au

Just Kids

Annabeth woke to yellow sunlight.

"Thank god," she said, "I was beginning to hate the color pink."

"Are we sure it's safe?" asked Piper. Her hair was plastered to the side of her face, it had been so long since any of them had taken a shower, or even stopped to think about hygiene.

"I don't know," said Reyna, "why don't you put your hands on the window again just to see?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious."

Food was beginning to run low in their building, so they decided to pack up and move to another one. Annabeth hated moving, the streets were open and deadly and attacks could come from any direction, but they needed food. It was like the gamemakers stocked the buildings enough to provide a little safety, but little enough to force the tributes back on the streets.

They had developed a routine for going out, Annabeth in front navigating, Piper in the middle, and Reyna with sword covering their backs. They weaved through the streets like this, pausing at every intersection, straining their ears for any foreign steps. They had selected a building earlier that morning, a brown, unassuming square thing far enough away that anyone who knew were they were previously would have trouble finding them again. Annabeth was so lost in thought she didn't hear the rapidly approaching footsteps, or Piper's whisper of alarm, and instead was jerked to the side as Reyna shoved her into a narrow alleyway.

"What-"

"Shhh!" hissed Reyna, as she pressed Annabeth against the wall.

Then Annabeth heard the footsteps. Light but quick. She glanced around the ally, a dead end. Nowhere the hide. She squeezed tighter against the wall and prayed. But the footsteps went right past their alley. Annabeth opened her mouth to say something, that street was a dead end. Then she heard the second set of footsteps. Two sets actually. Heavier and with less caution. Finally Annabeth realized what was happening. Someone was being hunted.
Annabeth heard the hiss of steel as a sword was drawn.

"You don't have to do this," gasped a voice. High and clear.

"Sorry, runt," a gruffer voice said, "I really do."

"Clarisse, wait, she's just a kid," a third voice joined in.

Clarisse, Annabeth thought, she was a district 4 tribute. And if she had to guess her companion was Frank, her district partner.

"We're all kids, Frank. And we all have to die eventually."

"I can't let you do this."

"I'm not asking for your permission," Clarisse snarled, "now get out of my way."

"C'mon. I don't want to fight you. Let's just leave."

"This is your last chance, Frank. I don't want to fight you either. But I will."

"I can't let you hurt her. She's just a kid," Frank repeated.

"Fine," Clarisse said, "I was going to have to kill you eventually."

Annabeth, Piper, and Reyna stayed silent, barely daring to breathe, as the fighting rang out around them. Clashing steel, grunts of exertion, the occasional gasp of pain, Frank and Clarisse seemed relatively evenly matched. Annabeth risked holding out her dagger to see the reflection of the fight. Both had large swords, twisting around each other in an impressive display of skill. She expected Hazel to be terrified, but the girl stood with a small saber drawn, surprisingly calm as she inched around the careers. Frank parried Clarisse's blow, then feinted a thrust. It was a good move, but Clarisse was expecting it. She caught his blade and twisted it downward, clattering on the pavement. Then she plunged her sword deep into Frank's chest.

Frank coughed, then sunk to his knees. Clarisse looked down at her former district partner, a touch of sadness in her eyes. Then she yanked the sword out and Frank collapsed.

Hazel made her move then. She sprinted past Clarisse and Frank, back down the road she came. Clarisse sprang after her, limping slightly from a gash in her leg, but still faster than Hazel. Annabeth held her breath as they neared her alley, but they passed by unnoticed. She heard Hazel scream, felt Reyna tense next to her.

Before Annabeth could even blink, Reyna drew a knife, pushed past her into the street, and threw it. Annabeth saw it flash end over end until it buried itself between Clarisse's shoulder blades. Hazel pushed herself backwards on her hands and knees before standing and sprinting away. Clarisse collapsed, struggling to breathe as Reyna walked up to her, pulled out her knife, and stabbed her in the throat. Two cannons went off, and just like that the tributes from district four were dead. When Reyna saw Annabeth and Piper staring, she shook her head.

"I- I have a little sister back home, ok? I couldn't..." she trailed off and for a second Reyna's eyes betrayed how lost and afraid she was. Then she flicked Clarisse's blood off her blade. "Let's just get out of here."