PJO Hunger Games au

Together

Percy didn't sleep. He really tried, but every time he closed his eyes Bekendorf was imprinted on his eyelids. How Percy's knife felt going into his chest. It was necessary, it had to happen, but Percy couldn't fight the guilt. He knew Annabeth probably couldn't either. After she stabbed Silena, her eyes were like broken glass. Something broke inside of them that day, and Percy was afraid it would never be repaired. Not that it mattered much anymore, soon Percy and Annabeth would likely both be dead.

Grover stirred and saw that Percy was awake.

"You ok?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Percy said, "just thinking."

Grover nodded. "Today feels like the last day, doesn't it."

Percy frowned. "Why do you say that?"

Grover pointed over Percy's shoulder out the window. "Those clouds."

The whole time Percy had been in the arena, it was always sunny. And except for the weird pink sky day, it was very uniform. So when Percy saw the dark gray clouds massing above them, it was totally jarring. Annabeth joined him and Grover at the window.

"Well that's great," she said. She bit her lip. "Today's the day, isn't it."

Percy nodded. "Yeah, I think it is."

They walked in a row, Annabeth in the middle and Percy and Grover on either side. The humidity was ominous, and though it hadn't rained yet, the air was heavy with it. The buildings on either side towered over them, making Percy feel small. But when he glanced at Annabeth on his right, he felt a surge of warmth. He just felt better when Annabeth was with them. There was a fierceness in her gray eyes that was reassuring.

The boom of a cannon jolted him out of his thoughts. They exchanged nervous looks, but didn't falter. Percy ran through who it could be in his head. Nico, Hazel, Piper, Jason, or Thalia. Not a long list. They kept walking. Percy worried that maybe they were going the wrong way, but he trusted the gamemakers to steer them. You can't be entertained if the tributes can't find each other.

The first body they came across was Piper's. Stabbed through the heart, sprawled in the street. Annabeth's face went white, but she wordlessly closed Piper's eyes and kept going. Another cannon. Percy assumed they were walking in the wake of district two. Jason and Thalia were siblings, so Percy knew they would fight together. That was dangerous.

"Percy!" Annabeth said, grabbing his arm. "Look."

He followed her finger down the street. There were two bodies. One was still moving. There were only two tributes who were that small.

"Maybe he's still alive," whispered Percy. He tried to swallow the guilt that always rose when he thought of Nico.

"The careers have to be around here somewhere," Annabeth said, "let's be careful."

"You mean you want to walk towards the bodies?" Grover said. "Sounds like a great way to die."

Annabeth ignored him and forged on. Percy kept his eyes glued to Nico, hoping he was alive, hoping he wasn't alive. Percy already knew he couldn't kill him if it came down to it.

Hazel was dead, blood pooling around her side where she was stabbed. Nico was still alive, but barely. Percy sunk to his knees next to him and propped him up. He'd been stabbed in the stomach, and was getting paler by the minute.

"It's ok," Percy said, cradling Nico's body.

Nico looked up at him, his eyes full of fear. "Am I gonna die, Percy?"

Percy swallowed the lump in his throat. "No you're not. Just close your eyes and go to sleep, ok?"

Nico grabbed Percy's hand, his blood was sticky. "I don't want to die."