Author Games - When In Rome

Task 4 - Gladiators

Antonio Silver sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his forehead wrinkled with lines of worry and stress. Juliette's little... stunt... had made a mockery of him. The task in itself hadn't been done before, but the two different elements of it, both the music and the screams of loved ones, were nothing Panem hadn't seen before individually.

It had to be admitted, Antonio thought wryly, it was entertaining to see the tributes cower and scream on cameras. One poor girl had torn her own hair out due to the noise. But Juliette hadn't predicted that some people were not susceptible to the cries of loved ones. There were far too many heartless tributes this year for that task to properly work, and Juliette should have known that. Antonio sighed and leaned back in his chair, remembering the deaths of Adam Johnson, Aspirae Nairna, Vern Smedley and Anna-Maria Grove.

Antonio swivelled around in his chair, letting his head fall back and stare at the ceiling. He needed to think of something new. Something that hadn't been done before.

Perhaps something interactive?

A grin stretched across Antonio's face as an idea sprung in his mind. One of the complaints about the Hunger Games was that the Capitol never really got to get up close to the action and truly witness the fighting itself, rather than simply through a TV screen. And Antonio could make that happen. He leapt up and out of his seat, racing to the railings above the main gamemakers area.

"People!" he called out. The gamemakers all looked up at him, and he shot a grin out to the group. Juliette was strangely absent and, for a few moments, confusion swept through his mind. But he ignored it. Another reason to get her fired, he supposed. As the game makers faced him, Antonio declared his big plans.

"We're going to the Colosseum!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Task: Tributes are somehow put into the colosseum. Whether it's by mutts or a tsunami or ANYTHING, I really don't care. It's up to you how that occurs. One requirement - YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO KILL ANYONE ON THEIR WAY TO THE COLLOSSEUM. Everyone must make it to the colosseum. Everyone.

Your tributes will be donned up in gladiator armour, and will be assigned a fighting partner (chosen at random), and you will have to write your tribute fighting to the death with your partner inside the colosseum. You have traditional armour, weapons, everything. The other tributes who are not fighting will be enclosed in their own little part of the stand.

The pairs have been randomly selected and are as follows (The fights happen 1 at a time, as it is a spectator event for the capitol citizens)

1 - Eden & Mango

2 - Jonah & Tyberius

3 - Rex & Phaedra

4 - Jasper & Valerie

5 - Aissalyine & Jaiden

6 - Nixie & Ula

7 - Fuse & Hanan

I should also note that the President, Antonio, Juliette and Faye are sitting where the emperor and his subjects normally would, and that the stands are filled with Capitol citizens, however there is a force field surroundings them all. Hovercrafts bring them to and from the arena, you can write that in if you so wish.

Although you are to kill your partner in your entry, it DOES NOT COUNT as an actual death toll, and neither do any of the deaths in your entry.

Kills: Let me make this very, very clear. None of the deaths in your entry will count. You are to send me a list of 4 ballots with your entry, no more and no less.

Elimination: 4 people will be put up for elimination. Two will live, and two will die.

Bonus Points:

First entry (+1)

Best kill (+3)

Sponsor Perks: To those of you who haven't used your 13, that is still an option. Other than that, sponser perk this task is:

- 1 extra ballot

Due Date: This task is due on the 6th of February, 9pm AEDT.

If anything is confusing or if I've forgotten anything, just ask.