Inevitable | PJO

Jason

POV: Jason Grace

Oh my god.

What just happened ?

I can't blame Leo. He didn't know, and now he's dead. I can't blame Calypso. She's bleeding to death in an endless cave. I can't blame Piper. She's gone. Piper. Piper McLean. I can only blame myself. I remember she used to talk to me in school. She'd sit behind me. Who's in those seats now? No-one - it's the Games. They'll all be crying over Piper now. She must have had sponsors, just the money was being saved for the later they expected.

That night, 4 faces had appeared in the sky when the sun fell. The 1 girl, the one with the curls, came up first. Then Leo's sparky grin. Piper's beautiful eyes. A girl from 11 who could only have been about 12.

15 tributes were dead.

It's been two days since then, we're only four days in. We've been free of deaths since, but several horrible Gamemaker attacks have happened to almost everyone. New Mutts have appeared, undercover of a terrible snowstorm. They aren't as mechanical as the bears, these floppy, slimy, dog-like things that dwell in the cave systems. I've had to move the still-unconscious Calypso several times. An avalanche of snow pelted the area where the cornucopia is, but the Careers had moved camp. I don't know why. It's never happened before.

We have minimal food, so I've only given Callie water. Piper's sleeping bag and most of our stuff were destroyed in the attack, so we've been living off the stuff Calypso had in her pockets. It's not great, but better than nothing.

I snuggle down in my coat, nibbling on a piece of red, squashy fruit. A splash of colour in the bleak white. Calypso's remaining hand is still in mine. I never moved it, knowing Leo wouldn't have if he hadn't been a dead body in a wooden box. Piper would have been there for a friend. So I don't let go of Callie's  hand, despite cold or lack of comfort.

She's dying, not just from the hand, but the shock of seeing those deaths, and possibly something in the bear's teeth - some sort of poison, perhaps. There's blood all over her and her breathing is so faint it's hardly there.

Are these Games even worth winning? I would have to go back knowing I saw Piper and Leo and Calypso die. I would have to make speeches in Districts 3 and 8. I would have to face home knowing I let Piper die. And what other horrors would I have to survive? The seal/dog mutts gave me a gash on my back I'm sure will scar, if I'm alive long enough. The snow courses though me like poison, damaging as much as it helps.

It's like we're all dancing some erratic, emotional, violent dance. And we're dancing it to the tune of our deaths, to the ones already dead, dancing to our families and our fears. The Capitol have hold of us and they aren't likely to let us go.

And suddenly, Callie's pulse is fading. I'm crying, clinging to her, holding her close like I would have done to Piper, whilst frozen mist clings around us. Because this is my last friend. And she's dying, her breath leaving, her pallor getting even worse.

And her chest stops moving, her hair falls backwards over her face and my tears fall too, pooling in the creases in my coat. She's not thinking anymore, not having to worry. Calypso isn't feeling the pain anymore. She can't see the world now. And that's not the only thing I envy her.

The canon goes off.

_______

Her body is taken by a  hovercraft. I watch her go, not moving until she's completely gone. Then I turn, the snow crackling and popping underfoot. I don't want to stay around here. New ground is in order. I must be brave whilst I still can.

My possessions on me, I set off over the mountains, aiming for the opposite side. The air freezes my tears onto my face and I skirt around the snowdrifts and caves. From what little I know, us eight remaining tributes are pretty widely spread. I've been staying to the west, where I know I can hide in the caves. The Careers shouldn't be too hard to find, just hard to get away from.

Who else is there? The four Careers, me, the guy from 6, I think, the black-haired one with the haunted eyes. The 7 guy too, the one that looked almost as mischievous as Leo. And... Someone else... I can't remember. Maybe he's a threat, maybe not. But I wouldn't like to get in the way of any of these people. We are down to the last eight. They say that's the time it gets interesting for a reason.

I camp in the topmost cave, a luckily shallow one. Calypso's picture appears in the sky, forgiving and heart-breaking.

Everyone must know the Games are on now. The Careers must be prepared. The other three will have weapons, traps, survival techniques. I have nothing. And if I had something, who says I would use it? All I've seen is death. I never want to be the cause of it.

I carefully chew on a bit more of the fruit. I need meat or bread or something - this cannot be healthy. The water is as bad as ever. The shock never manages to leave. The cave is just another - jagged ice walls and a penetrating cold that locks into your bones and never leaves. The white is still blinding. The sound of silence still terrifying. My coat is as good a bed as I will ever get, so I curl up, close my eyes, and fix the mask on so I don't wake up with my eye frozen together.

My dreams are wild. I run though them, no longer cold, but burning hot. I'm sweating, still in my tribute outfit. A musty blindfold shuts me out, so I sense rather than see Leo, Piper and Calypso. They're running, running alongside me. But the Careers are here too, and I don't feel safe, though we're all going in the same direction. The hot ground scalds my feet through my boots, dipping and rising to throw me off. We run, all of us. All the tributes are here now.

But instead of helping each other run from... Whatever it is we're running from, we push each other over, tripping and shoving. I want to shout, yell out the need for co-operation.

But suddenly, Thalia is there. I don't remember my sister. My mother said she died years ago, in a freak accident at the school. She was the only one who died, but I wasn't ever allowed to mention it to anyone in case I hurt anyone's feelings. I never knew how my sisters death could affect other people more than my parents or me, but I see her in my dream.

She's there, near me.

But she goes.

A/N: Yes, I do know Thalia was at the start too...
DemigodNarniaElf alex_bx LunaGalaxy03

(MY HOUSE BADGE IS BETTER THAN ALL THE PEOPLE ABOVE'S BADGES!!!!)