Saving the Tributes || Demigods in the Hunger Games

.oOo. Piper .oOo.

Sometimes, my stylist was seriously pushing my limits. Especially with the getup she shoved me in.

"You're going to look gorgeous," he promised in his sickly high voice as the prep team basically peeled off my epidermis. "Your mentor Saili said you were a natural."

"A natural at pretending I'm happy, maybe," I muttered, low enough to escape her earshot.

"Now, when they're done with you," my stylist said slowly like I was some sort of primeval animal. "I want you to put on your dress. A dress is something that looks pretty, okay?"

I wanted to scream. And even more so when I saw the dress.

The entire thing was coral pink. It was sleeveless with a deep plunging neckline on an empire waistline. Pearls and pink gemstones were artistically arranged around the dress and the whole thing glittered with strands of gold, but I was too angry to appreciate the dress. Because the whole thing was just alternating strips of shades of pink silk that flowed down like a tassel. I put my hand through the stomach and saw there was nothing underneath. My gut clenched.

"We're trying the sexy angle for you," He gushed. "You look like you could rock it."

I glanced over to my normal clothes, which were in a pile on the floor concealing Katoptris. More than anything I wanted to run the guy through with my knife.

"They're going to love you, Pepper!" one member of my prep team squealed. I gritted my teeth at the annoying way she pronounced my name.

"It's Piper. P-I-P-E-R. Not Pepper."

"Of course it is, silly," another one said, grinning with a mouth of blue teeth. "Now, hurry along. The interviews start soon. Get in the dress."

The last thing I wanted to do was get in the dress. I slipped into the dress, my eyes shooting daggers at the wall.

I lined up behind the other tributes, trying to stick to the wall. But of course, out of all people, Thalia had to turn around. She caught my eye, stared, and burst out into silent laughter, walking over. Frank turned too, and saw me.

"Oh my gods," Thalia choked. "You look like Drew."

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge," I replied as I took in her own outfit. At least it was better than her cow one, for the chariot parade thingy that I already forgot the name of. She had on a regal cape of feathers, if a cape of feathers could be described as regal, a gold tank top and black leggings with a subtle feather design on them that seemed to disappear if you looked directly at them. She wore what looked like a laurel wreath on her head in place of her huntress circlet, but instead of laurel leaves there were two feathers that wrapped around her head, meeting at the tips. She actually looked okay, though from the Drew comment I wasn't about to let her know that.

"The predator has become the prey," Frank said. "It's supposed to look like a chicken." He was wearing a gold shirt under a similar feathered cape and black slacks, the same feathered pattern on the pants. "But at least we're not as bad as District Five, if you know what I mean."

"I think I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much!" Jason called back in a disgruntled tone. He was wearing a lightning-yellow tank top that hugged his abdomen about as much as Piper's dress hugged hers, a fake lightning bolt half in his back like a fish fin. He had on electric blue pants that matched his eyes, and his hair was spiked upwards, two lightning bolts sticking upwards from the side of his head like a horned helmet. Obviously his stylist was a newbie, and didn't exactly grasp the taste of elegance like the others.

"Fine is... not a word I would choose," Percy said, grinning.

"Because you look like a walking model?" Annabeth asked. It was true. Percy had on a plain set of white shoes and jeans. His top consisted of just a fishing net that was draped loosely, leaving little to the imagination. His hair was, of course, windswept as usual. His stylist hadn't bothered with much makeup, just applying a bit of concealer here and there, and some black eyeliner that accentuated his sea green eyes.