Rick Riordan's Hunger Games [PJO AU]

5. Training Days P2

It was the last day of training. The girl from 7 was stitching two pieces of fabric together with a speed that stunned Leo. And when she finished, she began to weave vines together, forming a tough rope.

He watched for a while, then surveyed his own mess of moss. He'd managed to twist them together, but they weren't very attractive. Or sturdy, for that matter.

"You're pretty good," he blurted out.

Her dark almond-shaped eyes scrutinized him critically, and then she went back to work. "Thanks."

It didn't seem like she wanted to associate with a charbroiled runt like him, but he pressed on, "Could you teach me?"

She tossed her head at the trainer, "You can ask him."

"I think he's tired of me. I'm Leo, by the way."

"Calypso. If I teach you, you should teach me something in return."

"Sure." He scanned around at the other stations, trying to spy one he might be good at. Of course, there was his invention of the force field, but that would hardly be useful in the Games, where there'd be none of the necessary materials. It was highly unreliable, anyway. Sometimes he ended up making the kind that throws you back or shocks you to death.

Finally, his eyes landed on the fire-starting station. He gulped, "I'm pretty good at...starting fires."

She rolled her eyes, "So am I. I'm from the lumber district." And seeing him spot the shelter-making station, she added, "I can build shelters too. And furniture."

"Furniture?" Leo snorted. "What good is a dining table in the Arena?"

Calypso gave him the evil eye.

He coughed, "Right, more than I'm capable of understanding. I guess I can't teach you many skills, but I do have an...idea of sorts. It's a guaranteed way of eliminating someone, but it's not smart. It's a bit brutal, and the Gamemakers wouldn't like it."

At his last words, Calypso's face brightened with reckless abandon. "What is it?"

He reluctantly told her, and she smirked devilishly. "I see. Thank you very much."

Leo stared at her worriedly, regretting telling her already. "I uh, really don't think you should do it."

She laughed, "I don't care about the Capitol. They've been cruel enough to me and everyone else, so I might as well throw this in their faces. Now let's work on your weaving skills."

◼▲◼

Frank struggled through the edible plants station with Hazel sitting cross-legged beside him. They'd become allies instantly, without even having to agree on it verbally. She knew him from school, and said he was nice, so she trusted him.

"Is this one hemlock?" he fretted, examining a small pot with little white flowers growing in it.

Hazel took a hard look at it, "It...could be. It could also be Queen Anne's Lace."

"That one's harmless, but hemlock's deadly poisonous," Frank pointed out.

"Can we even eat Queen Anne's Lace?" Hazel frowned. "Otherwise we can just ignore both, right?"

"I think we can eat it," Frank answered. "We can probably eat any plant that isn't poisonous, honestly."

Hazel sighed. "I wouldn't know, since I kill every plant I tried to grow."

Frank hadn't known she'd tried gardening, and the information made him feel like he should protect her even more.

The trainer eventually informed them that Frank was indeed holding hemlock. He put it back quickly. They spent some time learning the difference between a wild sweet pea and a wild potato.