Percy Jackson the Tribute (Percy Jackson Hunger Games crossover)

Mourning

Percy Jackson yawned and stretched. Blinking against the brightness of the day, he started putting on his shirt.

"Mom?" he called. It was unusual for her to let him sleep this late, and he didn't smell or hear anything from the kitchem. He froze as a familiar bleakness settled over him. Half dressed, he laid back down silently. 

It wasn't a dream: Sally Jackson was dead. For four days, every morning had started the same way. Percy would wake up in oblivion, at peace for a few blessed, traitorous moments, then everything would come crashing down on him.

He would spend the rest of the day in bed without talking or eating, tears silently pouring down his face. He was starving, but he didn't care. He squeezed his eyes shut. He deserved starvation for letting her die.

Of course it wasn't enough for her to give all of her food away to starving children. Of course she would try to do more, even if it was against the law.

The penalty for stealing was death in Panem. By Sally's philosophy, if someone was hungry enough to steal food even though they would die if they got caught, then they deserved all the help she could give. Percy had had to hold her back before. An old man had been caught stealing an apple from a cart, and she had tried to help him with all of her strength, even though she would just be killed too. Percy knew the man, and was willing to give him the quick painless death he was looking for rather than starvation.

This time, it had been a ten-year-old boy. He knew that he wouldn't have had the heart to stop her from helping, but of course the one time she needs protection he wasn't there to provide it.

Eyes closed, he remembered again walking into the market to sell the rabbits he had shot. Everyone was even more somber than normal, which was saying something for District 12. There was a tightly packed clump of people around something he couldn't make out, and a child was crying. 

As Percy approached Greasy Sae, the old butcher, she flinched and looked away. He might have gotten a better deal for the rabbits elsewhere, but Sae was the only one who reliably bought wild dog if it was all he found. Percy frowned. Sae was usually a rather rowdy, talkative person, always ready with a smile and a wink. 

"What's wrong?" Percy asked. She glanced around helplessly, then sighed.

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, son," she started, and Percy tensed. She let out a breath, and her shoulders slumped. All at once, her age was more visible than Percy had ever seen, all of her hard years in District 12 catching up to her and displaying themselves for all to see. She gestured towards the clump of people by the baker's shop.

"See for yourself."

After receiving a very generous amount of money for the rabbits, which worried him even more, he pushed his way to the middle of the crowd. At least, that was his intention. Everyone that saw him moved immediately, creating a clear path for him straight to the middle. He ignored all the pitying, worried, and even angry looks.

A Peacemaker sat on a bench, pale, his hand shaking. His gun was on the floor a couple feet away, where it looked like he had dropped it. The little boy he had heard crying was curled up into a ball to the side, the baker's son, Peeta, comforting him.

All of these details flitted through his mind, but he didn't really notice any of it. On the floor, eyes staring sightlessly ahead, was his mother. He felt as if he had been sucker punched in the gut as the air whooshed out of his lungs. and he fell to his knees. Blood was pooling around her head, and Percy scramble forward to her side. 

The pain was too much; Percy felt numb. He rocked back and forth silently, willing himself to wake up. He never did.

He looked up sharply as the sound of the boy crying escalated. Three more Peacemakers had arrived, and two were dragging the kid away while the third helped the shaky one stand. Percy shot to his feet.

"What happened?" he demanded, his voice completely devoid of emotion. He would have felt unnerved himself at how he sounded, but he was incapable of feeling anything.

The shaky one stepped forward. With a tremor in his voice, he explained, "This boy was caught stealing bread and I was called in to take care of it. Everyone knows what the penalty is for stealing." He looked angry, which surprised Percy. He hated the killing too. "The kid started screaming, and Mrs. Jackson came to help him. I don't know how she planned on helping a kid doomed to die, but I held her away with my arm. She got angry, and pushed me away. Then, she... she grabbed the boy and started running. I --" he choked. "I couldn't -- I didn't --" 

Percy stopped him. "I know," he said. "I understand. Go take care of your kids, Mr. Jones." He turned away. He knew that this shouldn't have been such a big deal, Peacemakers did this sort of thing all the time, but... Everyone loved Sally Jackson.

For some reason even Percy didn't understand, he wasn't angry at the Peacemaker. If he hadn't done it, someone else would have, and he would have died as well. There was no way Sally could have gotten out of that situation alive. In the heat of the moment, his training had kicked in. Even with the consequences, he probably wouldn't have shot her on purpose. 

That didn't mean Percy was angry; he just directed it towards the people who actually deserved it: the Capitol. But he couldn't let his anger out, not yet. If he let himself feel anger, he would have to let in the pain.