Rick Riordan's Hunger Games [PJO AU]

Ep 10 - "Red"

The president drummed her nails on a screen. "The ones I detest are still alive."

Rick scowled. "You complain about that in every Games, and each turned out fine. This year is no different. What makes you think they are so dangerous? Besides, viewers love them. I can't kill them without an uproar."

"That was your mistake," she snapped. "You make the wrong people loveable. It is not just the Capitol viewers we must consider..."

◼▲◼

When Percy met the eyes of the blonde from Luke's district, his mind blanked. He had no idea how to react. Every part of her during training and the interview had screamed danger, and if she was the mastermind behind Luke's betrayal...

He noticed that while her hands were quite casually at her hips, one rested on a dagger in a sheath, both of which had to be from the Cornucopia.

Yeah, he didn't want to be near her.

Her eyes did a swift scan of him, pausing briefly at the sword and knife at his belt. Then she marched away, going into the denser copse of trees that separated forest from meadow.

She looked fearless and way too competent to be from the textile district, but she was also too smart to even engage with him. This girl was truly dangerous.

The Gamemakers were no doubt upset that the encounter was so anticlimactic. Percy was wondering what kind of commercial break they'd added — blue cookies, perhaps? — when he saw a lion slinking through the meadows ahead.

It had every appearance of a normal animal save its fur that shined like gold — metallic gold.

There was a fraction of a second to decide: run for it, or warn the girl who might kill him?

Turns out he didn't need to do the latter. The girl had noticed it already, and she ducked behind a willow tree and peeked around it.

The mutt was stalking towards her barely four yards away. She breathed fast, eyes flicking around the area as she calculated the best escape route, but she wouldn't make it. And all at once he remembered that her name was Annabeth.

"HEY!" Percy shouted.

Both she and the lion turned to stare, and yeah, he did not think this through.

Now the beast was coming at him. He ducked behind a tree five inches in diameter as if it could conceal him. Annabeth used the time to sling her jacket over a branch and haul herself up.

The mutt lunged around his tree, and he darted away. They circled each other, and Percy started to think of better last words than screaming.

Then a piece of bread plopped in front of it, courtesy of Annabeth. The lion sniffed it suspiciously.

In that brief moment, Percy ripped open his backpack and threw a ham sandwich as far as he could, and the mutt chased after it.

He grabbed a branch and heaved himself onto it. At least his pre-Games training hadn't been for nothing.

The lion bounded back with mayo all over its face. He'd barely made it to a higher section before its claws sunk into the branch.

Percy drew his sword and slashed at its paws, but lo and behold, its fur acted as armour. But to his relief, the mutt's strength gave out and it fell back down. The Capitol had made it unable to climb.

Now it tore at the base of his tree, claws shredding through the bark like it was paper. He swore so loudly that a Gamemaker probably had to turn down the volume.