Disclaimer: If you still haven’t figure it out, I am not Suzanne Collins or Rick Riordan….

Percy’s POV

“ We’re home!” I called out to her. Silence. And then the sound of footsteps and the door burst open and there’s Prim, looking all clean and made up in her first – hand-me-down – reaping clothes. She beamed at us, looking excited and nervous (not to mention scared) at the same time.

“ What did you get?” she asked, taking a peek at what Katniss was holding. “ Smells greeny..,” she wrinkled her nose a bit.

   “ Let’s go inside first, kiddo,” I said, taking her by the arm and steering her into the kitchen. “ Let’s see…we have-“

   “ – a couple of fishes, a quart of strawberries, a little bit of green, a chunk of paraffin and some money,” Katniss said, as she laid the table with said things. “ Maybe could make a stew with the greens  and the fish.”

“ For supper!” Prim said, her eyes hopeful. Katniss smiled, and ruffled her hair. “ Hey!”

“ I’ll prepare lunch. You two go and clean up,” Mrs. Everdeen said, suddenly appearing at the front door. “ I’ve prepared a warm tub for the both of you.”

“ Thanks, Mrs. Everdeen,” I said to her while Katniss trudged up to the tub without a word. “ Uh…I guess I’ll just wait here,” I said, sitting in the kitchen, waiting for Katniss to finish up.

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After I was done cleaning up, as best as I could, I found a clean shirt and trousers laid out for me. It was definitely not mine and since there was no other males that had lived here….

“ Are you sure?” I asked Mrs. Everdeen. She smiled at me and touched my face.

“ Somehow you do remind me of my husband. I’m sure he won’t mind you wearing his clothes,” she said kindly. “ Hurry up and get dressed. I’m going to help Katniss. We don’t wanna be late,” I heard her say as she disappeared to help Katniss.

I swear, we go into the house after hunting looking like we had rolled in the mud, dragged ourselves through the leaves strewn streets and get run over by a stampede of miners. Only to come out looking like we came from the richer district.

Katniss looked really…um…pretty in that blue dress with her hair done in a …um…pretty braid. I’m sorry but I have trouble giving out compliments….uh…yeah..um..

“ Hey there, kiddo,” I said, squeezing Prim’s hand. “ You doing okay?” She nodded solemnly. “ You’re going to be alright…don’t think negatively okay?”

“ Because it will get me nowhere,” she added. I smiled but it felt too painful. Addy had once said that, the day of the explosion. When Mrs. Woodlum had thrown a bucket of swear words at us. I patted her head.

“ You got that right. Did Addy teach you that?” She nodded again. “Well, she’s right. And you are going to think positively.” Then, I noticed the back of her shirt sticking out again.

“ Tuck that in, Little Duck.” Soft, warm hands touched mine as we both reached out to tuck in Prim’s duck tail at the same time.

We looked at each other when that thing happened. It was like an electric shock, shocking but surprisingly pleasant. I could feel my growing hot and I saw that her cheeks were red too.

“ Sorry,” I said, pulling my hand away. “ Uh…there you go, kiddo. All tucked in and..uh..” Prim giggled. “ I have nothing to say anymore.”

“ Ready to go?” Mrs. Everdeen asked, as she closed the door. “ Let’s go.”

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We reached the square just nicely. We weren’t too late or too early.

It’s a bit of a disappointment, really, that they chose to hold the reaping at the square. Katniss once said that this place is probably one of the few places in District 12 that was pleasant. The square’s surrounded by shops and, on public market days, had a holiday feeling to it. But not today, though. There’s an air of grimness despite the bright and colorful banners. The camera crews, perched on the rooftops like buzzards, only add to that effect.

People filed into the square silently.  The twelve-year-olds to eighteen-year-olds are directed to roped areas marked by ages. Oldest at the front and youngest at the back. Family members circle the perimeter, holding each other’s hands tightly.

I find myself standing in a clump of sixteen-year-olds, mostly from the Seam. I saw Katniss, a few rows in front of me. She turned around and gave me a somewhat reassuring smile which I returned. Then, the both of us simultaneously turned towards the eighteen-year-olds, looking for Gale, giving him a reassuring smile, an acknowledging nod. I turned my attention to the stage when a few people came out of the Justice Building behind the stage.

A tall, balding man. Probably in his late forties or early fifties. Mayor Undersee, Madge’s father. And a woman with freakishly white grin, pink hair and green suit. Effie Trinket, District Twelve’s escort. They murmured something to each other and looked at an extra empty chair next to them.

At approximately two o’clock, when the clocks at the Justice Building rang, the mayor stepped up to the podium and began to read the history of Panem (which we have known from heart, actually). He began with how Panem, a country that rose from the ashes of a place that was formerly known as North America. He lists the disasters, the droughts, the fires, the storms, the encroaching seas that swallowed up most of the land, the brutal war for what little sustenance remained.  The result was Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by thirteen districts, which brought peace and prosperity to its citizen. Then, came the Dark Days, the uprising of thirteen districts against the Capitol. Twelve were defeated, thirteenth obliterated. The Treaty of Treason give us new laws and , as yearly remember that the Dark Days are not to be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.

The rules of the Games are pretty easy. Every district are to send two tributes, one boy and one girl, to fight in a designated arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the tributes shall fight to their deaths. The last one standing wins.

It’s pretty horrendous, actually. Taking innocent young children to fight to their deaths. It’s as if their making fun of you. “ Hey, look here. There’s your children. Look at how we take them and sacrifice them and there is nothing you can do. Nothing at all. If you ever lift even one finger against us, we will destroy you. Just like we did to Thirteen.”

To make it even more humiliating as well as more torturous, we are required to treat the Hunger Games as a festivity, a sporting events pitting every district against the others. The last tribute alive receives an ease in life back home, and their districts are showered with food like grains and oils, sometimes even sugar. While the others battle with starvation.

“ It is time for both repentance and thanks,” intones the mayor. He then reads the list of District Twelve’s victors. There are exactly two, and only one is still alive. Haymitch Abernathy, a paunchy middle-aged man. He’s a drunk, too, if you must know. And now he’s drunk. Very. The applause from the crowd confuses him and he suddenly gives a big hug to Effie Trinket, which she barely manages to fend off.

The look on the mayor’s face is funny. He looked like he wanted to die. Of course he must be distressed over the fact since all of this is being televised, District 12 is surely to be a laughingstock. He quickly proceeds to introduce Effie Trinket.

“ Welcome,” she smiled her scary smile, “ welcome, welcome. Happy Hunger Games!”  she said. Bright and bubbly as ever, it always amuses me how she could stand it, being all bright and bubbly over something that concerns of the death of young children. “ And may the odds be ever in your favor!” Her curls are now a little bit off-centre, probably a wig.  She goes on about how it is an honor to be here, blablablabla…..I kinda tune her out after that.

It’s time for the drawing. Effie Trinket says as she always does, “ Ladies first!” and trots to the glass ball that contains the names of all the girls. Twenty of it are Katniss’, one is Prim. She reaches her hand into the ball and pulls out a slip of paper. The crowd drew in a collective  breath and you could probably hear a pin drop. I crossed my fingers and hoped it wasn’t Prim or Katniss.

“ Primrose Everdeen!”

I felt like the world had stopped spinning.

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