Chapter 4 – the great adventures of Fireboy and Watergirl

Annabeth knew something – something... strange – was going on. When Argus pulled up at the doors to the Empire state building, it seemed as if the whole city was steering clear of the said building. The 13 demigods (they were meeting Reyna at Olympus), two satyrs, one dryad, one cyclops and one harpy clambered out of Argus' van and to the front desk.

A plump woman, auburn hair in a fashionable bun and thinly rimmed dark blue – almost black – glasses sat behind the desk.

"Hello," the woman greeted in a kind, yet somehow sinister, voice. "What is it that you need?"

"We need the elevator key card for the 600th floor please." Now that Annabeth thought about it, if any mortals were eavesdropping they would call up the closest mental asylum to tell them they've lost a patient.

The curvy woman stared at Annabeth and her friends cautiously in turn before nervously laughing. "Honey, I'm sorry but there isn't a 600th floor."

Beside her Percy slapped his face with his palm. "Why does this happen every time?! Yes there is a 600th floor!"

The lady ignored Percy though. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're causing a disruption."

With a glance around the lobby Annabeth had been assured that their group of 18 were the only people (or other being) in there – other than the front desk lady of course. "There's no one else." Annabeth told her with a smug smile.

It was as if the gods had heard her and sent them in. a group of three – two girls and one boy – walked into the lobby.

The girl at the front had her dark hair in a braid and a quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder and bow as well.

The fat lady scoffed. "No weapons in here!" the braided haired girl's eyes widen.

The newcomer opened her mouth to say something but Percy cut her off to shout at the front desk lady.

"WE'RE DEMIGODS! WE ALWAYS CARRY WEAPONS! Well... I don't know why she's got a bow, but..." the lady glared at Percy due to his outburst but he didn't budge, he had faced worse things than this walrus.

"As I said," the lady said through gritted teeth. "You have to leave."

Percy went to yell again but Annabeth slapped her hand over his mouth. "Why don't we let these mortals to go first?" Annabeth suggest – although it sounded more of an order than anything. All eyes turned to the three newbies.

The other girl – dark haired and strong looking – scowled. "Of course, they let the victors go first." She rolled her eyes. "Well, where to beginning..."

Braided hair cut her off. "Johanna, those goat people told us they don't know what victors are."

Johanna rolled her eyes again. "You obviously buy that. Katniss, you really are like an open book."

Katniss glared at the Johanna. "Ladies," the blond boy said, stepping in between the two warring girls. "No need to fight. We just need to tell them that we – oh shit! I left the cheese buns in the oven!" Katniss and Johanna both rolled their eyes at the boy.

"Peeta, I think us seeing people with goat legs is -"

Katniss was cut off by Grover and Coach Hedge shouting, "We're called satyrs!"

The new trio stared wide eyed at the pair of satyrs. "Okay, so our day has gone from eating cheese buns to almost fighting those satyrs, being told that our parents – or parent – isn't who we think they are being told to go to the 600th floor in a building that clearly has one hundred -"

"One hundred and two." Annabeth corrected.

"... right, thing is, I think I hit my head really hard in the games..."

Johanna laughed. "Doubt it Katniss. If this was all a dream, Snow would have died with less death from our side."

"Whatever."

"Okay," the plump lady finally spoke. "I'm sorry to inform you all, but there is no 600th floor."

"Yes there is." Leo stated.

Annabeth almost felt sympathy for this poor lady, having these people – and mythical creatures – barge into her lobby. The Stoll's were trying to steal pens from the lady's desk (bored demigods do strange things). Juniper was talking to the potted tree in the corner. Tyson and Ella were gazing into each other's eyes... eye, which –for them – was the equivalent of making out and Thalia was asleep in a chair.

"Listen," Piper spoke. "Just give us the key card to get to Olympus." Charmspeak coated her every word.

The woman shook her head and pulled out a pair of Hephaestus' signature 'charmspeak proof ear plugs'.

"Oh come on!" she cried. "Why did he ever invent those things?!"

Leo shrugs. "No clue. Hey, do you reckon he could help me with the astrolabe?!"

Everyone went quite. It was a very touchy subject.

It was Annabeth who eventually answered. "Maybe." She said, not wanting to get the poor guy's hopes up.

"Please, miss," Jason steeped up. "We are demigods."

The woman just smirked. "I figured that."

"So why won't you let us up?"

She sighed. "Zeus gave me a list of those who are to group and so far you haven't given your names."

They all groaned. "Why didn't you just say?" Travis and Connor groaned.

The woman shrugged as they began listing off their names.

"Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon."

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter."

"Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto." Katniss' eyebrows knitted.

"You look like Rue."

Hazel's head turned slightly to the side making her look kind of like a puppy. "Who's Rue?"

Katniss just shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "Just someone who I couldn't save."

"Leo Flamin' Mcshizzle Valdez, Son of Hephaestus." At this they all rolled their eyes.

"Annabeth Jackson, daughter of-" hearing the snickers from beside her, Annabeth realised her mistake, but it had been made, now everyone knew how in her spare time she called herself Mrs. Jackson. "I-i-i... I mean Chase. Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena."

Percy was in fits of giggles. "Geez Annabeth, I think we're both a bit young to be tying the knot just now aren't we?" Annabeth's face was bright red, redder than a tomato.

"Actually," Grover began. "You're already engaged." Everyone's attention turned towards the satyr. He groaned. "Do you guys remember back on the first quest where you were playing hacky sack with the apple?" Percy and Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, well in ancient Greece, throwing an apple at a girl was the form of a proposal..." at this last statement Annabeth realised how stupid she had been.

Percy had technically been her fiancée since they were twelve.

"Then you ate the apple! Dude! That's like eating her ring... kinda." The Camp Half Blood/Jupiter crew all laughed.

"Only Grover." Leo wiped away a fake tear.

Someone cleared their throat – the lady. "Off track a little bit are we not?"

"Huh? What I miss?" Thalia said, it was clear she had just woken up.

After the CHB and Camp Jupiter crew had introduced themselves, the newbies were about to begin when the doors opened and slammed.

"Bow down peasants! 'Tis I! The Great Reyna!"

"Hey!" Leo yelled. "That should have been my line!"

"Whatever Fireboy." Katniss had a confused look come over her face at Reyna's nickname for Leo.

"If I'm Fireboy, Percy should be a girl. That way we'd be Fireboy and Watergirl!" Leo says proud of his logic.

"Sure, Valdez."

"Name?" the desk lady asked.

Reyna's attention turned towards the lady. "Reyna, daughter of Bellona, Praetor of New Rome."

The lady rolled her eyes. "Full name."

"No one knows my full name." the fat woman rolled her eyes once more but marked her down on the list.

"Rome?" Katniss questioned.

"Yep. Got a problem with that?"

Katniss shook her head. "I've of it before. Something Plutarch... a friend of mine told me."

"What was it?"

"'Panem et circenses' it -"

"Bread and circuses?" Reyna asks.

"Yeah, he said it was Latin, which was the language the spoke... but I guess you know that. He said that it represent our country, Panem. The districts made the entertainment and the food for the Capitol." Katniss explained. "It would make more sense if you knew more about where we come from, but the satyrs told us to refrain from doing so until we were told, so we don't have to repeat ourselves a heap of times."

The demigods nod.

Reyna eyes the dark haired girl suspiciously.

"Names?" pressed the woman.

"Johanna Mason... daughter of my parents?"

The lady eyes Johanna suspiciously. "You're an undetermined. I need more than that."

"Johanna Mason, district 7, victor of the 71st Hunger Games, and I was in the third Quarter Quell."

The lady nods.

"Peeta Mellark, district 12, victor of the 74th Hunger Games, I was in the third Quarter Quell."

Katniss' face seems almost pained as she talks. "My name is Katniss Everdeen. I was in the 74th Hunger Games. The Quarter Quell."

Johanna laughed. "Don't be so subtle, Miss. Mockingjay. The girl on fire wasn't at all one bit shy was she?"

"The 'girl on fire' was a fake side of me. Like a mask I wore to stop the capitol seeing how much I despised them."

Johanna laughed. "You and me both."

"You have fire powers?" Leo – of course it was Leo – questioned.

Katniss shook her head. "No, it was just a costume made of flames – fake ones – that got me that name."

Leo's shoulders hung lowly. "Oh, that sucks, I thought you'd be pretty cool to have as a sister."

"Ohhh! Connor shouted. "I'm telling Nyssa!"

"Not if I tell her first!" Travis screams.

"Both of you, shut up!" Piper charmspeaks them.

"Well," the front desk lady says. "Here's the key card, but, only 20 at a time in the elevator... there's 22 of you."

"I'll shadow travel!" Nico volunteers and fades into shadows before Will can argue.

"Great, that leaves 21 of you."

They stand in silence, almost as if silently debating who would stay.

"I'll stay." Percy eventually said.

"No." Annabeth replied flat out. "Last time we went on an elevator ride you nearly left me. You aren't doing that this time."

They once again plunged into silence.

"Does it count," Leo began mischievously. "If one of the group members was a mouse?"

Dam Leo.

Shout out to the first person to get the Victors' godly parents correct.

Be brave and stay alive my faulty, hungry, diverging demigods <4

-TheDivergentGames_75

22/5/2016