Madge never watched the Hunger Games. Sure, she went to the square and stared at the screen, but she never truly watched them. Not until the 74th, however.

Katniss and Peeta were the tributes for District 12. Peeta, the sweet boy from the bakery who confronted her when they were six, and had been her best friend since; and Katniss, the hunter girl who brought strawberries and sat with her at lunch when Peeta didn't. She was sure one of them was going to win. They had to. She couldn't bear the thought of losing both.

On the night of the parade, the District 4 boy caught her eye. He was tall, with wide shoulders and large biceps. His dark hair reflected in the lighting and his smirk was somewhat cocky. But his eyes, oh his eyes. They were blue and green and gold all at once, sort of like the ocean. Fitting for a boy from District 4.

She learned his name was Percy, Percy Jackson. It was a wonderful name.

When the interviews came around, Madge waited patiently for his turn and hushed everyone in the room. He had been dressed in black trousers, a black button-up, and a tie that made his eyes pop. Lounging in the chair, the cocky smirk was present the entire time. He joked with Caesar and teased about his strategies for the arena. Towards the end, Caesar asked the same question he had brought up with each male tribute before Percy. "So, is there a lucky lady back home?"

Percy's smirk disappeared and was replaced with a slightly dopey smile aimed at the floor. He began to nod. 'Yeah… Yes. Her name is Annabeth.' Madge's stomach fell.

Caesar lent forward in his chair. "Really? And what is this 'Annabeth' like?"

"She's… amazing. Absolutely brilliant; she wants to be an architect, you see. Sometimes she'll just spout off random facts about random buildings. Did you know there was this dam in North America that was 726.4 feet tall? It's her favourite piece of architecture from the Old Times. Oh and she's beautiful, too. Her eyes look like a thunderstorm and her hair is like a princess's."

Caesar was smiling and the audience was cooing. Even Madge's lips were twitching.

"How'd you meet her?"

"We met at the training camp back home. She took me down with her knife in six seconds flat. Instant best friends. Neither of us acknowledged our feelings until her brother, Malcolm, was reaped two years ago. Kinda put everything into perspective, y'know?"

Caesar nodded. "Did she say goodbye to you. Before you boarded the train, that is?"

There was a pause and Percy's happy expression faltered for a moment. "Yeah." He let out a snort. "'Try not to die, Seaweed Brain.' That's what she told me."

It seemed as if Percy was going to say something else, but the bell rang, signalling the end of his interview. Caesar patted his shoulder. "And try you will." They stood up at the same time and Caesar raised Percy's arm. "Percy Jackson!" The crowd roared and he disappeared behind the curtain, the female tribute for District 5 taking his place.

Three days into the Games and Percy, Peeta, and Katniss were all still alive. Katniss was sleeping in trees and running from place to place. Peeta was (unfortunately) allied with the Careers and doing nothing as they killed various other tributes. And Percy was hiding out in the lake.

There was a small island that he had built a camouflaged shelter on. He'd spend his days in the water and would sleep in the leafy hammock at night. No one had approached it, so far.

When Madge awoke on the fourth day, she had an awful foreboding feeling in her stomach. She just knew something bad was going to happen. Choosing to watch the Games from her living room instead of the square, she sat anxiously on the couch with a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

Night fell and the arena was as dark as the sky outside her window. She thought maybe she was nervous for no reason, and the boys and girl on her television screen would be alright. Suddenly, the image changed from a sleeping ginger boy to Percy. More importantly, Cato coming up behind Percy.

Madge's breath caught in her throat and she crawled closer to the metal box. It all happened in slow motion.

Cato grabbed Percy from behind and stuck a knife to his throat. Percy didn't thrash or fight him, knowing that any jerky movement would result in a fatal wound. Cato whispered in his ear, low enough that the camera and microphone couldn't pick up on what was said. Percy's face contorted into an expression of pure fury and hatred and somehow he managed to take a pen from his pocket, click it into a sword, and tear himself away from Cato.

They fought for five minutes at most before Cato managed to sneak a low blow to Percy's abdomen. He had obviously been expecting something else, and was caught off guard. He didn't manage to block it in time. Blood immediately began seeping from the wound and Cato let out a victorious whoop before pushing Percy to the ground and straddling him at the hips.

Somehow, Cato knew exactly where the camera was. He looked straight into it and spoke in a low, creepy voice. "This one's for you, Annabeth." And if that wasn't bad enough, what happened next was ten times worse. Madge tried to look away, she really did. But she couldn't. She was hypnotised.

Cato started carving intricate designs with his knife all over Percy's body. His chest looked like a bloody labyrinth, his arms like a library with all the letters from the Old Times. Somehow, Cato managed to keep him alive and conscious through the entire thing. Madge admired Percy's strength. He didn't scream or wail. He was silent throughout and for that she was proud. If he was going to die, he was going to die admirably and she wouldn't want it any other way.

It wasn't until he mouthed an 'I love you' to the camera and finally closed his eyes that she tore her own away from the screen. And when her brain registered what he had last said, she found herself unable to breathe. Her mind was full of images of a beautiful girl with thunderstorm eyes watching this, watching her boyfriend being tortured and ultimately killed. Did she regret not saying more after the reaping? Had they even said 'I love you' before? Would she end up like Madge's mother after the Games or would she move on and eventually forget the boy with the ocean eyes?

No, Madge never watched the Hunger Games.

A/N: idk I think this might be my new OTP

Disclaimer: The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson belong to Lady Collins and RSquared, respectively.

Also: excuse any deviations from the timeline of the 74th Hunger Games. I wrote this without referencing my book.