I am soooooooooooo sorry! I haven't updated in forever! FYI, I probably won't update a whole lot until I finish my MoA story. Just so you know.

Thanks for all of the reviews! I was a bit surprised by all of the positive feedback, but I'm glad you liked it! Here's a new chapter for all of you awesome people!

I was asked if this could not follow the Hunger Games plot. I'll try my best. I do have some surprises in store that aren't in the books, but there also might be some things that are. So yeah.

Disclaimer: I'm not Suzanne Collins, and last time I checked, I wasn't Rick Riordan either. So I don't own the rights to Hunger Games or PJO. :'(

Chapter Two

I'm in serious danger of crying.

Lila pushes Malcolm and I into the Justice Building quickly after the reaping. Peacekeepers line the walls, probably to ensure that the tributes don't try to escape. The foyer led off to two rooms. I'm pushed into the room off to the left and Malcolm to the right. I look around. A small couch sat in the center of the room, a coffee table in front of it. The room has small decorations in it, like plants and vases. Pictures hung on the walls. There was a window, but bars prevents anyone or anything to crawl in or out.

I walk over to the couch. It was so beautiful, denim and soft. At home, we have one couch, and it's ripped so badly, most of the stuffing is falling out. Still, we're fortunate to even have one. I try to decide whether to sit down on the edge politely, or jump onto it and lay down, surrounding myself in it's softness. I've decided to jump, when Cheryl comes in with Bobby and Matthew. "Annie!" they both exclaim. Matthew runs into my arms and Bobby hugs my legs.

"Hey boys," I say as cheerfully as I can manage. They're both so cute and innocent. It's a shame I might not ever see them again. "How are you?"

"Sad!" Bobby says. He looks up at me and I see that tears are welled up in his eyes. "Mommy says that you are going away for a little while. I'll miss you!"

I have to choke back sobs. "I'll miss you too, Bobby." I untangle him from my legs and give him a hug. "Be good for me, okay?" I tell them

"Yes!" Bobby says. I smile and give Matthew a hug and tell him the same thing. Then I turn to Cheryl. I see that tears are also in her eyes as well.

"Cheryl," I say. She opens up her arms for me to walk into. I do and am engulfed in her warmth. She strokes my hair and tells me comforting things, like, "It'll be all right. You'll see," just like a real mom would. I pull away, and Cheryl pushes hair out of my face.

"I'm scared," I whisper.

Cheryl nods. "I know. But you're the strongest, bravest girl I know. You know how to survive. You know how to fight. Same with Malcolm. I know that if Malcolm doesn't come back, you will. And if you don't come back, Malcolm will. District 12 will have a winner this year, trust me. They chose the best couple they could ever choose to send to the Hunger Games."

"Thanks, Cheryl," I say gratefully. "Have you seen Malcolm yet?"

"No. Fredrick and the twins are talking to him now. They'll see you in a minute." Cheryl smiles at me. "Annabeth, it'll all turn out okay. Just wait and see."

"Yeah," I mutter bitterly. "I'm going to a fight to the death against my brother, and everything is going to turn out all right."

"You're not going to get anywhere with that attitude," Cheryl says playfully. I smile weakly. Just then, the Peacekeepers come and take Cheryl and the boys away. "Wait!" Matthew yells. "Annie!"

"Matthew!" I yell back. The door closes, blocking out all the other screams for me. I run up to the door and jiggle the handle. It's locked. I fall onto the couch, breathing heavily, trying to keep the tears from falling.

The door opens and Dad, Karalynn, and Caleb walk through it. The twins both are crying and Dad looks like he could break into tears any second. "Annie!" Karalynn exclaims. She runs over to where I sit on the couch and jumps onto my lap. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

I wrap my arms around her. "What are you apologizing for, Kara? You didn't do anything wrong."

Karalynn sniffled. "This wouldn't have happened if I had never been chosen."

"Thats not your fault, Kara. You can't do anything about it." I try to comfort her, but it's hard to when she's crying so hard. Caleb comes and curls up next to me. I wrap my other arm around him. Dad comes and sits next us. We sit there, crying and comforting, for what seems like forever. Then the Peacekeepers come to take them away. I stand up and hug Dad. "I love you," I say.

"I love you too," he says. One of the Peacekeepers pull him towards the door, but he stands his ground. "You're my little girl, Annabeth. Remember that."

Tears well up in my eyes as I nod. "I will."

"Annie!" Caleb screeches. He pulls away from the Peacekeeper and runs up to me. "If Malcolm dies, you have to win. Promise me you'll win."

"Caleb, I-"

"Promise!" Caleb's pulled towards the door again.

"I promise!" I yell just as the door closes. I run to it again and jigge the hande, well aware that it's locked. I turn around and lean against the wooden door. I cover my face in my hands and slide down to the floor. Why did this happen to me? To Malcolm? Our family? How was our family going to survive without the two of us to hunt for food, get supplies in the Hob, take care of the kids?

The door opens and I jump up before I can fall backwards. Silena walks into the room, her eyes red and puffy, like she'd been crying. She envelopes me in a tight hug. I hug her jus as tightly back. "Don't die," she whispers in my ear. "Please don't die. You're the only friend I've ever had. Please don't die."

"I'll try," I say back. "But I can't promise. I'm going in with my brother, you know."

Silena pulls away. "I know," she says. "But I need you to come back. You're my best friend, my only friend. If you die, who will I sit with in the cafeteria at school? Who will be my partner for every activity? Who will I talk to?" She had a point. Silena was a loner at school, despite being the mayor's daughter. She kept to herself and would only open up if you kept talking to her, pushing her to talk to you. Then you'd discover a whole other side of her.

"Take this," Silena says. She held out a necklace, a beautiful silver chain, an owl dangling off of the end. "It's been in my family for generations. Nobody wears it anymore, so I asked my dad if I could give it to you as a good luck charm. Wear it in the arena."

I take the necklace out of her hand. "It's beautiful. Thank you." I suddenly get an idea. I take off the watch that's strapped onto my wrist and put it in her palm. "Take this. To remember me if I die."

"But you-" Silena started.

"Just take it," I say. "Just in case."

Silena looked at me, then nodded, her dark curls bouncing. She opened her mouth to say something, but a Peacekeeper came in to take her away. I pull her in for another hug. She whispers in my ear, "Good luck." Then she's gone.

I stare at the door after Silena leaves. The owl necklace still dangles from my hand, and I slip it around my neck. It really is beautiful. The light hits the owl, causing it to sparkle. It's eyes were sapphires, Silena's favorite gem. I'm surprised that something this beautiful and priceless would be in District 12, even if it did belong to the mayor. Still, I'm glad I have it. Now, when I'm in the arena fighting for my life, I can glance down at it and remember who I'm fighting for. My family. My best friend.

A Peacekeeper opens the door, a sign to tell me that it's time to leave. I take a deep breath and walk boldly out the door. Malcolm and Lila stand in the foyer. Lila looks as peppy as ever. Malcolm has a determined look on his face. He looks at me and smiles. I smile back and walk over to him. "Hey," he says, like it's a normal day. Not like we were just chosen to fight to the death against each other.

"Hey," I reply. I change my tone to where it's almost a whisper. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still getting over the shock," he whispers back. "I almost burst into tears when Caleb yelled at me to promise to win if you couldn't. And when Karalynn climbed into my lap and cried. And when Matthew and Bobby cried because I was leaving. Let's just say that everyone made me want to cry."

"Ditto," I say. Then, trying to lighten the mood, I hold up my necklace. "Look what Silena gave me."

Malcolm's eyes widened. "Woah. She must be loaded."

"It's been in her family for decades. She told me I had to wear it in the arena."

"If they'll allow it," Malcolm pointed out. He's right, of course. The Gamemakers have to approve of the tribute's tokens. They've done this ever since one tribute wore a watch into the arena, which could catapult poison darts at the touch of a button. Ever since then, the Gamemakers have to thoroughly check everything the tribute's bring into the arena to make sure it can't be used as a weapon.

"All right, tributes," Lila says. "Let's gets going! The train is scheduled to leave in five minutes!" Malcolm and I are pushed out the door and into the car that's taking us to the train station. I'm squished inbetween Malcolm and Lila. Lila must've put on a whole bottle of perfume, because she reeks of lilacs. I try my best not to gag, while my dear brother tries his best not to laugh at me.

"This is going to be a superb Hunger Games," Lila boasts. "Everyone is saying so. The Gamemakers say they have many surprises is store for our lucky tributes! It's going to be grand!" Lila goes on about what everyone in the Capitol is saying about the Games this year. I try my best not to puke. Between her perfume and what everyone's saying about the Games, I feel like I could vomit any moment.

Finally, we arrive at the train station. As always, it's swarmed with reporters and cameramen. My stomach clenches at the thought of Karalynn almost having to go through this. We climb out of the car and immediately cameras start flashing and people start asking questions.

"How'd you feel when you're sister's name was called out?"

"What were you thinking when you're brother was chosen?"

"Do you intend to fight against you're brother in the arena?"

I ignore all of the reporter's questions and keep my face straight, showing no emotion. After watching years of Hunger Games, I've seen people cry, yell, complain, try to escape. I realized that the best thing to do at the train station is to ignore everyone. Then you can't be made out as a weakling or a target. I glance over to my right and see that Malcolm is doing the same thing.

After pushing through the mob of people, we reach the door to the train and climb inside. I gasp. I've never seen a room so beautiful before. I figured we were in the dinig room, because there was a big table filled with food: bread, fruit, soup, chicken, steak, pork chops, cheese, cookies, scones. I tried really hard not to run over to the table and stuff my face with everything. Malcolm seemed to be doing the exact same thing. He stared at the food hungrily, opening and closing his mouth, as if anticipating the food.

"Well, aren't you guys hungry?" Lila said loudly. Malcolm nods and practically runs over to the table. I follow his lead. I load my plate with everything there was. By the time I was done, my plate was almost a foot high. I reach for my fork, but stop myself. I look over at Lila, who is politely eating a plate of chicken. I smile to myself and starting picking up the food with my hands and stuffing my mouth. Don't get me wrong, my parents taught me good table manners. I just wanted to see what Lila would do.

I look over at Malcolm, and flash him a knowing smile. He nods and puts down his fork. He grabs a handful of the mashed potatoes and stuffs it in his mouth. I do the same thing and we both look over at Lila. I almost spit out my mashed potatoes. Lila had a horrific expression on her face, like we'd just murdered the chef for making rice instead of peas. She stared at us like we were from another planet. Which, I guess compared to the Capitol, we were.

I make a point of shoving more potatoes in my mouth, then wiping my hands on the tablecloth. "So, Lila," I say, my mouth full, "how long have you been doing the reaping for District 12?"

"Uh," Lila replies, still horrified by our lack of table manners, "about fifteen years."

"So you came when I was three," Malcolm says. His mouth was full too.

"Um," Lila answers. She looks around the room. "Oh, look! Here comes Dionysus!" She quickly gets up and leaves the room. Malcolm and I look at each other and start laughing.

"That," Malcolm said, wiping his eyes, "was priceless!"

I was about to reply, when I heard someone behind me. I turn around to find Dionysus, victor of the fiftieth Hunger Games, standing behind me. He wore tan dress pants and and a white, button-down shirt, that was tucked in nicely. His few strands of hair were slicked back and his eyes were bright, telling me he was sober. "So," he says, "you're the tributes."

"Um, yeah," Malcolm says. "Any advice? Strageties?"

Dionysus walked over to the table and poured himself a cup of wine. He took a sip and said, "What are you're names?"

"I'm Malcolm. This is my sister, Annabeth," Malcolm says, gesturing to me.

"Hi," I say.

"Siblings," Dionysus mutters. "Shame. How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Malcolm says slowly. His eyebrows scrunch together. "What does this have to do with the Games?"

Dionysus ignores him, and looks at me. "Sixteen," I say, staring at him right in the eye.

Dionysus nods. "What part of the district you from?"

"The Seam," I answer, confused. I'm starting to agree with my brother. What does this have to do with the Games?

"Hobbies?"

I got angry. Here was a victor, our mentor, the guy who's job was to get one of us out of the arena alive, and he's asking a bunch of silly questions. I grab a knife off of the table and throw it towards him. I throw it to where it doesn't hit him, but it gets close enough to him to where he gets the point. Dionysus looks at me, his eyes wide.

"Why are you asking us all of these questions?" I demand. "You're supposed to be helping us, giving us advice, teaching us strageties. And all you're doing is asking us questions about our personal life! You know, that's probably why District 12 doesn't have any victor other than you. You don't help any of the kids, so they all die!"

Dionysus looks at Malcolm, who is looking at him expectantly. " Fiesty one. She good with the knife?" he asks.

Malcolm nods. "The best."

"To answer your question," Dionysus says, nodding in my direction, "I always start with personal questions. I want to get to know the tributes. Once I know the tributes, I know which stragety to use. So, what part of the district are you from again?"

Malcolm and I look at each other. "The Seam," I answer.

"Ah," Dionysus says. "You two must be natural survivors then. Tell me, have you ever snuck out into the woods?"

I look at Malcolm, asking if I can tell him or not. Dionysus seems to understand us, because he says, "Don't worry. Nobody's going to hear you."

Malcolm and I both nod.

"Good, good," Dionysus says. "Then you should have the upper hand if the arena has a forest. Now, friends?"

"I don't have any friends," Malcolm says, shrugging his shoulders.

"I have one," I answer quietly. "Her name's Silena."

"Good. What skills do you two have?"

Malcolm and I start rambling off things we've worked on together: archery, swordplay, throwing knives, setting traps, throwing spears. Dionysus nods and says ways the skill could come in handing in the arena. "Have you had any experience with guns?" he asks. Malcolm and I both shake our heads. We go on like that for a while, Dionysus asking quesions and Malcolm and I answering them. By the time we were finished, it was around 7:00 and time to watch the recaps of the reapings.

(*********)

I'm dead.

As I watch the reapings from the other districts, one word crosses my mind continuously: wow.

The tributes from District 1 look tough. The boy is tall and buff, with cold eyes that seem to analyze your every move. The girl was beautiful with long, dark, curly hair and tan skin. Her eyes were bright blue and inviting, but through that, I see a layer of viciousness. I know that she's strong and ready to kill. The way that she pauses at every face and examines it, as if seeing if they were strong or an easy target, is a dead giveaway. The kids from 2 really stuck out to me. The girl was beautiful, like the girl from 1, but she seemed less...willing to kill. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail and her brown eyes were friendly, not vicious. She didn't have that killer feel to her, unlike her partner, the boy tribute. He was tall and muscular and stood on the stage scanning the crowd, sending out an impression that nothing could beat him. And he was handsome, with his shaggy, dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes. I knew instantly that he'd be a favorite in the Capitol.

The tributes from District 4 also stuck out to me. The girl looked about my age and had frizzy red hair. Her green eyes shine brightly and she flashes a dazzling smile at the crowd. She seemed excited that she was chosen, unlike the boy. He looked a couple years older than me, about eighteen. When his name was called, Percy Jackson, he walked up to the stage bravely, but I could tell he was shaken up. When he got up on the stage, and I got a full view of him, I had to keep myself from gasping. He was beautiful. He had shaggy, jet-black hair and his eyes were the color of the ocean; not blue, but green. His skin was dark, probably the result of hours in the sun. He scans the crowd with a worried expression on his face. He's like me; not too worried about himself, but about someone, or someones, special who he's leaving behind. I wonder who. Sibling? Parent? Girlfriend?

The rest of the reapings come and go, but I'm not paying too much attention. There's two beefy tributes from 7 who look tough. Two from 11 who look clever. And then there's us. District 12. The camera focuses on Karalynn's face as her name is being called out. Her stunned expression is quickly masked by a brave face. It then shows Malcolm and I both standing up and exchanging terrified looks. I run up and volunteer for Karalynn. Malcolm, who's sitting next to me on the couch, squeezes my arm when it shows me telling Karalynn to go to Dad and Cheryl and Kara's screaming and crying. I smile gratefully at him. When it shows me up on stage, I'm surprised by how I look. I scan the crowd with calculating eyes, and my face is determined. When I answer Lila's questions, my voice is steady and strong. I look like a tribute who has a chance at winning.

Malcolm's name gets called. The camera zooms in on his face, which is slightly pale. He walks up to the stage bravely and glances at me. The camera then shows my face, which is the exact opposite of what it was before. Now, I'm just flatout scared. My gray eyes are wide and I'm pale also. It shows us smiling at each other, as if saying, "Hey," like nothing is wrong. We shake hands and the screen shows the Capitol seal and the anthem plays. The reapings are over.

Dionysus, Lila, Malcolm, and I all sit silently. "Well," Lila says, breaking the silence, "it seems like we have an interesting batch if tributes this year. But I'm sure one of you will win."

"Thanks, Lila," I say, giving her a small smile.

"Well," Lila continued, "I'm going to head to bed. We have a long day tomorrow." And on that note, she hopped up from her spot next to Dionysus and headed off to her room. Dionysus got up quickly after and went to his room, leaving Malcolm and I behind.

"What are you thinking?" I ask Malcolm, who was staring into space.

"Tommorow," he answers simply. "We're gonna arrive at the Capitol. And the opening ceremonies."

I roll my eyes. They always have an opening ceremony to show off the tributes to the Capitol. The tributes each get a stylist, who put them in costumes that show off their district's industry. District 12 is coal mining, so every year, our triibutes are dressed up as coal miners. It's embarrassing, really.

"Wonder what we're going to be dressed up as this year," I say sarcastically. "Maybe we're going to be the coal itself. Two giant lumps of black in a chariot. Brilliant."

Malcolm laughed. "Yeah. Who knows with the Capitol."

I smiled, but the smile quickly faded. "Malcolm, I'm scared," I say quietly.

Malcolm looked at me. "I'm scared too," he answers. "But we'll get through this. Just like we always do."

"But this is different," I argue. "Both of us aren't coming home. It's one of us or neither of us." My eyes tear up. "I don't want you to die," I add quietly.

Malcolm wraps his arm around me. "It's gonna be all right, Annabeth. You'll see."

"That's exactly what we told the twins, Malcolm," I say, pulling away from him. "And it wasn't true. We were both taken away from them. They were left alone."

"They have Dad," Malcolm says weakly. "And Cheryl."

"Dad's never been the same since Mom died. You know that Malcolm. And Cheryl isn't their real mom. They need us, Malcolm."

"And they'll get one of us," Malcolm said.

"But it's not the same."

"Does it matter, Annabeth?"

"Yes!" I yell at him. "Yes, it matters, Malcolm. Because together, we take care of them. Together we get food. Together we train. It's not going to be the same with just one of us there. We'll turn out like Dad did when Mom died: broken and overcome with sadness. We'll try to be there for Kara, Caleb, Matthew, and Bobby. But we won't be the same. I won't be the same. You won't be the same. No one will be the same."

Malcolm stares at me. "Annabeth, I'm sorry. I-"

"Whatever," I say, still mad at him. "I'm going to bed."

Wow. That one was kind of stinky. Not a lot of action. Oh well. I've had major writer's block, so I haven't been able to come with something to write. Ugh. It's so annoying.

I'm just going to explain this real fast. A lot of the characters from PJO, like Dionysus, are going to be OOC. Because if I made Dionysus drunk and mean, he'd be a lot like Haymitch. So I made him nice and willing to help. Same with some other characters. But with the main characters, like Percy and Annabeth, I'll try make them IC.

OMG! I LOVE MALCOLM! Sorry, just had to get that out. But seriously. He's so much fun to write about. There's not a lot of him in the Percy Jackson books, so I love getting to write his personality. It's so much fun!

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10