Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.

To all those that actually made it to the second chapter- ok, yes, been more than a week. Sorry! School hates me.

Thank you to all who reviewed!

Leprechaun 895- Thank you for being constructive! I do realize that Percy and Annabeth could've won that battle if they really felt like it, but first, the plot had to go on someway, second, I think Annabeth would've thought, I need to figure this out, so I'm going through the black hole either way and Percy would've been extremely loyal and worrying about Annabeth and guns. And I have the feeling that demigods get bored often.

Rachel-

For an all-powerful oracle who practically lives in a camp built for monster-killing training, boredom visits surprisingly often. I can't just go to the arena and beat dummies to a pulp like the rest of the demigod world does, I'm complete garbage with any weapon (excluding the throwing of blue plastic hairbrushes at evil Titans. I'm good at that). When the world's not ending, when I'm not in school, when I'm not spewing out green smoke, I get bored.

All my drawing inspiration has gone out the window (and most of my pencils are down to a nub anyway), homework that's probably due about a month from now is done (Annabeth rubbing off on me, I suppose), and really, there're only so many good movies in the world.

I groan, brushing back curly hair irritably.

I don't even want to go find Percy and Annabeth either, because most likely they're off either doing romancy stuff or killing monsters. They have a very one-track mind, those two.

I'm just so bored.

Five minutes later finds me in flip-flops and jean shorts that must have been doodled upon about fifty times walking to the beach. Honestly, most of the time, I hate the beach. Sand and curly hair are not a good combination. And water and paper aren't either. But I need something different. So down to the beach I go.

I focus on my feet as I walk. The way the sand looks when it's kicked up in clumps, the lined footprints I leave behind. Then I look up.

I had no idea there were black holes in New York. Or that Percy and Annabeth liked walking through them.

Well, the boredom problem has been solved at least.

Katniss-

Well, it's official. I'm now one of the twenty-six tributes in the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games. The Reaping has already taken place and surprise, surprise, it's me and Peeta who are riding to the Capital.

We've been on the train for nearly an hour, I think. To be completely truthful, I'm not sure, mostly because I haven't moved an inch. As soon as the names were called, we were shoved on our way- no goodbyes, no last conversations- and then I collapsed onto the seat. My mind is in a state of blank shock, numbing everything.

I lean against the cold window and stare out at the distant horizon.

I don't know where everyone else is. Effie's probably fixing her makeup in some secluded bathroom. Haymitch, no doubt, is looking for some sort of alcohol. As for Peeta-

"Katniss?"

There he is.

I don't move.

"Katniss, we haven't really talked at all since, well, last year and, well," He takes a deep breath. "I think we should."

"Why?" I laugh humorlessly. "We'll be dead in a week anyway."

Peeta doesn't answer. There's a squeaking as he sits down in the chair opposite me, but I still don't turn my head. "Katniss." he says quietly. "You can't know that."

"Think about it. Twenty-six tributes. All of whom have won before. You don't think it'll be harder?"

"We could do it." Peeta's voice is determined. But determination can only go so far.

I shrug.

Peeta sighs and sinks into his seat. "Katniss, come on, I can only be so optimistic."

I don't even bother shrugging this time.

"You said twenty-six tributes." Peeta suddenly says.

I finally turn to face him, exasperated. "Capital, remember?"

"But they didn't show their Reaping."

I blink. That was true. "Yeah, but they're the Capital. Since when have we ever worried about them being lethal?"

Peeta laughs.

"And besides, why are you worrying about them? We've got to deal with Finnick, Enobaria, Johanna… I could go on."

"Well, we at least know about them." Peeta reasons.

I roll my eyes and go back to looking at the window. "Yeah, because that'll help us kill them."

"We could watch their Game, just to see-"

"You want me to voluntarily watch the Games." I repeat.

"Okay, then, bad idea." Peeta mutters.

The silence comes back again for an oppressive moment. Then Peeta bursts out, "Are you even going to try to win?"

"Of course I am. I'm just not going to be able to and you know it." I snap.

Peeta sighs and faces the window too, a wandering finger tracing the sky line. "You have to win. You know that, Katniss. For Prim, your sister, Gale. And the rest of Panem."

He rises abruptly and walks out before I can call after him.

The rest of Panem? What does that mean?

Annabeth-

I'm not really sure what I was expecting. Hopefully an explanation. Maybe something interesting, because it had been a rather calm weekend and in demigod world, calm is equal to boring.

Really, I suppose this is why most demigods don't make it to the adult age. We really don't run away from danger. The exact opposite actually. Percy and I probably could've taken those guys. After a long, long amount of fighting, owing to the sheer number of them. But it would've taken a while and hey, I was curious. I hate leaving questions like this unanswered.

I glance around critically. The white-coated guys are all hovering around, a few working on some huge thing in the corner of the room. The black hole is there, in the midst of a million gizmos and gadgets that even I, as a child of Athena, don't recognize. The last few men climb through it, dragging their unconscious counterparts. Gods, there are actually a lot of unconscious ones.

Aside from the black hole thing, there's nothing much in the room. A desk, couple chairs… It almost looks like a teacher's office. I hate teachers' offices.

Percy meets my eyes and jerks his head subtly at the black hole. I shrug and face the nearest guy. "Hey, so, can you tell me what that thing is?"

He stares at me. Or, at least, I think he does. I can't see any of him through that strange white mask.

I cross my arms and glare at him. "Well?"

The staring contest continues.

I get into the weirdest situations, honestly.

Then the door opens.

The guy who walks through looks normal- graying hair, old age wrinkles, dressed in an impeccable suit. There's a rose in his lapel. It's a good thing Katie Gardner isn't here. She would flip out at him. Fun fact: Never bring Katie Gardner to the prom with a flower on your suit jacket. The last guy who tried it ended up buried thigh deep in the strawberry fields.

The man brushes off some imaginary dust and takes a seat behind the desk. The white-coated men immediately file out.

"So." the man starts, clasping his hands in front of him. "I'm sure you have many questions. I'll start by answering your main one. My name is President Snow."

Before I have a chance to say anything, Percy's talking. "We're in the White House? Couldn't you have just, you know, given an invitation?"

While I really want to slap this Snow guy, another part of me wonders if my boyfriend deserves it too. I mean, the White House? Really, Percy?

Snow speaks before I have a chance to whack either. "I'm sorry? The… White House?" he asks, politeness etched across his features in an almost painful way.

"Percy." I say through gritted teeth, but he doesn't stop.

"Yeah. Where the president lives."

"Yes, well-"

"Percy-"

"I thought it would be more, you know, classy."

"Percy-"

"Perhaps nicer wall paper. The current is a bit gaudy."

"Percy! He isn't the president!" I yell, finally managing to interject.

"But he just said he was." My boyfriend says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"So?" I groan.

"Well, then, he's the president."

"Do you even know who the current president is?" I ask, almost afraid of the answer.

"Of course I do! What kind of question is-"

"Ahem."

Both Percy and I turn to look at Snow. "What?" I snap testily. "Are you finally going to tell us why you dragged us out of our nice vacation?"

The boring vacation….

"Of course." Snow says smoothly. "You are here-" He pauses dramatically. Gods, I hate Hollywood and their stupid dramatic pauses. There's enough suspense in my life already. "-to compete."

"In?" Even Percy sounds impatient now.

"The Hunger Games, of course."

Katniss-

After a day of watching landscapes flash by, the Capital has finally come into view. It is just as I remembered- grand, huge, and absolutely nothing like District 12.

Peeta surfaces next to my elbow. "Shall we?" He holds out an arm, our earlier conversation apparently forgotten.

I smile and place my fingertips on his strong arm, rolling my eyes only when he can't see me. "Of course, my dear sir."

He grins and we step out into the sunlight together. The Capital presses against us, screaming our names. The Peacekeepers manage to keep them back. Barely. I guess now that they're not in danger of being thrown in the fight to the death themselves, they're back to being freaks.

I try not to be contaminated.

The stylists are their usual selves- flighty, emotional, and very, very, very picky about my hair. Cinna is also his usual self, which is about the only good thing that's happened today.

He smiles when he sees me and enfolds me in a hug that I gratefully return. Instead of immediately jumping to the dress, he glances me up and down critically. "You do know what they're saying, right?"

I blink. "No…."

"About the berries. You know that the Capital considers that an act of rebellion."

I scowl and pick at my nails angrily. "Rebellion? Try survival."

"Which, sometimes, means rebellion." Cinna reminds me gently.

"Cinna, it wasn't rebellion." I snap.

"I know that you didn't intend it to be. Everybody else doesn't." Cinna sighs and turns away from me, going to pick up my dress.

"So what? They're throwing rocks at the Peacemakers or something? Come on, Cinna, this shouldn't be this big a deal."

Cinna doesn't answer.

"Cinna?" I ask carefully. "This is where you tell me that I'm being ridiculous, of course they're no rebellions."

"Wish I could, Katniss." He holds out my dress and for once, I don't care at all about Cinna's creation.

"What do you mean?"

"There have been rebellions. Multiple ones. District Eight, District Eleven, District Five… All over the place." His words are heavy. "Sometimes little things, others…" He winces. "Not so much."

"But- but what does that have to do with me?" I say despairingly.

"Because you defied Snow and lived. They see you as a figurehead. Katniss Everdeen, the face of the rebellion. The Mockingjay." All the words have a sort of finality to them, a crushing sense of reality. Why do I have to make such messes?

"The Mockingjay?" I groan into my hands. "That was just a pin. For God's sake…"

"Well, accept it. That's what's happening and you're stuck waist-deep in it." Cinna says matter-of-factly. "Put on your dress."

I slip it on automatically. "Put why are you even telling me this?" I say as soon as my head pokes through the top.

"So you know. How much danger you're in when you get into the arena." Then he laughs hoarsely. "No, now. You're in danger everywhere. I'm going to take out your braid. Turn."

I do. "So what am I supposed to do about it?"

Cinna sighs again, straightens my dress, and pins my hair up in expert, quick movements. "Choose a side."

Annabeth-

So, I've decided that maybe it wasn't a good idea to go through the black hole of doom. Because of a few reasons. First, it contains Snow, who, without doubt, is one of the most despicable humans I've ever met. Only because monsters, titans, gods, and demigods don't really count as humans. But still. Second, it contains the Hunger Games. Which, according to most his most despicable highness, is going to include us.

So maybe going through a black hole out of a mix of general curiosity, boredom, and reluctance to spend another half hour beating up white-suited guys was not my best idea. Percy's never going to let me live it down.

So, yes, we were lectured about Snow's plan. After the explaining of the Hunger Games (simplified to: throw everyone in a big room and have them kill each other), he told us that we're going to be in that big room killing each other. Specifically, one person in particular: Katniss Everdeen.

The girl who apparently had started uprisings. By refusing to kill her boyfriend. If that's how little it takes for a rebellion got started, maybe Snow should be looking at how to stabilize his government instead of trying to kill some teenage girl.

After the whole explaining part, Snow looks expectantly at us. Percy seems to have passed out a while ago of boredom. I don't blame him, but shake him awake anyway. "What'd I miss?" he says sleepily, rubbing at his eyes.

"We're assassinating a moody teenager who refused to eat berries." I say calmly.

Percy blinks blearily at me, then sticks a finger in his ear. "Did I hear you right?"

"If you thought I said something about pizza, then no, that's just your selective hearing problems."

He smiles dreamily. "Pizza."

I have an idiot for a boyfriend.

Snow looks completely bewildered. "Um, you agree then?"

"Agree?" Percy's head swivels from me to Snow, his green eyes finally showing some degree of awareness. "About what?"

"Killing the moody teenage girl." I say patiently.

"Did you not listen at all?" Snow asks, less patiently.

"No."

Revisal: I have an honest idiot for a boyfriend.

"So, yes, you agree. Wonderful. I'll take my leave now." Snow gets up hastily, and starts towards the door with far less decorum than he entered with.

"No," I grab his arm and yank him back towards the chair with no little force. "You're going to answer our questions first."

Snow scowls, but takes his seat reluctantly. "Questions?"

"Why should we kill whats-her-name?"

"Because I'm your only way of getting home." Snow sounds way too smug. "See that thing over there?"

Honestly. That's a very stupid question. Who thinks, "hmmm, I'm just going to ignore that unidentifiable machine that may or may not have produced a mini black hole." It's unreasonable. I don't do unreasonable.

"That's how you got here." Snow smiles. "That's how you'll get home."

"So what's to stop me from killing you and operating it myself?"

Snow's smile slips a little. "You… really think you could?"

"I could figure it out."

"You really think so?" Snow raises his eyebrows, leaning back in his chair. "It took a team of scientists to figure out the physics behind this. What makes you think that you, a foolish teenage girl, would be able to just figure it out? And they don't keep notes. Or anything for you to base your conclusions off of."

I bristle at the "foolish teenage girl" part, but he's right. One should not try to operate unknown machinery unless absolutely necessary. Learned that lesson well enough. I mean, Will hadn't meant to set the Athena cabin on fire. Personally, I think Beckenford put those extra buttons there to test us. "Fine." I decide. "One more question: I thought only one victor could win."

"We'll bend the rules a bit."

"You did that last year, didn't you?" I can't resist the smirk that spreads across my own face. "Worked out real well, don't you think?"

Snow glares at me. Then, apparently deciding it wasn't worth his time to kill me (or try, anyway) takes a deep calming breath. "Do you need anything for the arena?"

"My knife." I say immediately. "And my hat." I add, after a second's thought. It was always stuck in my pocket, so why not use it in the arena? Snow blinks at me. "You know, for luck."

He shrugs. "Percy?"

"Well, I'm really, really hungry right now and-"

I sigh inwardly. Sometimes I wonder about that boy…

Snow frowns, but, quite wisely, decides to bypass Percy's comment. "Anything else?"

"Um, could you let us have a, um, salt-water arena?" Percy voices, scratching the back of his head.

Snow seems to have passed the point of shock. He nods once, then his thoughts meander elsewhere. "Now, there is the matter of your stylists…"

And I thought this day couldn't get worse.

I'm not even going to try to promise an update date. But please review!