"And now, for our first tribute…Nancy Bobofit!"
Nancy smiled and waved at the crowd as she walked onto the stage. She was wearing a dark blue dress that flared out at the waist, and was covered in little diamonds. She felt great in it, even though she was wearing about fifteen different layers of makeup and was supposed to look like an innocent little girl. Which was hard to pull off, as an eighteen-year-old, but Nancy's mentor Alecto had told her to make everyone underestimate her. Nancy was always up for playing games, anyway.
"Hello, Nancy!" said Antaeus, the interview host. "You look beautiful tonight!"
Nancy forced a giggle. "Why, thank you, Antaeus!"
Antaeus grinned. "Well, let's get down to business! What makes you a competitor?"
Nancy smiled. This was a question that she was fine with answering. "Well, Antaeus, I'm strong and determined. I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of me being the Victor. I'm not afraid of anything, and I'm going to do whatever I need to to get home."
"Wow!" Antaeus exclaimed. "Well, if I was a competitor, I'm sure that I'd be scared of you!"
I'm sure you would, Nancy thought viciously. She respected that Antaeus made her look good. Still, she hated him for being so stupid and plastic. His skin, hair, and eyes were purple! That wasn't normal! But instead of screaming, Nancy just giggled again.
"So, what made you volunteer?" Antaeus asked.
Nancy's mind came to a stop. That was a question she didn't want to answer. It involved her ex-friend Allina and too many insults and made her feel weak and like a freak. Instead, Nancy went with a safe answer. "Why wouldn't I?"
Antaeus laughed, and the audience cheered wildly for her. "Wow! Nancy Bobofit, everyone!"
Castor was the next tribute to walk out. He was wearing a suit with purple grape designs all over it. "Castor Bordeax, with a score of 8. How are you feeling?"
Sick, Castor thought. The grape designs made him think of his father and Pollux, and Ethan had been glaring at him all night. Apparently, his vendetta hadn't worn off. "I'm fine, Antaeus. How are you?"
"I'm doing great! But this is about you, Castor. Let's see, have you got anyone back home that you're trying to get to?"
Tantalus had told Castor to act like a typical nice guy, but Castor was finding that hard at the moment. Why was Antaeus asking all of these touchy questions? "I have my twin brother, Pollux. I really miss him."
"I bet you do! Is he proud of you for volunteering?"
"He wasn't the happiest with it, but he understands my decision. He wished me luck, and made me promise to come home."
The audience awwed. "So why did you volunteer?" Antaeus asked.
Being honest might give him a sob-story to work with. "My family needed the money. To be honest, our business is failing. I want to be able to support myself, and my brother."
Antaeus nodded. The answer was satisfactory. After a few more questions, Castor's turn was over, and Reyna came out wearing a long, flowing purple dress with designs. "Reyna Ramirez-Arellano," Antaeus introduced her. "Now, if I'm right, your father was a Victor."
Reyna gritted her teeth. Just saying her last name had made her unhappy with this commentator, but Reyna could use this to her advantage. She just had to stay calm. "Yes, Julian Ramirez was my father."
"Yes. If I remember correctly, he died when you would have been around seven."
Reyna thought that she had gotten over it, but just the mention of her father's death filled her with fear. "Yes. I was raised by my aunt C.C. and my sister Hylla from that point on. Hylla trained me for the Games."
"That's nice. She was a good trainer?"
"Absolutely. She taught me everything that I know." That might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but the audience seemed to love it. "I just want her to know…I don't say it very often, but I love her, and I'm going to make it home."
Reyna knew that she had said the right thing. The audience cheered wildly. Reyna wondered what Hylla was thinking right now. She had been raised not to show emotion, by her cut-off aunt, by her cold sister, by her deranged father. Hylla might have been cursing her. But at the same time, no matter what Hylla thought, Reyna was glad that she had said it. When Reyna got home, she would make sure to always let Hylla know how much Reyna loved her.
The audience was still cheering for Reyna when Leo went onto the stage. Whatever. Leo was Mr. Amazing! He could make anyone love him! Leo didn't let Antaeus start the conversation. Instead, he began. "Hey, Antaeus. Don't you love this outfit?" Leo was wearing a bronze suit with a hat made out of gears that spun and occasionally let off steam.
Antaeus smiled. "That's a pretty nice hat, I have to admit. I might have to get a version of it!"
"You can try to be as awesome as me if you want, but I think that I wear this hat better than anyone else will ever manage to."
"Is that so? You must really like your stylist."
Phylios was fine, not really even a blip on Leo's radar. "Yup! I love everything here so far! Everything here is amazing! Really amazing!" Leo could almost see his mentor Beckendorf facepalming in the audience. He had told Leo to gush about the Capitol, but Leo didn't think that he had meant for him to take it this far. Still, the audience loved it.
"You must miss home, though," Antaeus said.
"Yeah. I miss my younger brother Harley a lot." Leo made a heart with his hands. "I miss you, Harley! Stay strong! And remembered to turn off the stove when you leave the house!"
The audience laughed. Leo didn't think that his comment had been particularly funny, but hey, if the audience liked it…
Antaeus was laughing, too. "Well, it sounds like there's a story there! I'm sure that Harley and your parents are cheering you on!"
"Oh, I don't live with my parents. They died years ago. Harley's staying with my cousin Nyssa."
"Oh! I'm sorry to hear that—"
Antaeus was cut off as the buzzer rang. Annabeth walked onto the stage wearing a grey dress that went down to her shins. She was wearing a necklace with a ring on it.
Antaeus smiled. "Ah, our girl from Three! Annabeth, I have to say, you look beautiful tonight!"
Oh, spare me. Annabeth only spared the host a nod. She had been told to play up the aloof side of her personality. That, at least, was an angle that she was fine with.
Antaeus didn't give up. "So, how have you found the Capitol so far?"
"It's been nice."
"Are you missing home?"
"Not particularly?"
"Oh, really? Is there something that happened back home that we should know about?"
Nothing I should tell you, you ignorant cretin, Annabeth thought.
Antaeus kept on asking stupid questions. "I see that you're wearing your token. What does it mean?"
Annabeth fixed her gaze on him, trying to communicate her hatred without actually glaring and ruining her image to the people of the Capitol. "It's my father's."
"Well, what does that…"
The ring had belonged to her father. It was the wedding ring he had exchanged with her mother before their marriage fell apart. Annabeth hadn't been aware that he still had it until he showed up at her room in the Justice Building and gave it to her. If Annabeth had known about it, would she still have run away? Probably. Her time on the streets had taught her a lot, and being stuck in her father's house would have felt awful.
Annabeth cut off the host. "Maybe we should talk about the Games," she suggested.
Antaeus looked relieved. "Of course! How are you feeling about your chances?"
"I'm not going to get arrogant," Annabeth said.
Antaeus smiled conspiratorially. "Now, now. You got a 6! That's not bad."
"A lot of people scored a 6 or higher. I will say, though, that I'm not to upset about my chances." The buzzer rang, and Annabeth left the stage. Am I worried? Do I need to be worried? Well, of course, but logically, does worry help my chances at all?
Percy Jackson was wearing armor as his top, with suit pants underneath, sewn up in a way that didn't actually make him look too horrible. It could have been a lot worse, though. Percy was intruiged by the interview of the blonde who had just gone. She had seemed so…cold. Like she hadn't been taken in by the Capitol at all.
Percy thrust that thought to the side as Antaeus greeted him. "Hello, Percy!"
"Hi, Antaeus."
"Percy, let's get right to it. What do you think your chances are?"
"I don't know. Pretty good, I think."
"I should say so! A 9 is pretty impressive."
Percy became aware of Nancy glaring at him from offstage. He smiled at her, and turned back to Antaeus. "I think it's pretty good too, although Reyna and Clarisse both did better."
"Come now, don't be so humble! You're one of the favorites to win this year."
"I'm glad to hear it. I tried my best."
"Yes, you volunteered. I assume that you did so for a reason, as well as having a good grasp of what you'll need to do."
Why had he volunteered? Percy realized that he wasn't actually sure about that. He had been told to do so, and so he had. "Yeah, I think that I have some idea of what I need to do."
"Why did you volunteer?"
"Because…there's lots of rewards involved." It was a stupid answer, and Percy knew it. He had a feeling that every other tribute was glaring at him.
"Was your family happy with that decision?"
"They were both supportive."
"Who are you referring to?"
"My mother and my brother Tyson." Percy smiled at a camera. "I love you guys!"
"I bet they're worried for you."
"Aren't all families?" Percy replied. "Still, they believe in me. And I believe in myself."
The punk's interview seemed to end on a good note. Clarisse stalked on as Jackson went off. Her stylists had forced her into a stupid red dress and shoes that made her totter and feel off-balance.
"So, Clarisse, how are you feeling this year?"
"I'm going to win," Clarisse said matter-of-factly, gladly taking her seat.
Antaeus laughed. What an idiot. "Well, it's nice to see some confidence!"
"It's not just confidence. There's no way that I can't win."
"Well, with your training score, I bet that you have a good chance! Don't we agree?"
The audience gave a roar of approval.
"So, Clarisse," said the host, starting the interview back up, "tell us something that we don't know about you."
"I work for the butcher in District Four." It was close enough to the truth. Clarisse hadn't worked for him in years, not since Silena died and Clarisse had started training full-time, but there wasn't much else that was legal to say.
"Well, that must have given you a lot of experience!"
How stupid is this guy? Clarisse wondered. He must have had some idea that people in the districts trained. But still, he acted ignorant. It pissed her off.
"Yeah, it did. I think that I can kill everyone here pretty easily."
Antaeus smiled. "I'm sure that I'd be terrified to go against you!"
Oh, you would be. You would be.
"What else don't we know about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"What's you token?"
If he thought he could trip her up, he was sorely wrong. "It's a bead. My friend gave it to me."
"Your friend sounds nice! I bet that they're rooting for you now."
"She's dead," Clarisse said shortly. "She died two years ago in the Games."
Antaeus put on a sympathetic expression. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that."
Clarisse's interview ended soon after that, and Jason was on. He was wearing a blue cape with lightning designs on it as an homage to his district, and a blue suit under that. His glasses had been painted blue. "Jason Grace! You look dashing, I must say."
"Thank you, Anteaus."
"I think that many of us here are wondering about your Reaping. There was someone calling your name, wasn't there? Would you mind telling us who she was?"
"That was my sister Thalia," Jason answered.
Antaeus clutched his hands to his heart. "Oh, my! She seems devoted to you. Are you and your sister close?"
"Very. Our mother hasn't been around much, and she's had her hands full raising me. Still, I think that she's done an amazing job."
Antaeus nodded. "Another example of a wonderful sibling relationship! Aren't are tributes just marvelous?"
The audience cheered again. Jason smiled out at them, and they cheered louder. Jason took a moment to marvel at the power that he had.
"So, any big plans for the Games?" Antaeus asked.
"I have an all—" Jason stopped himself. He had let himself get caught in the moment, but he couldn't do that anymore! Thalia had warned him to be smart. His alliance might have been his biggest advantage, and he couldn't reveal that!
"Yes?" Antaeus prompted.
"Nothing," Jason said, feeling like an idiot.
Too soon, it was time for Ella to go on. She shuffled out onto stage, feeling off-balance, but the crowd seemed to love her outfit. They cheered wildly for her. Ella was wearing a red dress with different layers made out of feathers, but the real kicker was what was on her back. Ella wore a set of red wings and bobbed up and down with each step. They made sitting down a struggle, but the audience was going crazy for them. Antaeus, too was clapping (A clapping commentator is a sign that a tribute or costume is particularly good, Mentor Iris, yesterday).
"Ella, our youngest tribute! You look amazing, just like a bird!"
"Ella is wearing wings, therefore Ella is a bird. Birds have wings, wings are on birds. Birds, birds, birds."
Antaeus looked slightly surprised by this. "Er, yes! Birds!"
"Birds," Ella agreed.
Antaeus looked eager to change the subject. "Well, Ella, how are you feeling?"
"Ella feels fine."
"Because you know that you are projected as having some of the worst chances."
Ella has bad chances, Ella will die, die, die, die—"Young tributes often die because of natural disadvantages, both physical and mental, but they are not to be underestimated. Case example: Artemis Olympia, a 12-year-old who shot her way to victory with a bow. Tributes, page 32."
There was silence in the room, an impressive feat for an amphitheater full of people. Ella became aware of everyone watching her, staring, not least Octavian from 2.
"Ella, did you just…quote that from somewhere?"
"Yes."
"Well, she may be young, but she's talented!" Antaeus announced as if Jason had not told Ella that himself. "So, Ella, tell us about your family."
"Ella has many sisters."
"I bet they're proud of you!"
"Maybe. They are mean to Ella. They tell Ella mean things."
"Oh, no! That's horrible! I suppose that the Capitol must be a welcome change."
Ella shrugged. "Iris is good. Jason is good. Cinnamon rolls are good. Cheese is bad. Dying is bad."
Antaeus looked uncomfortable, but the buzzer rang at that moment, so he was in the clear. Clovis stumbled out onto stage. 22 times 26…2…572! But was that right? Clovis couldn't be sure. 22 times 27…
"Clovis Sonan, another tribute with a low score! Now, Clovis, a 1 is actually impressive, almost as rare as an 11! How did you get that?"
The lights of the stage were too bright and the noises that could have been loud were too muted. Clovis knew that he was going to fall asleep, he just knew it…but somehow he made it over to the chair.
"I tried…" he mumbled out, knowing that he should have said something else, but not willing to figure out what it should have been.
"Clovis, are you feeling alright?"
7 times 2 is 14, put down 4, carry 1… "Yes, I'm fine."
"Well, it would be a regret if you weren't feeling fine tomorrow, considering that that's when the Games start!"
The audience cheered, for some reason. It sounded like water swishing around in Clovis's head. This were fading out quick. 594! It was 594!
"I think…"
What did he think?
The buzzer rang then, somehow. Clovis didn't understand how his time was up. Had it been three minutes? Maybe it was for the best…Clovis stumbled on his way out.
Rachel entered, still worried about Clovis. She stumble a bit on the edge of her long, flowy gold dress. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare!" Antaeus announced. "So, tell us about yourself. I understand that your father is William Dare, head of Dare Enterprises. What's that like?"
Rachel and her mentor Sybil had discussed this question. Sybil had warned her to act like the perfect daughter, that saying the truth would affect her and her father negatively, but Rachel didn't want to lie, not now, not when she could be dead soon. Her father was a terrible person who terrorized the district, and she wasn't going to lie and say that she loved being her dad's daughter, not when everyone back home hated her for it.
"It's been a weird ride," she told Antaeus instead. "I know I'm lucky to live in a family where there's always enough money, but my dad is always really distant, and to be honest, I think he likes the idea of a daughter more than the real deal."
"Oh, my!" Antaeus said. "Wow! That sounds awful! This is an interesting look into the life of an important businessman!"
Right. As of now, they cared more about what she could tell them about her father than what she could say about herself. "Well, I'm my own person," Rachel said. "I like painting. I always try to speak my mind instead of hiding who I am. I like people. I won't deny that I like luxury, but I don't think that it's needed."
Antaeus didn't look so happy with that statement. "Really. Well, let's talk Games…"
But Rachel was on a roll. "To be honest, I don't think that it's fair how some people always group me with my father—they're like, oh, just because I'm rich, I must be a terrible person. Well, I know that I might not be able to understand what they're going through, but I don't exactly enjoy being a social pariah either." Tears burned in Rachel's eyes. "I'd appreciate it if people didn't judge me."
Antaeus patted Rachel on the back. "Rachel, I think we can all understand how that feels. Here in the Capitol, we try to be supportive of our fellow citizens, but people are still left out."
Oh really? You're all idiots! None of you can understand what the districts are like, you just pretend to and pretend to be supportive because it makes you feel like better people!
Rachel's buzzer rang, and crying slightly, she left the stage.
Tributes and Ages:
D1: Castor Bordeax, 18; Nancy Bobofit, 18
D2: Octavian Hill, 16; Reyna, 17
D3: Leo Valdez, 14; Annabeth Chase, 16
D4: Percy Jackson, 17; Clarisse La Rue, 18
D5: Jason Grace, 15; Ella Harrison, 13
D6: Clovis Sonan, 15; Rachel Dare, 17
D7: Grover Underwood, 18; Calypso Aterra, 18
D8: Ethan Nakamura, 16; Piper Mclean, 15
D9: Will Solace, 16; Lou Ellen Lerner, 15
D10: Frank Zhang, 17; Hazel Levesque, 17
D11: Connor Stoll, 16; Katie Gardner, 18
D12: Nico di Angelo, 14; Zoe Nightshade, 18
