Emilia Rune, 13, Daughter of Hades

I wake up to the feeling of fear. It clutches my heart and squeezes it. I need someone to help me, I can't go into the arena alone. My brother has already refused my invitation of an alliance, who else will want to ally with me?

I can't stop thinking about my problem, all through breakfast and the journey to the training center. I look around at all the demigods, all are busy with their own business. They have all already found an alliance to comfort and support them.

The sun is hidden by low dark clouds creating shadows across the lawn. I decide to take a stroll outside to clear my head, however, it clears it a little too well.

I'm struck with the same feeling from two nights before of all my precious thoughts and emotions tugging away. I try to cry out but no sound comes out, I fall to the ground and I'm on my knees. I want to cry but I can't. I'm losing control. I hate this stupid curse, I hate my-.

Emilia doesn't feel anything, she is emotionless. She laughs at herself. This is Emilia's true state, this is where she is free, she can do anything.

Emilia's eyes find the pool a few yards away. A single thought, no not thought. Urge maybe. There's no way to describe what the thing is. It's an order. It tells her what she must do.

Emilia is a fish.

Emilia must go to the pool, she can't live out of water. Emilia is a fish. Emilia must swim.

Emilia runs to the pool and dives into it landing with a splash as the water engulfs her. She opens her eyes and lets her breathe out. Emilia is a fish. She likes water. Emilia can breathe underwater. Emilia can -.

I usually find comfort in darkness. But when I return from my 'insanity session' it's not like the darkness I'm used to. It's like I'm smothered in a screaming chaos. When all my memories return it's millions of tons of pressure is pushed into me. And worst of all, it seems as if this evil darkness attracts all the nightmarish memories, they stand out and over the good ones. It feels as if I'm being torn apart and pushed back together all at the same time.

When I open my eyes, two girls look over me. Both our younger but only by a year or two. The taller one has beautiful ombre hair with stunning electric eyes. The other one is paler but not as pale as me. She wears her chestnut brown hair in a tight ponytail to keep out of her bright green eyes.

The taller one speaks first, "Are you okay?" She asks concerned, "You almost drowned."

That's when I realize I'm soaking wet, they are too. They must have dove in after me.

"I-I-," I pause, do I really want to reveal my condition to these girls? I decide that I do, they both look like people I can trust. "I don't really know what I did, I lost control." My voice is small and my eyes threaten tears.

Instead of looking frightened or even disgusted like most people do, they just look more concerned. "You lost control? Do you need any medical help?"

"No, I'm cursed, it's not my fault. I have these insane fits every now and then. I'm sorry,"

"What are you sorry about," The taller one is speaking again. "This isn't your fault. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"I'm Cadence, by the way," Introduces the taller one, "Daughter of Athena, oh and this is Astrid, Hephaestus's daughter." Astrid nods in greeting, she's a bit shy from what I can tell. I'm so thankful for their kindness, I've never met anyone so caring.

"Emilia, my dad is Hades," I tell them, "What exactly just happened? All I know is that I somehow ended up in the pool."

"I'm not sure myself, you must have just had another one of your 'fits'. You first fell to the ground, but then stood up and started laughing. Then you ran to the pool and jumped in, you weren't moving after a few seconds. Astrid and I were scared you were drowning or something so we jumped in after you."

"Well, thank you for that, I probably would have drowned without your help."

"Anyone would have done the same."

A thought crosses my mind, it's drenched in hope. What if they're willing to take me in and let me join their alliance. They're already so kind and helpful, there the kind of people I need to ally with. I'm a bit nervous before I ask, though. What if they reject me like my brother did?

"Are-Are you looking for another ally?" I stutter.

Cadence and Astrid's faces light up. "You want to join our alliance!"

"Y-Yes, you want me to ally with you?"

"Of course you can join our alliance!" Astrid says, it's quiet but full of meaning.

"Great!" I squeal. I'm so happy! These girls are so nice. They want to ally with me, I won't be alone in the games!

Today might not have gone how I expected, but it's the best day yet. I'm just so happy! I'm not alone.

Finn Macduff, 17, Son of Poseidon

"Let's try not to have a day like yesterday, if you know what I mean."

Zander blushes, "Yeah, sorry again about that."

"It's fine, just make sure it doesn't happen again. The last thing we need is for you to lose control from one of your anger outbursts during the games." Zander is probably one of the kindest guys I know, but he gets mad at the drop of the hat.

The games are only two days away. Everything is moving so fast. Today is the last day of training and the private training sessions are after lunch. I'm told interviews are tomorrow night and the start of the games is the following morning.

I'm still so surprised that Gaea's going to send all of us in a killing arena. I mean, I know they have sent us into ridiculously dangerous situations before but to force us to kill each other? That's going a little far. Killing other demigods is the last thing I want to do, but if this is what is will take to return alive, I'm going to have to suck it up and do what I have to do. On second thought, whoever comes out of these games alive will be crowned the strongest demigod, maybe this isn't as bad as it actually is. It will be easier than ever to prove my worth to everyone.

"The private training sessions are today, should we plan out what we're going to do in them. We want to get high scores don't we?"

"Yes, but I also want to see if we can get Lucy to join our alliance,"

"Are you sure, man?" Zander questions, I can tell that he doesn't see this as a smart move, "I mean she's the daughter of the love goddess." He doesn't see her hidden talents in her like I do, he doesn't sense that she is holding back something.

"I'm sure." Zander trusts me, he knows I have good judgment, but this must just be confusing him. Still, he follows me to the station Lucy is at.

I can tell by the sound of a drawback of the bowstring the firm thud of a knife hitting the target that Lucy is at the archery and knife throwing range.

"Hi Finn, Zander," She greets, her voice, bubbly and bright. I hear the clunk of Lucy's knife being set back onto the rack, her voice gets gradually which means that she just walked up to Zander and me.

"Hey Lucy, mind if we join you?"

"Of course not! But how will you be able to throw a knife if you can't see the target?"

"Don't worry, I've had a lot of practice," I assure her. It's true, what do you think I did all those years training?

The three of us pick up a few knives and begin to aim and shoot them at the target. Lucy continues to act very innocently and bubbly.

"Might I ask why you aren't wearing any shoes?" It's true, my feet are bare.

"They're annoying and have no point. I prefer to go barefoot," I respond, she laughs.

We continue to train, once Zander leaves to go retrieve all our knives at the target and I'm positive that no one else is in hearing range, I make my move.

"I know you're holding back."

"Excuse me?" She whips around to face me, the question catching her off guard. I'm betting she knows I'm on to her, yet she still sounds so naive when she asks.

"You're trying to mislead everyone. Trying to create an illusion that you're not a threat and you're doing a pretty good job, but you're not fooling me."

"But don't you see, I'm not a threat, I will be easy to kill," Her voice is silky and smooth. She's not a threat, I realize. I must have mistaken myself. Wait, no! I'm not wrong! I'm never wrong.

"You're charmspeaking me!"

"I'm-," Lucy begins innocently but pauses right away, she rethinks her words and restarts. A new stronger tone is now in a voice. The giggly smile is gone, she's challenging me, "So what if I am?"

"Then that is proof that you were just trying to fool me. You're a lot stronger than you're letting on. Trying to be seen as weak so no one will target you,"

"So you know my strategy, what are you going to do now? Runoff and tell the whole center that I could be a possible threat?"

"No, I'm going to offer you an alliance,"

"An alliance?"

"Yeah. Me, you, and Zander. We'll the alliance no one sees coming," Lucy and I are similar, we've both lived our lives underestimated and looked down on. "And Lucy, we're both fighting for the same thing."

"And what's that?"

"A chance to prove our worth." If I could see, I'm sure I would see a flash of something in her eyes. A spark of someone who gets her, who understands how I feel. Instead, I hear the catch of her breath, and the slow exhale seconds later.

"Alright, I'm in," she answers smoothly, but I caught the bit of excitement running off the end of her tone.

Lucy and I finish retrieving our knives and take a few more shots at the target before heading to a new station. I think Zander is beginning to see the potential in her. Lucy is starting to introduce her more serious side to him too.

I wouldn't say that I'm looking forward to the games, but I'm starting to get a bit eager to get in the arena. I know I have a good chance at winning and with Zander and Lucy on my team, I'm sure will be unstoppable.

Clancy Bridger, 16, Son of Athena

The training center is bustling with activity. Especially today, everyone is hustling around, trying to get to each station before the private training sessions start. There are not as many interactions as there were yesterday, all are engaged in their own training. I'm happy to get away from everyone by escaping to the shelter building station at the edge of the center. The instructor is very supportive and friendly, she demonstrates how to create a few types of shelters.

I hear the echo of soft footsteps of someone approaching me, I look up and see Sarah, the daughter of the Sea God. Her blond hair is pulled up in an elegant updo so they don't get in the way of her brown doe eyes. I can't help but cringe when I see her, I don't know what's going on the small mind of hers, but whatever it is, it's far from any real thought on the games.

She doesn't seem to notice and instead her eyes light up with excitement, "Clancy! I've been looking for you!"

She took an interest with me on the first day, I've been trying to avoid her the best I can. I know she's not from camp because I have never seen her around, but I know from just a few conversations I've had with her, she is boy crazy and a player. And for some reason, out of all the guys here, she took an interest in me.

I can't have her in my way now or in the games, I want to do this thing solo. My strategy has been to observe the other demigod's strengths and weaknesses, I'm fairly trained in weaponry, but compared to people like Finn or Brielle, it's nothing.

From what I can tell so far, there are five alliances. The biggest one seems to be the one made up of Jack, Brielle, Aria, and Ellie. From both my time at camp and here, I know she is a deadly swordswoman. She's possibly the most skilled demigod in weaponry here. Jack is about average, but he does have some power with the winds but nowhere near as powerful as his sister. However, the thing that stands out to me is that he's a natural leader, but it doesn't look like he realizes the ability yet. Ellie looks well trained but not as good as Brielle and a bit behind Jack's level. He won't be the main fighter in the alliance, but I won't overlook him. Although, there's also the fact that he might not want to hurt anyone.

Then there's Aria. She's one that I'll have to watch out for. I'm betting most people will just overlook her, I mean she doesn't look like much. Not very athletic or strong, she's built very slim and fragile looking and she hardly ever uses her powers. But that's the thing, she has so much fear when it comes to using it. Fear that can take over, she could lose control or something and her powers will be unleashed.

The younger girls seem to have made an alliance together. Astrid, Cadence, and Emilia. They're already at a disadvantage because of their age and lack of experience. I mean it does look like a pretty weak alliance to, all three of them are tiny in size and are either too shy or too friendly. But I know better, they all want to prove themselves to everyone. I don't think they will be the biggest threats, but they could turn out to be underdogs towards the end.

I've titled the alliance made up of Declan, Lumina, and Blair: the hunters. Lumina has decades, possibly centuries of experience, it seems completely unfair why Gaea chose her to participate in the games when she has such a large advantage. Blair and Lumina will both be good at hunting and tracking others and Declan has the power of healing so if I decide to attack any of them I need to be sure I take them down good because they will be healed if we meet again.

Viera and Red look to have taken the same approach of identifying other's strengths and weaknesses. I'm more worried about Viera than Red, to be honest. While Red has the power of necromancy, I don't think he has the mind and strength Viera has.

Viera is the most mysterious demigod here, she's from Russia and appears to be a great dancer. While every other demigod here knows the greek style of fighting, Viera seems to know martial arts and how to wield a katana. I also predict she's one of the smartest demigods here along with Finn and myself.

Speaking of Finn, I personally think he is one of the biggest threats in the games. He's both smart and highly skilled. He's teamed up with Zander and Lucy. Zander looks powerful and seems to have a major problem at controlling his anger after seeing yesterday's fight. Lucy is one who puzzles me, she acts like Sarah, all giggly and stupid, but I think there's more to her.

I think Cassie and Marco are an alliance, but I'm not sure. As for if they will be competition, possibly. Both look well trained but not crazy good.

Ajax is going solo, along with Mena. She's very sassy and is always angry when I see her. Wren, the son of Demeter, is brave and motivated, but I don't think he has what it takes to win at all. The Dionysus kids have formed an alliance with each other but aren't threats.

And I can't forget about Sarah. She won't be a problem at all unless she gets in my way and distracts me. I could possibly use her to my advantage, maybe use her as bait and attract other demigods near. There's also the fact that she's a walking water source. If I can't find water in the arena, and she comes around as her giggly self, clueless and all. I can trick her into her gathering all the evaporated water from the air - well, I probably could just ask her to.

I zone back into the real world and acknowledge to Sarah who has taken an interest in the shelter I've built. "Wow! Did you build this? It's so cool, what is it?"

"It's a shelter," I respond.

"A shelter? Like a house? So you would live in it? But wouldn't you get dirty?" she asks a string of questions and keeps commenting how she hates getting dirty likes it's the worst thing in the world.

"It's a temporary shelter, Sarah. Like if you go camping or are lost in the woods and need a place to stay the night."

"If I was lost in the woods, I would just call my mom and let her pick me up in our private jet," Sarah comments, she then loses interest in the shelter, "Hey we should go out sometime after this whole game thing, we would make an adorable couple!"

"Yeah maybe…" I now for a fact, that I will never ever go out with Sarah, Courtney it who I love. Though I'm guessing Sarah will continue to bug me until I agree, and it's not like I'll have to go out with her in the first place, we both won't win this game. I decide to try to ditch Sarah before she makes any more plans about our 'date'. I escape into the woods before she can follow me.

I'm making it home, I'm going to survive these games. I do believe I can win. I don't want to kill anyone but I'll have too and I'm okay with that, I accept the fact that I might have to take a life from this world. I think if I avoid the threats and stay hidden, I could wait out the games. I can win.

Deer Mom and Dad,

The frist thing I want to tell you is that I love you both so much and am so gratefull for you both taking me in all thos years ago. You have made my life amzing and could not have been given beter aboptive parants. Sadly though something terible has happaned. I will be forsed to fight aginst 23 other demigods to the death. I want to make it home so badly but the odds are slim. I love you so much. I want to make it home, to sea you again. I will fight my hardset, I promise.

I love you,

Emilia

Dear Garret and William,

You guys are my best friends, I don't want you to forget that. It's been a few weaks since I last seen you both and sinse then, I've ben placed in a sticky sitution and I might not get out of it alive. Its too hard to explain over this leter and it will only leeve you with more quetions. But I just want to let you both now I'll miss seaing you both and I've loved being friends with you over the years. You've made my life so much more intresting and I will never forget you.

Goodbye,

Clancy

Dear Dad,

I love you so much! You have been the best father and I will miss you greatly. As you know, the life of a demigod is very hard, and a powerful being, the earht goddess, Gaea, has rerisen and forsed demigods to fight an arena to the death. I have been chosan for these games. I do believe I have a chanse of returning alive but there's always the posibility of being killed. I wish I could see you one last time and tell you how much I love you and am thankful for all the support you have given me since I was young. I love you and will do evrything in my power to make it home to you.

Your son who loves you greatly,

Clancy

Dear Courtney,

I want to keep things simple. Courteney, over the month I've gotton to know you, you've made my life the best it's ever been. I like you, you are beatiful, intelligent, kind and make me very happy. You have inspired me to chase my dreams. However, due to the unfortunate sitution I've been forsed into, there's a chanse I might never see you again. There's a posibilty that I could come home but it's unlikly. I just wanted to tell you how I feel and say goodbye one last time.

Clancy

A/N: Hello Everyone! I'm back from vacation! The backpacking trip actually gave me some inspiration and ideas for when I write about the games too. So anyways, how did you like this chapter, it's the longest one so far! I think this one has been my favorite one to write too. What about the letters at the end (they intentionally have the grammar errors because they have dyslexia). Also, I want to thank all of you who have been reviewing, it makes my day when I read all of your comments. : )

So school starts this week for me, I can't believe! However, because of this, updates will be less frequent, I want to spend a lot of my energy on school and my grades. Hope you all understand.

Oh, and vote for my poll! I think four of you have already voted so far and I would love it if the rest of you could too!

So now we have five more chapters till the games! I can't wait! I've already began planning it.

Also, does anyone have any ideas who the interviewer should be for the interviews? It would be great if you shoot me a PM if you have an idea.

Thanks everyone!