AN: Okay, first of all: yeah, we know. Four months. We were both busy doing our own things and didn't have time to write with each other. But we're not going to waste our precious time by apologizing (though we are sorry), so let's get on with the story. Thanks for the reviews, by the way.
Disclaimer: we don't own anything
Chapter X: Girls Are Strange
Finnick's P.O.V.
It all happened by accident. Soon after we'd set out we ran into some monsters. The Four Mares of Diomedes, Tracey had called them.
It all started going wrong when I almost died. Of course, Percy saved me by catching the spear inches from my face. That would be the… fifth time he saved me? I really have to repay him sometime, saving him once just isn't enough. Anyway, he saved me again. "Who threw this?" Percy had shouted angrily.
"I did," a girl's voice answered. "And I would very much like it if you gave it back." She jumped out of a small tree, landing softly on the leaves below.
"Percy, that's the girl from district twelve. Now that I see her face
I remember her name again. Tracey Hawks, 15 years old." I whispered, eying the brunette girl with suspicion.
"Shall I throw it back at you, then?" Percy scowled.
"She's not supposed to be able to see you…," I reminded him.
"Ha! I knew it!" Tracey exclaimed. "You're not a candidate. Who are you then? Why are you here?"
"Like Hades I'm going to tell you after you tried to kill Finnick." The son of Poseidon shot her a death glare worthy of Hades himself.
She moved forward as she spoke, "Because it's against the rules to be here if you're not a participant of the game."
"Yeah, well, what are you going to do about it?" I finally said, not liking the way she tried to threaten Percy.
Tracey shrugged. "I could kill you."
"With what? Your spear?" Percy mocked, aiming her own spear at her.
Suddenly she came rushing at us, pulling a hidden knife out of her boot while running.
I jumped out her way like she was a rampaging bull. Meanwhile Percy calmly stepped sideways and swept Tracy off her feet with the spear.
She fell face forward into the mud, her arms flailing around her as she fell. I couldn't help it. I laughed.
Percy flashed me a proud grin.
Tracy rolled over with a groan. "Okay, I'm never putting my knife in my boots again. It slows me down too much." She sat up, wiping at her face with her jacket.
Percy pointed the spear at her throat. "Have you told anybody else about me?"
She stared cross-eyed at her spear with a look of longing and fear. "No, I haven't. No one would listen to me anyway. I don't have any allies or friends here. Or at home, for that matter."
Percy fixed her with cold eyes before he turned to me and whispered, "What are we going to do with her? I don't want to kill her."
"I know, right? She's just too pathetic to hate…," I sighed
"Um, hello? You're not whispering soft enough, I can still hear you!" Tracey whined.
I shot Percy a look that said, 'you see?' before I knelt next to her. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Percy's grip on the spear tighten. "If we let you go, do you promise you won't tell anyone about… my friend?"
"Will you give me my spear back? Without it I'm as good as dead, as you can see," she pleaded. Tracy smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes at me.
Weirded out by her behavior I couldn't find my words. "I- er… I'm not so sure if…. I am already taken, by the way…"
She pouted. "Oh, really? Where is she then?"
"HE, is currently holding a spear aimed at your throat," Percy growled. "Back off, girl."
Tracey stared up at him with a judging look. Then she chuckled. "Well, if you ever change your mind… you know where to find me, if I'm still alive." She smiled at Percy.
I was lost. "Wait, are you flirting with Percy now?"
"Unless you are interested after all."
"What's wrong with you?" Percy asked ridiculed.
"Well, I'm not quite sure. My parents used to say I'm unique. Others just call me crazy." She shrugged.
'I smell demigods, my brothers.'
'Shut it, Xanthos.'
"Percy, I hear voices." I warned.
"I hear them too." Percy replied.
" I don't," Tracey interjected. "But I think I know who you heard. Must be the owners of those horses…"
I spun around. Sure enough, there were four horses. The first one on was gold with yellowish manes. Next to him was a horse you would see in nightmares, completely midnight black and a terrifying glare. The third one was his opposite. He was so white it was like watching the sun, so I quickly moved on to the last. A plain brown one with black manes.
The problem was, there were no other humans in sight. Percy and I must've heard the horses.
'Over there!' the third one neighed.
'We have eyes too, Lampon,' the black one snorted.
"Good horses." I said, slowly backing up. Something about them gave me the creeps. Maybe the fact that they knew what a demigod is, or just them being in the arena of the hunger games… Either way, I didn't want to find out just why they were here. "Stay there. Yeah, that's it… What a beautiful horses you are."
"Finnick, I think you're only angering them," Percy warned me.
'Get em!' the black one ordered. As one they stormed at us.
Percy pushed the spear in Tracey's unsuspecting hands and pulled out Riptide. Automatically we stood back to back with each other, Tracey somewhere awkwardly at our side. They surrounded us before attacking. They dealt out blows with their legs and tried to bite us. I fended them off as much as I could with only two throwing knives, but Percy's sword and Tracy's spear were much more effective.
"What kind of horses are these?" I complained.
Surprisingly, Tracey knew the answer. "The Mares of Diomedes."
"They're girls?"
"Naturally. The black one is called Deinos, the Terrible. Then you have the brown horse, Podargos the Swift. The white mare is Lampon the Shining. And there is Xanthos the Yellow," Tracey explained. "They're flesh-eating horses. Some say they breath fire, too."
"Fire-breathing horses?" Percy asked in shock.
"Flesh-eating. I'm not sure about the fire."
'Actually, we can't do that. But our friends can.' The Yellow (what a horrible name) said as she lunged for my head. I ducked and slashed upwards, making a cut just below her eye.
Just as I thought things couldn't get worse, I heard more voices. Humans, this time.
AN: Isn't candydate a better word than candidate? Tell us what you think about candydates.
