Chapter Ten, Glacial Tension

"Hello and welcome to the Training Center!" An athletic woman paced in front of the room, a clipboard in hand. She had began her speech as soon as everyone had gotten inside of the gymnasium-like room. "My name is Atala, I am the supervisor of this section of the building, as well as the head trainer." She paused, barely glancing towards the tributes. "The rules her are simple. You go around the room where different stations with different experts are installed. You are not to engage in any violent activity with any of the other tributes, keep that for the arena." By her tone, it was easy to tell that she had been doing the same job for a very long time.

Atala read a brief description of all the stations, as well as the name of the experts that would be present. A few faces from the poorer Districts lit up when the names of Peeta Mellark – camouflage – and Katniss Everdeen – archery – were brought up.

"Katniss Everdeen?" Artemis whispered to Silyah.

She looked at him, a faint curiosity in her eyes. "Yes, Katniss Everdeen. Though, I have to agree, I never would have thought that one day I would get to meet the girl who was on fire," she whispered back quickly. Glimpsing at him, she caught the puzzled look that briefly flashed across his features. Somehow, it looked as if the boy had no idea as to who Katniss was. Silyah shook her head. The Games were a mandatory thing to watch; of course he would know the victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games… But Silyah would not bring that up… That one look towards Artemis made her feel like the boy was trying to hide something he wanted to keep private. "I guess I'll see you later," she then said as Atala asked the tributes to begin their tour of the stations. She smiled encouragingly at him and headed for the "Edible and Usable Plants" section of the gymnasium.

Artemis looked around the room. Where to go first? There were a few stations on weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, and survival techniques… The boy decided to start off his training with something useful, yet not too arduous; knot tying.

Artemis was halfway through a series of knots – which strangely always ended up looking like tie knots – when Quartz, from District 12, joined him.

"What is that?" The little blond girl asked him, pointing to the piece of fabric in Artemis's hands.

"A tie knot," Artemis told her, though it was quite obvious.

"Isn't a knot always supposed to tie something?" She wondered before realizing that the boy might have referred to an actual tie; the piece of clothing she might have seen her father wear once or twice.

Artemis felt the urge nearly rolled his eyes.

Quartz grabbed a strong-looking rope and began to knot it as the instructor did. The young girl was pretty good at it, contemplated Artemis.

The District 12 girl was indeed mastering the art of knots when two new tributes joined them.

Kalheb and Geneva, their hands now locked in each other's, each took a rope and tried to keep up with the instructor.

Artemis looked at their progress. The girl from one seemed to be rather skilled, her fingers delicately and intricately building a knot snare.

"You're making magic, honey…" Kalheb whispered in her ear.

Geneva directed a cat-like sound towards him.

Suddenly, Artemis was sure that now would be the right time to change stations. Therefore, he got to his feet, leaving Geneva and Kalheb on their own.

So what to do next? Camouflage… Yes, the camouflage station sounded like a good option… It was far enough from Kalheb and Geneva, who were, all of the sudden, starting to whisper really suggestive comments.

"I wonder if you can do anything else with those fingers…" Artemis heard Kalheb ask the District 1 girl.

Geneva gave her lips a lick, "You'd like to know that, wouldn't you?"

At this point, an uncomfortable and under-aged Quartz also decided to get away from the couple-like thing at the knotting station.

When Artemis got to the camouflage section, Silyah was already there, casually talking with Peeta. The two seemed to really get along.

Silyah then turned her gaze towards the raven-haired boy. "Hey, Artemis! Want to join us? I shall present you to Peeta Mellark, Victor of the 74th Annual Hunger Games," she said in a formal tone.

Artemis gave him a polite smile, "Nice to meet you… Though, the circumstances could be… Better…"

Peeta nodded. "I know…" He gave the District 3 tributes a sympathetic look. "Six years ago, I was standing at your place."

"Indeed," said Artemis, "So, any advices?"

"I am afraid I am not allowed to coach anyone but my own tributes. I am only here today because the head trainer really wanted me to initiate some people to camouflage," he explained. "Actually, why don't you both start by picking up some colors? I will give you a situation, you will camouflage yourself accordingly and I will give you some tips for designs."

Artemis nodded, "Sounds like an excellent idea, Mr. Mellark."

"Please, call me Peeta; I'm barely old enough to be out of the Reaping," he replied with a laugh.

"Very well."

On that note, the two tributes installed themselves at a table, ready to be challenged.

Peeta's first situation was quite simple; they had to paint their arm as if it was dirt.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. He could fake masterpieces with ease; dirt would not be a problem for him.

Silyah was done in less time required to spell the word "dirt."

The raven-haired boy used a little more time, but the result was what he had aimed for.

Peeta had very few critiques about the two tribute's works. These two were very skilled. The boy with the bread therefore decided to upgrade his challenges. With a devious grin, he said, "Now, using your weakest hand, make your arm look like water."

Artemis smirked. He was just as good with both of his hands – even though he did favor his left one.

Silyah, however, was not as good as him using her left hand, but as far as Artemis could tell, she had a certain talent for color composition. It took more time than painting the dirt, but eventually, the girl raised her arm. It looked like part of a river with a slow current. She had even taken the liberty of drawing a small fish, which appeared to be swimming inside of her forearm every time she moved it.

It was now Artemis's turn to show his work to Silyah and Peeta. His interpretation of water had a faster current than Silyah's, more like rapids. His colors were spot on.

Peeta had watched them paint in amazement. "You two are extremely talented…" He showed them what he had drawn on his own arm. It looked like a mix of Artemis's and Silyah's creation. "Since I don't think you require my help and that I could easily mistake your arms for pools of cold water, you could, maybe, try some freestyle," the end of his sentence sounded like a question. The two teenagers nodded and Peeta gave them each a new color palette. "Impress me," he told them as he spun them back to back.

Artemis took a paintbrush between his slim fingers. Something impressive… It took a few seconds before the idea hit him.

The two of them used just about two minutes to finish off their artwork, and then they turned.

Artemis's eyes grew bigger as he saw Silyah's creation. How was it possible?

They had both carefully painted patches of detailed-looking frost on the back of their hands. Peeta choked back a laugh. He was indeed impressed. One could think that by touching their hands, he or she would freeze to death.

Then, Peeta looked at them – not at their artwork, but at the two tributes in front of him. There was something about Artemis and Silyah, which reminded him of Katniss and he, respectively…

Meanwhile, Artemis blinked. "How did you decide to take ice?" He asked his district partner.

"I don't know… I was inspired by the colors and by how I feel like we are frozen in a fate that we cannot change… Besides, it's been a long time since I have last seen ice in an arena."

Artemis nodded, still amazed by how they had both chosen the same subject.

From one of the combat stations, Silver eyed the District 3 pair. In her blue eyes was a sheepish twinkle as she met Silyah's. They almost seemed to say, "Didn't I tell you so?"

Silyah stuck out her tongue rather childishly at Silver. "Oh, come on, if you want to annoy a real couple, check out Kalheb and Geneva," she laughed, trying to stop the blood flow in her face from making her blush.

"But your denial is much more entertaining," the girl said, giving Silyah a wink.

Silyah sighed and washed off the fake frost on her arm. "Thanks, Peeta," she said. "I think that I will go try out some weapons," needless to say, she was not exactly sure about the outcomes of that one.

She was about to turn around when Peeta stopped her. "Before you go, I made cupcakes for the tributes, so feel free to take one," he presented her a plate of beautifully frosted pastries.

Shrugging as she smiled, she grabbed one with a purple flower on it, "Thanks again!"

Artemis had not even seen which cake his fellow tribute had taken, but he somehow managed to pick on with the same design.

Silver walked up behind them, feeling like a cupcake break would be good. She picked one with a design similar to a cross and nudged Silyah, "Still denying it?"

There was no point in trying to hide her blush anymore. Thus, Silyah simply decided to keep her mouth shut and eat her cupcake. Giving Silver one last glance, Silyah randomly chose a weapon station, spears.

Silver grinned with satisfaction. She knew that there had to be something, even if it wasn't strong yet.

Finishing his own pastry, Artemis then decided to head over to the archery station.

By the silver weapons was a dark-haired girl with olive skin. Her eyes looked as grey as a stormy sky. Without a bow in hand, she could almost look harmless, but as soon as she picked up her weapon, her expression changed. The young woman shot a sequence of three arrows right in the bull's eye before noticing Artemis.

"You are really accurate," mentioned the raven-haired boy. "You are Katniss Everdeen, right?"

The girl put her bow over her shoulder. "Yes," she was slightly taken aback. It was the first time in six years that someone hesitated while saying her name. It almost felt pleasant to be barely recognized. "Want to learn the basics?" She asked.

"Yes, please."

Katniss handed him a silver bow. "Do you know how to hold it?"

"Yes, but that might be the only thing I know…"

"Okay…" She pronounced slowly, eyeing him as he took the bow. "That's actually a good place to start," she encouraged him.

"Not good enough to keep me alive, I am afraid," said Artemis.

"Then, let me help you through this," She got beside him, grabbing her own bow, starting by the very beginning, the basic techniques of archery.

Artemis could praise himself for being a fast learner, but registering information very rapidly could not improve his physical skills whatsoever.

Every arrow he launched oddly avoided anything that looked like a target. "I fear that sports are not my thing… I am more of a mental person," he excused himself for his clumsiness.

Then, one of Beetee's advice suddenly rang in his hear. Katniss was just about to send him to another station, where he could hopefully try to learn some more useful survival skills when Artemis took her by surprise.

He had taken a new arrow and was now bringing back the bowstring, thinking about the movement as the tension required in order to provoke a translational motion in the arrow. Instead of letting go of the string right away and straight towards the target, he chose an angle, which would optimize his accuracy. When he did let go, the arrow flew out of Artemis's bow, almost hitting Caskar's nose before burying itself pretty close to the bull's eye of a target.

Silyah, who had seen the scene, leaned on her spear and looked at Artemis with an intrigued expression. "Don't tell me that this was an accident," she mouthed, pointing at an angry Caskar. She smiled and threw her own weapon on a target shaped like a human. She would have probably reached the lungs, or perhaps even the heart if the dummy had been a real person.

Artemis let his bow sink, that his arrow had reached the bull's eye had not been an accident, but that it went by Caskar had been. "I mainly used some scientific figures to help me plan the course of the arrow. The variables such as the other people in the room were independent from my calculations," he explained Silyah.

"Archery and science?" Wondered Katniss. "Nice shot, by the way… Though, you should probably keep the more lethal stuff for the arena."

"Maybe you name is shining through your clumsiness, Artemis," said Silyah who was slowly approaching the archery station, a spear still in her hand. Katniss raised an eyebrow.

"Very amusing, Silyah," murmured Artemis. "I am named after an ancient Greek Goddess who happens to be the Goddess of Hunt and Archery," he explained to Katniss.

"Oh… Well, keep it up," she smiled, noticing how Artemis's mood shifted as Silyah walked up to them. Katniss scanned the room, searching and finding Peeta's eyes. They were both on the same page regarding the District 3 tributes.

Artemis sat his bow back on its stand now that he knew he was able to use it. He looked around the room for a new topic to explore.

A few stations further down the gymnasium, Geneva was throwing double bladed axes, hitting the dead center of the dummies every single time.

From across the room, Caskar gave a hateful look towards Artemis and Silyah. "You see," he began, "District 1 has some really fierce competitors," he looked back at Geneva. "Sweet, right?" He winked at them in a way that would have made a troll shiver.

Artemis gazes right back at Caskar, giving him a cold stare that could have made two trolls shiver, and definitely a human teen.

"Some? I can only see one of them actually trying to practice," Silver's voice came from another station. No one had the power to irritate her like Caskar. "So, you're going to hide behind her the entire Games?"

Caskar mumbled something that sounded like a great load of swearing and mentally reviewed his list of people to kill. Right on top of it – occupying the first place – was Silver Canemon, closely followed by Artemis Fowl and his "girlfriend."

Silver smirked. Infuriating Caskar was just too easy.

Meanwhile, Artemis sighed. Caskar was certainly not a person one could consider as good. There was something in his eyes… Almost the same thing that rested in those of a certain pixie… Maybe he would be the one creeping behind Artemis once the Games would begin…

Silyah had clenched her fist around her spear. The cold vibes emanating from the Training Room felt very odd to her and though she was not one to support violence, the girl could not help but to feed from her peculiar dislike for Caskar as she kept on throwing spears at the humanoid target's heads.

By the fiery look in Silyah's eyes, Artemis could easily guess that she was imagining Caskar as the target.

Appearing out of the plants section, a dark-skinned boy passed behind Artemis. By his looks, one could recognize him a Zinque Chart from District 11. Even though he seemed deadly with the huge hammer in his hand, when he spoke, his voice was sincere and almost friendly. "I would not mess with Caskar if I wanted to stay alive later on…" he said.

"He'd have to get through the Cornucopia first," laughed Silver.

Zinque felt like laughing too, but Caskar's eyes burned on his back. Instead, he bit his tongue and remained quiet.

Silver turned to Caskar, waving at him with a smile on her lips.

He replied to her grin with one that looked so sickeningly sweet and genuine, it almost hurt to see his face being twisted like that.

"Did you eat something sour, Caskar?" The District 6 girl called out to him.

"No, it's just that I turned around and saw your face," he rubbed his eyes, as if blinded.

"You clearly haven't seen your own reflection, then."

From his corner of the room, Peeta was beginning to hate how the situation was turning out. It was bad enough that the Capitol was to send these kids in an arena, let alone the fact that they would willingly slaughter each other at that rate.

Caskar reminded him of Cato and his superior attitude, while Silver was just searching for trouble. With an even stronger voice than he thought he owned, he shouted, "Enough!" Then, in a much softer voice, he added, "Save your efforts for the arena."

Katniss eyed him, feeling the similarities between this group and theirs.

Peeta was right, had thought Silver. She would kick Caskar's Career backside later and she would enjoy it.

Luckily, just after the obligated obstacle course, the mentors arrived in the tense Training Room, calling their tributes for supper.