I stood at the reaping line for sixteen year olds and two figures appeared next to me- Peeta Peruses Jackson and Dad, both who were ghosts.

They smiled at me and tried to reassure me. Then Effie Trinket came and Peeta or Percy's expression turned sad. It was then that I wondered if I found tolerating the games for just a short life unfair, what about him? Of course, he was never going to go in and unlike the rest of us he could go poof and escape the games but still.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I did not see the hideous Capitol pig, as I liked to call her, pull out the slip containing the doomed girl's name. I almost missed the call but the name caught me off guard. It was Primrose Everdeen.

I looked and found myself staring into dad's eyes and in that instant I knew what I must do. The words came calmly out of my throat if is I was volunteering for a game and not a life match. Just two words, the two words which kept prim alive that day

"I volunteer."

The goodbyes were extremely painful but I held my pain in, my whole family came to visit me and Rye even gave me a compliment which was something he had never done before, just a simple one " Give them hell sis, I know you can."

I thought Dad and Percy were going to stay in twelve but here they were on the chariot with me. Percy had disappeared when gale came in to say goodbye but not before dropping a small book on him. I personally found it funny and his look when Cinna came in priceless.

My district partner Tertian was a bulky guy but he did not listen to Cinna and Portia and threw his cape in the crowd, which went wilder, if it was even possible.

"It is not like I have anything but that community home to go back to, no family, no friends nothing. Make sure you win Everdeen." He said before we slipped into our bedrooms for the night.

The training went fine until the third day when I shot an arrow at the game makers during my private session, Percy Peeta looked proud but Dad looked worried, I tried to shut them out but ended up crying wedged between them.

" Hey wise girl, do not cry." Percy said

Dad had been the one to convince me to get him along, saying they would be help and with Percy's supernatural water powers I would be mentoring this time next year. Oh yeah, Percy is the son Of Poseidon, the Greek God of Sea and thinks I am a daughter of Wisdom Athena, now my history is better than ever before, I used to get straight As in school, now they are going to ask me to tutor them.

I was bought back to present when I saw myself get an eleven, that night we supernatural beings had a party and a game plan, turns out Haymitch is a mediator as well.

Tertian wants me to win, because he had a sister who died in the games and he wants to join her, and he said she had always respected me.

I hope I can honor him and his sister as well.

Chapter 5

Today Haymitch is going to coach and Tertian fort the interviews. We had been coached together till now but today we wanted it to be separate so that Haymitch could work better.

"So Katniss you have four hours with Effie and then four hours with me."

The four hours with Effie were in two words pure torture, and it did not help that Peeta Percy kept making me laugh when ever I got too tired, that guy seriously cares about me and even I have begun liking him as a friend. However, he has a weird past.

He told me that he was the son of the Greek Sea God Poseidon and he loved Annabeth and knows I am her reincarnation, I kicked him then but heard the rest of his story, all his quests, which were as dangerous as the games and then his last and Annabeth's last quest together to Tartarus where she sacrificed herself. How he died and never got to go to the underworld because Charon, the manager of the dead was angry with him for not getting him a pay rise and hoe he used his powers to save the dead and most of Panem during doomsday and how he tried to go to the underworld many times, because he knew Annabeth's soul had been freed itself from Tartarus and was in Elysium but before he could she chose to be reborn and Athena, Artemies and Apollo blessed her with powers and mediator gifts and thus he knew that I was Annabeth because I was the first mediator since before he died. He had also added Peeta to his name and that he loved me a bit, he heard me sing when I was five and that we are nearly the same age because he died when he was seventeen. He also believes Haymitch is the son of Bacchus, the wine dude, as he calls him, which made me laugh and Haymitch glare thoughtfully, because he had or his twin younger brother never truly known their dad.

I thought all this after I had left after kind of insulting Effie by pulling up my skirt too my knees and throwing away the five inch torture devices. I hated flats, loved shoes and liked heeled shoes but despised heeled flats.

The time with Haymitch was no better, he called me a dead slug but then Peeta and dad who had been quiet till then interrupted, took charge and helped by telling me to apply my writer's skills. Yes, I did write stories and lo I was perfectly ready for the interview. Even I had to admit Peeta Percy bought out the skills in me.

Now I am standing near the stage flanked by Peeta Percy and Dad. I am nervous as I try and pay attention. I totally love Rue's angle like outfit and interview. I saw Thresh going and lost track of time, he made the interview sound like a criminal of war interrogation, which I bet got him a sea full of sponsors.

"And now we call on stage that you know as the Girl on Fire but we call her Miss Katniss Everdeen." Ceaser says as I walk on to the stage with my invisible guards.

Ceaser says something that I cannot hear due to my nervousness and I foolishly ask him "What?"

I feel Peeta Percy and dad squeeze my hands and sigh as Ceaser and the crowd laughs as he states something about nervousness.

Percy's grip tightens and he rubs circle on my palm and the writer in me overcomes this stupid Hunger Games fright I have.

" Not nervous Ceaser" I say as he is about to open his mouth "dazzled because the Capitol is so different from where I come from." I say the last bit with a big smile to hide my scarsam.

"Well how is it different?"

"Well, to state that would take more than the allotted time but the showers here are weird. I hope I am never again showered with rose petals" I say adding the joke me and Percy had come up with.

"Oh, so we have different showers flocks. Are they your favorite thing here?"

"Oh no, nothing can beat the delicious food, especially the lamb stew and hot chocolate, they are heavenly."

"The one with dried plums, I can eat those by bucketfuls and they don't even show." He jokes along. That is what I like about him, the way he tries to help everyone.

"So now how did you feel when you came out on that chariot, I must say my heart stopped."

"So did mine, after I got over my fear of being turned into a human fry. But Cinna did a marvelous job." I say looking for him in the audience and see him making a twirling motion.

"And you must see the flames I am wearing today, you don't know half of what this dress does." As I begin to twirl and dance without waiting for a response.

"Wow steady."

"Now about that score an E-L-E-V-E-N-, are we not dying to get the details of how she got it."

One look at the Game makers, including the one who feel in the punch bowl I said "Secrets are there for a reason Cease, and though my lips are sealed, I can you it was a first and hopefully the last, I won't want someone breaking my record."

"Well, now I have one last question for you Fire Girl. I must say we were quite touched when you volunteered for your sister. Didn't want her to steal all the glory now we? Did she come to meet you?"

When I answered, my voice seemed to have dropped an octave, but it rang true and loud, I think that was because everyone was still recovering from the shock of a fire dress or maybe I was loud because of the ghosts holding my hands.

"Yes"

"And what did you both say?"

"She asked me to promise her that I will win, and win I will because warriors do not lose hope or fall and Katniss Everdeen does not break her promises."

"I am sure you will do everything in your power to win." He was flabbergasted but covered it.

"Anything else you would like to add?"

"Oh yes, this is to you Gale, Madge, Rye and Wheat I love eating bread for lunch under trees."

"Your dad, he died in the mines?"

"Yes, but he is the best person in my life."

"Is?"

"I will never use "was" for him, because I will always remember him in my memories and I would like to add that he was always there with me and now I even have Andy to take care of me."

" Andy?"

"My step-father."

"Any parting words?"

"Yes, I would like to tell everyone watching, including my fellow tributes "Happy Hunger Games and May the odds be ever in your favor, because they certainly are in mine." And I lift three fingers to my mouth but fell Percy and Dad trying to hold me back, and blow the crowd a kiss instead of what I was about to do and add "Oh, I want to bring my sister and brothers to show them the beauty of the Capitol during my victory tour."

"Don't, it can be the cause of your trouble in the games." They both say referring to the district gesture I was about to make.

Peruses Peeta points to my pin and I move my hair to give the audience a clear view of it and finger it once and then before Ceaser can ask anything the time ends and he lifts my hand in the air and says " Ladies and gentlemen I present to you Katniss Marine Everdeen, your tribute from district twelve."

I wave and bow and then leave to find Haymitch who says "Nice job sweetheart, except for the "may the odds" part, but still a nice touch. Nice dress too."

He then turns to Effie and says "Not yours." And on that happy note we turn to see Tertian's disaster of an interview. It is not that bad, he turns out to be the adoring elder brother but he ruins it by saying his sister died in the games and he does not stand a chance because he will not be able to fight, every time he lifts a weapon he sees her, his score of four can signify that and then he just looks gloomy before nearly walking off the stage. Ceaser thankfully, stops him and manages to coax conversation. Now the whole Panem knows that Tertian Northrop's sister and uncle died in the games, he wants the family tradition to continue and he wants me to win.

Haymitch says that my interview was more rebellious and his was the cherry on top of the cake. Now we will have to face the music in the arena but Haymitch makes light of it and makes us laugh saying that ours are the weirdest ways of tackling a death sentence. I know our Avox server but I had apologized, and asked her about her friend who died that day in the woods, one evening on the roof. If I win I will ask them to send her to twelve with me so that her brother can go to heaven. I never let anyone, about the fact, that we have met before; Dad had put his hand on my mouth before I could when I had seen her on that first day. Good thing too.

I spend a restless night on the roof, before Percy gives me a book to read and now I am standing in the tube looking at Cinna, fingering my pin with my flame painted nails and occasionally looking at Peeta Percy and Dad.

The arena, totally is mine, a lake on one side, woods on the other and a steep void on the third.

I think about everything innocent and nice in my life and remember Haymitch's advice, look at the ghosts I know as well as myself and get ready to run when I notice the bow just seconds before the gong sounds and sprint towards it as soon the gong goes.