NICO POV- MIDNIGHT AT ZEUS' FIST

As I, being the latest, approached the group of people gathered at the fist, Chiron began to speak immediately.

"Whatever you do, do not tell Katniss and Peeta that you have to protect them. Just say that you came from district four- or in Nico and Thalia's case, district eleven, and that your orphans, understand?" We all nodded. I hoped I wasn't the only one nervous- I mean, who wouldn't be when you're pushed into an arena and forced to kill twenty three teenagers for someone's entertainment?

Chiron hugged each of us by turn, said his goodbyes and left. I only then noticed the portal that Chiron had stood infront of. It glowed blue, and radiated power.

I heard Annabeth gasp, but she said nothing.

"Well, here goes.. everything?" Thalia sounded bored, almost, as she stepped through the portal.

Then Percy.

Then Annabeth.

And me.

The experience was unreal, it felt as if the weight of my body was gone- and I was floating. But I wasn't floating, I was being pulled into the future, pieces and pictures of events- but everything around me passed too fast for me to make sense of anything.

Everything slowed back to normal as we were tossed into a crowd of people, but no one noticed us.

Thalia looked around, and I did the same. We looked like we were in a large meeting area, with lines of people waiting to be entered at something on a table, and a huge building in the distance- gray, with the words "District eleven."

I did the sensible thing and stepped into the large line of people, and Thalia followed my movements.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her, even though my back was to her.

She sighed, "Well, yeah, but I'm just so confused. If only one person can live, how are we all going to make it out?"
I never replied.

After waiting in line and entering ourselves in what was considered the "Reaping Bowl", Thalia and I took our places on opposite sides of the large gathering.

A man, probably in his mid thirties, began to speak, "Welcome, district eleven, to the reaping of the seventy fourth annual Hunger Games!" Nobody clapped.

I zoned out after that, too lost in my thoughts to care about what the reaping-man had to say.

I was pulled from my thoughts, though, as he said, "And now for the tributes! Ladies first! Our female tribute is.."

"Marie Alexia!"

At the sound of the name, a girl -who I assume was Marie-, began to cry and beg for him to call someone else. Just at that moment, Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus, stepped out of place. It was at that time, I realized, that there were cameras surrounding the reaping. We were being broadcasted.

"I volunteer," Thalia said, confidently, giving a small smile to Marie. Marie, who was crying not a minute ago, ran up to Thalia and hugged her, quite tightly, I could tell, as Thalia began to cough. Marie let go, and ran into the arms of her friends.

"It seems we have a volunteer!" The man on stage said proudly.

Was he proud that he was sending a girl into an arena to possibly die?

As Thalia stepped on stage, she was asked for her name. "Thalia Grace. Daugh-" She stopped herself quickly, and replied, "Thalia Grace."

The man nodded, and moved onto the boy's bowl, "Now for the boys!" He said, and drove his hand into the bowl, quickly pulling out a name card.

"And our male tribute for district eleven is.. Nico Di Angelo!" He boomed, and I calmly walked on stage, wanting to show -or convince- everyone that I wasn't scared of this brutal source of entertainment.

"No volunteers?" The man asked, and no one stepped forward. He nodded, and told Thalia and I to shake hands.

As we did, a message was passed between Thalia and I. I hate the reaping man.

Shortly after, we were loaded onto a train, quicker than expected, since no one was visiting us before we left.

And onto the capital.