Thanks for the lone review. I have to admit that this chapter is more BS'd than others, but yeah.
Try to enjoy, heh.
Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff.
The other Titans were relaxing in the lounging area of the arena when Robin returned. They seemed pretty happy to see him at first, but seeing Robin's current expression turned all of the happy faces into frowning, concerned ones.
"What happened?" Cyborg said as soon as Robin sat down on the sofa, setting a hand on the leader's shoulder. "What game are these guys playing?"
Robin leaned back against the sofa, crossing his arms. "Panem was made out of thirteen districts, until one decided to rebel against the Capitol. One district lead to the next, and things were getting out of control. To stop the rebellion the Capitol bombed their last district off of the map. And the remaining districts have to participate in the Hunger Games...as a punishment."
The group was silent as Robin told the rest of the story quickly. Apparently the games wasn't what they thought it was.
"To make things interesting for everyone else, Claudius is going to make two of us participate in the Hunger Games with the other tributes. Whoever isn't chosen will watch us fight. And if we try to fight back or refuse, they'll shoot us." Robin concluded.
It was quiet for a while. "Why would they make us participate in such a horrible game?" Starfire whispered. "We have done nothing wrong to them...am I correct?"
The silent leader nodded to the question. "They're doing this for their entertainment. And to show what rebelling against them leads to...just like everyone else."
A moment later Claudius came to summon the Titans. He didn't smile, but he had an air of arrogance around him. "We are ready for you."
. . . . .
The same spot where the Titans had arrived had transformed completely. A huge stage took up a good half of the front part of the arena with a terribly large audience waiting anxiously surrounding it. Cameras were set up everywhere, covering every little detail and ready to pick up every word. The only other people on the stage were dressed like Claudius, in dark purple robes and dark pants, or wore nothing but white. The ones similar to Claudius were defiantly Gamekeepers, but nobody could tell who the guys in white were. It must not have been anyone important, since there were only two. Claudius walked up the side-stairs, smiling and beckoning the Titans up with that same nasty smile.
Without hesitation, the group followed the older man up the stairs and faced the crowd. The minute all five of them had set foot on the fancy wooden strips the crowd fell silent. It was kind of funny. Most times when the Titans were standing on a stage like this people were celebrating some big accomplishment by them or were being thanked for saving the mayor or something. And usually they would be awarded a medal or plaque in their honor. One minute people were celebrating their lives, the other they were celebrating their deaths. Or at least the Capitol was celebrating. The people just had something to watch.
"As you all know, the Hunger Games have been quite dull as of late. We were very lucky to have a very interesting start, thanks to Katniss Everdeen's bravery in volunteering in part of her sister." The crowd let out a little cheer at the odd name. "And now, we have struck luck again! These teenagers behind me have come from a different time, centuries before Panem was even a sparkle in the Capitol's eye. And to make things even more interesting, some of them have superpowers!" The crowd let out 'oo's' and 'aah's' at this. Claudius waited until the people settled before continuing.
"In order to keep the Games even, yet interesting, two members of the Teen Titans will join our fellow tributes in the arena. Two girls or two boys is fine. And we are allowing you to decide."
The audience grew buzzed again over this information, yells and cheers echoing through the capitol. The level of noise grew to the point where it hurt everyone's ears, and Claudius once again had to silence them. "So, who will it be?"
Suddenly it was deathly quiet, except for the occasion mumble that rippled around like a wave. Everyone was clueless.
Claudius turned to the Titans. "Show us your powers."
The Titans looked at each other. Did they have to? Who would go first?
Shyly, Starfire rose a few feet in the air. The crowd gasped and stared in awe, cheering as she did a few flips when a Gamekeeper instructed her to. When she landed back on the stage, the same purple-robed man looked at the rest of them expectantly. Raven went next, levitating a few feet as well and juggling five nearby chairs with her powers. Beast Boy was next, turning into a little kitten (which really drove the crowd wild. if it wasn't the adorable look on his face, it was the fact that he could morph into any animal), then a dog. Cyborg was next, showing everyone his arm cannon and a few other nifty gadgets. He too got the crowd fired up. At least they could see that Cyborg wasn't faking his 'robot look'.
About thirty minutes later, all the Titans except for Robin had shown what they could do. When the Gamekeepers turned to him he shrugged. "I don't have any superpowers." The frowns from the Gamekeepers, and even Claudius himself (though Robin and the others doubted it was a true face), told him that everyone automatically assumed that this was untrue. Claudius turned to the silent crowd and smiled, shoving two fingers in his ears like a little kid during the end of a fireworks show. With a few laughs and chuckles, the crowd mimicked his move. His attention turned to a distant man in white near the far side of the stage and backed away. The man approached Robin with a blank look on his face and pulled out a gun. He loaded it and pointed it right at him, targeting the 'R' on his chest. Then his aim lowered, pointing the gun to the floor.
Before any of his teammates could react or run to him, the man in white started to fire. Screams erupted from the crowd and his bewildered teammates as Robin started to leap away from the tiny stream of bullets that was now following him. All eyes were on the boy as he managed to avoid getting hit, flipping and leaping when necessary. And when the gunman finally held fire, the crowd stayed deathly silent. Either the gun fire scared them shitless or Robin was too plain and unimpressive.
"Well, there you have it!" Claudius said. The Titans ran to their leader to make sure he was still in once piece as the Head Gamekeeper smiled. Smiled like nothing had happened. "It's up to you. Who will get to participate in the Games this year? And who will watch?"
Names were called out all at once. "Robin!" "The robot man!" "Beast Boy!" "Starfire!"
As they let Robin catch his breath, the Titans watched as Claudius sighed. This must have been taking longer than what he would have liked. The frustrated Head Gamekeeper shook his heads and silenced the audience once again. "How about we just vote. Cheer for your favorite!" He said. Everyone watched as the cameras grew closer to the stage. This must be it.
"Starfire!" Claudius said, standing beside her. The crowd cheered and whistled. A sturdy applause.
"Raven!" She got a stronger cheer.
"Beast Boy!" The strongest cheer so far. It lasted for a bit, even after Claudius tried to wind the noise down. Beast Boy would have smiled if this wasn't such a bad circumstance.
"Cyborg!" The applause and whistling died a little bit, the same as Raven's.
"Robin!" Everyone (including Robin himself) was pretty surprised when he got an applause that challenged Beast Boy's.
Claudius's smile grew. "Then we have it! Robin, Beast Boy. Step forward if you will." The two did as they were told under the watchful eyes of the Head Gamekeeper and the shooters in white. "We have our tributes from district 21!"
District 21? Wonder what district that was. After a deafening applause that lasted for several minutes, the crowd started to break apart. Soon all that was left was Claudius and the five Titans. He patted Robin and Beast Boy on the shoulder. "Congratulations. Say a quick good-bye to your friends before heading into the arena." And he left the divided Titans to themselves. The camera crews quickly took in his place though, wanting to capture every tear and every weakness that the two boys showed.
"Be careful out there, you two." Cyborg said, looking the two in the eyes. "Don't make me have to go in there and bring the buttwhoopin' on both of y'all." His attempt at humor drew a chuckle or two out of the group.
Starfire hugged both of the two tightly until their faces turned blue, tears streaming down her face. "I pray to Glorthbrag for your safety." Raven patted her on the back and she let them go. Once the boys had the opportunity to catch their breath, Raven approached them as well. "Be safe." Was all she said. It didn't take much to see that she was equally as concerned...though she never shed any tears.
The two boys watched as the Gamekeepers told them time was up and guided them back to the arena. Claudius returned to see Robin and Beast Boy. "Are you two ready?"
"We have no other choice." Robin said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the Head Gamekeeper. Claudius just glared back.
After a few moments of that he just smiled and shook it off. "I'll show you both to your rooms, then we'll discuss the agenda. You have a few busy days ahead of you!"
Tah-daah. Hope I didn't disappoint...much. Again. D8