Hello again!
I'm keeping this at a brisk pace - more action than emotion.
Oh, and by the way, - calm down! Here's a chapter!
KATNISS P.O.V
Seconds after watching Cinna be dragged away, I am pushed, wiping away tears, into the arena.
Water on all sides. Smells salty. A saltwater lake?
I cast my eyes around. Dimitri on my right, Teresa on my left. I can't see Peeta anywhere.
The Cornucopia has rocky spokes poking out around the perimeter, providing narrow pathways to climb up on out of the water.
10...
9...
8...
7...
6...
5...
4...
3...
2..
1...
CLANG.
The klaxon goes off, and I'm first in the water.
However, I'm not first to the Cornucopia, as Percy is there first, Finnick second. I expect both of the water-comfortable tributes to fight over the trident, but only Finnick goes for it. Percy snatches up a sword. Of course - that was what Haymitch said. Best swordsman the Games have ever seen.
"Allies, right?" Percy says. I nod, trying to catch my breath, grabbing one of the two bows. "Duck."
I don't even have time to question it before Percy drags me to ground, Finnick's trident missing me by a hair's breadth as it soars over my head. I look up. It's buried in some random tribute's chest. Not one of my allies.
"Peeta!" I exclaim, and go to dive.
"Better not," Percy says.
"Excuse me?" I demand, disbelieving.
"In your...uh...condition," he says, flashes me a wink, and splashes off with the ease of a fish.
I'm insulted, until I remember that I'm supposed to be pregnant. Percy just did me a huge favour.
Me and Finnick continue to defend against the other tributes. I narrowly escape a heavy fist sent at me from District 10, until Finnick practically tears his throat out with a twist of his trident.
Peeta eventually appears, towed along by the ebony-haired Percy.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and rescue my girlfriend," he says, not getting out of the water. "Only time she'll ever need rescuing."
I look over to the far left, where Annabeth is hovering on her plate, looking very freaked out. Odd pair - Percy, a demigod son of Poseidon who looks like he was born in the water, and Annabeth, daughter of the Poseidon-hating Athena, with a phobia of spiders and a dislike for swimming.
Instead of heading for the Cornucopia, the rest of the tributes disperse into the woods - except for our allies, who congregate in a small crowd on the beach to the left. After loading ourselves down with weapons - I remember to grab several bundles of knives for Tris, Four and Jace - we swim over to them.
"You okay?" Susan asks as we drag ourselves up on the beach.
"Yeah," I say, panting. I deposit the other bow and sheath of arrows in her arms. "Got this for you."
"Thank you," she says, and she looks like she means it.
"Weapons pile!" Finnick calls, and they all flock to it.
Tris and Four immediately nab the knives. They don't take them all, though - they're handy with their fists too. Jace takes the daggers, and a stele. Clary takes a single knife and sticks close to her blond district partner. Rose takes a dagger, and Dimitri doesn't take anything. Peter grabs a sword, different to Percy's - whereas Percy's is bronze with a distinctive style to it, Peter's is long, sharp and silver. Thomas takes a couple of short knives but nothing else. Teresa takes a machete - Thomas looks at her skeptically, and she shrugs. I'm guessing she's never used one before, then.
Annabeth takes the last dagger, a short bronze thing that looks wickedly sharp. Peeta takes the very last thing, another machete.
"We need to move," I say, watching the forest. It's teeming with life, a luscious, humid hole. It's not a forest. It's a jungle.
Feeling uneasy because of the unfamiliar terrain, I turn back to my allies. "Guys. We need to find a place to sleep. Get some water."
"I can get water," Percy says. "I just need something to put it in."
Finnick snaps his fingers, and hops up to the edges of the trees, followed by Mags. They strip leaves from the trees and shred them. Weaving them tightly, the offer them to Percy within five minutes - five bowls, so closely bound they can hold liquid.
We all stop and stare as Percy does his thing.
He raises his hands, and a small body of water does the same. We all gawp as he seems to squeeze his hands into fists, and the salt and impurities visibly drops into the slightly lower remaining water. Separating it carefully, the water is distributed by the demigod into the bowls, and he stops, looking a little proud. Percy looks up, sees us staring, and strikes a pose. "I know, I'm awesome."
Annabeth slaps him over the back of the head.
So...yeah. Bye.