Meet Me Halfway
•Percy's POV•
"What about the winter solstice? It's tonight." I reminded our group as they kept heading for the core. We'll be staying in the attic. You know, the one I met this so called "Vathia" in.
"Well, that's their issue." Peeta growled. "Are we almost there?"
"No! Geez, Peeta we won't travel thousands of miles in an hour or two." Oran called back facing Peeta. "For the record it's ourissue too. We have a rumor that it has to do with the supernatural as well. So we'll be watching from afar." He said over his shoulder as he turned.
Peeta complained. "Look, I am going back. If Katniss was thatimportant then you guys would be frantically searching for her dead body!"
Sora stopped. He passes unconscious Mitzuki to Oran just dropping her steady in his arms. Then . . . He charged at Peeta.
"You don't get it, do you?" Sora stuck his finger onto Peeta's chest. "The Mockingjay doesn't die off with a simple 'cave-in'. She dies when heaven and earth explode all together. She is fire. It's in her nature to survive. Like Perseus." He pointed at me. "Try killing him right now! It won't be easy! In fact—you'll die first. Don't you get it?"
Sora surprises me at times. Like a lot, no joke. I guess he isn't the ninny I thought he was. Peeta glared at him.
"She's still human. There's been no confirmation of her being supernatural." Oran snorted and Sora chuckled.
"Baka. She is one of the chosen ones. They are all scattered through time and other dimensions that are parodies of time. And if they areof the same time, they'll never meet. Take Jason Grace, for instance. He is also a chosen one. Doesn't mean you'll ever meet him, Percy. And if you do . . ." He stopped. "Must be another heck of a war." Who the heck is . . . ? Eh, not important. It's not like I'll ever meet him.
"Uh . . . Guys?" Oran motioned us to look up. There were hundred of immense naval ships soaring through the sky. Like they covered clouds whole.
"Oh no." Peeta said. "Those are—?"
"Capitol ships." Oran replied. "They're gonna invade Thirteen . . ." He clenched his fists. I look at him. Is thisthe Oran that is supposed to betray us? Of course it is. I know it by heart now.
"That's our ride." Sora stated simply. "Can you get us up there?" He asked Oran.
"Unless you want what happened to us in the Phoenix chambers to replay." He bit his lip. "However, I canfly you up there at a time."
"No, I'm staying." Peeta argued. And it inspired a great idea in me.
"As am I." I called fearless, like Katniss would of. Sora face palmed his face. But I remembered something I have in which I can bargain this fight with.
"I have this." I took a drachma out and gave it to them. "You guys do know how to Iris message, right?" They looked at me in shock.
"No one has seen these babies in a looooong time. So . . . no." Oran said. I mentally smacked the gods. First monsters aren't common anymore and now drachmae are instinct?
"Well, you simply toss it in water and offer a sacrifice to Iris and tell her who to message. Easy." I gave them two drachmae. "Now go. Peeta and I will catch up." They nodded and Oran levitated Sora and Mitzuki up into the aircrafts.
Peeta and I then ran back like if the ground was lava itself.
•Katniss's POV•
I got up and dragged my leg. I barely have any motion in it.
The dust of the cave-in intoxicated my lungs while it was pitch black. Paggos Fotia did it's best to protect me back there and right now—provide light. Not much but it's something.
"Help! Someone!" I heard a muffed voice saying from not so far.
"Soldiers! There are generals down!" Voices came from the elevator. Oh, great. I know who they are. None other than Gale and Finnick. My loveable traitors. How I love them.
I head to where their voices echo until I reach the elevator. The door is sealed shut. I think I can also make out some boulders covering the whole entrance. I cough a few times.
Few pebbles fall from the ceiling. That's not good. It's a miracle that the whole mine didn't cave in. But I know it will. Eventually.
I'm still debating whether to save Gale and Finnick or not. They will probably turn me in. That or leave me here for betraying them.
I never did understand why I did go through with saving them considering the circumstances against my odds.
"Gale? Finnick?" I called toward the elevator. Silence.
"Katniss . . . Is that you? You freaking survived!" Finnick yelled.
"Yes, it's me!" I yell.
"Could you . . . get us out?" Gale asked sincerely. "We won't turn you in. We'll be even if you save us. Yeah?"
". . . Okay." I have to admit, I didn't hesitate to answer. It was just a matter if they go through with their promise. But I would of saved them because—well, because they are my friends also.
Damn it, Percy.
I tried moving the rocks but they were too heavy. That's when my fingertips begin lighting up in their faint golden aura.
I bring my hands up. Why can I do this? Who made me have this? Hephaestus? And it does drain me and all, but still.
Why waste perfectly good energy on pondering?
I melted the boulders with lava and headed for the door. I tried to force it open but I couldn't. And it's not like I can just melt it without somehow melting Gale or Finnick.
"I can't open the door—which is your last obstacle to getting out of the elevator at least." I called to them.
"Can't you freeze it and we'll kick it?" Finnick asked.
"No! I'm not Alex! I can't control water!" I sink to my knees since my leg just can't stand being so high.
I look over to Paggos Fotia. I can trycrystallizing the door. I used the hinges of the elevator to pull myself up slowly.
"I'll crystallize the door. Then try kicking it. Cause if I kick it . . . " I un-strap Paggos Fotia and it beautifully morphs into the bow. The other charms carve against the dazzling crystal of the bow. I take out the crystallizing charm—also known as my purple charm. I'll never understand how this bow was made and how it can do these things but, oh well.
I steady and aim the arrow exactly pinpointing the center of the elevator. And I launch with grace. The elevator cracks and the dazzling crystal over comes the whole thing as it coats the metal.
"Kick!" I yell and start hearing various kicks until I have to take cover when the door shatters into small shards.
"Whoo!" Finnick yells as he escapes. "And she does it again!" I roll my eyes.
"Where are the rest?" Gale asked as he looked around.
"They managed to escape." I say as Paggos Fotia merges back to it original shape along with the charms popping out from the bow's side. Finnick's eyes marble around through the whole thing.
"So, they left you after you saved them?" He snorted and went on ahead to get a flashlight from his pocket since the elevator's light is flicking off and on. "Some friends youhave."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Gale. They probably think I'm dead. If I didn't stay, we would all be dead. Including you two." I go ahead of Gale as Paggos Fotia starts faintly glowing once more. "Think about that, smartass." My eyes grow. Where did I learn that word?
"What did you call me?" Gale asked.
"I have . . . no clue." I look up to the ceiling and see trillions of cracks just waiting for a trigger so they can kill us. Slowly and painfully.
Just how Stephanie will. That is, if we are doing anything right.
"Come on." I take the lead as Finnick follows without a question.
I hear some cracks falling and noise somewhere behind. Eventually I hear something falling. Something big. Then a roar.
"Run." I tell the other two. They stand there looking around—clearly trying to figure out the noise's whereabouts. "Run!" I hear something big charging toward here and yet the buffoons refuse to cooperate. "For crying our loud! Get the hell out of here!" I yell and that triggers their little legs to budge. We run and hear more roars.
"Minotaur . . ." I whisper while running for my life. But how? I rack my brain for the story.
"What did you say?" Gale asked as he turned to me.
"Nothing." He wouldn't get it even if I told him.
I hear more of the roars. Why is the Minotaur down here? And why underg—the Labyrinth. We're in the Labyrinth.
King Minos put the Minotaur—offspring of his own wife who copulated with a beautiful white bull Poseidon's gave him—in the Labyrinth to make sure he won't escape. Mitzuki mentioned that Percy thought they destroyed the Labyrinth when in reality it's impossible to destroy it. It's like trying to kill a monster or a god. You can't defeat the godly. Ever. It's like energy. It's still there . . . Somehow. And it will grow. What happened at "The Battle of the Labyrinth" only cut the Labyrinth and basically made it have to grow again.
"Guys, stop." They look at me weirdly. "I know I said to run like hell before but I think we're in Daedalus's Labyrinth. So the cave-in's morph the Labyrinth. Who knows where we will be now." The stomps got closer. I un-strap Paggos Fotia and take out the purple charm again. The crystallizing charm. It's this or getting lost into internal madness.
I aim and await the Monster.
•Percy's POV•
"Anything yet?" I ask Peeta as we peer into the hole. He shakes his head.
"We need another entrance." He looks to the side. "Come on." I run after him.
You know throughout all this. I have to say Peeta reminds me of Annabeth. Not because they are both blond or have similar personalities at times—but because they both have that sickly look to them. Peeta—from what I've seen—doesn't have much of an appetite and thinks of anything besides food. I think, and conclude, that maybe he has the same eating disorder as Annabeth.
We eventually found another emergency elevator. (Look how much thatcame in handy.) It, luckily, still worked.
We descended into the darkness with only the flicker of a small light bulb inside that barely works. Along with the flicker I noticed a small detail that caught my attention. There was a triangle engraved along the buttons. It looks like . . . No, it can't be. Daedalus's symbol? Are we entering the Labyrinth?
The elevator rang and we arrived. We went out and Peeta somehow managed to light up an oil lamp he found in the elevator. I looked around but it looked like any ordinary mine, nothing Greek looking.
We walked. How long? No idea. Twenty minutes, maybe?
I could hear some faint roaring in the back. I eventually felt it getting closer as we walked. Then a huge ferocious loud roar was heard. Peeta stops.
"Can you hear—?" He didn't finish before we heard a yell. We looked at each other and ran. I knew there was something here! I knew it!
We found Katniss taking down a Minotaur. Gale stood shocked and I don't think he can see through the mist yet. But from the look on his gullible face, I'd hate to be him. Finnick was thrown against a wall—trident in hand.
"Percy!" Katniss yelled as the Minotaur choked her slowly. So much for taking it down.
I uncap Riptide and get to work.
I charge toward my infamous old friend. He slowly crushes Katniss's neck.
"Percy, take them all and run." She clutched her eyes in pain. I clenched my teeth.
I threw Riptide—spear-like. Sort of like when Katniss did back when she defeated it the first time we met.
Wait, how come she can't defeat it nowconsidering she's had loads of training?
The spear/Riptide, meanwhile, actually went through the Minotaur but it only did minor damage.
Katniss fell to the ground. Breathing heavily. The ceiling started to rumble. She looked at me giving me a mental memo. I retrieved Riptide and fended off the Minotaur while Katniss got the others. Her hands sparked the usual gold aura and shot lava into the ceiling. The others stood amazed. Their imaginations fired up like the lava they perceive.
"Peeta, Gale, Finnick. Group together under the hole! Now!" She yelled as I got knocked back into a wall. I can't fight off a Minotaur while watching what the others do. (No duh) I'm going to have to divert allmy attention to our main target.
I lift myself back up and take a deep breath. The Minotaur puffs out a breath through it's nostrils.
The blue aura evades off my hands as the monster charges. I swiftly launch a strong current of water at him. It didn't do much.
Katniss jumps in next to me and throws fire. Causing steam to rise and block all view for the Minotaur. We get down and crawl, 'cause you know—we can see down here.
"Where are the others?" I whispered as I crawled following Katniss.
"Bubble. Through the hole." We crawled faster toward the hole. She stands and gives me a hand. The Minotaur roars from a distance, I bet we really did damage to his eyesight.
Katniss meanwhile looks at Paggos Fotia and the bubble charm begins regenerating back. She then started blowing and the swift small particles began to form a whole. She made a bubble around me.
Was she planning to stay . . . again?
•Katniss's POV•
Percy can't be as heavy as the other loads I've passed with the bubble. It should not take that long for the charm to regenerate.
Percy clutches my wrist then. His face seemed determined. I felt a sudden rush of static run slowly through all my body as he did so. He pushed me inside with him right on time before the bubble closed off.
Nice to have known that we could have done that a few hours earlier.
The bubble slowly rises. It feels like I'm flying.
"How did you survive?" Percy asked suddenly. I look at him as he gets closer to me. Too close for my liking now. I inch away slowly.
"Paggos Fotia saved me." I say quietly. He gently lifts his hand and runs his fingers through my hair. I stiffen up. I feel uncomfortable doing this. I think he notices because he stops.
"Sorry." He mumbles between breaths. Eventually the bubble pops on land. And let me tell you that I was right. We werein the Labyrinth.
"You guys came out!" Peeta proclaimed not too far away. Peeta.
I stood still—emotionless. Not knowing what to say or do as the man I've been waiting for stood right before my eyes.
"P—Peeta . . ." He came at me and I stood there as he swept me off my feet.
"I'm here now." My feet now touched the ground. The sweet ground of dirt and sand. My home. "And . . . I promise I won't ever leave you again. Katniss." His whispers trembled into me chilling me to the bones. This . . . This felt right.
"Guys, sorry to interrupt but," Gale began. I separated from Peeta almost immediately.
"Percy." I called and he went to my side as we stood in some unknown forested location.
"Location? No idea. My best guess is awayfrom Twelve." I glare at him.
Finnick comes running from afar. He comes in front of us—panting.
"I got some good news—then—I have—some bad news."
"Which are?" Gale asks.
"Good news is: District Thirteen is about half an hour away walking."
"And the bad news?" Percy asks.
"Capitol naval ships. They are stationed not so far away from here." Percy and Peeta look at each other.
"Did they justland?" Finnick nods. Peeta and Percy begin running there.
I go after them. Feeling like a ditzy girl that needs her manly heroes by her side. I somehow can't catch up to them, despite the fact that I'm faster than them.
"Peeta! Percy!" I say as I run after them. Their names . . . Their names combined are like a tongue twister to my mouth. I speed up until I strike them through the center. And I kind of managed to keep up—when I should bekeeping up. I mean come on—I even have a record journal for this!
"What are you doing? We need to get back befor—" Peeta interrupted.
"Katniss, We knowwhat the Capitol planned to do before we went back." He ran and panted. His legs buckled but he kept up.
"Where do you think Oran, Mitzuki, and Sora are?" Percy called. He looked into my eyes. Making me go back to the ditzy character I've pictured myself in before.
"They're in the—on the ship?" I almost yell.
"Bingo." Percy and Peeta said in unison—which was utterly creepy.
Eventually over sprawls of green thick grass—we saw them—the Capitol Naval ships. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of ships. It gave me a shock. Nothing I can't handle. But still . . .
Midnight. It's the time they will attack.
Midnight. It's the time we can't deny.
Midnight. It's the time someone will pay the price.
Midnight. I will never see that word that same way without the memories that will flourish and decorate my way of thinking.
"There." Percy said as we hid in the bush. He pointed to an opening from the inside of a ship in which Oran came rolling out of and levitating into a tree so he wouldn't be seen. I get up and run toward him.
"Katniss! No!" I heard I don't know who of the "heroes" say. Most probably both. Again—creepy.
I ran and when a soldier turned my way, I pounced onto a tree and kept my back to the soldier. I panted. I'm very fond of these supersonic jumps. But, Oran didn't seem to hear me or see . . . See the soldier . . . Who is after him!
I skid to that tree as quietly yet as swiftly through branches as I can. I un-strap Paggos Fotia using the purple crystal charm.
"Hey, we've got—!" The soldier started yelling and I shot. Causing him to get crystallized. Someone must have heard. I scramble amok the tree looking for something to get the frozen soldier up here—away from mortal eyes.
Then four trees over, I spot a vine. I skid to get it. I have no time left. All my thoughts as of now are all pressured and it's really stressing me out. They revolve around a vine right now, for god's sake.
Snap!
I tripped. A branch snapped and I end up falling on my back. I want to yell in pain but I can't. I can't. Not now. I try to get up, but I can't.
"Kat." My body gets lifted into a tree.
"Percy—" I start.
"Shh. Peeta is hiding the soldier in a bush." I lift myself up in his arms. "Wait, wait—you just fell like six to ten feet into the ground. Don't try to get up so fast. You've been enough trouble for one morning."
I pierce him with a look. Trouble? I've been giving it my all to save the rebellion—the world! And now . . . now he says I'm trouble? Trouble?
I break away from him and stand in the tree. My back aching as well as every leg muscle. But it doesn't matter. Pride foams off my body like a silky tar.
"No. No, you're wrong." I look at him as he remains sitting on the branch. "I—I'm older than you! I know what I'm doing, Perseus!" I say as I skid to the next tree clumsily.
"No, no you do know but," He skids to the next tree clumsier than me in thisstate. "Not quite what is necessary at the moment. You go more by impulse than actual thought processing." He gets nearer to me. He's taller than me. I just noticed. Two inches. I felt he's breath clashing on my face. I hear his chest pounding from the rhythm of his heart.
"Stop doing that." I say as I switch branch. He follows through the other one—meeting me halfway.
"Stop what?" He asks. I looked into his eyes. The green eyes of the sea. Where I'd probably drown. Why does he do this?
Can you meet me halfway . . . ? Right by the borderline. That's where I'm going to wait . . . For you.
•Percy's POV•
"Stop what?" I teased Katniss. For some odd reason I take a liking into bothering her like this. Doesn't mean I know why she doesn't like this.
No, there was no sarcasm in that.
She look annoyed and spotted a bit of red on her face as she turned to the side—not facing me in the eye. (Heh, heh. Rhymes!)
"You know what I mean and—!"
"Psst! Percy! Katniss!" We looked down. Peeta stood there and he pointed to the left side of the tree.
About fifty feet away, everyone was there waiting. And I mean everyone. Finnick and Gale got themselves there as well, Mitzuki looks alive, Oran looked pumped (Wonder for what. That traitor,) and Sora is, well, Sora.
"Let's go!" Peeta whispered.
I helped Katniss get down and we all slithered away in silence.
xX. Keep. It. Beating. Xx
I hit the alarm button as they instructed me. I was to stay behind while everyone else went inside the subway tunnels. Like as security, you know? So here I am on the stairs that lead outside of the subway tunnels.
The alarm sounded and soldiers ran everywhere securing the area. I grabbed a small headset that let me announce the so called "emergency".
"Capitol Naval ships are to surround the area by Midnight. Take evasive action."
I've always wanted to do that.
"I repeat: YOU WILL FREAKING DIE IF YOU DON'T TAKE EVASIVE ACTION AND HIT THE BOMB SHELTERS. Have a nice day." I even stayed PG for them.
I put the headset away and saw as the sun already faced west. The battle will begin in some hours.
"The end was coming! No one listened to me! No one!" I turned to an old lady who was screaming on the sidewalk. She had white ruffled hair. And she didn't look very sane.
"Are you okay, miss?" I asked the lady—trying to motion her to get a move on.
"What's your name?" I ask. She looks at me weirdly.
"Coin. They called me Coin. Back when everyone wouldlisten to me." She then got up and poked me and skipped away to the bomb shelters.
Okay . . .
"Katniss! Katniss!" Prim came running into the subway tunnel.
"Get that girl!" Some guys shouted from not so far. "Don't let her go in!" They—honestly—looked like trouble.
I grabbed Prim and kept her behind me. I bet she doesn't even know—or at least remember—who I am.
"Bullying younger girls isn't cool, you know?" They gave me a major WTF look. I sound like Sonic from Sonic Sez, for Pete's sake!
"Look, we're rebel soldiers, kid. This girl just ran from the bomb shelters and is infiltrated with Katniss Everdeen. Who is one of our most wanted." What? After all this, she's a criminal? Wow, you know there's a word for all this and its called "stupid".
"Look, I have no idea why any of you here would be hunting Katniss down for her blood while the rest of Panem adores her. And I definitely have no intention of handing over her sister to you. So give it up, turn around, and go home." Prim looks up at me innocently. I can't believe this girl is like only three years younger than me. I hold her hand and she clutches it strongly.
"You do realize we have the authority and will to use violence." Oh, come on. Get real. "And we also have the right to arrest you for siding with Katniss." And I have the right to use my deadly high sense of irony against you.
"I'd like to see you try." I challenged them. The first guy charged at me with his fist out. I push Prim back and trip him. "Look, come on! Just leave! This is a battle you ain't gonna win." I nudged Prim to run in the subway. She did but she clung on to my hand for a while until she eventually ran off. The other guy tried to go after her but I pushed him by throwing myself onto him. You know, with my side 'cause I happen to havestyle.
"This place is about to blow!" No Ke$ha reference intended, "Why do you insist on going after her? Right now, all your real 'Most Wanted', are out there killing innocent people fending for their freedom. I highly suggest you to just leave. I honestly don't want to fight you guys. We're all rebels against the Capitol here, right?" One of the guys spit blood out and the other one got up.
"Fine. Only because you're right. We areall rebels here. Come on, Tom." Tom followed buff guy toward the bomb shelter.
"Thanks." A sweet voice called from behind me. I turn to see Prim. "I didn't want to leave. So I stayed here just in case." She smiled. Her smile was identical to Katniss's. Just you know, she's paler and has sparkling blue eyes along with her blond ruffles for hair.
"You dealt with that situation quite better than anyone else I would have expected." Example: Katniss. I shrugged.
"I wasn't going to beat them up either." She came up to me and felt my forehead.
"You're lucky they didn't even lay a hand on you." Her expression turned stern. "How did you know I'm Katniss's sister? And who are you anyway?"
"I'm a friend of your sister. Name's Percy. Perseus Jackson."
"Percy Jackson...catchy name."
"Prim? Percy?" I see Katniss coming out of the tunnel from the stairs. Prim's eyes gleam with joy.
"K—Katniss!" Prim rushes up and hugs Katniss. "I feel like you're a ghost. You're never home and you're hunted down daily. People thought you were dead! But I knew you'd come! I knew it—!" Katniss pulled away.
"You went to Twelve without me, you used my bow and asked Gale to teach you, and you had the nerve to take my place in the Hawthorne's, 'Little Katniss'." Prim looked hurt. "It's not fun being replaced while I fended for my life."
"I—Katniss, I didn't mean to do any of that. You were just always gone! Someone needed to get food! Someone needed to help the Hawthorne's! And I didn't think you would have wanted to go to Twelve! You were always busy!"
"I brought enough food every weekend! I visited the Hawthorne's every Saturday!" Katniss never liked yelling at Prim. I know she doesn't—it hurts her every time. But I could feel the anger and envy they had towards each other at the moment—despite the fact they both unconditionally love each other.
"What about herbs for mom? What about spending more time with us? What about the new additions to our family? I bet you didn't even know about Holt or Rose! What if what I felt was right, huh? I have the freedom to do as I please!" Oh, no. I turn to Katniss.
Katniss looked like if someone just backstabbed her. "Prim, just go to the bomb shelter. Please."
"Bu—"
"Just go Prim!" Prim turned around hurt and ran.
"She's changed." Katniss starts. She faces me. "She would never rebel against what I told her. I always did what was best for them. When Gale told me that she has the justice to choose her own fate . . . It hurt. When she told me she had the freedom to . . . It killed me." She bit her lip. "Why couldn't I have that 'justice' or 'freedom'?" She then turns. "Come on, we aren't criminals anymore. We are heroes. And we'll fight till the end." She walks toward the subway and . . .
I followed. Not looking back.
Blehhh ;D This is a total filler chapter. . .in a way. LOL. Don't get me wrong, I'm just that weird chick who just LOVESS fillers :'D They are so funny! They actually bring out more of the characters' persona then when they are actually going for a goal or doing something. But in fillers. . .it's usually just fun. They stray away from priorities and just be themselves.
But that's my weird opinion xD LAWLAWLAWL.
Of course the title was inspired by the song that guided me through this 'filler', was by the Black Eyed Peas :D I was in debate for the title. I created this chapter a few weeks ago and at that time I was jamming out to "Meet Me Halfway". Back to now—I really wanted to call this chapter "For Those Who Wait" by Fireflight but that's cause its my fav song at the moment :'D
So sorry for the wait. . .I tend to be like this. . .you would know Dx
I dedicate this to mah trusty comdrades! I salute yew :DD