Training Part 1

Ok, firstly I hope you all had awesome Christmases/Hanukahs/Kwanzas/Days; I got so lucky in the present department plus it was nice to see some of my family again and watch Christmas specials (did anyone SEE Doctor Who? I'm super confused; but it's a good kind of confused. Clara/Oswin/whatever is such a badass). Also, I'm gonna respond to Concerned Fan. Its ok bro, me and captain-random have discussed this. I'm not intending to do powers, the Greek aspect in mine is more gonna come from the arena and stuff. On that note, captain-random if I have copied something of yours, DEAL WITH IT. I joke, let me know in the reviews. Enjoy the Chapter and May the Odd be Ever in Your Favour!

Terrian Demetrius POV

Cersai and I are the first two tributes to arrive. I guess Suzy's militant schedule does have its perks. The next tributes to enter of from district 1; the girl looks at me and smirks. I glare at her and clench my fists. I notice Cersai is looks at the floor and shaking so I nudge her.

"Hey, don't let them see you're afraid" I whisper, though to be fair, the male tribute doesn't exactly look threatening.

Nevertheless, Cersai bites her lip to stop it trembling and looks defiantly at the district 4 tributes, who enter next, but neither of them seem to take much notice. Soon, every district is here, including district 11 who entered with their lips firmly attached. I don't have a problem with them but there's a time and a place. The head trainer, Cleo Talawaka comes in. She must have some weird ability to catch everyone's eye at once, because we all stop talking almost simultaneously.

"Good morning tributes; this is the time you use to your advantage. We have 18 stations and several trainers by each of them. They will engage in combat with you if asked but we are forced to warn you this year that fighting other tributes or indeed myself, you will forfeit your private training session and be given a score of 0" she concludes "Begin!"

As per usual, the Careers rush over to the stations specialising in the most deadly weapons. I notice the boy from 1 looking over at the throwing knives longingly but is pulled over to the daggers station by the girl from 1. I walk towards a station specialising in swords so I can transfer my skills with a sickle. Cersai follows me but when we get there she doesn't pick up a sword she just watches me with some kind of odd fascination. I try to ignore her and get into destroying the dummy, picturing the district 1 girl's smirk.

"Why do you hate them so much?" Cersai asks as I pause for a breath; I don't have to ask who she's talking about.

"It's simply, to the Capitol as long as those prissy snobs are happy, nobody matters. I don't matter; you don't matter" I snarl.

She looks hurt but I don't care.

"If I don't matter, then why didn't you just let me fall?"

"Use your brain, you stupid bitch!" I push her onto the floor "Nobody cares if you live or die; it's just one less person for the Careers to kill!"

"B-but you said; you said they'd replace me!"

"Just get lost!"

"No! All this time you've just been feeding me this bullshit just to get one over on the Capitol? How selfish are you?"

"Get out of my face!"

"Make me!"

"Oh I don't think you want me to do that."

"On the contrary, I'd like to see you try!"

"Ok, break it up!" a peacekeeper cuts in and looks at Cersai first "You go to another station please."

"Fine, but let me just tell you something Terrian. You may not matter, but I'm gonna make sure you and the Capitol know I do."

She walks off and I continue stabbing the dummy, even though it's already in pieces. I don't care if she's gone; I don't need her. I don't need anybody.

Annaliese Slate POV

I can't believe I'm actually staying with Clio. I've tried to get him to get an alliance himself but he doesn't want to leave me alone. I don't intend to be alone. I am a Career. I was born in district 2. I was raised there for almost the whole of my childhood. Speaking of Careers, the six of them are huddling by the weightlifting section but aren't using the weights. I listen in to hear their conversation.

"Well aren't you just Miss Independent? Just know Aurora my dear, independence is exactly the same as being alone and being alone means having no one to protect you from certain… incidents you may be phased with" sighs Whittier, the district 1 girl.

"You don't scare me Whit; and FYI Barbie called, she wants her plastic little nose back" the girl who I'm guessing is Aurora sneers.

Admittedly I can't help but let out a snort at her weak joke but there's a more interesting piece of information on offer. The Careers are missing a member; a girl. A district 2 girl. I look over at Clio who is concentrating on his knife throwing. I wait for Aurora to leave then stride over, two knives in my hand.

"Losing members already are we?" I say jokingly.

"No, we're losing weaklings who want to get themselves killed" replies the district 2 boy sharply.

"It's just a game Lupus; play it or don't" the district 4 girl shrugs, smiling mischievously to herself "So you wanna take her place huh new meat?"

I want to hit her for calling me new meat but try to play it cool.

"Is there any other reason I'd be talking to you people?" I reply.

"Hmm, I like you new meat. But it's not up to me, it's up to our glorious leader" the girl says sarcastically; she doesn't look me in the eye so I don't know who she's talking about "The creepy blonde, genius."

I head over to talk to Whittier but she's already preoccupied, talking to the district 4 boy.

"Who hurt you so bad that you can't trust- oh we have company" she looks up at me "What exactly do you think you're doing over here?"

"I was hoping to join your alliance" I say.

"Oh you were hoping to join our alliance? Well unfortunately for you we don't accept people because of hope, we accept them because of ski-"before she can finish I hurl both knives simultaneously at the target where Clio is throwing.

They don't just hit the target, the combined strength collapses the centre altogether. I grin briefly to myself before changing to a bored expression and staring back. Five shocked wide open mouths stare back at me; Whittier recovers first.

"That'll do" she says simply "You may be in our alliance."

A large part of me wants to bow mockingly and give her the finger but I don't.

"Lisey wait!" Clio comes running over to me "What are you doing with them?"

"Ooh, is this your boyfriend Lisey?" Whittier leers.

"He's my brother" I scowl through gritted teeth.

"You can't make me go in there alone; you can't be a Career! I won't let you!" Clio pleads.

"Clio, I have to do this."

"No you don't!"

"Just grow up already Clio! Grow up, and then go away!"

Clio's lip trembles and he runs off crying. The girl from 12 looks nervously over at him. Then, she looks at me in fury. She picks up a large weight with little difficulty and hurls it into a glass wall, which shatters into millions of raindrop sized pieces. I turn away and laugh with my fellow Careers. Clio's just a baby.

Ares Tower POV

I hate the games and the Capitol; I always will. Yet being here, it feels ok; it's just nice not to be stared at all the time. No one here knows me; I'm a nobody and that's just the way I like it. Besides, despite feeling ok, there's loads of other shit to put up with. Our mentor, Cyrus is in short, a bully. He harasses Juliette more than me; he keeps saying she'll die in the bloodbath just like the last year's district 6 girl. She acts like she's not fazed but when he goes she starts wheezing. Our escort keeps trying to convince us to have plastic surgery before the interviews; as if she hasn't had enough for all of us put together. Juliette's not so bad; she's harmless, but she doesn't seem to be a good ally idea. I haven't really seen what she can do. I wonder where she's gone; she was over by the camouflage station earlier. I've been practising my hand to hand combat but I'm still crap. Maybe I'll just go back to the bow and arrow station. I head over there and see one empty station but just before I grab the bow, the girl from 8 snatches it from my grasp momentarily giggling at my expense.

"Hey!" I bark at her.

"God, what's your problem?" she replies.

"I need to use that."

"Well sorry; you don't have to be such a dick about it."

"Please don't fight" someone pipes up.

"Who said that?"

"Me."

The back wall starts to move and then two eyes blink open. It's Juliette, covered in camouflage matching the colour of the wall.

"Oh hey Juliette" the girls sounds relieved.

"You know Juliette?" I say in confusion.

"We're allies."

Of course, obviously they're allies.

"Ares, this is Angel West" says Juliette.

"How ironic" I joke.

"Very funny Ares; isn't Ares the God of war? Why don't you prove you live up to your name?" Angel passes me the bow.

"Fine, I will."

I pull back the arrow, trying to concentrate and then let it go.

TWANG

"Bullseye!" I call happily.

"Not bad" Angel shrugs.

"Not bad? You can't score any better than that."

She ignores me, takes the bow from me plus another arrow and pulls the string back.

TWANG

Not only does her arrow hit the centre; it goes directly through my arrow slicing it into two halves.

"Good shot" I say sourly.

"Lucky shot more like" she compromises before holding her hand out "Truce?"

I shake her hand roughly but in response she tightens her grip. We may not particularly like each other, but we're gonna be great allies.

I don't really know what to think of this chapter; I like to believe it turned out reasonably well but that's for you guys to decide. Now Christmas is over (not that I wanted it out the way; I love Christmas), I'm gonna try and get a new chapter up every day. Tomorrow should be Picking Your Allies so we should see some major bitchiness coming out. Unfortunately, I probably won't manage my goal of getting to the bloodbath by New Year but I'll try to at least get to the interviews. Wish me luck!