Drowned Promises: Fallen Hopes

''Fallen Hopes by PhoebetheHunter is the first part of the Drowned Promises series. This series is a crossover between The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Percy Jackson.''

Chapter One: The Reaping
Even training in the sword arena with my giant hellhound couldn’t lift my spirits on reaping day. I thought practicing some new moves with Riptide would ease my mind, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of being chosen to go into the Hunger Games, or that one of my friends might be chosen. I imagined losing Annabeth to the games, other campers closing in on her, weapons pointed at her heart. Quickly, I shook off the image and cut through another sparring dummy. The head rolled off and fell at my feet, leaving me thinking of the chance that I’d have to do that in real life.

Footsteps resounded through the arena as Clarisse walked in, wielding her spear and shield, followed by her boyfriend Chris. She glared at me and plunged her spear through the stomach of a dummy. Sickened and worried even more, I quickly left the arena, sliding the cap back onto Riptide. I stuffed the pen in my pocket and made my way back to cabin three. Annabeth sat outside, flipping through an architecture book and sketching new ideas for the reconstruction of Olympus. She looked up and smiled at me.

“Where have you been? I was looking for you.” She said as she stood up, putting her books and papers under her arm.

“I was in the arena. Just thinking before we have to go to the reaping.” I explained.

Her expression darkened at the mention of today’s event. “Oh, yeah. I was trying to forget about that.”

“Sorry.” I whispered as I wrapped one arm around her. “Well, it’s starting in a few minutes, so I guess we’d have to think about it anyway.”

We started walking toward the big house, past groups of people making their way to the reaping. The hunters of Artemis, forced to come and participate in the games, moved in a huddle towards the house. I watched sadly as Katie Gardner walked by, crying, followed by Annabeth’s brother, Malcolm. He gave me a sad look and kept walking. I’d been getting a lot of looks recently, and I knew why. One boy and one girl, if available, would be chosen to go into the games, and Tyson was the only other guy in my cabin. One of us would be going, no matter what. I didn’t like to think about it, but I knew that if Tyson’s name was pulled out of that jar, I’d instantly volunteer to take his place. I couldn’t lose my brother.

Mr. D stood on the porch of the big house, twenty four jars set out in front of him. Chiron stood back, shaking his head and glancing at the forming crowd solemnly. He clearly had no say in this. Dionysus waited a few more minutes, letting us take in the situation, then started his speech:

“Welcome, campers and hunters, to the first annual Olympian Hunger Games! After the battle against the Titans last year, the gods saw how a mere mortal, our very own son of Hermes, caused the destruction of Olympus. Knowing that Kronos would only persuade more demigods into his clutches, they have created these games, sending a male and female half-blood from each cabin into the Hunger Games to dual to the death. May the gods be ever in your favor!” The smile of his face told me he liked our death sentence a little too much. He continued, moving towards the Zeus bowl. One piece of paper lay at the bottom of the bowl. I glanced at Thalia, who was already hanging her head. She’d known she’d be the one going to the games the minute they’d announced them because she’s the only one in the Zeus cabin.

Still, Dionysus fished his hand into the bowl and pulled her name, smiling gruesomely as Thalia made her way onto the porch. He slid over to the next bowl. Poseidon. Annabeth squeezed my hand as he reached into the bowl. I closed my eyes and found myself praying.

I heard the piece of paper being opened as Dionysus began to call out the name of the tribute going to the games, “Percy Jackson!” He laughed and glared down at me. Annabeth cried out and hugged me, tears streaming down her face. I gently pushed her away and climbed up onto the porch. Thalia stared at me through an emotionless façade. I watched as Mr. D pulled name after name out of the jars. Nico DiAngelo. Connor Stoll. Jake Mason. Clarisse La Rue. Will Solace. Katie Gardner. I barely paid attention as each of my friends was called onto the porch, fading into thoughts of the arena, the games, the deaths. I’ve almost lost myself in the images when I hear another name called.

“Annabeth Chase!”

I gasped and grabbed Thalia’s arm. Thalia’s strong face broke and she began to cry as Annabeth climbed onto the stage. I could barely look at Annabeth when she stepped up next to her brother, but I managed a short glance. She was staring at me, eyes full of sorrow and despair. We both knew only one of us would survive these games.

Chapter Two: Promising Life
At that moment, I knew I’d have to die. I had to do everything I could to keep Annabeth alive. I wouldn’t let her be killed in the arena.

I looked at the other campers on the porch. If I was going to keep Annabeth alive, I’d have to be willing to kill all of them.

Mr. D called the last of the names and excused us to our afternoon activities. The moment he left us, I ran to Annabeth and hugged her. I felt her tears running down the back of my shirt.

“I promise you, Annabeth, I will do everything I can to keep you alive.” I whispered in her ear, holding back my own tears.

“No, Percy, I won’t let you die for me.” She said, pulling away. “We’ll look out for each other, but no one can give their life for another in the arena.”

“Promise me you’ll stay by me the entire time. I’m not going to lose you in these games.” I told her.

She nodded and looked at the campers streaming off of the porch. Thalia’s spiky black hair stuck out in the crowd as she made it over to the hunters. Their usual strong, determined faces broke down when she arrived. Travis Stoll was trying to comfort his brother as they walked back to the Hermes cabin, followed by their tribute sister, Maia Ambrose. Katie Gardner made her way towards her siblings, making any flower she passed wilt. Nico had wandered off towards the forest, shadows gathering around him until he was no longer visible.

The night before we’d have to go to Olympus, reality finally hit me. I’d tried to keep the games out of my mind, but now I remembered it with such force I almost broke down crying. I held myself together for Tyson’s sake, who had just managed to fall asleep after whispering and whimpering as he tinkered with a piece of metal.

I silently counted the tributes on my fingers. Me for Poseidon. Thalia for Zeus. Nico for Hades. Connor and Maia for Hermes. Will Solace and Sophia Cosima for Apollo. Clarisse La Rue and Aaron Page for Ares. Jake Mason for Hephaestus. Ashley Quinn and Logan Aura for Aphrodite. Katie Gardner for Demeter. Phoebe and Lara for Artemis. Pollux for Dionysus. Malcolm and Annabeth for Athena...

I took a deep breathe and turned over on my side, trying to keep my emotions from getting a hold of me. Tomorrow we would say our final goodbyes and head to Olympus, cameras following us from our first step into the Empire State Building. A few Aphrodite kids would be styling us and getting us ready for our appearance before we left. That night, we’d be on Olympus, cameras flashing and fans screaming, every demigod’s television tuned into the opening ceremonies.

Only a week after that, we’d all be in the arena, fighting to death.

Chapter Three: Final Words
I woke up to pounding on my cabin door. Tyson must have woken up and left already because I was alone in my bunk. I got up and walked to the door. Chiron stood there, staring down at me.

“It’s time to get ready. You will be leaving at noon and final goodbyes are in an hour. Get dressed.” His voice was stern and angry, as if he’d just been arguing. “Meet the rest of the tributes at the big house when you’re ready.”

I nodded and closed the door as he cantered away. The minutes ticked by quickly as I got dressed. My watch told me it had almost been an hour by the time I’d gotten ready. I ran out the door and to the big house, still fumbling with my belt. Annabeth waved me over as the tributes formed a line leading up to the door to the big house. I still didn’t know who to expect as my final goodbyes. I knew Tyson and Rachel would probably be there, but Annabeth would be busy with her own farewells, Grover was in Nevada searching for half-bloods, and everyone else had their own siblings to say goodbye to.

I followed the line into the rec room, where each tribute would be taken into the main hall to say their goodbyes. Afterwards we’d be led to the Aphrodite cabin to get ready for our entrance.

“Remember, half-bloods, the stylists know what they’re doing. Do not question their decisions or it will be a very rough night.” Dionysus smirked as he pulled a list of tributes from his pocket and began to call names.

Thalia went first, glancing back once at her hunters before disappearing through the door. I waited nervously until my name was called. The room was silent as I left, wondering who had come to see me. I walked into the infirmary to a pleasant surprise.

“Mom?” I gasped. I hadn’t expected her to come. She had been in California for the release of her new novel. Paul, my stepdad sat next to her. Tyson was on the floor and Rachel was leaning against the wall. I smiled and gave my mom a hug. Paul patted me on the back and laughed when Tyson tackled me from behind. When he finally let me up, I hugged Rachel and looked back at my family. Every one of them had tears in their eyes.

“Percy, you have to be careful out there.” My mother struggled against her tears. “You’re going to be the winner.”

I wanted to say no, I wouldn’t be, I was going to save Annabeth, but I couldn’t. “I will, Mom. For you.”

She nodded, relieved. Paul put an arm around me and said, “Win for me too, kid. I’ll be rooting for you.”

I laughed and looked down at Tyson, who still sat on the floor. He glanced up at me, then back at the ground. “I will miss you, big brother. You will win.”

“Thanks, big guy.” I smiled.

Rachel stared at me from across the room. I thought about telling her about my plan to save Annabeth as I walked over. She pulled me into a hug and whispered, “You’re going to win Percy.”

I shook my head. “Thanks, but I –”

“No, Percy.” She said, her green eyes wide as if she was trying to tell me something. “You will win. I know you will.”

I looked at her for a moment, realizing what she was saying. She had seen my future. She already knew I’d live.

I shook my head again. “I can’t win! Annabeth –”

Rachel looked down at her paint splattered shoes. “I’m sorry.”

I pushed myself away from her, glaring. My mom got up to try to comfort me but I looked away and started for the door.

“Percy...” I heard Tyson whimper. I stopped and looked back at my brother. His big brown eye was full of tears. “We love you...” He whispered as he shut the door.

Before I could go back to him, I was pushed out the front door and towards the Aphrodite cabin. Three girls met me at the door and led me into the cabin. Thalia stood at the last bunk, a boy and two girls fussing over her black makeup and angry clothing. The girls led me to the bunk next to her, where they quickly started to work on my hair. One girl brought out a hairdryer and started to blow my hair back while another tried to fix my eyebrows. The third went through her makeup kit, picking out eyeliners and lip glosses. I began to cringe at the thought of wearing makeup, but all three of the girls yelled at me to stop moving.

I had finished my makeup by the time another tribute came in. Nico walked slowly towards the next bunk, not trying to hold in his entertainment at seeing me in lipstick. That is, until three Aphrodite kids came over to work on him.

One by one, new tributes streamed into the room and stood near one of the bunks. I watched as one of my stylists went over to Annabeth’s bunk to ask her sibling something. She walked back to me and started to pull clothing out of her bag. I watched in horror as she took out a flowing pink top and purple pants.

“Oh no, I’m not wearing that.” I stepped away. I knew I wasn’t supposed to question her, but I wasn’t going to show off a ruffled hot pink shirt in front of the whole world.

The girl laughed and smirked at me. “Yeah, you are.”

I struggled and tried to keep myself out of those elegant clothes, but somehow the girls managed to strip off my Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and force me into the pink outfit. I turned around angrily as one of the girls tried to fix the back of my shirt to find a few people staring at me. Clarisse was cracking up in the front of the room with her brother, Thalia kept giving me sideways glances of amusement, and, worst of all, Annabeth was struggling not to laugh as her stylists fixed her long curls.

Finally, they finished dressing me and let me go back to my cabin, reminding me urgently not to do anything that might mess up my outfit, hair, or makeup before we left. I moved quickly to my cabin, making sure mud and grass didn’t mess up my pink striped sneakers, and shut the door behind me. We would be leaving in twelve minutes. I lay on my bed, contemplating washing the makeup off my face and letting it run onto my pink shirt.

Chapter Four: Costumes and Love
Twelve minutes went by too quickly. Before I knew it, Thalia was pounding on my door, shouting, “Get out here, Twinkle Toes, we’re leaving.”

I pushed myself off the bed and opened the door reluctantly. Thalia burst into laughter when she saw my costume again. I didn’t want to admit it (and I’m sure she wasn’t too happy about it, either), but she looked good. She wore a long black dress that clung to her body at the top and flowed out at the bottom, ending in laced ruffles. Red earrings like drops of blood hung from her newly pierced ears and a red, white, and black laurel of flowers was draped over her short spiky hair. Her lips her blood red and her eyes were lined in blue, making them pop against the dark outfit.

“Stop staring.” She said, pushing me out the door and towards the borders of camp. Streams of dressed up demigods flowed out of the cabins along with me, most of them holding back smiles when they saw me. I didn’t understand why they had dressed me like this. Most people had been put in outfits that either followed their taste in clothing or resembled their godly parent. A lot of the tributes looked amazing, but a few had been forced into hilarious costumes. Clarisse struggled through her laughing siblings in a boar helmet and fur. Katie Gardner was dressed as a flower. Pollux looked like a bunch of grapes.

We made our way to the border, and I finally understood why I was in bright pink. Annabeth looked beautiful in an elegant pink dress that dropped past her ankles onto the grass. Layers of fabric circled her, held together by pink pearls. The top was laced and dark pink, matching my shirt perfectly. Her curly hair had been straightened out so it fell in waves over her shoulders. Blush covered her cheeks and her lips were bright red. Her owl earrings hung through her blonde waves. She was stunning.

“Woah.” I smiled. The Aphrodite girls had made a matching set.

Annabeth’s cheeks turned pink through her blush. “It’s too much for my taste, but-”

“No, Annabeth, you look amazing.” I assured her. She blushed again.

“Alright, love birds, let’s get going. The vans ready.” Thalia ushered us to the van and pushed us into the back seats.

Annabeth and I looked out the window as more tributes filed towards us, pointing out the different outfits.

“Look at Maia. She looks awesome.” Annabeth pointed out the window. Maia, whose hair and clothes were usually tattered and messy, was wearing a sleeveless pink dress covered in green vines and embroidery. Her blonde hair was pulled into a high bun and held up by a large red flower. A ring of stars was laced around her head and silver hoops hung from her ears.

“Oh my gods, Sophia!” Annabeth squealed when her friend Sophia came by. A light purple dress was draped on her body that reflected the sunlight so that she seemed to be shining. A sparkling purple headband held back her tight curls. She was smiling widely as people complemented her outfit.

I was trying to block out her constant praise of everyone that walked by until I heard her gasp.

“Oh, no.”

I looked out the window as Lara, one of the Hunters, walked by and instantly new what was wrong. She looked hot. I mean, she was always a pretty girl and all, but the Aphrodite girls had changed her look completely. She wore a short flowing blue dress with a v-neck. Her strawberry blonde hair was braided with blue ribbons down her back. Purple lipstick and blush matched her earrings and headband, and her blue eyes were wide with concern as every guy walking by stared at her. She looked miserable.

We watched sadly as Lara climbed into the van, muttering, “Stupid boys... those Aphrodite girls... wouldn’t listen...”

“Hey, Lara,” Annabeth tried to cheer her up, “You look really pretty.”

Lara glared at her and turned away. She obviously hated the attention she was getting, especially from the guys. Hunters were supposed to be maidens, which meant no contact or usually no involvement in any way with boys. Clearly, having every guy at camp stare at you was counted as involvement.

I heard shouts outside and turned my attention back to the window. Clarisse and Aaron Page were shoving their way through the crowd of demigods seeing us off. Aaron had a murderous look in his glowing red eyes as he stepped towards the van. He wore a camouflage tank top and pants and blue sandals. A laurel topped his blonde head, as if he’d already won the games. I rolled my eyes and he walked importantly into the car, Clarisse giving one last shove to a nearby kid as she followed.

After them came Logan Aura, which made almost every girl but Thalia and Lara giggle and smile in excitement. He wore no shirt and baggy red pants. Japanese letters were painted from his wrist to his shoulders, his wavy brown hair gazing the blue sketches. His golden eyes squinted as he flashed a smile to the girls in the van.

Logan was every girls dream guy, according to Annabeth. Being the son of the goddess of love, he had a spell over pretty much every girl he met besides the Hunters. I remember Annabeth telling me to stay away from love magic a few years back, but she seemed to be walking right into it when ever she saw him.

I nudged her and the smile quickly left her face as she turned to me, blushing. “Sorry.”

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my seat, ignoring the rest of the tributes boarding the van. Slowly, the van began to move and we started for the Empire State Building.

Chapter Five: Preparations
The car moved quickly through the busy streets towards Olympus. I could already see the cameras outside, waiting for the tributes to arrive. The van stopped outside and Logan Aura jumped out excitedly, smiling and waving for the cameras along with his sister Ashley Quinn, her orange hair falling over her lace covered shoulders.

Clarisse and Aaron followed, shoving through the photographers and their cousins, and pushed through the front doors. Thalia followed suit, pulling Lara and Phoebe behind her and making sure no one got a chance to look at their dresses.

I waited for everyone to leave then walked out with Annabeth. The photographers went crazy, screaming out questions and taking pictures. I grabbed Annabeth’s hand and tried to make it through the crowd, smiling for one or two pictures when they asked. I was surprised when a young boy came over with a pen and paper, asking for an autograph. As I signed the paper, he babbled about how I was his hero for defeating Kronos and saving Olympus. I smiled and gave him back his pen. Seeing this, five girls came running over, asking for pictures. I quickly smiled for their cameras, pulling Annabeth into a few of them too. Once they were satisfied, we pushed through the other fans, waving and greeting a few, and entered the Empire State Building.

Still more cameras flashed and people screamed as we were led to the elevators, so the closed doors as we made our way to Olympus made everything eerily quiet. The elevator doors opened, revealing Olympus. I gasped. The stone path leading to Olympus had been turned to solid marble and gold. The palace towered over the Grecian buildings lining the streets. Banners and statues resembling every god, even minor gods, were in every corner and clearing, making the streets sparkle with color. It was spectacular.

“You designed this?” I asked Annabeth, amazed.

“Yeah, most of it. I’m not done yet though, the palace is still being built...”

“It’s incredible!”

Annabeth blushed. “Thanks. Wait until you see it when it’s finished.”

We followed the marble walkway to Mount Olympus. Logan and Ashley had run ahead to meet the photographers, but Clarisse, Aaron, Thalia, Phoebe, and Lara were already at the palace. We followed them and stood in front. I was shocked.

The palace was made of almost every material I could think of. Stone, glass, diamonds, pearls, gold, silver. Banners of each Olympian had been put up for the games, but it didn’t take away from the beauty of the castle. Light shown off of it and created rainbows and made the palace look like it was underwater. It was incredible.

“I can’t believe you designed this!” I exclaimed to Annabeth.

Annabeth smiled proudly as we entered the palace. Hera met us at the door and nodded as we walked past. She was wearing a long dress made of peacock feathers. We were led to the throne room, where each tribute stood in front of their godly parent’s throne. I could barely look at Poseidon when I remembered I was wearing a fluffy pink shirt. I could tell he was holding back a smile when I walked up to his throne. Hera stood at the front and let the photographers in. Our interviews were about to begin.

Thalia went first, answering every question as if she didn’t care, which she didn’t. I was called next. I stepped towards Hera and turned towards the gods and cameras.

Hera smiled, “Percy Jackson, savior of Olympus.”

“It wasn’t just me, it was-”

“Percy, what was going through your mind when you were chosen as a tribute?” Hera interrupted, smiling dramatically.

“Um, well, I was both relieved and terrified. I had been praying that my brother Tyson wouldn’t be picked because I didn’t want him to get killed in the arena, but I was also sure that I’d be killed in the arena. Not only that, but my friends would be killed as well.”

Hera nodded, pretending to understand. “Of course. You hoped you could save them while in the arena. Now tell me, Percy, what’s your favorite part of the newly constructed Olympus?”

“Oh, I love all of it.” I said, flashing a smile at Annabeth.

“Please, Percy, we all know your girlfriend designed it,” Hera shook her head. I blushed as she continued, “but be honest. There has to be something you like more than the rest.”

“Well, I really liked the statues for the minor gods. It shows that my wish is really being recognized in the plans.” I said.

Hera smiled, “Yes, we’ve been making sure you’re wish was granted. Alright, so, what do you think about the pink outfit you were put into today?”

I laughed, “Honestly, I’m not sure what to think. I’m not very fond of pink, but I like that Annabeth and I are matching, I guess. Of course, the frills aren’t exactly my taste.”

Hera nodded and forced a laugh. “Thank you, Percy.”

I walked back to my seat and completely blanked out for the rest of the interviews.

The next week went by in a blur. Constant training with every weapon (though I still couldn’t shoot an arrow at the end of training) and interviews with different gods. Finally, the week was up and the games were to begin. The same Aphrodite girls helped me into my old Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, a heavy jean jacket, baggy jeans, and sneakers. The tributes were led into their own rooms to get ready. A glass tube elevator stood at one end. I stood in front of it, waiting for the signal. I heard a steady beeping and climbed into the tube. It slowly started to lift me towards the arena. Just before the tube reached the top, I pulled on my Camp Half-Blood necklace.

“Ladies and Gentleman, let the first annual Olympian Hunger Games begin!”