What can I say? I was born for this job. I may be ruthless but if you prove that you're worth it, maybe I'll consider. Just one piece of advice: Keep me entertained.
I nodded at her comment about Arlene. I guess that’s where he bum eye came from.
I took in her last bit. They must not know the Gods are here, that my father, our mentors are in fact watching over us. Aside from the obvious maybe that’s why Pops told me to keep his presence here a secret, and I sure as hell wasn’t about to tell her that he had in fact been with me my whole life in another guise. I couldn’t imagine what kind of power the Titans have locked away to use if they found out.
I also found it pretty ironic how she was describing the flaws of the Gods. Replace ‘God’ with “Capitolites” and the sentence still stands true, not that I was about to throw that in her face.
How do I answer this without pissing off the daughter of a Titan?
"He’s still my God. He’s always been there to guide me through the good and the bad and hasn’t failed me yet. My faith in him has never been shaken, not even here, and I know he’ll see me through this, just as he has everything else." I smile genuinely.
He smiled like he admired his father so greatly. I forced a smile back at him, although the Gods were not people who I cared for much. "How sweet," I said, my voice hinting a bit of sarcasm. "Let's just hope your father doesn't fail you while you're in the Arena," I said. I knew the Gods would try to help their children in any way possible, most of them trying to make up for the guilt they felt.
I looked at my watch and realized I should leave soon. There were plenty other tributes who might want to talk to me so I would give them the chance. My eyes rose to land on the boy once more. "As much as I would like to stay I must get going. I wish you luck in the Arena, Zale. Don't fail to entertain me. If you do, you'll regret it," I told him, hoping he got the point that I liked action and if that's not what I got I liked to make my own fun.
We weren’t the main targets. Oh, we were important, to be sure, as the Gods historically needed aid from their half-blood children from time to time, but we weren’t the end game for Persephone and Eywa. I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse. Either way, I’d gained all the information I found necessary.
"Thank you for being honest and answering me," I said calmly, signalling I had no questions left for her. I stood to leave, hoping it wasn’t rude to do so.
I nodded my head and smiled. "It was my pleasure," I said, and in a way it was. I didn't mind answering questions as long as they didn't cross the line and hers didn't, which I appreciated.
I stood as she did. "I expect good things from you, Ruby. I'll be watching," I told her, hoping and expecting that she wouldn't let me down.
Did she just give me a boost or compliment by telling me not to underestimate myself? Ya figure she and whatsherface would be harder on all of us considering we posed a “serious threat” to their “plans,” whatever they were.
"I don’t underestimate my abilities, I was only trying not to come off as full of myself. I’m confident, but not cocky." That was one of the first things I learned running with the guys back home; know when you’re over your head, retreat and fight another day. Only this time around I wouldn’t have the ability to come back for round two. Fuck, I really wish I could barter with her for something, hell I’d take a sponsor gift if nothing else, although the information about the other tributes is my first choice at the moment.
"Given yours and Ms. Eywas lineage I assumed you were blessed as we in your own way, but no I haven’t heard anything specifically, no offense." If something had happened I was honestly out of the loop. I really wasn’t paying that much attention to what was going on with everyone else while I was worrying about my own ass.
"Can I ask you another question, what did the prophecy mean by saying the Gods are silent and muted by their own egos?" I couldn’t press the issue further with Dad, and I couldn’t shake the felling something else was going on in all of this that we hadn’t learned about yet. I wonder if I could barter to get some time with the Oracle of Delphi..
It was good he knew the difference between confident and cocky. I had seen plenty of tributes come in here way over their heads and end up on their asses. Confidence could get you far but cockiness could be your downfall.
I had to admit I was a bit surprised he hadn't heard, considering the amount of times I had seen him talking to Arlene. But then again she didn't seem like the one to go telling what had happened to her. "Maybe you can go ask Arlene then. She would know better than anyone what we are capable of," I said vaguely.
He was full of questions, some that I expected while others not so much. "The Gods may be powerful but they too have flaws, ones that are mostly revolved around their inflated egos, don't you think? They think so highly of themselves and are very selfish if you think about it. I mean, they have affairs with mortals, which is breaking the rules, then they leave you. Now they are just watching as we kill you," I said. "So, what do you think it means, Zale?" I pose the question to him, curious to how he would decipher it given the knowledge about the Gods.
I raised my eyebrows at her comment. Sure some people claimed that my hard exterior was to hide my soft side and maybe that was true. I was childish deep inside but I didn’t think my hard exterior was to hide some sort of weakness. I was this way because society made me this way. I had become a monster because of them, not because I wanted to hide something as stupid as insecurities.
I let out a cruel laugh. “Oh how wrong you are, Blondie. I am this way for a whole different reason but nice try though. I am confident in what I do and what I can’t do, well I perfect it.” there were just some things that I was afraid of. Love was one of them but I wasn’t going to admit that to this blonde bitch. “and I won’t hurt anyone as long as they don’t piss me off. I think we both know that self-control is not my forte.”
I think everyone knew that. My eye narrowed. Of course she wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I was surprise she was even answering me at all instead of locking me up but oh how I wish to knock that smirk at. Though I wasn’t sure what she was smirking at. “How do you know about me? Other than my horrible record with the peacekeepers back in nine.” I primarily asked her.
I rolled my eyes in annoyance. This girl was a pain in the ass and I couldn't wait for her to get into the Arena. "Having self-control is a strength, so that's one weakness in you right there alone," I pointed out, and I'm sure I could name a whole bunch more of her weaknesses if I really wanted to, though I'm sure she would try to make them sound as if they were something else.
I raised my eyebrows at her, finding that she was more clueless about this than I thought. "How do I know about you? Sweetheart, we have files on each and every one of you. As soon as we found out about your gifts we made sure to keep eyes on you. We watched you, made sure you didn't become too much of a threat," I said. I focused in on her alone, about to give her a small glimpse of what I knew about her. "People thought you were crazy, didn't they? That's why they put you in that mental institution. You grew sick and tired of society and that's why you're now a cold-hearted bitch. You act out because you want to feel powerful and maybe that's what you are, but you don't always know how to control it. Your prophecies come and go when they want, don't they?"
Eh, it was worth a shot. I didn’t actually think I was going to get anything, but at least she didn’t rip my head off right then and there.
"No, I wouldn’t. I apologize if I over stepped my bounds." I mulled her second question over for a moment, "Aside from the obvious, is there something, anything you want that I could get?" I let my eyes wander to the other tributes training, "I could only imagine there are certain tributes here that pose a greater threat than others, and if you are going to keep the victor under tight watch would you want to baby sit someone who could potentially cause more damage in the future?"
I dropped my voice slightly. “I control the sea, yes. But are a few playful waves really a threat compared to someone who can set the world blaze, or see into the future,…?”
This was a bold fucking move I was making trying to barter with her like this. I could only hope her response is just as docile as her previous one.
His apology and his offer to find me something that I wanted made me smirk. He was trying to stay on my good side as best as he could and it almost seemed as if he would do anything he could. Almost. I knew inside he hated me for who I was and what I do. But for now, he was doing what he could so that I liked him. I watched him glance over at the other tributes, but I knew exactly who he meant when he was saying these things.
"I don't know who will become our Victor but I am certain whoever it is we will be able to control. We have much more power that we don't show but have hidden away in case it is needed," I told him. "And don't underestimate your abilities, Zale. Water is a very powerful thing, especially if you are able to manipulate it to your advantage." My advice was simple but could be very helpful if he actually listened to it. "Besides, you must have guessed that Eywa and I have powers of our own as well. We are capable of plenty, some of which you may have already heard of," I said, referring to the punishments we had already given out.
…can she…did she just read my thoughts? She specifically used Gaby as an example, right after I played that scenario out in my head. Crap. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. I am being paranoid.
Only a Game if we give you one. And if we all refuse? What’re they going to do, kill all of us? Then they wouldn’t have a victor, like she said. Oh wow, we all really shouldn’t be fighting each other. I’m going to have to mull this over with Pops later, and there’s no one here I trust enough to bounce this thought off of.
"I wouldn’t say I’m concerned, but…curious." I already had a good idea of the powers of several tributes and what could potentially bring them down, but I wonder…this is going to be a stretch, "There wouldn’t be any chance I could trade you something for that information?" Hell I’d sell Gaby out right under the bus for what she did in the cafeteria the other day if it meant I could possibly find out what everyone’s strengths are.
He was thinking about every word I said, I could read it in his eyes. The way the tributes ached for answers satisfied me. It proved that I had so much power and knowledge and it was a great feeling. His proposition made me raise my eyebrows, his boldness surprising me just the slightest. It wasn't something I expected and I had to admit I liked the way he thought. It was just too bad what he wanted was too much to ask for.
"Unfortunately that information is something that I cannot reveal to you," I told him. "Would you like it if I went around telling the other tributes what your special gift was? Besides, what would you have to trade me that I would need so badly?" I inquired.
I rolled my eye. Of course she would find somewhere to tie me down. Hell, I bet she would tie me down in this chair if she could.
"Yeah but you know what the funny thing is; that you had to knock me out before tying me up."
Maybe because she knew I would not let someone me down so easily. I would fight back with all I had. I was a loose canon ball she had to control. Everyone felt that way, from the citizens of district nine to the peacekeeper who did the punishing back home. “I think we both know that if you piss me off, I won’t be wise enough. Trust me, I have been dreaming of ripping your face apart.” I bluntly added.
Looking at the seat I let out a sigh as I took it. “But luckily for you, I’m not here to rip your face apart. I’m here because I want to know what you know about me?” She was the damn gamemaker, for all I knew she probably knew my birthday. “And don’t fucking say you don’t anything”
I rolled my eyes as she used threatening words. "Cut the act, Arlene. I know you acting tough is just your way of hiding your insecurities," I stated, which I was sure would fire her up. But the thing was that I wasn't afraid of the girl and I was just saying the truth. Because of that I added more. "Don't worry though, I won't let the other tributes know that. You can keep acting tough and they can keep acting scared of you. It doesn't make a difference to me, unless you injure anyone anyway."
I let out a short laugh. "Oh yes, lucky for me," I said sarcastically about her comment of ripping my face apart. Her question caught my attention, however. The girl was showing some weakness right then and there, whether she knew it or not. I just wasn't going to point it out because I liked seeing her think she was in control. "I know plenty about you. You're just going to have to be a bit more specific about what you want to know about yourself." I couldn't help but smirk a little, loving the fact that I could torture her with the knowledge I had about her that she wanted to know about.
From what I could tell, we must be powerful threats, in order to garner so much attention just to making sure we were slaughtered. It didn’t particularly seem fair. After all, the Reapings were meant to be random, as a way of reminding us that anyone could be taken. Even our system of volunteering, in a Career district like mine, was semi-fair. This was about much more than any old war. This was about control.
In that moment I decided I didn’t want them to have control over me. I wanted my decisions to be my own, wherever that may lead. If it led me into their hands, so be it, but at least I could remain true to who I was.
"I do understand. I don’t think I’ll have much to worry about in that case; my family is incredibly… patriotic. That was the most important question, for me, but I do have another. Why the Games? Wouldn’t it be easier to round us up, frame us for misdeeds against the Capitol, and murder us? It seems less… messy."
It didn't surprise me that her family was patriotic, as she called them. Usually the people from the Career Districts were the ones who obeyed the laws the best, the ones who didn't give us too much trouble. It was the ones that lived in terrible conditions that detested us. Her next question was another good point but it was also an easy one to answer.
A small smirk formed on my lips. "It would be easier, but what would be the fun in that? In the Game we can watch you use your powers against each other, a competition to see whose offspring is the best, if you will. The Gods will turn on each other because of their children turning on each other. That will give them a distraction away from the power they want from the Capitol." The Gods would be too angry with each other to even bother trying to do something against us. Plus, it would just be fun to see the children spill blood.
I gave myself a pat on the back for making the right decision to get up and greet her politely. Even with the bitch that ripped me from my family and life in front of me I could still play up an act, but how far could I push it? Guess we’ll find out. She is the daughter of a Titan after all. Maybe if I play nice she’ll leave me be, or maybe…I can use this to my advantage.
I laughed weakly at her comment, “In the literal elemental sense, I suppose. I actually learned how to build fires early on back home. I’m just waiting for another station to open up, though it can’t hurt to practice, right?” Isn’t she a clever one; I control water and I’m playing with fire. I wonder if she harassed Gaby at the pool about being ‘out of her element’ too.
"May I ask you something? Given the fact we are all blessed in some capacity do you and your associate worry that the Games will be over as soon as the cannon fires?" I’m sure some of us have weaker gifts than others, but who is to say Gaby won’t set the whole damn place on fire the minute the cannon goes off, or Nick’ll see every move we’re all going to make and get a leg up…or that I won’t flood the whole place.
I shook my head in response. "It never hurts to practice. Who knows if you'll need to build a fire in the Arena?" I said, aware that certain things like that were always crucial for the tributes in surviving or not.
His question was one that Eywa and I had certainly discussed and it was smart of him to had thought of. I remained silent for a short moment, trying to put my answer together before giving it to him. "Your gifts in the Arena are something that have caught our attention but no, we are not worried about it. Let's say Gaby does decide to set the whole Arena on fire. All of you would eventually die, would you not? Sure we wouldn't have a victor but at least we would have gotten rid of all 24 of you. There's only a Game if you give us one." Maybe he wouldn't get what I was saying because we had different perspectives on the Game, but I was only answering his question. "Why, Zale? Are you concerned about other tributes' gifts?" I questioned him, curious if the boy was worried that someone might beat him out due to a skill they had and he didn't.
She didn’t seem put off by the questioning, as I might expect her to be. Rather… she seemed open to answering, if I could only ask the right question. I decided to forgo the formality of starting off small — gauging her reaction to my questions would help me understand just as much as any answer would.
"Confusing, but I understand that. I… actually would like to ask you about the prophecy we heard the day we came here. I don’t remember all of it, but I do remember something important — even if I manage to win, this would mean the Titans rule, as I recall. Would that put us in danger? Everyone in danger?” She could probably tell I was asking about my own family, but it was about everyone too. If there was more to this than honor killings, if destruction and chaos would follow… I just wanted to know what I was really fighting for.
When she asked about the prophecy I wasn't surprised. From how I saw the tributes reacting during it I suspected they would want answers from us. Perhaps it wasn't completely clear but we told them all they needed to hear, nothing more nothing less. Now it was time to clarify things.
I looked at her for a few seconds, taking in the deeper meaning to why she was asking this. She obviously had people she cared about back home and she was concerned about their safety. Finally I decided to answer. "Not everyone, just the people who don't follow our rules. As you well know we are destroying a threat by killing 23 of you. However, that doesn't mean there aren't more threats... because there are. We would just keep those ones contained by the power of the Titans. Understood?" I said, hoping she got the point that we would not hesitate to eliminate anyone who tries to rebel against us.
bitter rivals | gamemaker station | arlene and gm persephone
Since I had entered the training center with my hot chocolate in hand I had noticed the new station that they had set up. It wasn’t exactly a station I was interested at first but now that I could see the blonde head I had come to be familiar I knew this was a station I had to visit.
So far my only encounters with whatever her name was had involved me with a gag in my mouth and tied down in some shape or form. This was my opportunity to talk to her without any of those. This was my time to demand answers.
Dropping what I had I approached her. Everyone else had approached her with respect but instead I approached her with clenched teeth and a hard exterior. Well that was all anyone got from me.
"Nowhere to tie me down, now is there. I think it’s time we stop messing around and we sit down to talk."
It wasn't long before the girl came to see me. I had been waiting for Arlene to come marching over here, probably having such the urge to strangle me. Unlike the others she stormed up to me with an angry look on her face, no surprise there.
"Well actually there is, but I'm not going to waste my time doing it. And if you were wise you would know not to do anything stupid," I said, my voice completely calm so she would get the point that I didn't want to be messed with nor should she want to mess with me. I gestured to the seat across from me, silently telling her to sit. As soon as she did, I looked at her and began. "What would you like to talk about, Miss Reynolds?"
I weighed my options as I took a seat across from her. Either I could start slow and work my way up to the questions I really needed to ask, or I could dive in. But if I asked the wrong thing I could put her into a harsh mood, which would only lessen the chances of me getting the answers I wanted.
I started slow. “Before I ask anything else, are there two Persephones? I remember the legend, but I can’t really see you letting yourself get kidnapped and dragged to the underworld.”
I sat back down and observed the girl. She resembled her father that was for sure. She was strong yet beautiful, the perfect combination for a killer. I had a feeling she would make it far in this Game if she played her cards right.
Her question made me laugh a little, though I suppose it was valid. I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back in my chair a bit. "Yes, there are. There's one down in the Underworld with Hades, but there's also me. I just so happen to be named after her." After answering her question I waited for another one, positive that she was full of questions but didn't want to push me too much until she heard what she needed. I didn't mind answering questions but there was a certain point where I wouldn't be able to answer her questions. It just depended on what she wanted to ask.
war games || gamemaker's station || ruby & persephone.
From the moment I’d entered the training room, I’d seen the new station. It was clearly set up to catch our attention. While it looked unassuming enough, it had been labelled with ‘gamemakers’. I didn’t know what that meant for us, but I’d been running through that prophecy in my mind a thousand times since that room. This might be the only chance I’d get to find out what it was talking about.
I approached cautiously, noting that one of the gamemakers was actually seated there. I remembered her name was Persephone, though I didn’t think the one from myth was the direct daughter of a Titan. Slowly moving forward, I stopped in front of the station, making my face as cold and polite as I possibly could.
"Gamemaker Persephone, could I have a moment of your time?"
After leaving Zale to continue training I headed back over to our designated Gamemaker station and sat patiently for someone to come over to me. There was no doubt that the tributes would want to talk to us so it was only a matter of time before someone came.
It was the strong and beautiful girl from One who took the audacious action, approaching me slowly but bravely. Her words were polite but full of strength, something that I could tell this girl was full of. I nodded my head and stood to my feet.
"Of course you can," I said, giving her a smile. "What can I do you for?" I asked, curious to what the girl wanted to say or ask.
As the Palaces Burn || Fire Making || Zale and GM Persephone
It figures all the stations I planned on using today are filled. I headed over to the fire-making station to pass the time. I knew how to start a fire without a lighter, had to get those bonfires going somehow. Plus there were a few times the old man who owned the tavern couldn’t bend down to light the fireplace because of his back and I would do it for him.
The three primary methods I knew how to use were flint and steel, the drill and plow and using a lens to catch the sun. I pulled over a book and began reading up on how to assemble and use the bow and drill method. I was so engrossed in the instructions that I didn’t notice there was someone hovering over me.
It was the blonde Game maker, Persephone. Oh, fuck me.
Normally I wouldn’t think twice before messing with a Capitolite back home, but this woman quite literally held my life in her hands, and possibly that of everyone back home. I still had no clue if Baits, Ma and everyone were okay. I could admit when I’m outmatched, and right now I was up the creek without a paddle. Fuck.
Out of a begrudging attempt to be respectful, and *try* to give her less of a reason to kill me in the Arena I stopped working and stood up to greet her, “Afternoon, ma’am.” I said genuinely.
It was usually on the third day of training that Eywa and I liked to interact with the tributes. Some seemed scared of us while others tried to push our buttons. They always had questions for us and I knew we would get twice the amount of questions considering this new Game with the half-bloods.
As I made my way down into the Training Center I glanced around to see which tribute I wanted to pay a visit to first. Each were interesting in their own way and I always liked seeing how they handled being in the Capitol and talking to a Gamemaker. Eventually my eyes landed on the boy from Four, Poseidon's son, Zale. He was working at the fire making station, something I found to be a little ironic considering his... ways with water. My heels clicked against the floor as I made my way over to him, stopping just behind him to see what he was up to.
He stood to his feet and greeted me with respect, a wise choice of his. I smiled sweetly and nodded. "Good afternoon yourself," I said, glancing over him before looking past him towards the fire making supplies. "A little out of your element, don't you think?" I pointed out.
It was during the middle of the night when two Peacekeepers walked into District Nine’s suite. No one seemed to be up which was perfect for the plan. They quickly found Arlene’s room and quietly made their way into it. All they could see was a lump in the bed which was obviously the girl. Arlene shot up in her bed when she heard the footsteps but it was too late; one of the Peacekeepers plunged tranquilizing serum into her leg. They didn’t want to even give her the chance to fight back so this was the easiest way of taking her. Almost immediately she began unconscious and collapsed back onto her bed. The Peacekeepers stuffed a gag into her mouth so she was unable to talk, aware of the mouth she had on her. The two men lifted her off her bed and carried her straight to the room she was ordered to be taken to.
It was unbelievable how much anger could be in one girl. Persephone knew Arlene would be trouble but she didn’t think she would be punishing the girl again so soon. While Eywa took care of Rose, Persephone figured she might as well continue with Arlene. She was familiar with how the girl was and was eager to see the girl in pain again. When the Peacekeepers walked through the door with Arlene in their arms, the Gamemaker smiled.
“You know what to do with her,” she said, gesturing to the metal pole in the room. They nodded their heads and brought her over to the pole, handcuffing her wrists so they were behind her back and the pole. They also tied rope around her legs so her ability to move was hindered greatly. There was no doubt that she would try to fight back so they had to do whatever they could to take away that ability. Persephone rolled her eyes at the girl, having a feeling that she would be seeing her face a lot. Arlene was slumped over in a standing position but Persephone knew that she would wake up soon enough. After a while, she eventually did wake up but was clearly not happy to see the blonde again. She tried to scream at the Gamemaker but it wasn’t understandable due to the gag. “I’m sorry, what was that?” Persephone mocked her, already getting a kick out of this. Arlene tried to say something again but it just came out as mumbled words like before. Persephone crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the tribute. “I got tired of hearing your annoying voice so I decided this was the only way to shut you up.” Arlene narrowed her eyes at the Gamemaker, trying to thrash around but only ended up crying out from the handcuffs digging into her wrists. Persephone walked right up to the girl and stared her straight in the eyes. “You obviously didn’t understand what I said yesterday. So let me make myself clearer. Keep your hands to yourself and keep your filthy mouth shut or else I will quite literally make your life a living Hell,” the Gamemaker threatened. “Usually I like tributes that have fire in them, but you, Arlene, are a real pain in my ass. Not to mention that the other tributes won’t like your attitude and I guarantee you will be a walking target by the time the Bloodbath comes around. So, I suggest watching yourself.” Persephone began walking away but continued talking to the girl. “You see, Rose got a punishment as well but hers wasn’t as bad because I don’t believe that she goes around punching everything that has a heartbeat and can breathe. You, on the other hand, I do believe that.” Arlene rolled her eyes and grunted at the Gamemaker, obviously wanting to say something so badly but is unable to. “You may only be half-blind, but I’m almost certain that you are fully deaf because I warned you, and yet you still didn’t listen. So, maybe after tonight you will learn to listen a little better.”
Suddenly, a large man came out from the dark shadow of the room and walked towards Persephone and Arlene. “I’d like you to meet Atlas. In case you don’t know who he is, which I’m sure you don’t, he is a Titan and was punished by the Gods. Now he’s stuck holding the weight of the heavens, something I don’t think sounds very fun. But guess what? Tonight he gets a little break because he’s giving that weight to you to hold.” Arlene’s eyes narrowed at the two standing in front of her, her blood boiling with anger. She knew she would be punished but she didn’t care. Besides, she wasn’t afraid of pain.
Persephone walked behind Arlene and took the handcuffs off her. Taking the opportunity, Arlene swung her fist around and managed to connect it with Persephone’s jaw. The Gamemaker expected her to do that but was still taken aback by it a bit. She rolled her eyes then slapped Arlene across the face, just feeling annoyed with the girl and her temper. The girl’s cheek turned bright red but she ignored the sting on her skin. “You just earned yourself another hour because of that,” Persephone told her, refusing to take any shit from the tribute. Arlene rolled her eyes and tried to say something but it just came out as a mumble again. “Give it to her,” the blonde told the Titan. “After 3 hours take it back and leave her there.”
Atlas nodded then walked over to Arlene and put the weight of the heavens into Arlene’s hands. The girl immediately screamed, not expecting how heavy it would actually be. It made her whole body burn, feel weak. She felt like she was being crushed to death, the weight almost impossible to hold. Her head was pounding and she started feeling dizzy. She knew she wouldn’t be physically impaired because of this but at the moment it was the worst pain she had ever felt. Persephone smirked at the girl in pain, watching Arlene be tortured for a while before deciding she had better things to do than this. “Don’t make me do this again,” she said to Arlene just before she walked out, leaving the girl only with Atlas and the torture of holding the weight of the heavens.
As soon as Arlene stormed through her bedroom door after leaving the stables two Peacekeepers grabbed her and slammed her against the wall.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get your hands off of me!” She screamed, using all of her strength in attempt to break free of the Peacekeepers’ grip. Fortunately for her she was able to break one of her arms loose, so in one quick motion she brought her fist around and punched one of the Peacekeepers in the gut. However, his gear protected him from the blow. Instead, her punch only made him angrier so without waiting a moment longer he raised his gun and hit her in the back of the head with it. Arlene collapsed to the ground, knocked unconscious from the hard hit.
After a while of being unconscious Arlene slowly blinked open her eyes, but instead of being in her bedroom like she last remembered she was now in an empty room. She let out a low groan from the pain of her head that was pounding from the blow she had received. She looked around, trying to figure out what was going on. All she knew was that she was strapped securely to a cot, unable to move a muscle. “Someone let me go right now or I swear I will--” she began but was immediately cut off by a familiar voice.
“Shut up,” Gamemaker Persephone snapped, “you’re giving me a headache with your whiny voice.” The blonde walked through the only entrance to the room, her heels clicking against the tile as she moved towards Arlene. “Well, Arlene, you must be used to this. I mean, being strapped onto a cot whenever you misbehaved at the mental institute of course,” Persephone pointed out, smirking at the girl.
“Fuck you,” Arlene spit at the Gamemaker, feeling nothing but hatred towards the woman in front of her. Persephone calmly wiped away the girl’s saliva, expecting that from her. Persephone slowly circled the girl, feeling excited to make the tribute even madder.
“You’ve got quite the tongue. You won’t be making any friends if you continue to speak to people like that,” the Gamemaker stated.
“I’m not here to make friends,” Arlene snapped. “I’m here because you assholes kidnapped me and forced me here.” Persephone let out a laugh, finding the girl’s attitude amusing.
“Now I suggest listening up because I have something to say,” Persephone said. Arlene rolled her eyes, feeling such an urge to just punch the blonde straight in the face.
"I don't give a shit about what you have to say," Arlene told her. The girl thrashed around underneath the restraints in hopes of being able to break them or wiggle out. Persephone examined the girl and shook her head with a slight grin.
“You’re lying. Do you want to know how I know that? Well, just like you I have powers too, and mine just so happen to be that I can literally sense when someone is lying. And you, you’re lying. There is a part of you that does care what I have to say, I can feel it,” Persephone explained before continuing. “Anyway, what I was going to say before you decided to be a wiseass is that you, Arlene, are in for such a rude awakening. You clearly don’t care about listening to authority and that is a problem. You go around trying to pick a fight with everyone, but what you don’t know is that one day you’re going to lose a fight. That day would be today, sweetheart.” Arlene shot the dirtiest look at the blonde, obviously not believing the woman. Persephone put one hand on her hip and laughed. “Damn, if looks could kill…” she teased the tribute, shaking her head at the girl’s ridiculousness.
“If I wasn’t being held prisoner right now I would fucking kill you!” Arlene screamed. She continued to fight the restraints but had no chance against them.
“That’s cute,” Persephone mocked with a smirk. She was not afraid of Arlene one bit and knew she could easily take the girl if she somehow managed to break free of her restraints. Either way the restraints just made it easier for Persephone to torture the girl to her pleasing. Finally the Gamemaker decided she had enough fooling around and figured it was time to actually punish the little bitch. The blonde made her way over to the table on the side of the room, picking up the one and only object that was in the room. As her hand wrapped around the syringe she couldn’t help but smile as Arlene’s screaming and cursing continued in the background. Obviously the girl didn’t know when to stop. Persephone turned around and walked straight over to Arlene. The tribute tried to grab at Persephone but failed miserably. “Do you know what’s in this?” The Gamemaker asked Arlene, aware of her prophecy powers. Arlene glared back at her, aware of the answer but not wanting to give into Persephone’s games.
“No, and I don’t care what it is,” Arlene responded, trying to act tough so the woman couldn’t see through her. Unfortunately, it didn’t work as Persephone’s gift gave her away.
“Stop lying,” the Gamemaker said sternly. The girl stayed quiet for once, refusing to answer. Persephone rolled her eyes. “Fine, since you have decided to shut your mouth for once I’ll just say it out loud so you can hear it for yourself. It’s tracker jacker venom.”
“I’m not afraid of you!” Arlene yelled, spitting up at the woman again. Arlene was just about to scream more but before she was even able to, Persephone plunged the syringe into Arlene’s eye and inserted the venom into her. Screams erupted from the girl, bouncing off the walls to make it seem even louder. She tried to reach up to grab at her wounded eye but was obviously unable to. Persephone pulled the syringe out and handed it to one of the Peacekeepers that had just shown up, aware that it would be smart to get it out of Arlene’s sight. “I can’t fucking see!” Arlene screeched as her left eye bled.
“Oh but sweetheart, you can. Just not out of your left eye,” the Gamemaker said. “Besides, you still have another eye, just one that tells you the future.” Arlene started cursing at Persephone again, annoyed by the Gamemaker’s sarcasm. Suddenly, the venom started to kick in and instead of the constant flow of curse words, new and louder screams erupted out of the girl’s mouth. “That would be the hallucinations beginning to take over,” Persephone explained, curious to what the girl could possibly be hallucinating. Whatever it was it must be bad by the sounds of her murderous screeches. She couldn’t help but laugh, Arlene’s screaming sounding like music to her ears. “I’m not sure how long those will last, but don’t worry you’ll live,” the blonde stated as she began walking away from the screaming girl. “Oh, and don’t bother trying to get out. You’re staying in here tonight.” On that, Persephone slammed the door behind her and left the girl to her own nightmares, hoping she would get the memo not to fight again.
GM Persephone: Next up is the beautiful Acacia Reye of District Two! *crowd cheers*
Acacia: *walks onto the stage smiling and waving to the crowd with a confident air about her* Persephone, it’s a pleasure to see you again.
GM Persephone: As is you. *smiles* I love your dress, it's beautiful. So, let's jump right into things, shall we? How have you enjoyed training this past week?
Acacia: I loved it, it's all I did back home, so doing it here felt as natural as breathing. I enjoyed the extra eyes watching as we trained, I like putting on a show.
GM Persephone: I could tell. *winks and laughs* It actually so happens that I got the pleasure of doing a little trust exercise with you. Care to tell everyone why you have trust issues in the first place?
Acacia: You know, as a kid, you undoubtedly trust your parents. You trust them to love and take care of you. Trust them to keep you safe and help you when times get tough. My parents broke that trust and sent me away from them. One thing everyone should be able to do is trust their parents, and I can't even do that. How can I trust anyone when I cant trust the people who gave me life? *Her eyes flickered with a twinge of anger*
GM Persephone: *crowd lets out quiet sad aws* Oh my, I'm sorry, that's really too bad. But you know what you can do, you can prove them wrong and win this thing!
Acacia: That's why I'm here. If I win, I can show my parents what I've become. I want to make them proud and make Panem proud while I'm at it.
GM Persephone: And you sure will. So, do you feel you are ready for the arena?
Acacia: As ready as I'll ever be. I've trained for so long for this, I'm ready to get in the arena to do some damage. I quite enjoy the anticipation of not knowing what's rally in store for me. I'm sure the arena is brilliant, it always proves to be!
GM Persephone: Well, thank you, we know! *crowd laughs* It seems we are almost out of time so any last words, Acacia?
Acacia: This won't be the last time you see me on this stage, I'll be back for my victory interview. *She winked and smiled for the crowd*
GM Persephone: Wonderful, we hope so! Give it up for Acacia Reye! *crowd cheers as she exits stage*
