"Percy, hurry up getting dressed!" mom yells from the other room. A week passed since I came back and now is the Reaping for the 75th annual Hunger Games.
"Why do we have to put on these stupid clothes just to be picked to die, for the capitals entertainment?" I ask coming out of the room.
"Beats me." Annabeth shrugged.
"Just come on, we don't wanna be late." Mom chirped as she fixed Estelle's slandered issues girls dress.
Each boy and girl lucky enough to be old enough to be drafted gets a standard issue pale blue dress for the ladies and suit for the boys.
We arrive at the docks, a large stage with a fancy capital ship in the background. A large banner screaming "THE 75TH ANNUAL REAPING!". And a podium center stage with two glass bowls filled with paper name tags, one for the boys and the other for the girls.
"Go get in line, ill be waiting with the other parents." Mom grabs arm arms. "Good luck and come back to me... all three of you." She pulls each of us in and hugs us tightly.
We don't say good luck to be chosen, we say good luck to not be chosen. If you are chosen, you are already dead...
Annabeth takes Estell to the girls side, and I go to the boys. A lady with bright colored clothes and wild hair walks on stage. She bares a fake smile as she stands behind the podium.
"Welcome to the 75th annual Reaping." The mic echoes her voice. "We will start with the boys, and remember... May the odds be ever in your favor!" she flashes her fake smile again and digs her hand into the bowl with the names of all the boys in my district.
The rustling in the bowl was near deafening. She holds up a strip of paper in the air. she gets close to the microphone and opens the paper.
"Percy Jackson."
My heart drops, the boys sigh with relief and the wails from my mother echo throughout the grounds. I head up to the stage, each step harder and heavier. I look over to Estell and Annabeth, each of them in tears. The lady holds her hand out and it feels like slow-motion, but I shake it.
"My...what a handsome young man." Her face fake, almost like she doesn't want this.
"Now for the girls." She digs her hand in the bowl. I eye Estell and Annabeth, still crying staring back at me.
"Estell...Jackson..." the lady realizes and looks at me, I stare back horrified.
"NO PLEASE IT CANT BE HER!" I beg her.
"I'm sorry-" she chokes up.
I can hear my mother screaming in agony, crying.
"I volunteer as tribute!"
