(I love this song because of the heart-monitor-like beeping, it fits sooo much~. And remember I promised to give you a desperate moment because I didn't 'kill' her on touching the force field?)
"This whole arena is a clock, 12 segments, and each has an event occur in order or their sectors with each event lasting an hour," Katniss explained, leaning them down the stony path towards the middle, Finnick carrying Mags behind her, next was Beetee helping Wiress walk and Percy closes the march with Johanna for safety as they were out in the open. "Each event only stays in their segment, that's why the fog stopped and why the monkey backed off, because they would have passed the hour threshold. And it cycles every 12 hour."
"Wiress you a genius." Finnick said, walking up to the cornucopia and sitting Mags on boxes.
"So we just got terribly unlucky to have gone from the pan into the fire." Percy grumbled, she knew her arms had lost some of their strength. No matter the injury it always is a disadvantage to the person and she wasn't at her 100% in any limbs, at least she stopped bleeding from the compress bandages... Heymitch I knew we decided you'd only help Katniss but can I go back on that just a bit?
"Seems so, we only encountered the blood rain." Johanna said to her.
"So." Finnick using his trident to scratch into the black rock they all huddled around, all but Mags who sat near enough to see and Wiress who had wondered near to the edge and was touching the water, muttering to herself. "Hour one through four is lightning, blood rain, fog and monkey while hour ten is the huge wave."
"That's all we know? Damn, we are not off good." Percy said.
"We just need to stay in the middle and move out of the sector when it is time to avoid the events like the wave that reaches the cornucopia." Beetee pointed out. "We don't need to know what happens elsewhere as long as don't even encounter it."
But a gasp cut their discussion short.
Barely having the time to register that Wiress' body got thrown down in the water as Gloss pulled himself out of the water.
By reflex, Percy shoved Katniss away behind her, sadly tho, such movement caused the arrow she had pulled back to fly and far miss her target.
Percy being body checked against the cornucopia by Gloss but push off it and tackle him away from swinging at Katniss.
Rolling on the rough stone scrapped skin away as she tried to stab down at him but he moved his head away and bucked her off him.
Scrambling to grab the rock as her feet kicked in the water before she stopped herself and pulled herself up, running up with her other blade and clashing his in a while swing upwards.
Gasping as the punch in her side, hunching over, before feeling the white hot pain in her lower back, swinging upwards in a backwards stumble.
Looking at her back and at the knife sized blade in her at kidney height.
"Fuck teachings!" She ripped it out of her back and flung it at Gloss, making him stumble at is hit his thigh, letting Katniss shoot him in the shoulder but it didn't seem enough as he threw his arms out.
Katniss grabbed at his arms, hands enclosing around her neck.
Not having the time for much panic as Percy shoved her blade up diagonally through his ribs while yanking backwards. Tho that yank was accidental as the ground started moving underneath their feet.
stumbling back in a roll, barely grabbing on before a powerful grip on her and a yank caused her feeble grabs the break.
Gloss, if he is dying, he'll fight back against it long enough to bring her down with him.
Trying to scream but water filled her mouth as the man held her.
Being smaller, she twisted enough in his arms as the water was whipping around them to grab her blade again and yank it out and stab it into him again.
He shoved her away with a powerful kick that sent her back in the spinning back, just seeing the spinning part from the corner of her eyes befor--
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Katniss' grip on Johanna faltered and she was thrown into the created rapids.
He back hitting off the ground and of the spinning side so hard that she thought this is it, this is how she dies.
But the violence was short lasting.
The dizzying spin slowed down almost as soon as she hit the water, not that she could tell.
With some difficulty, pulling herself on a stone walkway, coughing up whatever water she swallowed.
"Are you alright?" Finnick's worried voice came, a bit guilty he only protected Mags and didn't help the others. He helped her out of the water.
"Yeah, could have been worse." She panted from the experience.
"That was some shit." Johanna said. "Right?"
...
Katniss had almost expected the intervention of someone, a gentle words, a hug, something.
She brushed her wet hair back, looking aorund.
"Guys you seen Percy?" She asked, unable to see past Johanna and Finnick on the thin strip.
"She fell with Gloss, she must have swam out as Gloss is floating dead." Johanna said, pointing at the body but Katniss didn't mirror her victorious grin.
"Percy can't swim tho." She said, causing a mutter of surprise in Beetee.
"I also saw them fall together but counted only two canons, Wiress and Gloss."
Katniss stood up in a hurry.
"We need to find Percy!" Demanding in worry as Finnick put Mags down carefully, running back to the middle as it was easier to walk around it then it would be on the beach.
"I'll stay with her, go." Beetee said, staying with Mags as the other two followed Finnick but by the time they would have caught up, all they heard was a splash of water.
"Well shit, it's never easy is it?" Johanna hissed, moving to the edge of the water to help Finnick climb out again.
Katniss was just mortified, if that's even enough to describe what she was feeling.
Unlike Katniss who got smacked in the back by an already slowing spin, Percy had gotten clobbered in the head by one going full throttle and smacked up on a pathway.
So not only was Katniss staring at a rapidly forming pool off blood around Percy's head... She... S-she...
Head against her chest... "She's not breathing!" Finnick hissed, lifting his head, crossing his hands over her chest and pushing down.
"Oh shit." Johanna hissed. "Move your ass over fire girl!!" She yelled at her at Katniss as Finnick pinched Percy's nose and put his mouth on hers to try to make her breath breath before going back to chest compressions.
Katniss had sunken down to her knees, feeling numb as she saw what was happening, she's losing her.
"Katniss!! Move it!!"
Snapping out of it, shakily hurrying over.
"Hands there! and keep pressing!" Johanna had cut her sleeves and bunched one up while the other was used as a bandage to hold it there, putting Katniss' hands over it. "If she bleeds out not even Finnick can help!"
"What is he doing?" She asked, almost as a distraction as she felt the bleed seep through the cloth, it was a wetsuit after all, made to let water through but she did as told.
"No idea but district 4 is the fishing district, drowning must be fairly common so it much be for that."
Percy's luck needed to run out on of these days, all these attempts to drown her, all these moments... And someone succeeded.
Katniss tried to keep it together, her face a mask of tense calm but the shaking shoulders and the unending tears were a dead give away.
"Come on... Please you can't do this." She said, voice so weak and wondered if she even said what she said out loud. "Please Percy..."
"Come on Percy you can't die like that." Finnick hissed, no idea why the game makers hadn't pulled her canon, maybe it is because he is keeping her heart going and the chip didn't detect the drop of vital signs? Maybe because it was damaged when smacked around? Who knows but he still had hope until the canon would ring.
Katniss was hunched over, just completely lost, a hand moving to grab her face.
"You can't leave me like this... P-please." Still holding back sobs as she was just too all over the place to even correctly cry.
After a few more agonizing moments, coughing followed with water being spat all over Johanna.
"Lovely..." She made a face but no one really cared.
"Oh Percy! Fuck!" Katniss shakily said.
"Hey..." The still confused girl said, smiling a bit. "Crying doesn't fit you..."
"I thought I lost you."
"I'm sorry."
Percy's eyes going a bit wide at the kiss, not expecting it but accepting it.
"I would have drowned earlier if that's all it took for you to kiss me." She attempted to joke but didn't really feel in the mood either.
"Come on love birds. We need to move." Finnick said, picking Percy up over his shoulder, she didn't have the strength to go against him or anything that was happening, letting herself be carried like a sack of potatoes.
"Best things I've heard to date." Johanna said as she pulled Katniss up, the younger girl feeling her knees weak so Johanna just kept dragging her as the group quickly rejoined with the others and made their way off this accursed middle of the arena.