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ilguna · 4 years

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Metanoia - Chapter Thirteen (f.o)

Summary: you will be crowned victor of the 75th hunger games.

Word Count; 6.8k

Warnings; swearing, mention of murder and torture

NOTES: i give reader a last name to fit the world.

–

This is happening. This is happening.

It’s been less than twenty-four hours since you’ve woken up inside of the training center and been told to be a loyalist, and you’re already breaking that. Snow thought that he had a single shred of control over you, and underestimated you in the worst way possible. He really thought that you wouldn’t have any connections to people here.

And if all of this goes well, it won’t be the last time you’ll spit in Snow’s face. After this, you might just have to do it with every chance that you get. You’ll do damn near anything to keep putting salt in the already gouged wound. No matter what it takes, he’ll stay down.

If he thought he hated you before, he’s about to have a whole new thing coming. You’ve never followed directions very well in the first place. No one can control you for long, because you’re nothing to be controlled. Trying to make you submissive is like putting a leash on a lion, it’s not going to end well.

It’ll work for as long as you want it to, before it all goes to shit. It’s what happened when Snow sold you around in the Capitol and you found a way out. And now, you’re doing the exact same thing. Snow thinks that he doesn’t have any cracks for you to slip through, but there were too many.

He should have sent a brigade of peacekeepers with you if he wanted to keep you from straying. But he couldn’t afford it, not with all the other districts fighting back. He needs his toy soldiers right in front of his big mansion to keep him safe. He’s a fucking joke.

“Anxious?” Lyme asks.

You give her a glance, before looking back up to the sky, “Not even close.”

You’re excited--thrilled, actually. You can’t wait to get on that hovercraft with the volunteers. They might not like you at first, but they will have to admit that you’re not what they think you are. They see a District Two victor, spoiled and rich. But they’ll realize that you’re just like them, just a bit bitchier.

You’ll get to know everyone that you need to when you’re on the hovercraft. You’ll learn their ages and their importance to the people back in thirteen. Because of this, you will do your very best to protect them. Even if they’re better trained with guns, you know combat as well as the streets of your hometown.

The likeliness of you getting hurt is huge. There were a ton of people around that floor you had woken up on. Going in and out of rooms, any of them could be trained with guns. But that’s no reason to get discouraged.

“It’s weird to see the city blacked out like this.” Lyme says.

Something must have gone wrong in District Five, since the entire Capitol is as black as the night sky. Five is the main source of power that runs through the Capitol and most of the districts. They have a dam in the district, water runs through it and it generates power. However, no dam equals no power.

So, you can take a solid guess on what they might have done to take it down.

You wish you could congratulate the people that ruined the power-making source, because it was the perfect window that you guys needed to pull this off. Since there’s no power, the Capitol’s defense is automatically down. Coin managed to get a few volunteers ready, and sent the hovercraft on it’s way to you, an hour or so ago.

You guys just got the message that they’ll be here soon, which is why you’re out here now.

“Let’s hope it stays like that.” you say, “For at least another hour.”

“Think it’ll take that long?” Lyme asks.

You look at Lyme, “If everything goes as planned, yes.”

The feeling of air moving down on you, makes you look up. The black hovercraft moves over the stores, before settling on the pavement in front of you guys, slowly. Even then, it’s only hovering. Just like how the Capitol had dropped you off here.

“Be safe.” Lyme says.

“Right.” you pat her shoulder, “Thank you for this opportunity.”

You head towards the hovercraft right after they drop the ramp down, allowing you to join whoever is inside. Someone is waiting a few inches from the drop, and they help you up. Before the door is shut, you give Lyme one last wave, then you back up.

The second that it’s shut, the hovercraft raises again. It feels the same as the elevators do inside of the training center. The slight dizzy feeling comes over your body, and then it settles and you feel better.

“(Y/n).” you offer your hand to the guy that helped you up, “Thanks.”

“Gale.” he shakes his briefly, and then he points to a hook on the wall with gear, “This is for you.”

You laugh, “I was expecting to go in there wearing just this.”

You’re still wearing the pink shirt--which is not ruined thanks to your string pulling--and black jeans. You didn’t actually think that thirteen would be providing the gear.

Gale laughs somewhat, “Put it on, it’ll only be ten minutes or so before we’re inside.”

“I’m aware.” you say, “I’ve taken this trip before.”

Everyone who’s sitting inside doesn’t really pay attention as you pull everything on. Instead, they’re listening to a very familiar voice. The one that annoys you the most in the world.

“Finnick?” you ask, attaching the velcro on the bulletproof vest.

“Yeah, he’s providing a distraction for us,” Gale tells you, “The entire Capitol is seeing and hearing him, thinking it’s regular propaganda. But it’s jamming the defense signals.”

“Beetee?” you ask next, Gale nods.

It takes a few minutes until you’re completed suited up like they are. It’s heavy to move around in, but the more you walk around the hovercraft--which looks exactly like the ones they use to put trackers in--it starts to feel…

Tracker.

You hold your right arm out, staring at it.

You don’t know if it’s out or not. And if it’s not, then Snow definitely knows that you’re on your way if it’s still working. They normally take out the trackers once the tribute has won the games, but you didn’t win--no one did. They could have very well left it in to monitor where you’re at all times of the day.

You begin to undo the work you’ve done, “I need a knife.”

“For what?”

“I think I still have my tracker.” you say, digging through the pockets on the belt before you find a pocket knife.

You pull out some rubber string, which Gale ties around your elbow as tightly as he can. You also bring out all the gauze and medical tape that’s supplied with the outfit that you were given. Just so as soon as you’re done, you’ll be able to cover it up and not bleed out.

“Why didn’t you do this before?”

“Trust me, if I had thought about it before, I would have taken it out.” you look at Gale, and then the others, “The inside of the hovercraft reminds me of the drop ship for the games.”

You flick open the knife, pressing your arm firmly against the steel floor. Taking in a deep breath through your nose, you slowly let it out through your mouth.

You’ve been through much worse. This is going to be a walk in the park.

“Alright.” you say, digging the knife into your arm.

It’s specifically over the place where the tracker lands after the injection. It doesn’t normally move from this one place the entire time, it’s secure. Which means that you’ll be cutting through valuable skin and muscle and maybe even hit bone--

You gag for a moment, squeezing your eyes shut, allowing the tears that had sprung, to run down your face. You take a moment, a deep breath, and then you set the knife down, plunging your fingers inside of your arm.

“I’m fine.” you say, “It’s right here.”

You pull out the white tracker, which is covered in your blood. Gale takes it from you, stomping on it, allowing the beeping to stop. As soon as it’s over, he begins to help you bandage up your arm.

“Mockingjay one, mockingjay one, you are one minute out from perimeter defense.”

“Going dark.” the girl flicks off the lights, but there’s still an orange glow.

Gale finishes up bandaging your arm after that, and you pack away what little supplies are left.

“Stay low incase they are online.”

You take a seat next to Gale, crossing your legs. To distract yourself, you spend the time counting your fingers over and over.

Your arm hurts like hell, and digging into your arm and the amount of blood that also came out is no help to you. It makes you nauseous, which never happens. You really screwed it up for yourself when you thought about digging in your arm. Had you just thought of nothing, then you wouldn’t be feeling sick right now.

“Mockingjay one, you are twenty seconds out from perimeter defense.”

You close your eyes, leaning your head back against the seat.

One of the pilots starts counting down from ten, which is an easy way to make you feel anxious. You take in a deep breath and hold it when he hits one.

“No response from perimeter defense, we’re inside Capitol airspace.”

You breathe out, laughing a little to yourself.

“Gear up.” a man tells you all, standing up from where he was sitting. He then looks directly at you, “I’m Boggs, I’ll be leading the mission.”

“I’m still showing you guys the way?” you ask, and he nods.

“But I’m the one giving orders.”

You tilt your head from side to side, “Yeah, I expected that.”

He goes and hades up front, while the rest of you load the guns. Yours is already done, so there’s not much to do there. You more or less pocket it, and spend the rest of the time staring at the way you’ll be leading.

“Switching to nightview.” The hovercraft officially goes dark after that. The only light in the entire ship is coming from the front of the plane.

“There.” Bogg says.

“We have a visual of the tribute center.”

Tribute center? Is that what they call it?

It’s always been the training center to you guys--or maybe that’s supposed to be the name for the training room only. Tribute center just sounds weird to you. They might have just renamed it after the entire remodel.

“Initiating final approach.”

Boggs comes down the couple of steps, being sure to watch his head, “Masks on.”

You unhook the gas mask from the belt, looking over it for a moment to see the way it should go on, and how the straps on the back will work. When you’re done, you pull it on like the others, and continue to readjust it until it feels right on your face.

“Helmets too.”

Not like you have much choice, you put that on too. It feels like a bicycle helmet, and the only reason as to why you know what they feel like, is because you owned a cream-colored bike for half a year when you were in elementary school. Eventually someone stole it out of your backyard, which was a huge bummer. What was even worse was that you found it being sold in the black market--which is just a few tents set up sellings goods for cheap--at an unreasonable price.

Meaning you weren’t able to buy it back because they had ramped up the price. You sat and watched people walk past it all day, until some rich butcher’s wife bought it for their son. Two days later, when you saw him in school, you bullied him until he sold the bike for scraps.

If you couldn’t have it, then no one could.

“Open the door.”

The ramp opens up, and sure enough, you can see the glass ceiling of the tribute center. You inch closer, trying to get a good look. The entire place is blacked out, just like the rest of the city. The hovercraft--or jet, you’re not sure at this point--has a flashlight aimed down andonto the building.

Which, if you may say, is a perfect way to give away your guys’ position entirely.

“Command, this is team leader. Prepared to deploy gas, we will confirm what’s inside.”

They sent canisters of gas hurling at the glass, which breaks it. After the first one, comes the second one. The noise is loud, you can hear it from where you’re standing, which means that other people have too.

If there’s anyone staying inside of this building as a vacation, since Capitol people are nuts like that, then they have every clue that you guys are here. And even with all this knowledge, you keep your mouth shut.

“When this timer is up, you’ll hook these metal lines to yourself.” Boggs motions, his eyes are on you, “Then we’ll go down.”

“Sounds good to me.” you tell him.

“You’ll be going last.” he says.

You shrug, not really caring.

You all wait a couple of seconds, and you spend the time looking into the abyss. It’s dark as hell down there, and it’s a long way down. If you even as much miss the hook and where it’s supposed to land on your suit of armor, you’re fucked. You’ll go flying down and become concrete jelly.

The sick feeling arises again, and you have no one to blame but yourself.

“Get ready to drop.” Boggs says, hooking the wire to himself the same time as Gale does.

And without a moment of hesitation, he just jumps. You gape at the two of them, and you’re even more amazed when the other four follow without a problem. As soon as they’re out of the way, you reach for your own hook and wire.

Your hands are shaking badly, and you take a deep breath to calm yourself. You tug on the wire to make sure it’s secure, and then you jump.

The good news is, the wire lowers you much faster than you thought it would. It’s not like jumping out of an airplane and pulling a parachute. It’s a much easier drop than that. You spend the little time you have above the tribute center looking at the blacked out city. There’s hundreds of people that probably have their eyes on you right now.

And then you’re engulfed by the building, which has basically a hundred floors--maybe more. It’s almost the tallest building inside of the Capitol. Mostly cause of how much purpose this place holds. All the apartments for the tributes, mentors and Capitol guides. The training center--both public and private--the stage where Caesar interviews, the grooming rooms, the getting ready rooms, the storage and whatnot. It’s got a lot of reasons to be as big as it is.

Someone looks up to make sure you’re there. You’re about six feet, maybe more, above them. You give a thumbs up, before going back to watching the floors whizz by. To be getting inside of the tribute center like this, is a whole new experience. You never thought you’d be coming inside of the most useless place ever in the Capitol like it’s a heist.

They land on their feet just fine, and you bend your knees a little to make the impact better. As soon as you’re done, you unhook the wire just like the rest of them. Then, you head right over to Boggs.

You don’t pull out your gun for a couple of seconds, having to switch on the light manually. In the meantime, you feed off of everyone else’s red light to see what’s around you. And it’s peacekeepers, passed out on the floor.

Maybe deploying the gas wasn’t such a bad idea.

“Clear.” someone says.

And then a few seconds later, “Clear. Command we’re inside, heading towards target number one. Cell P45 lower level 2C.”

Two people move forward at the door, Boggs orders them to get the gas ready. They peek in, throw in a canister, and then back off. It’s a long couple of seconds while you wait for it to administer. They kick the door open when the time is up, and you move in.

As you guys go down the staircase, you begin to realize that you weren’t on the base floor after all, when you had been brought down here. You were actually underground, and it was some sort of facade. Which makes you a little uneasy, and unsure of the fact that you’ll be able to retrace your steps exactly.

At the bottom of the stairs, you’re asked to start leading the way to where they are. Boggs is right next to you as you wind through the rooms. Along the way, they’re still throwing gas canisters down the hallways to knock out the peacekeepers. When you had been brought here, there were none.

It was only you and the avox. There were a few ‘doctors’ and ‘nurses’ that you passed by on the way, but that was about it. After the room with the cages, the only person you saw was Snow.

You guess that there could have very well been people inside of the rooms with Peeta and Johanna. It would explain their looks of terror right before the window of glass was blocked off each time. It signified the beginning of their torture again, and you had no clue that it was happening.

You didn’t hear anything coming from them, actually. Even though the walls were relatively thin, you didn’t hear a single thing. If they had tried yelling for your name, you were clueless.

You stop in front of a set of double doors that have a lock on them. Something that would need a keycard to open. You remember this, the avox had swiped her card and the door opened immediately after.

“Through here.” you say, moving aside.

The place where she swiped the card is completely black, instead of red. You place your hand on the machine, curious to feel the vibration of the electronic at work, but it’s still. There’s no electricity in this place.

They all gather around the door. Gale opens it just a crack, Boggs tosses his gas instead in the brief moment, and all of you wait for a moment as it gets to work.

If you remember correctly, it’s only a little bit from here. Not a long walk. The hallway is confusing, but the path they’re insisting to take isn’t that bad. They’re taking shortcuts, which--obviously--cuts out the confusing parts. Takes you right to the hallway with the cages.

“Gale.” Boggs says, getting his attention.

After that, they push into the room, and you nearly shove your way to the front.

The room is set up like it was the first time, but it’s void of all people. The white tables with the tubes and medical waste. It’s clearly where the ‘doctors’ were getting their supplies to use against Peeta, Johanna and Tanith.

You follow behind Boggs, as you all move through the room silently. He brings you right to a table with all sorts of metal clamps and tools you’d use for surgery. You tilt your head, moving forward to get a better look.

There’s gauze with blood on it. Tubes with some black-red liquid. It could very well be blood, but you have no clue as to why they’d need so much of it. Ten tubes, all the length of a water bottle, but as wide as a quarter. Not to mention the used syringes.

Boggs moves on, still looking around, “What is this place?”

“Headquarters.” you say.

The immediate second after, the lights to the room flicker on, and there’s a loud static in your ears. You drop to a crouch, leaving one knee down as you grab for your ears. They’re covered by the helmet though, so you’re really just pressing the helmet against your ears to make the noise stop.

You clench your teeth together, and then decide that it’s not worth the head protection. You unclip the clasps, and yank out the ear piece. Then, you blink as fast as you can to get away the spots in your eyes from the sudden light. As you slowly begin to regain your sight, you look around.

Everyone is still dealing with the noise, it’s just you. You risk a peak above the table to see if anyone has come into the room. Slowly, just a bit as a time. You can feel your legs begin to shake from the pressure. When you see that there’s no one, you stand fully.

You place the helmet onto the table, scanning the corners of the rooms for any cameras.

There are none. No one should know that you’re here.

“Rosecelli--” Boggs begins.

“I know, my helmet.” you say bitterly, giving him a look, “It’s the only way I could get the earpiece out.”

“Did you know the lights are automatic?” he asks.

“They’re not.” You motion to the lightswitch by the door you guys came in through, “Which means that the Capitol is getting power again.”

Obviously, this makes everyone uneasy. Boggs starts trying to contact the command in District Thirteen. While you put your earpiece back in, and then the helmet on top of that. You move around the room, picking things up and turning them over in your hand.

“How far are they from here?” Gale asks you.

“We’re basically there already.” you say.

“Boggs, come in. Can you hear me?” it’s Beetee’s voice.

“Copy.” Boggs says, you can hear the audible breaths of relief coming from the people around you, “Command, I need a situation report.”

“Boggs, we’re running out of time. Hurry.” Beetee says.

You start moving towards the door that will lead you out and into the hallway of cages. Boggs come beside you to keep you safe, “Let’s move.”

The door opens, and there it is, the cages. You let Boggs go first, and as you go by each open door, you close them a little to allow the people behind you more room to pass through.

At the next door, Boggs and Gale set up the gas canister system again. Gale opens the door just wide enough to allow the can to go through, and then the doors are shut immediately after. Boggs holds up his finger, probably counting in his head, before you’re all allowed to go through.

Everyone moves in slowly, but you head to the door on your left, peering inside. Only to find out that he’s not in there.

“045, (Y/n).” Gale reminds you.

“He was in here before.” you say back, “I don’t know why they would move him.”

“Command, we’re at the first target. Preparing to extract Peeta, we’ll confirm when he’s in hand.”

Ignoring them, you head straight to Tanith’s room. No one follows you over, since they’re so fixated on getting Peeta out first. He’s the most important after all, Katniss’ lover and whatnot. It would make sense that he’s first priority on supreme leader Coin’s list.

You grab the doorknob gently, carefully opening it because you don’t want her to wake up to you barging in the room. Her head is off to the side, eyes closed with her mouth slightly open. You slowly move inside, waiting for her to jolt awake at the noise that your shoes make against the tile.

But she’s unmoving entirely. You reach out to touch her one second, but the next you’re stopping yourself, studying her for a moment longer.

This allows yourself to realize just how wrong she looks. Her brown skin has been washed of all color, she’s completely pale. Her chest doesn’t rise as fall as she breathes, it’s still. Just the same as the rest of her body, she’s limp.

“No.” you touch her now, only to feel just how cold she is, she’s been gone for a long time, “No, Tanith--please!” Tears spring in your widened eyes as you shake your head, “Hey, baby…”

You move her head in your direction, trying to get her slouched body to sit up a little higher. She moves without any resistance, the muscles in her neck don’t tense up at the move.

Your throat suddenly feels tight as your lips tremble. You pull Tanith closer to your body, “This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening. He couldn’t have known--it’s impossible.

Her head is pressed against your chest as you hug it, staring at the wall across from you. You press your fingers against her neck, closing your eyes now as you pray that they gave her some sort of drug that would make her feel and look dead. But no matter how many times you readjust your fingers, you never get a pulse.

You take in a deep breath, but it doesn’t stay long. You let out shaky sobs, shaking your head when you reopen your eyes. Through the blur of tears, you’re finally able to acknowledge the whiteboard that’s on the wall across from you. It’s organized with neat handwriting. It takes you a moment to be able to read it.

“Tanith Nuova…” you trail off, trying to swallow the frog in your throat after you read ahead, “Time of death--ten forty-five.”

You look down at her, running your fingers through her tangled hair.

She couldn’t have died at ten, that’s impossible. When you came and saw her with Snow, she was in the chair, alive. She didn’t look well, her head was off to the side and… and she’s been dead the entire time.

Snow showed you her dead body, because you wouldn’t know the difference. He knew that you would be too panicky to realize she wasn’t breathing, or that she was paled entirely. All you would be able to see was her in the chair, enduring the same torture as the others.

It’s why there was no one in the room with her. No one to block out your view so they could give her whatever drugs they were giving to the others.

“(Y/n), is she ready to go?” Boggs asks.

You look over, mouth hanging open slightly. You don’t want to say the words out loud, you just want him to figure it out on his own.

Boggs looks between you, Tanith and then the whiteboard. You watch as his face relaxes, and he turns to look behind him. He says something that you aren’t able to hear, and the chatter outside the door quiets considerably.

“I’ll do it.” someone volunteers.

“Thank you.” Boggs says, looking back at you, “We have to go, we’ve lost contact with command. It’s only a matter of time before the defense systems are back online.”

“What about…” you motion with one hand.

One of the guys comes into the room, “I’ll carry her. We can bury her back in District Thirteen.”

You nod a little bit. The guy wants to pull her over his shoulder, so you do everything you can to help him. His arm is wrapped around the back of her knees, while her head and arms dangle behind him. You touch her hair again, trying not to burst out crying again.

You all have to leave after that, retracing your steps to the courtyard. You walk beside Annie and Johanna, while Peeta is up front next to Gale. None of you say anything as you watch Tanith sway from side to side from the man walking. You shake your head.

“He’s done it again.” you whisper, “Snow’s gotten everything I’ve ever loved.”

Boggs and Gale have to throw more gas canisters to knock out the peacekeepers you passed the first time. You all mostly try to walk around the peacekeepers, but Johanna makes an effort of kicking every single one she passes by. Mainly in the throat, or in the crotch. Anything she feels like and can reach.

The walk back is much easier and quicker. Time flies, and before you know it, you’re already in the stairwell. The guy that holds Tanith on his shoulder doesn’t struggle at all while he goes up. He has one hand on her legs, and the other on the railing to keep him balanced, which is reasonable.

Just before the courtyard, they throw another canister. A couple seconds pass by, and then you guys leave the stairwell. There’s already a cot waiting for you guys out here. Boggs orders Peeta to go up first, and then to double it, Johanna has to get on it too.

While they’re being pulled up, two of the volunteers hook themselves up to the free wires, and they’re pulled up and into the sky themselves. Then, the cot is sent down with two more wires, allowing Annie to get on the cot right next to Tanith. Annie promises that she’ll do her best to keep Tanith from falling, but she has to turn her head away.

“Go up.” Boggs tells you, hooking the wire to your body.

The guy that had been carrying Tanith is pulled up with you. You spend your time going up, just staring at the ground below you. As they turn into small specks, and the floors start passing you by faster and faster.

At the top, you’re helped out of the air by one of the volunteers that are already up here. You get unhooked, and you’re directed back to where you were sitting before. Peeta and Johanna sit across from you, Tanith’s body is on the floor, and Annie is up against the wall all the way to your right.

“I’m sorry.” Peeta’s voice is faint, and when you look up at him, he looks as grave as you feel.

“Yeah.” you say, taking off the gas mask, and then the helmet.

Everyone else is brought into the hovercraft jet, and the ramp is closed up. They go back to their respective spots, and you guys have the pleasure of knowing that the Capitol has power again, and the defense looks like it’s back online. There’s absolutely no communication passing between the pilots and the command center in District Thirteen, either.

You guys could die, and it would be celebrated by the Capitol.

“Do you want to go back to District Two?” Boggs asks, “We can make a quick stop.”

Your eyes trail down to Tanith, “I’d only want to bury her.”

“We can try to talk to Lyme or Paylor.” One of the pilots up front offers, “If we get past the defense, maybe our signals will clear up.”

You nod, “I just don’t want to be there.”

You lean your head back after that, closing your eyes.

You listen to the pilots talking back and forth with each other, until Boggs or Gale joins in. But for the most part, the ride is quiet. Johanna, Peeta and Annie don’t speak, probably because they don’t know what to say. The other volunteers just watched you sob over a body.

This mission may be a success to everyone else, but it isn’t for you. The only reason why you had pushed so hard for this to come true, is because of Tanith. You wanted to get Tanith someplace safe, and now she’s...

Forget everything you said about Snow not being able to control you, or losing his footing when it comes to things. He knew what he was doing the whole time, he knew that you’d fall for it, it was just a matter of time before you realized that it was all lies.

Snow’s won, again. He’s taken everything that there was to take. You’ve got nothing anymore. The only person that he might consider going after is Finnick, and he’s not even yours. And you can’t even bring yourself to care about him, because he’s not yours to take away from. He belongs to Annie, and he’s out of the hands of the Capitol for now.

“We’re fifteen minutes out from District Two.” one of the pilots says.

You sigh.

“Alright, let’s get two nurses and a doctor on Peeta. As for Johanna, just a nurse. Same thing for Annie, and let’s go.” The doctor says, beginning to walk off, but then she hesitates when she sees you, “Are you a tribute?”

“No, I wasn’t rescued from the tribute center.”

“You’re not--” she flips through some papers, “--Tanith Nuova?”

“No.” you say, “We dropped her body off in District Two.”

You hope that enough for her to understand that there is no more Tanith. It takes a moment, until it registers in the doctor’s mind. She finds something to change the conversation to, relatively quickly after that.

“We should get your arm checked out.”

“Sure.” you mumble.

All of you go through the entire bay of District Thirteen. Here, they have missiles, supplies and hovercrafts of their own. And to think that thirteen was just supposed to be some distant memory. A district that got out of hand and had to be killed off because of it.

They’ve been thriving this whole time in this underground bunker.

The elevator has to take multiple trips because Johanna, Peeta and Annie are out cold. Annie had a panic attack because of Tanith’s body being passed off to Paylor in District Two, so you had to sedate her. As for Peeta… he wasn’t necessarily acting like himself, which freaked out Gale. And Johanna started to get restless when the ride was taking longer than she thought, and Boggs just wanted her to shut up.

By the time you’re able to get onto the elevator, it’s all just one big blur to you. One second you’re on the way, in a cement hallway, and the next you’re in a bright white room with other doctors and nurses moving in and out of rooms. They have you directed to a bed next to Annie, as Johanna gets the one to your far left, and Peeta is brought to a private room.

The girl that’s assigned to you takes your blood pressure, and has you do a series of breathing tests. She knows that you weren’t taken out the same time as the others, but earlier in the day yesterday. She takes blood from you so that they can test it and make sure that there’s no more ‘venom’ from the spiders.

Right after that, she gets to work on your arm. She examines it, says that you didn’t fuck up anything in your arm. She cleans it briefly, and then begins stitching it. When she’s done, she wraps it up like it had been before, but in better bandaging. She basically gives you a pat on the back and says that you’re free to go, just not very far.

You’re thankful for that, you slide off of the bed without a complaint and make a beeline out of the hospital. It reminds you too much of Tanith’s room when you found her body.

As you pass through the double doors, you’re met with a couple of people making their way down the hallway. When they get closer, you’re able to see that the first one is Katniss. She slows considerably when she realizes that it’s you who’s standing in front of her.

Right behind her is Finnick, who picks up the pace as soon as he realizes the same thing she did. Katniss is slow, waiting to see what will happen as you stare emotionless at Finnick.

He throws his arms around you, pulling you tight against his body. You press your hand against him, trying to push him away from you, because this is not what you need right now, but he insists.

“Peeta and Annie are inside.” you say.

“I know.” Finnick says, “But I’m here for you, right now.”

“Annie had a panic attack on the way here, you should go see her.”

Finnick ignores you, as he always does, “I heard what happened, I’m sorry. You shouldn't have been the one to find her--”

You frown, clenching your teeth as the tears spring in your eyes again, “Get off of me.”

“Can I have a moment with her, alone?” Finnick asks.

“Yeah, sorry.” Katniss says, and you can hear the doors open for a moment, as a third pair of footsteps approach. Then, the door swings shut.

Finnick readjusts his arms around you, “It’s just me and you here.”

It takes a moment before the tears start running down your face, and you can’t hold it together anymore. You press your forehead against Finnick’s shoulder as the first sob hits your body like a wave. You finally hug Finnick, allowing him to get a better hold on you altogether.

He rubs your back, not saying anything.

The two of you stand like that for minutes on end, before you’re finally able to pull yourself together enough. You rub your eyes with the heels of your hands, and then with the pink shirt when your hands do nothing. Finnick sees your forearm with the bandage on it.

“You’re bleeding.”

“Had to gouge out the tracker before we arrived in the Capitol. Some nurse just fixed it up for me.” you look at Finnick.

He has a frown on his face, “Not to sound like a dick, but you’ve been overpowering me for the last couple of days.”

You sputter out a short laugh, “Let me guess, you felt anger after you had been taken out of the arena and were on your way to District Thirteen?”

The frown deepens, “I tried to tell Plutarch to get you too, but he said we couldn’t afford the chance. A few minutes later, I felt like I could take on a hundred people at once. And then it happened again yesterday morning, though it wasn’t as much.”

“Let me guess, grief after that?”

“I didn’t know you could be so sad.” Finnick says.

“I’m fine.” you shake your head, “It was nothing compared to coming home to a massacre in my own home.”

Finnick’s look of concern follows up that statement. You don’t want to explain it all to him, so you usher him to go inside of the hospital to see Annie instead. He agrees to go in, only after you say you’ll go inside too.

It’s exactly how you expect after that. Annie goes running at Finnick, clearly happy to see him, but he looks detached. He’s not as quick to kiss her, as she is. In fact, he’s letting her down to the floor sooner than she’s ready to. The whole interaction looks rushed, as if he’s not into it.

You suppose that it’s your fault, you are raining on this whole reunion. He’s trying the best he can without feeling awkward, but it isn’t much.

Him and Annie talk for a couple of minutes, which results in a lot of glances towards you. As time goes on, Annie begins to look upset by what he has to say. Then, she finally shakes her head at him, says something that ends the conversation, and Finnick comes back over towards you.

“I hope you didn’t just tell her what I think you did.” You watch as Annie takes a seat on the hospital bed she was on before.

“I did.” he says, “I didn’t end it between us but--”

“Finnick.” you scowl.

“--but it’s hard not to.” Finnick finishes, “It’s hard because I’m feeling what you feel, and not her.”

You need to sleep on all of this, you can’t stand this anymore. You need to lay down and get another few weeks of good rest because of a medically induced coma. And you’ll only be allowed to wake up when this is all a distant memory. Too much is happening all at once, and it’s making your head spin.

“Alright, cool.” you sigh, “It’s not my life you’re fucking up, it’s yours, and hers. If you want to ruin everything that you’ve earned for the past five years--”

“We’ve only been together for a year and a half.” Finnick forces you to look at him, “I know it’s a long time to you, but it isn’t to me. Not compared to the fact that my soulmate is standing right in front of me. And as long as you’re here, I’m willing to throw everything away for you.”

You and him stare at each other, before you say; “Your loss.”

#ilguna #finnick odair #finnick odair x reader #finnick odair fanfic #finnick odair imagine #finnick odair oneshot #finnick odair metanoia #metanoia #metanoia chapter thirteen

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ellanainthetardis · 7 years

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Lots of things happening today! I hope you enjoy it! Please do let me know, feedback makes my day and feeds my wavering motivation!

[FF] or [AO3]

39. 17 Days

Haymitch was aware he was strutting but he couldn’t stop himself.

He carefully pushed the pram down the streets that led to Sae’s restaurant, proud as a peacock, to the others’ obvious amusement. He was suspecting Effie and Katniss were exchanging mocking looks behind his back but he didn’t care.

Not when every acquaintance they crossed path with took a look inside the pram and declared April to be beautiful. And she was beautiful. Effie had dressed her up for her first official outing. She was wearing a white dress with pink glittery flowers that matched her pacifier and her tiny boots.

So far, there had only been one incident to report. A paparazzi who had been hiding near the entrance to the Village and had ended up with an arrow wedged in his camera for his trouble. Haymitch wasn’t sure what had freaked out the guy most: being shot at by the Mockingjay or Snowball jumping on him, all snarls and growls. The dog hadn’t attacked but it had been a close thing, at Haymitch’s whistle he had simply snatched the camera with its jutting arrow from the man’s hands and had sauntered back to spit it at Katniss’ feet.

The girl had sighed and reluctantly patted his head. The dog would win her over yet, Haymitch could feel it.

Needless to say both Tadius and Elindra had been appalled by their way of handling the situation but Katniss had simply shouldered her bow with a shrug. As for Effie, she had ushered her parents down the slope, chatting with her newly arrived father, dismissing any of their warnings about possible lawsuits for assault. None of the vultures would dare drag them in front of a court of law. Not with Plutarch Heavensbee at their back.

There had been more reporters but they had had the good taste of staying far away. There would be pictures in the gossip rags probably but, with some luck, the pram would shield the baby. And Effie had been right, it had been time to take April out.

Their daughter was certainly enjoying it.

Her blue eyes were wide open, her attention mainly on him since it was all she could see. She was sucking on her pacifier and making some noises from time to time – the kind he and Effie had decided meant she was happy.

When Effie looped her arms around one of his, leaving her parents to their discussion, he smirked even harder.

“You are being far too smug.” she grinned, looking very pleased herself. “We will irritate people who do not like us.”

“They can go to hell.” he snorted. “I’ve got the most perfect baby in Panem and the prettiest wife. I’m allowed to be smug.”

She laughed, leaning into his side before reaching inside the pram to adjust the light blanket on April’s legs. “Look at your Papa being all smooth, darling… And they say he cannot be charming…”

“Can be charming, alright.” he smirked. “Where do you think she gets it from?”

His teasing was answered with some light bumping against his shoulder and a shake of her head.

“And off goes the charm, April. Did you see it fly away?” she cooed at their daughter. “A charming man would have said you take after your Mama.”

Haymitch decided it should have been illegal to be as happy as he was right then.

The moment Sae spotted them, she was over in a flash. She insisted on settling them outside so they could enjoy the sun and pushed several tables closer so they could all sit together. Everyone was welcomed warmly – except for Elindra – and the old woman cooed and awed at the baby long enough that Haymitch felt like he was going to burst with pride.

He knew he might have been a little too obvious when Katniss and Peeta started laughing like the two annoying brats they were. Snowball settled next to the pram, always watchful over April, and eventually rested his head on Haymitch’s foot when he sat down at the very end of the table so he could keep an eye on his daughter who was falling asleep.

They were a loud party.

The food was good but clearly not up to Tadius and Elindra’s standards. It was funny if only to hear the Capitol woman argue with Sae. There was some debate going on between Tadius and Peeta about medical discoveries that still weren’t within everyone’s reach and reserved to those wealthy enough to pay for it. Peeta was advocating that it was unfair while Tadius argued that the country didn’t have enough funds to support a medical insurance system to cover procedures as expensive as the ones they were talking about.

The topic interested Haymitch and he would have loved to cut in but his whole attention was on his daughter. When she stirred, he picked her up and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Effie touched his arm and he handed her over. They kept doing that, passing her back and forth between them, still adjusting to the fact this was real…

“It’s time for her bottle.” Effie reminded him, pushing her sunglasses on her head.

They were eating dessert and most of them had finished so he almost suggested to wait until they were back at the house but, truth be told, nobody seemed in a hurry to leave and it was such a nice day… Even Elindra wasn’t as irritating. Or maybe he was simply getting used to her.

He rummaged in the diaper bag until he found the bottle they had packed and handed it to her.

Tadius cleared his throat. “May I, Euphemia?”

Effie looked taken aback and almost immediately cradled April closer to her chest in an instinctive protective move. “You want to feed her?”

“Have you lost your mind, Tadius?” Elindra huffed. “You have never fed an infant.”

“What can I say, this District makes me bold.” the Capitol man declared, almost sheepish. “I would understand if you would rather do it yourself, of course. As you mother pointed out I am not skilled in that department…”

Effie searched Haymitch’s eyes. He shrugged, leaving the decision to her. She seemed to hesitate and then stood up to walk around the table. Katniss immediately gave her her own seat, taking the chair Effie had vacated instead. His wife was careful when she placed the baby in Tadius’ arms, making sure he was supporting April’s head adequately.

Since he had arrived the previous night, her father hadn’t requested to hold his granddaughter. Haymitch had written it off as a Capitol quirk. Elindra had picked April up a few times but the woman never carried her for long. A few minutes at best and then she handed it over to Effie or Haymitch. Aside for gushing over how precious April was, she didn’t seem to know what to do with a baby and she didn’t look very interested in learning. She had told them at least five times that they should get a nanny and had finally made her peace with their refusal when Effie had gotten so upset she had almost burst out in tears at the mere thought of a stranger taking care of their child.

She had only given birth a little over two weeks earlier and she was still dealing with that. Haymitch had learned to avoid certain touchy subjects. She was emotional about the strangest things.

He distractedly fiddled with the cat ragdoll, watching Effie laugh softly while she guided her father’s hands. Tadius seemed afraid of hurting April somehow.

The baby was a trooper. As long as there was food, she wasn’t peaky about where it came from.

Conversations started again but Haymitch didn’t engage, trying to remember the last time he had felt so relaxed with such a big group of people, outside in the sun, carefree and relaxed.

This was… good.

“They’re not the worst.” Katniss muttered as an aside clearly meant for his ears only. “For Capitols. Well, her mother isn’t really nice but…” She rolled her eyes. “She’s growing on me, I guess.”

“They’re family now, I guess.” he answered on the same tone. He was the first surprised by that answer.

Katniss’ eyebrows shot up but, in the end, she wrinkled her nose. “They stuck around this time. So… Yeah, maybe.”

Tadius looked elated to have managed his first bottle feeding but Haymitch wasn’t sure it was the action that had delighted him as much as Effie’s obvious pleasure at seeing him make an effort. The man held April a little while longer and only handed her back when she started fussing. Effie automatically rubbed her tummy, meeting Haymitch’s gaze over the table.

April had been crying after they fed her for a few days now. Larcher insisted it was nothing concerning, that colic wasn’t uncommon, that it would fade eventually…

He hated seeing his daughter in pain.

April was loud and she was obviously tired of fresh air so they all stood up. Effie kept the baby in her arms, he stuck close to them, letting Peeta push the empty pram.

“I know, sweetie.” she hummed, pressing soothing kisses to their daughter’s brow. “I know it hurts…”

Haymitch wrapped his arm around Effie’s shoulders and gently rubbed April’s stomach. It wasn’t that easy a thing to do as they walked but they had become very skilled at it. Their daughter only stopped crying when they walked around and rubbed her belly in a particularly gentle way.

They bumped into the Clarkes as they passed by the bakery. Effie and Elindra immediately stopped to chat with Eileen – the Capitol woman complimented the children in a very hypocritical tone – and Peeta, who had been talking about his business with Tadius, was soon trapped in a conversation with Liam about increasing the daily amount of baked goods the boy delivered to the coffee shop. Peeta would need to hire help soon, Haymitch figured, business was good.

“Haymitch, I have a favor to ask you.” Tadius said suddenly, leaving the boy to his discussion. “Do you know where the old mines were and would you take me there?”

His eyebrows shot up. “What do you want to go there for?”

“The government is about to put the lands for sale.” Effie’s father explained.

“It’s Swiss cheese down there.” he commented. “Not sure you can build anything.”

Tadius dismissed that with a wave of his hand, the black gemstone he always wore on his middle finger catching the light. “I still would like to inspect them.”

“Fine by me.” he shrugged and reached out to tap Effie’s shoulder. Effie had been in the middle of a sentence and shot him a dark glare. Interrupting someone was rude. He smirked in answer. “Your dad wants to see the old mines, I’ll be back quick.”

“Yes, alright.” she huffed, irritated with his disrupting of her conversation. “Take Snowball with you. He needs some proper exercising.”

He pecked her lips just to annoy her further, brushed his fingers against April’s cheek and nodded to Eileen before steering Tadius away from Elindra and her high pitched voice.

“What kind of business do you do?” he asked, realizing a bit too late that he had never asked. Effie had always mentioned business without going into the specifics and Tadius took obvious pride in his company but Haymitch had no clue what the company actually did.

“Oh, a little of everything really.” the man smiled. “My grandfather was an architect, the company was specialized in residential design when he started it. Then, he took on an associate who was into interior design and the business really took off. It did not flourish until my father came to work into the company though. He bought a few smaller architecture companies, made enough money to buy my grandfather’s associate’s shares… Then, he started investing in other fields. Food service industry, leisure, fashion, private clinics… We have shares everywhere now.” The more Tadius talked, the lighter the spring in his steps became. “When my father came into the company it was declining, when he left it to me, it was an empire.”

The Capitol obviously had a great admiration for his father.

“He sounds like a brilliant man.” he ventured carefully.

“He was.” Tadius nodded. “Business is ruthless. I learned more from watching him close deals than I did at university. He taught me how to deal with sharks.” The man chuckled. “Although, I trust you had experience in that department yourself.”

He meant sponsors.

Haymitch focused on the familiar narrow streets that used to lead to the Seam. “More than I’d like.”

“My father was a great man.” the Capitol nodded slowly, as if to himself. “He was not pleased about my marrying Elindra. It created a rift between us I never quite managed to breach.”

“Really?” he frowned. “Why?”

Aside from the obvious, he didn’t say. Elindra was a silly, shallow and greedy woman. But most women in the city – hell, most people – were like that.

“She did not have… the pedigree.” Tadius offered tactfully. “My father built our financial empire and hoisted us to the upper class but… People never let you forget where you come from. Money is a good deterrent to their snobbism though.”

“Wasn’t she rich too?” he frowned. “Thought she was an actress or something…”

He was sure Effie had mentioned that.

“She was and she had made quite a name for herself.” the Capitol nodded. “She was a star… So beautiful… More beautiful than Lyssa in her prime by far. She was… breathtaking. She could bat an eyelash and all the men around her threw themselves at her feet.” Tadius laughed, a little bitter. “I begged her to marry me. I loved her, you see. I loved her madly. I realized only too late that what she loved was my money.”

Haymitch winced and kicked a pebble. “Sucks.”

“Quite.” Tadius snorted, burying his hands in the pockets of his suit. “It was stipulated in our marriage contract that we were supposed to have one child. I pleaded for another for five years. She had made Lyssandra her sole property and I was hoping for a boy. In the end, all it took was agreeing to buying a country house. She refused to carry the baby though so we paid a surrogate.”

He was starting to feel ill-at-ease. He liked Effie’s father but he wasn’t sure he wanted to know all those details about her parents’ marriage. Or Effie’s birth.

It made him angry that Elindra hadn’t even wanted to carry her, to grow her. Effie was… Effie was perfect. Extraordinary. And the fact that Elindra hadn’t been able to see that from the start, the fact that she had chosen to…

“We’re almost there.” he said, hoping to change the subject. That part of the District hadn’t really been touched yet. Dust puffed in clouds as they walked and Tadius muttered about the state of his shoes and pants.

“Are you certain this is quite safe?” the Capitol asked when they left the town behind for good.

Haymitch supposed he hadn’t often wandered into the wild – if you could call that the wild.

“Bears don’t wander this far.” he shrugged, whistling when Snowball disappeared from sight. “Some wild cats do but they’re afraid of humans, it’s really not that dangerous. Polecats though, they’re the real plague.” He abruptly stopped when he caught sight of the familiar landmarks. “We’re here.” Tadius stepped forward but Haymitch held him back. The mines had collapsed during the bombings and it was a real landfill still. Vegetation had grown, making it look like green craters. “I’m not sure the ground’s stable enough. The Mayor’s been petitioning the government to do something for two years. Kids know not to play around here but teenagers are often stupid.”

He would know. He had hung around the abandoned mines with his friends often enough in his youth despite the warnings.

“We had the same situation in Two.” Tadius declared. His voice has lost the friendly touch, he sounded professional now. He was inspecting the place with a serious gaze, calculating… “We filled the empty cavities underground with cement. It was costly but worth the investment.”

It would beat having a potential cave-in on their hands. Now that April was there… He was hyper aware of Twelve’s every danger.

“What do you want to build?” he asked curiously.

“I would have to come back with a few experts.” the Capitol hummed distractedly, before pointing out to a large section of rocky ground. “From here to here… We would build a residential area. Something similar to the Victors Village but more modern. We did the same in Two and Seven and it was very successful. Twelve is a growing District but people are reluctant to move in because they like their comfort.”

“I like my District small.” Haymitch grumbled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Tadius actually laughed. “Have no fear, I do not think it will ever become as big as Two or Four.” He pointed to another place, a little away from the residential area, closer to town. “I was thinking about building a convalescent home here, they are always interested in secluded locations. It is better for patients, I believe.”

“You think people will come to Twelve to be treated?” he frowned. “Thirteen’s not that far…”

“Thirteen does not have fresh air or a beautiful view like this one.” Tadius dismissed. “It is all about marketing, Haymitch. We could implement some sort of agreement with the Mayor… We could grant use of our medical machines in exchange for some financial arrangement… That would benefit both us and the District.” The Capitol nodded thoughtfully. “And, naturally, I will have to look into empty buildings in town itself.”

“Are you taking over Twelve?” he asked, half-joking and half-apprehensive.

“Twelve is lacking a good sweetshop.” the businessman countered. “It won’t be said my granddaughter will live somewhere without a sweetshop. The Candy Paradise franchise will do very well. I was thinking about having one of the Children’s Kingdom center implemented too.”

Haymitch shook his head. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, it is the best thing for children.” Tadius explained, gesturing to the path they had taken so they would head back to town. Haymitch followed after making sure Snowball was sticking around. “Why, the franchise is almost twenty years old now and still popular. It is a daycare center with games and trained nannies… There are different rooms and activities depending on ages and interests… There are different fees depending on if you want them to take care of your child daily or if you are just leaving them there for the afternoon… Children love it. It has been a big hit in every District we set shop in.” Haymitch wasn’t sure. It sounded like a Capitol thing to him. They were always eager to get their kids off their hands. “Timotheo and Bryden love it. It is all they talk about. When they talk to me, that is. I am sure April will love it too.”

Haymitch didn’t commit. He didn’t want to hurt the man’s feelings but April didn’t need to live in a small version of the Capitol. That wasn’t how they did things around here.

He would have to tell Effie to talk to him, he decided.

“I would have to visit Twelve more often.” the Capitol added, almost as an afterthought. Despite its casualness, Haymitch doubted it was so innocent.

“You’re always welcome, Tadius.” he said sincerely enough. “You don’t need to buy any land to come around.”

“I am afraid Elindra will insist on accompanying me.” the man replied and Haymitch winced a little. He wasn’t sure if Effie’s father had caught it or not but the Capitol remained silent for a few minutes. When he talked, he was deadly serious. “She is not heartless.”

“That’s really not my business.” he sighed.

“You are our son-in-law, Haymitch.” Tadius argued. “I do believe it makes it your business.” He wasn’t sure how to disagree with that so he simply shrugged. The Capitol cleared his throat. “She was… misguided for a long time. I told you my father did not approve of our match.”

“’Cause she was interested.” he guessed.

“No.” Tadius denied. “It would not have been the first marriage where money was a third participant. Elindra is clever, she has perfect manners and she was famous. Three things he would have loved in any other potential daughter-in-law. The problem laid elsewhere… Has Effie ever talked to you about her grandfather on her mother’s side?”

“No much.” he hesitated. “Just that she loved him a lot. Took her ice skating and such… Let her be a real kid.”

“Yes, Timotheo was quite… controversial.” Tadius remarked. “He was against the Games and for a good reason, you see. Before the first rebellion… Well, he was the eldest son of one of the wealthiest families in the city but he fell in love with a girl from a District. It wasn’t forbidden yet although very much frowned upon.”

“Effie’s grandmother was a District girl?” he asked, stunned. She had never told him that.

“He was forced to choose between the girl and his fortune and he chose the girl.” Tadius sighed. “Elindra grew up in poverty.”

“For a Capitol.” he snorted, not even trying to stop himself. “We don’t have the same definition.”

“I suppose not.” Tadius amended. “However, it was terrible for her. She resented her father a lot for his choices and loathed her mother’s sometimes couth behavior. She had ambitions and she fought to get to the top. Her origins, though… My father never forgave them.”

“Can’t really feel sorry for her.” Haymitch replied. “I’m sorry, Tadius, but it’s…”

“She has always been terribly afraid of falling back into poverty, of becoming a nobody again.” the Capitol interrupted him. “The rebellion… You must understand the climate after that was difficult. Capitol companies were shunned by the government, business was uncertain, social circles were even more treacherous… Elindra is used to being queen. She doesn’t…”

“Doesn’t justify kicking Effie out the door.” he growled. “You have any idea the state she was in the day she came here?”

He didn’t like remembering.

Drenched from the rain, two suitcases, a frayed pink coat… He had opened his door and had thought for a second that she looked like a drown rat. She had started crying before he had even stepped aside to let her in.

He had spent thirty minutes trying to comfort her while getting her into dry clothes. He hadn’t been sure how long it had been since she had eaten a proper meal, she had looked famished, almost feverish…

She had been frantic, sobbing about how much in debts she was, about how the government had taken everything she owned and how she had tried to keep afloat…

He could still remember it perfectly. The way her fingers had clenched the mug of tea he had brewed for her, the tears that kept falling into the liquid, the slight shaking of her shoulders…

“I can’t do it anymore. I can’t.” she had finally confessed in a broken breath.

He had been terrified. Terrified. Because he was certain she hadn’t been talking of living in the Capitol at the time. It had been living she couldn’t bear anymore.

The first few weeks had been hard.

He had kept triggering flashbacks and panic attacks without meaning to. He had asked the kids not to come around without warning anymore because she hated them seeing her like that. It had taken so long for them to find a routine, some sort of rhythm…

He had paid off her debts, of course. She had promised to repay him but she had been in no state to find a job and it hadn’t really been a problem or a priority. With that weight off her shoulders, she had been able to focus on herself a little more.

It had been tough, though.

So, so tough.

He wouldn’t say she had recovered now but she was so much better than when she had first showed up.

“I was not home when Effie came that day.” Tadius confessed. “I would not have let Elindra… We could not take Effie in. Lyssa was already living with us and she was far too angry with her sister. Lyssa needed us.”

“So did Effie.” he spat.

“Yes, I understand that now. At the time…” the Capitol shook his head, lowering his voice a little because they were entering town again and there were people going about their own business in the street. “I would have found her a small apartment. Somewhere to live.”

“That wasn’t what she needed.” he scoffed. “She needed…”

“We did not know, Haymitch.” Effie’s father cut him off harshly. “As far as we were concerned, she had been arrested and that was it. It took almost a year for rumors about what really happened to the Capitols who had been arrested to float around. The rebels shot them down. And by then…” He sighed. “The war was an electroshock for Elindra. She realized just how important we were to her. She loves her daughters, you must understand. I do think she thought Effie would come back after a week or two… I think she was trying to give her a lesson by turning her away… In her mind, Effie would come back, we would find her a proper husband and we would put all this nonsense behind us. She never expected Effie to stay in Twelve with you.”

“You don’t know your daughter.” he declared coldly. “Never made the effort. And that’s sad ‘cause she’s really worth knowing.”

Tadius’ jaw clenched but he didn’t outright dispute the point. Maybe because he knew Haymitch was right.

“Capitols are starting to speak out about what happened to them during the war under Snow’s regime.” Tadius said. “They want to be heard. President Paylor seems to be favorable to that, she has been… She has been good in dealing with the Capitols but there is a strong opposition, people who would like us to remain the villains and who would gladly make second-class citizens of us.”

“She’ll sort it out.” he dismissed. “She’s a good woman.”

“She is a better President than I expected.” the man granted. “But that is not… Has Effie told you about a certain conversation she had with her mother recently?”

He made a face. If Effie’s father was talking about the conversation he had accidentally overheard through the baby monitor… “Look…”

“Elindra was frantic when she came home from that lecture.” Tadius said in a rush. “She piled clothes in her suitcase without properly folding any or asking for the maid’s help. It took… It took me a long time to calm her down enough to make sense out of what she was saying…”

“Tadius.” he cut him off but the man didn’t seem to be able to stop.

“The things that man said…” the Capitol shook his head. “When I learned Effie had been hurt, I… I was furious naturally but I thought I had made my peace with it because she seemed so much better now but… The things that man said, Haymitch… I need to know…”

“No.” he interrupted firmly. “You don’t. ‘Cause if she wanted you to know, she would have told you.”

Elindra had been better in not prying.

Tadius though, he had the determined look of a businessman who wouldn’t take no for an answer. “She does not need to know you told me.”

“Yeah, I don’t keep secrets.” Haymitch scoffed. “That’s not how we do things.”

“What if it was April?” the Capitol snapped. “Could you live without knowing if it was April?”

Haymitch rubbed his face, almost relieved to see the familiar slope leading to the Village. That wasn’t a question he had ever entertained and he had been happier that way.

“It’s not fair what you’re asking.” he argued. “We’re… We’re friends, you and me, but she’s my wife and I won’t betray her trust.”

“I am not asking you to betray her trust.” Tadius insisted. “I am simply asking you to give a father some peace.”

He chuckled bitterly. “There��s no peace to be found there.”

“Most of the Peacekeepers have been released, do you know this?” Effie’s father asked. “A case was made that they had simply been soldiers obeying orders. They tried and executed senior officers but the others are free. How many of those who hurt my daughter are living a peaceful life in whatever District they chose to hide in, Haymitch? How many?”

Snowball bumped against his leg, probably sensing his distress. He crouched to pet the dog, hiding his shaking fingers in his fur. He had been doing much better in the last few days but, suddenly, he was craving a drink again.

“I killed him.” he said slowly, in a quiet voice that didn’t carry very far.

“I beg your pardon?” Tadius frowned.

“When we arrived at the prison, the rebels had just taken it. I had been looking for Effie for a while, we didn’t know if she was even there, I just… I don’t know.” he shrugged. “That guard… The moment he saw me, there was no shutting him up. The Peacekeepers had surrendered, they were supposed to be safe from immediate repercussions but that one…” He closed his eyes and he was back there. The smell of powder in the air, the smoke that came from the still fuming breach in the wall… The Peacekeepers parked in one corner of the courtyard and the rebels walking around in their grey uniforms, trying to figure out how to sort through the prisoners… Some had been Capitols, some hadn’t… There had been no quick way of deciding who was an ally and who was a foe. The silver lighter in the man’s hand, the goading, the details…. He had often wondered if the guard had wanted to die or if he had just been that sick. Torturing people for a living didn’t make for sane people, probably. “I killed him.”

“Was it painful?” Tadius asked.

“Oh, yeah.” he snorted bitterly. He had unleashed his inner demon for that one, the beast he had carefully kept contained since his arena… He had let it lose on that man. “The things he claimed to have done to her… And he wouldn’t shut up… He wouldn’t…”

Snowball licked his face with a small whimper and he blinked, coming back to reality. He had been griping the dog’s fur far too tight and he petted him in apology. He was rewarded with a forgiving bump of his head.

“Good.” the Capitol hissed. “I abhor violence, you must understand, but there are circumstances. I wish I could have done it myself.”

“It doesn’t matter, you know.” he sighed, standing up and clicking his fingers so Snowball would stick close to his leg. “Revenge. Doesn’t change anything.”

Tadius didn’t look convinced by that but Haymitch supposed that it was because he had never killed before. He couldn’t understand.

“Was she raped?” It was a horrified whisper, probably the Capitol’s greatest fear. It had been his too once upon a time, before he had realized what they had done to her was maybe equally as bad if not worse.

Haymitch started walking because he couldn’t talk about that standing still. It filled him with too much rage…

“Don’t think so.” he gritted through clenched teeth. “Always said no. But…” He hesitated. “If she was, she won’t tell me. She thinks she needs to protect me.” He shook his head. “I really don’t think so though. They probably threatened her with it but it wasn’t their kind of sadism.”

“What was it, then?” Tadius insisted. “You said too much now. I won’t tell Effie and I won’t tell Elindra. But I need to know, Haymitch. I cannot lie awake another night and wonder what was done to my little girl.” Imagination was sometimes worse than the truth, he understood that. He had spent months in Thirteen thinking about what they had been doing to her. The Capitol grabbed his arm just as they walked through the iron gates. “She told Elindra they took her humanity away. I thought that meant she had been… If it was not sexual assault, then what?”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, staring at the broken fountain in the distance.

“She didn’t tell me everything. She told me some. Peeta and Jo said a few things. There’s stuff I pieced together from her medical files.” he admitted. “Can’t promise I’m right about everything.”

“Tell me.” Tadius demanded again.

“Let’s sit.” he suggested. He waited until the Capitol man was sitting on the edge of the fountain – to his obvious distaste because it would leave stains on his already dirty pants – to talk. He paced. There was no way he was sitting through this. He paced back and forth in front of the man. “From what I understood, it started with pretty basic stuff. They arrested her, roughened her up, scared her… When she didn’t give them any information, they stripped her off her clothes, wig and make-up and forced her into a prisoner uniform. They taunted her.”

“Because she has always taken pride in her beauty.” Tadius surmised.

“Yeah.” he confirmed. “It’s standard interrogation tactics. I don’t think it took too long for them to understand she didn’t know anything. They kept on taunting her, telling her I didn’t really…” He shook his head. “They wanted her broken so they could use her to get Peeta and Johanna to talk. They didn’t call her by her name anymore, she was… She was Abernathy’s bitch. They punished her if she didn’t answer to that name.” He licked his lips and buried his hands in his pockets because they were shaking too much. “They tortured her in front of Peeta and Johanna. Whips, knives, fists… You name it, they used it on her.”

Tadius took a sharp intake of breath and Haymitch wondered if he was going to be sick. He had been sick when he had found her. As soon as he had been sure the doctors were taking care of her, he had staggered to the closest bathroom and he had thrown up.

“The victors were rescued.” her father scowled. “Why wasn’t she…”

“Because Katniss had never thought of putting her on the list.” he scoffed. “As far as the girl knew, she was chilling at home with one of her awful blue cocktail…” He shook his head again. “She was on my list but we didn’t know she was there. They had moved her before we infiltrated the Center.”

“But surely they had no use for her once the victors…” Tadius argued.

“That was the worst part, I think.” he interrupted. “Everything else… She’s so fucking strong… She would have bounced back quicker but that… They moved her to a high security prison. They tossed her in a cell…” He kicked hard at a stone on his path. “Shit, that cell was so small… She couldn’t stand. She couldn’t…” He stopped for a second. “There was no window. No light at all. They kept her there, fed her once in a while, never acknowledged her directly, only took her out when they were bored and needed some distraction…” He rubbed his mouth. “They left her to rot. Literally. The stench… When I opened that door, I thought she was dead. I really thought…”

He closed his eyes and stopped his pacing, taking a moment to ground himself. He was in Twelve, in the Village, Effie was home with their daughter. She was safe. She was alive.

“I see.” Tadius’ voice was weak. “Is it… Is it everything?”

“Being in the dark so long… She had a fit when I carried her out.” he whispered. “The light… She struggled… I hurt her. There were so many injuries… I tried to be careful but I hurt her… She passed out…”

“I hardly think that was your fault.” her father remarked, still sounding like he was going to be ill. “Why was it kept a secret? Why…”

He stretched his neck, watching the blue sky overhead.

“Same reason both sides targeted victors.” he shrugged. “They didn’t want martyrs. I just wanted to protect her. She was… We didn’t know if… She was insane, Tadius. She was hysterical for days. Every time we tried to take her off sedation, she screamed and screamed. It got better once she could see properly again but… She wouldn’t let anyone touch her. She grew panicked every time someone came too close… She started clinging to me after a while but we didn’t know if it was because I was in her room the most and I had become familiar or if it was ‘cause she recognized me. She wouldn’t talk. She wouldn’t…” He clenched his jaw. “It took weeks for her to become herself again. She had lost herself in that cell, had locked herself outside of her mind, I don’t know…”

He had cried the day she had said his name for the first time. He had gone back to his room, closed the door and just… let it all out. There had been so many dead, the previous months had been so awful, he had been so scared of losing Katniss and Peeta, of losing her…

“I was against her staying in the Capitol in the first place.” he said. “She needed to. For the boy. And then… Then, she wanted to prove it to herself she could, I guess, but I knew if she failed she would crash and burn.” He swallowed hard. “The first days she spent here… I kept waiting for her to do something stupid… The kids saved her. She wanted to be strong for them. She kept saying they needed her… The kids. I’m pretty sure that’s all that stopped her from trying to kill herself. And you had turned her away. If she hadn’t had us… If she…”

He stopped talking when he realized silent tears were rolling down Tadius’ plastic pumped cheeks.

A part of him felt bad for the man because he genuinely liked him, another rejoiced because he had been desperate to give them a piece of his mind ever since he had opened his front door on her almost two years ago.

“She will tell you it doesn’t matter what your family did to her.” he continued. “Maybe she even thinks it because she’s too used to being treated like second best to her sister. It did matter. Keep your excuses about your wife’s behavior ‘cause nothing is ever gonna justify that to me. I’ll never kick my kid out and I’ll never let her down. Never.” Tadius nodded slowly like a scolded child. “Effie moved on. She forgave you. That’s fine with me. But I’ve told Elindra once and I’m gonna tell you now… I’m tired of nursing her broken heart every time one of you fucks up. Hurt her again and I will kick your ass.”

That was supposed to be Tadius’ speech. The ‘don’t hurt my daughter’ speech. It was ridiculous and painful he had to break a ‘don’t hurt my wife’ speech to her own father.

He stormed off because he wasn’t sure how to end that conversation. He was unsettled, angry and upset. Thinking back to that time… It never did him any good.

He hadn’t expected Tadius to catch up just as he was turning their front door’s handle.

“I am happy she found someone who loves her as much as you do.” the Capitol man stated.

Snowball prevented him from answering that by pushing the door open and dashing inside with a joyful bark, leaving Haymitch no choice but to follow or raise questions.

The kids were gone. Effie and her mother were having tea – in proper teacups and saucers he hadn’t even known they owned, unless it was Elindra’s doing – in the living-room.

Haymitch made a beeline for the baby who was lying on his wife’s lap, drooling a little around her pacifier. She was waving her arms next to her face, letting out sharp little cries from time to time that meant she wanted attention… He had attention to give in spare.

He picked her up carefully and pressed a kiss to her head, snatching the cat ragdoll from the end of the couch where it had been abandoned to make it dance in front of her face. She let out more of those little sounds that he was certain meant she was happy and he gradually relaxed.

He hadn’t been aware of the tension that had followed him in the room until Elindra cleared her throat. “Did you have a nice stroll, dear?”

“It was very informative, yes.” Tadius answered in a somehow clipped tone.

Haymitch declared he was taking April upstairs to change her diaper, even though it really didn’t need changing, and ran away before anyone could ask him how the stroll had been. He settled on the rocking-chair in the nursery and hummed the familiar lullaby that always helped her sleep.

It was fifteen minutes before Effie managed to escape her parents to check on him.

“Did you have a fight with Father?” she asked, clearly confused.

“No.” he denied. And then sighed, reaching for her hand. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? Not… now.”

He wasn’t going to lie to her.

Maybe Tadius could keep secrets from his wife and his daughters but that wasn’t how Haymitch wanted to do things.

“Are you alright?” she insisted, brushing April’s soft blond hair. Haymitch hoped it would turn out to be curly. Just like her mother’s. “If he said something that upset you…”

“I’m fine, Princess.” he promised.

She relented and went back downstairs. He did too after a while, mostly because he was hungry and he didn’t want to miss dinner – and neither did April. The moment Effie made it clear she was going to breastfeed her, the Trinkets made their escape.

It was a relief.

Effie rolled her eyes once they were gone and reclined more comfortably on the couch before unbuttoning her silk shirt.

There would be no perfect moment so he sat on the coffee table and toyed with his wedding band, making it turn one way and then the other.

“I hope you are not thinking of taking it off.” she teased. He hadn’t been aware he was doing it and he looked up guiltily. It made her frown. “Alright. Out with it. What happened between you and my father?”

Haymitch took a deep breath, his gaze darting to April. “It might upset you.”

“I will tell you if I need you to take her.” she retorted. “You are scaring me.”

“It’s nothing big.” he promised and then made a face. “Well, yeah, it’s big. But not that big.”

“Haymitch.” she hissed in a warning tone.

“Your father asked questions and I answered them.” he said, rushing the words out. She looked puzzled so he clarified. “Questions about the war. Questions about…” He averted his eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, that’s your story to tell but he started saying ‘what if it was April?’ and, yeah… I would like to know so…” He winced. “He needed to know. He was imagining stuff and…”

“Did you tell him everything?” Her voice was faint but she looked lucid enough.

“Pretty much.” he confessed. “I’m sorry.”

She nodded slowly and then stared at April. “I don’t care if he knows. It doesn’t matter now.”

“Are you sure?” he hesitated.

“That lecture my mother went to? That man who is speaking out?” she said. “He is brave. I wish I was that brave.”

He moved from the coffee table to the couch, lifting her legs and placing them on his lap so he could sit with the two of them.

“You’re brave, Effie.” he stated. “I’m so proud of you…”

“Yes, I think you proved that this morning.” she grinned. “Why, the whole District knows just how proud of your family you are.”

It wasn’t exactly what he meant but he accepted her deflecting and shrugged, a smirk on his lips. “Perfect baby, perfect wife. I did good for myself. I’m allowed to be proud.”

She laughed and he delighted in the sound.

It sounded like hope.

#hayffie #effie trinket #haymitch abernathy #april showers

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agent-7-at-your-service · 7 years

Text

Future Plot: Project Titanomachy - Chapter 20 (Part 1)

(( Camille belongs to @inklingleesquidly

The green moth belongs to @son-of-joy and @twelvetailedkitsune

Those not mentioned belong to @myzzy @agenttwo @alpinesquid @a-demo-of-a-hero and others.

Author's note: The mental breakdown was based offKatniss Everdeen’s breakdown near the end of Hunger Games Mockingjay. I kind of fear that this scene ould be reviewed as kind of poor, and you guys might want more from it.))

For the past 3 days, Camille was exiled to the Strofades, still in her green tunic-like dress. This was before she was stripped of her divine champion role and tortured by facing 12 fights against creatures that Heracles fought or obtained for Olympus. However, Agent 0 and Hermes were clever enough to convince Choadis to sent her to the islands immediately, and that was while she was facing a deer she refused to fight.

The island has been left abandoned during the Mollusc Era, the rocky beaches have been turned into sandy shores from water erosion. The vegetation on the island had created forests and fields while willows were introduced to the island. Birds continue to visit the island during migrations, and crabs and turtles roam the beaches.

Camille had to use sail tarps from a shipwreck for blankets, towels, and a cloak, grass and washed up wood for tinder, and some metal scraps for tools. She lacks all the survival skills one should have in the wild, but at least she can try to acquire them while she's in exile. She didn't think of leaving the island.

She also worried about her family back in Inkopolis. She has never been away from her family for this long. She's starting to miss them and her friends.

At one time, she stumbled into an abandoned monastery that once housed monks.

She noticed a green moth at the entrance room and sighed.

"Get out..." Camille ordered.

The moth didn't move. Camille, at this point, has had enough being an Olympian, but not like this. The deaths of Emerald and Sapphire are haunting her like ghosts of warriors killed. She didn't want to be reminded of these great failures of an Olympians.

"I said get out!" Camille yelled at it.

Again, the moth didn't move.

"Get out! Emerald's gone!" Camille noticed some small porcelain ornaments on a shelf and threw it at the moth, but each throw misses. "Emerald’s gone! She's gone! She's gone! And she's not coming back! Get out of here! Don't--!"

Camille trips and almost collapses. As she was on her knees she covers her face, beginning to weep. The moth opens and closes her wings and flew towards her. She notices the moth come close and she reaches out to it to let it land on her index finger.

While tears still ran down her cheeks, she looked carefully at the moth. Could it be her? She thought.

All that matters was that she can't go back. She was scarred and betrayed, and now she was pushed to the point where this exile was her ending. Her dreams, shattered; her future, non-existent; her hope.... there was no hope.

An Exile's Beach, Strofades (Strofadia), Greece - Morning

Iris, the rainbow-haired inkling in divine radiance and clothes, has been Camille's only companion during exile. She made sure the Harpies never bothered Camille during her exile.

Iris has been visiting Camille to listen to her story while delivering food, clothing, and supplies to her by the request of Hermes. In addition, she provided her home -- the monk's monastery that was once a fortress-- to her along with orchards and necessities that make the place a small town. It's least she can do for someone that's so helpless during exile.

Whenever Iris asked Camille to continue telling her story in the mornings, Iris would offer some sweet bread and grape juice, sit at the beach, and sink their feet into the sands. It would get cold in the morning, so Iris offered a blanket for warmth.

Camille was already finishing up her story.

"Chaodis was Strife... I gave the Omphalos Stone to Strife," Camille narrated, "I am such a fool for loving him." She then looked at Iris. "And I was deemed a traitor for swearing some oath to Eris... Now everything I did as a champion is gone to waste."

Camille took a bite of her sweet bread, chewed, and swallowed. She then takes a few gulps of grape juice from a canteen.

"Hermes is aware of this too," Iris confesses.

Camille looks at her. "He know's my innocence?"

"And you expect him to defend you during that time?" Iris raised an eyebrow while taking a serious pose.

"...Good point." Camille sighs. "So is this story enough to prove my innocence?"

Iris nods. "I just need to tell this last bit to your friends and they'll decide--"

Soon Nyctimene, the large little owl, crashes into the sand, moving Camille and Iris out of the way.

"Nicky!?" Camille walks over to the owl. "Don't ever do that!"

"Who..." Nyctimene gets up and looks dizzy again. "Who....Who...."

"Hermes sent you?" Camille is surprised to see her bird companion again. "To tell me what?"

"Who..." Nyctimene turns her head all the way.

"My exile's shortened.... for how long?" Camille asked.

Iris walks over and saw the size of the little owl. She didn't expect Hermes to do this.

"Who..." Nyctimene shakes her head and no longer looks dizzy. She sits down and sleeps.

"2 days..." Camille said to herself, "Today and tomorrow....." She looked at Nyctimene. "Why?"

"Who..." Nyctimene was not going to tell her.

The simple message actually changed her. Her story has not ended yet, and the message proves it.

Iris decided to stay with Camille to accompany her. Camille was still thinking about Chaodis and how she was going to beat him up once this is all over. For now, she has to just last today and tomorrow, and she'll return the day after.

Somehow, she still has Mnemosyne's amulet and Phoebe's book, but she hasn't used it, there wasn't really anything in the book that can help her now. There was nothing else she had in her inventory, but then found something: a magenta racer's scarf. The same scarf her mother gave to her. The good luck charm for racing is now a memento that keeps her close to her family.

When it was night, she was personifying Princess Camilla again in her dreams, finding herself in the piers of Troy with Athena. The two were meeting in secret. The dream was longer than she expected, and it's Turf War wasn't like any turf war.

All Camille and remember as Camilla was that they were spending their last days before the war. Camille taught Athena how to play her invention, the flute, Athena taught her how to play the lyre with a plectrum, and the two enjoyed racing in the wilderness near Athens while exploring the forests.

All that was behind her now in this dream. Athena was ready to go her separate ways with Camille.

"Before you leave, Camilla... get on one knee..." Athena takes out her spear.

Camille did so and wonder what it was for.

Athena gently places the head of the spear on Camille's left shoulder and then on her right shoulder. She then puts the spear away and places her hand on Camille's forehead. She rubs her thumb on her forehead.

"With my blessing... please... guide those you find worthy to be my champion," Athena blessed.

Camille looks up at Athena and nods. "I will, Athena."

Soon after, they go their separate ways.

For the next few days, Troy will be at war. Camille will be leading Amazons under the orders of Artemis, fighting for the Trojans. Apollo, Ares, and Artemis were there to support their sister Aphrodite, Leto was there because of Apollo and Artemis, and a few Greek Heroes were there to support the gods that helped them.

During the war, the Trojans were already losing their Greek Heroes while the Amazons that Camille led were uncontrollable yet they pushed the Greeks back.

It was only on the second-to-final day where Camille was going to meet Camilla's demise.

Camille has already organized the Amazons on that day, and their mastery in archery has always been valuable to Troy. Every time they fire, the Greeks always retreat to the beaches every time and wait for their ammunition to go out.

But that was about to change: An Aegean blue inkling named Achilles gathered his bravest chariot men and attempted to climb the walls that protect the Trojans and Amazons. He had his men bring light shields on their chariot charge and disguise the horses as deer. And this has worked on the Amazons, but not Camille.

One at the walls, Achilles and his chariot men proudly climb their way to Troy and attacked the Amazons once at the top. In addition, he used his chariot to kill a Trojan named Hector just to break the morale of the Trojans defending. Only Camille had the mind to fall back and try to regroup, but Achilles's attack has turned the tides. The Greeks leave the beach and join with Achilles on the siege. Troy now had to fight with doors open to the enemies.

Camille decided to go after Achilles, leaving what's left of her Amazons to help Troy. She chased him down a city street and then a racing alley where she freed a dead Hector from Achilles's chariot. But now she had to deal with Achilles chasing her down.

And with just a few turns and u-turns to try and fight back, Camille's chariot crashes into a garden where she ends up injured. She can see the Trojans and Amazons fall back to an inner part of the city, the Citadel. The Greeks were victorious for another day with red ink staining a part of Troy.

Achilles approaches Camille with a spear prepared in his hand.

"Please no...," Camille begged, "By Athena's blessing, please don't..."

The spearhead was dipped in ink. He grabs the injured Camille and has her pinned to a wooden pillar. When he was going to deliver a thrust to the heart, he stopped, looking into Camille's eyes.

"I...I can't do it." Achilles said to himself, lowering his spear. "I just can't harm a beauty like you....."

But an Achaean Hero and his battalion arrived and were shocked to hear him say it.

"She's an Amazon, Prince of Skyros!" An Achaean Hero argued.

Achilles and the Achaean began to argue until the Achaean decided to kill her for him with just one stab to the chest.

Camille gasped.

"No!" Achille attacked the Achaean Hero, but a deformed commoner knocks him out.

Camille quickly wakes up from the dream. She would no longer dream as Camilla. As she woke up, she finds herself in an antique bedroom in the monastery where Iris was sleeping on a sofa.

She quickly grabbed Phoebe's Book and Mnemosyne's Amulet and decided to find out why the Trojan Turf War happened and what happened to Achilles and the Olympians. From the book, it revealed everything:

Eris was the one that planted the idea of the Trojan War in Zeus's mind. Zeus liked the idea since he, like his Quaternary incarnation, has been tired of heroes and demigods living among mortal. When the war ended, he exiled every surviving hero and demigods to a paradise far from Greece where it sunk into the ocean years later.

Eris also stole the Omphalos stone from Zeus to give to Achilles who swore an oath so that he can avenge Camilla. To avoid the blame, Eris blames Heracles who was exiled to Orthys where he committed suicide.

Eris then left Zeus to take the blame for bringing mortals to near-extinction again; However, this time, the oath of not fighting one another is broken, causing the gods to turn on each other and wipe off nearly all of the pantheon. They were now worse than the mortals who fought each other. Eris retreated to somewhere to avoid death.

Hermes and Hephaestus managed to be the only survivors and asked the minor Olympian gods to scatter and help mortals. Afterward, gods and goddesses would be among them as normal mortals.

Back with Achilles, he did get his revenge but ended up dying with an arrow in his heel. As he died, he made one more oath to Eris, asking for a descendant to continue his legacy. She was obliged to do so as she found an advantage.

Camille quickly closes the book and can guess the rest of the events.

It was night.

#Future #Plot #Project Titanomachy

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