Chapter Text
Finnick was going through what was undoubtedly one of the worst years of his life. And it seemed like things were only going to get worse.
He counts on Snow to destroy any chance he has of being even remotely happy. He counts on him to make his life crueler and more miserable with every day that passes since He won the 65th Hunger Games.
Trapped in the Capitol until Reaping Day for the 75th edition of the games, Finnick had slowly begun to feel more like a doll than a person. A doll, a toy that the wealthy citizens of the Capitol could buy, use, and break at will.
Everything would be easier to bear if Perseus were in the Capitol with Finnick and the other victors from District 4. Even if he could only see him in passing, the mere fact of knowing that his presence was there would have been enough to make his stay bearable.
If he could go back in time, he would have been more careful with appearances. Perhaps then Finnick wouldn't have been forced to break up with the man he loved.
Breaking up with Perseus had been painful, a complete breakdown. He remembered the look on her face when he realized Finnick was forced to break up with him. He also remembered that it was only when Perseus left the room that he let the tears blur her vision and flow freely down his face.
From then on, he felt Perseus drifting further and further away from him. The distance was subtle at first, understandable considering Finnick had broken up with him. But little by little it grew longer, and the moments they spent together became shorter.
He dreaded the day the emotional distance would grow too great, the day Perseus would leave his life, never to return. He dreaded the day Perseus would realize Finnick wasn't enough, that he deserved someone better.
Fate knew that it would die inside if Perseus found someone else. Someone who could give themselves completely to him, someone who wasn't tainted and broken.
Perseus was the person with whom he felt safe. He was his safe haven, the one who kept Finnick sane during these last few years while the Capitol took more and more from him.
Because for Finnick, Perseus was everything. A friend, a loved one, a refuge.
Now he didn't even know if Perseus was safe.
No one had managed to contact district 04.
And it wasn't for lack of trying.
The Capitol had tried everything. No trains entered or left the district, Capitol ships were destroyed, communication signals were lost. Nothing the Capitol tried worked.
There was still no news about Perseus.
It was that last thought that brought him back to the present, to the room where he had appeared after losing consciousness on his way to see Plutarch Heavensbee .
He was the first to regain consciousness, quickly realizing he wasn't the only one in the room. Mags, Marina, and Marlin were with him , all gradually waking up and looking just as confused as he was.
Just like them, other victors were also in that room.
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark , last year's winners (and that was quite a surprise to many), were awake alongside Haymitch and District 12's escort, Effie Trinket . The first three seemed to be looking for possible ways out (there weren't any, Finnick had already looked on his own)
Beetee and Wiress had been among the last to regain consciousness and were with Plutarch, who, like them, seemed to be analyzing everything.
The room had large glass windows, offering views of the surrounding landscape. It also featured several comfortable seats, a huge flat-screen television, a dining table laden with food, and an adjoining room divided into two separate bathroom and sink areas for men and women.
Johanna had begun screaming furiously upon waking, the exact moment she realized she was no longer where she had been when she was transported along with the others. She might have tried to throw some of the furniture in the room against the windows to create an escape route, but she quickly gave up when she took in the view.
Ah yes, that was why Finnick was certain there wasn't a proper exit. The landscape outside the room was marine, as if they were underwater. A deep blue, which highlighted the bright colors of the coral and the life that inhabited it nearby. A mix of fish and other species came and went.
The only ones who might have a chance of escaping would be the victors from District 4, as they were among the few who had gained the ability to swim thanks to their district.
Before he could even think of a new way to escape, the television screen lit up. The following words appeared on the screen:
YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT HERE SO THAT, THROUGH A VISUALIZATION NARRATED FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE WINNER OF THE 70 HUNGER GAMES:
PERSEUS JACKSON
YOU WILL BE INFORMED OF THE CURRENT SITUATION IN DISTRICT 04.
YOU WILL BE PROVIDED WITH WHAT YOU NEED TO MEET YOUR NEEDS WHILE YOU ARE HERE.
ONCE EVERYTHING IS FINISHED, EACH ONE WILL BE TAKEN TO WHAT IS CURRENTLY THE SAFEST PLACE IN PANEM
YOUR LOVED ONES WILL NOT FEEL YOUR ABSENCE.
THEY TOO WILL BE TAKEN TO THAT PLACE ONCE YOU LEAVE THIS ROOM
BEST WISHES TO ALL OF YOU.
SINCERELY, FOR YOU, FROM 2000 YEARS IN THE FUTURE
P.S. THE VISUALIZATION WILL BEGIN ONCE EVERYONE IS SEATED AND THE SHRIKE GIVES THE SIGNAL
“What the hell?” Johanna reacted with disbelief.
“And what the hell is going on in District 4?” Haymitch asked in astonishment.
“We don’t know,” Marina replied, looking as surprised as everyone else. “We haven’t heard from District 4 since we were transported from the district to the Capitol. The same day you,” she turned to look at Katniss and Peeta , “had to be evacuated from the district after your Victory Tour speech.”
More than one person's eyes widened.
“It’s been months since the damn Tour de la Victoria,” Johanna exclaimed. “What the hell happened?”
Plutarch said calmly and confidently, turning to the screen. “It would be good to finally know what’s going on in District 4,” or with Perseus Jackson. That’s what Plutarch didn’t say, but everyone heard it nonetheless.
Finnick couldn't agree more. A shiver ran down Finnick's spine.
He felt his heart pounding in his ears, as if for a moment everything stopped when he heard the name of the person he loved.
Perseus thought in despair.
They would be allowed to learn about Perseus. Not only that, they would also be allowed to learn about the state of District 4. Something that, judging by the way several of them had reacted to the district's mention, they were undoubtedly interested in.
Valuable information was being handed to them on a silver platter.
The question was, why?
Finnick had been careful not to involve Perseus in the brewing rebellion. Had he been wrong to do so? Would it have been better for Finnick to involve Perseus from the start?
Finnick couldn't help but feel that he had made a mistake again, that his inability to communicate properly with Perseus had led to creating more distance.
Perhaps if Perseus had been involved from the beginning, the distance between him and Finnick would not be what it is now.
“Well?” Johanna exclaimed, increasingly irritated with the situation, “When is that visualization supposed to start?”
“It was mentioned that it would be when we were all seated.”, Peeta Mellark spoke from his seat next to Katniss. Everdeen . “And after 'The Shrike' gave the signal”
That plunged everyone into silence.
"Oh ," Finnick thought with a deep sense of nostalgia and pain.
Although she didn't allow her feelings to show on her face, she felt that her pain had possibly broken through the mask of indifference she always wore.
“Well, one of us must be the shrike,” Beetee Latier said.
"We're ready to visualize ," Finnick thought desperately, even though he knew that wouldn't be enough of a sign. He didn't want to share that information with absolutely anyone.
That was something just between him and Perseus. It was a secret between them, something no one else could take, and Finnick wasn't about to give it up.
To their surprise and disbelief, the screen began to display a new series of words:
SIGNAL FROM THE SHRIKE RECEIVED
STARTING VIEWING:
PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF
CHAPTER 1: I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE- ALGEBRA TEACHER
A thought echoed in Finnick's head. He had only thought it, only thought it, and that was enough to trigger the signal.
How could this room have heard his thoughts? What on earth had they gotten themselves into?
But of course , he thought incredulously, with Perseus there is never anything remotely ordinary.
Another set of words appeared on the screen , while a child's voice, a voice that sounded very familiar, could be heard:
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood