The amount of oneshots that have been written in the past 48 hours is seriously record breaking. For me at least. And yay, first Hunger Games fic in 2 years! (or something like that)
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Note: There are a bunch of references later on in the story. Cookies to those who understand them all.
There is a hidden grotto just off the coast of District Four. Sometimes you can see it. Most times you can't even tell that it's there. But if you manage to find the entrance, hidden under cerulean waters…
You find a place that is of all worlds. Not just your own…
The sea is Finlee's. And Finlee is the sea's. He doesn't exactly know why, but he likes to think that they belong to each other. The sea doesn't give a damn about who you are. To it, it's all about the survival of the fittest. It is the greatest teacher and mentor, (in his opinion) and is also the greatest comforter and confidant.
That's what Finlee needs more often than not. Even with the war long over, he still gets pestered by the media to be interviewed or appear on special shows that honor the sacrifices made during the war. He's told to bring his mother with him-his mother that he wishes he could bring down to Atlantis deep in the sea so that no one can annoy her with questions about his father.
He hates it. He hates having to sit down in a chair in front of a mirror while people turn him into something that he's not, just for an audience. Finlee; the tragic son of a warrior and poor crazy girl. Child of two victors that fate decided to be cruel to. He hates it. The only thing that keeps him from totally losing it is his cousins. They're not blood related, but his mother and their parents grew close after the war ended. And their mother was one of his father's closest allies. They have the worst of it.
But when they're not around to keep him sane, the one and only other place that keeps him calm is a certain cave he found when he was thirteen.
He was exploring the various coves littered across the beaches near his house. As he was swimming from one to the next, he noticed gap in the rocks below him. Submerged only six feet below the surface, and hidden between long arms of seaweed, the opening lead to a tunnel only five feet in diameter. Diving underwater, he had swum to the entrance to find a soft glow illuminating the end of tunnel.
Rising back up to the surface, Finlee fought internally about what he should do. For all he knew the light could be coming from some sort of glow worm, and it could just be a dead end. Or maybe some sort of aquatic predator lived there (then again, there were no signs of disturbances near the entrance). However, something about that light called to him.
Deciding that there's no time like the present, Finlee took a deep breath and dove down and used his hands to pull himself through the entrance and into the tunnel. Five meters from the entrance, the tunnel began curving downwards, and opened to open water. He kicked his feet gently and pulled himself into the surprisingly bright water. Rising up with a stream of bubbles, Finlee shook his hair out of his face and stared at his surroundings in awe.
The tunnel that he had swam through lead him into an underground pool. Lifting himself up, he peered up at the ceiling. It was as if it were made of some sort of crystal. Refracting the light from the surface and into the cave, causing the strange glow he had seen from the outside. But…how could that be? The tunnel didn't lead him that far from the surface, and he would've known about strange rock formations in the waters by now. Returning his attention back to the ground, Finlee spotted a gap in the rock wall leading to another chamber.
Squeezing through the relatively narrow crevice, Finlee's jaw dropped as he took in the impossible sight before his eyes. This chamber is extraordinarily vast; so large that it shouldn't even be able to exist. The walls are lined with various forms of mosses, some of them familiar, some he's never seen before in his life. Sea stars and cucumbers litter the floor, and upon further inspection, he found various types of underwater flora in the surprisingly deep pools located throughout the room. That isn't what really shocks him though.
Hundreds of destroyed ships loomed above him, of all sizes, shapes, colours and design. Some of them were like the sailing ships he'd see at port. Others were totally foreign to him. Hesitantly, he took a step towards one of the unfamiliar ships. Made of wood, it cracked straight down the middle. Sails that he was sure were majestic at a time were now tattered, and the green markings on it are faded. Curiously, Finlee wondered why the ship's sails have small pyramid made of three golden triangles flanked by what seem to be wings.
Moving towards the stern of the ship, Finlee let a hand trace the name plate. Rusted and dented, he frowned as he rubbed as much dust and grime as he could off of it. For a moment, he only saw strange symbols made up of lines . But after moment of closer inspection, the symbols seemed to contort and twist into letters.
"Link..Na." He sounded out. Trying to figure out what that meant, Finlee realized that he's been exploring far too long.
Dashing back the way he first entered, Finlee resolved that he'd come again the next day.
And he did. And has done so for three years now. Whenever he needs to take a moment to calm himself down, or if he just feels like exploring, he visits the graveyard. Zutara, ShitaZawa, Drapple, the names of the ships are just as unique as the vessels and their contents. Over the years he's singled out his favourite vessels to visit.
One is called LuThalia. Battered silver shields that are adorned with a scowling woman with snakes for hair line the sides. Inside, he found a tattered high-top shoe with broken and dirty wings twitching feebly at the side. There was always the scent of pine drifting through the ship as well.
Another is called NejiTen. It's design is strange, built in a way different than all the one's he's grown familiar with. Strange weapons litter the floors and are stabbed in the walls. Most look like knives, except the double edged blade is diamond shaped, and the end of the shaft has a ring attached to it. On the wall of what Finlee assumes to be the captain's cabin is a green 'x' turned so that the lines are perfectly horizontal and vertical. There are little embellishments on the ends, and two horizontal lines snake towards it from the sides of the wall, creating the illusion that it's some sort of circlet.
However, the one ship that means more to him than any other is located in an exceptionally bright patch of light. It's a simple fishing boat. Not especially majestic in any way. Inside is a fishing net, made up entirely of knots, and several wilted flowers. Under a broken wooden seat, Finlee hides the square piece of sea green cloth and broken trident that he found the first time he visited this particular ship.
This is also the only ship that he tries to keep in the best condition. Several times he's brought wood oil with him in hopes to polish it up, but to no avail. So instead, he keeps the name plate as clean as it can be. Every time he visits, he polishes it until it shines, tracing the name reverently.
'FinNie'
There is a hidden grotto just off the coast of District Four. Sometimes you can see it. Most times you can't even tell that it's there. But if you manage to find the entrance, hidden under cerulean water, you find a place that is of all worlds. Not just your own…
You find the final resting place of the sunken ships.