Finnick Odair. Known for his skills with a trident in the Hunger Games, forced to spend nights with Capitol women. Fell in love with Annie Cresta. Died in the rebellion. This is what we learned about him in the books. But what was life really like for the famous District 4 victor? One-shot.
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"Finnick Odair!"
The boy's mind goes numb for a few seconds after his name is called, but he puts on a brave face and smiles and waves to the audience. He is waiting for volunteers, but none come. The reaping moves on, his partner a career girl he doesn't know, apparently called Cariah Dover.
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I'm your mentor. My name is Mags. I teach you to get sponsors. I am your link to civilisation. Sugar cube?
Finnick wonders if this woman is crazy. But he doesn't question her, he follows her orders to listen to his stylists. They gush about his sea green eyes and tousled blonde hair and dress him up in a mermaids tail for the chariot rides. The Capitolites cheer him on, entranced by his beauty.
But why, Finnick ponders. In the Games his looks will not matter, his hair will become matted with dirt, his eyes will become insane and bloodshot. But they care. They will be sponsoring him, and for the first time, he sees Mags in a different light. She is not insane, she is right. If they like his looks and they will bring him sponsors then he will do everything to please them.
That day he realised how powerless he really was.
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This is the time to show them. The trident is your weapon, show the gamemakers what you can do. You can't coast through the Games on looks and sponsors alone.
He could see that. Contrary to what Cariah believed, he was not a stupid kid in way over his head. He knew that if he wished to come out alive, come back to his family, he would have to kill. He hated himself for it, but he accepted it.
The trident pierced the head of the dummy, the middle prong hitting the spot right between the eyes. And they had cheered. He had achieved a score of eleven. They liked the fact that he could killed with a trident from twenty meters away.
That day, he learned that not every person is human. Not everyone has a heart.
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Run for the cornucopia. You are a career, in their eyes at least. Fleeing is considered cowardice, and a District 4 victor cannot be a coward. Find a weapon and utilise your training.
Three. Two. One. The gong for the start of the games goes and Mags' words flood back to him. He hadn't noticed, but he is running for the center. Finnick grabs a rucksack and manages to get a sword as well.
The district 11 girl get in his way. She is holding a scythe and she takes a swing at his neck. A swing with the intent to kill, he realises. He stumbles backwards and throws his sword at her neck. It makes contact and the blood flows from her gaping wound. He turns away, grabbing another sword from the pile and running as far as he could from her corpse.
That day, Finnick Odair killed for the first time.
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This was bought using most of your sponsor money. Use it well, and remember, no gift comes without a price.
In his hideout by the lake, Finnick reads the note and wonders what it means. The price of killing? He had already paid that price twice over. But he needs to concentrate, so he shrugs it off and constructs a net from vines.
The next few days are easy for him. Just like shark-hunting. Capture the prey in a net, spear it with a trident. Nothing difficult, nothing complicated. Just like hunting.
Cariah is the last tribute left. Like all of the others, she falls to his weapon. He is the Victor, but the feeling is strangely hollow.
Finnick is left wondering if the hollowness of his victory is the price that Mags had mentioned.
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You are one of our more popular victors Finnick. Many of your sponsored have requested that you spend a night with them personally. By the way, how are your family?
Finnick mulls over the president's words. He catches the hidden meaning, understands the threat. He still tells Snow exactly what he thinks of him though. Snow just smiles slowly, triumphantly.
So Finnick goes on appointments. He doesn't think too much about it, until he hears a woman complaining about a gamemaker she didn't like. Then it occurred to him. These ladies were wrapped around his finger. They would tell him anything. And so the trade in secrets began, and Finnick Odair acquired blackmail on many of the influential Capitolites. Including Snow.
This could be useful, he thinks.
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I think I love you Finnick. Properly, not just a crush.
I love you too Annie.
And then it happened. The reaping. And Finnick was sure it wasn't just coincidence. This was Snow, and Finnick would make sure Annie came out of the arena alive. He volunteered as mentor, giving her the same advice Mags gave him. He trained her, not going easy on her because he loved her, but making her stronger so she would survive.
But then she slowly became mad in the arena as he watched. When he was sure she would not be able to win he used blackmail. The head gamemaker had done some things he wasn't too proud of. And so the arena flooded and his Annie survived.
He left happy, with his girlfriend and information about a rebellion from fellow Victors. Johanna Mason, around his age, he had become very good friends with. And they had helped him because of an unwritten rule: victors stick together.
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The tributes this year will be chosen from the existing pool of victors. Ladies first: Mags Windsoar. And for the boys: Finnick Odair.
He goes to the quarter quell. He sees Johanna and all of his other Victor friends, and also meets Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. They interest him, with the fire costumes, the love, the rebellion. According to Haymitch the rebellion have Plutarch Heavensbee on their side, the head gamemaker. There is a plan to interrupt the Games, bring all of them to District 13. The 'destroyed' nuclear District that is now the rebellion base.
The games start. He saves Peeta's life and sees the true love Katniss has for him. He is touched, reminded of himself and Annie. Mags is killed by the fog and a white hot rage at the Capitol runs through him, that he is determined to act upon in the name of the rebellion.
The plan works, partly. He, Annie, Katniss, Johanna and Haymitch are on their way to the Capitol. Peeta was left behind.
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Do you, Finnick Odair, take Annie Cresta to be your lawfully wedded wife?
I do. I love you Annie.
Finnick's wedding with Annie is one of the happiest days of his life. After all of the Games, rebellion and appointments he never thought he would achieve such happiness, but unbelievably, he had. It was only marred by the fact that Peeta had been rescued, and found insane. The beautiful cake that he had baked tasted sour to Finnick, reminding him that another had to deal with their love's fall into insanity.
Annie, for the first time in years, was completely serious and sane as she replied: "I love you too Finnick."
The five simple words meant more to him than all of the elaborate poems, money and secrets from the various Capitolites had ever meant. Proper love, someone who didn't just care about him because he was handsome and could kill with a trident. It felt good.
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As Finnick died he saw the important moments of his life flash before his eyes, and one last face smiling at him. The face of his love, Annie Cresta. Finnick died happy knowing that the Capitol had practically fallen and no others would have to go through what he and Katniss had.
The End
So what do you guys think? This is in a different style to what I usually write so please leave a review telling me how good (or rubbish) it is.