Chapter 10: Victor of Victors

The chopper came to retrieve Haymitch, and carried him back to the Capitol. Peeta and Effie were waiting for him back at the Training Center.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Peeta cheered as he gave his mentor a big hug. Haymith returned it half-heartedly.

"I'm sorry about Katniss, boy."

Peeta nodded sadly, trying not to cry. "She died honorably. She will not be forgotten. And, hey, third place is pretty good, right?" Haymitch gave a small smile.

The Capitol was not done with Haymitch yet. Final interviews still had to be set up. When Caesar Flickerman brought the old drunk out, the studio exploded in cheers. And, of course, Haymitch was forced to watch an entire replay of the Games. He saw himself saving Blight and drowning Daniel. He saw how he and his allies escaped the clock dangers and the Career attack at the Cornucopia. He watched as Katniss was ambushed by Enobaria and his come-from-behind kill of the latter. And finally, the climatic final confrontation with Brutus.

Then, President Snow placed the Victory Crown on Haymitch's head. It was a historic moment. Haymitch had mixed feelings of pride and anger as he stood before the Capitol, their victor once again.

Soon after leaving the Capitol by train, Haymitch realized there was an additional passenger on board: Head Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee. He explained to Haymitch that the Capitol had gone ape after he had won, and how President Snow had designed the Quell to make sure that neither of the District 12 victors reaped (especially Katniss, but still neither) won. Plutarch was taking them to 13 right now.

Months passed. Panem was now in full-scale rebellion. The Third Quarter Quell had had the opposite effect on the Districts. Katniss was now viewed as a martyr, still a symbol of the rebellion. But, there were new leaders: Haymitch Abernathy, as the brawn and hardened warrior who had escaped the arena twice; Peeta Mellark, as the heartbroken boy who could bring and audience to its feet with his eloquent words. Together, mentor and protégé led the revolution that resulted in many deaths, but also the invasion of the Capitol and capture of President Snow.

The war now over, Haymitch got to see inside the Presidential mansion. He discovered an entire room with podiums. 12 podiums for the 12 districts. On each one, the names of all 75 victors of the Hunger Games were listed. In addition, three banners hung from the ceiling, depicting the victors of the Quarter Quells. The first bore the name of Indigo Weaver from District 8: a common thief turned over to the arena by his own neighbors, only to become the third victor from his district. The other two banners bore his name. And now, most of the names he now read on the banners and podiums were all dead, killed in something rebels were calling The Victors' Purge. Teary-eyed, the old man turned away.

President Snow's execution followed, along with Peeta suddenly turning on President Coin and killing her too. Commander Paylor of District 8 became the new President of Panem.

Haymitch and Peeta returned home to the Victor's Village of District 12. There were only 3 victors who had survived the war: themselves and Annie Cresta from District 4. She stayed behind in the fishing district. Meanwhile, only about 500 souls returned to District 12. Peeta and Haymitch kept each other company in the Victor's Village. Each had their own house. Katniss' old abode was turned into a shrine and memorial for the fallen Girl on Fire. The extra, empty houses had other uses put to them: one held Peeta's new bakery; another kept the geese that Haymitch had taken to raising for market in the Seam. In this way, the surviving victors from District 12 managed to make a living.

Haymitch continued to sleep with a knife in his hand, the memories of both his Games haunting him still. Having survived two Quells, the tributes he killed and the horrors he had experienced would remain with him for the rest of his life. At least, he and Peeta had each other. The two were each other's support.

There was never another Hunger Games ever held in Panem. The arenas were turned into memorials for the fallen tributes: over 1800. Haymitch lived to a ripe old age, well into his 90's. When he passed, the District held a state funeral for him. Peeta, in his 60's now himself, delivered a moving eulogy. The headstone for the old drunk read: HERE LIES HAYMITCH ABERNATHY: FRIEND. MENTOR. VICTOR OF VICTORS – 2nd and 3rd QUARTER QUELLS of the Hunger Games.